American to resume Dallas flight from AVL for summer travel

Henderson County News

Cyclo-cross racing returns to Jackson Park Dec. 9-10

The North Carolina Cyclo-Cross Series, which returns to Jackson Park Dec. 9-10, is expected to draw professional cyclo-cross racers from around the country in pursuit of UCI ranking points. Among the star riders are North Carolina’s Kerry Werner, ranked third in the USA Cycling Pro CX standings, and Brevard-based Tristian Cowie. Both took wins at the 2016 North Carolina Grand Prix. Hundreds of amateur cyclists will round out the Grand Prix, competing for medals and award money. The Henderson County Parks and Recreation Department will partner with North Carolina Cyclo-Cross to host the family-friendly and spectator-friendly event on a course taking advantage of the varied terrain features of the site. Racing will start at 8:30 a.m. both days, with the featured UCI Elite Women racing at 1:20 p.m. and the UCI Elite Men racing at 2:30 p.m. There will be a free (8 and under) kids race at 11:40 a.m. Hunter Subaru will have vehicles on display. The event also features the Vendor Zone with Hubba Hubba Smokehouse, Flat Rock Village Bakery, free samples and product displays and demonstrations. The event is free to spectators. Although Jackson Park will remain open for public use, there will be no thru traffic during the event. Cyclo-cross is a fast-paced, spectator-friendly cycling discipline that combines road and mountain bike aspects, requiring riders to switch terrains and at times dismount and run or carry their bikes. Founded 20 years ago by Henderson County parks and recreation activities director Tim Hopkin, the North Carolina Cyclo-Cross Series consists of 15 races across North Carolina. OrthoCarolina is the 2017-18 series sponsor, with support from DeFeet and Carmichael Training Systems. The Grand Prix is a UCI category II race, making it a valuable points stop for elite racers in pursuit of ranking points. For more information visit www.nccyclocross.com or contact Hopkin at (828) 674-9782.   Read Story »

Etowah News

Ask Matt ... what's next at Seven Falls

Q. Now that the Seven Falls development in Etowah has been settled among the lot owners, what’s next? Can they get building permits? Can someone build a cabin on a lot and rent it out? Good questions. I pitched this to Henderson County Attorney Russell Burrell and the county planning staff. Burrell should be credited with shepherding the performance bond litigation through the courts, gaining respect from all parties. He said that the 161 lot owners have a number of options to complete the road and utility work, including assessing themselves for the cost, but that requires almost unanimity of owners – a herculean task. The $5.5 million bond money held for subdivision improvements has been released to the owners under a pre-agreed formula and the “bank is now empty.” So what’s next? Well, the county long ago revoked the master plan for Seven Falls and today there is no one individual to oversee operations or to plan a redevelopment effort. Burrell said that some owners of multiple lots could become their own developers or sell to eventual developers. His impression was that many are tired of dealing with it, at least for now. From my perspective, it kind of looks like the wild west out there. A lot owner might be able to secure a county building permit in the Seven Falls development if they get well and septic tank approval. They would also need construction access to their building site. The trouble is that because of the steep and rocky terrain many lots may not qualify for the necessary permits, not to mention the cost of extending electric power lines. Burrell thinks that the existing Seven Falls covenants are still enforceable, even after bankruptcy, but here’s the catch. The covenants (57 pages long) call for an architectural review board to approve new homes but there is no active board. If you “build small,” such as a mobile home or cabin, you might get a building permit but you might also get sued by another lot owner. Attorney Sharon Alexander, who represented 39 lot owners in the bond negotiation, weighed in on the possibility of building small. “That’s a minefield of a question,” she said. “It may be better answered as test case at a law school.” It remains to be seen if and when any substantial investment will be attempted by any of the lot owners. Should that happen it will open another chapter in the 7-year saga of Seven Falls where we saw developer mismanagement, criminal activity, environmental damage, legal battles, and now the wild west. The one thing that has not changed is that this is arguably some of the most beautiful undeveloped property in Henderson County. * * * * * Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

