Fine! '81-82 Town budget stii) in workshop
The Town Board looked at and
tentatively rejected two more budget
plans drawn up by Town Manager
Earnest Hudgins at the agenda meeting
Monday night.
The first budget, balanced at 73 cents
per (100, involved relying on sale of
seven acres of Town-owned land, or on
a possible one percent raise in sales tax
in the county. A proposal to allow a one
percent tax increase without a referen
dum will be voted on by the state
legislature in two or three weeks,
according to Hudgins, and by County
Commissioners by September at the
earliest.
This budget plan allowed for training
of police, fire and other town personnel,
purchase of equipment and turn out
suits for the fire department and for a
full-time recreation director.
It also included the 30-hour position
for the director of the Senior Citizen's
Center and left police and fire depart
ment personnel the same as last year.
The second budget was balanced at
81 cents per (100 with no sale of the
seven acres of town property or reliance
on a one percent sales tax increase.
This budget allowed for no training of
personnel, cutting town recreation to a
part-time program and slightly lowering
the contingency fund.
Some members of the Board asked
Hudgins to draw up another budget at
78 cents, to be presented to the Board
after the Town Council meeting June 8.
A.E. Tyson suggested cutting the
recreation program by another (5,000
and considering variable raises for town
employees, from no raise to a seven
percent raise
Ruth Brandon's suggestions included
cutting the recreation program to a
six-month program, cutting the Senior
Citizen's director to 20 hours a week,
cutting the fire department turn-out
gear and equipment by one half, and
using the same system of variable raises
as Mr. Tyson proposed.
By making these and other cuts,
Hudgins says he can balance a budget
at 78 cents, but that, "we cannot give
the people the services they say they
want on a 78 cent budget.
"What it comes down to is whether or
not people want it (services) bad enough
to pay more taxes. "
Department heads discuss what budget figures may mean
Department heads discussed what
budget proposals may mean to their
departments and the community.
Fire Department
If the fire department's request for
equipment and turn-out suits is halved,
Fire Chief Gary Bartiett said, the
department will not be able to purchase
air pacs, the breathing equipment that
allows firemen to enter smoke-filled
buildings. The department now has
nine air pacs, "a very inadequate
number in case of a mote! or school or
nursing home fire," Bartlett said. "It
also minimizes protection for a one
dwelling fire, to have only nine men
able to go in."
Equipment money would have to go
instead toward turn-out gear (the
rubber suits the firemen wear) and
toward radios that alert volunteers to a
fire. The monitors currently in use were
purchased in 1966, Bartlett said, have
had many repairs and recently, there
has been trouble with firemen receiving
fire calls.
Police Department
The police department will probably
lose a dispatcher. Police Chief Slagle
said losing a dispatcher "is like losing
an officer. We'll have to pull in an
officer off the road, so in effect we're
losing another officer. "
Another item the police department
stands to lose is training. The state
requires an officer to receive about 250
hours of training in order to be certified,
and he or she must accomplish this in
the first year of employment. If Black
Mountain has no funds for training, the
department will have to employ already
trained officers, a difficulty, Slagle said,
on the town's low pay scale. A trained
officer "would have to take a sub
BMCK
stantial pay cut to work here," he said.
For officers on the force who have
completed their basic training, further
training is stili important, Siagie said.
"To maintain a professional poiice
department, a man can't be too train
ed," he explained. "An officer has to
make a decision in a spiit second that a
lawyer and a judge can mui! over
through the courts for years."
He beiieves that the department wiil
be required to go to radar school in the
next year and felt that defensive driving
school was also necessary. While the
training is free, transportation and
lodging must be paid for.
Recreation
The Recreation Department could be
cut to a six-month program next year.
Director Alice Schweitzer said, "By
cutting the program to six months, it
means there is no continuity in the
program, no way to make plans for six
months ahead."
About 250 children and an unde
termined number of adults participated
in the program last year, many of them
from families who could not afford to
drive to Asheville for recreation.
Mrs. Schweitzer said, "I do not
believe a recreation program can grow
and develop on a part-time basis. A
program needs at least a year to get on
its feet."
