Information Items:
June 22 - Local Elected Officials Meeting and Public Meetings for the Gaston East-West Connector (Garden Parkway) Project in Gaston and Mecklenburg Counties
Resources:
Tim Gibbs, CDOT, 704-336-3917, tgibbs@charlottenc.gov
Robert Cook, CDOT, 704-336-8643, rwcook@charlottenc.gov
The North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) will convene a meeting for local elected officials to discuss the draft Environmental Impact Statement that has been prepared for the Gaston East-West Connector (Garden Parkway). The meeting will be held on Monday, June 22 beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the Gaston County Police Department, 420 W. Franklin Boulevard in Gastonia. NCTA staff will provide elected officials with an opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns about the Gaston East-West Connector project.
NCTA will also convene two official public hearings for the project. One will be in Gaston County and the other in Mecklenburg County. The hearing scheduled for Mecklenburg County will be held on Thursday, June 25 beginning at 7:00 p.m. at Olympic High School, 4301 Sandy Porter Road in Charlotte. Prior to the hearing, an open house for the public will be held at the same location from 2:30 until 6:30 p.m.
Further information about the Gaston East-West Connector and public participation activities can be obtained at the NCTA website, www.ncturnpike.org.
Later this year Council will be asked to direct the vote of its Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) representative regarding the recommended alignment for this project.
Upcoming Traffic Delays Around Uptown/Time Warner Cable Arena
Resource:
Joe Yanicak, CDOT, 704-336-5531, jyanicak@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) has been notified that the ACN International Training Event is scheduled at the Time Warner Cable Arena from Friday, June 26, to Sunday, June 28. The all-day sessions are expected to fill the arena. There is a possibility of commuter delays Friday morning due to attendee parking and bus activity. CDOT will activate its traffic management plan for this event.
The registration for this event will be at the arena beginning Friday, June 26, 2009, at 8:00 a.m. ACN is the world's largest direct seller of telecommunications services with its U.S. headquarters in Concord, North Carolina. Many local hotels are booked for the weekend due to this event.
The CDOT's traffic management plan will utilize the City's traffic control contractor to manage the curb lanes on Trade and 5th Streets, assist with timely drop offs and pick ups, and direct buses. The Engineering and Operations personnel will monitor traffic from the Signal Center to adapt to changing conditions and determine the most efficient way to move traffic in the arena area. Additionally, the event sponsor has secured parking and shuttle service from their building in Concord and booked Bojangles Arena for overflow crowds.
Coca-Cola Recycle and Win Partnership Update
Staff Resource:
Victoria Garland, Solid Waste, 704-336-3410, vgarland@ci.charlotte.nc.us
In February, the City of Charlotte began a partnership with the Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Mecklenburg County to raise awareness of the CURB IT! residential recycling program and to increase the number of residents participating in the program. As a part of the partnership, called Recycle and Win, the Coca-Cola prize patrol rides the City and County in search of residents recycling the correct way (bin at the curb on their scheduled collection day with eligible recyclables in the bin). Once residents are identified recycling correctly, they are rewarded with a $50 gift card to Harris Teeter. Prizes are awarded to two residents per week and the promotion will continue until January 2010. To date:
- 22 in North zone
- 13 in South zone
- 21 in East zone
- 23 in West zone
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Nearly $4,000 has been awarded in gift cards to Charlotte residents.
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Collection costs have not increased as a result of this program.
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Recycling tonnage has not increased as a result of the program. Staff believes the major reason for this is the economic downturn:
- Garbage tonnage across the nation has decreased significantly.
- Recycling tonnage has been on a steady decline since October 2008.
- Recycling tonnage is down across the country and many communities are eliminating their recycling programs due to the nation's current economic crisis.
In addition to providing residents with gift cards, the promotion is increasing awareness of the CURB IT! residential recycling program and the City's commitment to the environment. A survey conducted by Knowledge and Insights on behalf of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company showed that the City of Charlotte is "top of mind" with residents when they think about corporations encouraging recycling.
The survey asked residents to name companies, big and small, they feel are doing the most to encourage recycling. When the survey was conducted in August 2008, the City of Charlotte was not listed. When it was conducted again in March 2009, the City of Charlotte was listed number four.
In the next few weeks, Coca-Cola is planning a second mailing to City and County residents. The mailing will include a postcard with a new UV protected sticker for residents to place on their bins. The mailing should reach residents by the end of the month and will help keep the promotion visible in the community. The mailing is just one part of Coca-Cola's ongoing promotion of the program.
Other promotions generated by Coca-Cola's marketing team include monthly Charlotte Observer articles featuring local winners and a WSOC story regarding the promotion, which aired in March.
Staff will continue to provide updates on the Recycle and Win promotion.
