CTOP Wins 2nd Place Sweepshots Award

At last Thursday's City Council meeting, Keep North Charleston Beautiful presented awards to the winners of its Sweepshots photo contest that took place during Clean Cities Sweep. First place went to Forest Hills 1, second place went to Cameron Terrace/Oak Park Civic Club and third place went to the Pepperhill Civic Club. Our treasurer, Jenion Tyson, attended the meeting and accepted the certificate and $100 check on behalf of our neighborhood.

To watch a video of the City Council meeting, click here. The awards presentation is about 10 minutes into the video. To see before and after photographs of the winners, click here.

Yard of the Month for May

Congratulations to Mike Keating. His house at 1368 Maxwell Street was selected Yard of the Month for May.

Vote on Constitutional Changes May 10th

Changes to the CTOP Constitution were proposed to the membership at the April meeting. Members will be able to vote on these changes at the next meeting - Monday, May 10th at 7pm at the Armory. To approve the changes there must be a two-thirds majority vote by the members present. To be a voting member of the civic club, you must have paid dues for the 2010 calendar year. If you have not done so and wish to vote at the next meeting, please contact the civic club's treasurer, Jenion Tyson, at 412-2250 or jeniontyson@gmail.com.

To view the proposed changes, click here.

For a copy of the current constitution, click here, or use the link on the right side of the page.

2010 Clean Cities Sweep

Despite the likelihood of rain, almost a dozen CTOP residents gathered near Filbin Creek on the morning of April 24th for a neighborhood cleanup. This event was organized with support from Keep North Charleston Beautiful as part of Clean Cities Sweep 2010. KNCB provided supplies, including trash bags, gloves and safety vests, as well as funds for a cookout afterward.

Members of our civic club, as well as Zone Officer Allen Cooke and SPEED Team Officer Sam Souther, were on hand to pick up trash, including bottles, cans, tires, shopping carts and even a toilet. The refrigerator volunteers found will have to wait until another time.

Two more cleanups of Filbin Creek are scheduled for July 17th and November 6th - both are Saturdays. Please join us! For a slideshow of the cleanup, click here.

Earth Day Events in Park Circle

Earth Day is coming up on April 22, but Park Circle will be marking the occasion with events this weekend. Here's a round-up:

Charleston County's Earth Day Festival will be held at the Circle from 11 am - 3 pm. Festivities will kick off with the release of a rehabilitated bird by the Center for Birds of Prey, and continue into the afternoon with contests, a climate change balloon launch, and an environmental poetry slam. In addition to events on the stage, local environmental organizations will offer activities and educational displays.

Highlights include:

• Area chefs demonstrating raw, local, and organic cooking
• The Yo Art Project--crafts made with repurposed materials
• Charleston County School District's Mobile Planetarium
• Food vendors featuring recyclable and compostable products
• And much more!

After the festival, the Lowcountry Environmental Education Program and the Greater Park Circle Film Society will co-host a film program on water at the Olde North Charleston Talking Picture House (4820 Jenkins Avenue). A special dinner with locally brewed COAST beer pairings will be served at Cork Bistro on East Montague. Call Cork at 843-628-5534 for dinner reservations.

And don't forget--next Saturday, April 24, is our neighborhood clean-up! Meet at Filbin Creek at 9 am. Parking is available on Attaway Street.

City of North Charleston's Citizen Support Center

Thanks to the City of North Charleston's website, there's an easy way to report problems in your area without waiting until the next neighborhood meeting. The Citizen Support Center(CSC) is a one-stop for almost everything from reporting problem animals and neighbors to requesting repairs of street lights and sidewalks.

Once you reach the CSC web page, click "Make a request"and use the drop-down menu to select a department - then click "Find Request Type". You will be taken to list of service requests and their descriptions. When you find the one you need, click "Select". If you have not used the CSC before, you will be prompted to create a user name and password. For those that already have an account, you will need to log in.

After you have logged in, you will be asked to provide more detailed information regarding your request. When you have filled out the form, click "Submit". You will be able to check on the status of your request anytime by clicking on "My Support Center" which is on the right side of the page.

Proposed Changes to the CTOP Constitution and By-Laws

At the April meeting, the board presented the civic club with proposed changes to the constitution and by-laws. A vote whether to accept these changes will be held at the next meeting, Monday, May 10th. Once accepted, the changes have to be approved by the Citizen's Advisory Council.

To view the proposed changes, click here.

For a copy of the current constitution, click here, or use the link on the right side of the page.