THE NEWS RECOR
U u '
Editorial
Proper Zoning Protects Property Value
Whether we like it or not, growth - and ali the problems, op
portunities and challenges it brings with it - are coming to
Madison County. The current controversy regarding growth in
the Weaverville area should serve as an early warning of what
Madison County can expect in the years ahead.
Mars Hill is the first Madison County town to face the
challenge of growth, but Marshall and Hot Springs will surely
face similar situations in the near future as development
moves northward from the Asheville area.
For decades now, development has spread from Asheville in
all directions except the north. As the surrounding areas to the
east, west and south of Asheville become increasingly
developed, the areas to Asheville's north will become increas
ingly attractive to families relocating in Western North
Carolina. As is inevitable, the influx of new families and new
home construction will be followed closely by increased com
mercial development.
Because the development of the areas bordering Asheville
has largely bypassed Madison County until now, we have a
unique opportunity to learn from the mistakes made in other
communities. Development is coming as surely as tomorrow's
sunrise. We must be prepared to control it if we are to
preserve the quality of life we enjoy in Madison County.
Carefully planned growth is essential if our area's natural
beauty and resources are to be preserved. Increased develop
ment will mean increased demand for public services. Our
local governments will face increasing demands for water and
sewer services. Our school system will have to be able to meet
the needs of more students as more families make Madison
County their home and our roads will have to be improved to
handle the extra traffic development brings with it.
Zoning is a key to carefully controlled growth and will play
an increasingly important role in Madison County's future. As
rural Madison County takes on a more suburban character,
our planning and zoning boards will be forced to confront
rr\?ny djfjicult decisions.
-Monday's public hearing in Mars Hill is a prime example of
the ctufhnges to come. The town has been asked to rezone ter
i <
ritory within it's zoning jurisdiction on N.C. 213 in order to
allow for commercial development in what is presently a
sparsely populated residential area. Although only a single re
quest for rezoning was considered at the hearing, other re
quests are forthcoming.
If Madison County is to attract the kind of development
which brings with it good jobs, we must provide areas for
business where highway access, water and sewer services and
visibility are available. The N.C. 213 corridor linking Mars
Hill and Marshall would seem to be just such an area.
While providing opportunity for business, however, plan
ners must also protect the rights of homeowners. That will be
one of the many challenges facing our planning boards in the
years ahead.
Zoning regulations limit the uses of property within an area
and such limitations have not been well received by many
Madison Countians in the past. Many property owners here
still resent being told what they can and cannot do with their
land. They view such restrictions as government interference.
That point of view has caused many zoning restrictions to be
overlooked in the past, but we can no longer afford to allow
haphazard development. We must begin to look at zoning, not
as unnecessary government interference, but as the best ap
proach to safeguarding the quality of life we enjoy in Madison
County.
Properly administered, zoning will protect property values
and encourage controlled development. We would encourage
the public to make their views regarding land use known to
planners and public officials. Through careful planning and
enforcement of land use ordinances, we can see Madison
County grow and prosper in a way that will benefit us all.
The development which much of Western North Carolina
has seen in recent decades has largely bypassed Madison
County and northern Buncombe County until now. Let us ex
amine the problems neighboring communities have faced in
addressing development and learn from their mistakes.
Careful land use planning can make Madison County a model
for the entire mountain region.
Community Issues
By BOBBI TOUSEY
Special I* tbc News Record
Recently I had the opportunity of
attending a two-day conference on
solid waste in Asheville sponsored by
Land of Sky Regional Council.
Representatives of government, in
dustry specialists and citizen ad
vocates from throughout North
Carolina and nearby states laid out
the enormity of the problem and
diacussed~state-of-the-art solutions
Solid Waste Solutions Needed Now
During the last 20 years or so, the
problems of solid waste disposal have
taken a back seat to more immediate
and more threatening waste pro
blems. Thanks to the Department of
Energy, most of us learned a great
deal about the dangers of nuclear
waste disposal while the Chemtronics
plant in Asheville, focused our atten
tion on Superfund sites. In the mean
time, solid waste has beeen piling up
around us, overloading our landfills
and allowing toxic seepage to in-/
filtrate our groundwater and drinking
water.With Madison County's landfill
almost full, it's past time to begin stu
dying methods of dealing with a pro
blem that is here to stay.
I came away from the conference
with a new respect for the problem.
For example:
?In 1988, every person in this coun
try creates about 5 1/2 pounds of solid
waste per day or almost 4 tons per
year for a family of four. For
Madison County this would amount to
about 17,000 tons per year.
?If the amount of solid waste
generated by the U.S. was spread end
to end it would pave a highway one
foot deep from Boston to Los Angeles
each year.
?The days dumping trash in an
open pit and covering it with dirt are
over. In the future, landfills will be
required to meet state and federal re
quiremtns such as liners, collection of
liquid and treatment systems to pre
vent groundwater contamination.
Because of the hazardous nature of
wastes often dumped in landfills,
, leachage can be highly toxic.
?The cost of building a new landfill
wili be enormous. Transylvania
County for example, is currently
designing a landfill to meet state and
federal regulations. They estimate
the cost to be from $350,000 to $500,000
per acre. With these kinds of costs, a
number of plans to reduce the amount
of solid wasted landfilled are being
studied.
?Many counties are requiring "tip
ping fees" to help offset the cost of
the landfill. While an average tipping
fee in North Carolina Is $3-$5 per ton,
landfills in some areas of the county
where land is scarce and population
dense are charging over $100 per ton.
