Serving—
^ Ridgecrest
Thursday, May 215, 1978, Vol. 24. No. 31 15 cents per copy
I A wind-warped pine is sillouetted in the sunset as seen from Shining Rock, near Brevard. (Dan Ward)
I Courts sought in Montreat dispute
by Bill Lamkla
The North Carolina attorney
literal's office is asking a
art decision on whether the
ustees of the Mountain
streat Association are
crating legally.
George W. Boylan, assistant
tomey general, confirmed
re are in the process of
irking up a complainf'to be
ed with the Buncombe
Dunty Superior Court.
The N.C. attorney general's
fice was asked a year ago by
e Rev Parker T. Williamson
Lenoir, to investigate
hether the Montreat
anagement Council is
instituted legally under
rms set fourth in its
declaration of trust.
The request came in the
wake of a sale of two
buildings, the Fellowship 1*01
and Howerton Hall, by the
trustees to Mentreat
Anderson College for use as
dormitories.
Boy lan said the association
was established in 1890 as a
private organization to ad
minister some 4,000 acres of
land in the Blue Ridge
Mountains that had been given
to the church. In the early
1900s, some of the holders of
stock in the association
decided to put the stock into
trust. A declaration of trust
was prepared, under which
the association was to operate.
The trustees, as a self
perpetuating board, were to
elect their successors and the
church was to nominate
-^didates
But in the 1960s, Boylan
said, the trustee board was
phased out of exiatance
because the church began to
elect the trustees. Boylan said
Williamson asked the attorney
general’s office to look into
the situation, since the state
oversees -charitable trusts
Such as this. Boylan said It
will take a couple of weeks for
his office to prepare the court
action. “We are not taking
sides,"he explained. But, he
said, there are questions that
need to be answered. These
answers will be of benefit to
the state in future cases, he
noted.
Boylan said the p.esent
members of the . Montreat
(continued on page i0)
Clean-up Day
set June 17
by Dan Ward
Plans for a Swannanoa
alley Cleanup Day have been
«de, and volunteers have
sgun work to enlist groups
iu businesses for projects to
(done June 17.
Bertha Jones and Dot
atkins of the Black Motin
ln Town Improvement
ornmittee met with the Black
ountam News and set June
as the day for a Valley-wide
ean-up and fix-up.
The committee approved a
an to enlist civic
rganizations in general
eautification projects and
“‘nesses in self
iautification projects for the
'l1 Suggestions included
Minting, planting flowers,
^ designing attractive
'ndow displays for
“‘nesses; and roadside
'er pickup, recycling drives.
cleaning vacant lots and
painting unsightly brick walls
for civic groups.
The Swannanoa Valley
Chamber of Commerce and
Town of Black Mountain have
endorsed the Cleanup Day
plans.
Groups and businesses that
have already agreed to help
either in promotion or with a
project for Cleanup Day are
the Black Mountain News,
Boy Scout Troop 50, the XYX
Club and Appalachian Wind
chime Factory.
The committee also
recommended that churches
be asked to promote and
organize their own projeccts.
The Black Mountain News
will serve as a center for
coordinating and promoting
various projects. Persons whc
wish to serve as advisors for
business projects may also
contact the News at 660-8728.
Brides!!!!!
fle sure to get your engagement
>r wedding announcements in to the
Veics by Monday evening to be
included in our special color
June Bride edition June 1.
Photos will be returned.
Fire bounds still pending
by Clint Williams
Local industry voiced strong
support for the retention of
current fire district boun
daries at an informal public
hearing held Wednesday, May
17 at Owen High School.
Chairman R. Curtis Rat
cliff, the only member of the
Board of Commissioners
present, opened the hearing
by stating that the hearing
was not official and “not
required by law or anything,
so obviously no decisions can
be made tonight.”
Before receiving comments
from the floor, Ratcliff
presented to the group of
approximately 100 Valley
residents the four alternatives
available for settling the
boundary dispute between the
Swannanoa and Black
Mountain fire departments.
The first alternative — the
commissioners could do
nothing and leave the fire
protection as it is, with some
businessses paying Black
Mountain on a contract basis
and the rest, including most
residential properties, giving
voluntary contributions for
fire protection. The ad
vantages to this idea are that
it is the simplest and least
expensive to the residents and
businesses concerned. The
only disadvantage is that the
residents of Black Mountain
are paying taxes to protect
citizens and property outside
the town.
In the second, Swannanoa
could be allowed to expand to
its four mile limit. This plan
would raise taxes and in
surance premiums on all
property in the area.
The third alternative is the
commissioners could
negotiate a compromise
boundary which might be
agreeable to both fire
departments as well as the
residents.
In the last proposal, the
commissioners could also set
up the entire area outside
Black Mountain as a special
service district, taxing the
property in it at a uniform rate
for fire protection from Black
Mountain.
Of the four proposals,
Ratcliff termed the one calling
for a special service contract
"the least desirable.”
The majority of the com
ments from the floor were in
favor of retaining the present
boundaries, and most of the
citizens who spoke were
representatives of local in
dustry.
Their major reason for
maintaining the current
relationship with the Blade
Mountain Fire Department
cited was the lower insurance
costs they enjoyed as a result
of the higher insurance rating
of the “full-time' ’ Black
Mountain Fire Department. A
spokesman from Ingles
warehouse said that a shift in
the boundaries would result in
a $35,000 increase in the
company’ s insurance
premiums. Chester Prentice,
speaking for Highland Farms,
said that he thought it ex
pensive to “give eight or nine
dollars to some insurance
company in Minnesota for
every dollar given to Swan
nanoa.”