DOT to scale back Kanuga widening

Elected officials from Hendersonville, Flat Rock and Henderson County said they were encouraged at the willingness of the top NCDOT engineer for the county to take a look at numerous compromises in response to residents’ opposition to the Kanuga and Highland Lake road widening projects.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Developer seeks city OK for 67 homes on Howard Gap

Thirty acres of farmland on Howard Gap Road near Nix Road would become a gated community of 67 cottages if the city of Hendersonville OKs a rezoning change and an application for annexation. RDV Development has applied for a rezoning from Henderson County's R-1 residential to planned residential development for the Cottages at Cypress Run, a development of 67 cottages about 1,600 square feet each. City planners will hold an initial public hearing on the application at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, at the City Operations Center, at 305 Williams St. The request would go to the city Planning Board and then the Hendersonville City Council. The property owner is seeking annexation in order to tie into the city sewer system — a requirement under city policy. The 16.7-acre subdivision would be on a larger 30.2-acre parcel of land owned by Mitchell Gaither (Mountain Bean Growers of Horse Shoe). The houses, 26-foot wide subdivision roads, driveways and sidewalks would cover 200,000 square feet, or 27 percent of the overall acreage. A site plan shows a single gated entrance onto Howard Gap Road, 5-foot sidewalks along Howard Gap and in the development and a playground that would be owned by the homeowners association. The property, on the west side of Howard Gap Road between Nix and Big Pine roads, is assessed at $282,400 but has a taxable value of $1,418 because of an agriculture-use exemption, county land records show. RDV plans to buy the property from Mountain Bean Growers Inc., said Mike Anderson, an Asheville engineer handling the zoning application.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Thompson looks back on 40 years of service

