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Neighbors vow to fight 45-bed treatment facility

Henderson County News

Local farmers tell Sen. Tillis of need for farm labor

DANA — Standing in a cold warehouse, their gloved hands working in a tub of cold water, immigrant workers at Danny McConnell’s farm are doing the tedious job of cleaning ginger root, a specialty crop McConnell grows.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

THE TOP 10 NEWSSTORIES OF 2017: 3, 2, 1.

3. The battle for Big Red A Lightning Top 10 story for a third consecutive year, the battle over Hendersonville High School — build new or fix the old — came to an end after a tumultuous and emotional two-year drama. The story included threats from county commissioners or state Rep. Chuck McGrady to either abandon the project entirely, move the high school out of the city or de-annex the HHS property to void the city’s zoning power. County commissioners favored a new HHS building on the old Boyd car dealership property. After the School Board endorsed the option for a new HHS building in a 4-2 vote in December 2016, the next stop was the Hendersonville City Council, which had the authority to rezone the property. “If they vote no on the plan as presented, that will kill the project,” Commissioner Lapsley said. “It will be shelved indefinitely and there will be no new school.” Defying the threat, the city Planning Board in a 5-3 vote in April recommended that the City Council reject the plans. “I have a hard time going along with it with all the consternation that has been drummed up about it,” Planning Board member Steve Johnson said. Nonetheless, the council voted for the rezoning and Ninth Avenue closing needed for the project in a 3-2 vote on May 5. Final design of the $52 million school is under way. 2. Manhunt, murder and mourning A manhunt that drew hundreds of law officers, emergency workers and volunteers to the Pisgah National Forest on a busy Saturday in July ended five days later after a chase through two counties and the arrest of Phillip Michael Stroupe II. A convicted felon who had just gotten out of prison for armed robbery, Stroupe, 39, was charged with abducting and shooting to death Thomas “Tommy” Bryson, 68, of Mills River. Bryson left his home at 8:35 a.m. Wednesday, July 26, four days after Stroupe vanished into the woods in the national forest. Authorities think Stroupe kidnapped Bryson when he stopped to check the mail at the end of the driveway, shot him and dumped his body in a cornfield. District Attorney Greg Newman announced that the state would seek death penalty for Stroupe in a trial set for July 23 in Henderson County. He faces charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and multiple other felonies arising from his desperate flight across two states. The violent death of Tommy Bryson brought an outpouring of community support and grief for his family. Friends, family members and strangers organized an impromptu candlelight vigil that lit up miles of N.C. 280. Mourners packed First Baptist Church and stood for more than two hours in a receiving line that stretch for more than a block down Fifth Avenue West. Friends and family have raised money for a basketball court at Mills River Town Park, a memorial to Tommy Bryson that recognizes his love of the game and serves the youth of the community he loved and that loved him back.   1. Growing pains Even before the new year dawned, the die was cast on a theme that would dominate politics and civic engagement of 2017. In December 2016, when the Board of Commissioners unanimously shot down a rezoning application to permit 225 cottages Residents question an NCDOT engineer about Highland Lake Road widening.at Horse Shoe Farm, the power of the citizen uprising came into focus. From Horse Shoe to Etowah to Laurel Park to Flat Rock, homeowners rose up to oppose high-density housing as incompatible with the county’s rural nature and overtaxing on roads and other infrastructure. Yet when transportation planners proposed wider roads as a solution for the county’s robust growth, homeowners said no to that, too. Rick Merrill, a Historic Flat Rock trustee and past president, told the Flat Rock Village Council that the new Highland Lake Road would be overbuilt. “Thirty-four feet of roadway, four feet of shoulder, six feet of grass shoulder. Forty-four feet from ditch to ditch —10 feet wider than Greenville highway,” he said. “That’s overkill folks.” As Top 10 story Nos. 4, 5 and 10 suggest, the power of the not in my backyard movement is affecting how we travel in cars, on foot and on bicycles and raising questions about whether asphalt for motor vehicles and stop signs and traffic lights — not roundabouts, bike lanes or sidewalks — are the only fixes the community will accept. “Are we going to let public outcry kill things that in every respect make sense?” Joe Sanders, an advocate for greenways, said in an interview. As the year closed, county commissioners, town boards and homeowners were awaiting revised NCDOT plans for Kanuga Road, Highland Lake Road and U.S. 64 in Laurel Park and the county Planning Board was looking at revising the county land-use standards for high-density development in rural residential areas.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

