Serving
Thursday, December 14. 1978, Vol. 25, No. 7
* Black Mountain
* Swannanoa
* Montreat
* Ridgecrest
Second ctass postage paid
at Btach Mountain. NC 28711
OM M?a^er
by Dan Ward
The Black Mountain Town
Board rejected a counter
proposal from the McMahans,
heard that the town's collision
assurance had been cancelled,
and held some political
sparring on water
negotiations at its regular
meeting December 11.
The board rejected a
counter proposal of $25,000
from the attorney of Mr. and
Mrs. J. E McMahan for
damage done to their home by
a Black Mountain fire truck
August 1.
On the recommendation of
Aid. Mike Begley, the board
rejected the proposal and set
a 10-day time limit for the
McMahans to accept an
earlier offer of $22,500 by the
board. The McMahans had
earlier asked $29,611 for
replacement of the home,
valued at $16,870. (See related
story).
Insurance
Town Manager Mack Kirk
patrick also told the board
that alternatives may be
worked out to obtain collision
coverage for Black Mountain
vehicles since it had been
cancelled by Maryland
casualty. (See related article)
* He Said that *'he town* s
police cars can be covered,
but with MOO - $1000 deduc
tabie, by the end of the week.
Aiso, equipment such as
walky-talkies and radios can
aiso be insured, he said.
On the recommendation of
insurance agents, ait town
emptoyees wiH attend a
driving improvement school
on defensive driving. Kirk
patrick added.
Water negotiations
A partisan fog rested on
debate over whether ad
ditional members should be
appointed to participate in
negotiations on Chestnut Cove
water rights with the City of
Asheviiie.
Aid. Ruth Brandon noted
that at the last meeting, the
board approved having for
mer Mayor Richard Stone join
Begiey and Aid. John Kiuttz in
the negotiations because of his
official and legal background.
Mrs. Brandon suggested
that Water Superintendent A1
White, Aid. A. F. Tyson, and
former Mayor Margaret
Slagle be appointed to the
team, because of their in
volvement in water
negotiations with Asheville in
the past.
Begley and Mayor Tom
fobo! said they felt that me
committee would be too large
to be able to work with five
persons from Asheville. Aid.
Brandon countered that
White, Tyson and Mrs. Slagle
were passed over as the most
obvious persons to represent
the town.
The board agreed that
Tyson and White would join
the others as advisors, but
that all would not meet with
Asheville officials.
Mrs. Slagle said she would
decline working on the
committee to remove political
innuendo from the discussion.
New well
Kirkpatrick told the board
that a second well drilled at
the Black Mountain Golf
Course may prove to be a
failure. He said preliminary
reports show the well will not
produce as much water as
hoped for However, he said
geologists have told him that if
it produces as little as 25
gallons per minute, it would be
worthwhile installing a pump.
Despite drilling delays, the
town has moved from the
acute water shortage it was in,
Kirkpatrick said. The water
level at the reservoir is down 9
feet 6 inches - up from 12 feet,
hp said.
Special meeting
Sobol called a special
meeting for December 28, at 7
p m. to approve any local bill
legislation the board would
like to see passed by the
General Assembly.
One of those items will be a
bill to solve a controversy over
whether property owned by
the Dickenses and Lehmans is
actually annexed to the town.
Sobol suggested that other
business may be placed on the
agenda for that evening.
Cemetery
The board also approved,
with Tyson opposed, to accept
responsibility for removing
brush and keeping g grass
mowed at the Old Black
Mountain Cemetery.
Before proceeding with
maintenance, the town will
hold a public hearing.
Tyson opposed the action,
saying the town should clean
the grounds wee, but require
plot owners to maintain
graoves. Cost to the town of
maintaining the cemetery was
estimated at $290 to $300 per
year by Kirkpatrick. No
provision for perpetual care
was made when the town sold '
plots at tha turn oi the cen
tury. However, a specia]
committee appointed to study
the problem with upkeep there
found that many families of
persons buried at the
cemetery could not be found.
Dispatcher grant
The board voted to accept
an alternative to decreased
three-year funding for the
LEAA grant for police
dispatchers.
A provision requiring the
town to pay only $1524 for the
second year was adopted.
Should the town want the
dispatchers a third year, it
would have to pay the entire
cost, estimated at $30,487.
(Con't. on page 10)
The time between /ait and winter iingers in expectation. ^Mountain Living Magazine)
Town collision insurance cut
by Dan Ward
Bids from insurance
companies across the state
are expected within two weeks
to repiace coiiision insurance
denied Biack Mountain by its
previous insurer. Maryland
Casualty, according to Town
Manager Mack Kirkpatrick
Kirkpatrick was notified a
month ago that Maryiand
Casualty wouid continue to
carry liability insurance for
town vehicles, but would drop
collision on December 11.