Obviously the solid wasted disposal
situation in this county is in crisis.
Quick-fix solutions are no longer the
answer. Madison County is no dif
ferent from most of the other counties
in North Carolina, with it's landfill
closing in less than a year and a
half Fortunately, there are a variety
of innovative and long-term solutions
being investigated and implemented.
It is time to become infomed and act.
Ms. Tousey attended the con
ference as a representative of the
Madison County Chapter of The
League of Women Voters. She will of
fer possible solutions in a subsequent
issue of The News Record. All per
sons interested in writing a Com
munity Issue column should contact
Cheryl Koenig , General Manager at
649-2741.
Lisenbee
Explains Firing
Dear Sir:
I would like the citizens of Marshall
to know the facts about my termina
tion as a police officer for the town of
Marshall.
Last summer I asked the mayor if
she could get me laid off, explaining
that I was being framed and could en
vision what might happen. However,
she chose to let the matter run its
course, then put the blame on me.
Two of the other police officers
chose to go along with the mayor and
board members Iverson Bradley and
Jackie Davis. Bradley is related to
the mayor and Davis was a board
member who helped fire me when I
ran for sheriff in 1962. Little things
started happening after these board
members were elected and the chief's
position was taken away from me.
Someone would change the
schedule and then call me asking if I
wasn't coming to work. I could never
find out who was doing it. I asked
Jackie Davis to observe and learn for
himself what was happening. I never
goi any cooper a uon irom mm.
To make a long story short, I had to
pursue a vehicle which came through
town at a very high rate of speed
about two weeks ago shortly after 11
p.m. Guessing which way the vehicle
went, I chose to go up Walnut Creek
Dr. I saw taillights cross the bypass
and go up Walnut Creek. Thinking it
was the vehicle I was after, I turned
my blue light on. After getting close
enough to see it wasn't the right vehi
cle, I turned the blue light off and
turned around, letting the vehicle go
on. I lost the vehicle that was
speeding. Two people saw me give
chase to a black Mustang.
Last Monday night before the town
meeting, Mr. Bradley called me aside
wanting to know why I tried to stop a
woman on Saturday night.
I explained to him what had hap
pened, thinking that he would unders
tand. Instead, he told me it had better
not happen again. He told me the
woman was a friend of his and had
just left her house.
Yes, the mayor called a special
meeting Thursday night. You guess
ed it, she, Bradley and Davis fired
me.
Have they forgotten the condition
the town was in - concerning thieves
breaking cement blocks in buildings
and taking things; dangerous drivers
on the streets; people shooting street
lights out and the mess on the bypass.
That's the condition things were in
when I went back to work for Mar
shall, and this is the thanks I get. Just
ask yourself, what kind of law and
order do they want?
I thank everyone who supported me
in my efforts.
Bill Lisenbee
Reader Opposes
School Plan
To the Editor;
I would like to put forth my view
on the consolidation of the elemen
tary schools of Madison County. I
oppose it.
My children live a long distance
from the school at Mars Hill
Elementary which they attend.
They already have a nearly three
hour bus ride. This is simply
enough, and to add more riding
time onto this would be absolutely
too much.
We have a good school at Mars
Hill, so why not add a few
classrooms as needed and leave it
there? We have enough children in
Mars Hill's district to maintain a
good school. I know our children
should come first (especially their
education), but to put this extra
burden on them is simply too
much.
My recommendation to the
school board would be for them to
build a couple of new schools in
Madison County. One should be '
built in the Marshall-Walnut area,
and another in the Hot Springs
area. Then they should re-map the
school areas.
Is this too much to ask for the ?
sake of our children? I think not! ?
Please consider this for the sake of
our children.
*
Hayes Carver
Mars Hilt
Thanks
Dear Editor,
Howard and Dorothy Payne
would like to express their ap
preciation to all who took part in
honoring us on our 50th wedding
anniversary. To all who sent
flowers, cards, and the many gifts,
to all who attended our celebra
tion, we appreciate your recogni
tion. Thank your to all who gave to
the Kirk Payne cemetery fund,
and to the Gideons. Thanks again
and may God Bless each of you.
Howard and Dorothy Payne
Faulty Hose
Blamed In Death
To the Editor;
On July 1 at approximately 10
p.m. my father Larry G. Davis
passed away.
Bowman Duckett Funeral Home
arrived at the scene long before
the Madison County rescue squad
could come from Hot Springs to
my parents' home in Bluff, ap
proximately six miles away.
The reason? Once again, a
water hose broke on the vehicle
leavinjflftfranded approximately
three miles out of Hot Springs.
It is my understanding this
water hose problem has been oc
curring frequently for months. I
was told it was the ambulance
manufacturer's fault.
I am a nurse in a Haywood Coun
ty Emergency Room. I work with
the rescue squad and ambulance I
service every day. Why doesn't |
Haywood County have smilar pro- <
blems if it is the ambulance <
manufacturer's fault? If this is j
true then why are these am- i
bulances not recalled by the fac- ;
tory
My father died in my mother's !
arms at home waiting for the .
rescue squad. As a citizen and tax- ]
payer I urge you to check into this.
I hope this malfunctioning hose
can be replaced before someone
else's loved one dies in their arms
while the rescue squad is broken j
down with a faulty water hose.
Wanda Makhyoun
Wavnesville
Letter Policy
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views on subjects of public j
interest.
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Record at Post Office Box I
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