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Henderson County News

Walk, bike or bus — don't drive — to Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is encouraging people to come on foot or by bike, carpool or bus for a brew and a conversation about the future of multi-modal connectivity across Henderson County during a Brewery or Bust event as part of Strive Not to Drive this week. The Sierra Nevada event is 5:30-8:30 p.m. today. Options include: BUS - Catch a bus at 5:30 p.m., provided by The Trolley Company. Meet and park at the lower parking lot of the Henderson County Courthouse on East 4th Ave., across from the old Grey Hosiery Mill. The bus will return at 8pm, and on the way will drop off any cyclists who do not wish to make the return night ride. BIKE - Bike a roughly 12-mile route, taking backroads to the brewery. Nobody gets dropped! Meet at Bold Rock Cidery at 5 p.m. to roll out. Limited bus seats and cargo space will be available to those uncomfortable biking back by dusk, but bring a headlight and tailight and be prepared. WALK - A roughly half-mile hike along the emerging trail system on Sierra Nevada's property will meet at 6pm in lower parking lot “6 Row," located off of Old Fanning Bridge road near the roundabout. CARPOOL - Work out a carpool plan with a friend, or try www.ShareTheRideNC.org - putting in your home and Sierra Nevada's address (100 Sierra Nevada Way, Fletcher, NC) to find a shared ride to the event. The Sierra Nevada brewery event is one of several promotions this week to encourage options other than driving. On Thursday, Rhythm and Brews is offering FREE BIKE VALET PARKING. The concert, featuring the Get Right Band, is the first of the summer series. An Apple Country Public Transit bus will be on hand to teach riders how to use the bus bike rack and get answers on using  the system. Friday, May 19, is National Bike to Work Day. Click here for a full list of events.        Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Youth Council adds eight members

The Henderson County Youth Council, an organization that initiates community service projects and advocates for youth leadership opportunities, has added eight new members and will participate in a service project on Sunday at the United Way of Henderson County. The Youth Council program brings teens from all Henderson County high schools together to advocate for issues impacting youth. Members will have the opportunity to learn new leadership skills and act on a wide variety of topics and issues that affect young adults. The council was founded in 2011 by student leader Drue Stinnent as a way for teens to learn about local government and to have a voice in the community. Council members will help complete the installation of the new Born Learning Trail on the Oklawaha Greenway.New members are Bradley Cole, North Henderson High School; Taylor Calloway, North Henderson High School; Moriah Fender, West Henderson High School; Kinley Freeman, North Henderson High School; Michelle Gonzalez, North Henderson High School; Oliver Kompathoum, Hendersonville High School; Annie Grace Plott, North Henderson High School; and Janeissa Romero, Early College.The 2016-2017 council is made up of Emma Bentley, Balfour Education Center; Michelle Huerta Mendez, East Henderson High School; Hagen Mendrykowski, Hendersonville High School; Genesis Lagos Orsorio, Early College; Alex Ramirez, Early College; Madison Toro, Balfour Education Center; Eli Tyler, East Henderson High School.The youth council is a partnership of United Way of Henderson County and Hope Rx.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Kanuga offers 'Dirty Dancing' package

Kanuga Conference Center is offering a "Dirty Dancing" package in August to celebrate the filming of the made-for-TV remake of the 1987 hit. The remake, airing at 8 p.m. on May 24 on ABC, was filmed at the historic Kanuga property and at other locations in the North Carolina mountains in the spring of 2016. Kanuga’s secluded setting and rustic surroundings provided a lush backdrop for the storyline set in the 1960s. Several iconic scenes were filmed there, including the conga line from the beginning of the movie and Baby’s famous watermelon scene. Johnny’s cabin scenes were filmed at the Fox Pavilion at Camp Kanuga, while the Fox Cottage on the main campus was repurposed as the Kellerman’s cabin. “We hope the movie provides a chance for viewers to fall in love again with Western North Carolina’s beauty,” Kanuga president Michael R. Sullivan said in a news release. “While the movie is a fictional story, Kanuga is a place where people can truly experience a vacation filled with old-fashioned fun and relaxation.” To celebrate the re-imagining, Kanuga is offering a limited-time Dirty Dancing package. Available Aug. 18-20, the package coincides with the Dirty Dancing Festival in nearby Lake Lure. Lake Lure served as the backdrop for several memorial scenes in the original movie. The package includes accommodations at Kanuga and breakfast for up to two guests; call 828-692-9136 to make reservations. Other getaway options are also available during the summer, fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas seasons. Designed to serve as a respite from the hectic pace of daily life, stays at Kanuga include meals, lodging at the inn or guest cottages, and activities. More information about Kanuga’s guest periods and seasonal conferences and retreats can be found online at kanuga.org. The three-hour filmed musical event features the story from the beloved 1987 romantic drama and instant movie classic told from a fresh perspective. Dirty Dancing stars Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) as Baby, Debra Messing (“Will & Grace”) as Marjorie Houseman, Bruce Greenwood (“American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson”) as Dr. Jake Houseman, Nicole Scherzinger (“Dancing with the Stars”) as Penny, Colt Prattes (“Rock of Ages,” Pink’s music video “Try”) as Johnny, Sarah Hyland (“Modern Family”) as Lisa Houseman, Tony Roberts (“Annie Hall”) as Max Kellerman, Trevor Einhorn (“Mad Men”) as Neil, Shane Harper (“The Passion”) as Robbie Gould, J. Quinton Johnson (“Everybody Wants Some”) as Marco, Beau “Casper” Smart (“Perfect Match”) as Billy, Katey Sagal (“Sons of Anarchy”) as Vivian Pressman and Billy Dee Williams (“Star Wars”) as Tito. Dirty Dancing, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, is produced by Lionsgate Television in association with Allison Shearmur Productions. Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances “Baby” Houseman falls in love with the camp’s dance instructor, Johnny Castle, and nothing is ever the same for anyone in the Houseman family. Modernized, updated versions of the memorable, favorite songs from the original film, including “Time of My Life,” “Love Man,” “Do You Love Me,” “Hungry Eyes,” “She’s Like the Wind,” teamed with well-known songs that are new to Dirty Dancing, such as “Fever” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” are woven into the storytelling and performed by the talented and versatile cast.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Henderson, Polk Habitat agencies merge

