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Nov. 5. By Dave Vieser. Two years ago, Denis Bilodeau came within five votes of upsetting incumbent Cornelius Mayor Woody Washam. This year there was no doubt, as he rode to victory on the strength of a 508-vote margin.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be the next mayor of the great town of Cornelius,” said Bilodeau. “I view this election as a mandate to make improvements in traffic flow and infrastructure. Thank you to all that voted in record numbers.”

Though the results are unofficial there is little doubt that a recount will be needed, as it was in 2023. Bilodeau received 3,181 votes to Washam’s 2,673 votes. In total, 7,625 votes were cast in this election, up from 5,521 votes two years ago.

The mayor-elect brings extensive experience to the post, including prior terms as a town commissioner as well as mayor pro tem. He has pledged to work on traffic issues, which were a major concern expressed by voters prior to the election.

Bilodeau will preside over a town board with whom he is very familiar, having previously served with four of them as a commissioner from 2021 to 2023.

For Washam, the election results mean the end of an eight-year run as mayor of Cornelius.

“I’m grateful for all the support I have received over many years as an elected official,” he said. “It has been an honor to serve my town. I wish our new board and mayor nothing but the best in the years ahead.”

Speaking this morning over the phone, newly-elected Mayor Pro Tem Michael Osborne was grateful for Washam’s service over the years.

“We know how much Woody loves being mayor and we respect the amount of work that he has put into the town over the years,” he said. “He cares a great deal about Cornelius and we appreciate everything he has done.”

Election results (unofficial, will be certified Nov. 14)

CORNELIUS, N.C. — A Cornelius daycare suddenly closed Thursday, giving parents little time to prepare for the change.

After four years, Kid City USA shut down, ending the Meck Pre-K program. Now, the staff is packing up all the toys and learning materials in the two classrooms.

Students had only been in class for six weeks when the doors closed.

Mary-Margaret Kantor helps run Meck Pre-K, which partners with dozens of 5-star daycare facilities to host preschool programs.

“We’ve never had anything like this happen before so we were very disturbed and, of course, an immediate rush to find a way to help those parents, find a place for the children to go,” she said.

Dean Devany told Channel 9’s Gina Esposito that his 8-month-old was enrolled at Kid City USA. Two hours after picking their daughter up on Wednesday, Devany and his wife received a message telling them about the closure.

" [My] initial reaction was a lot of anger, and there is no way this is happening," he said.

The next day, his wife went to pick up their daughter’s things and found everything had already been cleaned out.

“She had to go all around the school trying to find our daughter’s stuff, which was 3 or 4 outfits, her sleep sack,” Devany said. “We had diapers that we never recovered.”

Kid City USA told Esposito that the closure was due to a lack of revenue, concerns about covering operational costs of Meck Pre-K classrooms, and recent government cuts to early childhood funding.

Kantor said the center never communicated the financial issues, and said its other centers are thriving.

Though the county funds the program, the centers with Meck Pre-K are responsible for paying the teachers. Now, four teachers are out of the job.

Meck Pre-K told Esposito that they hope to place all 32 students into existing classrooms or a new classroom at one of its other locations.

They are working with N.C. Pre-K staff to see if they have room for families to apply, but many locations have waitlists.

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Old Town Public House will close on Jan. 11 to make way for a project in downtown Cornelius.

CORNELIUS, N.C. — After nearly a decade of serving as a community hub for live music, drinks and conversation, Old Town Public House will soon close its doors to make way for an $80 million redevelopment project in downtown Cornelius.

Owner Case Warnemunde opened the venue in 2015 when downtown Cornelius had few entertainment options. He said the idea was to create a place where people could come together every day — not just for special occasions.

“The consensus was there needed to be a spot everyone could get together not event by event but every single day,” Warnemunde said.

Since then, Old Town Public House has become a local favorite, hosting musicians, trivia nights and community gatherings that helped shape the town’s emerging identity. Regulars said it’s hard to imagine downtown Cornelius without it.

“End of an era for sure had many many good times, played with my band there maybe 50 times,” said Chris Sewell, a musician who frequently performed at the venue.

Warnemunde announced the closure earlier this week, saying the bar will officially shut down on Jan. 11, 2026. The property will be redeveloped by Highline Partners as part of a large-scale project called Mills Market, which includes 239 housing units, commercial space and a European-style alleyway with storefronts and outdoor seating.

While the project will change the look of downtown Cornelius, Warnemunde said he understands that growth was always part of the plan.

“It was always in the plans this downtown will change and it’s been a good ride," Warnemunde said. "A lot of development coming, we’re not opposed to it. I’ve lived here raised a family here and I’m excited to see this new chapter."

Warnemunde emphasized that the decision to close was made on his own terms — not because he was forced to. He said the team wanted to end on a high note and begin planning for what he calls “OTPH 2.0.”

“It’s been a wild ride," Warnemunde said. "It’s been fun and we want to pave the way for something new not only this development, but for what OTPH 2.0 might look like so we decided let’s start the farewell tour and that’s why we chose January 11th."

