Introducing Activate America®
Activate America® Background
Kickoff Rally
The Activate Gaston kickoff rally will be held at the Gaston Mall. Everyone is eligible to participate in this program. It is easy to register.
Just drop by the Gaston Mall between the hours of 12:00 pm and 7:00 pm on Monday, January 14, 2008 and you will be on your way to a healthier you!The kickoff will include:
- FREE T-shirts to the first 1,000 at Gaston Mall
- Registration for Activate Gaston
- First Official Weigh-In
- Activity Demonstrations (Zumba, Body Step, Jazzercise, Yoga, The World’s Strongest Man and more!)
- Free Health Screenings
- Sponsor Booths and much more!
Gaston County’s
Program Description
The Gaston County Family YMCA, CaroMont Health, Gaston County Health Department, Gaston College, Gaston County Schools, Fitness and Nutrition Council and Gaston County Healthcare Commission combined resources to continue their effort to address the growing obestiy epidemic in our area and make Gaston County healthier.
- is a FREE year-round healthy living awareness program that targets youth and adult obesity and related diseases
- encourages participants to accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five days per week
- provides Healthy Living information about nutrition, exercise and health education weekly
- sponsors regular weigh-ins and counseling
- presents “Health Talks,” a series of lectures by wellness and medical experts
- challenges everyone, young and old, to begin healthy eating and regular moderate-intensity exercise.
Regular physical activity reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. It helps control weight and contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints. It helps relieve the pain of arthritis and reduces the symptoms of anxiety and depression. People of all ages who are generally inactive can impove their health and well being by becoming active at a moderate-intensity on a regular basis.
Group/Company Challenge:
The Little Train That Could
Belmont’s train got an locomotive yesterday, replacing the engine that was removed a couple of years ago.
The placement of the engine drew a crowd to an already vibrant downtown, right at the same time as the middle school dismissal.
Dozens of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders already regularly mingle in the downtown area at the Belmont General Store and Caravan Coffee, waiting for their parents to pick them up.
This event, however, brought out city staffers, employees of the busy downtown merchants, and the chamber of commerce. Train enthusiasts, passersby, and curiousity seekers all stopped to watch the placement
Everyone was busily snapping pictures of the two large cranes that lifted the axles onto the track next to the already placed caboose and dining car. Shortly thereafter, the body of the locomotive was raised and set into place.
This should complete the little train, bringing back some interest in the train-related heritage that Garibaldi Station/Belmont holds within its history. The train station was a museum until just a few years ago. It sat empty until the upscale clothing store, Jolie, began operating. The volunteers who ran the Train Museum had decided to close because they struggled getting volunteers to staff the facility on a regular basis.
According to the now local entreprenuer, Richard LaVecchia — owner of several downtown properties, including Piccolo, OldStone Steakhouse, and the old Leader building (now being called, “the Rose Building” — ’cause it was owned and sold by Art Rose) — “…several projects…” are planned, “…where people can get into the locomotive and take pictures”.
Does the completion of the little train mean the return of a destination place in downtown Belmont?
Belmont Not Meeting Water Restriction Guidelines
With Stage 3 water restrictions in place, Belmont must just be ignoring the severity of the drought.
In October, Governor Easley called on the municipalities throughout the state to cut water useage by 50%. According to the NC Drought Monitor, Belmont just isn’t meeting that goal.
gov-easley-water-consumption-monitor-10-22-07.pdf
Belmont’s average daily useage as of August 2007 was 2.4 million gallons per day.
12/10 12/3 11/26 11/19 11/12 11/5 10/29 10/22
| -34.76% | -29.97% | -30.18% | -29.48% | -17.64% | -19.66% | -29.31% | -33.75% |
So, what’s up with that?
It is not as if the state hadn’t given communities guidelines or unreasonable expectations. Back in 2002, during the last drought, the State passed HB 1215. Section 5 of House Bill 1215 required the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to evaluate water conservation measures being implemented in North Carolina and to identify incentive programs and other voluntary programs that can help foster water conservation, water reuse, and water use efficiency.
water-use-during-droughts-and-water-supply-emergencies.pdf
At the last city council meeting, City Manager Barry Webb, spoke about the possible actions to “encourage” further water conservation, including a “temporary” water rate increase.
We all know that several businesses will be heavily impacted, and that those on “fixed incomes” will want exemptions right off the bat, if council seriously considers this added taxation.
The Belmont Front Porch 