THE TOP 10 NEWSSTORIES OF 2017: 7, 6, 5, 4 ...

No. 7. Good news at Seven Falls Although no one’s pulling any building permits yet with a Seven Falls address, the development based on the fraud that sent Keith Vinson to prison had its best year since the dizzying days when country musicians choppered in for exclusive sales extravaganzas. Thanks to the patient guidance of County Attorney Russ Burrell and a star-studded lineup of attorneys who knew how to reach a compromise, lot owners agreed to a distribution of $5.5 million in bond money Henderson County received after the development failed. “My argument in court about why Judge Powell should accept this is I didn’t go through life seeing very many miracles but this is as close to one I’ve seen in a long time,” Burrell said. “I did not expect them to agree to anything.” The horizon brightened, too, when Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy bought 146 acres of old Seven Falls property along the French Broad River, pledging to preserve the land for passive recreational use and water quality protection. No. 6. Water wars For generations, water — where it comes from, where it goes and who decides— has created conflict in the Henderson-Buncombe region. This year was no different, except now Henderson County commissioners have trained their sights on Hendersonville, not Asheville. In March, commissioners called on the state Legislature to force the city to cede its water system to the county. If it refused, commissioners wanted the Legislature to place the city system under state control. Commissioners contend that the city ought to charge customers outside the city the same rate — or close to the same rate — as ratepayers inside. Before the March 15 meeting, the city issued a pre-emptive strike to counter arguments Commissioner Bill Lapsley has made for the takeover. “The City of Hendersonville contends that Commissioner Lapsley’s facts are misconstrued, taken out of context or simply wrong,” City Manager John Connet said in a news release. State Rep. Chuck McGrady filed a bill to put the city system under control and later softened that to a study of regional water system. At year’s end, the conflict remained unresolved. No. 5. Store wars The commercial sizzle in Hendersonville’s south gateway is going to get even hotter when Publix opens next year. Ingles and Dollar Tree opened in 2017 at ground zero of the grocery and drugstore war. Harris Teeter scrambled to add Starbucks coffee and ready-to-eat items to keep pace with Ingles, Fresh Market and Publix. The NCDOT’s plans for traffic are already drawing opposition. An NCDOT plan for the city’s south side envisions three roundabouts, including one where King, Main and Church streets merge. A White Street extension would take two commercial buildings and reduce parking for Walgreens and Wendy’s. Property owners and city council members are skeptical at best. Look for a scrum in 2018.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

THE TOP 10 NEWSSTORIES OF 2017: 10, 9, 8 ...

