Serving— 3t Black Mountain, NC 28711 I^.ld^'(3C*l*(^St Thursday, April 20, 1978, Vol. 24. No. 26 1|¥,^^rv p /*/i?lJ||||p WpiS ’%*' >,l^,t pte | ?/- ^ ———————15 cents per copy Youth Park grant approval likely’ by Dan Ward Due to what appears to be a case of secretarial bungling, Black Mountain officials have seen assuming that a $25,000 3ureau of Outdoor Recreation BOR) grant has either been icrapped or.tied up in months if bureaucratic paperwork, he News learned this week. According to Robert iasmght. assistant director of he BOR department of the NC iepartment of Natural tesources and Community )evelopment, a letter to the own saying the town's youth enter park grant application ras not approved, and was eing held until a May review, ras actually in error. Basnight said that the town’ application had been already pproved on the state level ist November, but somehow ot mixed in with new ap lications in March. "As far as we're concerned, our grant was approved in lovember," Basnight said. Basnight said that the ap Lication was supposed to be ent to Atlanta, Ga., to be :viewed by federal officials i December, but that his redecessor, Ronnie Denton, id failed to send it off in me. To offset the delay, Bsnight aeM that he has kown the^application to a ■dreal grant analyst, who has ■commended revisions that |buJd be recommended by Ideral authorities in Atlanta liyhow. Those recommendations, asnight said, are that the >wn submit a plat map for the •oject, a 100-year flood plan, i site boundary map, and omplete the original site map a show the south boundary of the proposed park. Basnight said that federal approval of the giant in a “very short time’ ’ was vir tually assured unless the area proved susceptable to flooding. Basnight said he would need the additional information before passing the application on to Atlanta, but noted that the application should be acceptable there with that information The $25,000 BOR grant, if approved, would pay one-half, with Black Mountain paying the other half, of the cost of creating a recreation park below the Lake Tomahawk dam. Facilities would include tennis courts, a baseball field, basketball courts, a playground area, parking and landscaping. The Black Mountain Town Board at its last meeting allocated its share of $25,000 set aside for the park to begin renovations on the golf clubhouse, with an informal agreement to budget $25,000 for the park out of the 1978-79 budget, if the grant is ap proved. Black Mountain Mayor Tom Sobol, when told by the News of the mistake, commented that he did not know that the grant had actually been ap proved on the state level, but saw no problem in obtaining alternative funding for the town's share. He suggested that the $25,000 could be ob tained within the town budget if the project had to be started before the town received its 1978-79 share of revenue sharing funds. He added that he would notify Town Manager Mack Kirkpatrick and the Town Board of the mistake for action at a special meeting already scheduled for last Monday evening. Kirkpatrick told the board at the meeting that he con* firmed most information obtrained by the News by calling Raleigh LaRoche, grant analyst handling Black Mountain’s application. In addition, Kirkpatrick said that he obtained a hand* written letter postmarked April 4 from LaRoche on April 10 describing what additional information was needed in relation to the grant. Kirk patrick said that the letter, along with two pieces of needed information, mysteriously appeared on his desk the day of the last regular board meeting. Kirk patrick said he had no idea who left the letter and in formation on his desk, and indicated that the letter had probably been intercepted and opened days earlier. He said he did not know who would have done it. Kirkpatrick said that of ficial written confirmation of the mixup in Raleigh would be forthcoming from Sandra Babb, director of the grants program. W He also noted that he has been notified that the town will receive enough revenue sharing money to fund its share of the grant, and that over 111,900 of that money should arrive as early as July. The board was not able to take action on recent developments at the special meeting. Dogwood blooms colored the mountains like flocks of butterflies last week. (Dan Ward) 1978 street repairs approved by board by Dan Ward The Black Mountain Town Board voted April 17 to overspend Powell Bill funds given the town by ap proximately )5000 in ac cepting a street paving bid of $45,186.95 from Paving En terprises for 1978 street im provements. Rather than cut down on paving and repaving projects selected by the board after examining street conditions last month, the board decided to pay about $5000 of the cost out of Powell Bill funds ex pected for next year. Town Manager