Second ctass postage paid at Btach Mountain, NC 28711 Serving * Black Mountain *Swannanoa <r Montreat ^ Ridgecrest ater cr/fiea/, Hew we// 5e t/ri//ed by Dan Ward Water-too little, too dirty, pd unpaid for- topped the pbjects for action by the Slack Mountain Town Board November 13 at its regular tee ting. Town Manager Mack Kirk ptrick toid the board that an tcrease in consumption iast teek piaced the town's water sippiy at "the criticai stage." md said the town may have to Segin purchasing water from Asheville soon. Fourteen days ago, con servation was working well," Kirkpatrick told the board, but now we are down 11 feet, S inches ' ' He said con sumption has risen from M2,MO gallons per day to S3,000. Kirkpatrick told the board pat an additional well could lie drilled on the golf course md m operation in about a teek. The well would utilize Ihe existing chlorinator and Mil house there, and would cost up to $9500 to drill and put in operation. The board voted to use money from an account set sside to install water lines on North Fork Road from Azalea to Montreat Road to pay for a tew well. Money remaining wili be used to fund in stallation of pipe from Azalea to Holly on North Fork, with the remainder tp be done in would stage. ' ^ . r Mayor Sobol noted that Hack Mountain's water may have to be supplemented with Asheville water by Friday, and asked that persons cut back on water use until the new well is producing. As an unintentional reminder of the cost of buying Asheville water, Sobol said he bad approved payment of an M.600 water bill to Asheville tor water purchased during the drought over a year ago. The town had held up paying the bill while negotiations were under way for com pensation from Asheville for water flowing into North Fork Reservoir from Chestnut Cove watershed, for which Black Mountain has water rights. Sobol said it was decided in meeting with Asheville of ficials that the outstanding water bill and negotiations for water rights should be treated !s seperate issues. Aid. Mike Begley said that iormer Mayor Dick Stone has offered his services in negotiations with Asheville on he water rights. Begley said here would be no charge, and hat Stone would be acting in an advisory function, having been familiar with the issue knee the 'Ms. Clean Water Representatives of the Land-Of -Sky Regional Council gave the board a presentation on the goals of the 208 Plan for clean water. Under the plan, all levels of government would work with citizen committees to end water pollution and to establish a goal of swim mable, fishable water by 1983. Bob Purcell and Sherry Montgomery, representing the council's water quality division, asked that the town endorse the plan. Endorsing the plan would not obligate the town to any spending, but only to support of the plan and an agreement to pass and enforce or dinances required to meet the goals, Purcell said. Part of the plan includes passing an estimated (60 million in Clean Water Bonds for Western North Carolina - much of which would go toward establishing the Metropolitan Sewage District as an area wide treatment system. 75 per cent of the bonds would be financed by the En vironmental Protection Agency, and 25 per cent by state and local funding. The board agreed to study the plan, and make a decision on whether to endorse it at the next meeting. McMahan Settlement The board heard from John McMahan, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.E. McMahan, whose house was destroyed by a Black Mountain Fire truck in August. McMahan told the board that his parents could not accept the latest offer given them for damages in the accident-$20,741. He told the board that the expense of putting a modular home on the site, at Blue Ridge Road and Old US 70, has come to $28,438. That amount, he said, did not include personal loss to him or his sister for assisting their parents, nor did it cover the toss of income to him for the last three months, when he missed work & supervise demoiition and rebuilding. McMahan said he would be willing to settle for $30,000 from the town for real damages, and medical ex penses for injuries his parents suffered as a result of losing their home and living in the trailer provided by the town. Sobol told McMahan the board would meet again soon and submit another offer to his parents. HUD Grant Sobol said that the deadline for submission of Com munity Development grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HED) has been moved from March to January 1. He said the board will have to meet in special meeting by the end of November to call an additional hearing for resubmission of a grant ap plication to install water lines and fire hydrants in the Cragmont Community. Horses and Donkey One of the more unusual and lighter items of business was a