A pivotal moment arrives every time a pregnancy test turns positive at public health departments across the state.

The new mother could walk out the doors, overwhelmed and underprepared, never to return again. She could receive little or no prenatal care before delivery. She could possibly die.

Or, she could pay absolutely nothing for prenatal care, delivery and 60 days of postpartum care. Not to mention, childbirth and parenting classes, one year of Medicaid for her newborn child, family planning services, and even emotional support and advice throughout the pregnancy.

It’s a moment that nurses at Haywood and Jackson County health departments don’t take lightly.

“That’s where we grab them,” said Vicki James, maternal care coordinator for Haywood for the past 11 years.

“We really have the nurse literally come knock on my door as they get their positive pregnancy test,” said Courtney McLaughlin, Jackson’s maternity care coordinator. “As soon as we get them, we connect them to all these services.”

North Carolina has come a long way in providing support to low-income women, bringing them closer to the reality of an uncomplicated pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Moreover, Medicaid for Pregnant Woman extends generous financial aid to women who don’t usually qualify for regular Medicaid.

Yet a study released this month by Amnesty International, a human rights group, shows a major gap still exists in care given to pregnant women across the state.

The report states 15.7 percent of women in North Carolina still receive delayed or no prenatal care, equivalent to about one in six women. That number jumps to nearly one in four among women of color.

Amnesty International claims that women who do not get prenatal care are three to four times more likely to die than women who do.

With 11.4 mothers dying per 100,000 live births, North Carolina ranks 37th in the nation for maternal mortality. In comparison, Maine, the top-ranked state, has 1.2 mothers dying for every 100,000 live births.

The reasons for the disparity are manifold, but major culprits include lack of health insurance, lack of access, and lack of education and awareness.

Nevertheless, lawmakers in Raleigh have already made significant cuts to the Baby Love program, which provides nursing and social work to low-income women. They are considering doing away with the program altogether — an idea that causes deep worry for health officials across the state.

“We’re not sure where these clients will go if that program ceases to exist,” said Debbie Sprouse, adult health supervisor in Haywood County.

Logical disconnects

Julie Guffey, a 28-year-old Waynesville resident, says she can’t fathom why those who need prenatal care aren’t receiving it. Guffey qualified for Medicaid for Pregnant Women when she gave birth to twin girls almost a decade ago and easily obtained it again after learning she was pregnant late last year.

Medicaid for Pregnant Women covers all pregnancy-related costs, even those that result from complications. It also provides one year of Medicaid coverage for the newborn child automatically.

Guffey says the entire application process is very simple, and the care she’s received has been excellent. Nurses have sent her home with thick educational packets to prepare her again for pregnancy, and she’s taken advantage of free birthing classes at Haywood Regional Medical Center in the past.

“If the services are available, and if you qualify for Medicaid, I don’t see why they don’t use it,” said Guffey. “Anyone who’s not getting prenatal care, it’s their own fault.”

It is relatively easy for low-income women to receive Medicaid for Pregnant Women, commonly called “Pink” Medicaid because its ID card had been pink at one point.

Income requirements are significantly more relaxed than those that exist for regular Medicaid.

For example, a family of four must make no more than $594 each month to qualify for Medicaid for families, while they can qualify for Pink Medicaid if they make up to $3,400 each month. Unborn children are included in the family count.

But even such a generous eligibility requirement can leave those who need financial aid floundering. Pregnancies in Western North Carolina can run up bills from $4,000 to $8,000. Ultrasounds cost $500 and up, and most women need at least two per pregnancy.

Having health insurance doesn’t necessarily shelter expecting mothers from the burden of financial worries. It’s not uncommon for policies to exclude prenatal care and to consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition.

Katie Martin, a 35-year-old Waynesville mother of two, said she paid nearly $2,500 in pregnancy-related costs, despite having state health insurance.

Martin says she’s not sure many of her friends could meet the Medicaid cutoff requirement even though they’d struggle to pay for prenatal care.

Because her own pregnancy was completely normal and she didn’t take any drugs during delivery, Martin was shocked when she set her eyes on such steep bills.

“I can’t even imagine if we had issues, how expensive the delivery would be,” Martin said.

Some of her bills had to be paid upfront, but Martin was able to set up a payment plan for the rest.

“Her birth is paid for now,” said Martin of her 1-year-old daughter, laughing. Of course, countless other expenses have piled up since then.

“From conception on, they cost a whole lot more than you would think,” Martin said.

Countless barriers to care

Charlene Carswell, prenatal clinic coordinator, understands that no matter how much she and her co-workers preach, some women will always insist that they don’t need prenatal care.

They’ll say “My sister didn’t have a low birth weight baby, and she smoked a pack a day,” said Carswell.

Others adamantly argue that no one received prenatal care a hundred years ago, so there’s no need for it now.

But late or no prenatal care can be detrimental to both the mother and the baby. It can lead to preterm births, dangerously low birth weights, gestational diabetes, and babies that haven’t fully developed.

Many of the women who don’t receive prenatal care do not have health insurance. Even those who have Medicaid may have trouble tracking down doctors who accept it.

Women who can’t afford medical care often put off early prenatal care to save up for the costs that’ll greet them in the third trimester. They pick and choose which tests they’ll get done and which they’ll skip. Even though it’s recommended that pregnant women get a check-up at least once a month, they’ll pass on those as well.

