Matthews residents could soon pay more in taxes and fees.

Town Manager Hazen Blodgett is recommending a 2-cent tax increase for the 2013-14 fiscal year, which would raise the tax rate from 30.25 cents to 32.25 cents per $100 of taxable property. He’s also proposing doubling the town’s vehicle tag fee from $15 a year to $30 a year.

Blodgett presented the proposed budget to town commissioners during their Monday, May 13, meeting. For a person who owns a $200,000 house, the proposed tax increase would equate an additional $3.34 per month, or about $40 per year. Residents can have their say on the proposal during a public hearing May 28 at the Board of Commissioners’ 7 p.m. meeting. Commissioners are expected to adopt the budget on June 10.

Mint Hill Manager Brian Welch will present his recommended budget to commissioners at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22 at town hall. All budget meetings are open to the public.

Blodgett’s recommended $20,723,524 budget proposal calls for a general budget includes $1,388,356 in tourism funds. Last year’s total budget was $20,472,714 – about $250,000 less than this year’s proposed total budget.

Blodgett said the tax increase would generate about $668,000. The increase is needed, he said, to combat Mecklenburg County’s property revaluation errors and pay for proposed staff increases for the Matthews Fire & EMS Department.

“With no growth revenues and the county’s troubled revaluation negatively impacting our budget, we are recommending a 2-cent property tax increase in order to meet the needs of our citizens,” Blodgett said in a memo.

During the next fiscal year, Matthews expects to lose $459,000 in property and sales tax revenues, $238,000 of which will be refunds from the county’s revaluation appeals. Blodgett’s memo said the town has already lost $300,000 due to revaluation errors.

The proposed 2-cent tax increase also would allow the Fire & EMS Department to hire three additional firefighter/EMTs, as well as an administrative staffer. Funding these positions would cost the town $162,000.

“As the population has grown, so has the number of calls the department responds to,” Blodgett said in the memo. “The department responds to over 3,000 calls a year and utilizes both paid and volunteer firefighters as staff members. We have reached a point where we need more manpower in order to meet the emergency needs of our community.”

The budget proposal also calls for a vehicle tag fee increase from $15 a year to $30 a year. The increase would generate about $660,000 to be used for paving and maintaining town streets. Matthews spends about $800,000 annually for street paving and maintenance, according to the memo.

The town expects to lose $136,000 in sales tax revenues and $85,000 in other revenues, such as ABC, telecommunications and cable revenues.

Other highlights of the proposed 2013-14 fiscal year budget include:
• 2.5-percent average employee performance salary increases
• Governing body – $170,806, including $XXXXX for an out-of-town planning conference
• Town management – $411,173
• Police – $5,345,508
• Fire & EMS – $1,369,065
• Public works – $5,501,361
• Planning and development – $387,623
• Parks, recreation and cultural resource – $1,081,814
• Levine Senior Center – $5,000 donation from the town’s general fund
• Tourism grants – $56,000
• Matthews Alive! Festival 2013 – $45,000
• Mecklenburg County Sportsplex – $175,000
• Matthews Historical Museum – $38,000, which covers operational expenses and one part-time employee
• Arts & Science Council – $10,000

Mint Hill Arts is in trouble.

The nonprofit arts organization needs cash and volunteer leaders to stay afloat.

That was the message Mint Hill Arts President Anthony Billotto gave in a recent letter to its 175 members and others in the community. Most of the organization’s current executive committee leaders, including himself, won’t run for re-election when their volunteer terms end June 30, he said. The open positions also include the first vice president, treasurer, secretary and one member at large.

The demands of the positions have become too much, Billotto said, noting the people stepping down are long-time volunteers who  have held leadership roles for years. The nonprofit provides art classes, free monthly exhibits and more to area children and adults.

“Some of the reasons for stepping down involve personal financial reasons. The time required for some of these positions severely cuts into the time needed for individuals to make a living,” he said in the letter. “Some of these members regularly have been giving 15 to 30 hours per week, week in and week out, for as many as eight years. Life takes twists and turns for people and sometimes they can’t provide those services that they’ve been doing for years.”

