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.