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Golf course renovations
urged at town meeting
by Du Ward
The Black Mountain Golf
burse stoic the show at the
sgular meeting of the town
oard February 13 as an
udience swelled with
:ecreation Committee
lembers asking for a number
f improvements.
Aid. Jim Norton passed on a
equest from the Recreation
loard to appropriate an
stimated $18,500 for
enovations to the clubhouse
nd grounds, including
suilding repairs, a locker
x>m. a snack bar serving hot
tod, paved trails, benches,
nd new ball-washers.
Norton pointed out that the
olf course has shown a
>1,000 profit since 1973, and
aid he believed that im
roved facilities would attract
lore golfers.
To help offset renovation
osts, the Recreation Com
utt ee suggested raising green
«es to $100 for residents plus
15 extra per additional family
•embers, and $125 for non
esidents plus $25 for ad
itional family members,
layor Tom Sobol called as
»cial meeting for February
) at 6 p.m. to study the
commendations one at a
me, but said the im
tuven.fchls will probably
ive to come in stages.
Abo to be discussed at the
eeting will be the purchase
a new gang mower for the
eens.
Greg Gamble of the
wannanoa Valley Optimist
ub asked the board for
emission to hold a fund
lising tournament at the golf
ourse in late March or early
pril. Gamble will meet with
lorton to discuss costs and
cheduling of the tournament.
Roy Williams, Owen High
chool Golf coach, requested
is letter that the school golf
earn be allowed to use the
ourse again for practice and
latches. Williams pointed
ut that in the past, most team
lembers have held mem
erships. Norton objected to a
uggestion by Aid. A.F. Tyson
o leave the permission and
cheduling up to Golf Pro Ross
aylor, saying Taylor had
•een uncooperative with high
chool players in the past.
Norton said be would work out
a clear schedule for the team
with Taylor.
In a final note on the golf
course, Town Manager Mack
Kirkpatrick said he met last
week with federal inspectors
to determine what con*
struction was necessary to
repair the dam at the golf
course, which was damaged
by recent flooding. A cost
estimate for repairs, which
will include replacing much
of the fill and construction of a
concrete spillway, will be
known next week, Kirpatrick
said.
Dispatcher Grant
Mayor Sobol said that he
learned that the town would be
under no obligation to repay
grant funds or accept the full
three years of an LEAA grant
for full-time radio dispatchers
for the police department.
Black Mountain’s grant ap
plication is still being
reviewed.
ABC Revenuej
Sobol announced that the
ABC store has given the town
and the police department
checks for their shares of
winter quarter profits. The
town received a check for
$33,raa.»VwMle police
department received
SM12.06. Sobol noted that the
profits for winter quarter
indicate that the store should
produce the $90,000 amount
anticipated in the budget for
the fiscal year.
Traffic Signal
Kirkpatrick said that he met
with Walter Cochran of the
Department of Transportation
(D.O.T.) to see if the town
could get signals or signs at
the corner of Montreat Road
and State Street to make the
crossing safer for pedestrians.
“It looks like our only choice
is to live with it until 1-40 goes
by,” Kirkpatrick said he was
told. The D.O.T. may install a
four-way stop at that time, he
said.
Sobol also noted that
Cochran told him the 1-40
bridge will include a center
barrior on the bridge and for
several hundred feet on each
side, contrary to earlier
reports by the D.O.T.
Annexation Correction
Sobol said that Acting Town
Attorney William Eubanks is
still researching whether
some lots on Daniel Lane were
properly annexed. If not, the
lots will have to be properly
annexed or be declared out
side the town limits.
Subdivision Ordinance
A1 d. Ruth Brandon said that
she had spoken with Curtis
Ratcliff, chairman of the
Buncombe County Board of
Commissioners, and with
Naomi Brigman, chairwoman
of the Planning Board, to
determine the proper
sequence involved in putting
the town’s Subdivision Or
dinance into effect. Sobol
directed the town manager to
send a letter to Mrs. Brigman
asking that the sequence be
given to the board so that a
map of the extraterritorial
jurisdiction may be drawn.
Once a map is made and four
representatives to the
Planning Board from outside
the town chosen, the or
dinance may be recorded and
take effect, Brandon said.
Kirkpatrick also announced
that bids had been submitted
to print copies of the or
dinance. The board agreed to
put off accepting a bid until a
map is made.
Paul Griffith asked that the
town’s sign ordinance and
flood plain ordinance be in
cluded in the booklet.
Laud Use Plan
The board heard a
recommendation from Bill
Watson of the Land of Sky
Regional Council to endorse
the Land Use Plan drawn up
by the council for this area.
Watson pointed out that
Montreat and other nearby
towns had already accepted
the plan.
Watson said that the
projected growth for Black
Mountain is 25,000 acres, or 33
per cent by 1995. To allow for
that growth. Black Mountain
should adopt the Land Use
Plan, which indicates the best
land for residential, com
mercial and agricultural use,
he said. The intent of the plan,
Watson said, is to prevent
unregulated building in flood
plains and areas where water
pressure would be very low.