Losing treasurer Laura Sussman-Randall is s serious problem, Billotto said. The organization had hoped to get enough money from the Town of Mint Hill in the form of a tourism grant to hire someone, at least part time, to handle the bookkeeping and bill paying. Mint Hill Arts requested $20,000 from the town this year. Town commissioners voted to give $5,000 – the same amount they received the past two years. The amount makes up 11 percent of the group’s annual budget. Town Manager Brian Welch said this week there isn’t any extra tourism money to give.

The nonprofit receives a grant from the Arts and Science Council, but the money can only be used for educational classes and programs, not operational costs.

“If we had enough money, which I wanted to town to step up and take care of, if we had money to pay someone to do our accounting, that would solve a huge, huge problem,” Billotto said. “My gripe is not that the town doesn’t support us, they do. I just wish they could support us more. When I look at Matthews, the arts are supported much better. I know (Matthews has) a bigger tax base and bigger budget but we’ve never asked for space in a new building or anything like that … we’re just asking for a little extra help so we don’t have to worry about every single thing.”

Without help from somewhere, Mint Hill Arts may not be around much longer, Billotto said. And that idea deeply saddens him.

“Our fate is in the hands of a lot of people right now,” Billotto said. “If people think (Mint Hill Arts is) important, then they’ll help and if they don’t, it’s time to move on, I guess. It’s sad, I don’t like saying it, but … we have a crisis that is imminent. I’m not minimizing the importance of acting quickly here.”

Want to help?

To donate, visit www.minthillarts.org/donate.html. The nonprofit also is seeking in-kind donations of bookkeeping or accounting help.

For more information about how you can help, call 980-226-5532 or email Anthony Billotto at aebillotto@gmail.com.

Blockbuster closing in Matthews
The Blockbuster store in Matthews will close by May 30.
The location at 9600 E. Independence Blvd. is one of 300 stores the Colorado-based company is closing nationwide, Barbara Ellis, Blockbuster’s director of marketing, said this week. The Matthews property is “in the process of being sold,” Ellis said, adding she couldn’t name the potential buyer because the sale isn’t final.
It was unclear at press time how many people work at the Matthews location, but employees have been offered the option to transfer stores if there are openings in the area, Ellis said. Nationwide, the company expects about 3,000 employees to lose their job as a result of the store closings, she said.
Blockbuster also has locations in Gastonia and Cornelius and South Carolina’s Rock Hill and Lancaster, according to the company’s website.
The store is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Movies and games are being sold at 10 to 50 percent off this week and the store also will sell its furniture, fixtures and equipment.
For more information, call 704-845-2113.

Genghis Grill welcomes first Matthews customers
Genghis Grill now has a location in Matthews.
The Mongolian stir-fry restaurant opened to the public Thursday, May 16 at 9727 E. Independence Blvd., suite A, in the lot last occupied by Elliott’s barbecue.
The Matthews Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the 3,900-square- foot restaurant from 5 to 6 p.m. May 22, a Wednesday. The event is free and open to the public.
Genghis Grill is owned by the Arlington, Texas-based restaurant group Spring Creek Restaurants. The company plans to use a second space inside the building for another of their restaurants, but the company hasn’t decided which one will come to town, the company’s Robert Hubbard said.
Spring Creek operates four other Genghis Grill locations in the Carolinas, including one in Ballantyne, which opened almost two years ago, one inside the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, one in Winston-Salem and one in Greenville, S.C.
For more information, visit www.genghisgrill.com.

Best Tek back in Matthews
A Matthews-born computer sales and support company has moved back to Matthews.
Best Tek Support recently moved from Charlotte’s Sardis Road North to downtown Matthews’ Griffin Square at 167 S. Trade St., suite J. The five-year-old company was launched in Matthews by husband and wife Matthew and Nancy Galimi where they still live with their daughter,
Sofia, 7.
“We’re very happy to be back in Matthews,” Matthew Galimi said. “We love the community feel and being (in Griffin Square), we are in the center of the
community.”
The company offers computer sales, service, server and network administration, workstation management and website hosting packages for individuals and businesses. The company supports about 630 clients now in locations across the world.
The shop is open Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday by appointment.
For more information, call 704-321-4775 or visit www.bestteksupport.com.

