Newspapers / The Black Mountain News … / Jan. 21, 1982, edition 1 / Page 1
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—-*r -'y 1 • c> .:. . c u^-h erz-y Cwwt *3 jek . *ir4J : . C. 2cm 1 * Thursday, January 21, 1982, Volume 30, Number 3 Member of the NCPA 25 Last Wednesday morning’s snow created a winter wonderland of beauty along Montreal Road. (Photo by Dennis Harris) Proposed road sparks controversy by Cynthia Reimer Will a road to Mt. Mitchell from Black Mountain be a boon to business or a blight to wilderness? Will a new road really provide winter access for skiers and campers? Those were some of the questions asked of Blade Mountain Chamber of Commerce officials Monday morning when they met to discuss a proposed road to Mt. Mitchell. A surprise artide in the Asheville Sunday newspaper turned what was to be a briefing of new Chamber Board of Directors members into a public forum at the 8:30 a.m. meeting. Chamber member Wendell Begley outlined the history of the proposal and described three possible routes the road might take. Detailed maps of those routes are available at Black Mountain Savings and Loan for public examina tion. Chamber members agreed that a road to Mt. Mitchell to provide access when the Blue Ridge Parkway is dosed will be built. They believe building it here will help the economy of Black Mountain and give Black Mountain control over restrictions on the roadway. “If the road is inevitable,” board member Andy Andrews told the group, “we want to call the shots on it.” Andrews also said the road could provide an economic alternative to “dirty industry.” Wendell Begley said the proposed road would be “a totally controlled route, like the Parkway.” He pointed out that the unique beauty of the remote area was inaccessible to most people now. Some residents of Buncombe and McDowell County who attended the meeting believe that the inaccessibility of the area is valuable and should be maintained for those who favor privacy and are able and willing to make the effort to get to it. Others expressed concern that the road would cause Black Mountain to “look like Cherokee or Maggie Valley.” One woman said she did not under stand why this road would be open when the Blue Ridge Fferkway was forced to dose for the same weather conditions. There will be plenty of time and opportunities for all to discuss the proposed road, pros and cons, because the committee has been informed that the state has no money even to undertake a study at this time. “It’s a very long-range plan,” Ed Weber, Chamber secretary, told the group of 30 Monday, “five or 10 years minimum.” Tuesday morning, Black Mountain to Mt. Mitchell Road Committee members attempted to take Ted Waters of the N.C. Department of Transportation Planning Board in Raleigh, and Earl McIntyre, DOT division engineer, to show them one of the routes the road could follow, the Old Toll Road. The fourwheel drive vehides soon readied ' thick ice on the Curtis Creek Road and turned back, however. During the trip, an idea to rebuild a narrow gauge railroad was suggested. Begley said the committee will look at this idea to see if it could be publicly funded, as a road would be. “We don’t want it to be privately funded,’’ Begley stressed, “because we would lose control.” In an interview at Curtis Creek, McIntyre told committee members, “We don’t want to sound negative. We admire your efforts. Our efforts now are HMMIIIIIfll I 111 ii ..Mil going to maintain what we’ve got.” He also said, “The state has been interested in economic development. We go to great effort to do what we can.” A figure of $2 million per mile was given the Chamber in 1965 when the road was first proposed. “Who knows what might happen in a few years,” Andy Andrews said. “It (the money) may be available. Black Mountain is a gateway to these moun tains.” Foreign policy subjectof meetings by Richardson Rice For 27 consecutive years American foreign policy issues have been discuss ed nationally by thousands of interested and concerned participants using the Great Decisions Program book as a guide and background source. The Blade Mountain group will introduce the lecture and discussion series for 1982 on January 26 in the Education Room of the Blade Mountain Library at 7:30 p.m An introduction to the Great Decisions program for 1982 and information regarding the Foreign Policy Associa tion will be given by Dr. Bahram Farzanegan, director of Community Service Programs at UNC-Asheville and a member of the faculty in the Political Srience Department. The eight topics prepared by the Foreign Policy Association will be presented each Tuesday evening in February and March at 7:30 