Life

Ask Matt ... what's that clearing on Burney Mountain?

The city of Hendersonville cleared land for a new water tank on Burney Mountain, seen here from Bill Moore Park in Fletcher.

By Matt Matteson, Published: November 5, 2020

Q. What is the big scar on Burney Mountain that you can see from Bill Moore Park in Fletcher?

That tree clearing is the site for a 1 million gallon water tank. The City of Hendersonville is replacing the existing tank on Burney Mountain to create a new pressure zone designed to improve the water system in the northside service area. The upgraded tank and connecting lines will also boost water flow for firefighting. The ground-mounted cobalt blue steel tank will be 33 feet high and fed by a new pump station. After the tank is put on line sometime around June of 2021, the old water tank will be removed. The project will cost $5.1 million including $2 million for the tank portion alone. According to City Engineer Brent Detwiler, the site will be seeded but for maintenance reasons no new trees will be planted.
Area resident Saskia Cacanindin owns two vacation rentals on Burney Mountain just a few hundred yards from the tank site. “I’m not happy with this,” said Cacanindin. “Why cut off the side of the mountain?”

Q. I saw what looked like an electric bike on Main Street. Who sells them and where can you ride them?

I located two local shops that carry electric bikes. Sycamore Cycles on Locust Street started selling e-bikes about a year ago and offers several models of Specialized (brand name) that start at $2,900. “We’re selling the heck out of them,” said shop Lucas Pound shows a Trek e-bike at the Bicycle Co. on North Church Street.employee Justin Miles. “We can get three types of e-bikes: commuter bikes, cruisers or mountain bikes.” Each model has gears, an electric motor and a battery which adds about eight pounds to the frame. They all basically work the same way – they are a bicycle first. “If you’re not pedaling, you’re not going anywhere,” said Miles. “But even on the fastest e-bike we sell, a rider can’t go faster than 28 miles per hour.”
North Carolina State law classifies Class I electric bikes as “electric assisted,” therefore no additional laws govern them. Miles said they are permitted on public roads as well as most local greenways and rail trails. He added that there is a popular and safe venue for owners of electric mountain bikes called “Ride Kanuga.” The course is located on the grounds of the Kanuga Conference Center where one can buy an all-day pass for $29.
The Bicycle Company on Asheville Highway offers a Trek model e-bike for $2,500. It has a 3-hour battery life and can be recharged in about the same time. The battery life for the bikes Sycamore Cycles sells is about five hours. Miles said that many older cyclists have realized that their bodies are not allowing them to ride as far, so they buy e-bikes. “It’s not cheating,” he said. “You still have to pedal.”

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