Matthews doctor nets national award
Dr. Philip Arnone, of The Balanced Body Center in Matthews, recently received the Flynn Lynch Award from the American Chiropractic Association, according to a
news release.
The award is the highest honor the association gives to a delegate of less than five years. Arnone serves as a representative for North Carolina chiropractors to the association and also serves as the chairman of the association’s education committee and is responsible for coordinating all the webinars and seminars given nationally by the association, according to the release.
Arnone has been practicing for 23 years, 18 of those in Matthews.
The Balanced Body Center is located at 10550 Independence Pointe Pkwy., suite 100, in Matthews.
For more information about the
center, call 704-849-9393 or visit www.knowbalance.com.

Matthews mulls theater company request
Matthews-based theater company Manifested Purpose Affecting Communities through Theater, or MPACTT, recently requested to rent the town-owned Fullwood Theater for a ticketed performance, and the Matthews Board of Commissioners is considering the company’s request.
Corey King, of the town’s Parks and Recreation Department, told commissioners at their Monday, May 13, meeting parks and recreation staff recommend the town consider allowing the company to use the theater.
King said representatives from MPACTT said their performance content would equate to a “PG-13 rating” because the play would focus on issues like domestic violence. He said the company assured staff there would be no profanity or nudity in the play.
But commissioners have some reservations about allowing the group to perform at the theater.
Mayor Jim Taylor said he couldn’t find enough information on the group to feel comfortable allowing them to perform, while Mayor Pro Tem Paul Bailey was concerned because MPACTT isn’t a nonprofit organization. Bailey said he was worried citizens may come see the performance assuming ticket sales would support an organization that helps victims of domestic violence.
Taylor requested staff to invite representatives from MPACTT to attend an upcoming board of commissioners meeting and give a presentation on their organization so commissioners can better understand the group’s purpose.

Rotary raises $6K for nonprofits
The Matthews Rotary Club raised more than $6,000 for local nonprofits Friday, May 10 during its fourth annual spaghetti dinner and raffle. The total raised is nearly double what the event collected last year, according to a news
release.
More than 200 people attended the event held at the Levine Senior Center, which included live entertainment and raffles for prizes including a 60-inch flat screen TV. Proceeds will be shared by the club, Christ Our Shepherd Ministries, Levine Senior Center, Matthews Free Medical Clinic, Matthews HELP Center.
The Matthews Rotary Club hosts a lunch meeting on Mondays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Levine Senior Center, 1050 DeVore Lane, in Matthews.
For information, visit www.matthewsrotary.org.

N.C. attorney general targets Matthews company
A Matthews-based company that took orders and money for heaters that it failed to deliver has been ordered to stop selling products or accepting payments from consumers, according to a news release from the office of N.C. Attorney General Roy
Cooper.
Cooper filed suit against Hydro-Sil, related companies and their management on May 6, alleging that the defendants took orders and accepted payments for heaters, thermostats and other products with no intention of fulfilling the orders.
“It’s frustrating when a business makes promises that turn out to be nothing but hot air, especially when consumers lose their hard-earned money,” Cooper said in the release. “We want to put a stop to this kind of rip off and win consumers’ money back.”
Last week, Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway agreed with Cooper’s request to halt Hydro-Sil of Matthews from advertising or selling products or services, including taking advance payments. The court order bars the defendants from transferring any assets or destroying any records while the case moves forward. Cooper is seeking a permanent ban on the defendants’ harmful business practices, cancellation of contracts, refunds for consumers, and civil penalties.
The temporary restraining order also applies to the following defendants named in Cooper’s complaint: Heatech Industries, Inc., Santech Industries, Inc., and Performance Comfort Systems, Inc.; Frank Sanford III, president and registered agent of Heatech and Santech; and Christopher Scott Sanford, believed to be manager of the companies named in the suit, according to the release.
Cooper’s office received 36 complaints against Hydro-Sil while 116 consumers filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau about the company. Consumers who complained paid the company anywhere from $200 to more than $4,500 for heaters and other products that never arrived, according to the release.
Some consumers were told that one of the company’s suppliers had gone out of business, while others were told that there were delays on the construction line or design changes in products. Still others were told that the delays were due to Hydro-Sil being bought by another company.
When the company eventually shut down its website, Cooper’s complaint contends, it posted a notice claiming that, “the original equipment manufacturer of the Hydro-Sil heater will no longer ship or supply [Performance Comfort Systems, Inc.] with the needed inventory.”  Defendant Christopher Scott Sanford later told the Better Business Bureau that Santech was actually the retailer responsible for the sales.  Hydro-Sil had previously advertised that it manufactured the heaters itself, according to the release.
To check out a company or file a consumer complaint, contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM toll-free within North Carolina or file a complaint online at www.ncdoj.gov.

