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As work continues with the new St. Croix River Crossing, progress is also being made on a new pedestrian and bike trail.

The 4.5 mile loop, which will utilize the Stillwater Lift Bridge and cross state lines, is expected to be completed by 2017, said Dave Solberg, project manager.

Construction of the trail’s foundation will take place as the new bridge is completed. In 2017, after the final leg of the trail is completed, the entire trail will be paved and opened to pedestrian and bike traffic.

When trails are built, Solberg said there is usually a financial agreement between the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the municipality in which the trail is being built. He said WisDOT will usually help fund the project but the municipality and county are then responsible for the maintenance and ownership of the trail. It’s a bit of a different story with the loop trail because it’s a mitigation project through the bridge project and crosses state lines.

“It was never identified who would own and maintain it,” he said.

Currently WisDOT and Solberg are discussing options with the Department of Natural Resources, St. Croix County Parks Department and Highway Department and St. Joseph Township, he said.

“We’re just trying to see who would be interested in the trail,” he said.

Solberg said there are benefits to taking ownership of the trail, including any park development along the trail, picking design features like landscaping, trail width and the types of benches used, etc.

Right now, Solberg said the meetings have been informative. St. Croix County’s Community Development Committee has invited Solberg back for a second discussion, he said.

Stillwater, Minn. has agreed to take ownership of Minnesota’s portion of the trail, he said.

In 1996 St. Joseph Township verbally agreed to take ownership of the trail; however, the new town board is leery.

“They’re afraid of the cost,” he said. “Not necessarily the cost now, it’s the cost 20 to 30 years from now when it needs to be resurfaced.”

Solberg said to help alleviate some of that concern, he’s looking for ways that WisDOT might be able to help.

“We’re looking for things the department can to do help St. Croix County or St. Joe Township,” he said.

One of those ideas is to repave the trail at the same time the road is repaved, cutting costs significantly.

“We’re looking for things within our policies that could work,” he said.

In addition to finding a group to take ownership of the trail, Solberg said WisDOT is also working with Houlton Elementary to find ways that the trail can be used as an educational tool with the school’s outdoor learning space.

Options for park-and-ride parking lots are also being explored.

“We’ve been so focused on the bridge that we’re just now getting to these secondary things,” he said.

The St. Croix River Crossing Loop Trail will include six segments:

• The first segment will travel along Minnesota Highway 95 from the proposed Highway 36/Highway 95 interchange to downtown Stillwater.

As the trail travels along the river, it will split into two portions. The bicycle trail will travel along the abandoned railroad grade, above the Hersey and Bean archaeological site — the ruins of the old sawmill. The pedestrian route follows the river below the ruins.

The Moritz Bergstein Shoddy Mill and Warehouse, which will be restored and converted into a museum, was recently relocated from its original location to make room for the new Highway 95/35 interchange. It will also be included along the trail. The two portions will join again just south of downtown Stillwater and proceed to Chestnut Street and to the west end of the Stillwater Lift Bridge.

• The second segment crosses the existing Stillwater Lift Bridge from Minnesota into Wisconsin.

The lift bridge will be restored and accessibility and safety features will be added to the bridge.

• The third segment travels up the Houlton hill on the former Highway 64 right-of-way. The trail will separate again as it travels up the Houlton hill to the top of the bluffs. Resting areas and viewing platforms will be placed along the hill, featuring the scenic views of the area that was once a busy roadway.

• The fourth segment begins at the top of the hill, where the trail will turn south onto former Wisconsin Highway 35 and then east onto County Road E. The trail will travel along County Highway E, past Houlton Elementary School. An underpass will be constructed to join the trail with the new Highway 64.

• The fifth segment continues along Highway 64, from County Road E to the new river crossing. The path will be lined by trees and shrubs that mimic the hedge rows that border farm fields.

• The final segment of the trail begins at the north side of the new bridge, going from the Wisconsin shore to join with the first segment of the loop trail at Minnesota Highway 95.

As the trail crosses the river, viewing platforms will be provided at various bridge piers to allow travelers to view the St. Croix River Valley.

Continuing across the bridge, pedestrians and bicyclists will return to the Highway 36/95 interchange area.

To view an animation of the trail, visit www.newrich mond-news.com.

Tags:
st croix county, outdoors, wisconsin

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CRESTVIEW — A garage to store and investigate impounded vehicles? A recycling center? A community meeting hall? These are among the possible uses city have officials have suggested for a building that Gulf Power donated to the city.

The Crestview City Council on Dec. 10 unanimously agreed to accept the donation of a 3,552-square-foot warehouse sitting at the end of Cadle Drive off P.J. Adams Parkway.

The utility only required that the city disassemble and move the building.

