This would be a good time to break out the “Bring College Football to Charlotte” banners.
I believe the reason they are having their retreat at UNC Charlotte this year is because last year they left the freaking city of Charlotte for the retreat… and completely missed the installation of our chancellor, P-Dub. They received some angry letters/calls/emails. I was one who sent them my opinion of their actions. I received an apology and some finger-pointing.
From: [URL=http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16402829.htm]http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16402829.htm[/URL]
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JAN 31-FEB. 2[/B]
[B]Charlotte City Council plans retreat at UNCC[/B]
[B]University City leaders hope meeting in north Charlotte will raise awareness[/B]
[B]APRIL BETHEA[/B]
[B][U][COLOR=#800080]abethea@charlotteobserver.com[/COLOR][/U][/B]
The Charlotte City Council is moving its retreat to University City this year, and some hope the event will help leaders learn more about this end of town.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the council to appreciate some of the strengths and weaknesses and some of the challenges we face here in northeast Charlotte,” said councilman Michael Barnes, who represents the area.
The retreat will be held Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in conference rooms on the UNC Charlotte campus.
Barnes said he was not involved in selecting the retreat’s location, but was glad northeast Charlotte made the list. A tour of the area also is planned.
City Council Mayor Pro Tem Susan Burgess said she’s not sure how UNCC was picked, but said the in-town retreat will help save the city money. Last year, the council held one of its two annual retreats in Greensboro, which Burgess opposed. The city has alternated between in-town and out-of-town retreats.
University City is growing rapidly. Many residents list completing the Interstate 485 loop, adding higher-end homes, and finding a better balance between rental and multifamily housing as some of the area’s biggest needs. But some residents think those things have been put on the back burner while attention – and money – is spent on other parts of town.
“I think (city leaders) are aware of some of the issues,” Barnes said. “But I don’t think they have fully appreciated it in some cases because they haven’t seen it.”
Mary Hopper, executive director of University City Partners, said she hopes the retreat will convince the council to let city staff and engineers speed up infrastructure improvements in the area, especially at the infamous weave at U.S. 29 and N.C. 49.
If they come up that way, they have got to know how desperately work needs to be done (at the weave), she said.
Hopper also hopes the retreat will give leaders a chance to learn about the growing university, which has stepped up its efforts to reach out to local governing bodies.
[I]-- Staff Writer Karen Cimino contributed.[/I]
[I]-- April Bethea: 704-358-6013.[/I]
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