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pj*son investigated in motei fire
Biach Mountain Firemen hand hose up a charred stairway to put out/!ames
second !evei o/A-/rame at Travei-Eze Motei. (^Dan Ward)
, by Dan Ward
The State Bureau of In
vestigation and Black
Mountain Police are in
vestigating the possibility that
arson was the cause of a Maze
that destroyed the unoccupied
Number 7 unit of the Travel
Eze Mote! in Biack Mountain
November 28.
Black Mountain Det. Biil
Stafford said that although the
fire has not been ruled to be
arson, police are following up
statements by three witnesses
that two suspicious young men
or teenagers were seen
wandering about the motel
grounds prior to the fire.
Fire Chief Mack Kirk
patrick said four persons
reported the fire almost
simultaneously shortly before
2 p.m. Monday. The flames
quickly engulfed the wooden
A-frame, gutting it and
causing an estimated $9000
damage. Firemen and two
trucks worked more than an
hour to douse the flames.
Stafford said he has
questioned the four who
reported the fire and that the
SBI has questioned others in
an effort to determine if the
fire was set by arsonists. He
also said that an SBI arson
special investigator was
expected to be in Black
Mountain Wednesday to in
vestigate the fire.
Stafford said that no con
nection is seen between this
fire and two other cases of
confirmed arson in Black
Mountain in the last two
years.
In late July, arson was ruled
as the cause of a fire on Lakey
Street. A year earlier, a fire
set by arsonists partially
destroyed the Black Mountain
Clubhouse.
The Black Mountain Fire
Department made two runs
last week. On November 22,
two trucks and 17 men
responded to a controlled
burning on Walker Cove Road.
No damage was reported.
Also that day, me truck and
15 men joined the Swannanoa
tenry Logan
F*ro gMt<%ance sjonrs cfmtc
by Dam Ward
^hen Henry Logan came
m wrong from a layup
during his third year as a
professional basketbail
player, and his first game with
the Virginia Squires, it
signaled Me end of a
promising basketball career.
Five years and seven
operations on his knee later,
he is more involved in
athletics than he could have
dreamed.
For the past five years
Logan, of Black Mountain,
and two other former
professionals , Benny Lake
and Johnny Bailey, have
coached a basketball clinic for
boys and girls, mostly un
derprivileged, aged 10 to 18.
From a few youngsters at
the first YMCA-sponsored
clinic, the program grew to
100 would-be pros last sum
mer.
The classes cover more than
basketball Guest lecturers
coach the kids on the need to
stay in school-and to stay
away from drugs and alcohol.
"Stay in school-1 try to
stress that that's the im
portant thing, "Logan said. "A
degree is something you have
all the time.'
Because the camp is held
only during the summer and
has not shown a profit, Logan
holds down a full-time por tion
as health care technician at
Western Carolina Center' s
Satellite Unit at WNC
Hospital Working with
reformed children seems a
far cary from professional
athletics, but fits in well with
Logan's outiook.
"! love kids,' ' he said.
"Here, 1 get the best rewards
seeing some kid do something
he couldn't do before.'
In addition to the basketball
camp, Logan. Lake and Bailey
play exhibition basketbaU at
local schools. Lake piayed on
the Hariem Globetrotters, has
worked on a basketbaU clinic
in Vermont and at the
Juvenile Evaluation Center.
Bailey, in addition to playing
for the Harlem Stars, has
worked as an alcohol and drug
abuse counselor.
"What !'m trying to do in
Black Mountain is to get
together a team I'd like to play
in the Recreation League,''
said Logan, who also has
experience as a recreator.
!n the meantime, the for
med pro has plans to enlarge
the basketbaU clinic to a Uve
in camp.
"What we want is a Uve-in
camp. Then we could get a lot
of pros to come down and stay
with us, "he said. Visiting pros
to the clinic in the past have
included Marion native
Hawthorne Ringo, who plays
for the New York Knicks.
Also, the trio is negoiating a
contract for a one-hour spot on
local teievision each Saturday
to hold a televised basketbaU
clinic.
In any case. Logan, who
plans to build a home in Black
Mountain for his wife Valerie,
son Vance and himself, has
big plans and hopes for the
clinic designed to build
character as weU as bodies.
Read the Mews
for Christmas
bargains
Fire Department in respon
ding to a smoke report, caused
by a pot on a stove, at the
Juveniie-Evaluation Center.
Minor damage was reported.
The County Ambulance
Service made 20 routine and
five emergency runs iast
week.
The Swannanoa Fire
Department made two runs
iawt week.
On November 22, one truck
and seven men joined the
Biack Mountain Fire
Department in answering a
smoke report at the Juvenile
Evaluation Center. Minor
damage was reported.
One truck and 11 men an
swered a false alarm of a
truck fire on US 70 November
25.
Sue Adams and Steve Crisp
are now taking Emergency
Medical Technician training.
Moderator Mibe Booher examines iists suppiied
by worbshoppers on Biach Mountain' s past
achievements, present straggies and /uture goais in
order to get a /eeiing /or the town's character. /Dan
Ward)
7ToM?M M7or&s/M%?
by Dan Ward
About 30 Black Mountain
citizens participated in a four
hour town workshop
November 3! r esigned to
teach persona a different
approach to town problem
solving.
The method, based on
corporate "think-tank* '
brainstorming methods,
removes individual problems
from a jumble, categorizes
them with problems of a
similar nature, and finds
simple, common soiutions-all
arrived at by town citizens.