Lake view Senior Citizen's Center
When Lakeview Center was renovat
ed about four years ago, the Town
agreed that for a 10-year period, 4,000
square feet of the Center would be used
for senior dtizens' activities and that
the Town would provide supervision
eight hours a day, five days a week by a
program director. Under those stipu
lations, the Town received a federal
grant to aid in renovation.
The director's position may be cut to
20 hours a week in the new budget.
Volunteers would have to be found to
take over the other 20 hours a week that
the center is open.
Director Laine Calloway said, "The
program has grown so much now that
we have Title V senior citizens who
require supervision. The Title V
employees will lose their jobs." Two
Title V employees work downstairs and
another upstairs in the Nutrition
Program.
Many of the senior citizens who come
to the center all day have come to
depend on it, Calloway said. "It's their
life," she said, "It really is."
Revitatization of downtown is
possibie for Biack Mountain
In April, the Town Board gave
approvai to Community Development
Administrator Kathy Wacaster to re
search the concept of downtown revital
ization and determine how Black
Mountain could benefit from such a
program. Over the past two months in a
)oint effort with the town manager, E.E.
Hudgins, Ms. Wacaster has gathered
information and is ready to review with
the Board the potential Black Mountain
has for such a program.
"I have worked with the North
Carolina Department of Natural Re
sources and Community Development
Division of Community Assistance and
the North Carolina Downtown Develop
ment Association to gain information on
downtown problems, revitalization
programs throughout North Carolina,
and how Blade Mountain could organize
such a program. It is amazing how
many resources are available to local
communities at no cost on the economic
restructuring and beautification of
downtowns," stated Ms. Wacaster.
In North Carolina, she said, combin
ing the efforts of local governments with
the local business sector has proven to
be a particularly effective method of
arresting downtown decline. Joint
public-private efforts can include a wide
variety of improvements such as rehab
ilitation and adaptive reuse of old or
historic buildings, sidewalks and street
improvements, and construction of
parking facilities.
Results of such revitalization pro
grams can be seen in nearby commun
ities such as Hendersonville, Asheville,
Hickory, and dties such as Rocking
ham, N.C., Wilmington, N.C.,
Washington, N.C. and Shelby.
Ms. Wacaster and Mr. Hudgins have
toured several areas in North Carolina
currently involved in downtown revital
ization. Ms. Wacaster will visit
Wilmington this weekend to study the
program there and to attend a one-day
intensive training conference on
organizing a downtown revitalization
program.
Ms. Wacaster will bring back with
her a report to present to the Board at
Monday night's meeting. Also Mr. Jim
Norton of Charlotte, vice-president of
the N.C. Department of Downtown
Development, will speak to the Board.
"We all know Blade Mountain is a
town with potential," Ms. Wacaster
said. "This project calls on the people
of town to organize and take a positive
action to build even stronger its
economic stability, beauty and pride it
has carried for years.
"Downtown changes do not occur
rapidly. They are part of long-term
processes formed by decisions of the
private market and local government.
The viability of a downtown program is
highly dependent on local individuals
and their ability to gather community
support for downtown."
Owen students receive treasured trash
by Cynthia Reimer
Prominent people ail over the United
States received some mighty strange
mail from students in Mrs. Jean
McNeill's English classes in April, and
the students got some interesting
replies.
"To celebrate National Letter Week,
our 10th grade English class is enliven
ing the traditional letter writing unit,"
the students wrote, requesting the
recipient to mail the class an item or two
from his or her wastebasket.
"What is trash to a person of your
prominence is a treasure to us," the
letters said.
Mrs. McNeill got the idea for the
project from "The English Journal,"
she said.
Some of the prominent people were
most cooperative.
FTom the trash can of Black Mountain
Mayor Tom Sobol, the class received
correspondence from the State of North
Carolina and the U S. Department of
Commerce.
North Carolina House Representative
Marie Colton sent two framed photos of
street litter which, "I was reluctantly
going to discard."
Debbie Severs, newscaster for WLOS
P.M. Magazine, sent a page of a script
and a memo.