The redevelopment is part of a broader effort to revitalize downtown Cornelius. Once complete, the Mills Market project is expected to include retail, restaurants and housing, reshaping one of the most recognizable corners of Main Street.

Old Town Public House will continue hosting live shows and community events through the end of the year, giving customers a few more chances to raise a glass before the lights go out for good.

WCNC Charlotte reached out to Highline Partners for a project timeline but has not yet received a response.

Old Town Public House, a popular nightlife venue in downtown Cornelius, will close in January before the building is demolished for a new development project, its owner said Thursday.

OTPH, as everyone calls it, opened in 2015 at 21314 Catawba Ave. The neighborhood coffeehouse and pub features craft beer, fine wines, espresso and live entertainment seven nights a week.

“It’s been the place you came to shake off a rough day, to make friends you didn’t know you needed, and to hear the kind of music that makes a Wednesday feel like a Saturday,” owner Case Warnemunde said on Facebook on Wednesday.

On Instagram, he described the venue as “a ‘home’ where we’ve shared countless toasts, stories, and songs, and every one of them has left its mark.”

On Thursday, Warnemunde told CharlotteFive: “We made the decision that we’re ready to ride off into the sunset.”

Still, he said, he hopes to find an even bigger spot in downtown Cornelius to expand his venue’s offerings.

He supports the new project that’s causing his business to close Jan. 11, he said.

“The development is going to be an amazing thing for the downtown,” Warnemunde said. “It’s bringing restaurants, nightlife and parking. ”

5-story building, 238 multi-family units

In 2023, the Cornelius Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning for Charlotte developer Highline Partners’ 2.33-acre Mill’s Market project at the southeast corner of Catawba Avenue and Meridian Street.

The project will include a five-story building with 12,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor and 238 multi-family units on the other stories.

Four of the stories will front Catawba. Parking will be provided, with access from Meridian Street and the neighboring Cain Center for the Arts driveway, according to the developer’s plans.

The building is owned by Cornelius-based Corner Oak LLC, founded by real estate investor Bob Stamey and Cashion’s Quik Mart owner Gordon Cashion.

“We still have not closed on the property with the developer,” Stamey told C5 on Thursday, declining further comment.

Cashion referred C5 to Highline Partners.

Mike Miller of Highline Partners wasn’t immediately reached Thursday regarding the project timetable.

Pub owner sees great future for downtown

Warnemunde said he’s excited about downtown’s future.

“We’ll be honest — saying goodbye to these old buildings stirs up real emotion,” Warnemunde said on social media. “We know many of you feel the same way.

“But ... we can honor what’s been, while also believing in what’s to come,” he said. “Because sometimes the very doors we’ve loved the most have to close to make room for new ones — and with them, new magic.”

“And while it’s hard to imagine these old walls coming down, we CHOOSE to see this as part of something bigger.”

Hinting at a new venture, he said: “And trust us … we’ve already got some things brewing.”

Old Town Public House

Location: 21314 Catawba Ave., Cornelius NC 28031.

Instagram: @oldtownpublichouse.

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Meck Pre-K has found space in existing classrooms for more than two dozen students following the closure of a Cornelius daycare. On Friday, Channel 9 reported Meck Pre-K had to close two of its classrooms at Kid City USA when the daycare abrupted closed. Meck Pre-K said they were never notified of the closure. The county funded program operates in 115 classrooms across the county.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson said, “impacted families have been placed in MECK Pre-K, with one family placed in NC Pre-K and one family independently securing private care.”

Displaced students started in their new classroom on Oct. 20.

Full statement from Meck Pre-K:

“Last week, MECK Pre-K was informed by teachers and parents that Kid City USA Lake Norman closed effective immediately. MECK Pre-K had no advance notice of this action and was both surprised and disappointed by the decision.

MECK Pre-K is a high-quality pre-K program open to all four-year-old children in Mecklenburg County at no cost to families. MECK Pre-K administers the program by selecting qualified child development centers, providing a high-quality curriculum, compensating teachers and assistants, and offering ongoing professional development and family support. While MECK Pre-K sets rigorous quality standards, the centers themselves are independently operated. Our vetting process is very thorough, and we take care in choosing trusted community partners. This is the first time since the program’s founding that one of our partner centers has closed unexpectedly.

Our top priority is the wellbeing of the children and families we serve. Within hours of learning of the closure, the MECK Pre-K team began working to identify classroom placements for all affected students. As of today, Oct 16, all impacted families have been placed in MECK Pre-K, with one family placed in NC Pre-K and one family independently securing private care.

All MECK Pre-K classrooms use the same evidence-based Creative Curriculum, which is also used by NC Pre-K. This means children who move to another MECK Pre-K site will enter a familiar learning environment and continue to make progress without disruption.

MECK Pre-K is administered by Smart Start of Mecklenburg County. For questions or assistance, families may contact us at 704-943-9601 or info@meckprek.org.”

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