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Thursday, April 22, 1982, Volume 30, Number 16 Mem ber of the NCPA 25‘
National Volunteer Week_
Volunteer Eva Brothers does what volunteers do best-giving a little love
to young Adam Cook at the Christian Church day care center.
Valley volunteers honored
by Cynthia Reimer
“A volunteer is someone who does
something because you want to,” Irene
Ogle, director of volunteers at Highland
Farms, said at a breakfast honoring
volunteers there last week. “A smile,”
she added, “is a volunteer activity.”
Volunteers all over the nation are
being honored this week during volun
teer recognition week.
The theme for the week is “Volun
teers-Our Greatest Natural Resource.”
Volunteers in the Valley devote
thousands of hours every year to
making life a little better for their
neighbors. Their activities range from
running the library at the Western
Carolina Center-Black Mountain Facil
ity to putting out fires, from arranging
flowers on the church altar to bringing a
religious message to juvenile offenders
at the Juvenile Evaluation Center
Their services are worth inestimable
thousands of dollars yet their product is,
for the most part, something money
could never buy: love, friendship,
caring.
“Volunteers make all the difference
in the world to people whose world has
shrunk,” Chester Prentice, administra
tor of Highland Farms, said. “You give
dimension to life.”
Fifty to 60 percent of the residents at
Highland Farms are involved in volun
teer work.
At the Juvenile Evaluation Center in
Swannanoa, 200-400 volunteers are on
campus each momh. They provide
recreation, music, social events and
religious guidance.
Mr. and Mrs. William Wood of
Montreat have been donating their
services to the Sunday School there and
acting as surrogate parents for children
whose parents have abandoned them or
who have no Darents.
They bring their hopeful Christian
message to children who often don’t
have much to be hopeful about.
“They are angry and frustrated when
they come here,” Mrs. Wood said of the
JEC students. “We want to get the
young people while they still have lives
Governor's Awards
nominations sought
Nomination forms for the 1982 Governor’s Volunteer Awards are available at the
Black Mountain Public Library. The deadline for submitting nominations is
Wednesday, May 12.
Nominations may be made by a group or individual in the following categories:
individual human service, individual community volunteer leader, senior citizen
volunteer, disabled person volunteer, school volunteer, one-to-one volunteer, church
or religious volunteer group, business or industry volunteer involvement.
Nominations will be judged with others from throughout the county. Last year no
nominations were received from the Black MountjiivSwannanoa_area._
OWcer os? are*^*Her
citixcns co
by Cynthia Reimer
An auxiliary police officer has been
assigned to patrol an area off Cragmont
Road from 3-10 p.m. daily to protect
children and other residents from
individuals allegedly involved in “dis
orderly conduct, shooting, knifings and
gunfire.”
Citizens' commissions formed to aid town
by Bill Anthony
Black Mountain moved closer last
week toward urban improvements with
a number of prerequisite bureaucratic
steps.
The Town Board of Aldermen, at its
April 14 meeting, appointed a com
mittee of very concerned citizens to
coordinate with theTVA’s “Town lift’’
program aimed at downtown rejuvena
tion. They are: Bob Watts, A1 Richard
son, Gay Fox, Joe Tyson, Bob Mc
Murray, Bill Ricketts, Steve Roberts,
Chuck Campbell and Priscilla Hopkins.
Alternate member is Susan Garland and
ex-offido members are Ed Weber and
Kathy Wacaster.
And the Aldermen agreed to estab
lish by ordinance an “urban forestry”
program with a commission to serve as
liaison with state experts on manage
ment of street, park and other public
trees. The Board also agreed to estab
Planning Board to meet
I The Black Mountain Planning Board will meet April 27th at 7 p.m at the City Hall.
The public is invited to present views on allowing mobile homes within the town
limits.
Sign, trailers discussion
continue with
Planning Board
by Bill Anthony
What was variously described by
participants as "Sign litter” and “sign
clutter,” plus uncertainty toward allow,
ing mobile homes in Black Mountain
characterized the Planning Board meet
ing April 13.
