Catawba County buys $20M energy plant for EcoComplex – Charlotte Business Journal

A Canadian company will build a $20 million trash-to-energy plant at the Catawba County EcoComplex.

Nexterra Systems Corp.’s biomass-fueled system will convert wood waste otherwise destined for the county’s landfill into electricity that will then be sold on the power grid.

The EcoComplex already sells as much as $650,000 per year in electricity, using a landfill-gas system.

The Nexterra system is scheduled to start operating in the first quarter of 2012.

“Not only will the system generate additional revenue for the county, but it will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, stimulate local economic development and extend the life of our landfill,” says Barry Edwards, Catawba County director of utilities and engineering.

The energy plant also will use wood waste from a sawmill and a wooden-pallet plant in the EcoComplex.

The industrial park is off U.S. Highway 321 at the Blackburn Landfill. Companies in the 1,000-acre development are interdependent for at least part of their fuel needs or for reuse of each other’s byproducts.

via bizjournals.com

My Favorite Place in Denver for….Disc Golf and Fun for the Kids

Most of you know that I love playing any sport or game so you may not be surprised that my next post in the “My Favorite Places in Denver for…” series is the only place in Denver to play disc golf.  Did you even know that we had such a place?? 

Beatty’s Ford Park, off of Unity Church Road, has many activities for children, youth and adults… and one of them is disc golf.   The course has 9 holes and has some holes near the lake, some in the woods, and some near the splash pad.  Each time we have been to the park to play, we have had so much fun and have been one of only a few people using the course.  What a great, FREE, family outing, right in the middle of Denver.

Random thoughts about Disc Golf — read before going to the park to play!!!

The first time I played disc golf we were at the beach and none of us had ever played before.  We had just finished playing a Par 3 golf course and we noticed that they had disc golf so we decided, why not?   We went up to the clerk and paid our money to play and each of us took ONE frisbee (yeah, that is what I called it).   When we got to the first tee box, my husband threw his disc and it sailed straight ahead and landed about 15 feet from the basket (the target).  When our friend threw his it only went about 1/2 the distance to the basket, even though he threw it just as hard as my husband.  We won’t even talk about where mine ended up…I don’t think it was anywhere near the hole we were playing.   After a few holes, we finally figured out that each disc was different and my husband had a driver, our friend had one for the approach shot and I had a putter.  So, the moral of this story is, be sure you know what disc to use, at which time. 

Beatty’s Ford Park is free to play however you have to bring your own discs to play.  Since I am still really, really bad at throwing a frisbee (disc), we just purchased a cheap set of three discs at Dick’s Sporting Goods.   

Beatty’s Ford Park

In addition to the disc golf course, the park includes a picnic shelter, a walking trail, a volleyball court, horseshoe pits, a splash park area, two children’s playgrounds, and an amphitheater.

For more information about Beatty’s Ford Park, contact the Recreation Department at (704) 748-1518.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

My favorite place in Denver for….Silly Bandz, Crazy Bands, Bama Bandz

If you have kids, you know exactly what I am talking about but have you found the place that will have what you are looking for, when you are looking for it…I have!!  Chantes Handbags on Commerce Drive in Denver has the largest selection of these colorful, unique shaped, silicone bracelets that all of the kids are trying so hard to find. 

Are you looking for the BamaBandz’s “monkeys”…they have them!!   What about tie dye Crazy Bandz…they have them!!   

Chantes Handbags also has many great gifts in the store as well…handbags, koozies, jewelry…you definitely want to check out their store.  

Location:    7804-C Commerce Dr    Denver NC  28037

Phone:  704-400-1569

Summer Hours:  Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm or by appointment

Website:   http://chanteshandbags.com/index.php

Facebook Page

JS Testa Custom Homes – Killian Crossing and Wynswept Floor Plans

Sharing a webpage with you

This message was sent via a webform by leslie@leslieauton.com.

Go Charlotte!!! # 7 on Top Overall Cities to Live in 2010…

http://rismedia.com/2010-05-04/americas-top-places-to-live-for-2010/

HickoryRecord.com — 250,000 meals from Conover to Haiti

Hi there,

Here’s a story on HickoryRecord.com that I thought you might like to read:
http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2010/mar/28/250000-meals-conover-haiti/

********* Personal Message *********

Many Rotary clubs in the area, along with their family and friends, came together on Saturday, March 27, 2010 to package over 250,000 meals for those in need in Haiti. This was an awesome event that will help so many.

11th Annual Lincoln County Board of Realtors Golf Tournament

11th Annual Lincoln County Board of Realtors Golf Tournament
All Proceeds to benefit the LCBR Scholarship Fund

Registration and Lunch begins at 11:30am
Shotgun Start at 1:00pm

Golfers will have a great day on the golf course and help a great cause.

$80 per player (lunch, golf and prizes included) — register individually or as a team

1st Place team wins $800
2nd Place team wins $400
3rd Place team wins $250

Other Prizes for Longest Drive (men and women), Closest to Pin, and Longest Putt

Two chances to win cars with a hole in one on hole #2 & #11
Chance to win an ipod and/or $250 in gift cards on hole #8 & #13

Putting Contest from 11:30am to 12:45pm — winner to receive a prize worth $50

Tons of Door Prizes!

Verdict Ridge is Conveniently located in Denver, NC just down from the intersection of Hwy 16 and Hwy 73!

We expect this to reach our maximum number of golfers fast, so register early!!    Contact me for the registration form by email at leslie@leslieauton.com.