  No. 10. Seventh Avenue rising The Hendersonville City Council saw drawings of brick paver crosswalks, leafy medians and handsome gateways on Seventh Avenue East. They talked about façade grants and heard a consultant describe an aggressive redevelopment strategy that would use eminent domain to bulldoze dilapidated houses and buildings. But in the end it was the market — the craft beer boom and an improving economy — that sparked progress on Seventh Avenue in 2017. The changing fortunes of the once-bustling Historic Seventh Avenue District was most striking in the upper end. In the 300 block, Triskelion Brewing Co.’s two-story taproom rose from the ground. Underground Bakery owner Matthew Hickman added Independent Beans espresso bar, dine-in and delivery chain Marco’s Pizza prepared to open and a fitness center moved in. As the year closed, increased traffic had sparked friction between the Hendersonville Rescue Mission and neighboring businesses. And suddenly a parking shortage —  a good problem to have — was becoming a topic. On the last day of the year, Triskelion will open its preview space to customers — in the brewhouse behind the taproom — and start pouring craft beer. No. 9. Mail at the mall Besides the talk of Publix — will they or won’t they break ground? — the most watched decision was where our our new post office would end up. Ever since the Postal Service announced it was looking for new digs, box holders and regular counter customers had chattered about where they’d next have to go. Now they know: Blue Ridge Mall. “The Postal Service is excited to have secured a new location for the Hendersonville Post Office,” said Postal Service spokesman Phillip J. Bogenberger. The post office will be in the 7,000-square-foot space currently occupied by Sears, which plans to move a few doors down. “I just don’t associate the post office with a mall,” said Charlene Varnes, who also had concerns about accessing her P.O. box at night. “It should be a stand-alone building.” Hendersonville mayor pro tem Ron Stephens agrees with that. At the Dec. 7 council meeting, Stephens raised safety concerns and urged the council to register its dissatisfaction with the Postal Service’s decision. Others looked on the bright side. “Anything is better than this,” Mary Stroman said of the deteriorating brick building on Fifth Avenue. “The mall needs a shot in the arm.” No. 8: A star departs County Manager Steve Wyatt recalled his reaction when a delegation from the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development stepped into his office in September. “When they came to see me to deliver the bad news they looked like their dog had been run over,” Wyatt said. “I knew before they opened their mouth what they were going to tell me. I said, ‘That’s Elected officials and company manager celebrate the GF Linamar, one of Tate's last industrial catches.not bad news. Bad news would be, “We’re having to run this guy off because we’re not getting anything done.”’” The news that made their faces droop was that Partnership President Andrew Tate had resigned to take a job with the North Carolina Railroad in Raleigh. “I’ve been doing this for 35 years,” Wyatt said. “In his role, he is as effective as anyone I’ve ever worked with. The results speak for themselves.” What were those results? Demmel, Empire Distributors, Legacy Paddlesports, UPM Raflatac Specials, Norafin, the Dirty Dancing film production, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Microtech Knives, Raumedic, PMA Tools, Bold Rock Hard Cider, Smart Products, Wingate University, Country Malt Group, GF Linamar. Those businesses made a taxable investment of $796,458,000 and created 2,070 jobs. “That’s going to change hundreds of lives,” Wyatt said.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