The Town planners hope they are in
the final stretch in drafting a new
zoning ordinance for presentation to the
Town Board of Aldermen. Article X of
the draft concerns business signs.
However, how to accomodate its restric
tions to merchants’ satisfaction is still
being thrashed out.
For example, at last week’s meeting
Frank Williams declared he hopes to
open a shop on Black Mountain Avenue
with a sign describing "Bar-B-Q’n
Fixins." One restriction in the draft
ordinance applying to the downtown C-l
district limits signs to those parallel to
store fronts, permitting only a 24-inch
projection toward the street. Williams,
however, wishes to attract customers
from at least a block away and doesn’t
consider a sign parallel to his store front
sufficient.
In a vote that split the board evenly,
with Chairman Travis Childs breaking
the tie, Williams was given permission
to print the letters vertically with the
24-inch limitation. But he was advised
that should the sign article be approved
by the aldermen such a sign perpen
dicular rather than parallel to the
building would have to come down.
As the planners then proceeded
through the draft ordinance, Childs
suggested developing a position on
whether to issue permits for mobile
homes in the Town’s limits. The
resulting pro and con discussion came
down to ‘‘how to tell people they can’t
have a mobile home in town and provide
no other option” for those who can’t
afford conventional houses, versus
‘‘depreciating owners’ property values
by allowing mobile homes in their
neighborhood.”
Unable to develop a consensus, the
planners scheduled another meeting
April 27 at 7 p.m. with the public invited
to describe the community’s views on
mobile homes.
lish a Recreation Commissin by ordi
nance with considerable authority. Ac
cording to a legal draft that commission
“shall have complete supervision of the
facilities and activities provided and
conducted on or in connection with the
parks, playgrounds, athletic fields and
recreation centers provided and shall
have the power to conduct any form of
recreation or cultural activity.”
Members of the urban forestry and
recreation commissions are expected to
be named at the Board’s May meeting.
Inst week the Board also familiarized
itself with the Town’s garbage and trash
ordinance as part of the statewide
clean-up week program. The littering
section of that ordinance reads:
“It shall be unlawful for any person to
throw or deposit upon any street or
sidewalk, or upon any private property,
except with written permission of the
owner or occupant of such private
property, any rocks, bricks, lumber,
sawdust, bottles, jars, broken glass, or
any paper bags, cups or paper of any
kind that may be offensive or unsightly
or that may be dangerous to traffic.”
Mayor Tom Sobol encouraged wit
nesses to report to the- police depart
ment license numbers and other identi
fication of cars from which trash is
thrown. He also reminded residents to
nut out whatever materials they wish
the Town to haul to the county landfill,
excepting tires. Town Hall, if notified,
will pick up the material during this
week or until all is removed.
In other business last week the
aldermen agreed to establish a new
privilege license fee for doing business
in the town at a flat $20. Previously it
was $10 plus $10 per employee on the
contractor’s payroll.
The aldermen also agreed to enter
into a “sister city” program with St.
Ann’s Bay, Jamaica. This was at the
suggestion of Warren Wilson College,
relayed by Alderman Gay Fox. A
student from St. Ann’s Bay is now at
W arren W ilson and further exchanges
are predicted.
Mayor Sobol also announced his
intention to proclaim April 28 Special
Olympics Day on behalf of the handi
capped children at Western Carolina
Center. He urged attendance at the
Olympics and to join in the “happiness
of the children when they receive
praise.”
In another action, the Town will ask
the Department of Transportation to
make the comer of Rhododendron and
Ninth streets a four-way stop. Rhodo
dendron is state-maintained. Sobol
mentioned complaints about speeders
and a near tragic accident involving a
child bicyclist.
Middle school chorus
receives second
superior rating
The Black Mountain Middle School
chorus received their second superior
rating this year at the Fourth Annual
Carowinds Choral Festival held at
Carowinds last Saturday. They are the
only Western North Carolina middle
school chorus ever to receive two
superior ratings in one year.
This is the first year the chorus has
existed. It is under the direction of L
Dale Whittington.
Of the 35 schools participating at
Carov.’nds, only four groups received
the coveted superior rating.
Judges for the event were Dr.