petition from Theodore Douglas and 36 other residents of the Cragmont Community complaining of the smell, noise and "reproductive acttons' of several horses and a donkey kept within the town limits on West College Street. Sobol said he has resear ched the town ordinances and found that while pigs and goats are prohibited within the city, no mention is made of horses. He did say that the owners of the animals may be charged under ordinances dealing with unclean stables, stables too close to housing, and disturbing the peace. An element of humor was injected after Aid. Ruth Brandon, a Republican, suggested donkeys be outlawed in the town iimits. Aid. Jim Norton jokingiy charged the aiderwoman with piaying poiitics on the non partisan board. Soboi suggested that Poiice Chief Crait Siagie warn the owners to remove the animais or be charged under existing ordinances. Sidewalks Kirkpatrick toid the board that sidewalks had been completed on Cherry Street. Montreat Road and Church Street- He said that between !200 and $1000 remains in the Cherry Street allocation. Aid. A.F. tyson said that as soon as the remaining amount is determined, he would like to see the remainder spent to complete as many additional feet of brick sidewalk on Cherry Street as possible. Cent on page 10 z^art owe— Volunteerism thrives at valley schools as schools in tie fact, it may have been aided by the defeat of a bond issae aimed at hiring more teachers. Gene Deiiiner, principal of Black Mountain Grammar School, said Hie phenomenon is a positive backlash to the generation gap of the SO's and' ts 60s. The phenomenon volunteerism More parents and interested citizens are spending two R6y c!___ e. And the help they give goes beyond fund raisers and athietic boosting. Parents are working in roles once reserved for teachers, such as reading and math instructors and librarians "I think volunteerism is the way to overcome overcrowded ctassrooms - 1' m tired of hearing about overcrowded classrooms,' ' said parent volunteer Landy Qualls, a former teaeher herself who cammufes with her chHd from Enha to Carver School each day. Carver Optional School, as one might expect, is a sort of showcase for volunteerlsm. Out of 54 households represented at the school, there will usually be 20 adult volunteers at the school each Parent votunteers average two to a ctassroom at Carver. ('Dan Ward) day, according to Mrs. Qualls. Virtually every parent has turned out for special events such aa building a playground or producing a play. Without volunteers, &e open classroom concept could not work at Carver, she said. While in-school parent aid is not as overwhelming at other valley schools, it is thriving. At Swannanoa School, a group of parents and grand parents in the PTA established a student bookstore on their own initiative. The closet-turned stationer, manned by volunteers, has proven to be a huge success. Besides getting children involved in running a small business and saving parents the inconvenience of leaving work to buy school supplies, the two-for-a-nickel eraser shop has shown a considerable profit. And those who want to work directly in education are welcomed, according to Principal Bin Williams. "We heavily use those who are available - mostly in the primary grades'', he said. Beside M parent volunteers, the school will have 25 Warren Wilson College students, Owen students, and upper grade Junior Beta Club members helping teach remedial reading and math. Do teachers at Swannanoa School feel their authority is threatened by sharing teaching duties? "If I had five student teachers next quarter, I'd have 20 teachers running after them, "Williams said,. To emphasize die point, he held up a card passed to each teacher asking if he or she would like volunteer aides. Each name had "yes'written after it. Black Mountain Primary School began actively seeking volunteers only a month ago. From a beginning of 10 parents then, there are now 20 who are working with small groups or individuals on reading. Another 15 shouldered the annual school fund raiser. Jerry Green, principal of the Primary School, said the volunteer program has started off on a cautious, but optimistic footing. While Cont on page 10 A reversed photo o/ construction on the bridge across 7-10 in Ridgecrest is a study in geometric shapes. (Dan Ward, graphics by Taylor) y4s/t/ey to /cave Retreatjoost Monroe Ashley, executive director of the Mountain Retreat Association says he will seek a less public, more academic post after com pleting four years at the helm of the association on Sep tember 30, 1979. Citing his experience thus far with the Association as "instructive, productive and fulHliing," Ashley stated that "vocational and other per sonal considerations'' led to this decision. The continuing good working relationship