Public Works Director Wayne Steele investigated the structure, praised its solid construction, metal truss roof, skylights and HardiePlank siding, and said his department could store the disassembled building until the council decides a use for it.

It would be disassembled using inmate labor at relatively little cost to the city, he said.

After discussion with Council President Ben Iannucci III, Steele said the building could be a city recycling center, and could be reassembled for that use on city-owned property off Brookmeade Drive.

Councilwoman Robyn Helt at Monday’s meeting suggested a different use.

“I am recommending that immediately upon disassembly, the building be immediately reassembled in Country View Park to provide an additional service for our citizens,” she said.

The building could provide a community center for “Zumba classes or any other kind of recreational facility,” she said. “That facility (Country View Park) is in need of improvement and it’s been in need for quite some time.”

After discussions with Steele, Helt said the building could be split in half and provide the city with two new buildings.

Crestview Police Chief Tony Taylor had a suggestion for one half, Steele said.

 “The police chief has … asked me about having a portion put up at his location to house confiscated vehicles in an area that is secure,” Steele said. “They only have room to park one car in their current area.”

City planner Eric Davis told­­ the council that city codes would require landscaping and adequate parking whether the building is split in half or relocated intact.

Council Members Tom Gordon and Tim Grandberry agreed with Helt, but requested more time to study the matter before the council makes a decision.

Iannucci — who supports the recycling center as part of green initiatives he is pursuing for the city — agreed.

“We don’t want to sit on the building, but I don’t like the ‘dartboard’ way of making a decision. I want to make sure we address all these possibilities and make the best decision. I think we need input from the citizens about what we should do with the building.”

Iannucci proposed a workshop to discuss all the ideas before making a decision.

The council then voted unanimously to add discussion of what to do with the building to a previously set Feb. 9 workshop.

Want to go?

The Crestview City Council will hold a public workshop 8 a.m. Feb. 9 at City Hall to discuss, among other matters, possible uses for a building that Gulf Power donated to the city.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

Q: My husband and I have owned our home since 1973. At the time we purchased the home, there was an existing fence between our neighbor’s house and ours that we had assumed was on the property line.

Our current neighbors moved into their house in 2000. They recently had a topographic survey of their property performed for a proposed landscaping project. The survey shows the fence is not on the property line, but that it extends in the range of approximately 2 to 4 feet at various points onto their side of the property line.

In response to this information, we searched our old records and found a topographic site map that was prepared for us in 1988 when we replaced a deck near that property line. According to the 1988 map, the fence extends approximately 2 feet onto their side of the property line in places.

Frankly, we didn’t notice the discrepancy in 1988, probably because our 1988 project was contained well within the property line, and the fence and property line were not an issue. Both maps have the statement that “this is not a boundary survey” written on them.

Now the neighbors want some of their property back. The length of the fence is approximately 200 feet. They want to move a 50-foot portion in the middle of the fence, but near our house, back to the property line and leave the remainder of the fence as is. They also want us to sign a document acknowledging that the 150 or so feet of the remaining fence is on their property and they will, in turn, grant us an easement to use that 2- to 4-foot portion.

Our question is: What are their rights and what are our rights? Due to the length of time involved, do we own the extra 2 to 4 feet by virtue of adverse possession?

A: My answer will have to be very general, because each state has different laws regarding adverse possession. In fact, I understand that some states have actually by law rejected the idea.

First, let’s define that concept. The theory of the doctrine of adverse possession is that the person who holds or uses property adversely against the rightful owner should ultimately be entitled to own that property. But not every possession of land will turn into “fee simple” ownership. As the name of the doctrine implies, the possession must be adverse, hostile, actual, notorious, exclusive, continuous and under claim of right.

Needless to say, these sound like highly complex legal concepts, and to some extent they are. However, in the words of one judge, “the person claiming the property by adverse possession must unfurl his flag on the land and keep it flying so that the owner may see, if he wishes, that an enemy has invaded his domain and planted the flag of conquest.”

I don’t know where your house is located. The time required to prevail in a lawsuit for adverse possession differs from state to state. For example, in Maryland the term is 20 years, while in the District of Columbia and Virginia it is 15 years.

But as I wrote earlier, litigation is time consuming, expensive and always uncertain. Talk with an attorney about your situation. The burden to prove you meet the tests will fall upon you, although the existence of the fence will be very favorable in your case.

Your neighbor has made you an offer, which you should seriously consider. If you don’t like all of the terms, counter with your own ideas. Many people would prefer to obtain a perpetual easement in the area in question rather than spend a year or two in court to get that same area of land.

benny@inman.com

Sometimes it seems that there are so many options available to us – which is of course true – but as one sorts the chaff it becomes clear that there may only be one solution.