Habitat for Humanity agencies serving Henderson County and Polk County and Landrum, S.C., announced the merger of their organizations on Wednesday. he Habitat affiliates, each with a long history of helping families in their communities, are uniting to create an organization that will increase their ability to serve families in need of decent, affordable housing. Both affiliates say the merger will enable them to more efficiently leverage donor funds and ultimately increase the number of affordable homes built and families served through their Homeownership and Neighborhood Preservation Programs. Over 28 years ago, the two affiliates were founded independently out of local grassroots efforts to face mounting shortages of affordable housing. As the housing challenges in the area have grown more urgent over the years, the need for a united approach to those challenges has become more compelling.“We are very excited about working together to achieve greater impact in our neighboring communities," Henderson County Habitat for Humanity President Ron Laughter said in a news release. "By pooling our resources, combining our staff and board expertise, we will become more efficient and accomplish more than we would have as two separate organizations. Joining two neighboring counties will expand our capacity to acquire more land, build and renovate more homes, partner with more families, and engage more supporters." Henderson County Habitat board Chair Glenn Richardson said: "Our two affiliates collectively have created homeownership opportunities for more than 250 families throughout our service areas and together as one Habitat affiliate we will be even more effective in our role as advocates for successful homeownership opportunities for low-income families." Each affiliate will continue to represent the unique character of its community, and will continue to do business as Thermal Belt Habitat for Humanity in Polk County and Landrum and Henderson County Habitat for Humanity in Henderson County. They will continue to use local resources, depend on local supporters, and serve local families. Most of the changes resulting from the merger will not be noticeable to the community. “Our back-end systems will be streamlined to eliminate redundancies and preserve financial resources. Our united homeowner programs will retain best practices from each organization and, as a result of the merger, will expand and grow stronger” said Ron. Office headquarters will be at 1111 Keith St., Hendersonville where Henderson County Habitat for Humanity has been since 1992.About Henderson County Habitat for HumanityHenderson County Habitat for Humanity, a Christian organization, builds quality affordable homes, creates strong communities, and changes lives by partnering with committed volunteers, professional staff, and eligible families living in inadequate housing. For more information about Henderson County Habitat for Humanity, please visit www.habitat-hvl.org, find us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter @habitatie. Angie Hunter   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Residents eager for answers on Mud Creek dump