Fred Myers, president of the
Swannanoa Volunteer Fire
Department, prefaced his
arguments for adjusting the
boundaries by stating that he
hoped that the boundary
dispute would not cause a rift
in the spirit of the Owen High
School district, a district
made up of both Black
Mountain and Swannanoa.
Myers’ primary argument
for the expansion of the
Swannanoa fire district was
the need to expand the
restricted tax base that the
district now has.
He also questioned the “full
time’ ’ status of the Blade
Mountain fire department,
citing the fact that there are
only five paid firemen and not
all are on duty at one time. He
also said that not all of the
district had a 7-suburban fire
rating, as suggested.
Fire cost analysis
Response aside, money is issue
by Clint Williams
Economics, as well as ef
ficiency, figures heavily in the
raging controversy over the
altering of the current fire
district boundaries.
The primary argument
against the extension of
Swannanoa’s fire district to
the four-mile radius approved
by the state from the fire
station, is that against the
resulting increase in taxes and
insurance costs.
Because the Swannanoa
Fire Department has no paid
full-time staff and is a
volunteer fire department, the
best fire insurance rating it
can offer the residences of its
district is 9AA. The Black
Mountain Fire Department
fire district has a higher 7
Suburban rating.
According to a memo issued
by William M. Tsylw of the
Buncombe County Planning
Board, “a typical fxample of
a $100 deductible, form No. 2
insurance policy, on a *30,000
home, would be assessed the
following premiums baaed on
the different ratings:’ ’ A
$30,000 home in the Black
Mountain fire district would
pay $106 per year, while the
same home in the Swannanoa
district would pay yearly
premiums of $1144127. Based
on the assumption that these
proportions would be the same
for any valued residence, the
average insurance premiums
for home owners currently in
the Black Mountain fire
district would increase 7
percent to 20 percent if the
■bouplartes were changed t*
1» itide these hennas m the
Swannanoa district, according
to Taylor.
The contested area now
enjoys tax-free Are protection
from the Black Mountain Fire
Department, although many
residences and industries in
the area give donations to the
department. Although no area
by area break-down is
available, donations totaled
$11,200.65 as of May 18.
Some figures for donations
given by industrial and
commercial concerns lying
within the wedge of land
under dispute are available.
Singer-Kearfott and Drexel
Heritage are two of the in
dustries that have fire
protection contracts with the
oft” xt Black Mountain.
Singer-Kearfott gives $1,000
annually,' while Drexel con
tributes $400 a year. WNC
(continued on page 10)
Day care centers—not just babysitters now
by Dan Ward
The Valley’ s day care
centers all stand as testimony
that they no longer exist only
as a babysitting service for
working mothers, but have
become early learning in
stitutions where children can
socialize at a young age.
Perhaps the most novel is
the Warren Wilson Child
Center operating behind the
chapel at Warren Wilson
College. Parents and college
students keep the private
center going.
The center began in 1972,
and continues to be governed
by a group of parents making
it a cooperative. The college
Teacher Beth Collins mediates turns on the tire
swing at the Warren Wilson day care center. (Dan
Ward)
and church co-sponsor it.
“One thing that’s exciting
for the children is that theyget
to meet foreign students,’’said
Director Kathy Mosely.
“They come into contact with
all sorts of people.”
like other Valley day care
centers, the children at taken
on field trips where they can
learn more about their
surroundings. Trips include
visits to the Nature Center,
libraries, fire departments
and picnics.
During the summer, the
children take less trips and
are allowed more time to
interact with each other, Mrs.
Mosely said.
“We want to give each child
a chance to develop their own
personalities—
feeling s . We talk a lot
about things,"she said.
“We try to get away from
sex stereotypes—where girls
play with dolls and boys with
trucks.” A mixed group of
children nearby verified that
as a girl dumptruck driver
picked up a load of sand from
a boy truck driver in the
sandbox.
The main attraction of the
day care center, however,
seems to be its connection
with the college.
“The students give us an
opportunity to provide a lot of
personal attention,’ ’ Mrs.
Mosely said. Students will
work with the children as part
of their required campus work
requirement or as part of a
class prqject. Some will visit
just to experience the open
ness and simplicity of
children.
“Some guys, especially
during the summer, come
down and play with the
children. It’s really neat
guess they’re just lcnely,”the
director said.
Many of the practices at the
center have sophisticated
reasoning behind them.
Students are taken seriously
in their comments so that Mrs.
Mosely and teacher Beth
Collins can help the children
when they are stuggling to
understand concepts about the
world around them. Treating
them more like adults allows
them to “develop a positive
self-concept,’ ’ Mrs. Mosely
said.
Each child also has a cubby
hole, so that he or she can
collect things of individual
value—be they rocks or bottle
caps or whatever. Having a
space of their own instills a
feeling of responsibility.
While in most ways it is not
unique from other centers,
Warren Wilson’s seems to
demonstrate that the centers
have evolved into a needed
alternative to simply day-time
care.
“In a lot of ways, it’s a lot
like the home-type at
mosphere,’’Mrs. Mosely said.
tL ^ mmm/