This solution, as a design exercise, is very often a compromise that delivers us what we need in a single stylish concept.

Compromise is a common word these days. What we want is not necessarily what we can afford – so delivering an intelligent solution that delivers a mixture of what we need and what we want should be the primary concern of good designers.

Perhaps the most important thing about good design is that it needs to function properly. This is as true for an engineering solution as it is for a lifestyle solution – such as your garden. If your garden does not function properly it means that you will not be able make best use of a large asset and it will mean less free time for you.

Poorly designed solutions require more upkeep and maintenance. I love a challenge.

Some gardens are simple to design – classic and timeless plant choices and symmetrical designs.

These look fabulous but are they very challenging – not really. Some gardens are harder to design, mimicking nature or creating a unique original environment, and are far more challenging, offering the designer and, I think, the owner more.

These more challenging gardens are often the ones found on magazine covers or the ones that win the prizes as they are ground breaking in design and implementation.

This year the Ellerslie Flower Show in Christchurch will no doubt be over subscribed with visitors and we’ll all be crammed in like sardines in a tin. But hopefully there will be some awesome, thought provoking and ground breaking designs for us all to appreciate.

Every single individual element in a garden, like in all things where the sum of the object is a combination of many individual elements, it is only as good as its weakest link. Every element needs to be well considered and conceived.

It must relate on so many scales and on every dimension.

Truly original design is something to behold and encourage. Repeating greatness is not the same creating greatness. I think originality and the thought processes that are essential to it are at the core of every great garden.

So for the new year ahead I want to push the boundaries a bit more with some original thought provoking columns that will inspire my readers to garden greatness and reflect some of the very interesting work that we will be doing around the province and further afield.

In Marlborough we are somewhat excluded from the wider world of design and the modern, ground breaking thought that creates it.

I hope to be able to bring you some very interesting solutions to your garden design problems. So what is the best solution for your own garden problem? It is a simple but effective one that crosses all your T’s and dots all your I’s. Your solution is as unique as you are.

It must fit your lifestyle perfectly.

Here’s to a great 2013.

– The Marlborough Express

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Ford Ranger owners and fans, salute your taikor! This is the Ford Atlas Concept that the Blue Oval wheeled out for the 2013 NAIAS in Detroit and it gives us a sneak peek at the future of the Ford F-150. The F-Series pick-up truck has been America’s best selling vehicle for the longest time, 30 years to be exact.

“The Ford Atlas Concept previews the innovations that will transform what people expect from their pickup,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “With 36 years as America’s best-selling pickup, we are absolutely committed to setting the agenda in the truck market.”

So what exactly does Atlas preview? On the work front, multiple tie-down points are integrated within the cargo box walls and load floor, along with 110-volt electrical outlets in the cargo box to charge power tools. An integrated roof carrying system and hidden extendable ramps give the truck added functionality.

Hitching a trailer can be time consuming and difficult, but Dynamic Hitch Assist helps precisely line up the truck’s hitch with the trailer coupling, eliminating maneuvering guesswork by showing visual cues in the truck’s center display screen. There’s also a 360-degree point-of-view camera, a Ford truck first.

Hidden cargo ramps stowed below the cargo box can be quickly removed and set up to assist with loading wheeled items into the bed – from landscaping equipment to dirt bikes.

The Ford Atlas Concept features a next-gen EcoBoost powertrain, which introduces truck-enhanced Auto Start-Stop tech, which suspends the feature when the truck is towing. No other details were released. Ford says that over 500,000 EcoBoost engines have been sold globally, including 250,000 in the Ford F-150.

FC is also improved via Focus-style Active Grille Shutters and Active Wheel Shutters. In the latter, automatic shutters in the wheels are hidden to improve style at rest/low speeds, but automatically close at highway speeds to improve aerodynamics. Self-charging batteries use energy from the wheels’ motion to power the shutters.

There’s also a Drop-Down Front Air Dam, which is a front wind spoiler that lowers at highway speeds to improve underbody airflow. The air dam is raised at low speeds to improve ground clearance. Auto-deploying running boards help passengers enter the truck at rest and tuck up against the truck when it is moving to improve aerodynamics and ground clearance.

The clever ideas are all good, but just look at it – macho to the max!

Winning playwrights announced for festival

Lee Street Theatre is proud to present its fifth Annual 10-Minute Play Festival of New Plays. This year’s theme is ‘Hotel 6’. Over 25 submissions from four states were received and the panel chose six fantastic plays to be a part of this year’s festival. Also included this year is a welcome new addition: playwright development, where the winning playwrights may participate in a one-day playwriting workshop with Denise Laughlin Stewart. Denise is the author of Dirty Barbie and Other Girlhood Tales, which debuted at Lee Street Theatre in 2010 and was named a Top 5 pick at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

This year’s festival will hold auditions April 15-16 and performances are May 15-18. The festival will be directed by Lee Street Theatre Managing Artistic Director, Justin Dionne.

