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Ask Matt ... about landfill gas, road work, pet store

Q. Is the methane gas emitted by the County landfill still being piped to a nearby business? I heard that it had stopped.

Yes, and we’re running out of gas! First some background. In the early 1990s, trees on private land around the Stoney Mountain Landfill began dying because of the methane gas released by decomposing buried waste. After lengthy litigation the County had to pay for damages. When the landfill’s capacity was maxed out in the mid-1990s, the County found a company that could solve the gas migration problem and also generate some revenue for the County on the side. Endedyne Power Systems was paid $20,000 to install a system to trap the methane gas and pipe it to Seneca Foods (now Clement Pappas) in the Mountain Home Industrial Park to fuel their boilers. The landfill was then estimated to have a forty-year gas reserve. According to County Engineer Marcus Jones, we were one of the first in the state to have a waste-to-energy operation.
A few years ago the company that owned the landfill gas rights terminated the lease because the flow of gas diminished to the point where they could no longer make a profit selling gas to the industry. “Ultimately this was a good thing for both our solid waste operations and the environment because it means the volume of gas has greatly declined,” said Jones. The NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) requires passive venting on our landfill. If emissions exceed state standards, DEQ can require corrective action. Gas emissions are monitored quarterly.

Q. How can I find archived Ask Matt stories that have run in the online version of the Lightning?

It’s easy. Just go to the Lightning’s online web site, find the gray search box on the top of the page and type in “Ask Matt.” When scrolling down, skip over anything that does not begin with “Ask Matt ... about.” My stories are mostly in chronological order but not all stories made the cut. The tag line may not divulge a companion story so you may have to dig down a bit. The online articles offer a reader comment section just below the story. Comments are always appreciated by this writer.

If you know what you are looking for, you can go right to Google and type in “Ask Matt - Hendersonville Lightning” plus the keyword (e.g. mopeds, robocalls, Uber). This is not a failsafe method but it works pretty well. If you don’t include the Lightning’s name you might get advice from another Matt at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. Probably an OK guy.

Q. Why were state survey crews recently surveying U.S. 64 through Laurel Park?

NCDOT will widen Brevard Road (U.S. 64) to a 3-lane road (with sidewalks) between Blythe Street and White Pine Drive but even though the design work is underway, construction won’t happen until the year 2022. Based upon the present traffic volume in that mile-long corridor I estimate that when the project is complete, 50 million cars will have passed through Laurel Park. Watch your speed.

Q. What happens to the used Christmas trees brought to Jackson Park?

In January over 900 trees were brought to Jackson Park and chopped-up to mulch. Actually, that number was notably fewer than the 1,500 trees shredded last year. The project was sponsored by MountainTrue and the mulch was offered free to the public. Most people spread it on their gardens but I’m told that some local farmers used the green stuff for goat food.

Q. What are they building on Etowah School Road overlooking Ingles?

SonRise Fitness rents space across from the Etowah Shopping Center. In April, SonRise owners James and Terri Heatherly will expand into a larger 5,000-square-foot building on land they own. They will continue to offer Zumba, Yoga, Pilates and Silver Sneakers. The new building site captures an awesome view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and workout machines in the new facility will be facing west. There are a dozen fitness centers in our county but none will offer their members a better sunset than SonRise.

Q. I heard Fish & Pets on Spartanburg Highway is going to close. They just moved there from Atha Plaza because of the new Publix. What is going on?

The store is now closed. Fish & Pets owner Dale Reese had mixed feelings about closing admitting reluctantly, “It just became time.” The store was only at the new location next to Toby’s Mattress Outlet for eight months. Reese said he had no issues with the new space there but I suspect that after 29 years in business, it’s got to be hard to relocate.

Q. Why did Hendersonville Little Theatre change its name to Hendersonville Community Theater?

It’s all about the little people. I spoke with Helen McConnell, the theater’s membership director, who said they were too often being confused with a children’s theatre group, hence the name change. McConnell proudly added that they are the area’s “official” community theatre. What separates them from the Flat Rock Playhouse is that the actors are unpaid amateurs. That’s actually a disservice since many of the actors and staff were once professionals who found their way back to the stage here in Hendersonville.

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