p.m. in the Education Room of the Black Mountain Library. Each will be under the leader ship of a professor from one of the several nearby universities. An opportunity for discussion and review of the lecture of the evening before will be provided at a discussion group meeting. This group will gather in the Reading Room of the library each Wednesday at 10 a.m. under the leadership of Herman Allen who for several years has been the coordinator of the Great Decisions series. He has passed on this responsibility to Richard son Rice, also of Blade Mountain. The series is open to all members of the community and the surrounding area. All who have a desire to know more about world affairs in the context of today’s happenings are welcome to partidpate whether or not they have a background of special experience. This is a chance to hear opinions on these important matters and to share in a discussion of them. Each member of the group is offered a chance to register an opinion about which of several courses our government should take in dealing with these national and international issues. f first of the series is to be ted on Tuesday evening, Feb. 2 0 p.m. The subject will be KL “America’s Defense: What price secur ity?’’ The speaker and discussion leader will be W illiam Sabo, UNC-A, Depart ment of Political Science. This meeting and all others will be held in the Education Room of the Black Mountain Library. Time will be reserved for questions and discussions following each presentation. Participants will be asked to contri bute $6 for the series or $1 for each lecture attended toward the travel expenses of the speakers and as a part of the honorarium which they will receive through the Director of the Community Service Programs. The Great Decisions Program book contain ing an authoritative article on each of the topics will be for sale atJ$6 at the introductory meeting on Jan. 26 or at the desk of the Blade Mountain library. The Blade Mountain coordinator, Rich ardson Rice, will also have copies for sale. Call him at 669-5992. New sign ordinance still up in the air by Bill Anthony Black Mountain is still some distance from having a new, restrictive sign ordinance, but Planning Board mem bers and most of the audience at Monday night’s Board meeting were optimistic there will be one. The Board requested Tony Caudle, Land of Sky regional planner, to bring a draft ordinance to its next scheduled meeting, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. The Planning Board eventually will recommend a sign ordinance as part of a new zoning ordinance to the Town’s Board of Aldermen. Public hearings normally will follow. Presently there is a moratorium on new sign permits, largely because of community reaction against height of the McDonald’s sign. During the two-hour open discussion Monday night, Planning Board and audience members exchanged views that to Caudle boiled down to an ordinance containing the following re strictions: --Free-standing signs would be per mitted except in the immediate down town business district where signs must be part of the buildings. -Restrictions on the free-standing signs include height and other dimen sions, but these are yet to be determin ed. -Restrictions would also apply to signs on Interstate 40 in the Town’s jurisdiction, but how these would correspond to those in the downtown is still undecided. —The signs are to be “neat,” meaning that, while they should serve the needs of local businessmen, they should maintain the Town’s beauty. A fundamental ideological difference developed between Planning Board members when Bud Belt said, “Let’s get into the height restriction. We’re trying to get these businesses to build here. How can we tell them not to put up a sign to attract customers off of 40?” To this Wendell Begley replied, “Based on the reaction to the McDon ald’s sign, it’s obvious the community doesn’t want to look like Maggie Valley or Cherokee. As for 1-40, a good bit of that income goes right out of Blade Mountain. Do we want that type of chain store growth here?” Board member Richard Capps recall ed Blade Mountain historically “dis couraged” industry. “Basically, we’re a bedroom community, a middle-class, religious resort area. People come here for the crafts and to look at the hills. If we’re going to have industry we need a new look at ourselves,” he said. Most Board members lamented lade of enforcement of the present ordinance and pledged to recommend to the Town Board of Aldermen strict enforcement of the ordinance to be proposed. The matter of enforcement prompted a motion to stay with the present ordinance and recommend to the Aider men stricter