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BRCC, school system recognized as jobs recruiting 'Partners of the Year'

Hendersonville Business

ECCO's 'virgin birth' could make a splash in shark world

Kortney Clark used a pair of ordinary looking scissors to execute an extraordinary bit of marine animal surgery. Peering through a couple of inches of aquarium saltwater, she carefully cut an egg casing the thickness of a fingernail that enclosed a baby shark. When the painstaking process was complete, so was the virgin birth — one that potentially would make a splash in the world of shark research.   Read Story »

Hendersonville Business

CITY OKs ROUNDABOUTS

Motorists will see major changes at Hendersonville’s south gateway if the NCDOT completes construction plans that the City Council endorsed on Wednesday.   Read Story »

Flat Rock Business

ZONING BOARD DENIES PERMIT FOR DRUG TREATMENT FACILITY

The Henderson County Zoning Board of Adjustment voted unanimously on Wednesday to deny a non-profit organization’s application for a drug treatment center on Erkwood Drive, ruling that the commercial use was incompatible with the surrounding residential use.The board’s action came after six hours of testimony over three days from witnesses who debated whether the residential treatment center would be appropriate for the 1.3-acre property across from Mud Creek Baptist Church. In the final hour of the special-use permit hearing, which had stretched over three days, neighboring homeowners begged the board to deny the zoning permit while advocates for the center urged a yes vote.The applicant, First Contact Ministries, argued that the facility would be secure, would serve people who were seeking treatment voluntarily and would address an urgent need in the community. Neighboring property owners said they feared the treatment center’s clients could leave voluntarily and threaten their safety, that the commercial use would harm property values and that traffic and noise would increase. "Obviously, we're very disappointed," said Craig Halford, First Contact's founder and president. "We'll take some time and think about it and discuss whether we want to appeal or not. It's hard to find any words beyond extremely disappointed. The community has said, Nope, we don't want it." After the public hearing part of the three-day meeting ended at 6:20 p.m., the Zoning Board of Adjustment asked questions of First Contact’s officials and began deliberating. Board of Adjustment members asked questions about water runoff, based on concerns raised by a homeowner who lives next to a small creek downstream from the facility, about the security of the facility and about whether the facility would admit people with a diagnosed mental illness such as bipolar. Board Chair Ron Kauffman challenged one of First Contact’s expert witnesses, an appraiser who compared a smaller facility in Mills River to the Mud Creek area facility for purposes of property valuation. The two projects seemed too dissimilar to be a meaningful real estate comparable.The opponents, who took up about half the meeting room, applauded when the board voted to deny the special-use permit.An appeal of the zoning board’s decision would go to Henderson County Superior Court. Residents of Dunroy, Chanteloup, Estate Drive and other neighborhoods had contributed to the cost of an attorney who led the opposition, Brian Gulden of Asheville. Board members asked Craig Halford, First Contact’s president and founder, why the nonprofit had not looked at other sites.“We do not have the ability to go out and buy land at the current market value,” he said. “This is available now. We can dramatically cut the amount of time that would be required to raise funds for the property” if it can use the property donated by Mud Creek Baptist Church.In a closing statement, Gulden said that an assisted living residential center would be required to offer mental health services, even though First Contact officials said they would only treat drug and alcohol addiction. He also challenged the use of the Silver Ridge retreatment facility in Mills River as a comparable use.First Contact attorney Derek Jones emphasized that the applicant was seeking a special-use permit, not a rezoning. “We’re looking at meeting the criterion in the application here,” he said. “We provided competent evidence for each point.”Board members repeated that many residents had said. In a climate of serious opioid addiction, a treatment center is desperately needed. But an area with 540 homes in a half-mile radius is not the place for it. “Like you, I would like to see more treatment program in our county” to address the serious drug and alcohol addiction, Kauffman said. “However, I’m not necessarily sure that the good Lord requires it to be built right there.”He also expressed doubt about the staffing ratio, saying it would not be strong enough to keep up with the 42 residents if some decided to voluntarily leave the facility in the middle of the night. First Contact has said that they expect no trouble.“Do we assume the risk that it will never happen?” he said.“Fear of unknown operating procedures,” Fishburne said, accounted for a lot of the opposition. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. RETURN TO THE LIGHTNING FOR MORE.     Read Story »

Flat Rock Business

First Contact makes case for rehab center; zoning hearing continued

In a second day of testimony in a zoning hearing for a drug treatment facility, First Contact Ministries officials and other witnesses explained how the facility would operate and offered assurances that it would not pose a threat to surrounding residents.   Read Story »

Mills River Business

Hearing postponed on day surgery clinic

A certificate of need public hearing on an application from Margaret R. Pardee Memorial Hospital to develop an ambulatory surgical facility in Mills River has been rescheduled due to the potential impacts of Hurricane Michael.   Read Story »

Hendersonville Business

Planning Board pushes back on zoning rewrite

Hendersonville Planning Board members rejected a rewrite of the city’s zoning ordinance that would restrict numerous uses in the commercial zoning districts that cover downtown and the Historic Seventh Avenue District.   Read Story »

Etowah Business

Cummings Cove
 to add 34 homes

ETOWAH — A developer plans to add 34 units in a Cummings Cove in a combination of single-family homes and duplexes designed to appeal to down-sizers.   Read Story »

Edneyville Business

Soul food with Jamaican accent 
is on the menu in Edneyville

EDNEYVILLE — Raynard Walker learned the basics of cooking by watching his mother and grandmother and asking questions. Three years ago, he started cooking out of his house, promoting his roasted, fried and smoked meats on Facebook and launching a small catering business.   Read Story »

Henderson County Business

General Electric dumps CEO

General Electric Co. announced on Monday that it had replaced chairman and CEO John Flannery after just 14 months on the job after a hoped-for turnaround in the company's finances failed to materialize. Once a titan of Wall Street, General Electric installed 55-year-old H. Lawrence Culp Jr. as chair and CEO. Culp, who ran Danaher Corp. from 2000 to 2014, is the first outsider to become CEO in GE’s 126-year history, the Boston Globe reported. GE's Lightning Solutions plant in East Flat Rock has figured in the iconic company's financial troubles. Along with other plants in its lighting solutions division, the East Flat Rock location has been put on the block. So far, no buyer has been announced and the plant is still operating in the meantime. In February GE reached a deal to sell the overseas units of the lighting business. "Shedding the remaining, mainly U.S.-based lighting business is part of a broad restructuring plan aimed at divesting $20 billion worth of assets to focus the remaining company on three core divisions: power, aviation and health care," Reuters reported. GE also said it will take a huge writedown of $23 billion at its troubled power unit that will total as much as $23 billion, the Globe reported, and it withdrew its earnings and cash flow guidance for 2018. “While GE’s businesses other than Power are generally performing consistently with previous guidance, due to weaker performance in the GE Power business, the Company will fall short of previously indicated guidance for free cash flow and EPS for 2018,” the company said in a statement. Culp served as President/CEO of Danaher Corporation from 2000 to 2014. "During his tenure (at Danaher), he led the highly successful transformation of the company from an industrial manufacturer into a leading science and technology company," GE said in a news release. "Under Mr. Culp’s leadership, Danaher executed a disciplined capital allocation approach, including a series of strategic acquisitions and dispositions, a focus on investing for high-impact organic growth and margin expansion, and delivering strong free cash flow to drive long-term shareholder value. During his 14 years at the head of Danaher, the company’s market capitalization and revenues grew five-fold."     Read Story »

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