July 1997
July 1997 |
It is summertime in West End. Power bills are up. Human energy levels are down. But, some things do not change. One of those things is the time of the West End Association Board meeting-- the first Tuesday of the month. The next meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 5th, at the Grace Court gazebo. Attendance at the last two meetings was excellent. All West Enders are invited to attend. West End Board meetings are like other public meetings in the sense that they are generally open to all who are interested.
West End's July 4th celebration was a big success. The food was scrumptious and plentiful. The bike parade was once again the highlight of the festivities. Our thanks to Ken and Kathy Otterbourg for another great party.
Our future events will be music programs at Grace Court. Plan to picnic with your neighbors and friends on these dates:
(1) Sunday, August 17, at 5:30 p.m. (2) Sunday, September 28, at 5:30 p.m.
In July the West End Association treasury got a $500.00 boost from Wachovia. The gift was presented by Walter McDowell, president of Wachovia Bank of North Carolina, at the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the West End Operations Center Annex. West End President Jim Vaughan, who "cut" the ribbon, accepted the donation on behalf of the neighborhood association.
Wachovia has made a significant improvement in the appearance of the old Sears retail center. It looks so much better today than it did last year. Hopefully, the inconvenience experienced by Modern Chevrolet and others during the construction was tolerable. It seems like the job was done quickly, especially when compared with other area projects.
Meanwhile, the city's Fourth Street Parking Deck Project has come to life. The earth is moving and the red dust is settling all over Holly Avenue. Again, the operative word is "speed." Folks in and about the construction site hope things will go as quickly as the Wachovia renovation of the Sears building.
There's been a lot of loose talk lately from Washington about tax cuts and tax credits. Never to be outdone by national politicians, the North Carolina "tax cutters" purportedly struck a blow for those with property in local historic districts. Senate Bill 323 provides for "Historic Preservation State Tax Credits." It sounded great when State Sen. Hamilton Horton was talking about it. The actual text and/or an explanation of the bill are beyond the scope of this newsletter. It suffices to say that the bill doesn't do much for homeowners. The law applies to expenditures on or after January 1, 1998. Furthermore, it appears that all rehabilitation work on nonincome-producing historic structures must be approved prior to commencement of the work! Whoopee. Better call your paid tax preparer before you fix the roof!
The West End Association has a home page on the Internet. David Elam maintains the page with the assistance of Sara Lee Knit Products. The address is ôwww.slkp.com/westend.ö The page began as a way of promoting the 1996 Holiday Homes Tour and now provides web surfers with information about the West End. It contains an on-line edition of the newsletter, a valuable resource for West Enders who have moved out of town. It also has a list of the current board and the all-important information about when and where the next board meeting will be.
