City of Charlotte offices will be closed on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27.

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thursday, November 26. No express bus service will operate on that day.

On Friday, November 27, CATS will operate according to its Saturday schedule. No express service will operate on that day except for the 79X Concord Mill Express, which will operate according to its Saturday schedule.

Both the CATS Customer Call Center and the Sales and Information Area located at the Charlotte Transportation Center will be closed on Thursday, November 26th and Friday, November 27th. Both areas will resume their regular weekend schedule on Saturday, November 28th. 

The Charlotte Trolley will operate according to its normal weekend-only schedule on Saturday, November 28 and Sunday, November 29, 2009.

For more information, please contact CATS Customer Service at 704-336-RIDE or visit www.ridetransit.org.

Solid Waste Services will not provide residential garbage, recyclable, yard waste or bulky item collection on Thursday, November 26. Thursday customers will receive service on Friday, November 27 and Friday customers on Saturday, November 28. For information on how to properly prepare your materials for collection, visit http://curbit.charmeck.org.

The City of Charlotte will present the City's Energy Strategy at a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 12 at the Council Meeting Chamber in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center (600 E. Fourth Street). The Energy Strategy includes energy saving projects being submitted for funding by the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant program (EECBG).

The meeting will include a brief overview of the projects, followed by a public comment period. Citizens, business owners and residents interested in speaking may sign up upon arrival.

The meeting will also be broadcast on the GOV Channel (Cable 16) and streamed live on the City's web site at www.charmeck.org. The proceedings will also be posted on the site following the meeting. 

The final project plans will be reviewed and approved at the City Council meeting on Monday, November 23.

Information about the proposed Energy Strategy and its projects are posted on the Energy Strategy web site on the City's Economic Recovery web site at www.charlottenc.gov.

Project ideas are based on suggestions and input gathered at a previous community meeting, discussions with business and community partners, along with suggestions made by the community through the Energy Strategy web site. The projects are designed to reduce fossil fuel emissions, reduce energy consumption, create new green jobs and increase the use of renewable technologies.

The City of Charlotte's Engineering & Property Management Department and Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will host a series of meetings to discuss project related material for the Charlotte Streetcar. These public meetings will serve as an opportunity for staff to provide a project update to the community on what will be accomplished during the Preliminary Engineering phase of the Streetcar project.

Tuesday, November 17
6 – 8 p.m.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, Room 267
600 E. Fourth Street

Thursday, November 19
6 – 8 p.m.
Johnson C. Smith University, Auditorium 
100 Beatties Ford Road

Tuesday, November 24
6 – 8 p.m.
Memorial United Methodist Church
4012 Central Avenue 

The same information will be shared at each meeting.

For bus routes nearest meeting locations, call 704-336-RIDE (7433) or consult the CATS Trip Planner at www.ridetransit.org.

For more information about the meetings, please call Jean Leier at 704-432-0496 or e-mail jleier@charlottenc.gov.

Are you taking to the skies this holiday season? If so, you could be one of the 700,000 customers anticipated to travel through Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The airport and its parking areas will be congested, so plan ahead, park smart and pack properly. Travelers are reminded to be prepared:

• Know the latest security and luggage regulations
• Pack accordingly, wait to wrap any gifts
• Increased passenger volumes are expected, anticipate and plan for longer wait times at check-in and security checkpoints
• Allow more time to park

Stay Informed, know the parking ABC's …

A=Ample parking available
B=Be Prepared, allow time to park
C=Congested parking conditions, expect delays

For up-to-date parking conditions call 704-FLY-5555 and visit www.charlotteairport.com for the complete list of travel tips.

Community University's (CU) fall and winter class schedule is now available. All workshops are free and open to Charlotte residents. To register, visit neighborhoods.charmeck.org and click on the CU icon, e-mail neighservs@ci.charlotte.nc.us or call 704-336-2061.

Each month there will be a specific theme with four workshops addressing that theme. Residents are encouraged to participate in all classes for the month, but may attend individual workshops if preferred.

November: Health and Safety
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
YWCA
3420 Park Road

Thursday, November 12 – The Unspoken Crimes in Neighborhoods
Explore the impact of youth and adult violence on individuals and neighborhoods and learn about available resources.

Wednesday, November 18 – Family and Community Emergency Preparedness
Learn what you need to know about emergency preparedness, including evacuation plans and CPR.

Monday, November 23 – Neighborhood Networking
Discuss and problem solve current neighborhood issues, especially those impacted by health and safety issues.

To register online, click here. Visit the CU web site for the complete schedule of courses.

CU is the City of Charlotte's neighborhood training program dedicated to providing high quality training to Charlotte residents to improve the strength and vitality of neighborhood organizations and the overall quality of community life. Courses are intended to engage, inform and equip participants with the training and assistance needed to help them improve and maintain their communities.

The City of Charlotte will hold an Oath of Office ceremony for the 2009 – 2011 Mayor and Members of Charlotte City Council on Monday, December 7 at 7 p.m. in the Council Meeting Chamber at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center (600 E. Fourth Street).

An oath of office ceremony is required by the laws of the state before a person may actually exercise the power of the office.

The GOV Channel brings you the latest City Source episode on Thursday, November 19 at 7 p.m. The episode will give you an in-depth look at the construction progress on the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the first five inductees in the Hall of Fame. You'll also learn about the new road changes that may affect your travel in Uptown and how to make your next trip to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport more efficient.

For your convenience, you can view episodes of City Source online at www.charmeck.org by clicking on The GOV Channel logo.

If you know someone who would be interested in reading CMail, please forward it to them!