Mint Hill blood drive helps 51 patients
A recent blood drive hosted by the Mint Hill Police Department will help 51 local patients, according to the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas.
The organization set a goal to collect 15 units and collected 17 units during the drive last month.
For more information about the center or how to host a blood drive, visit www.cbcc.us.
May 7 to 13
Matthews

Matthews Police Department reports were unavailable this week and will return in the May 24 to 30 issue.
Mint Hill

Charges/citations
May 13: Tiffany Maynor, 25, of 3381 Corky Lane, Newton, N.C. Order for arrest (probation violation – Catawba County), resisting arrest.
May 12: Michael Herrin, 21, of 8434 Clear Meadow Lane, Charlotte. Possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia.
May 11: Christopher Ferrell, 20, of 15022 Yarmouth Road. Consumption of alcohol under 21.
May 11: Juan Cortes, 18, 7113 Snow Lane, Apt. A, Charlotte. Simple possession of marijuana.
May 10: Hazel Toney, 18, 7711 Brisbane Court, Charlotte, arrested at Rocky River High School. Disorderly conduct.
May 10: LaQuan Farmer, 19, of 9520 Bradstreet Commons Way, Charlotte, arrested at Rocky River High School. Disorderly conduct.
May 10: Adam Powell, 23, of 10321 Apple Way Court. Order for arrest (harassing phone calls – Union County).
May 9: Stephanie Haggerty, 26, of 1246 Northwest Turning Leaf St., Concord. Driving while impaired.
May 8: Miguel Rincon Jr., 48, of 309 Royal Windsor Drive, Midland. Driving while impaired, speeding (82 miles per hour in a 55-mile-per-hour zone).
May 8: Curtis Ulmer, 20, of 4831 Autumn Oak Lane, Apt. 326, Charlotte. Warrant (automobile theft – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police).
May 7: Benjamin Macdermott, 21, of 5236 Kirby Mews Court, Charlotte. Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Break-ins
May 12: 9512 Stoney Glen Drive. BB gun used to shoot out window, causing $400 in damage. GPS unit, MP3 player stolen.
May 12: 9512 Stoney Glen Drive. BB gun used to shoot out window and door, causing $800 in damage. Nothing reported stolen.
May 12: 9512 Stoney Glen Drive. BB gun used to shoot out window, causing $200 in damage. GPS unit, MP3 player, Thomas the Train DVD and $50 in Curve cologne stolen.
May 12: 13718 Mills End Circle. Forced entry, causing $100 in damage to window. Nothing reported stolen.
May 11: 4802 Stoney Trace Drive. Forced entry, causing $200 in damage to door frame. Nothing reported stolen.
May 10: 8007 Grove Hall Ave. Victim’s vehicle entered and garage door opener used to open garage. Nothing reported stolen. Non-forced entry.
May 10: 7933 Grove Hall Ave. Victim’s vehicle entered and garage door opener used to open garage. Nothing reported stolen. Non-forced entry.
May 6:  Essex Homes construction site, 13237 Belle Grove Manor Lane. $600 in damage to cabinet doors and $200 in damage to cabinet drawers in under-construction house. Non-forced
entry.
May 6: Essex Homes construction site, 13213 Belle Grove Manor Lane. $2,200 in damage to cabinet doors and $700 in damage to interior doors in under-construction house. Non-forced entry.