The plays chosen for this year’s festival are:

• Dante Six by Andy AA Rassler (Concord)

• An Old Trick in a New Way by George Freek (Belvidere, Ill)

• Darcy in Alabama by Jenny Hubbard (Salisbury)

• Break Room by Katie Scarvey (Salisbury)

• Hotel Maid Team 6 by Bill Greene (Salisbury)

• Drag Strip by Teresa Hollar Teresa Hollar (Salisbury)

Submissions came from North Carolina, Illinois, South Carolina and Virginia.

Lee Street Theatre, 704-798-7768, www.leestreet.org

Family planetarium show – ‘Starry Winter Nights’

This Saturday, Jan. 19, at 5 and 6:30 p.m., find out just who is Orion … and if there really is a great bear in the sky.

There are 88 official constellations but most people can only spot the more prominent ones such as Orion and the Big Dipper. What about the others? At the Margaret C. Woodson Planetarium families can enjoy this seasonal “walk” through the stars, identifying constellations and bright stars while listening to stories from various cultures. The story of Orion, the hunter, will be portrayed with the laser light system.

Tickets go on sale 30 minutes prior to each show time. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for those 12 and under. The planetarium is located at 1636 Parkview Circle. Park and enter in the back of the building accessible from Lilly Avenue, 704-639-3004.

Christian Hip Hop Rap night
Saturday, Jan. 19 is Christian Hip Hop Rap night at? The Inn, with Big Boi Hurt and Tha Rain. Jericho will also be performing. The Inn is located at 1012 Mooresville Hwy 150, across from Food Lion. Call 704-213-1467 for more information.

Citywide MLK celebration
The 27th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. citywide series of events begin on Friday, Jan. 18 at 1 p.m. with a program at the VA Medical Center, Building 6.

• On Sunday, Jan. 20, at 3 p.m. is the Dr. MLK Jr. umanitarian Awards Program to be held at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1920 Shirley Ave.

• Events on Monday, Jan. 21, begin with the 7 a.m. Dr. MLK Jr. Breakfast at the JF Hurley YMCA. Tickets for this event are $8. For ticket outlet information, call 704-638-5217.

• At 9:30 a.m. is the Dr. MLK Jr. Memorial Ceremony at the Freedman Cemetery, Soliders Memorial AME Zion Church. At 11 a.m. is the annual Dr. MLK Jr. holiday parade.

• The Dr. MLK Jr. Civic Center Celebration will be held at the Civic Center, 315 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. South.

For more information contact the Salisbury-Rowan Human Relations Council at www.srhrc.org or call 704-638-5217.

Salisbury Ghost Walk
Salisbury Ghost Walk is sponsoring an investigation and wine tasting on Friday, Jan. 25 from 9-11 p.m. at the Salisbury Wine Shop. Cost is $30 which includes a full investigation of the building followed by a wine tasting. Reservations are required as this event is limited to the first 30 paying participants and it will fill up quickly. Make your reservation by email to salisburyghostwalk@yahoo.com

Piano concert begins Catawba Artist Series

A free piano concert by Catawba College adjunct faculty member, Wei Jiao, at 3 p.m. Sunday Jan. 20, in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel kicks off a Catawba Artist Series for spring semester. Jiao will perform works of Scarlatti, Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and modern Chinese composer Zhou Long.

Born in Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China, Jiao started to play piano at the age of six. She holds a B.A. from the Shenyang Conservatory of Music. She came to the United States in 2003 as the recipient of a generous scholarship at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, where she earned her B.M. in Piano Performance and was the recipient of the Woodruff Award from the Schwob School of Music there. She earned an M.M. in Piano Performance from Syracuse University and is now pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at UNCG.

Jiao teaches secondary private piano lessons, class piano, and aural skills classes. She is an active collaborative artist, and accompanies lessons and recitals for vocalists and instrumentalists.

Jiao’s piano concert will be followed this spring by five additional free concerts offered by other artists in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel. These include • 7 p.m., Feb. 22: piano concert by Patrick Behringer • 7 p.m., Mar. 15: piano performance by Renpeng “Peter” Dong • 7 p.m., March 22: piano trio performance from Anne Sellitti, Dr. Dan Skidmore and Jacob Hahn • 3 p.m., April 7: piano performance by Jacob Hahn • 3 p.m. April 21, piano concert by Steven Heyman.

For additional information about the Catawba Artist Series, contact Hahn at jahahn@catawba.edu or by phone at 336-456-4017.

