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INSIDE ▼ Health system plans drone delivery
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PAGE 2A Friday, April 3, 2026 • Vol. 26 • No. 13
thecharlotteweekly.com/mmhweekly
Town adjusts role with Matthews Alive by Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
MATTHEWS – For several years, one person has served as special events manager for the Town of Matthews and executive director for the Matthews Alive festival. Town commissioners voted March 23 to separate the roles after the 2026 festival.
Town Manager Melia James explained that commissioners created the dual role in 2006 to partner with the nonprofit board in charge of the festival. Matthews Alive has reimbursed the town 40% of the special events manager’s salary. Moving forward, the town will use tourism funds to cover the cost of the salary and benefits of the special events manager. Matthews
Alive will employ its own executive director. “Both the town has become more sophisticated in the events they offer, as well as Matthews Alive has really established itself as a nonprofit organization that’s self-sustainable,” James said. “Our recommendation is to split those two positions in order to create some lines of discretion between the staff that is currently working for the town as well as the executive director of Matthews Alive. We believe that this limits liability as well as risk and promotes Matthews Alive to be able to identify and recruit for an executive director to run their operations in the future.” Town leaders stressed this move doesn’t mean the town will not be involved in the festival. “The support of the organization, specifically our department, is still going to be the same
level and same commitment that we’ve had for these past decades,” said Corey King, parks and recreation director. Lee Anne Moore has served in the dual role of special events manager and executive director for Matthews Alive. In recent years, she has publicly teased about retirement. “It really is this attempt to look at the capacity of our department, the demands of our department, and that limited capacity of the executive director during those intense moments of Matthews Alive,” King said. “Being able to allow them to be fully functional as the special events manager is certainly going to be a huge benefit to the town.” The 2026 festival is scheduled for Sept. 4 to 7. Changes to the leadership will take effect Sept. 12.
Retired colonel finds new ways to serve community
Windsor Run resident Margaret Draganac, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, was named the Matthews 2024 Veteran of the Year for her years of military service and ongoing leadership within the local community. Photo courtesy of Windsor Run
MATTHEWS – Women's History Month shines a light on women whose courage, leadership and service have shaped their communities. Margaret Draganac, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, exemplifies these values, having dedicated her life to serving her country and community.
“I wanted to fly and help others,” Margaret said. “The Air Force gave me a chance to do both.” Now, as a resident at Windsor Run, an Erickson Senior Living community in Matthews, she volunteers her time to support local initiatives and her new neighbors.
“Margaret's record of service and her commitment to helping others reflect the very best of what we celebrate at Windsor Run,” said Michael Wehrle, the community's executive director. “Her story inspires everyone who has the privilege of knowing her.” Raised in a military family, Margaret credits her father, a World War II paratrooper, for inspiring her to follow a similar path. After earning a nursing diploma from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Knoxville, Tennessee, and passing the state boards, she joined the U.S. Air Force and for three years cared for wounded troops returning from Vietnam. She then returned to college for a bachelor’s
in nursing and a master’s in public health education. This led her to serve as a flight nurse in the Air Force Reserve for 22 years, caring for patients in flight during Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. “You depend on each other completely,” she said. “Every mission was about getting our patients home safely.” After retiring as a colonel in 2007, Margaret continued serving others by joining a mobile health unit that provided on-site physicals, EKGs and hearing tests for employees of companies nationwide. Story continues, see SERVE page 3A
Matthews pursues pedestrian crossing near hospital by Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
MATTHEWS – The Town of Matthews hopes to add a pedestrian crosswalk and signal to the scope of a North Carolina Department of Transportation project underway along N.C. 51.
The town has been working with the NCDOT on a project to add a 10-foot-wide multiuse path along N.C. 51 (Matthews Township Parkway) between North Trade Street and Independence Pointe Parkway. Senior Transportation Planner Dana Stoogenke told commissioners March 23 that
construction on the project will begin in spring 2028. She sought the go-ahead from commissioners to add a pedestrian crosswalk and signal at N.C. 51 and Independence Pointe Parkway to the scope of the project. This is toward the edge of the Novant Health Matthews Medical Center campus and would connect to retail across the street. Right now, the closest crossing of N.C. 51 is a quarter-mile away at Paces Point. “I’m aware of at least one pedestrian, I believe it was a nurse from Novant, who was killed several years ago trying to cross this Story continues, see MATTHEWS page 3A
Senior Transportation Planner Dana Stoogenke presented this map showing a multi-use path project (in red) underway along U.S. 51. A pedestrian crossing (in green) would connect to the shopping center across the street.
Photo courtesy of Town of Matthews
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Matthews awards $100K in tourism grants by Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
MATTHEWS – The Town of Matthews has awarded more than $100,000 in tourism grants to five organizations for the 2026 fiscal year.
The town accepted applications through October 2025 for events that generate hotel, restaurant and retail spending. The parks and recreation committee vetted the applications on factors like tourism impact, economic benefit, marketing, organizational capacity to carry out the events and alignment with the vision of Matthews, according to member Ryan McLatchie. The committee had recommended in January a total of $94,730 in tourism grants to five nonprofits: Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts, MARA, NC Youth Rugby, Matthews Area Chamber of Commerce and American Legion. The committee reviewed applications from three additional organizations that proposed events with low attendance projections from outside town, McLatchie said. The grant program is funded through tourism-related taxes. Town Manager Melia James explained to commissioners in January that $100,232 was actually available for the tourism grants based on more recent audit numbers. Mayor John Higdon said he’d be in favor of giving that extra $5,000 to groups that didn’t receive any funding. Commissioner John Urban preferred giving it to the Matthews Playhouse. But Commissioner Kerry Lamson had the most popular suggestion among his colleagues. He suggested the board approve the initial $94,730 in grant recommendations in January and ask the committee how to allocate the additional $5,000 since they have reviewed all the applications. “I think they’ve got the math rather than make an arbitrary decision at the board level,” Lamson said at the time. The committee returned with additional recommendations on March 23. “The committee had found five applicants that we felt deserved it,” Committee Chairman Howie Labiner explained. “We stuck with those five. What happened was NC Youth had already been funded at 100%, so they were taken out of the equation. The chamber was given $14,000 of a $14,500 request. We figured give them the other $500, bring them up to full. That left $5,000 to be divided among Matthews Playhouse, MARA and the American Legion.” Commissioners approved the committee’s March recommendations. Here is what each nonprofit requested and received: • Matthews Playhouse received $40,000 in fiscal year 2025, requested $75,000 for fiscal year 2026 and was allocated $35,000 in January. It was allocated another $2,900 in March. • MARA received $19,330 in fiscal year 2025, requested $28,500 for fiscal year 2026 and was allocated $25,000 in January. It was allocated Story continues, see TOURISM page 3A