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Annex an option for post office move

Henderson County News

KnollsCam: Cub and big bear visit

A bear cub and later a big adult bear visited the forest on top of Haywood Knolls.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Flat Rock dedicates Bryan Playground

FLAT ROCK — Eleanor Bryan snipped a big red ribbon at the Bryan Playground in Flat Rock Park on Saturday morning, officially opening the play area designed to get kids off their smart phones and into nature. “We are just thrilled with the end result," Eleanor Bryan said. "It couldn’t be better.” The Flat Rock Village Council unveiled a plaque honoring the Bryans’ four children, who now have children of their own. Kendall Bryan said he wanted kids to stop playing on their phones and start playing outside in creative ways. Flat Rock Village Council member John Dockendorf echoed the idea. “The playground committee wanted to create one that makes kids want to play longer outdoors and one that beats video games,” he said.After making a generous donation to the playground last summer, the Bryans saw the playground for the first time in April.“I really want to applaud them,” Dockendorf said of the couple. “They have given a gift to all the children of Western North Carolina.”Beanstalk Builders from Morganton made the council’s vision come to life.“We ended up with something better than expected," said Dockendorf, who runs a summer camp and an adventure guide business. "The Flat Rock Council wanted something cutting edge. They embraced an innovative playground.” The Bryan Playground, the first public playground in Flat Rock, is already attracting big crowds.“They had the capacity to do something big and they did it,” Maurean Adams said of the Bryans. “The finished product is all about the enjoyment of the kids."   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Burning Can festival opens in Crab Creek

Burning Can, the Oskar Blues festival featuring 43 brewers, food, eight bands, mountain biking and a beer relay, opens at 5 o'clock today and continues Saturday at the brewery-owned Reeb Ranch at 315 Shoals Falls Road just east of DuPont Road.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

'Clydesdales' challenge runners to get fit for 5K

The Clydesdale Running Club is challenging businesses to field teams and get fit for North Carolina Apple Festival Apple 8K through the "Couch to 5K" training program. Pardee Hospital announced today that it will sponsor the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce Chamber Challenge 5K, on Saturday, Sept. 3. To help teams prepare for the event, Pardee will host a free "Couch to 5K" training program starting Wednesday, July 20, at 5:30 p.m. at Jackson Park. To encourage business and industry involvement, a four-person team of area leaders has formed The Clydesdale Running Club. The team will run the 5K together and have issued a challenge to area business leaders encouraging them to follow suit and form a team. The Clydesdale team includes:Les Boyd, Owner of Boyd Chevrolet Cadillac BuickJay Kirby, CEO of Pardee HospitalMark Warwick, General Manager of WTZQBob Williford, President of the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce "Couch to 5K" participants will meet at specified locations where Pardee wellness experts will offer fitness tips and run/walk with trainees. Participants who sign up and attend at least four of the six events will be entered to win a prize. For more information about the “Couch to 5K,” contact Chelsea Darley at 828-692-4600. “We encourage everyone in our business and industry community to get active, adopt healthier eating habits and join us for this year’s Chamber Challenge 5K," said Johnna Reed, Chief Administrative Officer at Pardee Hospital. "Whether you train for the race with your coworkers or join the 'Couch to 5K' program, we hope to see you at the race on September 3." Teams of four can join the Challenge for $100 total. Register here.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

