Morning Minute: Monday, June 3, 2019

News About Town: Matthews Police are looking for two men who recently stole nearly $900 in merchandise from Lowe's at Sycamore Commons. Both men are described as black males, approximately 6’00” tall, with medium to large builds. Security camera photos are available on the town website. The theft occurred on the heels of a recent cooperative sting between Matthews PD and Lowe's Security, where 14 people were charged and 21 cases were closed by netting members of an organized retail theft ring.  

The nearly finished Town 324 apartments.

News Around Town:  Town 324, developed by BrookChase Properties, is nearing completion, expanding the selection of apartments in downtown Matthews (the other downtown rental multifamily units are BrookChase's Matthews Lofts). Town 324 is located by Town Hall and consists of 24 " boutique, small scale apartment" units. Rezoning was approved in 2014 by current Commissioner John Urban. (Urban was not commissioner at the time of rezoning.)

One Fun Thing:  Spend summer break with the Matthews Library. Sign your family up online for the Summer Break read-along, log reading and activities throughout the summer, then earn badges and prizes (including a ticket to Carowinds!).

Morning Minute: Friday, May 31, 2019

News About Town: Have a burning question for Mayor Bailey? Maybe curious about the details of a development in town? Tomorrow (Saturday, June 1) is your chance to Meet the Mayor at Miki’s Restaurant (1819 Matthews Township Pkwy) from 8 to 9 am.

Bonus Bite: The Council hasn’t solidified the FY 19/20 budget yet. They’ll meet again with the Town Manager and staff this Monday (June 3) for the special budget meeting. Want to sit in? It’s an open meeting and will be at Town Hall from 6:00  to 8:00 pm.

News Around Town: This Saturday at 10:00 am, the Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity will dedicate their latest Sandy Marano Memorial Home build (3519 Dion Dr, Matthews, NC 28105). Friends, families, and volunteers are invited to join the celebration as the family is welcomed to their new home.   

One Fun Thing:  This June the McDowell Arts Center will be transformed into a sensory arts show. Ten regional artists will have work on display and you can expect more than just looking, all of the art was made to be touched. Goodyear artist Andrea Vail will have her collaborative, community-building art piece ready. Stop by, materials will be in the gallery for you to add to the piece. McDowell Arts Center (located by the Community Center) is open Monday through Saturday and the show will run through July 5. A reception will be held June 9, and we’ll have more details closer to that date.

Morning Minute: Thursday, March 14, 2019

News About Town: During the NCDOT updates at the Monday Council meeting, some conversation centered on the John St. Widening. Even the Town has been formulating their own approach, NCDOT has continued moving forward with design from Matthews to Monroe. According to Mayor Bailey, NCDOT and the Town are on the same page to delay construction on the portion from I-485 to Trade. The part of John St from I-485 eastward will continue with design and ROW acquisition. Now the Town must present this preference to the CRTPO (the municipal governing body for Charlotte area transportation) to amend the official STIP (a scheduled list of funded transportation projects). It’s a bureaucratic process to change the NCDOT budget in order to delay the downtown Matthews section.

News Around Town: This Saturday (March 16) the Matthews Masonic Lodge, Post 235 will celebrate the 100th birthday of the American Legion (and 75th birthday of the Matthews post) by officially renaming the local chapter as the Hooks-Orr American Legion Post 235, Matthews NC. Pvt Grady Bost Hooks and Pvt Joseph Lee Orr, the namesakes, were two local soldiers killed in action in France in 1918. Join the Legion for cake and coffee after the ceremony. Saturday, March 16, 11 a.m.

One Good Thing: Navigating life as a teenager is tough. Our sponsor, PranaTeen, is a 10-week workshop developed to empower middle school-age girls so they can confidently navigate the those tough times using the tools of yoga, meditation, and deep discussion. Starting this evening at the Community Center, life coach and yoga instructor Elinor Miller will teach the girls to love, accept, and appreciate themselves in order to raise their self esteem and level of awareness of their inner and outer world. Not sure it’s right for your daughter? Drop in and try it out for $20, pay at the Community Center desk. Thursdays, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Matthews Community Center, 100 McDowell Street East Room 204.

Morning Minute: Wednesday, March 13, 2019

News About Town: According to the Town website, the Trade Street widening at the culvert (where Trade forks off to Weddington and Pleasant Plains) is supposed to be complete this spring. At Monday night’s Council meeting, NCDOT representative Stuart Basham provided updates and a revised completion date. Currently, the contractor, Blythe Construction, has increased the size of the crew but is incurring liquidated damages of $1,000 per day. According to Stuart, the project is expected to be completed by Labor Day.

News Around Town:  In January of this year, the Affordable Housing Committee presented the Board and the Town of Matthews a glimpse into the need for affordable housing in Matthews. According to the report, a resident’s income should be above $76,007  where $22,802.10 is dedicated to housing and housing-related expenses in order to not be housing burdened. A cursory glimpse at 2-bedroom apartments in Matthews apartments shows a range of rent from $968 (Colonial Village) to $2,440 (Colonial Grand).  According to real estate data site RealPage, Matthews apartment dwellers will likely see a 5.10%increase in rent in the coming year.

One Good Thing: Carolina Crush Lacrosse is hosting a free team evaluation day and open house on March 31 at the Matthews Sportsplex on Field 5. The event is a way to meet the coaches and players and learn more about Crush. For those interested in playing, Crush leaders will help evaluate whether a summer rec program or travel program will best suit their needs. Athletes should be graduating between 2020 and 2024 to join the league. Evaluations for female athletes will run from 1-2 p.m. and for males from 2-3 p.m.