Town aldermen
iappointed to posts
by Dan Ward
In a special meeting
■cember 28, Black Mountain
iwn Board members were
signed specializations of
wn services and five
embers were confirmed as a
tecial Citizen’s Participation
immittee.
All board members agreed
n a proposal by Mayor Tom
obol to assign two aldermen
Bther than one, to water
ffairs and eliminate
penalizations in ABC and
emetery. All apparently
greed to reassigning Aid.
tuth Brandon to Public
afety, Aid. A.F. Tyson to
treets, and assigning Aid.
im Norton to Recreation and
ild. John Kluttz and Michael
iegley to water.
! During discussion of the
ppointments, Mayor Sobol
uggested that since Tyson
ad already become involved
1 water negotiations with
sheville, it might be best that
he specialize in water affairs,
ryson responded that he
aould like to continue in talks
ivith Asheville, but called
[hem a "one-shot thing’’and
Hiked that he remain an ad
visor on street improvements.
M*yor Sefcol end Aid.
iegley stressed that the ap
ointments be regarded as
dvisory and as liaison — not
dministrative. Begley
equested that he be appointed
fo water affairs.
Sobol asked that Norton be
appointed to Recreation
because he was already in
volved in the Black Mountain
Committee for Better Sports.
The mayor said that he hoped
the appointment would patch
up "a lack of com
munication between
Recreation and the Com
mittee for Better Sports.’
Sobol noted that there is
overlap between the two
programs that could be
eliminated.
Mayor Sobol offered to
continue in his role as advisor
to the board on budget mat
ters.
The board also held a third
reading of an ordinance
requiring insulation con
tractor? to be licensed by the
town. Provision was made at
the meeting that the town
building inspector approve all
insulation work done by the
contractors.
Sobol said that a
representative of the Land of
Sky Regional Council
recommended that the town
building inspector receive
training and do the inspections
rather than the county in
spector. Sobol also noted that
from past experience in
construction, he knew that it
was easier to get the town
inspector to come to a job site
on short notice than a county
inspector.
The board approved the
appointment of Phyllis Byrns,
Ruth Smith and Joe Williams
to a committee already in
cluding Jean Standley and Bill
Hickey. The purpose of the
committee will be to organize
public meetings to get input
into town needs that can be
satisfied through state and
federal funding.
Three items were brought
up to be discussed at the next
regular meeting of the board
January 9. Aid. Tyson asked
that guidelines be set for the
amount of revenue sharing
funds that may be spent by the
town manager without board
approval. In most cases, the
town manager may not spend
more than $2900 without board
approval.
When former Town Manger
Jon Creighton spent $7000 of
$20,000 he was authorized by
the board to spend in revenue
sharing funds on downtown
sidewalk improvements last
year, there were some
complaints, Tyson said.
Tyson said he did not care
whether each line item had to
be approved under a spending
authorization, but wanted the
board policy clarified.
After most of the audience
had left, Mayor Sobol asked
board members to think about
determining what salary
Mack Kirkpatrick will start at
as town manager, and said the
issue will be on the January
agenda.
He noted that Kirkpatrick is
presently earning $11,991 as
fire chid, that Jon Creighton
was earning $14,#74 at the
thne he left the town manager
position and made $13,274
before his merit raise seven
months ago.
Sobol also doted that any
persons who would like to
serve on the Recreation or
Town Beautification Com
mittees should notify the town
manager before the January
meeting, when those com
mutes will be reappointed.
Charges dropped in shooting
Charges against two Black
Mountain men were dismissed
December 27 due to the nature
Df their dispute, a Sheriff’s
Department investigator said.
James Nanney of Blue
Ridge Road had been charged
with first degree burglary
December 4 after he was shot
>n the chest while gaining
?ntry to a house at 95—C Blue
Ridge Rd. that he rented to
Michael Respess.
Charges were dismissed
T\ > —
against Nanney because he
had shown that he entered
the house only to collect rent
owed him by Respess, the
investigator said.
Respess, who was charged
with assault with a deadly
weapon shortly after the in
cident, has also had charges
against him dropped. The two
men would not testify against
each other, the investigator
said.
Nanney was found guilty,
however, erf earlier charges of
communicating a threat
against Eespess.
Snow on a sunny day makes the road to North Fork Reservoir an image of tranquility. (Charlie Taylor)
Minimum wage raised
January 1 was a red-letter
day for many employees of
small retail and service
businesses in North Carolina.
That’s the day on which the
Tar Heel State’s required
minimum wage moved up
from $2.30 an hour to $2.50 an
hour.
On the basis of a 40—hour
workweek, the increase will
bring an extra $8.00 a week for
thousands of North Carolina’s
lowest paid worders who
make no more than the
minimum wage at their jobs.