compliance. It lost 2-4 with Naomi Briginan and Belt in the minor ity. The Planning Board urged dtizen participation in the new ordinance’s final drafting. A number spoke up at Monday night’s meeting which Kay Al Cole, from the audience, described as making her “ optimistic in looking at the Town’s future.” Travis Childs, chairman of the Plan ning Board, described the sign ordi nance as a ‘‘very volatile issue. ’’ He felt the community was ‘‘interested in having a very restrictive” ordinance. Both he and Board member Begley early in the meeting expressed opposi tion to free-standing signs. Begley also said he was “totally against billboard advertising.” Both favored only those signs identifying businesses. Bob Fischer, chairman of the Town’s Board of Adjustments, speaking from the audience also urged “strictness” in a sign ordinance. “The certain character of the Town shouldn’t be monkeyed with,” he said. However, Board Member Geoige Venturella suggested businesses need more than simple identification, such as promotion of special products offered for the day only. Also from the audience, Dr. and Mrs. A1 Wagner, among others, noted that a number of businesses off the main thoroughfares, such as Black Mountain Stove and Chimney and the Red Rocker Inn, need directional signs. In another action the Board voted 4-2 to recommend to the Board of Aldermen that Bill Ricketts be allowed to put up signs on newly opening stores on Cherry Street, the signs to come down if they don’t conform with the eventual ordinance. On this vote Childs and Begley were in the minority. A tour of one proposed route to ML Mitchell was cut short Tuesday morning because of the heavy layer of ice on Curtis Creek Road. One vehicle in the caravan spun around on a comer and slid into a small ditch. Nominations sought for Russell Cook Award The WNC Chapter of the United Nations Association is seeking nomi nees for the Russell Cook Memorial Award. The second annual award will be given to a Western North Carolinian who has made a significant contribution to peace and understanding. The first award was given in 1981 to Joan Marshall of Blade Mountain, who helped to establish a chapter of Am nesty International here. The award is given in memory of the late Russell Cook of Black Mountain, who gave three decades of service to the United Nations. Nominees must be residents of Western North Carolina. Their service can have occurred anywhere. Like Russell Cook, their service should exemplify what Cook called “responsi ble caring” for the human family. Deadlines for nominations is Feb. 27. Send nominations to Joan Marshall, All Souls Church, P.O. Box5353, Asheville, N.C. 28813, or to Ride Gunther, The CPR course at college A course in cardiopulmonary resusd tation (CPR) will be taught on the campus of Montreat-Anderson College Jan. 25 „ 28, Feb. 1 and 4 under the sponsorship of the American Red Cross. Classes will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on those evenings in the gymnasium. This 10-hour course provides valuable training in artificial respiration, artifi cial circulation and choking. The public is encouraged to take advantage of this special training. Sign up for this free course by calling 669-8011. Asheville Citizen Times, Asheville, N.C. 28802. The winner will receive a certificate and a cash contribution will be made in the winner’s name to an organization helping to improve international under standing. Pros fo hold baseball clinic Three Baltimore Oriole stars will be on hand Saturday and Sunday to pass on their secrets of success to area budding baseball players. Sammy Stewart, Ori ole pitcher from Swannanoa, and his teammates, Eddie Murray and Brooks Robinson, will conduct the third annual baseball clinic at Montreat-Anderson gym from 1-5 p.m. both days. Also instructing will be Montreat-Ander son’s head coach, Mark Weidemaier. Baseball players ages 8-16 are invited to participate. Registration will be $15 per person, and participants must furnish their own tennis shoes and baseball gloves. Sammy Stewart tied for the ERA (earned run average) championship for the American League in 1981. Eddie Murray, first baseman, was voted most valuable player for Baltimore. Brooks Robinson, is now a TV broadcaster for the Or ioles. Coach Weidemaier descri bed him as “The greatest defensive third baseman in baseball history,” and ‘ ‘a future Hall of Famer. ” Robinson will instruct on Sunday only. The clinic is sponsored by Ace Appliance. A
The Black Mountain News (Black Mountain, N.C.)
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Jan. 21, 1982, edition 1
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