Green Meadows residents left an information meeting Tuesday night saying they’re eager to get more information on whether an abandoned dump near their homes poses a health threat.The city and its environmental consulting firm hosted a drop-in information meeting to give residents a chance to ask questions about the so-called Mud Creek dumps, which operated without environmental regulations before the early 1970s. Tests so far have turned up no hazardous materials or vapors. The residents had plenty of questions but the city won't have complete and final answers until July, when a contractor is expected to complete a report on the extent of the long-abandoned dump and whether what's buried there poses any health or environmental threat. Once that's done, the city and state will determine the next steps. An information sheet issued joinly by the city’s contractor, Hart & Hickman, the N.C. DEQ and the city, described the process of identifying the landfill and assessing the health threat.“The city knew of the old landfill but based upon its location in a primarily uninhabited area of along Mud Creek no environmental assessment had been conducted,” the statement said. “This is very common for old, closed municipal waste landfills in North Carolina.”The state DEQ first identified the site in 2007 but didn’t require any mediation because the state program addresses “sites with the highest public health risk first.”In the summer of 2016, Hart & Hickman reported that on the southern part of the old dump buried waste is limited to the William H. King Memorial Park and does not extend to private properties. In testing this spring, the consultants confirmed that buried waste extends “beneath a limited number of private properties” on Martin Circle and Lincoln Circle. Landfill gas probes showed no significant levels of landfill gasses underground. The consultant also expects to test groundwater quality and test for vapor intrusion into existing structures. It will evaluate remediation where any risks to health and the environment are identified, the information sheet said.Green Meadows residents who came to the information meeting said they hoped to learn more about the threat and see the city and state react if anything harmful is found.“I hope if the land is contaminated they will fix it,” said Melody Rudisill. “I hope they’ll be honest about what’s going on and I hope they will tell us any repercussions that people might have that have lived down there for years. As a neighborhood I feel like we have a right to know.”“When urban renewal came through there they tore all of that down," she said. "They had to have known about it.” Housing Authority officials did know about the dump in the early 1970s. As the Hendersonville Lightning reported last week, Housing Authority officials sought help from a federal agency in 1972 to clean up the old dump but nothing was done. The Rev. Billy Waters, minister of Union Grove Baptist Church, the Green Meadows neighborhood church, said he has seen discolored water seep from the ground in heavy rains.“It’s got orange in it,” said the Rev. Billy Waters. “You can see something bubbling. Then when you walk on the trail when it has rained, the muck coming out of Mud Creek, you talk about something slick. Everybody uses the walking trail, not just the Green Meadows community. We’re just waiting to hear what the report says as to contamination and how it’s going to affect residents of Green Meadows.” The Mud Creek dump comes under the Pre-Regulatory Landfill Program, a part of the state’s waste management division in the Department of Environmental Equality. The program aims to identify, assess and clean up old city landfills and dumps established before 1983, when most state waste disposal regulations were enacted. The state has identified 675 eligible dumps.The Hart & Hickman report will determine “the extent of contamination making its way from waste at the Mud Creek dump into water, soil and air,” the DEQ and city said. “If officials determine that waste contamination is causing an imminent health threat, the state would act quickly to mitigate the risks.”Councilman Jerry Smith said he is confident that the city has done everything it can so far to assess the problem.“I learned a lot, I’ll say that,” he said of his conversation with a state DEQ official. “She was very open and answered all my questions. What I learned from her is that we as a city from what she said have been very pro-active in trying to remedy this situation.“She said that they’re in the midst of doing a lot of testing. Before they can do remediation they have to come back and determine what kind of problems exist if any." The only thing the city could do to speed up the process, the state official told Smith, would be to hire more consultants to do more testing faster. "Basically, what I got out of her was … she thought our timeline was actually really good," said Smith, who was the only council member to attend the drop-in event. “An interesting thing I learned as well is the goal the state has is not to dig things up," he said. "It is to find out if there is a danger. If we’re talking about refuse, the goal is to do some type of remediation on the surface that would prevent any of that stuff from rising to the top. She said anytime you’re looking at something like this you’re looking at a lot of square yards of dirt. The biggest concern is the areas that are right on the back of people’s properties. She said they had a site in Fairview in 2009 and it’s only two acres and they’re still not finished with it. I really pressed her hard on what the city could do and apparently we’ve done everything we could have done. "If there's something we can do to speed this process up I will definitely be in favor of doing that. She said we are in the order of projects to get done. She said there are some more dangerous than ours, for lack of a better term. She said thus far all the preliminary tests have found that there are no toxicity issues around any of these. They have to do the in-depth testing.”City Manager John Connet said he hoped residents came away from the information meeting with the understanding that “the city and the state are being pro-active to make sure there’s no health issues.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

AVL wins $18M grant

The Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority has been awarded an $18.2 million discretionary grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Federal Aviation Administration will allocate the funds, which will be used to complete the airport’s new runway project. “Maintaining a modernized hub of transportation is critical for our region and business community, so I’m excited to hear of this new development,” U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows said in a news release. “I’m confident that these additional grant funds will go a long way in allowing our local transportation officials to serve our region to the best of their ability. I want to particularly recognize and thank my friend and A.A.E. executive director, Lew Bleiweis, for his tireless efforts on behalf of the Asheville Airport.” The rehabilitation project for the airport’s runway has been a priority of the FAA to improve the airport’s infrastructure and ensure that the runway system meets construction standards. The grant is another step toward the completion of the project. “We are pleased that our elected officials understand the infrastructure needs at Asheville Regional Airport, and that they have advocated for the discretionary grant funding,” said Lew Bleiweis, executive director. “I would like to extend recognition to Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, as well as Congressmen Mark Meadows and Patrick McHenry for their leadership. The airfield project is the most significant construction project our airport has undertaken since the airport opened in 1961, and will ensure our ability to serve the aviation needs of Western North Carolina for decades to come.”   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