Thefts
May 13: Park on Fairview, 8850 Fairview Road. iPhone stolen.
May 13: 7420 Cross Tie Court. Meter reconnected and $25 in electricity stolen.
May 12: Park on Wilgrove, 7750 Jim Harper Lane. Purse stolen from vehicle.
May 12: Food Lion, 8118 Blair Road. Purse stolen from shopping cart.
May 11: 4808 Stoney Trace Drive, Apt. Q. iPhone stolen.

Vandalism
May 6:  Essex Homes construction site, 13225 Belle Grove Manor Lane. $300 in damage to safety railings.

When Matthews Elementary School fourth-grader Ayah Zoabi drew pictures of characters from the book “Wonder” by R. J. Palacio, she was just trying to put faces to names of beloved characters in the book her class had been discussing.

(Above) Ayah Zoabi, a fourth grader at Matthews Elementary School, will have her illustration published in a special edition of the book “Wonder.”

But when her teacher Carol Jackson had the idea to wrap up the book discussions by letting the author know her students’ feelings toward the book, Ayah’s illustrations caught the eye of the book’s publishers. Officials called last week to let Jackson know one of Ayah’s drawings will be published in a special edition of the book to be released this summer.

“I was really excited and at first, I didn’t really know what was happening. I thought maybe Ms. Jackson had made a mistake because another girl in the class is way better at drawing than me,” Ayah said of the honor. “But I really like drawing, especially because when my teacher is reading, I like to draw the characters to get a better visual of what they look like.”

Jackson’s class started reading the book last fall, and wrote letters and drew pictures for the author around October. Jackson said she mailed the kids’ work to Random House Publishing in New York, though she didn’t expect to hear anything back.

The book focuses on a boy who has a severe facial deformity, Jackson said, and throughout its pages, highlights different aspects of bullying.

Bullying is a buzzword right now at many schools, Jackson said.

“One thing my students really loved about it was that all of them could relate to some character in the book, whether it was a caring person or someone who even is being mean. Every chapter we read, just opened up new
discussions.”

Ayah had been carrying around the book for months after borrowing it from Jackson, who said having Ayah’s illustrations published is a perfect match since Ayah loved the book so much.

“I like the book ‘Wonder’ because it really taught me that you shouldn’t judge a person by their face, but by their feelings and their thoughts,” Ayah said. “It was a very touching story.”

A special edition of “Wonder” will be released this summer. Ayah’s illustration will be published along with numerous other works from students nationwide. The book will not print Ayah’s name, but will recognize Matthews Elementary School.

American Legion Post 235 in Matthews is gearing up to host its annual As Memorial Day celebration honoring U.S. service members.

Mark your calendar for the annual Memorial Day Ceremony hosted by American Legion Post 235 in Matthews. This year’s ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. Monday, May 27 at Stumptown Park, 120 S. Trade St.

The annual Memorial Day celebration takes place May 27, a Monday, at 11 a.m. at Stumptown Park, 120 S. Trade St., in downtown Matthews. The free event will feature guest speakers and presentations.

“We’re trying to make it a big event this year,” Post Commander Richard Bowers said. “We’re trying to make it a nice event since over the years we’ve been (seeing) more and more people (attend).”

This year’s celebration will feature several guest speakers, including veterans from several wars. The David W. Butler High School Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or JROTC, will give a presentation and host their annual picnic following the event. Area Boy Scout Troops also have been invited to come and participate in the event.

The event also will feature some musical presentations, including a vocal soloist’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and several patriotic songs, courtesy of singing group The Frontier Girls. The Marine Corps League Charlotte Detachment 750 in Mint Hill is scheduled to do a 21-gun salute and play Taps, Bowers said.

The post also will host a reading of the 35 names on the Stumptown Park Memorial Wall and a section of the program will be dedicated to remembering the prisoners of war and service members missing-in-action.

“It’s very moving,” Bowers said. “We’ve done it a couple times in the past couple of years and we always get great feedback on it.”

Bowers said the Memorial Day celebration is just one of many projects the American Legion Post 235 focuses on each year. He said the post is involved with children and youth within the community and has sponsored a high school oratorical contest, which this year sent an Ardrey Kell High School student to state and national competitions.

