at Black Mountain. NC 2871 1 I ★Ridgecrest
Thursday, March 9. 1978, Vo) 24 No 20 MflM ““
^__._... ~ .j 15 cents per copy
CP&L reduces
voltage 5 %
Carolina Power & Light Co.
recently began Pfcaae II of its
energy conservation plan
involving a 5 percent voltage
reduction, urgent personal
appeals to large customers to
cut back on their use of
electricity in non-essential
areas and a renewed appeal
for all customers to conserve.
The company says its coal
supply is approximately 40
days, with this supply declining
at the rate of four days coal
supply for each five operating
days. While the company
continues to receive some
coal, it is getting only about 20
percent of the coal being
burned and it has had no
appreciable increase in
deliveries.
CP & L senior vice president
E.E. Utley said today that
even under the best con
ditions we would not expect a
significants increase in coal
deliveries Intil late March if
the contract betweeff the
United Mine Workers awthe
Bituminous Coal Operators
Association is approved on
schedule.’ ’
He reported that the con
servation appeal issued last
week has resulted in a
lowering in electric usage of
a sproatma4elr'«'*r- percent
based on comparing similar
days before and after the
appeal.
“Because of the continued
uncertainty over future coal
deliveries, the company feels
it is prudent to initiate Phase
II of the conservation plan at
this time,’ ’ said Utley. The
goal in Phase II is a 10 percent
reduction in the level of
electrical usage from what
would normally occur during
a similar weather period.
Should coal supplies continue
to decline to the 30 day level,
the company would then
request appropriate govern
mental authorities to mandate
conservation measures.
“We appreciate the efforts
of our customers in
cooperating with us during
these list few days,’ ’ said
Utley. “However,” he said,”
because the coal strike has
continued longer than any
strike in history, it is
necessary to ask for even
more conservation. We hope
our customers will continue
the spirit of cooperation that
they have shown during the
past 10 days.”
The voltage reduction and
the emergency appeal will
continue in efffect until coal
nippBee’tepiwo,’ *•<
. \ * .
Black Mountain Fire
Black Mountain firemen
responded to two firee last
week.
Approximately HOP damage
resulted from a Are in a fuse
box at the Charlie Stafford
residence at 107 Holly Ave.
February 27. Two trucks and
20 men responded.
On March 2, a truck fire at
Williamson Trucking Co.
caused flSO damage. One
truck and 12 men responded. 1
Fireman Steve King has
been designated Fire
Prevention Officer for the
department. King is available
for inspections of homes and
businesses, as well as for
public service speaking
engagements. An ap
pointment may be made with
him by calling the fire
department at 669-8074 or 669
8732, ext. 0.
From pros to prime ribs
by Du Ward
A person who has a com
plaint about the food at the
Red Rocker Inn might
hesitate to tell it to the former
pro lineman who now
manages the Black Mountain
restaurant.
Don't let his size fool you. he
..tot only welcomes criticism,
he wants to hear it.
“We’re going to experiment
a little with the menu so we
can find out what people like,"
said Tony Gibbon, who with
his wife Karen opened the Inn
for business March 6.
“Our menu is on the limited
side now as far as we' re
concerned,"Gibbon said. “We
don’t want to come on with a
big shebang-we want people
to come back. We’ re going to
take it slow.”
“I think what we want to do
is not just cater to the tourists
-they’ll be here anyway. But
we want to take care of the
iocai people because we’ll be
open year-round,"he said.
Until March 16, the
restaurant will serve only
lunches, which feature
chicken pot pie, beef pep
persteak, Welsh rarebit and
sandwiches. On March 16,
Gibbons said he plans to begin
serving dinners with entrees
of prime rib, country ham.
Southern fried chicken,
stuffed flounder and a
vegetarian plate. His brother,
Frank, will do the cooking.
Gibbon came to the
restaurant business, and
Black Mountain, in a roun
dabout way. He was drafted
out of college in Ohio to play
football for the New England
Patriots in Boston. Because of
what he called “being in the
wrong place at the wrong
time,”he had the opportunity
to play only exhibition games
for two years before quitting
in frustration. From football,
he went into the food
brokerage business in various
cities, finally ending up in the
Chicago area.
‘ We just got fed up with
Chicago,"he said. “I just quit
my Jab and came down.
Actually, we wanted to move
either to the Asheville area or
to Charlottesville (Va.). We
never made it to Charlot
tesville-we just fell in love
with this area.”
Although Gibbon said he and
his brother had hoDes of
r
beginning a restaurant
business since their high
school days, he didn’t learn
that the Bed Rocker was for
sale until October-four
months after' his family
moved here.
Since Tony and Karen
bought the restaurant in
January, they have been busy
remodeling the kitchen and
repairing the heating system.
“This is where we’ve gained
a lot of respect for the people
of Black Mountain,’ ’ Gibbon
said. “They’ve really came to
our aid. That’s good to know
seeing as we are neighbors
now.”
Gibbon said that he has
other plans for the Red
Rocker Inn. His sister, Dee,
will operate a gift shop. The
second floor, now partly used
for living quarters for the
family, will be partially
revamped as an upstairs
dining room. Gibbon said he is
also toying with the idea of
turning some of the guest
rooms into drivate dining
rooms for parties and club
meetings. The rooms would
each have a motif related to
a country house, such as
“Grandma’s Attic”and “The
Parlor,"he said. Although the
number of guest rooms is
being reduced, the Inn will
remain an inn for guests year
round, Gibbon said.
