Black l-totu.tpln Library
105 N. Lcu^herty^Stwet
Black Moui.taln, 1. C. 2QY11
Second class postage paid
at Black Mountain, NC 2S7JJ
Thursday, September 24, 1981, Volume 29. Number 39
Member of the NCPA
Squash tipsscates
at 106 pounds
"It'll make a lot of squash pies, " said
Dillard Foster in what may be the
understatement of the harvest season.
Foster raised a 106-pound Hungarian
Mammoth squash in Ms garden in
Swannanoa.
Foster purchased the seed from a
mail-order nursery, which claimed in
their catalogue that the squash could
reach 150 pounds. Foster's 106-pound
squash was the only one to mature.
' The other rotted, " he explained.
It took two, Foster and his son-in-law,
to wrestle the squash into a truck to
transport it for weighing.
Foster retired in 1963 and gardening
is his hobby. He and his wife freeze
and can rmch of their own food, and
Foster makes jams that sparkle like
jewels in rows on the shelves in his
basement.
The Fosters live on Rowland Road in
Sherwood Forest.
Here a the iong and short o/ :'t--a 706 pound Hungarian Mammoth sqruash,
groum hy DMiard Foster, and miniature gourds, toeighing in at a /eur ounces,
produced hy A A Morgan, Aiach Mountain.
Group searches for sign aiternatives
McDonald's and a citizens' group are
searching for alternatives to a 100-foot
proposed "Golden Arches" sign off
N.C. 9, to be visible from 1-40.
Following presentation of a petition
signed by over 300 "residents of the
Blade Mountain area," representatives
from both groups met. McDonald's
spokesman determined at the meeting
that they would be receptive to the
alternative use of billborads if sites for
them could be found between Ridge
crest and Black Mountain.
The group opposes the 100-foot sign
because it would be visible from many
places previously unspoiled by signs,
including the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Sara Marcia Rafter, who presented
the group's position at Town Council
last week, stated, "We are trying to
appeal to McDonald's sense of values,
and at the same time we have to
understand their financial aspects."
The financial bottom line is that,
"McDonald's must maintain a certain
level of sales to survive," said Doug
Stafford. "The population in Swan
nanoa-Black Mountain-Montreat can't
meet that."
The benefits of McDonald's economic
survival, Stafford said, indude 60-70
new jobs for the Valley, tax revenue of
61-2,000 for the town, and $5-6,000 a
week in salaries are likely to be spent
here.
Stafford is employed by the advertis
ing agency which represents McDon
ald's in this area.
The atizens' group is searching for a
landowner willing to rent McDonald's a
space on 1-40 west for a sign. "We have
people out asking property owners,"
Bob Warren, a member of the group
said. He beiieves they have about a
week left to find an alternative to the
100-foot sign.
A change in the Town of Black
Mountain's sign ordinance concerning
legal heights of signs is also advocated
in the petition. The present ordinance
does not limit sign height.
"We never intended this to become a
political battle," Rafter said. "It's just
an effort to preserve the beauty of an
attractive small town. "
Metro, community government
discussed by county ptonner
by Cynthia Reimer
County government on its hugest and
its smallest scales were issues brought
to Black Mountain by Charles Tessier,
director of planning for the Buncombe
County Planning Department, last Fri
day at an open meeting of the League of
Women Voters. Informal comminity
councils are becomingincreasingly pop
ular in the county in serving as
advocates for unincorporated communi
ties, Tessier said, while the Asheville
Buncombe Charter Commission draws
up plans for county-wide consolidated
government.
Praising community councils in the
limestone, Fairview and Beaverdam
Valley connmnities, Tessier said the
councils give these communities "a
voice, a say in what's going on" in
county government. Also, "it gave us
an opportunity to see that all commmi
ties here are not the same," Tessier
continued. "Their needs are different.
The objective is to make government
work for them."
Establishment of community council
begins with a petition containing signa
tures of a minimum of 20 percent of the
registered voters in the township,
Tessier said. Working within a town
meeting format, the 15-member com
munity council can address issues
important to that community, bringing
them to the attention of the county
commissioners. In the Skyland-Arden
area, Tessier said, the issues include
planned and controlled growth and
barking dogs.
Tessier called the councils, establish
ed in 1979 by resolution of the county
commissioners, "a program that's
working well."
In November, 1982 Buncombe County
residents will vote to accept or reject a
consolidated county-wide government.
A charter commission composed of
representatives from Buncombe County
towns, Asheville City Council and the
County Board of Commissioners begins
meetings soon to draw up the terms of
an agreement. They are expected to
conqplete their work by April.
"The form of the (barter has not yet
been drawn up. That's an important
point," Tessier stressed. "There are
lots of alternatives for structure at this
point." The most critical part of
drafting the charter, Tessier said, is
determining representation.