Since Bowers joined the post several years ago, the nonprofit organization has grown from about 50 members to more than 170, he said. Guests are welcome.

Bowers hopes the Memorial Day celebration will not only draw attention to the post and encourage community members to get involved, but be a fitting tribute to those who have given their lives for their country.

“The Memorial Day (celebration) is a big event for us, honoring veterans and people who have paid the ultimate price, protecting our freedoms and so forth,” Bowers said. “It’s elaborate and very moving.”

The change was quite simple, really, but the results it produced for Independence boys track and field standout Caleb Walker have been phenomenal.

Independence sophomore Caleb Walker will pursue a state title this weekend during the Class 4A meet in Greensboro.

Walker began this season at a Waxhaw Marvin Ridge meet, where he placed fourth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 17.54 seconds and seventh in the 300 hurdles at 45.14. Not bad for the beginning of his sophomore season, but it wasn’t exactly the level where Patriots head coach Ken Waldron and first-year assistant Darrell Pegram expected him to be.

“(Waldron) knows what I know and sees what I see,” Pegram said. “And we see (the same thing) in Caleb.”

So they made changes.

The coaches believe Walker has immense talent but felt it was being spread among too many events, so the first change they made was to get Walker’s focus away from the other events – discus, long jump and shot put– and had him devote his time more exclusively to hurdles.

“We talk about him throwing the shot, and that’s great and all, but (hurdles) is what can get him into college,” Pegram said. “This is what he’s really good at. He’s gifted. That’s one thing, but the other part to that is that he’ll work. A lot of gifted people won’t put in the work, but he will. But to be honest, it took a little while because he wanted to do everything.

“He’s decent at everything, but he’s great at (hurdles).”

So Pegram, a veteran track coach who’s also the director of youth development and training at the Stallion Track Club, worked with Walker on the nuances of the event and, more specifically, how he was using his trail leg when he cleared the hurdles.

As a result, Walker’s times slowly started improving. After a while, the teenager started to believe in what Pegram and Waldron were teaching him.

Walker admits that participating in too many events last year was a major reason he failed to qualify for the Southwestern 4A conference and Western Regional meets, so he made that one of his goals this season. But he’s done much more than that.

At the Southwestern 4A meet on May 5, Walker won the 110 hurdles, as he clocked a then-personal record of 14.93 seconds. It was the first time he’d broken the 15-second barrier, but he was far from done for the day.

Walker rounded out the performance by recording a third-place finish in the 300 hurdles (41.93) and, for good measure, added a ninth-place showing in the long jump (17 feet, 10.75 inches) and was 12th in the shot put (36 feet).

While his all-around game was impressive, Walker was most enthralled with how his hurdle times were plummeting.

“The season’s gone really well,” Walker said. “I’m proud of how my times have come down, but it’s really been my coaches. Coach Pegram came in and taught me some things with my form, and I ended up getting better. It was all in my trail leg. My trail leg wasn’t so good last year or at the start of (this) year, but he helped me fix it.

“I also think I’ve been finishing faster. I need to work on my starts because they aren’t the best, but my finishes have improved.”

And on the heels of his breakout performances at the conference championships, Walker took his success a step further by recording a personal best in the 110 hurdles (14.72) in the preliminaries at regionals. And although his run in the finals was three-tenths of a second slower, it was still good for fourth place. Walker also just missed his personal-best 300 hurdles time but ran 41.81 seconds to finish eighth.

And with the Class 4A championship meet on the docket for Saturday, May 18, Walker’s hoping to improve upon his times even more.

“Realistically, I really want to place (at the state meet),” Walker said. “I feel like I can come in first place, but there are a lot of really fast kids who’ll be there. Being at regionals showed me that there are lots of people out there who are working just as hard as I am.

“Even if I don’t win, I know that I have to keep trying and working at it to get better.”

So no matter how well the state meet goes, Walker plans on doing just that.

He didn’t run indoor track this winter and said he usually spends his summers getting ready for the football season – he’ll play varsity this year after playing tight end and wide receiver for the JV squad in 2012. But this summer will be different, as Walker plans on training with Pegram, a former track star himself at Claremont’s Bunker Hill High in the 1970s.