Richard Brewer from Pfeiffer College,
Mary Nell Saunders, and Roger Zim
merman, both of Virginia. Each of the
judges gave the Black Mountain group a
superior rating.
Some of the accolades were: “free,
lovely, lyrical tone,” “very sensitive
interpretation,” “excellent tone for this
age group” “best phrasing heard
today,” and “superb musicianship
evident in the singers and conductor.”
The Black Mountain chorus will
perform next for the Kiwanis Club at
the Monte Vista Hotel Thursday at noon
and for the Buncombe County Board of
Education meeting at Owen High
School Thursday evening, April 22.
Mayor Tom Sobol described the
activities of a group of five to 10 people.
“There is an elderly man, around 65,
retired. They keep him under the
influence of something ’til he’s lost
control of his house.
“This man formerly was very con
scientious. Now he’s had his water
turned off because he didn’t pay the bill
and I’ve heard hi^ electricity was also
turned off. He gets retirement and
social security checks.
“They’ve taken that old man over.
One of the girls is living there now.”
The man went on to say that children
in the area are afraid to go out and play.
“They prowl around the woods,” he
said. “This is part of the same crowd we
use to have around Lake Tomahawk.”
A woman with a family who lives
nearby said, “My husband sleeps with
a high-powered rifle by the bed.”
Mayor Sobol said there have been two
shootings in the area, but because no
one would sign a warrant, including the
man shot in one incident, no legal action
can be taken.
Town attorney Ron Sneed told the
aldermen, “Unless the man steps out of
there and says, ‘get those bums out of
here,’ there is nothing we can do.”
Town manager A1 Richardson said
local convenience stores had “banned”
the group.
An emergency meeting was held at
8:30 a.m. Thursday by the Town Board
and lawyer Ron Sneed to determine
what action was available to them.
Mayor Sobol said Tuesday legal action
will be taken this week to alleviate the
situation.
to give to God...not just before they
die.”
In return for the hundreds of loving
deeds the JEC is a recipient of, JEC
students are volunteers at Western
Carolina Center, where they act as
“buddies” to the residents.
“We try to repay the community by
participating in things like the commun
ity litter clean-up,” said Lucille Gunter,
director of volunteers there.
Asheville-Buncombe Community
Christian Ministry-East is staffed fund
ed and stocked almost completely by
volunteers and donations.
“We couldn’t operate without
them,” Lois Nix, director, said.
Fifteen volunteers work each week,
screening clients, assisting them, stock
ing the store, providing transportation
for the needy.
The Blade Mountain Fire and Police
Departments are supported by volun
teer firemen, ladies’ auxiliary and
Continued on page 2
Board votes
to allow
mobile homes
by Bill Anthony
In a special meeting April 19, the
board of Aldermen agreed to allow
mobile homes to be placed in residential
areas on locations where there now are
or have been mobile homes.
Attending the open meeting called
to consider this controversy was a
quorum of Gay Fox, Doug Stafford and
Mike Begley, with Mayor Tom Sobol
presiding. There was no “general
public” present.
Fox and Stafford voted to amend the
present zoning ordinance to permit
continuance of mobile homes “where
economic or medical reasons are doc
umented to show hardships.” These
permits will be good for “no more than
24 months.” Begley
voted no each time as the amending
ordinance was passed in three quick
readings as provided by law.
Board of Adjustments Chairman Bob
Fischer, in the audience, referred to the
amendment as an “atrocious piece of
legislation,” and asserted the aldermen
were “intimidated by one person”
which Fox and Stafford denied. Both
aldermen maintained it is necessary to
have low and moderate income housing
available, to which Fischer agreed, and
that some cases cannot wait until the
Planning Board comes up with a new
Continued on page 12
Town Board
Ground Zero Week
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Marie Kaplan, a member of the Swannanoa Valley Advocates for a
Nuclear Anns Freeze, collected signatures at Ingles In Black Mountain
Monday on a petition. Part of a national Ground Zero week, the petition
asks U.S. leaders to halt the nuclear arms race. Chris Blair of Montreat
received information from Mrs. Kaplan.
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