Seldon Osteen, Henderson County’s clerk of superior court, was already on the ballot in 1974 when he received a diagnosis of cancer. Looking around for a replacement, the county’s Republican leaders settled on a young banker and recent college graduate who had grown up in Dana. “In about July, the Republican Party called me and said, ‘Tommy, he’s got to drop out. We want you to step in and run in his place.’ Well, that kind of blew me over but I thought, I’ll take the opportunity,” Thompson said in an interview. Last month, after serving eight terms as clerk of court and two on the Board of Commissioners, Thompson, 66, announced his retirement from political office. In an interview with the Hendersonville Lightning, he talked about his life of public service, from that 1974 campaign cardfirst campaign to his recent work on Board of Commissioners. What he lacked in experience back in that ’74 campaign, he made up for in youthful energy. He had a name that was well-known around the county, especially in the apple country. “I did a door-to-door campaign, saw about 5,000 households and won that election,” he said. He beat Democrat Neal Grissom, who had been chief deputy under Sheriff Jim Kilpatrick, back in the days when Democrats were competitive in the county. After that 631-vote margin, he would never have a close race again. He turned back challengers decisively in 1978 and 1982, then won re-election without opposition five more times without opposition. He retired in 2006 at age 55.   Colorful courthouse figures TIMELINE   1951: Born at Patton Memorial Hospital to Preston and Gertrude Thompson. (The late Harry Thompson, of Harry’s & Piggy’s, was an uncle.) 1969: Graduated from East Henderson High School. 1973: Graduated from Western Carolina University. 1974: Elected Clerk of Superior Court, re-elected through 2002. 2006: Retired from clerk’s job. 2010: Elected to the Board of Commissioners, serving as chairman in 2012 and 2015 and 2016, vice chair in 2013 and 2014. Oct. 23, 2017: Announces his retirement from the Board of Commissioners. December 2018: Travel, spend time with Sherri, spoil the grandchildren, fish. Serving most of his career in the 1905 county courthouse before criminal and civil courts moved to the Grove Street building, Thompson recalls colorful figures and trials. “We had this dude that was known to run,” he said. “He was fast as lightning. Given the opportunity he would just streak away and take off. The law enforcement people told the judge, ‘If he gets half a chance he’s out of here and we know that.’ “This judge carried a .45,” Thompson said. “So he called me up to the bench and he called the bailiff. He pointed to the back wall and said, ‘You see that thermostat with that little gold dial on it. I can hit that from here. Now, Mr. Bailiff, you put one of your men back there and you stand over here and, Tommy, you just lay low and if he runs I’ll get ‘em right here.’ He took the .45 out and laid it on top. He didn’t run either.” After 32 years, Thompson decided he had enough. The timing was right. His first two grandchildren were toddlers and he would look after them during the day. His wife, Sherri, was still working fulltime and both spent most of their time outside work caring for their elderly parents. “We basically went nowhere,” he said. “We had those responsibilities and we took them to heart.”   Drinking through a firehose In 2010, he agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to run for the District 1 Board of Commissioners seat that Mark Williams was vacating. Thompson knew plenty about civil and criminal court, foreclosures, mediation, adoptions, divorces and small claims. But when he was sworn in and installed as vice chairman that December, he plunged into a swirling eddy of a $120 million budget, tough decisions on spending cuts during the recession and crowds of people caterwauling about rezoning cases. “Even though I had gone to every meeting for a year, I was sucking through a straw,” he said. After fellow commissioners elected him chairman in his second year, he quickly learned that the gavel gave him no extra power. He was still only one vote. “Clerk of Superior Court is the hub of the court system,” he said. “When I was clerk I could shoot out some orders. I walk out (into the Board of Commissioners room) and I get into this five-man deal where I’ve gotta get at least two other people to agree with me. I can’t go out there and spit out orders. That’s not always easy. All of us have got egos. I know what I want. Charlie (Messer) wants what he wants. Bill (O’Connor) wants what he wants. You gotta work it together. So I was drinking through a firehose.” If he was gulping hard, he also led the board during a series of capital projects and industrial catches unparalleled in recent county history. With Thompson as chair or vice chair, the county built or committed to build the Health Sciences Center, Innovative High School, Edneyville Elementary School, Hendersonville High School, the law enforcement training center and the emergency management complex. During his seven years so far, the board has authorized tax breaks that helped land Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Bold Rock Hard Cider and GF Linamar. Calling on his experience mediating contentious disputes as clerk of court, he guided the Board of Commissioners through the resignation of Sheriff Rick Davis, the Duke Energy transmission line project and water wars with the city of Hendersonville and the city of Asheville. County Manager Steve Wyatt attributes Thompson’s effectiveness to an ability to be patient and gather information. Tommy Thompson and County Manager Steve Wyatt, in 2012.“I’ve been doing this for 30-some years and I’ve worked with a lot of elected officials but the neatest thing I can tell you about Tommy is his ability to change his mind,” Wyatt said. “Tommy can look at things from all the angles and he can see things from different points of view as he gathers information. Tommy will gather information constantly and we’ll talk about it. He is open to changing his mind based on the facts. How refreshing.” “There’s no guile, there’s not a hidden agenda,” Wyatt added. “He wants to figure out what’s right. He’s going to be a hard one to place. His vision, his ability to see the various sides of issues is very much a strength of his.” A 'signature' John Hancock Someone who has made a career of signing public documents — from custody orders to foreclosure notices to resolutions of the Board of Commissioners — might be expected to cut a few corners for the sake of speed. That would not be Tommy Thompson. His signature stands out for its clarity. “When I was learning cursive in school I was trying to learn to write like my mother did. She would do this with a T,” he said, demonstrating the upper case letter that starts his first and last names. “Mrs. Arledge in third grade said, ‘Tommy, I don’t like that.’” So he changed the T slightly and came up with a style that Mrs. Arledge endorsed. He later added a sweeping reverse arc that creates a neat dome over this name. “I get a lot of comments. I get a lot of people tell me, ‘That’s beautiful,’” he said. “If I’m going to sign my name, if it’s valuable enough to sign, it’s valuable enough to know who signed it.” If you ask Tommy’s son, T.C., about his father’s signature, T.C. will recall what his dad told him: “If I’m going to sign my name on a document that takes a man’s property or takes custody of his children or sends him to jail, I want him to be able to read it.” “That’s exactly the way I feel,” Tommy adds. “If it’s worth putting my signature on they need to know that I take responsibility for.”   Gone fishin’ A year from now, Thompson, 66, and Sherri will both be retired and ready to enjoy family, the beach and fishing. Tommy Thompson, with his wife, Sherri, holding Bible, takes oath of office after his 2014 re-election.“I’ve given 40 years — that’s 10 elections — I think it’s time to enjoy my family and be more of a part of those grandbabies and the children than I was able to be early on,” he said. “I’ve got a trip planned for all of us in June or July to Destin.” When he thinks about what his record of service, he puts family first. “If I leave behind two wonderful children, four wonderful grandbabies who have had some direction from me and they are an asset to humanity, that’s a legacy,” he said.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Season of Giving: 'Impact a child, impact a lifetime'