Mack Kirkpatrick Elderly center almost completed by Dan Ward Work on the new Lake View Multi-Service Center for the Aged is expected to be completed by the beginning of June, according to Project Director Irene Stephenson. The center, located downstairs of the Lake Tomahawk Clubhouse, will indude offices, a living-room like area, a craft shop and kitchen. The center will be equipped with a color television, library, couches and chairs, and will have facilities for shuffleboard, piano playing, checkers and cards, Mrs. Stephenson said. Workmen have already completed most wiring, in Lib Harper Friendship is her battle cry by Dan Ward If the old expression, "kill them with kindness "were true, Ub Harper would have 100 notches in her smile. Elizabeth Harper, who mastered the art of friendly confrontation in working for integration in the Valley years ago, is taking her smile and energy to another cause—as new chairperson for the Buncombe County Com mission on the Status of Women. The housekeeping manager at the Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center is not new to working for women& rights. She has worked with the commission for some years, but took the chair only this March. “We Ye just trying to get our feet off the ground now,’ ’ she said. “Our goals are a little different now than they were in 1975-76.” While the overall goal remains “equal opportunity for equal pay, equal r responsibilities’ ’ for women, she said, the commission is now working on improving the Women’s Center to provide an awareness education center for women and a counseling service for battered wives. A main concern of the commission now is getting funds from Buncombe County and the City of Asheville. Ms. Harper also plans to meet with Gov. Jim Hunt soon to en courage more state-level support for women’s rights. She noted that the governor’s wife has been active in work for women’s right. Ms Harper agreed that she would fall into the category of feminist. “1 really don't like that label, but to some degree, yes. I strictly supported ERA,"she said. A more appropriate label would probably be in dividualist. “I'm sort of pushed out in front. I see needs where nobody else will take a stand— and I do, "she said. Although, as in the case of both civil rights and women’s rights, she is speaking out on a social issue, she said she will ap proach an antagonist as an individual. # “People should sit down as intelligent individuals and talk and negotiate. This pushing just doesn't make iense to me,” she said. One case where iieg’-iialion paid off was an attempt by her, acting alone, to get a Valley businessman to in tegrate his business during the ‘ 60s. The man told her that blacks and whites were not meant to use the same facilities. “I admired him because he was totally honest and I can appreciate honesty in anyone,” she said. “You see, he was taught that. You can’t blame him because he was taught that from a child up.’’ Long talks and logic finally convinced the man to give up his bigoted beliefs, and opened the business to black patrons. As in that case, Ms. Harper sees public awareness of lifelong misconceptions as the route to bettering employment and status conditions of women. “:I think most people are aware of this (inequities between the sexes), but we’re trying to bring it out in the open and keep it before the public,” she said. “A couple of years ago we sent out some questionaires and did a telephone survey to find out the various im pressions. You’d be surprised. The salaries of women as compared to men doing the same work. Even in in dustry—it’ s way out of proportion. And education way below men,"she said. “I do think the picture has changed somewhat in the last five years. More young men are willing to stay home, babysit, wash the dishes,’’she said. The way to keep the ball rolling, she said, is to follow the teachings of her father He told her, she said, to recogni:; the dignity of the individual and, above all, love everyone. stalled paneling, and put up cabinets. Renovation of the lower floor for the center is being funded by a $23,000 Title V grant with $7000 in addition provided by the town. For additional equipment, the center is seeking donations from local civic organizations, Mrs. Stephenson said. The canter, when com pleted, will serve 23 percent of the senior citizens living in the Swannanoa Valley, she said. The center will serve as cultural, recreational, social, educational, nutritional and employment center for the valley’s elderly, she added. Adult education and craft classes will be provided at the center through Asheville Buncombe Technical In* stitute, she said. A Planning and Advisory Board made up of senior citizens will advise her on what programs and services are wanted by participants, Mrs. Stephenson said. A