with the Association' s Management Council was affirmed both by Ashley and the council' s chairperson, Charles W. Bell of Greenville, SC. The Rev. Ashley was profuse in his praise for the Mountain Retreat Association' s staff. Together their prime responsibly is operation of the Montreat Conference Center. This work is carried on under the ownership and auspices of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Ashley came to his present duties in October, 1975. He entered the four-year term of office with a varied background - pastor, college chaplain, management counsultant, camp director and conference center promotion director. He grew up in Greenville, SC. He is married to the former Roberta Harris of Brevard. The Ashleys reside on Virginia Road in Mon treat, along with their three children - Matt, John and Alison. The Mountain Retreat Association has an 41-year history in Montreat as an agency for conferencing. It fostered early development of that community, giving life to Montreat-Anderson College and the development of the Town of Montreat. Today its primary wok is the Montreat Conference Center, and it still owns and operates the town's water system. Ashley expressed the hope that the neat 10 and one-half months would see orderly changeover for the association and a fruitful time as he and his family re-orients. To this he pledged "full measure of loyalty, enthusiasm and hard work." Mection 78—Voting here in line with county by Dtn Ward H voting patterns in the twannanoa Vaiiey show Mything, it is that voters here 'ant with the majority in the Member 7 elections. ^ only one race, for U S. apresentative to the House, M voters here disagree with a* majority. A sub-total of all ^scincta from Broad River to Seville gave Curtis Ratcliff ' t?5 vote majority over in ^nnbant Lamar Gudzer Inwever. if only votes from ^ Owen School district are E — used, RatcUff ted the Democratic congressman by only four votes here Perhaps the most surprising outcome in voting here came in the three contested seats for schooi board, in spite of a last minute campaign by parents to oust incumbents from the Erwin and Reynoids districts, resuits were ciose. Official taiiies for the vaiiey show those incumbents, Russeii Knight and Rue ben Caidweii, iosers by iess than 80 votes each. The N.C. Board of Elections as of Monday, was shli checking figures in the race between Caidweii and Bruce Dean Pike from the Erwin and Reynoids districts, resuits were ciose. Official tallies for the valley show those incumbants still checking figures in the race between Caldwell and Bruce Dean Pike for the Erwin seat to determine a winner or call for a new vote. The Swannanoa Vailey, with the exception of two precincts, also feil within a state-wide average of 55 to 60 per cent voter turnout. Those exceptions were Black Mountain precinct 3, where 77 per cent went to the polls, and Broad River, where only 47.7 per cent turned out. Although heavy voting in Black Mountain' s third precinct would indicate heavy voting for Lacy Haith, the only Black and only Republican running for state represen tative, the challenger did no better there than in most precincts, where he lost miserably. Most of Black Mountain's Black community lies in precinct 3. Haith, as well as all Republicans, did best in Broad River, carrying the majority in that small precinct. With the exception of U S. Sen. Jesse Helm' s bid for re election and Ratcliff a challenge to Gudger, all other precincts went over wheimingly in favor of Democrats. x denotes incumbant Biack Mountain i Biack Mountain 2 Biack Mountain 3 Biack M dim tain 4 Broad River RiceviMe Swannanoa 1 Swannanoa 2 Board of Education Enxa Pruitt 54 8H 107 13 163 34 109 67 115 129 65 13 153 72 198 Erwin Pike E.E. Caldwell x 81 85 59 82 172 164 76 64 10 7 165 143 40 87 288 359 Reynolds DeWeese Knight x 82 66 83 79 196 121 68 91 14 9 IK 267 47 56 339 143 Stack Mountain l Stack Mountain 2 Btack Mountain ! Biack Mountain 4 Broad River Riceviiie Swaananoa 1 Swannanoa 2 gggsgggga NC Senate gimd(D) x SHaiaJD) x Krause (R) Morgan (R) ZH 197 105 Z" 157 154 *! 206 205 MM 21! 206 K 62 50 2*9 355 350 MS mo 139 MB 337 340 NC House Clarke (D) x^ghon (D) 232 232 266 275 352 377 273 277 40 35 364 396 153 167 499 436 Greenwood (D) x Nesbitt (D) x Haith (R) 177 132 131 172 62 294 122 233 311 398 304 33 365 176 497 267 332 265 41 40V 177 471 US Senate hgram (D)_Hgtgs (R) a 290 265 247 23! 367 306 226 305 36 91 347 476 155 !94 440 415 US House Gudger(D)x 317 256 354 243 39 335 155 429 Ratcliff (R) 249 223 313 286 90 506 202 436 Clerk of Court Elingburg (D) x Carrier (R) TE!- Hi 2M i33 352 245 34 389 158 450 :eo 161 63 280 113 259 Sheriff MjpSgeXfD) 279 33 491 197 534 Clay (R) 213 173 177 i70 92 307 155 295

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