BUSINESS BRIEFS: Penny certified, nurses honored

Will Penny certified through Wharton School   Will Penny, president of Penny Insurance Agency in Hendersonville, North Carolina, has been awarded the Certified Advisor of Personal Insurance designation from the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Chubb Insurance. Will PennyPenny is among a group of only 38 agents this year to receive the certification after completing a one-year intensive educational program on understanding the lifestyle and risk management and insurance needs of successful individuals and families. Created by Wharton and Chubb in 2014, the CAPI program is the first of its kind to focus on a specific client segment in the personal insurance marketplace. A Henderson County native, Penny is the third generation president of Penny Insurance Agency. He is a graduate of Wofford College, and has been with Penny Insurance since 1994. Courses are taught by Wharton faculty, Chubb subject matter experts and other professionals. Agents received instruction on the Wharton campus at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and through virtual classes, webcasts, reading assignments and other online activities throughout 2017. Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. Chubb is the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company, and the largest commercial insurer in the United States.   Austin named PeriAnesthesia Nurse of the Year Pardee UNC Health Care nurse Debbie Austin has been named PeriAnesthesia Nurse of the Year by the North Carolina Association of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. The award recognizes a nurse who demonstrates excellence in the practice, management and teaching of PeriAnesthesia nursing, and promotes high standards in the profession. Austin, an RN, is a charge nurse in the hospital’s post-anesthesia care unit, where she treats patients recovering from anesthesia. She also serves as a faculty instructor for advanced cardiovascular life support, pediatric advanced life support and basic cardiac life support certification training.             For more than a year, Austin has spearheaded a pilot program for the safe disposal of narcotic medications given to patients for post-operative pain. The program uses education regarding safe storage and disposal, as well as Deterra bags, which allow patients to safely dispose of unused narcotics at home after a surgical procedure. Not only did Austin obtain funding from the Pardee Hospital Foundation for the first 200 packs of Deterra, she also educated the Day Surgery nursing staff on the need for these bags and worked closely with Pardee administration, Hope Rx and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office to make the pilot program successful.             “Debbie has always had a heart for serving others and our community, whether she is feeding and clothing the homeless, sponsoring a food drive, or volunteering at church,” said nurse Jennifer White a colleague of Austin’s who nominated her for the award. “By confronting the drug epidemic head on and gaining hospital support, Debbie is making a lasting impact on the prescription narcotics problem in our community. She is most deserving of this award.”   Darlyne Jarrett honored as DAISY award winner Darlyne Jarrett has received the DAISY Award at Park Ridge Health. A part of the Home Health team, Jarrett, 82, was recognized for her outstanding character and work ethic. Darlyne Jarrett“She is always willing and works every day that we have visits for her to do. She will go to any area, and is always smiling and cheerful,” a nominating letter said. “Patients ask for her specifically. She consistently goes above and beyond for her patients and for her team. She takes call even though she is not obligated to do so as a PRN nurse, and is often helping others by switching out call so they can be with family or meet other personal obligations.” Jarrett also serves as a Spiritual Ambassador for the department, and is currently going to a particular patient’s home on Sunday afternoons for Bible study because the patient said she wished someone would talk with her about the Bible. She takes meals to patients in need and provides them with community resources on her own time. The DAISY Award was created by the family of J. Patrick Barnes to thank the nurses who cared for Patrick and for them as he battled an autoimmune disease. Patrick lost his battle, but his family realized the impact his nurses had on the final days of his life and wanted to create a lasting opportunity for all families who experience the benefits of the extraordinary care of nurses to show their appreciation.     Park Ridge Imaging Center is accredited Park Ridge Health’s Diagnostic Imaging Center, located at the main campus, has earned the American College of Radiology Accreditation for a new 128-slice CT Scanner, the hospital announced. Park Ridge Health installed the GE 128-slice imager earlier this year. At that point, Wendy Miller, one of Park Ridge Health’s Diagnostic Imaging Radiology Technologists, took the lead to begin the process of attaining the ACR accreditation.  “Wendy ensures patient safety and clinical quality are top priorities in our Computerized Tomography (CT) Suite,” said Todd Guffey, Park Ridge Health Director of Diagnostic Imaging. “Wendy not only made sure the Diagnostic Imaging team met all the ACR requirements, but she did so without interrupting the exceptional care each of our CT patients received. Achieving this accreditation shows this team’s passion for exceeding the expectations of providing high-quality care to our patients.” To learn more about the Park Ridge Health Imaging Center or to make an appointment, call 855.PRH.LIFE (855.774.5433) to speak with a member of the Park Ridge Health Patient Resource Team.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Second Seventh Avenue brewery opening on New Year's Eve