director, three part-time service aids and a number ot volunteers will guide programs at the center, she said, r • Site Manager Nancy Talmage and Project Director Irene Stephenson look from serving window in the nearly-completed kitchen of the Multi-service Center for the Elderly. (Dan Ward) Lumber store breakin Various tools, including four sets of socket wrenches, valued at $212, were taken in a breakin early April 17 at Black Mountain Lumber on Sutton Avenue. According to police, entry was gained through a south window of the business bet ween 2:30 and 3:05 a.m. A store representative said that the window was very small, indicating a small person was responsible for the theft. There were no suspects. A 13-year-old boy has been charged with breaking and entering of a residence on High School Koad April 14 in a separate incident, according to police. In another development, Norman Grady Taylor, 23, of Powder Springs, Ga., pleaded guilty to robbery with a dangerous weapon in con nection with the theft of $1000 in drugs from PSA Pharmacy in Swannanoa in January. Taylor was sentenced to 20 to 28 years in prison by Superior Court Judge Robert I), l^wis April 10. —_ -_-_ said that Paving Enterprises would be willing to wait for the additional money. Scheduled for “hot mix’ ’ surfacing or resurfacing are Center Street, lower Sunset Drive, 100 feet of Lakey Street, 75 feet of Cook’s alley, Travel Lane, Ruby Avenue, Dougherty Street from Or chard to State Street, Lauel Circle from Montreat Road to Tomahawk, both ends of Hilltop, 75 feet of Fairway Drive, Pleasant Drive from the cul-de-sac to Dogwood, 75 feet of the lower end of Chapel Drive, 30 feet at the bottom and 75 feet at the top of Dogwood, Tenth Street from Cherokee to Azalea, and Azalea from between Ninth and Tenth to the town limits. Streets scheduled for bituminous paving or resealing are part of West View Avenue, Brookside, Dilling Avenue, Briarbrook Lane, Beech Tree Road, Pearl Street west, Swannanoa Avenue from First Street to East College, Second Avenue from Swannanoa to Altamahan, East College from Swannanoa to US 70, Chicago, West Fifth Street, Sixth Street from Tomahawk to Oconcechev North JP* Lane, anil Tenth Street from Cherokee to Azalea. Aid. A.F. Tyson, who coordinated the street study, said that some streets wcl receive bituminous coatings in preparation for paving next year. The board spent two days making an inspection of tffl the town’s streets before making the recom mendations, he said. Free Golf and Swimming The board adopted four amendments to an ordinance passed at the last board meeting allowing designated volunteer firemen and police free golf privileges. The board passed an amendment propose p by Aid. Ruth Brandon ro give designated town employees and volunteers the choice of either free golf or free swimming privileges. . The board also accepted three amendments by Aid. Tyson. They were that all active volunteer firemen and auxiliary police recom mended by their respected chiefs be given free recreation privileges, that lists of those persons be given to the golf superintendent and pool managers, and that the privileges expire at the end of the present board’s term Trailer Zoning The board also heard an argument from Lloyd Robinson why he should be allowed to put a double-wide mobile home on a lot not zoned for mobile homes. Rob&tson first applied for a building permit for the home in May 1977. Zoning Board of Ad justments Chairman Robert Fischer said that the board was unable to grant the permit because of the wording of the town’s ordinance regarding V vfoing, and that Uifc Case c£ulJ not be interpreted as a hard ship in legal terms. Mayor Sobol called the case v a hardship, and asked if the permit could not be recon sidered because the building could be considered a modular home. Sobol noted that the Town Board had no authority to grant the permit, but could ask the Board of Adjustments to reconsider from a more humanitarian standpoint. Fischer said the Board of Adjustments would take up the request again, but would not be able to change its decision as long as no hew factors are brought up. 1 Intentional fires set in Swannanoa Swannanoa firemen were called on to put out four brush fires last week—all of them thought to be set intentionally. Fireman Barry Roberts said there are suspects in two of the fires, but that there are apparently no witnesses to the setting of any of the fires. On April 11, two trucks and nine men put out a brush fire on Watson Road. (continued on page 10) While U.S. Rep. Lamar Gudger defended his mailings to constituents in a speech at the Monte Vista Hotel April 14, congressional candidate Bo Thomas criticized the congressmen’s mail bill at coffee hour at Burger Hutt. (Dan Ward)

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