Mecklenburg County has hired Ebenezer Gujjarlapudi, aas the new head of its Land Use and Environmental Services Agency), LUESA. Mr. Gujjarlapudi starts Jan. 9, with an annual salary of $145,000. He replaces Cary Saul, who is retiring after more than 30 years with the County. Read the full story

518 Walnut St., built by John Marshall Custom homes.

DAVIDSON – Davidson-based home-builder John Marshall Custom Homes has added a new tagline to its marketing: North Carolina’s top private builder of environmentally-conscious LEED-certified homes.

Three of the houses built in the past few years by Rodney Graham and his company have been certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program, which stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.” The latest is at 518 Walnut St., in Mr. Graham’s Davidson Springs in-fill development near downtown Davidson. Read the full story

518 Walnut St. will be open for tours this Sunday.

DAVIDSON – John Marshall Custom Homes Inc. of Davidson is inviting the public to tour a recently completed “green” home this Sunday, April 15, from 1 to 5 p.m. Located at 518 Walnut St. in downtown Davidson, this is the local builder’s third home built to the standards of the LEED for Homes program administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. Read the full story

John Marshall Custom Homes is building this "green" home according to specifications of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Homes program.

John Marshall Custom Homes Inc. of Davidson will host an open house Saturday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon at a “green” home under construction at 518 Walnut St. It will be the third local that John Marshall Custom Homes Inc. has built to the certification standards of the LEED for Homes program which is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. Read the full story

Lawn maintenance can make a house and yard a beautiful home. But what we do to maintain our lawns could be detrimental to the environment, Mecklenburg County’s division of Storm Water Services says in a website note this week. “Remember, anything mixed with rain becomes storm water pollution,” the county says. “When fertilizers and pesticides are over-used or sprayed on impervious surfaces like driveways and sidewalks, they are no longer doing the job they were intended for. Since the plants aren’t using them, they end up running off into the storm drain system.” The county also offers tips and a yard-care fact sheet about fertilizers, pesticides and soil testing.

LINK: CharMeck.org, Lawn Care: Wise use of pesticides and fertilizers”

A finch paused on a branch at the Abersham site one recent afternoon. (David Boraks/CorneliusNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
CorneliusNews.net

DAVIDSON – A complicated $3.7 million deal for the 243-acre former Abersham development was completed two weeks ago, allowing Mecklenburg County to take over the site for open space and a future public park.

The Davidson Lands Conservancy and other nature lovers and supporters of open space preservation are wasting no time to begin celebrating the deal. They’ll offer a “sneak peek” of the future park on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2-4 p.m., when the conservancy hosts its annual meeting and a nature festival at the site, off Grey and Shearer roads in northeast Davidson. Read the full story