With seven gleaming tanks behind him, Jonathan Ayers passionately describes the lineup of craft beer he plans to pour in 12 days from now. “As soon as I get all seven of my tanks filled I’m going to be making my announcement,” he said in mid-December. They’re filled now, and Ayers announced this week that he is opening his Triskelion Brewing Co. with a New Year’s Eve party on Dec. 31. He and his wife and co-brewer Becky plan to serve food, wine, mead (wine made of fermented honey) and of course beer. “We’re walking through the door with seven of our own beers,” he says. They also plan to have food on New Year’s Eve. Triskelion will open in the brewhouse, which is behind the 5,000-square-foot taproom in the 300 block of Seventh Avenue East. “We’re shooting to try to get that one open around April or May,” he says. It’s all-concrete both for fire code and esthetic reasons. “The décor we’re doing, it’s not like what goes on around here,” he says. “Everybody does like mountain rustic. We’re not doing that. This is going to be like Norwegian modern, clean …” “IKEA style,” Becky adds. “It’s going to be something different,” Jonathan adds. He says patrons can get food with their beverages in a variety of ways. “Marco’s has an app,” he says. “You can be sitting in here and place the order for your subs and pizza and tell them you’re at the brewery and they’ll hand walk it over to you. You don’t even have to leave.” They’re also talking to Sol y Luna. “They deliver. They want to keep a menu here so if you want something different than pizza you can call Sol y Luna and have them bring the food down to us.” And they’d like to work something out with Daddy D’s, the Southern food restaurant across the street. Triskelion becomes the second microbrewery in the Historic Seventh Avenue District, joining the pioneering Southern Appalachian Brewing Co., the first one in Hendersonville. Among the craft beers the couple will debut on New Year’s Eve are the Punkadelic porter, the Order of the Kensmen, a wheat heavy Scottish ale; and two IPAs. Regular hours will be 4 p.m.-midnight Thursday and Friday and noon-midnight Saturday.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Seventh Avenue starting to feel growing pains

Seventh Avenue is suffering some unwanted consequences from a situation it hasn’t had to worry about in a long time — growth of retail businesses and foot traffic. Business owners in the Seventh Avenue engaged in a sometimes heated discussion Monday night about increasing traffic in an alley behind the Hendersonville Rescue Mission that also serves a new brewery, a new pizzeria and other retail businesses in the 300 block of up-and-coming Seventh Avenue. Rescue Mission clients congregate in the alley while they’re waiting to get into the building for meals and other services. Matthew Hickman, the owner of Underground Bakery and Roaster, brought the matter up during a regular meeting of the Seventh Avenue Advisory Board. “The main reason it should be discussed is it’s becoming a public safety issue,” Hickman said. “In the past, traffic has not really been an issue and now it is an issue. … If it isn’t addressed somebody’s going to get hurt and I’m going to feel really sorry about that. The idea is not to point fingers but bring it to the committee because I think we’ve been pretty effective at resolving issues.” Anthony McMinn, director of the Rescue Mission, urged the business owners and the committee not to overreact and do something that would disrupt the mission’s longtime service to the poor and homeless, which predates the newer businesses. “In 20 years there’s never been an accident,” McMinn said. “Why don’t we put up some pedestrian warning signs? We’re talking about a public access alley. They have as much right to be in the alley as anybody else.” Becky Ayers, the co-owner of the new Triskelion Brewing Co., said she had been the target of harassing comments from some mission clients waiting in the alley. “You know what I’m dealing with,” McMinn said. “I’m dealing with alcoholics, I’m dealing with people with a drug addiction, I’m dealing with mentally ill people. I can’t say what people are going to say. At the end of the day, it’s kind of hard not to feel like this organization is under attack because this is the first time I’ve heard about this.” He pledged that if he heard about any harassment from Rescue Mission clients, he’d put a stop to it. “If that happened you should have let me know,” he told Ayers. “We’ve been here a long time. You knew we were here when you came in and built right beside us. … We will do what we can to help you. We have always tried to be a good neighbor. These guys have just as much right to walk up an alley as anyone. If they’re harassing you, call me.” The business owners asked City Manager John Connet whether the city could intervene with signage or police patrols. “It is considered a private alley. The city doesn’t maintain it,” Connet said. “It’s never been dedicated to the public for maintenance. We don’t provide any maintenance. (Crystal Barbershop owner) Red Price actually resurfaced it the last time. If we’ve not accepted it for maintenance it doesn’t technically become public in the sense of maintenance, in the sense of law enforcement, handling traffic laws and things like that. Apparently Red took it upon himself to pave it.” The advisory board asked police Capt. Chris LeRoy, who also attended the meeting, what kind of traffic enforcement police could do. Not much, he said, because it’s not a public street. “It would be treated like a parking lot,” he said. “Very rarely do we charge people in parking lots with traffic violations.” Hickman agreed to work with McMinn on a solution. “Personally I feel a commitment and a responsibility to address it because no one spends more time behind that building than I do,” Hickman said. “There’s no place for those people to go. That’s part of the problem.” Board member Chris Cormier said the construction traffic will subside once the brewery and Marco’s Pizza are finished building. “The problem I have with it is it’s private property,” advisory board Chair Dennis Dunlap said. “I don’t think it’s our call. It’s not property that we have any jurisdiction over.” Triskelion Brewing Co. and Marco’s Pizza, a national chain that specializes in eat-in and delivery of pizza, subs and wings, are not the only new businesses on Seventh Avenue. Other businesses: Brenda Coates plans to open a brandy bar at 504 Seventh Ave. Coates is working with Carriage House distillery to make her own brandy. She’s been working on a pear brandy and a cherry brandy. She decided to operate as a private club because that makes it easier to serve food. She is working with food suppliers including Hickory Nut Farm for salami, local cheese, Tuxedo pickles and relishes and Van’s Chocolates. “It’s all going to be local products served with the brandy,” she said. Coates is scheduled to appear before the city Zoning Board of Adjustment to request a conditional use permit for a private club. The membership fee would be $1 for five years, she said. Root Performance Fitness plans to open at 330 Seventh Ave. Oriole Mill at 701 Oriole Drive has opened a retail outlet. The mill specializes in high-quality Jacquard and Dobby woven coverlets, bedding and throws.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Four arrested after drugs found in storage unit

