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

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

Community Theatre stages 'Santa Land Diaries'

Hendersonville Community Theatre will light up the stage with the return of their acclaimed production of David Sedaris’ holiday comedy “The Santa Land Diaries” opening Friday, Dec. 1, and running through Dec. 10. Based on Sedaris’s hilarious account of his experiences as a holiday elf at Macy’s Santa Land, the stage adaptation has been a favorite holiday attraction since it opened in New York in 1996.Returning once again will be veteran actor Bob Reece as Crumpet the elf with Jenny Lee directing and Zach Eden as stage manager. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 and Sunday afternoons at 2. Admission is $16. Reservations may be made online at hendersonvilletheatre.org or by calling 828-692-1082.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

County offices closed, recycling center open on Friday

All Henderson County local government offices and agencies, the public library and its branches and the Henderson County Courthouse will be closed on Thursday and Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The transfer station and recycling center will resume normal operating hours on Friday. The public library and its branches will close at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 22nd. It will be closed Thursday, November 23rd and Friday, November 24th. The library and its branches will resume normal operating hours on Saturday, November 25th. The Animal Shelter will be closed Thursday, November 23rd, Friday, November 24th and Saturday, November 25th. It will resume normal operating hours on Monday, November 27th. The Henderson county Tourism Development Authority will be closed on Thursday, November 23rd. It will operate under holiday hours on Friday — 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. All Henderson County parks are open 365 days a year.   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 »

Henderson County News

Season of Giving: Volunteering extends your youth

According to a recent article from the Journals of Gerontology, written by associate professor and researcher Christine Proulx, older adults who are concerned about losing brain function may do well to include volunteer activities in their lives. Associations between volunteering and better physical health are well known, but now a link between volunteering and higher cognitive functioning has also been found. In order for a person to live an independent life, the brain uses tools such as memory, working memory and processing. It turns out that volunteering, especially for older adults and women, significantly improves these cognitive functions. Proulx suggests that stimulation of the brain is probably the primary reason for the increase in function. When volunteering, a person must follow directions, solve problems and be active. All of these requirements engage working memory and processing. Working memory is what the brain needs to temporarily store and manage information. That’s good news for 4-H volunteers and others who invest hours of service in their communities. Not only do they develop meaningful relationships and help youth grow, learn and achieve more, their engagement and activity gives their own minds a powerful boost! We are very thankful for the positive influence of 4-H volunteers! Without them, the program would not be as effective and wide-reaching. 4-H volunteers enhance our local program in so many ways! They assist with office support, work as 4-H club leaders, and serve as mentors with sewing, cooking and other classes. 4-H volunteers serve on the 4-H Advisory Committee to help support the overall program and give it direction. Public school teachers see the benefits of 4-H and offer to sponsor after-school clubs at their schools. Children and teens learn the importance of community service through their 4-H clubs, and by participating in programs such as FRESH. (Flat Rock’s Exceptional Sandburg Helpers). Many people work behind the scenes to help events happen and give children the best experience they can have.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Season of Giving: 'Philanthropy is planned, longterm intent'

Giving to a charitable cause is one way to make a difference in the community, McCray Benson will give you that. But as the president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Henderson County, he would ask: How would YOU like to make a personal difference in the world? It’s a legacy question and it gets to the heart of what he considers philanthropy.“Charity is an impulse donation, an in-the-moment decision,” Benson said. “Philanthropy is planned and thought-out values and deeper, longer-term intent. It’s investing in a vision. It’s something you start so other generations can finish.”He finds that baby boomers are “late coming to the table” to consider how they want to become philanthropic with their giving. “I say it takes 17 conversations” before potential donors make a decision. “They need to hear it from a lot of people — their friends, their attorney, their doctor, their barber. They have to hear it from other people to believe it’s a good idea. They need confirmation. The more conversations in the community that they have, the more it reinforces philanthropy.”The Community Foundation, established in 1982, had 580 funds with more than $101.3 million in assets as of the end of September 2017. Most of those are endowed funds. Others are donor-advised. In fiscal year 2016-2017, the foundation awarded more than $3 million in grants in nine program areas, with 90 percent distributed within the county.“There is a healing element to giving philanthropically,” Benson said. A fund can be set up with as little as $5,000 in memory of a loved one or to champion a personal cause. Among the community causes that have funds with the foundation are animal care, arts and culture, civic and community, conservation, human services, health, education, religious/faith-based and scholarships for higher education.“Philanthropy sounds like a big word, but anyone can participate in philanthropy. The time to explore is now,” he said. “Boomers believe that they have made it on their own. They made it on their own, but they had an environment that made that possible.”He encourages boomers — or anyone at any age — to talk about what they want to do in philanthropy at important times of change in their lives — when they marry, when they have children, when parents die, when grandchildren are born.“The same time when you would review your will,” he said. “Boomers are not there yet. They think they are bullet-proof. They say ‘some day’ …. They are procrastinators. It’s a back-burner issue, but when they are ready, they are happy to do it.”Benson said he understands boomers’ caution as they look to the future and worry about their finances and health and family issues. He suggests at least continuing to think about being philanthropic and perhaps starting incrementally, with a small amount of money in a fund, to build toward a vision. “It’s most rewarding to see how it works even if its proportional,” he said. “You can look at the results and tweak it.”Although government and the private business sector have a large influence on how a community develops, “the most impact is from the independent sector through philanthropy and that requires getting involved in the community to know what the needs and dreams are,” he said.   Read Story »

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