DbVOltU 1UUK, TO OUR COMMUN!TY^
"--sn
THE GROWt^G SWANNANOA VALLEY
^ Biack Mountain
^ Swannanoa
Serving
Second ( lass Pnstam* Maid at
Biack !\iounlain. \ C 28711
Thursday, December 22, 1977, Voi. 24, No. 10
* Montreat
^ Ridgecrest
15 cents per copy
*CO*HTM
MiSBMC*
Kirkpatrick named manager
Everybody !oved a parade aa the tartest Christmaa parade hetd by the
-,f < re^d down yta^e street.
<ee rnore parade phatps )n special Christmas Creetfngs supplement inside.
Dan Ward) ^
by Dan Ward
In a public forum in
terrupted by jeers and cheers,
the Biack Mountain Town
Board voted 4 to 1 to hire
Mack Kirkpatrick, Biack
Mountain Fire Chief, to
replace Town Manager Jon
Creighton at a special meeting
December 15. Kirkpatrick
began duties as town manager
December 19. , ^
Robert's Rules of Order,
adopted by the board two
weeks ago, feB aside as
audience members heckied
persons in support of soliciting
applications for the vacancy,
and cheered for aMennen
opposing it.
After hearing discussion on
whether to advertise for ap
plicants for town manager the
board voted 4 to I, with Aid.
Rath Brandon opposing, to
accept Kirkpatrick as town
manager *- #
Brandon opposed because
she was in favor of giving
others an opportunity to appiy
and because she did not know
what Kirkpatrick' s
qualifications were, she said.
Aid. AJF. Tyson, after ob
jecting to hiring a town
manager without taking
competitive applications,
voted to hire Kirkpatrick
when it became apparent that
the other three borad mem
bers were set on hiring Kirk
patrick that evening.
"Whatever this borad
decides to do, I hope that the
group wtR rally and go by that
decision.'' Tyson said.
Tyson did qualify his vote,
saying "I would kind of hate to
see a man like him (Kirk
patrick) put in a pressure
cooker-type job iike this "
Aid. Michael Begley and
Jim Norton aaid that there
was a need to hire a new
maMgerirnmedlaie&sothat,
as Norton said, "we can get on
with town bMbem*
Norton stated that he
already had a candidate.
Kirkpatrick, in miad and was
obliged to vote for him
because he had pmniaed to
those who voted for Mm.
Begiey said that he would
support taking applications if
Hie board did not agree to hire
Kirkpatrick.
Anomber of persona from
the audience spoke out aw the
hiring process.
One man said that the town,
Hke a corporation, should hire
from within to provide in
centive and get a manager
with loyaity toths^tnoas^^.,.
Gay Foe asked that the
board give KirtpMrick, „
wkU as other appMcants/ t&e
ri^t of (Me process'through
competition and a decision
' " <M quaHBcathsk! in
...
HOgo Thompson said
the town needed a
"professionally competent'*
person to act as manager,
citing the complexity of (mf
jobasaneedtoobtghra
manager with training and
"once in town
Mayor Tom Soboi'
Flood slides available to
groups
North Carolina Tran
tportation Board members
Mrs Helen H. Little and John
Millard Gilhey said that a
tilde presentation on flood
images in the western part
- the State is available to
[roups and clubs in the
tounties of Mitchell, Yancey,
Madison, Buncombe, Me
Doweii, Rutherford and
Burke.
Mrs. Little and Gilkey noted
that the purpose of the slide
presentation is to inform area
residents about the massive
damage done to private
property and to the State's
highways and bridges during
the heavy rains and flooding in
early November.
The public may contact the
following by telephone to
arrange for a presentation to
their groups and clubs: John
Millard Gilhey - (919)694-4955,
Division Engineer, J.H.
Medlin - (704)25^6721, or the
Public Affairs Office, Raleigh
- (919)733-3463.
Secretary of Transportation
Thomas W. Bradshaw, Jr.
said, "Our employees have
been working around-the
ciock to make emergency
repairs and to reach isolated
homes. We would like for
those citizens of North
Carolina who are not aware of
the extensive damages to see
Meet the Board
'Stronger ftes weeded'
by Dam Ward
Ed. Nate - This is the first of
a series of three on the new
members of the Montreat
Town Council. The council is
made up of three persons, one
of whom is chosen from
among them to be mayor.