Henderson County sheriff’s deputies charged four people on drug offenses after they found methamphetamine, marijuana, a firearm with an altered and destroyed serial number, drug paraphernalia, and other items in a storage unit at Mills River Storage Facility.  Detectives with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Direct Enforcement Team and Property Crimes Unit executed a search warrant for the storage unit on Nov. 28.  During the course of the investigation, detectives seized bags of methamphetamine, marijuana, a firearm with an altered and destroyed serial number, drug paraphernalia, and other miscellaneous items. Arrested were: Lesia Leigh Cole, 22, of Leicester, charged with Felony Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Methamphetamine, Misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana up to 1/2oz, and Misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She was released after posting a$7,600.00 secured bond. Christopher John Swayngim, 26, of Asheville, charged with Felony Possession of a Firearm with an altered and destroyed serial number. He was released after posting an $8,000.00 secured bond.   Dakota Ray Creek, 30, of Hendersonville, identified as a person of interest in connection with the storage unit search warrant.  Warrants were later obtained for Felony Possession of Methamphetamine and Felony Maintain a Vehicle/Dwelling/Place for Controlled Substances. On Dec. 13, acting on information as to Creek’s possible whereabouts, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Street Crimes Unit and Warrant Squad deputies went to Courtland Boulevard in Hendersonville attempting to serve arrestwarrants on Creek. Upon their arrival, deputies saw Creek standing in the garage area of the home and took him into custody without incident.  During the arrest deputies located approximately 11.3 grams of methamphetamine on his person.  Street Crime detectives then additionally charged Creek with Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  He posted a total bond of $62,638.46 and has been released. One additional drug arrest also took place on Tuesday, Nov. 28, when detectives stopped a suspicious vehicle outside of the Mills River Storage Facility. During the course of the investigation, methamphetamine and marijuana were seized and Brianna Storm Keener, 21, of Cumming, Ga., was charged with Felony Possession of Methamphetamine and Misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana. She was released on a $5,100 bond.    Read Story »

Henderson County News

Hendersonville man sent to prison on robbery charges

A Hendersonvile man was sentenced to 6½ years in prison after his conviction on three counts of common law robbery.   Read Story »

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