J9MJ,AntAony[hg'At]and county director o/ p&mwngr, CTmries
T^ssicr, ejccAang'e uteuv.
If a metropolitan ("metro") govern
ment is established, residents will pay a
metro tax plus a service district tax for
those services actually received in that
community.
Tessier described changes that led up
to the consideration of a metro govern
ment. For years, he said, Asheville was
the dominant force in the county. The
dty had the population, and therefore
the money. Recently the growth in
industry and population is outside the
dty.
"The shift is in economic strength,"
Tessier said. "While dty taxes (collect
ed) are going down, the county is
becoming stronger financially. "
Incorporated areas would not have to
give up their autonomy in a consoli
dated county-wide government, except
by vote to do so, Tessier said.
Three other dty-county metro gov
ernments have recently failed in refer
endums in North Carolina, while those
in other states, including Lexington,
Ky., and Knoxville, Tenn., have been
successful.
About 25 attended the meeting held
at Highland Farms and partidpated in a
question-and-answer period.
Preview of poiitics in 1980s
subject for iecture by Miiton Viorst
3RR-3
Mi!ton Viorst
Two more seek re-etection to Town Counci)
Toni Sobo!
Incumbent Mayor Tom Sobol an
nounced that he will run for Black
Mountain mayor in the November 3
general election. <.
Announcing his candidacy, Sobol
said, "I intend to keep the mayor's
office open to every citizen, #st as it has
been for the past four years. I want the
people of Black Mountain to continue to
feel that they have someone as mayor
who will take a stand for them and will
present their problems to the Council. "
Sobol, 38, served eight years as a city
councilman prior & his election as
mayor in 1977.
"I am interested in what is best for
our community," Sobol said. "I want to
work with all groups in the community
to achieve that goal in a reasonable
manner and with as much agreement as
possible."
Doug Stafford will seek re-election to
the Black Mountain Town Board in
November, he announced this week.
Stafford, 29, is employed by Price-Mc
Nabb Advertising in Asheville and is a
resident of Blade Mountain.
Announcing his candidacy, Stafford
said, "I believe the town wants and
needs a reasonable government that is
responsive to the peopiejs needs. As a
governing body, the Board of Aldermen
must never assume that the voters have
given them a mandate to what they
perceive is in the town's best interests.
"Because of my belief in government
by the citizens and for the citizens, I
believe that I can serve the town well for
an additional two year term, " Stafford
said.
Doug Stafford
"The 1980s: More Fire in the
Street?", a lecture and discussion
previewing the politics of the 80's, will
be presented by Milton Viorst of the
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship
Foundation at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.
30 in the Bannerman Lecture Hall at
Warren Wilson College. Viorst, noted
journalist, historian and author, is the
second Woodrow Wilson Fellow to visit
the college.
Author of "Fire in the Streets:
American in the 1960's," Viorst was the
Washington correspondent for the New
York Post in the early 60 s and a
syndicated columnist for the Washing
ton Star syndicate from 1971-75. In his
numerous books and articles, Viorst has
explored the range of United States
policy, from domestic infighting to
international diplomacy.
Weather
3 review
Sept. 16-high 78, low 59 degnees; .32
inches precipitation.
Sept. 17-high 67, low 52 degrees.
Sept. 18-high 63, iow 47 degnees.
Sept. 19-high 62, iow 44 degnees.
Sept. 20-high 74, iow 38 degnees.
Sept. 21-Mgh 74, iow 39 degrees.
Sept. 22-high 79, low 40 degnees.
Weather courtesy of WPGW
Radio. Mack Mountain.
Viorst represents the Woodrow Wil
son Visiting Fellows Program, which
was established to encourage the flow of
ideas between academic and non-aca
ddemic worlds. The Visiting Fellows,
representatives of business, journalism,
diplomacy and other professions, hold
week-long residencies at universities
and colleges throughout the United
States, participating in classes, semi
nars, panels and informal discussion
with students, faculty and administra
tors.
Fellows participating in the program
in 1981-82 include the vice-presidents of
two major oil companies, cabinet level
officers from the Departments of State
and Defense, former ambassadors to
the United Nations, journalists from the
London Times, and several others.
Viorst's visit to Warren Wilson repre
sents the college's second year of
affiliation with the Woodrow Wilson
Foundation.
No TV iistings
this week
After am unscheduled round-about
mate from New Jersey to Mack Moun
tain (with stops in Coinmbas, Ohio, and
Raleigh, N.C.) the TV Matings m*mng
tube arrived Tuesday morning, four
days iate.
Inside it were ... no TV listings.
We expect aB concerned to do better
next week!
We're sorry!