The board voted to appoint
13 full-time and two advisory
members to the Town Im
provement Committee.
Regular members are Dot
Watkins, Bill Ricketts,
Harriet Styles, Dottie
Williams, Wilma Blankenship,
Lewis Parrish, Roy Taylor,
Evelyn Taylor, Paul Griffith,
Ross Taylor, Josephine
Hickey, Bob Watkins and
Austin Burgess. Ed Weber
and Margaret Slagle, being
members of the Chamber of
Commerce Town Im
provement Committee, will
work with the committee to
prevent duplication of
programs.
Disaster Agent
The board voted to appoint
Kirkpatrick as agent for the
town in applying for disaster
funds for damage caused by
November floods.
Also regarding the floods,
Kirkpatrick said the town has
received $15,296 in disaster
aid, of which $8,260 has been
spent on repairs on Charlotte
Street, Craigmont Road and
Byrd Road.
Returned Checks
The board voted to begin
notifying persons whose
checks do not clear that there
will be a $3 fine for returned
checks. Notice of the fine will
(continued on page 8)
Emergency stickers made
The Region B Emergency
Medical Services Council,
which serves Buncombe,
Henderson, Madison, and
Transylvania Counties, has
announced that it is initiating
a community services project
in the Buncombe and Madison
County areas. The project
involves the printing and
distribution of emergency
phone number stickers to the
residents of the two counties to
be placed on telephones.
The objective of the project
Van painting — “detail counts”
by Du Ward
Connie Holcomb is not your
conventional artist.
She likes portraits, land
scapes and grisly surrealistic
copies of paintings by Frank
Frazetta. The difference with
her paintings is that they are
mobile-on the sides of custom
I Connie Holcomb with the ",Death Dealer" (Dan Ward)
vans.
“We were starving in
winter,"the artist gave as the
reason for beginning a custom
van shop in Black Mountain.
“We decided that we had to
do something, so my brother
in-law (Barry Holcombe) and
I hit on this,” she said.
The two are planning to
open the shop at the site of the
former fiberglass shop on Old
US 70 on March 10. Connie is
preparing for the opening by
painting model masterpieces
on pieces of sheet metal.
The artist of 20 years said
she learned of the demand for
detailed van painting while
talking to van customizers at
Bob Ledford Motors. While
there are a few area shops
that will paint scenes on
vehicles, most will only do
simple sillouette-type scenes
that take less than an hour to
paint.
‘ ‘We’re going to specialize in
F rank Frazetta paintings, "she
said. Those used as models
include “Death Dealer’ I a
flame-eyed warrior with a
bloody axe and the less
violent, if equally arousing
“Golden Girl”
“They are all very
emotionally triggered."Connie
said of Frazetta’s works. She
noted that Frazetta got his
start in cartooning and has
produced “Little Annie Fanny”
in Playboy magazine and the
comic strips “Tarzan’ ' and
“G.I. Joe’!
But if people come in and
just give us an idea of what
they want, we’ll do that, too,”
she said.
The two will do some air
brush work, but will also use a
technique that allows them to
get fine detail into the pain
tings.
"It’s just our technique,
Connie said. “From people I’
ve talked to, it seems it’s not
being used on the East Coast.
I don't want to talk about it
because others might use it.”
While the greater detail will
be more time-consuming—15
to 16 hours for more more
paintings-Connie said the pair
plans to “undercut everybody”
in prices. She said they have
not yet worked out the prices,
but will have set costs for each
painting.
And what sort of people
want the blood-dripping, fire
eyed “Death Dealer' 'on the
side of their truck or car?
“I don't know, "Connie said.
“I can’t imagine putting it on
my car.”
by Rod Gragg
In a speech to the student
body at Montreat-Anderson
College, 11th District
Congressman Lamar Gudger
attributed President Jimmy
Carter’s drop in the popularity
polls to over-expectations by
the American public, and
voiced his belief Carter will
fulfill most of his campaign
promises.
Gudger, a first term
Democrat, made his com
ments while speaking at
Montreat-Anderson's Monday
convocation. A Montreat
Anderson student asked why,
if President Carter had done
so much to bring morality to
government, was the
President falling in the
popularity polls?
"It may be that the public
was expecting more out of this
man than he could ac
complish,"Gudger answered.,
“He came from Georgia to the
White House without having
spent time in the Senate or in
the United States Congress. A
lot of people expected him to
go up there and eliminate all
excess spending, change all
programs to make them ef
ficient and economic, make
the welfare system work and
work well to where nobody got
benefits except those who
were entitled to them, how
there would be expanded
programs, and benefits to the
aged and children at lower
costs - these sort of things.
“Government doesn’ t
change that quickly. It’s a
terribly complex system - this
free government that we have.
Carter is trying to lead, and
that really, in the final
analysis, is the ultimate
responsibility of a chief
executive. So, I commend him
for trying to lead. I com
prehend the limitations of the
free domocratic society which
expects miracles of its
president, and I remind you
that you can’ t expect to
change this country’s course -
established over 20 or 30 years
- overnight.