The purpose of the
workshop, one in a series of
Town meetings North
Carolina, is "to recapture the
vitality and enthusiasm of
those early meetings and to
rekindle the spirit of
grassroots democracy and
local initiative," according to
its sponsors, the Institute of
Cultural Affairs.
As part of the program, one
group wrote an anthem for
Black Mountain and designed
a logo for the town, depicting a
sourwood tree superimposed
over a background of
mountain peaks with the
motto "Black Mountain, N.C.
Sourwood City.'
The workshop was chaired
by Mike Booher and Kathieen
Smart, who have led similar
workshops in towns nation
wide.
Participants included
representatives of various
civic organizations. The only
present or newly-elected town
board members present were
Mayor Margaret Slagle.
Mayor-elect Tom Sobol and
Aid. A.F. Tyson.
Among concrete proposals
to come out of the session were
the need to provide group
transportation-notably car
pools, Dial-a-Ride, or a
minibus-to shuttle between
Warren Wilson College and
town, to provide diverse
recreation for youth, and to
educate the public to promote
cooperation and un
derstanding.
Many of the townA problems
boiled down to a iack of
communication in town,
workshopers decided. The
most popular method of in
creasing communication in
the group decided, was to
form a civic council made up
of representatives of existing
organizations, and to ask civic
organizations to make sure at
ieast one representative at
tends all town meetings.
Another proposal was that the
town publish a handbook on
town services and channels
for getting things ac
complished. It was also noted
that there is a growing ten
dency in town to expect others
to get goals accomplished.
As an example of how the
workshop process works the
subject of youth recreation
was poignant. Among
problems listed were juvenile
crime, a migration of youth
especially those who are
college educated-away from
town, a generation gap in the
town population, and alack of
entertainment attractions.
Through grouping of these
problems, citizens found that
an important first step to
solving ail these problems
would be to provide more
recreation for youth.
Many persons at the
meeting expressed an interest
in holding similar workshops
on a larger scale within the
town. Some also noted that a
longer meeting was necessary
to fully explore problems and
their solutions.
What the group found were
the main challenges to Black
Mountain were getting people
to cultural activities or the
activities to the people,
locating industry and business
in or near Black Mountain and
thereby raise the employment
rate and provide more ser
vices locally, create business
incentives and better the
relations of townspeople and
Two arrested in breakin
Two youths, aged 14 and 14,
have been charged with
tweaking and entering of the
EM. Fanning summer
residence at 112 Ninth St. on
November 17 and with iarceny
of (600 in property from that
house.
The 16-year-oid, according
to Det. Bill Stafford, who
arrested the two November 14,
was charged as an adult. That
youths name could not be
obtained by press time.
The stolen property was
recovered, another poiice
spokesman said.
Biack Mountain Poiice
answered 82 caiis iast week,
they arrested two for puMic
drunk, two for traffic
violations, investigated five
auto acctdents and assisted
Black Mountain Fire
Department twice last week
businesses, increase com
munication between age
groups and between town
officials and citizens, and
inform townspeople and
schoolchildren about ^ahat
their officials are doing and
how.
Proposals were made for
only two of the challenges. In
order to increase com
munication and cooperation
between the town government
and people, it was proposed
that a civic council be formed,
community leaders visit
schoools, media be fully
utilized, including regular
radio spots, more workshops
be held, and that tours be
offered of local businesses and
services.
To enrich the cultural ex
perience of the citizens, it was
proposed that the hey was
transportation. As forms of
transportation, the group
suggested approaching iocal
taxi services, reinvestigate
Dial-a-Ride, organize car
pooh, get volunteer youth as
drivers, use church and school
buses, investigate grants for a
shuttle system and talk to
existing bus lines, about
extending their services.
Meet Rte Roard
"New Attitude
by Dan Ward
What Michael Begiey, 29,
lacks in town government
experience, he should be able
to make up with legal ex
pertise that has often been
lacking on the Black Mountain
Town Board.
Begley, an attorney with
Floyd Brock Associates in
Asheville, is a newcomer to
town government and a shoe
in in the recent aldermanic
election. His goal in office, he
said, is to keep personalities
and politics from bogging
down town business.
"1 think what we need is a
town government that is more
responsive to the average
citizen," he said. "A lot of
people! talked with were very
concerned about not being
able to personally meet with
the persons in charge of the
town."
"The big problem we've had
until now is with the town
management ,"Begley said.
"There's not the sort of em
pathy there should be."
Begley said that he and the
board will study thoroughly a
way to make the town
manager's office "low-key and
friendly."
Begley, a lifetime resident
of Black Mountain, is hesitant
to classify himself as either a
progressive or conservative in
future goals for the town.
"! think that Black
Mountain is a town with a
character about it. That
should be maintained. 1,
personally, would not like to
see Black Mountain become
just another suburb of
Asheville.
"On the other hand, 1 don't
believe Black Mountain
should stand still. 1 think the
interstate offers many op
portunities.' ' he said. One
specific future trend, Begley
said, will be an expansion of
the business district south of
the railroad tracks.
Although Begley 's specialty
at this time is in general law
practice, particularly
property transactions, he sees
his law training as a benefit to
the board.
"All through law school,
they teach you how to think
like a lawyer!' ' he said.
"Before 1 take office, 1 intend
to read the state laws that deal
with municipal government,''
he added.
Begley sees the new board
as the beginning of a "new
attitude" in town government
"I think we've got a board
that can work together,'' he
said. He also noted that
citizen interest in town
government has increased,
meaning that this board will
be cioseiy scrutinized.
"The people seem much
more informed now, "he said.
"Even if they aren't informed,
they seem to be very aware of
the attitude problem in this
town.'