PPT Box office opens
On Wednesday, Jan. 23, the Piedmont Players Theatre box office opens for Seat Namers for “To Kill a Mockingbird” 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The box office for season ticket holders opens Jan. 24. Other twickets go on sale Monday, Jan 28. Meroney Theater, 213 S. Main St., 704-633-5471, PiedmontPlayers.com

9th Annual Home Landscape Show

CONCORD — Save Time, Money and Have Fun while learning about new ideas for your home and landscape, Jan. 25-27, at the Cabarrus Arena Events Center, where experts will showcase the latest in decorating, remodeling, landscaping, and renovating resources. Special guest Ahmed Hassan of DIY Network’s “Yard Crashers, ” will discuss the wide world of residential landscaping and share funny stories about his own experiences in both business and on TV, then address the crowd’s questions.

Show dates are Friday, Jan. 25 through Sunday, Jan. 27. Visit www.cabarrusarena.com for times, ticket information and directions. Parking is free.

Free films in Concord
CONCORD — Modern Film Fest at the Davis is the series that brings free screenings of independent films to the Davis Theatre, 65 Union St. S. in Concord’s historic courthouse, 65 Union St. S, 704-920-2787. The next film in the Modern Film Fest at the Davis series is next Thursday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. “The Trial” is about capital case that turns a small-town lawyer’s life around in this movie filmed in the Charlotte-metro area. Features Matthew Modine and Rance Howard.

For information, call 704-920-2753 or visit www.CabarrusArtsCouncil.org

The Art-o-mat Experience
STATESVILLE — The Art-o-mat Experience exhibit is now at Court Street Gallery, 134 Court St., downtown. The exhibit created by Clarke Wittington of Winston-Salem consists of a number of repurposed, artistically redesigned, former-cigarette machines which contain miniature works of art. These small art pieces can be purchased for $5 just as you would insert money and pull a lever for a candy bar, making art accessible for everyone. Whittington has permanently placed Art-o-Mat machines in the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Reynolda HouseMuseum in Winston-Salem. This is the first exhibit of the Art-o-mat in Iredell County.

Exhibits include full size original art work of Art-o-mat artists, a video on the history of the Art-o-mat, and displays of how the art is put together.The first two weeks of the exhibit an artist will be at the museum setting up and redesigning a machine and will be available to interact with visitors on-site.

The public is invited to meet the artists at a free reception on Friday, Jan. 25 from 6-8 p.m. The Gallery is open Tuesda- Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Art-o-mat exhibit will be open on extra days: Monday, Jan. 28, Saturday, Feb. 2 and March 2, and until 7p.m. on Tuesdays- Wednesdays in February-March. Info at 704-873-4734, www.iredellmuseums.org.

Christopher Cross at the Neighborhood Theatre

CHARLOTTE — Christopher Cross will be in concert on the main stage at the Neighborhood Theatre, 511 East 36th St. in Charlotte on Sunday, Jan. 20. Tickets start at $32. This is a seated show; general admission seating first come first serve through the door. Tickets at http://neighborhoodtheatre.inticketing.com/events/260486. Other info at www.neighborhoodtheatre.com . Seats were still available at presstime.

 The way a hockey or figure skate blade is sharpened can make all the difference in athletic performance – and Zwickers on North Road has become a local hockey institution because of the edge they give skaters.

“It’s the service after the sales that matters, taking the time to make sure the fit is right and fixing any problems that come up later,” said Wayne Zwicker, who runs the business his father, Homer, and his uncle, Robert, started in Arlington during the Great Depression.

“I was blessed, my father was a great guy who knew how to sharpen skates and was a very hard worker,” Zwicker said.

He passed both his knowledge and his work ethic on to his son, who has worked in hockey equipment rooms in 1998 and again in 2002, because there isn’t anything he can’t fix.

He works not just on skate blades, but can stitch a skate so that it fits better, as well as work on gloves and hockey pants.

And he learned those skills from the business, which his dad and uncle started during the Great Depression, when they helped support the family by mowing lawns.

“They would do any job to make a living, besides cutting lawns they also did handyman jobs and landscaping,” Zwicker said.

Because they kept their lawnmower blades sharp, people began to come to the two young men for repairs and lawnmower blade sharpening, and then began thinking that if they could come up with a winter business, they’d be all set.

“They started sharpening skates, and then they began working on making their own machines to sharpen skates, and developed their own clamps that hold the skates so you can sharpen them,” Zwicker said.

In 1936, they were sharpening skates for the Boston Bruins, Boston University, Boston College, Harvard University, Northeastern University, and many high school hockey teams, out of their Arlington store.

“If you were serious about hockey, you went to 19 Mill St. in Arlington,” he said. “Zwickers was known by visiting teams as a place you should go get your skates sharpened when you were in town.”

