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M A R C H 7 | 2 0 2 1
Meet Your Neighbor:
Michelle Hoverson

Community is a pillar of any town, and ours is made up of caring, kind, and selfless individuals. The kind of people who live to serve and make each day a little better and brighter.

Meet Michelle. She's one of those people. Her roles include being an executive director for a local nonprofit, author, and avid church member. She's also one of the many volunteers we are grateful to have on the Mayor's Housing Study Committee.

Michelle recently presented the Committee's findings to the Town Board of Commissioners and included in the presentation a number of recommendations on how the Town could increase opportunities to bridge the housing gap.
PARC Updates
Summer camp registration is now open! Find a program your child will love in the 100+ being offered.

There are seven weeks left in the Mayors' Fitness Challenge! Join now to help us win and don't forget to invite family and friends!

Hop Along the Bunny Trail at Robbin's Park on Saturday, March 27.
Bikes May Use Full Lane
Have you seen the Town's new bike safety signs? They've replaced "Share the Road," and here's why.
March Coffee Chat
If you mised our March Coffee Chat, don't fret. What the replay here.
About Michelle
Michelle's family moved from D.C. to the Lake Norman area in 1999. Once residents of Huntersville, Michelle and her husband, Walt, now live in Antiquity and love the area for its peace, quiet, and sense of community.

Michelle said that community is very important to her, and that she felt she had truly become a member of ours when her husband's name was engraved in the Town's Veterans Monument.
She serves Cornelius in many ways, but her reach is global. Michelle is the Executive Director of Above & Beyond, a missions foundation that assists those who want to serve on short-term mission trips by allowing them to earn some of their funding through local community service. The program is called “Serve Local Go Global” and it has funded nearly 1,300 global missionaries who have invested close to 19,000 volunteer hours in their communities.  
The Mayor's Housing Study Committee
In her time in Cornelius, one issue seems to present itself quite often: the need for affordable housing options. The situation has not gone unnoticed by Town officials either.

That's why this time last year, Mayor Washam assembled a group of community leaders and industry experts to begin researching opportunities to help bridge the housing gap.

Over the course of several months, the committee met and discussed challenges and potential plans to offer affordable, workforce housing in Cornelius.
Michelle presented the Committee's findings to the Board and detailed how affordable housing is beneficial to everyone. Children do better academically when they have a sense of stability, families are healthier when they aren't forced to choose between healthcare and rent, businesses reach a greater audience, and the environment is happier with shorter commutes.

Michelle dedicated her time to this Committee because she saw firsthand what unstable housing can do to a family. After talking to a number of them, she decided to serve on the Committee as their representation. Her biggest takeaway from the meeting: the sense of community.

"There are some really smart and compassionate people leading our community who want our Town to be a place where everyone can live and thrive," says Michelle. "The business, non-profit, and government leaders with whom I served, value our Town’s diversity. They are people who are willing to invest the time to find creative solutions to affordable housing so that our Town will continue to be a place where economic and social diversity is welcomed and planned for, not just talked about."

And we concur. To learn more about the Housing Study Committee, visit our website.
Vaccine Update and Waitlist
Group 3 is now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This includes childcare and PreK-12 employees, as well as frontline essential workers. Group 1 and Group 2 remain eligible and prioritized.

You may schedule your vaccination appointment online through StarMed.Care or by calling MCPH COVID-19 Hotline at 980-314-9400 (Option 3 for English and Option 8 for Spanish). 
 
If you are unable to schedule an appointment, you may sign up for the Mecklenburg County vaccination waitlist. Open appointments will be filled from the waitlist.
 
Please note you may be able to make an appointment sooner through your medical provider, Walgreens, Atrium Health, or Novant Health. In all cases, the vaccine is 100% free, and all three vaccines currently approved are safe and effective.

Group 4 will be eligible beginning March 24, 2021. Members of this group may also join the waitlist. 
Resources for Low Income Households
PTRC Housing Rehabilitation Program
If the house you own and live in is in need of serious repairs, you may qualify for the Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC) Housing Rehabilitation Program.

  • Does your plumbing leak?
  • Is your electrical system unsafe?
  • Does your roof need repairs?

The PTRC can help with all of these and more. Visit their website to learn more and apply.
Low Income Energy Assistance Program
The Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services is offering help to residents in need through the Low Income Energy Assistant Program (LIEAP).

LIEAP is a federal program that assists households with their home heating needs, so they won't have to choose between heating their homes and paying for other basic needs.
Town of Cornelius | Cornelius.org