John Abemethy, newcomer
to Monteat government, was
chosen by councilmen Andy
Andrews and Ivan Stafford to
be mayor because, as he said,
"My experience has been in
the area of presiding, and
these two men have
tremendous strength in input.'
Abemethy said that because
Andrews and Stafford have
served on the councii in the
past, they are better aMe to
understand the special
problems and technical
aspects of Montreat's affairs.
A Presbyterian minister,
who is director of Church
Relations at Warren Wilson
College, Abemethy has lived
in Montreat for about four
years since leaving a ministry
in Ft. Lauderdale Fla.
He said that the major goal
or this council is to "stengthen
ties "between resident and out
of-town property owners, the
Mountair^Retreat Association
and the College. A newly
organized voter's league is
working toward that goal
now, he said.
"The voter' s group has
shewn a very great interest in
being invoived in town mat
ters,' ' he said. To illustrate
that, he said the the council
had no problem finding in
volved citizens to serve on
committees.
Probably the greatest
problem for the town is in
upgrading its streets, he said.
"They're not in good con
dition - the recent deluge had
made them even worse,'' he
noted. In high priority are
replacing the Texas Road
Extension Bridge and stan
dardizing streets to conform
with Powell Bill
specifications, he said.
Another ma}or problem ties
in the town's lade of taxable
property. Although the
assembly, college and Billy
Graham Organization con
tribute donations to the town
treasury, "the property
owners are having an ad
ditional load placed on them "
Abemethy said. He said that
he did not have any plans for
now in dealing with the tax
free institutions.
Abemethy said he is par
ticularly interested in getting
more input from Montreat
Anderson College students in
terms of their needs and how
they can be a service to the
town. He pointed out that
students were "invaiuable "in
cleaning up- the streets after
flooding recentiy
some examples of what
happened and to understand
what DOT faces in the way of
repairs'
Safe driving sought
for holidays
Approximately 36 may die
in traffic accidents in North
Carolina over the iong
Christmas and New Year's
holiday weekends, the N.C.
State Motor Ciub has
estimated.
Last year 44 persons were
kiiled on Tarheel highways
during the two holidays.
Twenty-nine persons died
during the Christmas holiday
and IS during New Year's.
The main causes for these
fatalities were unsafe
movement, speeding, and
foliowing too cioae.
This year the state wiii
count its toll from 6 p.m.
Friday, December 23. through
midnight Monday, December
26, for Christmas, and from 6
p.m. Friday December 30 to
midnight Sunday, January i
for New Year's.
"Our holidays would be far
less tragic if drivers wouid
obey the 55-mph speed limit
and practice safe driving "said
Peter Vasho, director of
pubiic relations of the
statewide motor ciub. "We
must slow down, be more
aiert, and refrain from
drinking while driving."
Vasho advised drivers to
check road conditions with the
highway patroi in case of snow
or rain, especially in the
mountains.
Through November, the
North Carolina death toll
stands at 1,311 fatalities, some
52 less than a year ago. This
gives us encouragement that
drivers are becoming more
alert and safety minded,
Vasco said.
JMac& Mountain i^iro
The Black Mountain Fire
Department made two runs
last week.
On December M, one truck
and M men responded to a car,
belonging to Jerry Madison
Jones, on fire on US 70 west.
The neat day, one truck and
M men responded to a truck
fire on North Fork Road. The
truck belonged to Billy P.
Haney
The county Ambulance
Service made 1! routine and
Hve emergency runs, and was
not needed on three.
Swannanoa Fire
The Swannanoa Fire
Department reminda citizens
that they should take extra
safety precautions during the
holidays to make sure that
Christmas tr'es do not dry out
ami that the) „ e not kept too
close to a heater.
The department made one
run on December 1!. Two
trucks and nine men
responded to an accident on
US 70 east in which a truck
beionging to the City of
Asheviiie overturned.
^lace sfMdfy
by Dan Ward
If you ever find yourself
being stared at as you gulp
your morning coffee in a local
cafe, don't be alarmed - it's
probably not the CIA.
"Sitting by a cup of coffee, I
watch every move and sip and
how they talb. I try to see
what makes them tick, too,"
said Geraldine Watson Field,
who studies faces to help her
in her profession and hobby,
sketching portraits.
"You have to study people,"
she explained.
, A native of England who has
lived in this country since
1942, Mrs. Field learned to
sketch at the Brighton School
of Art in England and at the
University of North Carolina.