They sharpened Boston Bruins skates for 25 cents a pair, and his father or uncle would have to go pick up all the skates, sharpen them and then get them back for the team members to play the next day.

Eventually, the cost of sharpening the skates needed to go up to cover the actual cost of doing the work, but the Bruins refused to the price increase, and the Zwickers and the Bruins parted ways.

Robert and Homer Zwicker also chose to part ways, although not until 1968, when Robert’s son wanted to join the business after college. Zwicker’s father was uncomfortable with his nephew’s business ideas and started the store in Bedford that year. Zwicker said the Arlington store closed four years later.

“The building here had been a coffee shop and a gas station, and when we first moved out here the pumps were still here,” he said. Another uncle was contractor and redid the building, which has been added onto twice now to make enough room to showcase the skates, sticks, gloves and other equipment and still have room to work on skates.

Wayne Zwicker honed skills, and was asked to work at in the hockey equipment room at the Olympics in 1998 and 2000, an experience he enjoyed but one he no longer has the time to do. But he enjoyed working with many of the hockey players that came through, including goalie Dominik Hasek, a Czech player. Hasek was having problems with his skates, and when Zwicker and other equipment people took a look, his skates were sharpened in a way that prevented him from skating properly.

 Zwicker fixed them, and the Czechs won the gold in 1998, and Hasek signed one of the hockey sticks used in the game, which is now kept over the count at Zwickers.

 Zwicker brought computerization to the business, as well as new ideas after studying business in college, which has allowed him to make the store more profitable. There are six full-time workers, including himself, and a number of part-time employees.

Customers continue to flock to the store, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays during hockey season.

“We pick up a lot of customers who have had problems with equipment from big box stores or through buying on the Internet, and we fix them up,” he said. “Again, it’s the service, taking the time with each customer, figuring out what they need and taking care of it.”

 

 jordan@yesweekly.com

The future Salem Creek Connector, conceived as a “southern gateway” to downtown Winston-Salem, has moved one step closer to actualization with the NC Department of Transportation’s selection of a contractor to build the road, but the viability of a major feature, the Twin Arches, is in question.

Charlotte-based Blythe Construction submitted the low bid of $68.9 million, an amount that falls almost $10 million below an earlier engineering estimate by the department. The Creative Corridors Coalition, a local partnership, is responsible for raising funds to pay for the signature enhancement of the project — double, overlapping arches that are conceived as soaring over the interchange of Salem Creek Connector and US Highway 52. The arches were designed by Donald McDonald, who also designed the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston, SC. For a sense of the visual impact of the installation, think of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis or the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, only on a more modest scale.

The department asked vendors to submit a separate cost estimate for the Twin Arches as a bid alternative. Blythe Construction estimated the cost of the Twin Arches at $3.5 million, said Pat Ivey, who heads the department’s Division 9 office in Winston-Salem.

“The cost has come in higher, and we’re figuring out the next step,” said Russell DuBois, executive director of Creative Corridors Coalition.

Randall Tuttle, a financier who chairs the executive committee of Creative Corridors Coalition, described the Twin Arches as a “focal point” of the project in a guest editorial for the Winston-Salem Journal in October.

“We are confident that the combined costs of the betterments and the Twin Arches will be just a few percent of the overall project cost,” he wrote. “For pennies on the dollar, our city can create an iconic parkway and spectacular monument representing our city of the arts and innovation.”

The request for proposals for the Salem Creek Connector states that the city of Winston-Salem and the NC Department of Transportation have 60 days to review the proposal and decide whether or not Blythe Construction should build the Twin Arches. For all intents and purposes, the decision lies with Creative Corridors Coalition.

“The arches are going to cost $3.5 million,” Ivey said. “If, for example, they said, ‘We budgeted a million dollars,’ then they would have to come up with the additional funds. With a bid alternative, this allowed the contractor to set the price for the art, and then give it to Creative Corridors to decide if they want to accept that bid and pursue that.”

Jim Shaw, a fundraising co-chair for the Creative Corridors Coalition, said the executive committee has not met since the bids came in for the project, but he expects the matter to be discussed at the next meeting on Wednesday. Shaw is the CEO of Liberty Community Development Corp.

Prompted by the NC Department of Transportation’s plans to temporarily shut down a mile-long stretch of Business 40 between Church Street and Peters Creek Parkway in 2018 to replace aging bridges, Creative Corridors was conceived as an initiative to put an iconic design stamp on the corridor and highlight the city’s “arts and innovation” brand.

