The City of Charlotte's Engineering & Property Management Department and Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will host a series of meetings to discuss project related material for the Charlotte Streetcar. These public meetings will serve as an opportunity for staff to provide a project update to the community on what will be accomplished during the Preliminary Engineering phase of the Streetcar project.

Thursday, November 17
6 – 8 p.m.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, Room 267
600 E. Fourth Street

Thursday, November 19
6 - 8 p.m.
Johnson C. Smith University, Auditorium
100 Beatties Ford Road

The same information will be shared at each meeting.

For bus routes nearest meeting locations, call 704-336-RIDE (7433) or consult the CATS Trip Planner at www.ridetransit.org.

For more information about the meetings, please call Jean Leier at 704-432-0496 or e-mail jleier@charlottenc.gov.

Children are more than twice as likely to be hit and killed by a car on Halloween as any other night of the year. Here are some tips to keep everyone safe this Halloween:

• Safely cross streets, don't cross between parked cars.
• Walk on sidewalks or paths.
• Children under the age of 12 should always trick or treat with adult supervision.
• Carry flashlights and wear reflective items if you will be trick-or-treating in the dark.

For a complete list of Halloween safety tips, visit the Safe Kids web site www.safekidscharmeck.org.

The City of Charlotte will conduct a public hearing on the proposed Rental Property Ordinance Monday, November 9 at 7 p.m. in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center Meeting Chamber. This is an opportunity for citizens and stakeholders to voice their concerns prior to the City Council's decision to approve the recommendation to adopt an ordinance to amend Chapter 6 of the Charlotte City Code entitled "Businesses and Trades."

CMPD proposed an ordinance that would require rental property owners to take remedial action if crime and disorder calls reach a designated threshold at a rental location. City Council will vote on the ordinance at the Monday, November 9 meeting.

The proposed ordinance is based on a 2004 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) detailed crime analysis showing 33% of robberies, 33% of auto thefts, 25% of residential burglaries and 12% of larcenies from vehicles occur on multi-family rental property. In 2006, another CMPD analysis reported that 41.5% of all crime occurs on residential property and that 60% of residential crime occurs in multi-family and single family rental housing. Many of the rental properties are owned by absentee landlords and the activity that occurs at these properties creates disorder in the neighborhoods where they are located.

Each speaker will be limited to 3 minutes. Call the City Clerk's Office at 704-336-2248 to sign up to speak at the meeting, for more information about speaking at City Council meetings visit the City Clerk's web site.

Come learn about Charlotte's environmental and energy future as City and community leaders unveil the list of projects that will be submitted to the Department of Energy. The meeting will be held Thursday, November 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, Council Meeting Chamber.

The meeting will include a brief overview of the projects, followed by a public comment period. The final project plans will be reviewed and approved at the City Council meeting on Monday, November 23.

The meeting will also be broadcast on the GOV Channel (Cable 16) and streamed live on the City's web site at www.charmeck.org. The proceedings will also be posted on the site following the meeting.

As part of the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant, Charlotte must develop and submit an Energy Strategy by Monday, November 23 to become eligible to receive the first half of more than $6.4 million in grant funding. 

Project ideas are based on suggestions and input gathered at a previous community meeting, and through discussions with business and community partners, along with suggestions made by the community through the Energy Strategy web site. The projects are designed to reduce fossil fuel emissions, reduce energy consumption, create new green jobs and increase the use of renewable technologies.

Community University's (CU) fall and winter class schedule is now available. All workshops are free and open to Charlotte residents. To register, visit neighborhoods.charmeck.org and click on the CU icon, e-mail neighservs@ci.charlotte.nc.us or call 704-336-2061.

Each month there will be a specific theme with four workshops addressing that theme. Residents are encouraged to participate in all classes for the month, but may attend individual workshops if preferred. 

November: Health and Safety
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
YWCA
3420 Park Road

Tuesday, November 3 – Safe Homes, Safe Communities
Examine safety tips for homes and communities, including Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) surveys and neighborhood crime watch programs.

Thursday, November 12 – The Unspoken Crimes in Neighborhoods
Explore the impact of youth and adult violence on individuals and neighborhoods and learn about available resources.

To register online, click here. Visit the CU web site for the complete schedule of courses.

CU is the City of Charlotte's neighborhood training program dedicated to providing high quality training to Charlotte residents to improve the strength and vitality of neighborhood organizations and the overall quality of community life. Courses are intended to engage, inform and equip participants with the training and assistance needed to help them improve and maintain their communities.

With autumn in full swing, it's time to get out those rakes and round up the fallen leaves that blanket your yard. Wondering when they'll be collected? The City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services collects leaves and other yard waste for all City residents on the same day as your garbage and recyclable collection.

Please use the following tips to properly prepare yard waste for collection:

• Place leaves in untied plastic bags or uncovered trash cans
• Cut limbs, logs, and brush to no more than 5 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter
• Separate piles and stack to less than 4 feet high and 75 pounds
• Do not place yard waste in the garbage rollout cart

After items are prepared, place them curbside no later than 6:30 a.m. on your scheduled collection day.

Want more information on how to Prep It? Visit http://curbit.charmeck.org.

The GOV Channel brings you the latest City Source episode on Thursday, November 5 at 7 p.m. The episode will give you an in-depth look at the Center City 2020 plan. You'll also learn about what happens to yard waste after it's collected and you'll get a glimpse inside the new Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts and Culture.

For your convenience, you can view episodes of City Source online at www.charmeck.org by clicking on The GOV Channel logo.

If you know someone who would be interested in reading CMail, please forward it to them!