Hope this newsletter finds all of you in a festive spirit as the holidays are in full swing. Whatever your beliefs, your Ellis Street Graded School Historic District (ESGSHD) officers want to wish you a wonderful season.
This newsletter does contain very important information regarding our district. Please read on and give us input as well as your help.
Recently (Dec. 15) Gwen Matthews (co-president of ESGSHD) attended a Salisbury City Council meeting during which the future of the Ellis Street Bridge (Shober Bridge) was discussed. While this was publicized in the normal announcement of the meeting, the neighborhood was not notified of this item. (In the past, a folded piece of paper was mailed to residents announcing the meeting.)
There is a renewed effort to knock down the bridge... a bridge with historic value to the neighborhood as well as the city of Salisbury. Following the City Council meeting, Gwen asked Jack Thomson (Historic Salisbury Foundation) and Pete Hoffman (ESGSHD resident and local attorney) to work with her to develop a new plan. Additionally, Gwen and Andrea Anders (co-president of ESGSHD) sent the following letter to City Council:
Dear Council,
I was in attendance on Dec 15, 2009 when Mr. Dan Mikkelson gave his report to the Council concerning the future of Shober Bridge. I must say I was surprised by his report and have several concerns. The first and foremost objection is that as a member of Ellis St. Graded School Historic District and a property owner on N. Ellis Street I am very concerned about the Jan. 5th public hearing on this matter. With the holidays it will be difficult to get the information about the public hearing to the neighbors of this Historic Bridge.
As Co-President, along with Andrea Anders, of Ellis Street Graded School Historic District, we are asking the Council to postpone the Jan 5th meeting until the neighborhood has had an informational forum, hopefully Mr. Mikkelson would be willing to come, and present the different proposals pertaining to this neighborhood landmark. Information from Mr. Mikkelson’s report on Dec. 15, 2009 was different from information the city gave to the neighbors in 2006. We need an opportunity to study the impact on our neighborhood and our neighbors before we come to the City Council and present our concerns in a public hearing. Please grant us this opportunity to meet together as neighbors with reference to this very important matter.
Sincerely Yours;
Gwen Matthews
Andrea Anders
Co –Presidents of Ellis Street Graded School Historic District
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A prompt reply was sent by Dan Mikkelson:
Ms. Matthews,
I would be happy to meet with the neighborhood association
to explain all that I can about the bridge project. As you are aware
from my December 15 presentation to City Council, the City is being
forced to make a decision quickly. The January 5th Public Hearing has
already been advertised, so it would be appropriate for Council to
conduct the hearing; however, City Council will not necessarily make a
final decision that night.
I am available almost any time, except Sunday afternoon, December 27 and
Wednesday evening, December 30. Let me know time(s) that would work for
the association. Also, please forward my e-mail to Ms. Anders. I could
not obtain her e-mail address from the correspondence below.
Dan Mikkelson, Director
Engineering & Development Services
City of Salisbury
Phone: 704-638-5206
Fax: 704-638-8458
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Now, it is of utmost importance that we have neighbors in attendance at the City council meeting on Jan. 5, 2010. If you have any suggestions or input to the situation, please contact Gwen Matthews (gwen2@carolina.rr.com) or Pete Hoffman (attorneyhoffman@yahoo.com).
Previous designs changed the look of Ellis and Kerr Streets as well as the yards of neighbors nearest the bridge. The bridge, located directly beside the Ellis Street School (our namesake), is a major Salisbury landmark and one for which our neighborhood is known.
PLEASE make an effort to attend the Jan. 5 meeting of City Council. Notify neighbors who do not receive this newsletter. We will send a reminder to you of the meeting with any new information we are able to obtain.