In exit interview, Apodaca recounts wins, losses

State Sen. Tom Apodaca says he had never before seen a controversy the magnitude of the Duke Energy plan last summer to run high-tension lines through Henderson County as part of its Lake Julian power plant upgrade. The ultimate outcome — Duke's decision to abandon the connection from Asheville to the South Carolina Upstate — was a victory for Apodaca, a strong advocate of the natural conversion who became an opponent of the widely panned transmission lines. That was one of the political challenges Apodaca described on Friday, the day he resigned from the Senate. Having reached the highest pinnacles of legislative power in the state, the seven-term veteran said that after the General Assembly adjourned for the year last week, he had no more to do. The executive committees of Henderson, Buncombe and Transylvania counties are expected to appoint his replacement, most likely Chuck Edwards, the Republican nominee for the seat. Edwards, a Hendersonville businessman, and school principal Norm Bossert, the Democratic nominee, face off in on Nov. 8. "I can't say exactly what I'm going to do yet but I still have time to look at," Apodaca said in an interview from his Lake Keowee, where he was taking time off with his wife, Lisa, and looking ahead for the first time 14 years with no legislative session on the horizon. As a former legislator, he's subject to a six-month quarantine during which he is not permitted to lobby the Legislature, which is one of the options he's considering. "I have had a couple of job offers already," he said. Some are in government relations and others "not even quasi-government relations but that have had dealings with the Legislature and have an interest in my working for them. It's nice to have options." Apodaca endorsed Edwards as his replacement. "I think it will be good for Chuck Edwards. I hope the executive committee appoints him," he said. "He'll be able to get to know the Legislature. The way he studies and the questions he asks he'll keep the staff very busy." Among the top achievements he cites is his work to create a medical campus at MAHEC (Mountain Area Health Education Center) in Asheville, the science building at his alma mater, Western Carolina University, coal ash legislation after a major ash spill fouled the Dan River in the home district of the Senate's leader and efforts that led to Duke Energy Co. dropping a high-powered transmission line through Henderson County. "That turned out to be the most controversial thing that I had ever seen during my term," he said, "followed closely by the building heights" in Hendersonville, when he pushed through a local bill requiring a binding referendum on high-rises in downtown Hendersonville. Other achievements he cited were his role in recruiting Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and the behind-the-scenes efforts that resulted in the Pardee Hospital merger with UNC Health Care, repelling an effort by two county commissioners to put the county-owned hospital on the auction block. His wife, Lisa, hollers out that he's forgetting perhaps his proudest moment — guiding a bill to passage that was named the Raleigh Apodaca Service Dog bill, in honoring of his bulldog, Raleigh, who died last year. Married to a teacher, Apodaca aspired to make a fundamental change that he thinks would significantly improve the K-12 education system. "I wanted to do something about our testing system in schools," he said, "and I don't know that I made much of a difference." He favors a national testing standard that tests "how the kids are doing compared to other kids in the U.S. The education bureacracy is a tough bureacracy to pierce." One his bigger regret was actually his last stand, when House members from Asheville attacked Apodaca's motives and methods in pushing a bill that require district representation in the city dominated by liberal Democrats. Twenty-two Republicans joined House Democrats in defeating Apodaca's bill. "If you go down the list every one of them had a bone to pick because I said no to them on legislation" as the traffic cop for the flow of bills in the Senate, he said. "I don't necessarily think it's totally dead," he said of the district elections bill. And he clearly retains animosity for the legislators who helped sink it. "Asheville has the weakest delegation in the state for a metropolitan area." A back bencher with no experience in elective office, Apodaca nevertheless rose quickly in the Republican caucus. Soon after his election in 2002, he joined the Republican leadership team that worked on raising money and recruiting Republican candidates around the state. In November 2010, voters in North Carolina and around the country pushed a huge tidal wave that gave the GOP supermajority control of both houses of the General Assembly. Two years later, the Republicans took control of both chambers plus the governor's mansion for the first time in 150 years. "Globally, what we've done has been amazing," Apodaca said, giving Republican fiscal policies credit for a half a billion dollar surplus the state just announced this week and for tax cut and jobs growth. "It's a lot better than the way I found it, let's put it that way."     Read Story »

Henderson County News

California company moving plant to Mills River

MILLS RIVER — An injection molding company is moving its manufacturing plant to Mills River from the west coast, creating 26 new jobs. Smart Products Inc. announced  today that it would spent $3.2 million to build a 30,000-square-foot building in Mills River that will house their manufacturing, research and design, and executive offices. The plant makes valves and pumps that are used in a variety of industry sectors including automotive, food and beverage, and medical. “Our company is committed to quality. Henderson County and the Town of Mills River have showcased the resources we need to continue producing our product and stay competitive in the industry,” stated company CEO Mark Jernigan. “We are pleased that Smart Products has chosen to join our community, and recognizes our workforce concentration and strength in polymers, in addition to a welcoming business environment,” stated Chairman Tommy Thompson of the Henderson County Board of Commissioners. The project’s location was encouraged through support from Henderson County, the Town of Mills River, and customized training from the NC Community College System, administered by Blue Ridge Community College. Melissa Smith of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina managed the project in cooperation with HCPED. Newly created positions will include engineering, assembly, shipping, quality and administrative responsibilities. Hiring for the initial positions will commence in late summer 2016, with employment inquiries handled through Carolina HR Partners. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Stephen Murphy at 828-654-6990 x701 or steve@carolinahrpartners.com. To learn more about Smart Products, please visit www.smartproducts.com. For more information about the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development and its role in protecting and building a strong local economy, visit www.strategiclocation.com.   Read Story »

Laurel Park News

Town to repave Laurel Park Highway next week

The town of Laurel Park is repairing and repaving Laurel Park Highway from White Pine Drive to Crystal Springs Drive this week.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Mickey Marvin scholarship fund is 'a chance to give back'

Mickey Marvin, the football star who played at West Henderson High School, the University of Tennessee and in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders, is being honored with a new scholarship.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Lazy Otter Outfitters launches French Broad floats

A popular summertime cool-off — floating the French Broad — is coming to Henderson County, as Lazy Otter Outfitters launches its river tubing rental service.   Read Story »

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