BtacK
Dedicated to the growing Swannanoa VaHey
Second ciass postage paid at Biack Mountain, NC 28711
Thursday, March 26, 1981, Volume 28, Number 13
Spring brings biggest snow
Although March has always been an
unpredictable month, there were many
who professed to "fee! it in their
bones" that we ere still in for some
snow. This weekend proved them right,
when 12-15 inches fe!l between the
early hours of Sunday morning and
Monday morning, following smaller
amounts of snow on Thursday.
County schools were dosed Friday and
again on Monday. The Drexel Plant on
Old U S. 70 and other area businesses
were dosed all day Monday, while
others opened late.
Old Fort Mountain was dosed Sunday
afternoon. The Asheville Airport was
dosed from 4-7:15 p.m. Sunday because
of poor visibility.
CP&L reported that 50 percent of the
Valley was without electridty Sunday
night when snow-laden limbs fell on the
power lines. A spokesman reported
that many areas remained without
electridty because they were inacces
sible even in four-wheel drive vehides.
CP&L requested assistance from state
highway crews but were refused be
cause the state crews were too busy
trying to keep 1-40 open.
Five crews contracted from Haynes
Electric, three CP&L company crews
and local crews worked all night, a total
of about 60 men. By Monday morning
power had been restored to all but 10
percent of the homes in Swannanoa,
Black Mountain, Ridgecrest, North Fork
and Broad River.
Black Mountain fire trucks returning
from a fire experienced difficulty get
ting the trucks back in the garage off the
slippery parking iot behind the fire
station Monday morning.
While Black Mountain received up to
15 inches of snow, Asheville reported
oniy four to seven inches and Weaver
ville one to two inches.
Cherry Street and State Monday morning....
March 1960
hotds record
Those who were here in the mountains
and remember the March of 1960 won't
think much of the little dah of snow that
fell on Biack Mountain this weekend. In
1960, the snow, sleet and freezing rain
started on March 2 and it took until the
end of the month for life to return to
normal in the W estem Carolina Moun
tains as storm upon storm piled up the
snow. Record low temperatures and
high winds added to the misery.
The Black Mountain News for the
month of March reported many cancel
lations of meetings. Announcements of
events generally included a "weather
permitting" clause.
T.C Roberson, then superintendent of
schools, stated, "H we have to go to
school until the Fourth of July, I do not
intend to reopen the schools of the
county as long as there is any chance of
hurting any of the children."
The record cold and snow brought
about the first ever closing of the
newspaper office on March 2.
Jim Burleson wrote in the Swannanoa
News section of the paper, "These back
roads around here are slicker than Yul
Brynner's bald pate."
Engineers for an FM station on
Clingman's Peak were snowed in for
several weeks. W inds with gusts of 125
miles per hour finally blew the radio
tower over.
Two muscovy ducks were discovered
frozen to the surface of a lake in
Grovemont. One duck died, but the
other was rescued and cared for by
Gabe Peek. Reports of wild game dying
by the hundreds reached the News.
Unfamilar birds visited area feeders in
large flocks.
While March, 1960, was an incon
venience for those who lived in the
Valley, for some Western North Caro
linians it was a near disaster.
Marooned families in Buncombe,
Yancey, Madison, Avery and Wautauga
Counties received supplies driven in by
emergency vehicles and dropped by
helicopter. Some had not been able to
leave the coves since Christmas.
While no deaths were recorded, it was
with great thanksgiving that Western
North Carolina greeted the warm suns of
April.
Donations sought
for Attanta murders
Despite intensive investigation and
extensive searches, 20 Atlanta black
children have been murdered, two are
still missing, and police claim no leads
to the murderer or murderer's identity.
Joining people all over the nation who
wish to do something to aid the
situation, a group of organizations and
The News digs out.
individuals in this area is collecting
donations to help defray the expense of
investigation and search.
Donation boxes are or will soon be
placed in the Blade Mountain Library
and in local banks. The boxes will
remain in place until April S and then
one lump sum will be sent to the Atlanta
Police Bureau Investigative Fund.
Supporters and sponsors of the project
(called Concerned Citizens) indude the
Buncombe County Sheriff's Depart
ment, Asheville-Buncombe Community
Relations Council, Asheville Police De
partment, Allen Center, Opportunity
Corporation-Head Start, YWCA, Jewish
Community Center, City of Asheville
City Council and the Buncombe County
Ministerial Alliance.
Contributions, which are tax deductible,
may be mailed to Concerned Citizens of
the Asheville Area, W achovia Bank and
Trust, P.O. Box 2510, Asheville, N.C.
20801, Attention: Shirley Cragg.