Robert Swain, a painter, sent a plastic
bag full of plastic cups containing dried
paints in rainbow colors, writing that it
was representative of the trash on his
studio floor.
Monty Dupuy, a television weather
forecaster, sent weather forecasts, a
South Carolina weather map, a bunny
napkin and a letter saying, "Since I
grew up and went to elementary and
high school in Black Mountain your area
has special meaning for me."
Some students received replies—but
no trash.
The Rev. Robert L. Gray wrote,
"Dear Matthew, I don't have any
junk."
Some of the 56 students, who wrote
two tetters each, were disappointed,
receiving no replies at aU. Aian Aida,
Ludile Bail, George Bums, Kenny
Rogers, Hugh Hefner, Dinah Shore and
others failed to reply.
The two classes are currently busy
writing thank you notes to cooperating
trash-senders. To those who did not
reply, students are sending such
phrases as, "ex-fan of yours. "
The trash and correspondence make
an entertaining exhibit in Mrs.
McNeill's classroom, on display until
the end of the school year.
Boeineee at tha #oda/oantain at the Rexai! Drug Store wae booming in the iate iMOe. The store is now
owned by Steve Robert#.
Town Counci!
Revised priviiegetaxon Monday agenda
Rems on the agenda for the June S
Town Council meeting include rescind
ing a privilege tax ordinance passed !ast
month. The Board will vote whether or
not to accept a new ordinance that
would maintain a (10 minimum charge
and cut most other charges 50 percent
from the rescinded schedule.
Businesses located outside Black
Mountain, doing business in Black
Mountain, will be charged a privilege
tax, also.
A copy of the proposed schedule is
posted at Town Hall.
Also on Monday's agenda are a
presentation by Kathy Wacaster on
revitalization of downtown Black Moun
tain, a request for annexation of
property owned by Red Nichols and a
report on the progress of drilling of the
test wells.
uear Ms. Haucnenberger, wrote
artist Robert Rauschenberg's secretary,
"Unfortunately, Mr. Rauscheberg's
trash is unavailable at the moment as he
is out of town and not making any."
Btack Mountain
man aboard
the Nimitz
James Mike Owens, son of Mr. and
Mrs. James L Owens of Black Moun
tain, was stationed aboard the aircraft
carrier Nimitz when it was struck by a
jet attempting to land on board on May
26. Owens received only minor injuries
in the disaster which killed 14 people
and injured 48.
After minor repairs, the Nimitz left
Norfolk, Va., last Saturday, and the
airman second class was scheduled to
be aboard.
Weather
review
May 25-high 81, low 47 degrees.
May 26-high 74, low 52 degrees.
May 27-high 66, low 57 degrees;
1.75 inches precipitation.
May 28-high 63, low 57 degrees;
.10 inches precipitation.
May 29-high 76, low 56 degrees.
May 30-high 85, low 48 degrees.
May 31-high 84, low 57 degrees;
1.80 inches precipitation.
June 1-high 76, low 59 degrees; .02
inches precipitation.
Traeh /row teievieion weatherman and Bfach Mountain
native Monty Dupuy.
The poo! is open
by Alice Schweitzer
Hie Black Mountain pooi opened
Tuesday. Charges are the same as last
year: 75 cents and (1.25 daily, (40
singie pass and (75 family pass.
Lessons this year will be (10. This
charge is for the use of the pool and life
guards.
Bed Cross sanctioned classes are for
those children who have attended
school. Other children, including
parents and tots, will be scheduled for
classes if there is enough interest
shown.
Pool hours are as follows: Tuesday
and Thursday-11-11:45 a m. lap swim,
12-8:30 p.m. open swim, 8:30-10* lap
swim; Wednesday-11-11:45 am.
senior citizen, 12-6 p.m. open swim;
FMday-ll-ll:45 a m. lap swim, 12-6
p.m. open swim; Saturday-12-6 p.m.
open swim; and Sunday-1-6 p.m. open
swim. Morning lap swims cost 50 cents
and are not covered by the passes.
Tennis lessons for beginners will
begin June 9th. Charges this year are
(10. Call the recreation office to
preregister.