The project evolved to embrace all of the major roadways that surround and lead into downtown Winston-Salem. The coalition, which includes the Arts Council of Winston-Salem Forsyth County and the Downtown Winston- Salem Partnership, has embraced four principles: green, artful, iconic and networking. Design Workshop, a national design firm, developed a set of design guidelines for the roadways and bridges.

“These four principles really are the conceptual underpinning of the guidelines document that we want every component of this network of roads that circle downtown — Business 40 and Martin Luther King Drive, and Broad Street, along with Peters Creek Parkway and the Salem Creek Connector — to embody,” said Brian Kubecki, a Winston-Salem architect who chairs the design review committee of the Creative Corridors Coalition. “This will really make Winston-Salem an incredible place, to where when you drive into downtown you know you’re entering this place. So many great cities are built around water. What we have are these networks of roads, and we should embrace it and treat it as an opportunity to create something wonderful.”

Construction of the new Salem Creek Connector and improvements to Martin Luther King Drive comprise the first phases of the Creative Corridors project.

The NC Department of Transportation expects construction of the Salem Creek Connector to begin this year and conclude in November 2016. Completion of the new road, with an interchange at US Highway 52, will provide a southern entry to downtown in the long term, along with a short-term detour to absorb traffic when Business 40 is shut down five years from now.

The Salem Creek Connector will link to Research Park Boulevard, which is already under construction in the Piedmont Triad Research Park. When completed, the Salem Creek Connector will connect the research park to Salem
College, Salem Academy and Winston-Salem State University. The
completion of the new roads, together with the build-out of the research
park, has the potential to transform the landscape of Winston-Salem by
extending the vibrancy of downtown into the east side of the city.

DuBois
said the design proposal for the Salem Creek Connector came out of
negotiations among Creative Corridors Coalition, the city of
Winston-Salem and the NC Department of Transportation. Aesthetic
enhancements to the roadway, or “betterments” in DOT parlance, will
include landscaping, trees, decorative crosswalks and lighting. DuBois
also noted that the new road will intersect with the Salem Creek
Greenway, providing cyclists with additional connectivity.

Not
counting the Twin Arches, the enhancements for the Salem Creek
Connector are budgeted at $3.2 million. The federal government has
agreed to cover 80 percent of the cost on condition that local sources
provide a 20-percent match. The city of Winston-Salem has committed to
half of the match, while Creative Corridors will take care of the other
half through private dollars.

As
work gets underway on the Salem Creek Connector, the design review
committee of Creative Corridors Coalition plans to review the Martin
Luther King Drive project next month to see if its different facets are
consistent with design guidelines.

The
Winston-Salem Transportation Department, the Creative Corridor
Committee and Design Workshop are hosting a public input meeting to get
feedback on proposed tree plantings, median treatments, history markers,
art installations and decorative fencing for the Martin Luther King Jr.
Drive corridor on Jan. 23 at Mount Zion Baptist Church. DuBois said
other possibilities for the corridor include landscaping of the Business
40 interchange, a park at the turnaround near Union Station, a water
fountain or spray-ground, and community story panels.

“It’s
kind of condescending for Creative Corridors to say, ‘You need this,’”
DuBois said. “They need to say — for example — ‘We want Dr. King.’ Or
maybe it’s the Rams mascot.”

Meanwhile, the design review committee is finding its footing in preparation for what’s considered the big
prize — the replacement of the bridges over Business 40. The committee
was created by Winston-Salem City Council after council endorsed the
design guidelines for Creative Corridors, and has met twice. At the
committee’s second meeting, which took place last week, members
discussed how they could best influence the process.

Assistant
City Manager Greg Turner suggested that the committee create a process
similar to the LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,
certification created by the US Green Building Council, to reward
features that are consistent with the Creative Corridors design
guidelines.

“I think the tenor of this committee has to be very positive so it doesn’t come across as regulatory,” member Marty Marion said.

Turner
advised committee members that they will likely have to use the public
records process to obtain documents from the NC Department of
Transportation for state road projects, which is virtually every roadway
in the Creative Corridors plan.

Because of
federal funding requirements the NC Department of Trans portation is
obligated to hold its own public workshops. The two entities’ parallel
public-input processes have not always dovetailed perfectly.

“As we’ve
gone through this process, Creative Corridors has been an active
participant in working groups and the design of the bridges,” Ivey said.
“We told Creative Corridors that because of the federal requirements,
we can’t just go in and say, ‘Creative Corridors, this is what you want
the project to look like.’ … We told Creative Corridors they are welcome
and encouraged to come to these meetings and put their ideas out there
and to sell those ideas to the public.”

Some of the
Creative Corridors supporters that have seen renderings by the NC
Department of Transportation in response to public input, including
Kubecki, have not been pleased.

“I think
they have shown us they don’t really care what we do,” Kubecki told his
fellow committee members last week. “They’re showing results of their
public input. They’re showing they can do all this without any
additional funds.”

