Town news

Matthews

Matthews-Sardis Park opens: The town finished a busy year of parks and recreation projects with the reopening of Matthews-Sardis Park in late 2012.

The small park at 2650 Sardis Road had been closed for several months while the town replaced its playground equipment, said Annette Privette Keller, Matthews communications director.

The 2.8-acre neighborhood park has a paved walking trail, picnic gazebo, restrooms and open grass play area.

“The playground equipment, like everything else, is heavily used,” Keller said.

The town monitors its parks’ playgrounds and replaces equipment when necessary.

The town spent $43,000 on new equipment for Sardis-Matthews Park, including swings and slides.

Several Matthews parks and recreation facilities have been improved recently. The town has renovated Squirrel Lake Park, opened Four Mile Creek Greenway, added bathrooms to Stumptown Park and opened the McDowell Arts Center.

The town is scheduled to open a $34 million sports complex near the Independence Boulevard interchange of Interstate 485 this summer, Keller said.

“Now we’ll stop and take our breath and reassess where we are with our parks and recreation master plan,” Keller said.

For more information about the town of Matthews parks and recreation facilities, visit http://matthewsnc.gov/Departments/ParksRecreation.aspx.

Mint Hill

VFW Board of Directors: Retired Mint Hill Town Clerk Beth Hamrick has been elected to the Mint Hill Volunteer Fire Department’s Board of Directors.

Though there are female members serving in the department, Hamrick is the first female to be elected to the board in the department’s 60-year history.

The 97-member department is made up of paid staff and volunteers.

The 15-member board sets the policy and runs the financial end of the department.

Bobby Long, 86, a charter member of the department and an active participant for the past 60 years, was elected Board Member Emeritus after resigning from the board.

Tom Duke was appointed to fill the remainder of Long’s three-year term.

Paul Campbell, a 53-plus-year veteran of the department, was also elected a Board Member Emeritus.

Compiled by Marty Minchin and Melinda Johnston