Aithough the company gave
no reason for the cancellation,
ft was apparently mobvated
by the current rash of ac
cidents invoiving town
vehicles, Kirkpatrick said
Within the iast six months,
four police cars, a street
department pickup truck and
two fire engines have been in
accidents - some totai tosses
Kirkpatrick said the c. n
Cragwont water, drainage seen as grant priories
by Dan Ward
Seventeen persons toid a
specia] committee holding
hearings for a new Depart
ment of Housing and Urbar
Devetopment Community
Development Grant ap
plication that new water lines
and fire hydrants were still a
priority for the Cragmont
Community on December 7.
In addition, five of those
Theodore Dougias teiis a speciai HUD grant committee that drainage
persons said that better
drainage is also needed in the
area, where rainwater often
creates streams in gravel
roads and ponds in residents'
yards.
All but two who spoke said
that an earlier application for
up to $500,000 worth of 10-inch
water lines and fire hydrants
should be duplicated - with
possibly an amendment to
provide for more efficient
drainage.
A few persons also repeated
an earlier complaint for the
benefit of town officials
present about a number of
ponies kept at a residence on
West College Street. One said
that although Black Mountain
Police had approached the
owner, the ponies remain.
Some complained that they no
longer open windows or sit
outside because of the smell.
Other recommendations
came from Corine Carson,
who suggested some gravel
streets be blacktopped;
Margaret Slagle, who asked
for water lines in the Kerlee
Heights area and Robert Lee
Stepp, who asked for street
improvements.
Creola Austin asked that
citizens be given the op
Survey response var:et%
by Dan Ward
Results of a survey by the
Fews to get citizen response to
Negotiations between the
[own of Biack Mountain and
J E. McMahans, whose
ne was destroyed by a
f'0<h Mountain fire truck
fogust i, may give town
erd members no better idea
how the voters fee) than
store.
survey, which ran for
' weeks, drew 2) responses
persons ciaiming to be
ack Mountain taxpayers. In
lition, two persons who said
*y iived outside the city
Ponded. Those two tetters
on page two.
[Suggested settiement
offered ranged from
nothing above $10,000 paid by
the town's liability insurance
to $50,000 - some $21,000 more
than the McMahans
requested.
The average suggested
settlement figure is $26,83$,
less than the figure the Mc
Mahans's son, John, gave as
the cost of replacing the house
- $28,116. Sis responses
ranged from that figure to
$29,661, the amount asked by
the McMahans.
Only one respondent gave
$22,500 - the amount offered to
date by the town board - as
the best settlement figure.
Four gave $16,870 - the
assessed valuation of the
former house - as the best
offer, whiie two suggested the
town pay nothing beyond its
iiabiiity coverage of HO,000.
The latest submissions into
the News office inciuded three
suggesting the settiement be
(35.000, one for (30.000, and
another at (50,000 - the latter
citing "mental agony of the
old folks' ' as warranting
payment above the amount
requested.
Other submissions were one
each for (19,000; (20,000; and
(20,800.
Those suggesting the fair
market value of the older
house or less cited legal
responsibility of the town and
common settlement practices
as reasons for their figures
Two said the McMahans
should have had homeowners
insurance, one suggested their
heirs are trying to make
money from the accident, and
one - point by point - disputed
replacement costs submitted
by John McMahan.
Those supporting the
replacement cost or more said
the town has a moral
responsibility to the couple,
and in this cass may owe them
more because the couple is
elderly and suffered excessive
grief because of the toss of
their home, and temporary
housing in an "inadequate
trailer."
Responses to the survey,
some signed and some not, are
available at the News for
public inspection.
portunity to see the final grant
application. Some were ap
parently surprised to find that
an earlier proposal asked for
funds to demolish six con
demned buildings. Becky
Williams, grants coordinator
fot the Land of Sky Regional
Council, said that citizens will
definitely have a chance to
hear all of the final proposed
projects.
Ms. Williams told those
present that the town now
stands a much better chance
of getting a grant, but also
noted that larger cities are
traditionally in much better
positions to get grants. She
said the turnout at the hearing
was better than at seven she
had attended elsewhere in
Western North Carolina so
far.
If a grant is awarded to
Black Mountain, construction
may begin as soon as early
summer, she said.
The second and final
hearing for this grant ap
plication will be January 4 at 7
p.m. at Town Hall.
In attendence beside
citizens Ms. Williams, and the
press were special committee
members Jean Standley, Bill
Hickey, William Hamilton and
Ruth Smith. From the town
board were Mayor Tom Sobol
and Aid. Ruth Brandon. Town
Manager Mack Kirkpatrick
was also present.
cellation does not affect
liability coverage, which
stands at $50,000 per accident
bodiiy injury, $100,000 totai
bodiiy injury and $10,000
property damage. Nor does it
include coilision coverage on
the new fire igpcjt or the fire
- nartment a.t<, usance, Kirk
patrick said.