Contributions, which are tax de
ductible, may be mailed to Concerned
Citizens of the Asheville Area,
Wachovia Bank and Trust, P.O. Box
2510, Asheville, NC 28801
Attention: Shirley Cragg.
In the News parhing iot, the snow measured 13 inches.
Discouraging news from ARC
Town to get we))s under way
Becky Williams of the Land-of-Sky
Regional Council returned from Wash
ington, D.C., with discouraging news
for Black Mountain. 'Td work under
the assumption that you're not going to
get the ARC (Appalachian Regional
Council) money," she told members of
the Town Council and the Water
Department Wednesday morning. "It
looks pretty grim. "
The group was gathered to get advice
from Nilsson Engineering representa
tive John Nilsson and Farmer's Home
Administration (FmHA) representative
Larry Merrill concerning the future of
the planned water system.
Merrill outlined FmHA requirements
necessary so that the town can begin to
drill three test wells as soon as possible.
The town must have certification from
the bond council that the town is in a
position to go ahead and must adopt an
FMHA loan resolution, both of which
oniy involve filling out a form, Mayor
Sobol said. And, the town must gain
control of the land where it will drill the
wells.
The location for the wells engineers
find most promising is on In-the-Oaks
property. The property will most likely
be obtained "under option," so that if
water is not found there the town is not
obligated to purchase, Sobol said.
While Black Mountain has an ade
quate water supply at this time, Council
members are concerned that an emer
gency situation could exist this summer
unless the town has available another
well.
UnderFmHA rules, the weUs could not
be tied into the distribution system with
FmHA money until the entire distribu
tion system is authorized under one bid.
Because of the uncertainty of ARC
funds and uncertainty of the amount of
Clean Water Bond money to be allotted
consequently, the town cannot revamp
distribution plans at this time.
With the three test wells drilled and
capped, the town would have the option
of putting the wells to use in an
emergency using town funds. Other
wise the wells will remain capped until
the entire project can be let out in one
bid, as required by FmHA.
Water Department Superintendent A!
White estimated that three months
would be necessary to tie the wells into
the system after they are drilled.
Engineer John Nilsson said the test
wells could be drJled and available by
mid-June or July 1 at the latest.
The Town had expected to have word
by April 1 on the status of ARC funds.
That date, according to Becky W illiams,
has been delayed to May. The bill
remains in committee, she said, and
Congress has 45 days to act after it
leaves committee.
Authorization by the Board for Nilsson
Engineering to begin procedure so the
test wells can be let out for bids will be
on the April 13 Town Council agenda.
Weather
revtew
March 15 - high 64, low 18 degrees.
March 16 - high 62, low 34 degrees;
.22 inches rain, sleet, hail, snow with
high winds.
) March 17 - high 60 degrees, low 29
degrees.
March 18 - high 61, low 48 degrees.
March 19 - high 35, low 25 degrees;
trace snow.
March 20 - high 39, low 22 degrees;
trace precipitation.
March 21 - high 53, low 32 degrees.
March 22 - high 31, low 30 degrees;
.24 inches precipitation, 5-6 inches
snow.
March 23 - high 40, low 30 degrees;
.39 inches precipitation, 12 inches new
snow.
On March 19, Clingman's Peak was 10
degrees at 2 p.m. with 8 inches oi snow
and 2 foot drifts.
Courtesy of WFGW Radio National
Weather Service station, Black Moun
tain.
Ground breaking
heid for gym
atJEC
Ground breaking ceremonies for a new
gymnasium at the Juvenile Evaluation
Center on Old U.S. 70 were held
Thursday afternoon. The new 10,000
square foot structure will be named for
Bill Price, who worked at the JEC as an
assistant unit administrator for 19
years.
The Center has been without indoor
athletic facilities since their gym was
destroyed by fire in the early 1960s.
Since then, they have used facilities at
the Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center, the
Presbyterian Orphanage, Owen High
School and South French Broad Junior
High School.
Besides recreational sports, students
at the JEC participate in interscho
lastic sports with five other training
schools in the state. They finished
second in this season's basketball
tournament - despite their lack of
facilities.
The $470,000 structure is scheduled
for completion nest spring, but may be
finished as soon as this fall. Land
scaping of the new building will indude
an asalea garden, designed with funds
from a Bill Price memorial. Mr. Price
died in May, I960.
Wiiiiam R. Windiey, director o/the North Caroiina Division
o/ Youth Services, Pat Price, widow o/Biii Price, Joe L. Craig,
athietic director o/the JEC and Don t. Pagett, director o/ JEC
participated in ground breohing ceremonies iast weeh/or the
new Biii Price Gymnasium at the Juveniie Evaiuation Center.