Don and Connie Cooper have been leadership donors to United Way of Henderson County since 2001. “I like United Way because it supports a host of organizations in the community and does a good job of establishing needs and then allocations to each,” Don said. He trusts United Way because of its vetting of the organizations’ funding requests and for its “responsible stewardship of dollars.”Both 66, the Coopers are retired after careers of more than 30 years – Connie was an elementary school teacher and Don a financial adviser – and their children are grown. They feel in a position now to donate more generously to causes they believe in. “Ten years ago, we couldn’t have done it,” Connie said.They moved from Dalton, Georgia, to Hendersonville in the 1980s. Don served on the United Way board in the 1990s. Connie gave to United Way through workplace campaigns.The Coopers give to 12 local organizations, many of them with a focus on children. “When you impact a child, you impact a lifetime,” Connie said.“I like giving to local charities rather than national or international. I’d rather give the money right here,” Don said.“It’s part of our charitable thinking,” Connie said. “We’re so blessed, we should be able to help others. We are too blessed to be stressed. (We believe) those who can give should.”The Coopers “are quiet, generous supporters whose loyal and consistent support makes a critical difference to our campaign each year,” said Denise Cumbee Long, executive director of the United Way of Henderson County. “Although they may prefer to stay behind the scenes, it has been incredibly helpful to know that we can count on their generosity each year as we raise funds to invest in the community programs and initiatives that make Henderson County a better place.“Don and Connie are great examples of donors who may not be as involved in volunteer activities but believe in our mission and work and quietly give to United Way year after year because they trust us to use their dollars wisely and well.”     Read Story »

News Archive

• Season of Giving: Volunteering extends your youth       Comments
• Season of Giving: 'Philanthropy is planned, longterm intent'       Comments
• Season of Giving: Retiring later, boomers are getting around to donating       Comments
• Season of Giving: Yes, boomers are volunteers       Comments
• Investigators charge Pisgah Forest man with 26 theft-related counts       Comments
• Meth dealer sent to prison       Comments
• Post office confirms move to Blue Ridge Mall       Comments
• Roundabout opponents plant their opinion on the roadside       Comments
• Turkey Trot is set for Thanksgiving Day       Comments
• Police probing racially charged, anti-gay threats against downtown brewery       Comments
• That's not a fire downtown, just practice       Comments
• Academic achievement earns Clear Creek a Blue Bell ice cream party       Comments
• No foul play suspected in death of 25-year-old       Comments
• Ministers bless new IAM building, which is dedicated to David Cook       Comments
• AVL will be stuffed like a turkey; arrive early       Comments
• All-County chorus to perform Saturday       Comments
• Freeman appointed to state childhood education council       Comments
• Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (152)       Comments
• GE puts lighting division on the block       Comments
• Career Academy shares $2 million jobs readiness grant       Comments
• WHHS drama students win awards at theater festival       Comments
• Here's where to drop off Christmas Child shoeboxes       Comments
• Moss column: A few more of nimby's greatest hits       Comments
• LOCAL BRIEFS: IAM opening, train tales, Christmas parade       Comments
• Making good from evil for 10 years       Comments
• Crepes are versatile star of new restaurant       Comments
• Terry Hicks, who 'had Flat Rock in his heart,' dies at 81       Comments
• Court sets date for Stroupe murder trial       Comments
• Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (151)       Comments
• VOTERS OUST MILLS RIVER, FLETCHER MAYORS       Comments