It will be their Second ‘‘raise’
in six months. By action of
the 1977 General Assembly,
the required State minimum
wage was raised from $2.00 an
hour to $2.30 an hour on July 1,
1977. That increase, plus the
additional 20—cent rise slated
for January i, add up to a 25
percent increase over the old
$2.00 minimum.
Meet the board
We are sorry that we were
unable to interview Ivan
Stafford, the final Montreat
councilman in our Meet
the Board series, before he left
this week on a trip. We hope to
bring our readers an article on
Mr. Stafford in a future issue.
“The $2.50 statutory
minimum wage will apply to
all non-exempt employees in
establishments having four or
more employees who are not
covered by the Fair Labor
Standards Act (Federal
Wage—Hour Law),’ ’ ex
plained N.C. Commissioner of
Labor John C. Brooks. “Many
North Carolina employees are
covered by the federal
minimum, which will advance
from the present $2.30 an hour
to $2.65 an hour on January 1,
1978, in those businesses
having a gross annual income
of $250,000 or more. However,
there are thousands of other
North Carolina workers in
small establishments to whom
the federal law does not apply.
These workers are often
employed in small retail,
wholesale, food service and
service industry establish
ments. These people are
indebted to the foresight of our
General Assembly which
built in the additional increase
in the State minimum wage in
anticipation of the increased
federal minimum.’’
“Without making a com
prehensive Statewide survey,
for which there is neither
budget nor personnel, we have
no reliable way of estimating
either how many workers are
Lnno Summerlin
Broadcaster returns to Valley
by Dan Ward
When Sheldon (Dino)
Summerlin left Black
Mountain more than a decade
ago to pursue a career in radio
broadcasting, he planned to
return one day. Last month he
did — as assistant station
manager at WWNC in
Asheville.
"I never wanted to leave.
actually,” Summerlin said.
“But I did have an interest in
communications and
broadcasting and didn’t have
the opportunity here.”
Since Summerlin, a 1958
Owen graduate, completed his
schooling at Mars Hill College
and Eastern Carolina
University, he has acquired an
impressive record while
working at stations in Eastern
North Carolina, Florida, South
Carolina, Arkansas and
Texas. As general manager of
KJCS in Lufkin, Texas, his
last position, Summerlin
pulled the station from a
rating of 14 in the area to the
most listened to.
Other awards he has
acquired are Best D.J. in
Florida —1969, and 13 awards
in Texas including Best Local
Newscast, Best Editorial,
Best Public Affairs Spot and
Best Spot Announcement.
When he learned of an
owning at WWNC created by
the retirement of present
manager Claude Freeman,
Summerlin passed up another
job opportunity at a Dallas
station.
‘ “As a matter of fact, I took
less money to come here than
if I’ d gone to Dallas —
cheerfully,’ ’ he said. “There
are no trees in Dallas,’ ’ he
quipped.
Beside trees and "a lot of
relatives in this area, ”
Summerlin said there are
special people in the Valley
who made him want to come
home. Two are Mary
Freeman Kaiser, a former
teacher of his who made it
possible for him to attend
college, and “Granny”Swan,
who housed him when his
parents moved to Asheville so
that he could continue going to
Owen High School.
Summerlin, who now lives
near Broad River with his
wife, Jeannie and daughters,
Kimberly and Shelly, said he
is working to get a feel again
for the lifestyle of the people of
Western North Carolina.
“I’ll be doing editorials next
year,"he said. “We don’t want
to do editorials to make noise
— we want to do issues of
interest to the public."
“We just plan to continue to
be the dominant radio station
in Western North Carolina. As
to the habits, likes, change -
we’ll adjust accordingly,’’he
said.
“Whatever the people want
and enjoy is what we will give
them ,”he concluded.
ccvered by the State
minimum wage at present, or
how many of those who are
covered are currently being
paid less than *T50 an hour,’ ’
Commissioner Brooks stated.
“I believe that the pew
minimum wage will have a
substantial impact upon the
earnings of many North
Carolina work rs who are
covered by the Mate law.”
Swannanoa f ire
In the last calendar year,
the Swannanoa Volunteer Fire
Department fought 97 fires,
including 27 structure fires,
according to Barry Roberts of
the department.
The department also
responded to 13 false alarms,
13 rescues and held 36 drills,
he said. Other fires included
32 brush fires and 17 car fires,
he said.
The work tally for the
department for 1977 added up
to 97 fires — 1142 man—hours,
13 rescue calls — 355 man
hours, 80 work details — 1649
man-hours, M meetings —
789 man-hours and seven
schools — 454 man-hours.
Last week, the department
made two runs. On December
27, two trucks and 14 men
answered a smoke report at
the Paul Peterson residence
on Riddle Road. $100 damage
was done by the smoke,
caused by a faulty furnace
motor.