“It takes a while. I think he
is going to simplify govern
ment. He said he was going to
get rid of 500 agencies this
year. He’s already been at
work and has eliminated 15
agencies in the Department of
Agriculture. There are a lot of
things coming down the line. I
think we’ 11 see some of his
promises fulfilled and that
soon I’m sure he’ 11 try to
fulfill them all, and that may
take some time.”
Gudger told the students at
Montreat-Anderson he has
supported 75 percent of
President Carter’s proposals.
Gudger, who faces opposition
from his own party and from
the Republicans, is home from
Washington to meet woth
his constituents.
U.S. Representative Lamar Gudger at Montreat
Anderson College.
Suspension upheld
mm
Humans aren’t the only ones to take it easy when
spring-like weather arrives, as this pony demon
strates. (Dan Ward)
by Dan Ward
After 1V4 hours of
deliberation, the Black
Mountain Town Board
emerged from a special closed
meeting with a 27-word
prepared statement for the
public on their decision
concerning the three-day
suspension of Officer Burt
Stone while actions of his were
under investigation.
The statement, agreed on by
town board members to be the
only comment made on action
in the executive session, read
“Board met and Chief Slagle,
Assistant Chief Wiseman, and
Town Manager Mack Kirk
patrick recommended to the
board that the three-day
suspension of Officer Stone
Was sufficient. "The three men
mentioned were the only
persons other than the board
allowed at the meeting.
The meeting, called by Aid.
Ruth Brandon and Aid. Jim
Norton, was designed to
discuss police personnel.
However, before discussing
what Mayor Tom Sobol called
"a few personnel issues,” Aid.
Brandon read a statement she
told the t„ard would be
released to the media. She
said that no board members
had objected to her intention
of releasing the statement, but
Mayor Sobol later said that she
had violated a promise of
keeping action at the meeting
confidential by releasing it.
In her statement, Aid.
Brandon commented on
what she called the “improper
handling of this suspension
revocation and question the
power of the Town Manager in
being able to rescind this
action”apparently referring to
a report that an order by Chief
Crait Slagel to suspend Stone
had been overturned by Kirk
patrick, who has no authority
to reverse a department head'
s action in such a matter,
according to the town Policy
Manual.
Kirkpatrick said that the
decision to suspend, and end
the suspension of Stone was
reached jointly between he
and Slagle. Slagle said both
Kirkpatrick and Brandon
were in part correct, but that
most of the problem was a
matter of poor com
munication-not a violation of
the Policy Manual. He would
not elaborate.
Stone was suspended for
three days after an incident in
which he allegedly challenged
Officer Gary Sorrels to fight,
and tried to hit him, when
Sorrels arrested a friend of
Stone’s for driving under the
influence of alcohol.
Streets, sewers, lights
head grant requests
by Dan Ward
A fourth Community
Development Grant hearing in
Final hearing set
A final Community on Monday, February 27, at
Development Grant hearing Town Hall at 7:30 p.m.
will be held in Black Mountain The ourpose of the hearing,
is to assist the public in
reaching emergency medical
personnel in accident and
emergency situations. The
adhesive-backed stickers will
indicate the phone numbers of
the ambulance services within
the respective counties.
Approximately 25,000 phone
stickers will be distributed in
Buncombe County without
cost.
The Council is an advisory
body to the Land-Of-. Sky
Regional Council and works
closely with the North
Carolina Office of Emergency
Medical Services, local
governments, hospitals,
ambulance services and
emergency care providers in
Region B.
Gudger defends Carter efforts
the last of five, will be to get
input into how up to $700.000in
Department of Housing and
Urban Development Com
munity Development Grant
funds could best be spent to
provide facilities or services
to Black Mountain, primarily
for low to middle income
persons and the elderly.
Citizens Participation
Committee Chairwoman Jean
Standley said that this hearing
may be the most important,
and that town board members
are expected to attend.
the Town of Black Mountain
drew 22 persons, primarily
from the Black com
-munity, February 10.
Those present for the most
part echoed recommendations
made at the preceding
meeting, also held ^ Cacvyr
School-the need for street
improvements, lighting,
sewers, water lines and fire
hydrants in the Craigmont
section.
In addition, Inez Daugherty
asked that funds be allocated
to drain a swampy area on
Craigmont Road to provide an
area for a playground.
Lib Harper asked that
services be provided for the
elderly.
Mrs. Harper also questioned
why the Craigmont Com
munity required grant funds
to obtain services already
enjoyed by most of the town.
“If we are citizens of this
town, we shouldn’t have to go
through HUD (the Depart
ment of Housing and Urban
Development) to get the same
services as other citizens,”she
said.
Aid. Ruth Brandon, the only
Town Board member present,
replied that the town m&nsger
is not always aware of what
improvements are needed.
She suggested that citizens
contact the town manager to
let him know when im
provements are needed.
Many commented on the
ineffectiveness of Black
Mountain leash laws, a
problem that Citizen Par
ticipation Committee
Chairwoman Jean Standley
said was not covered by HUD
grant funding. She did
promise those present that a
tape recording of the meeting
would be played for town
board members so that they
could hear comments such as
those on the strays problem.