With the extra guidance, Pegram believes Walker can become even better.

“I don’t make predictions about potential, but he could be somewhere in the low (13-second range),” Pegram said. “His work ethic’s there, but he has to keep working on trusting his count. Hurdles are a rhythm sport, and if he keeps trusting his count, he has the potential.”

Waldron said he, too, could see Walker’s breakout sophomore season being just the beginning of what might become a stellar career.

“He listens, and he works hard,” Waldron said. “We have some guys like (senior sprinter Jack) Tocho, who’ll do anything that you ask, and it’s like having another coach on the track at all times. Jack is the top of the apex.

Caleb is getting there, but he’s still young.

“He has his brother (Joshua) and all of the other hurdlers to push him in practice. All of our hurdlers made it to the conference and regional meets, and they’ve improved greatly as the year’s gone on.”

Walker might’ve improved the most, however, and now he said he’s ready to follow Pegram’s advice and take his talents to the next level.

“He’s experiencing something right now that he’s never experienced,” Pegram said. “Whatever sport you participate in, you should do it to the best of your ability. He’s (going to train this summer and) he’ll be going against some of the best in the nation, not just the best in his region. That’ll make a big difference.”

With the state meet awaiting this weekend, not to mention two more seasons of high school track remaining after that, Walker believes some great achievements are in reach. And with the extra training from Pegram this summer, he thinks those achievements could come rather quickly.

“I have really come to love hurdles,” Walker said. “I think this summer is going to be great working with (Pegram) and focusing just on hurdles. In hurdles, it’s more about having good form. If you have good form, you can go pretty far in this sport.”

Bob Warner’s story might sound faintly familiar to fans of “The Hobbit” or “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Warner received a precious ring from his wife, Pat, but lost it in 1983 while doing yard work at their former house in Matthews’ Windrow subdivision. The Warners moved to Weddington in 1999 – without the ring.

The ring was recently discovered unexpectedly by a new “bearer” – the owner of the Warners’ former home. But in this story, ring and master are reunited – for a much happier ending that was 30 years in the making.

The story of the ring began in 1961 when Bob Warner enlisted in the U.S. Navy. At the time, he was engaged and had given his fiancée a diamond ring. After the couple realized it “just wasn’t meant to be,” the ring was returned to Warner, who held onto it for the next several years.

After meeting his future wife, Pat, Warner said it was clear she was the one for him and bought a new engagement ring for her. Knowing the ring from Warner’s previous engagement held both monetary and sentimental value, Pat decided to take the diamond to a jeweler and have it forged into a gold ring. She had the ring engraved with “Aug. 5, 1967,” which was Warner’s XXth birthday, and gave it to him as a birthday present. The two were married two months later, in October 1967.

“I wore that ring for years. I never took it off,” Warner said, adding though the ring wasn’t intentionally supposed to be a wedding band (Pat bought a separate ring for that) it fit so well that he started wearing it on his left ring finger instead of his wedding band.

Fast forward to 1983. The Warners were living in the Windrow subdivision when the ring disappeared. Warner was out in the yard doing chores, including laying stepping stones near the back patio. After calling it quits for the day and going inside for a shower, Warner realized his ring was gone.

“Your heart sinks about 1,000 miles when you lose something like that,” Warner said.

Warner and his family spent the rest of the day – and the next several weeks – searching through grass, bushes and trees for the ring. They even borrowed a metal detector to aid in their search. But the efforts proved in vain, and the family accepted what at the time appeared to be the inevitable – the ring was gone for good.

In December 1999, the Warners sold their home to the Braswell family and moved to Weddington. Over time, the ring was forgotten – that is, until last month.

The Braswells were outside doing their own yard work when they discovered something they never expected to find. David Braswell was laying his own stepping stones and was digging in the dirt underneath one of the existing stones when his hand brushed against something he thought was a small rock. Braswell picked it up and to his surprise, it wasn’t a rock – it was a gold ring with a diamond, engraved with “Aug. 5, 1967.” Knowing the ring held sentimental value, the Braswells tracked down the home’s former owners.