Kirkpatrick said he is now
trying, through the Asheville
Insurance Exchange, to ob
tain bids front other insurance
companies for collision
coverage. He said one
possibility being investigated
is obtaining insurance from
more than one company,
possibly to supplement a new
policy with Maryland
Casualty. He added that he
had been planning to obtain
bids when the policy originally
was to run out in June,
anyhow.
The town had been paying
$5000 per year for both
collision and liability vehicle
insurance prior to the can
cellation.
"Where I see the problem is
notso much in what premiums
we'il have to pay, but in how
much is deductable,' ' Kirk
patrick said. As an example,
he said that the new fire truck
is on a $2500 deductabie poiicy. j
To tower insurance coats
and make the town a lesser
risk, he said that some town
vehicles will have to be
removed from any collision
policy the town may get He
noted that some are so old,
that two years'premium have
costmore than the value of the
vehicles.
The gamble we're taking is
in not insuring these lower
value vehicles,"he said. Those
vehicles would still be covered
for liability, he noted.
Kirkpatrick noted that the
last three years have been
exceptionally bad for wrecked
town vehicles. Only four
accidents involving Black
Mountain fire trucks have
occurred in the last 14 years -
two of those since August, he
noted.
Car/ Z?arf/eff
New C of C chief wants doers
by Dan Ward
When Dr. Bob Dickey took
the helm of the Chamber of
Commerce a year ago, he
foresaw' dynamic change' as
being the key to transforming
Biack Mountain and Swan
nanoa from pit-stops for
weary travelers into self
serving, thriving business
communities.
Atthough the chamber
brought about a number of
changes to adapt to the 1-40
bypass, and has promoted the
Valley-primarily through the
Sourwood Festival-better
than ever before, the attitude
in favor of dynamic change
seems to many to still be
lacking Dickey appeared to
be weary as he passed the
presidency on to Carl Bartlett
last week.
Bartlett realizes he has
energetic shoes to fill, and that
this is a crucial time in the
business life of the valley.
Un a doer," he said. "If
something needs to be done, HI
just do it. 1 dont always do it
right, but 1 can''.
1 dont always do it right, but 1
cant stand just talking about
what needs to be done '
The main thing that needs
doing, he said, is getting the
community involved in town
growth, he said To do that, he
said, he intends to see that the
Board of Directors for the
chamber, who act as various
committee chairmen, will
have to demonstrate an active
role in getting input and
getting things done. Each will
be expected report what has
been done to the other
directors regularly, Bartlett
said.
"The Board of Directors are
just a stearing committee to
get the people of the com
munity organized and get
things done. I want to see the
directors better organized to
do their duty, " he said.
"I want to see the com
mittees become very active. .
You hear. "What is tire
chamber doing for me? "
When this year is up, Hn
hoping people wont have to
ask that question."
"Now6 the time to tell the
chamber hey, this is what !
want out of the chamber this
year. 1 hope to appoint a
downtown committee with
representatives from Cherry
Street and the other streets
downtown. What do they
stress for this year? What do
they want the chamber to do
for their businesses "
Bartlett said that the sort of
renovation done on Cherry
Street by business persons
there is indicative of the
direction growth must go in
the valley.
"We are a bedroom eom
munity-thatS all we wiil ever
be This wili never be know!)
as an industriai area
We havent had much
demand for buiidines
downtown in the past. Now
we have This is a business
community-a shopping area.
We need to have more shops
here " he said.
X i
Outside of business growth,
Bartiett said he has other
goals to work for.
"One thing that a lot of
people expressed interest in is
an airstrip, and the chamber
pians to appoint a committee
to get reai invotved in that
direction^ I know some
federal funds are avaiiable for
that."
Another is to work to in
crease neighborhood pride
"Neighborhood pride wiii
make the valley look better,"
he said.
Another is to draw retired
persons into chamber plan
ning. "ThereSa vast resource
here in the retired people.
There are retired executives
from throughout the United
States We are receptive to
whatever ideas they have '
As a former member of the
Sourwood Days Planning
Committee, Bartlett also
hopes to make the event this
year "even bigger and bet
ter" Some possible additions
to festivities may be an ad
ditional rece for marathon
runners, expansion of the
horseshoe toumy, a horse
show and more events in
volving Swannanoa He is also
working on the possibility of
arranging a country music
concert on that weekend.
The main thing, Bartlett
said, is to get everybody
pulling in the same direction,
as was done when the medical
center drive was begun
"! would really like to see
political differences cast aside
so we can just work together
for the betterment of the
community, he said.