Living in the Neighborhood

Residents and volunteers work hard to complete a butterfly garden in Ashby Park in the New Neighborhood.

BUTTERFLY GARDENS IN ASHBY PARK

In May a number of residents, including Dave & Michelle Eden, Dave Stout, Shannon McLean, Dan MacCallumm, Jennifer & Jason Stallings and Ron Reding, weeded two mulch areas in Ashby Park and helped Girl Scout Cadet Troop 1508 plant two butterfly flower gardens. For their Silver Project, the scouts created Operation Monarch Migration.

The project included raising money for two years to distribute information about Monarch butterfly migration and to plant gardens. The same troop has also furnished plants for gardens at Davidson Elementary School and the Ada Jenkins Center. Members of Cadet Troop 1508 (leader Susan McCoy) include Blythe McCoy, Heather Everett, Meghan Maples, Lindsey Shapiro, and Janki Patel. Blythe’s brother Avery, a student in Christy Thorton’s Horticulture II Growing & Sowing Plants at North Mecklenburg High School, designed the gardens. The Girl Scout troop purchased the plants at the annual horticulture class plant sale. Thanks go to these scouts and to Avery McCoy for helping beautify Ashby Park in the New Neighborhood. Thanks also to neighborhood residents who prepared the beds for planting.

If you are interested in helping to maintain these gardens, please contact Amanda Turano (Harper Lee Street) at 704.895.1594 or Mary Alice Mitchell (Conway Avenue) at 704.892.5070. These two residents are interested in starting a garden club in the neighborhood.

PARKING RESTRICTIONS ON STREETS

Exhibit C (Canons of Conduct) outlines restricted and prohibited activities in the neighborhood. Under Section 2a, parking of vehicles in the neighborhood is covered as follows:

The following activities are prohibited within all Peer Groups unless expressly authorized by the Council of Stewards:

Parking of vehicles on public streets or thoroughfares, or parking of commercial vehicles or equipment, mobile homes, recreational vehicles, golf carts, boats and other watercraft, trailers, stored vehicles or inoperable vehicles in places other than enclosed garages, provided that:

Construction, service, and delivery vehicles shall be exempt from this provision during daylight hours for such period of time as is reasonably necessary.
Passenger vehicles may be parked in a driveway for less than a four hour period, or otherwise no closer than 10 feet behind the minimum front setback or 10 feet behind the front plane of the dwelling, whichever is further from the street.
Guests’ and invitees’ vehicles shall be exempt from this provision so long as such vehicle remains on the public street or thoroughfare no longer than 48 hours at a time.
Flyers were distributed on improperly parked vehicles two months ago. This improved the situation for a brief period, but recent observations indicate the problem to be growing again, particularly in front of townhomes on Twain Avenue and Harper Lee Street.

Residents are urged to comply with covenant restrictions. Until now, many restrictions have been overlooked due to hardships imposed by construction activity in the neighborhood. However, Enforcement Policies and Procedures will be reviewed and approved at the regular Council of Stewards meeting on August 24. After that time, residents should expect strict application and enforcement of penalties for covenant violations.