The new inn-keeper seemed
pleased with his home.
"We’re here to stay. When
we moved, we told our kids
when we buy a place, we’re
staying. If people are any in
dication, it’s super here. We’
ve had a lot of problems
getting started, and the people
here have really helped us outV
A leafless tree forms an intricate sillouette against
the sky. (Dan Ward)
The way it was
W ater bonds
passed 45-0
In a day when passing bond
issues is like pulling teeth, and
voter interest is on the wane, it
is refreshing to see how our
now-troubled water and sewer
systems got their start.
The following is an excerpt
from the Black Mountain
minutes of April 13, 1911.
“to the honorable mayor
and board of aldermen of the
town of Black Mountain;
“We, John M. Thomas,
Registrar, and J.C. Doty and
T.W. Ingle, Judges, duly
appointed to hold the election
by the qualified voters of the
Town of Black Mountain upon
the question of the issuance of
bonds by said town to the
amount of $15,000.00 for the
purpose of constructing and
instilling a water-works and
sewerage system for said
town, do hereby make the
following return ot the result
of said election:
“That we held the said
election from sunrise to sunset
on Tuesday, the 11th day of
April, 1911, at the store of W.C.
Hall in said town;
“That the number of voters
registered and qualified to
vote in said election is sixty
two (62);
“That the number of votes
cast in said election FOR
IMPROVEMENT BONDS is
forty five («);*
“That the number of votes
cast in said election AGAINST
IMPROVEMENT BONDS is
none;
“Given under our hands this
11th day of April, 1011.
“John M. Thomas,
Registrar.
“J.C. Doty, Judge.
“J.W. Ingle, Judge.”
Swannanoa Fire
The Swannanoa Fire
Department and Rescue
Squad responded to two
wrecks last week.
On March 2, the rescue
squad responded to a three
car accident on US 70 two
miles east of the traffic light.
Two trucks and nine firemen
washed down after the wreck,
while rescue squad personnel
assisted in the removal of a
couple from one of the
vehicles.
That evening, rescue squad
personnel assisted at another
wreck at US 70 and Buckeye
Cove Road.
The Swannanoa Volunteer
Fire Department Board of
Directors will meet Thursday,
March 9, at 7 p.m. The public
is encouraged to attend.
Well study done
by Dan Ward
A report on the feasibility of
putting a well near the Black
Mountain Golf Course to
supplement the town's water
system will be given to town
officials within a month, said
Town Manager Made Kirk
patrick.
The town has hired John
Neilson of Neilson
Engineering to do the study,
one of a handfull of recom
mendations made by former
Black Mountain Aid. John
Mundy as a short-range
solution to the insufficient
water supply for Black
Mountain.
The advantage of placing a
well and small chlorinator at
the golf course, according to
earlier statements by Mundy,
would be to provide added
pressure to low-pressure
areas on the northwest side of
Black Mountain.
According to Kirkpatrick,
water pressure within Black
Mountain was boosted by 15 to
20 pounds recently with the
repair of a variable speed
pump at the town’s reservoir.
The pump had been broken for
over a year, he said.
He also said that a
replacement has been ordered
for a 1945 model flow meter,
which tells how much water is
flowing out of the reservoir. It
was discovered after last
summer’s drought that the
meter waa malfunctioning,
making water need estimates
difficult. Kirkpatrick said
that f! ling a replacement for
the meter has been difficult
because the company that
made it has gone out of
business, and other meters
are not compatible with the
equipment installed at the
Black Mountain reservoir.
A carpenter does some work on renovgting the lower floor of the Black
Mountain Clubhouse for senior citizen use. The lower floor, when completed,
will be known as the Lakeview Multiservice Center for the Aged. (Dan Ward)
Keever, principal, retires
Ed. oote-A personal tribute
to Mr. Keever by Uva Miracle
appears elsewhere In this
issue.
Leonard Keever, principal
of the Black Mountain
Primary School for 22 years,
retired March 1 at age 55 for
medical reasons.
Keever said that he had
originally intended to retire in
December, but was asked to
stay on by outgoing
Superintendent of Schools
Fred Martin until Martin’s
successor could pick a
replacement.
Jerry Green, who has
served as assistant principal
of Swannanoa School for three
years, is new principal of
Black Mountain Primary
School.
Keever began teaching at
West Buncombe High School
in 1951, and later came to
Black Mountain High School
as a teacher. He began duties
JERRY GREEN
as principal of the primary
school in 1956.
Keever, reflecting on the
two generations of students he
has overseen, praised the
parents of Black Mountain for
the support they gave the
school-and praised the
students for their enthusiasm.
“I always wanted the
children to see that I was their
pal-not somebody who was
going to punish them. I made
it clear that we had certain
rules they had to follow, but
more than anything, I wanted
school to be a fun thing for
them-not a place they should
fear,”Keever said.
Although he has no par
ticular plans for retirement,
Keever said he will devote
some time to borne repairs.
LEONARD KEEVER