Hwy 16 By-Pass….open to St James Rd

For those of us who live in the northern part of Denver or in southeastern Catawba County our commute to Charlotte just got a whole lot shorter.  No more driving by several schools to commute to Charlotte each morning.  You can now get on Hwy 16 By-Pass at St James Rd and be in Charlotte in less than 30 minutes. 

The Hwy 16 By-Pass through Denver has been in process since the early 1990′s and we can finally see the end in sight.    The opening of this four lane stretch of Hwy 16 to St James Rd will help commuters from communities such as James Plantation, Pebble Bay, Killian Crossing, Bordeaux, Windy Pines, Sailview, Lakewood and Webbs Chapel Cove get to Charlotte or anywhere south of Denver NC much more quickly. 

There are still two more sections to open before it ties back into the Hwy 16 By-Pass at Tower Rd, just north of Hwy 150.  They should open the section to Hwy 150 by Spring 2011 and then the portion to the existing Hwy 16 by Fall of 2011.   Eventually, you should be able to travel from Charlotte to Hickory on a four-laned Hwy 16 and save a tremendous amount of time. 

March Madness…the way it used to be in North Carolina

While at lunch today all of the TV’s were tuned to college basketball…most of them were tuned to the ACC tournament however there were a few showing some of the other big games that were being played.  It took me back to my childhood when the Friday of the ACC tournament was a holiday…the teachers would bring TV’s into the classrooms and we would begin watching the games at 12pm and no work would be done for the rest of the day.  Many of our parents would take the day off…or some would even be able to watch or listen to the game while they were at work.   Whether you were a basketball fan or not, most people watched, listened, or talked about the ACC tournament. 

I grew up a huge Tarheel fan.  We had season tickets on the very top row at Carmichael and then on the first row of the upper level at the Dean Smith Center (Dean Dome).  It was great.  I was able to watch so many great basketball players and games growing up.  I was able to meet players like Michael Jordan, Kenny Smith, Rick Fox, Jeff Lebo, Steve Hale, Sam Perkins and James Worthy…and at one point, I knew the names of every player that played basketball for the Tarheels…and NC State…and Duke…and Maryland…and Clemson…and Virginia…and Wake Forest…and Georgia Tech.  

As I watched the first few minutes of the Duke game today, I looked around the restaurant and most of the people were just going about their daily lives…eating, talking, and checking their blackberry for messages.  Twenty-five years has brought a lot of change…I love that I can remember my roots however I can also see how far this little town has come since the days that the ACC Tournament was one of the biggest holidays of the year.

 

 

Siemens to add 825 gas-turbine jobs

Siemens Energy said today it will add 825 workers to make gas turbines in a $135 million expansion that is Charlottes largest manufacturing announcement in years.

The German-headquartered Siemens already employs 780 people in Charlotte making and refurbishing turbines and generators for nuclear and steam power plants. Its 450,000-square-foot expansion will make and service turbines for natural-gas powered plants.

The 1,800 total workforce expected over five years will make Siemens the largest manufacturer in Mecklenburg County, Charlotte Chamber CEO Bob Morgan said.

The announcement by the company, Gov. Bev Perdue and local officials marks a milestone in the effort to create energy jobs in the Charlotte region.

Before Thursday, companies had announced plans for about 1,500 Mecklenburg County energy jobs since late 2007. Siemens broke ground last October on a $50 million expansion for 226 new engineers and manufacturing workers over five years.

Im excited to be known as the closer for the city of Charlotte and the county of Mecklenburg, Perdue said.

More jobs could follow, depending on the global demand for the turbines, said Michael Suess, CEO of Siemens Energys fossil power division.

What we are doing here is long lasting.” Suess said in an interview. “The process was as well long lasting. It was more than a year of looking around and screening what would be the best site. And then its not only one reason or one incentives package, its the trust we have in the people here, plus the trust we have in the political setup and the economical strengths of this community.”

Combining gas, nuclear and steam work at one manufacturing hub, Suess added, is a unique setup I dont have anywhere else.”

Natural gas is becoming a favored fuel as prices fall and domestic supplies expand. Duke Energy plans to build two new gas-fired plants in the Carolinas, along with its current expansion of a coal-fired plant west of Charlotte and hopes for a nuclear plant in South Carolina.

Dukes role as a customer of Siemens and energy provider for its Charlotte plant electricity costs are a key factor in industrial siting played a significant role in the expansion announced Thursday, company officials said. Duke has helped lead the energy-hub concept.

Its a great partnership, said Duke Energy Carolinas president Brett Carter. The dream (Duke CEO) Jim Rogers had of Charlotte being on the cutting edge of an energy hub is being realized. This is proof positive that you can start building a cluster from a simple idea.

Siemens Charlotte location is already its largest U.S. manufacturing plant. Its turbines, generators and other power plant components generate one-third of U.S. electricity.

Charlotte City Council and Mecklenburg County commissioners allocated to the expansion their full allotment of low-interest development bonds authorized under the federal stimulus act. The city pledged $44 million and the county $13 million.

Construction of the expanded plant will start in about three months, Siemens said, and be complete within about 18 months. The new plant will initially employ 660 workers, expanding to 825 over a few years. About 60 jobs will be relocated from a plant in Ontario, Canada and 50 from Florida.

The 350 new manufacturing jobs will pay about $40,000 a year, while designers, engineers and other professionals will average about $65,000 a year.

Headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, Siemens Energy employs 85,000 people worldwide. It reported fiscal 2009 profit of 3.3 billion Euros, or about $4.5 billion.

Subscribe to The Charlotte Observer & Earn Miles.

via charlotteobserver.com

More information on the Siemen Energy expansion…