The end of the year is a good time to reflect on what one has accomplished during the year. So the "What's up with that?" staff decided to follow up on some of the topics we wrote about this past year.

In April, we talked to Eric Lamb, Transportation Services Division manager for the City of Raleigh, about three upcoming traffic calming projects in or near North Raleigh.

The first site is Anderson Drive, just inside the Beltline between Glenwood Avenue and Six Forks Road. The citizen petitioning process, in which 75 percent of residents who live on the affected road and 50 percent of those who live on roads that feed into the main road must approve of the project, is complete for Anderson, Lamb said.

Surveying and designing are currently underway.

Lamb said the intersection of Anderson and Six Forks is going to be modified. Currently, there is a free-flowing right turn from southbound Six Forks onto Anderson that doesn't facilitate slowing down before entering the neighborhood.

"It will be a more traditional right turn to help reduce approach speeds," Lamb said.

The next site is Mourning Dove Road between Heathfield Drive and Six Forks Road.

The design for Mourning Dove, including curb narrowing, is complete. Lamb said the city is waiting to bid out the project until they can combine it with another one for a better price.

"We knew Anderson was coming," he said.

The last site, Rainwater Road between Harps Mill Road and Spring Forest Road, is on hold indefinitely. Lamb said the citizens did not meet the petition requirements.

In July, we looked into a stretch of Sandy Forks Road, between Arbor Grande Way and Brookhollow Drive, where vegetation was overgrown, leaving no room for pedestrian traffic. According to Robert Spruill, housing administrations inspector for the City of Raleigh, three violations were given in July and August in the 6700 and 6800 block of Sandy Forks Road for public nuisance on the right of way.

Two of these citations were for first violations, considered warnings. The problems were resolved within 10 days by the property owners, so no fines were given.

In the third case, the citation was the second violation in 12 months (the first for having some kind of junk or litter on the property.) The property owner was given a $350 fine and ultimately took care of the overgrowth.

In September, we delved into the history of Crenshaw Hall, a nearly 200-year old plantation house in Wake Forest. John Bennett, the owner of the house, has been in the process of meticulously renovating the house for the past five years, turning it into a reception and meeting hall and wedding facility. He thought the project might be completed by the end of this year, but he now says it will most likely be done by fall of 2008.

The interior of the house is almost completed, and some work remains on the outside. The biggest transformation that still needs to happen is with the landscaping on the property. Several walkways, gardens and a parking area are going to be added on the premise. The yard will also include a private hedged area for outdoor weddings and a heated and air-conditioned tent for receptions.

A cistern system will be added that collects runoff from the property underground, which will then be used to water the yard.

Bennett has recently looked more into the history of the original builders of the house, Samuel and Eliza Crenshaw. According to Bennett, the Crenshaw's daughter, Louisa, married into a family that includes ancestral ties to Augustine Warner, who settled near Jamestown, Va., in 1628; Robert E. Lee; George and Martha Washington; and Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame.)

A Web site for the house will be up and running after Jan. 1 at www.historic-crenshaw.com