When Bob Warner got the call saying the Braswells had found something he might want, he had no idea what it could be.

“I said, ‘What in the world could David have that I would want?’” Warner said. “I just know them from selling the house.”

But as soon as he heard the description of the ring and the date engraved on it, Warner knew the impossible had indeed occurred – his precious ring had been found.

Warner took a special trip to the Braswells’ to retrieve his lost possession.

“He showed me the ring and tears just came to (my) eyes,” Warner said. “You look at the ring and say, ‘Where have you been hiding?’”

Warner said he’s grateful the Braswells not only found the ring, but also cared enough to track down its former owner. He even took the Braswell family out for a special Easter lunch as a “thank you” for their honesty and generosity.

“I think it was very admirable of them,” he said. “I can’t be anymore grateful to them for the ring to be back in our possession, and after 30 years.”

His wife, Pat, was unable to accompany her husband to the Braswells’ to retrieve the ring, but was elated when he brought it home.

“It was like the day that I gave him the ring,” she said.

Warner says he’s more careful these days when doing yard work. He now stores the ring in a safe place until his tasks are done. But when he’s not tending to the grounds, he’s wearing the ring like it’s brand new. In some ways, he said, it is.

“There’s no wear or anything on it,” he said. “I was flabbergasted that I would ever see the ring again. I’m wearing it like I was when (Pat) first gave it to me.”

Before the new Bain Elementary School opens to students this fall, officials must replace water damaged ceiling tiles, improve landscaping drainage, install a valve in a handicapped shower and more.

The new Bain Elementary School at 11540 Bain School Road is nearing completion.

The new building had its first site visit by an inspector with the Mecklenburg County Health Department last week, which inspects all schools and daycares in the county as part of the Division of Environmental Health. The school at 11540 Bain School Road wasn’t given a score, but inspector Matthew Cook did note minor problems that need to be fixed before the building welcomes staff and students in August.

The April 29 site visit allows school officials to “know where they’re at” on school building standards and other code requirements before they receive a score, said the health department’s Stephen Graham, who oversees all school inspections.

“That way there’s no surprises when they’re actually scored,” Graham said. “We would rather be up front about it rather than giving them a surprise. A lot of these construction things are easier to fix if the contractor is still there.”

That will be the case with the new Bain, said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ Mike Higgins, who is overseeing the project for the district. Crews are working on “punch list” final tasks inside the building, including touching up paint, and items noted by Cook during the inspection will be fixed soon, Higgins said.

The project is “moving along nicely,” Higgins said. “We’ll be ready for the upcoming school year.”

According to the site visit report, Cook found: water damaged ceiling tiles in some hallways and the staff lounge; no back flow prevention device on a handicapped shower wand; the incorrect type of ceiling tiles in the administrative area restroom and health room restroom; automatic faucets with run times that were too short to wash hands; and landscaping without proper drainage at the front entrance.

All of the violations are minor, easy to fix and shouldn’t cause alarm, both Cook and Graham said this week.

Minor water damage, Graham said, is common for inspectors to find even in new buildings.

“You miss some caulking somewhere and you’re going to have a leak,” he said.

Cook added: “During the course of the project, somehow water dripped off pipes and stained some ceiling tiles and those will be replaced.”

The ceiling tiles in the administrative area restroom and health room restroom are what builders call “absorbent” and need to be replaced with a type of vinyl tile that’s easy to clean and resistant to moisture.

“It’s the call of the inspector, of the health department, as to whether they’ll accept (absorbent tiles) or not and they wanted us to change it,” Higgins said, adding the switch won’t alter the total cost of the project “It’s a very nominal, easy thing to (change).”

Crews already have started landscaping in front of the school and in the next few weeks will begin planting grass and adding a rain garden as part of the county’s erosion control requirements.

In the next few weeks, crews also will put the final layer of asphalt on Bain School Road near the school’s entrance where heavy rain has caused water to pool. The drainage problem will be fixed when the roadwork is finished, Higgins said.

During the summer months, the school’s mobile classrooms will be moved to another school and crews will begin construction in that area to build a bus parking lot, Higgins said. The lot should be complete by the time students return in August, he said.