One for the thumb for HMS Lady Bearcats

The Hendersonville Middle School Lady Bearcats soccer team continued its dominance in the Blue Ridge Conference, beating Apple Valley Middle School to finish the season undefeated and claim the conference title for the fifth year in a row.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Teachers of the year honored at Education Foundation event

Henderson County teachers, administrators and education supporters honored 23 teachers of the year on Thursday during the 15th annual Education Foundation Hall of Fame dinner at the Boone Building at the WNC Ag Center. The honorees were: Holly Kolarova, Apple Valley Middle School Suzanne Burnette, Atkinson Elementary School Anthony Johnson, Balfour Education Center Theresa Parks, Bruce Drysdale Elementary School Grace Quick, Clear Creek Elementary School Aramis Mugica, Dana Elementary School Carly Allman, East Henderson High School Melissa Duncan, Edneyville Elementary School Margaret Melonie Watts, Etowah Elementary School Tony McMinn, Flat Rock Middle School Amy Youngblood, Fletcher Elementary School Andrea Smith, Clenn C. Marlow Elementary School Tom Savage, Henderson County Early College Tara Anderson, Hendersonville Elementary School Walt Cottingham, Hendersonville High School Katherine Gash, Hendersonville Middle School Cody Merriman, Hillandale Elementary School Holly Bader, Mills River Elementary School Lucy Joyce, North Henderson High School Ashley Wellman, Rugby Middle School Ryan Mitchell, Sugarloaf Elementary School Diane Norgan, Upward Elementary School Jason Livingston, West Henderson High School.       Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ed Foundation honors Hall of Fame inductees

The Henderson County Education Foundation celebrated teachers who have devoted their lives to teaching and guiding children, demonstrating a dawn to dusk work ethic, fueling students' enthusiasm and keeping their colleagues inspired with their energy and dedication. About 270 people, one of the largest crowds ever, turned out for the 15th annual event at theBoone Building at the WNC Ag Center. Presented by Pardee UNC Health Care, the dinner also honored county schools principal of the year Bobby Wilkins of Hendersonville and teachers of the year from all 23 county schools. This year's program was trimmed down substantially from the three-hour ceremonies of the past. After a 6 p.m. dinner, the program got under way at 6:45 p.m. and concluded about 8:20 p.m. Since 2003, 119 individuals have been honored with induction into HCEF Hall of Fame. This year’s inductees include: June Barnwell, Henderson County native, worked for 34 years as a Chemistry teacher and Math teacher with the Henderson County Public Schools. Mrs. Barnwell’s service included a stint at Flat Rock High School (1958 – 1962) and then she began at East Henderson High School where she taught until her retirement in 1986. Mrs. Barnwell was a sponsor of many school activities and received several awards during her career, including Henderson County Teacher of the Year in 1986. Lynn Carter began her teaching career in Henderson County in 1979 after several years in the Wake & Swain County School Systems. She taught English and Social Studies at Rugby Middle School (formerly Rugby Junior High) from 1979 until her retirement in 2005. In 1990 Mrs. Carter received Teacher of the Year at Rugby Middle and in 1995 she received her National Board Certification - Early Adolescence/Language and was the first teacher in Henderson County to receive this very prestigious honor. Robert Joubert had an exemplary 35 year career with the Henderson County Public Schools. He started in June 1970 as a Special Education teacher at Edneyville High school where he worked until the school closed in 1992. Mr. Joubert worked briefly at North Henderson High School until he became Assistant Principal at Flat Rock Middle in 1993 where he worked until his retirement in 2005. Mr. Joubert was known for his leadership and his heart for all students. Accepting for Joubert, who died in August 2015 at age 66, was his wife Rosemary. Michael Pressley began his career in Henderson County Public Schools in 1973 as a Mathematics teacher at Rugby Junior High School. Mr. Pressley became Assistant Principal at Rugby from 1985 to 1988 before becoming Principal at Fletcher Elementary School (1988 – 1991), Balfour Elementary School (1991 – 2002) and Clear Creek Elementary from 2002 until his retirement in 2009 after 35 years of service. Mr. Pressley was recognized as a leader among his peers and received Henderson Couny Principal of the Year two times in his tenure, 1992 and 1995. Beverly Wood, a native of Western North Carolina, was a physical education teacher for 41 years, 19 of those years in Henderson County Public Schools. She began at Edneyville Elementary in 1988 before becoming the first physical educator for the new Glen C. Marlow Elementary School in 1999 until her retirement in 2007. During her career she received number awards including 1995-1996 Edneyville Elementary Teacher of the Year and 2002 recipient of the Kiwanis Club Lou Ann Morgan Leadership Award.     Read Story »

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