Fireman of the Month is
Ricky Bradley, son or Mr. and
Mrs. J.R. Bradley of 315
Fountainway. Bradley is a
student bus driver at Owen
High School.
Road fixups
supported
by Dan Ward
The Land of Sky Regional
Council has agreed to send
recommendations to the
Department of Transportation
(DOT) and the Buncombe
County Board of Com-'
missioners to approve road
improvements in Swannanoa
suggested by area residents
through a DOT survey.
The council approved
committee recommendations
to support various im
provements, including
widening and improving the
intersection of US 70 and SR
2412, closing SR 2416 between
SR 2436 and SR 2435, im
provement of the intersection
of SR 2435 and US 70 and
classifying SR 2412 as an in
dustrial access road.
J.M. Greenhill, special
transportation planning
engineer for the DOT, said the
projects recommended by the
council “are just suggestions”
but said the recommendations
‘‘carry a lot of weight’ ’ in
having the projects included
within the Highway Im
provement Program.
Recommendations were
made by area residents when
discussions were held through
the regional council on the 190
bridge replacement last
spring, Greenhill said. After
hearing recommendations,
DOT personnel made field
inspections and did cost
estimates before listing im
provement priorities, he said.
Also supported at the Land
of Sky Regional Council
meeting was an application
for a Fanners’ Home Ad
ministration (FHA) grant by i
Mary Kirby and her son,
Graham, of Black Mountain
to build an eight—unit
apartment building for senior
citizens on Montreat Road.
Also in support of the council
was a grant application for -
Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) funds
made by the Kirbys to install
solar heating in the building.
Neither Mary nor Gra aw
Kirby could be contacted by
press time to supply more
details or. the project.
Bord minets
by Dan Ward
lightening oat oid town
records may not be entirely
dull, as secretaries at Black
Mountain Town Hall
discovered recently. Between
some old—timey controversy
and very lax records keeping,
the records of our former city
fathers are often hilarious.
The following passage is
taken from the minutes of the
May 13, 1918 meeting of the
Town Board. Misspellings are
in the minutes.
‘ 3d. Mr Gettis elected by
town to fill the office as police
until otherwise notified. Mr L.
W. Morgan nominated,
seconded and elected Chief Of
Police, until otherwise
notified.
“4th Mr F.C. Watkins made
complaint of the town emp
tying her sewerage into flat
Something to crow about
Foghorn the rooster crows in the New Year from atop a woodpile (Nancv
Ward) 9
creek on account of having a
Mill race on same creek and
all sewerage passing througth
mill dam — making it
disagreable oder for his home
— inconvenient for water in
case of washing — killing hogs
— watering his animals and
danger of sickness-He Mr
Watkins proposed that a well
be dug for the purpose of
getiftg water for use in and
around borne, and so that his
dam be fixed so that he or his
wife or any member of the
family may flush same at any
time. This proposal is claim
that Mr F.C. Watkins holds
town indebted to him for
present damages. Mr Brown
suggest that an anticeptic
tank be placed at mouth of
sewerage. No definate actions
taken
“5th The rate for taping
water line brought up and
decided that the charge shall
be $10.00 for each and every
tap until definetely decide.’ ’
And another, taken from the
minutes of June 6, 1910.
“Bord met in regler session
and minets of last meeting
wear read and approved.
Moved and seccond that
Real Estat and percenly
proparty be taxed 35 On the
one Hundred Dollars
Vsluecation carried.
that the pole tax for Street
be fl.90 (one & Fifty Cents)
All dogs tax stands at $1.00 for
each Mael. And $2.00 for each
Female.
Moved seccond. that all
Lumber Dealers pay $10.00
privleg tax. Carried.
Priviledg Tax on all Mer
chants Staivis at $10.00 Per
year. With privilege of selling
soft drinks.
Moved and seccond that
Privlige tax on all persons
selling fresh meats and
produce with privilege of
selling soft drinkes be $10.00
pur year.
Privilege tax on all peddlers
of cuntry produce de $2.00 pr
year.
On all Bording Houses &
Hotels Under six rooms used
for guest Two Dollars and fifty
eta. $2,50 Pr, year Over six
rooms and under ten rooms
four Dollars & Fifty Cts. $4.50
Pr, year. Over ten rooms &
under Fifteen rooms Ten
Dollars $10.00 Pr. year. Over
Fifteen rooms Twenty Dollars
$30,00 Pr, year. This applies
to all annix;— Galleries
Three Dollars $3.00 Pr, year;
On all Barbar Shops Two
Dollars $2,00 for each cheair;
On all Cleanig & Pressing
establishments Two Dollar
$2,00 PR. Year;-”