Community

Money from group’s 1st golf tourney goes to youth sports fields

LEIGH PRESSLEY

The Belmont Optimist Club raised $1,700 with its first golf tournament on June 23 at Linwood Springs Golf Course.

Thirteen teams participated in the captain’s choice tournament, which benefited the club’s new youth football and baseball fields at Duke Energy’s Allen Steam Station.

Community sponsors were: Catawba Grill, Ceres Transportation Group, Diversified Printing Techniques, Grahams Fish Camp, Mid Carolina Cardiology, NAPA, Patrick Yarns, RBC Centura Bank, R.J. Gators and Rollins Insurance.

“We’re trying to raise up to $50,000 through several fundraisers we’ve planned for the year,” said tournament coordinator Jeani Reagan. “There’s an enormous cost associated with the establishment of these fields.”

Duke Energy owns the land where the fields are under construction at the Allen Steam Station. The Optimist Club will develop the property for its youth sports programs by installing lights, bleachers and fields.

“We’ve cleared the land and had it marked for two football fields and two baseball fields,” says Reagan. “We’ve just finished the lighting, which is the major expense. We’ve also seeded the fields, and we’re letting them grow to get ready for next year. We hope to start using the fields by next baseball season.”

Currently, Belmont Optimist teams play football at South Point High School and Holbrook Middle School. Baseball teams have played at various city-owned fields in Belmont and one existing field at the new athletic site.

The club sponsors five football teams, five cheerleading squads, four baseball teams, a girls’ softball program and a high school oratorical contest for local youth. Most kids involved in the Optimist Club’s athletic programs are ages 5 to 12 and live in Belmont.

“Duke is pretty involved in our community, and they understood the need we had with more than 350 children participating in various programs,” says Reagan. “It was vital that we had a place for them to play.”

In addition to the golf tournament, Belmont Optimist plans a raffle with cash prizes during the current football season and a 5K race later this fall.

Raffle tickets are $5 each. First prize is $500, followed by $300 for second prize and $100 for third prize. The drawing will be held during the first home game in September.

Each of the approximately 250 football players and cheerleaders have been encouraged to sell at least five tickets by Sept. 6. Prizes will be awarded to the top sellers.

The Winners

Here are the winners in the Belmont Optimist Club Golf Tournament:

First place: Josh Fortenberry, Jarrod Gibson, Tony Gibson, T.J. Hudson.

Second place: Ricky Rowe, Chris Auten, Randy Crainshaw, Johnny Blackburn.

Third place: Hunter Armstrong, Kirk Crawford, Michael Gulledge, Keith Moses.

Longest drive: Rodney Allman.

Hole-in-one: Ricky Rowe.

Double eagle: Kelvin Reagan.

Closest to the pin: Mark Crunkleton and Tom Beaghen.

source article: http://www.charlotte.com/494/story/224726.html

Way to go Optimist Club ! The land down Boat Club Road has long been used by the Optimist Club over the years for baseball. It is good to see a resurgence of interest and focus on positive development.

The Optimist’s had a really cool Oyster Roast several years ago. We are sure it was time-consuming, but it was a great fundraiser.

Speaking of fundraisers, The Belmont Rotary Club had a unique theme at “A Taste of Belmont” last spring, the Roaring Twenties. The costumes looked great… the Rotary produced a fundraiser for several years aways back, called, “Rotaters”,  french-fries. Were sold at the HS football games. They made good money until the SPHS Booster Club felt that they were cutting into the Booster Club profits. Rotary sold them at the Garibaldi-fest a few years too.

Their fundraising money went into the Stowe Park restroom facility and to the Belmont Rotary Baseball Team.   

BELMONT

A public hearing on the $12 million parks and recreation bond referendum is Aug. 14 at City Hall at 7 p.m.

In November, voters will decide whether to let the city borrow $12 million for park projects.

Developing the riverfront park is part of that package, along with building a skate park and a 30-acre athletic park; turning about 28 acres of donated land into trails for walking and biking; upgrading existing parks; buying land for new parks and adding mini parks.

Growth strategy for Belmont discussed for more than a year

JOE DEPRIEST

jdepriest@charlotteobserver.com

The talk has gone on for more than a year.

Now, Belmont’s new comprehensive land-use plan is coming down to the wire.

On Tuesday, the City Council is expected to vote on what has been described by leaders as a road map for future land use in the fast-growing city.

“The real challenge is that the plan doesn’t end up on a shelf gathering dust,” said councilman Irl Dixon. “We want to make sure it’ll be used and looked at and enforced.”

Mayor Pro Tem Charlie Flowers still hadn’t made up his mind on how he’ll vote.

“I have some reservations about some of it,” he said. “I’m afraid it could be used to discriminate against the poor and middle class. I’ll be studying and praying over this all weekend.”

The plan was drafted by HNTB, a national consulting firm with an office in Charlotte.

City Manager Barry Webb said the land-use plan cost $118,000 and a separate transportation plan $25,000. The city got $22,950 in state money for the transportation part, he said.

To get input from residents, Belmont and HNTB held three public forums before a public hearing in July at the Gaston College East Campus and Textile Technology Center.

Residents have praised the plan’s vision, but asked how it will address issues beyond Belmont’s control, such as crowded Gaston County schools and congested state roads.

A few also have asked whether the plan is focused on creating a bedroom community for newcomers instead of preserving small-town character for longtime residents.

The plan designates several areas for certain types of land use.

For example, Main Street and adjacent streets should be mostly retail and community buildings, while Wilkinson Boulevard should be a commercial center, according to the plan.

Dixon said the land will be a guide as Belmont continues to grow.

“Nobody will ever be completely satisfied with it,” he said. “But without the plan there would be chaos.”

The Belmont City Council meets Tuesday at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 115 N. Main St. For information, call 704-825-5586.

source article: http://www.charlotte.com/gaston/story/224465.html