Now she sketches portraits on
afternoons at the Depot or by
appointment.
The daughter of a famous
English poet, Sir William
Watson, Mrs. Field said she is
fascinated with people,
particularly "the expressions
that pass on their faces '
She said her favorite sub
t -t? ats
jects are children.
"Children are very nice for
me - they're always so bubbly,"
she said. She added that she
has not had much trouble with
fidgetty children who cannot
sit still for the 15 to 30 minutes
it takes to do a color sketch.
"Sometimes it's difficult,
but the parents usually say
you sit there, or else, while I
go shopping,"'she said.
The artist, who claims to
have sketched thousands of
faces, will do portraits from 1
3 p.m. daily at the Depot at a
cost of $10 and up.
Geratdine Fte!d begtrts a shetch o/ Peggy Pertey at the Depot. fDan Ward)
s call for cooperation and
solidarity at the board
meeting December 12, "what
you (the board) did in the next
three hour* divided this town
aU* P^,''Thompson saM.
PaaiCMBKh pointed out
that aKhough the board was in
* hurry to get town
management hae& to norm*!,
it would take three to six
months to train Kirkpatrick
for the job, making a one
month period to take ap
plications for the job a
relatively short time.
John Fore, owner of Burger
Hutt, said that in opposition to
earlier remarks that former
Town Manager Jon Creighton
had done a good job ad
ministratively, he knew of at
least one Instance in which
Creighton failed to perform
his duties at a cost to Fore of
(15,000. Fore said that he
would be happy with whoever
the board hired to replace
Creighton "as long as it is
someone we can talk to.**
Mayor Sobol noted that
although Kirkpatrick had not
submitted an appiication for
town manager, his name had
been under consideration for
the post since C D. Lindsey
resigned as town manager two
years ago.
"It's no secret that we've
been taihing about Mack for
this job for the last two months
- two years even,"Soboi said.
"I'm sure he'Ii accept.'*
Afac& Atr/cpafrick
Looking forward to job
by Dan Ward
Jon Creighton, perhaps
knowing that Ms successor
would be instaUed bt&x-e the
weekend, began clearing his
desk out at Town Hail on
gWber!S,the(hya*hftbe
B!*ch Mountain Town Board
voted 3 to 2 to Art him.
On Monday morning,
December 19, his successor,
Mack Kirkpatrick, was
already dispatching leaf
pickups and getting a grasp on
the enormity of an application
for a Community Deveiop
ment grant.
"I'm reaiiy looking forward
to it," Kirkpatrick said of the
job as town manager. In
addition to overseer for town
employees, Kirkpatrick holds
the title of town clerk, tax
collector, and either Hnance
officer or treasurer.
His duties range from
having stray dogs pidted up to
discussing book-long ap
plications for (300,000 grants
with federal officials. He will
be responsible for writing and
balancing the town budget and
keeping records of all puMic
meetings and town bspdneas.
"It's been hectic,"he said of
his first day as town manager.
In addition to town manager,
he will remain in his position
as fire chief until fire
department personnel ap
prove a replacement.
Assistant Fire Chief Sterling
Poe declined on moving up to
the chiefs position.
Although Kirkpatrick brings
little to the office in the way at
training for town
management, he has shown
himself to be an outstanding
leader in the fire department.
A director of the State Fire
Chief's Association, he has in
the past taught workshops on
modem equipment in which
he is considered a speciaiist.
Although he is somewhat
famiiiar with town budget
practices and g^ant-writing
through his 12 years in the fire
department, Kirkpatrick's
most often cited attribute s
his ability to get along with
citizens
"Mack is a ready nice guy,
said one alderman recently
"I have no doubt that u
someone called Mm at 2 a m.
with a water problem that he
would be right out there."
"I like people -1 really enjoy
being with and talking to
people,'' said the soft-spoken
Kirkpatrick. The 35 year-old
father of three has iived in
BlaCK Mountain all his life
Kirkpatrick said that he did
not see his appointment as the
beginning & a turnover in
personnel in the town.
"Nobody is going to lose his
job, "Kirkpatrick said. Tve
heard those vicious rumors,
and they' re not true. There
are no plans to replace any
town employees at this time,"
he said.
Kirkpatrick said that
Creighton has offered to assist
him with any problems that
come up during the nest
month.