Other
members, such as Jimmy Norwood, said they wanted to see the renderings
for themselves and have the committee as a whole review them before
passing judgment.

DuBois said
in an interview that the success of Creative Corridors is vital to the
city’s future. He cited an employer that told him Winston-Salem ranks at
the bottom of seven cities where the company does business as a place
where young people want to come work. Pulling off the project would make
Winston-Salem cool.

“We could
choose not to do this, but there would be a cost,” DuBois said. “We
would continue to lose people, who want to move to Austin, Texas.”

WANNA go?

The
Winston-Salem Department of Transportation, the Creative Corridors
Coalition and Design Workshop host a public-input meeting on design
proposals for Martin Luther King Jr. Drive corridor improvements at the
File Goodwin Center at Mount Zion Baptist Church, located at 950 File
St., on Jan. 23 from 6 to 7 p.m. For more information, contact Greg
Errett at 336.747.6871 or grege@cityofws.org.

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The Wildomar City Council and Wildomar Planning Commission will hold an open house and joint study session Jan. 23 to review development and design concepts for two potential “downtown” areas.

The open house will be held from 5-6 p.m. to allow the public to view and provide feedback on downtown concepts. Then at 6 p.m the public study session begins.

Both meetings take place at City Hall located at 23873 Clinton Keith Rd., Suite 201.

During the Jan. 23 events, concepts will be presented for two potential core downtown areas: an “Old Town” area around the intersection of Palomar and Central streets, and an area dubbed “West Wildomar,” between Mission Trail and Corydon.  

The “Old Town” area includes properties along Palomar and Central, mostly between Wildomar Cemetery and Wildomar Elementary School, according to Matthew C. Bassi, planning director for the city.

“Ideas for this area would seek to enhance its role as a historic community core while introducing new uses for residents and visitors. Development ideas for the area include a town hall or other civic/public uses, small-scale commercial uses, two-story mixed-use buildings, and an equestrian center by the cemetery property that could also be used for community events and markets. Equestrian trails would connect to surrounding areas and nearby trails,” Bassi said.

“West Wildomar” is the name given to the triangle of land formed by Mission Trail and Corydon by Skylark Airport, north of the Wildomar Library and adjacent residential neighborhoods, according to Bassi.

“Capitalizing on the nearby tourist/visitor attractions, ideas for this area include a gateway design feature, new retail uses, a civic center, and light industrial uses. DeJong’s Dairy contributes to the historic/rural character of this area. A trail along the drainage in the southern part of this triangle would connect to nearby trails, and light industrial uses near this drainage would complement similar uses around the airport,” Bassi continued.

In addition to these concepts for land uses, new streets and trails, the city’s consultant team will be developing illustrations that can be used to guide the design of buildings, landscaping, street furniture, and signs; preliminary work for these illustrations will be shared at the open house, according to Bassi.

Based on feedback received during the upcoming Jan. 23 open house and study session, as well as feedback from the Sept. 22, 2012 Community Visioning Session, the city’s project team will refine the concepts and illustrations and will present final proposals during open session of an upcoming regularly scheduled City Council meeting. According to Bassi, the March 13, 2013 meeting is the tentative date.

The Wildomar Old Town Vision planning process is funded by a grant from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Compass Blueprint Demonstration Projects, according to the website wildomaroldtown.info that has been established to help keep residents informed about the initiative.

“The intent is to create a vision for a historic area in Wildomar along Old Highway 395 and guide its growth to become a focal point for the community,” the website states. 

The study was initiated by the City of Wildomar in early 2012, but currently the city has not secured or set aside funding to bring the project to fruition.

However, by completing a design concept the city will have laid the groundwork for future downtown development.

“It will build upon the Strategic Visioning Plan that was created through a community forum in 2008 when the city incorporated. It is also an opportunity to coordinate Wildomar’s aspirations for Highway 395 with the current Highway 395 Corridor Study, which is a separate process involving Wildomar and its neighbor cities,” the wildomaroldtown.info website states.

The Highway 395 Corridor Study is a comprehensive transportation and land use plan for the shared 16-mile, north-south corridor that runs parallel to Interstate 15 through the cities of Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar and Lake Elsinore.

The 395 study is a joint effort among the four cities; additionally, the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) is providing administrative leadership and coordination. Caltrans is providing the primary source of funds for the study through the Community Based Transportation Planning Grant Program. Each of the four cities also contributed matching funds. 

Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is providing funds to support community outreach activities for the study through the Compass Blueprint grant program.

Click here for the latest on the Highway 395 Corridor Study.

For more information about the Wildomar Old Town Vision project, visit www.wildomaroldtown.info.