“They say ‘If I’m going to have to pay for the delivery, I’ll save for the delivery, not monthly visits to doctors,’” said Tania Connaughton-Espino, Latina program manager for the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to reducing infant death and illness.

Since Pink Medicaid applications can take up to 45 days to be approved, some patients who qualify for the aid skip out on appointments until it is formally approved.

Other barriers include lack of access to treatment, whether it’s not owning a car to drive to the health department or not being able to take off from work to make an appointment. Mothers might also not be able to line up childcare for their other kids while they are visiting the doctor.

And sometimes, it can be hard to even get an appointment with the recession sending waves of newly uninsured people to local health departments.

According to Connaughton-Espino’s experience, some women just might not see why prenatal care is necessary. They wonder why they’ve given up several hours of work time to wait for a 15 minute appointment with a nurse who measures their belly and takes their temperature.

“We just need to makes sure that moms understand that they can make that appointment important for them and ask questions,” said Connaughton-Espino.

According to Connaughton-Espino, the best route to a solution is through education. Some expecting mothers just don’t know when they’re supposed to take a prenatal vitamin or how often they should visit the doctor.

A whole other category of women who are not receiving prenatal care are undocumented workers. Because citizenship is a requirement for Pink Medicaid, illegal immigrants who are expecting often are left behind.

They do have the option of applying for presumptive eligibility Medicaid, which provides care until an application is formally approved or denied. However, this kind of Medicaid promises only a maximum of two months of care. It allows only minimal contact with a doctor and does not cover the cost of delivery.

At most public health departments, undocumented workers pay on a sliding scale based on their income. Even though the cost of care might be within reach, undocumented immigrants are afraid to even show up on the health department’s doorstep.

“They fear that they’re going to be arrested or shipped back to Mexico,” said Adrienne Maurin, a licensed therapist at Jackson County’s health department.

“Some of them come in later for care, some decline testing doctors recommend,” said McLaughlin, who tries to schedule ultrasounds and any other major tests within the few weeks that undocumented workers gets Medicaid coverage.

Children of undocumented workers who are born in the U.S. automatically get American citizenship, but they might still receive inadequate care because of their mother’s illegal status.

Carswell doesn’t think that that’s fair.

“It’s not the baby’s fault, whoever is pregnant,” said Carswell. “You just have to have good prenatal care.”

Haywood County residents have another chance to steer plans for a park in Jonathan Creek at a public meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 25.

The meeting will be held at the County Office building on Russ Avenue past K-Mart, formerly known as the MARC building.

The design firm will present up to three conceptual master plans for the park, based on input from the first public meeting held March 4 and an online survey.

The first meeting drew a crowd of about 45 people, with most people supporting baseball/softball fields, a soccer field, or fitness trails at the park.

Residents also favored developing a handicapped fishing facility, batting cages, and a fit course. They hoped to see the park maximize revenue potential and gear recreation to locals.

Meanwhile, soccer fans mobilized support to dominate an online survey posted online from March 5 to 22. About 75 people completed the survey, with 21 respondents advocating for soccer fields and opposing baseball/softball fields.

Claire Carleton, Haywood’s recreation director, said the public meeting was civil even though attendees had clashing interests there as well.

“It’s not a conflict,” said Carleton, “Everyone is going after their passion, whether it be baseball or softball.”

Many who completed the online survey said they liked the idea of mixing different uses, though they did not provide a clear direction for what should be included in that mix.

Haywood County commissioners purchased the 22-acre property for $1 million in 2007. In February, they hired the design firm of Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon Inc. to develop a master plan.

Each of the workshops will build on the information gathered from the previous meeting. After receiving input at Thursday’s public meeting, the firm will develop a draft master plan and determine costs.

A third and final public workshop will be held on Tuesday, April 27, at Maggie Valley Town Hall.

The firm hopes to present the final master plan to the county board of commissioners on Monday, May 17.

For more information, contact Haywood County Recreation and Parks at 828.452.6789.

Buying alcohol will become a lot more convenient for residents in Haywood County.

For the first time in 43 years, a new ABC store will be constructed in Waynesville.

The second location will be situated behind Hardee’s on South Main Street and will be accessed off the entrance drive into Wal-Mart. It will likely capture traffic from all over the county, snagging a greater share of ABC profits distributed in Haywood County.

For now, the Waynesville ABC board is close to finalizing the deal but is still awaiting approval from the state ABC commission.

“Everything’s looking pretty good right now,” said Waynesville ABC Chairman Earl Clark. “It’s a real ideal spot.”

The property itself will cost between $450,000 and $500,000, according to Clark. The store, which will measure about 5,000 square feet, will cost approximately $500,000 to construct.

Waynesville’s original ABC store was built in 1967 and is far too small, Clark said. The ABC board has been anxious to build a new store for several years.

“Our store is just small,” said Clark. “We have no way of displaying and stocking like a lot of the larger stores do.”

With only two alcohol shipments each month from Raleigh and little storage space, it’s been tough for the store to replenish stock.

The convenience of neighboring Wal-Mart might increase revenues for the ABC board, but the Town of Waynesville and Haywood County might not see a payoff any time soon.

Town Manager Lee Galloway said the additional expenses of debt payment, personnel and utilities will scoop up much of the new revenue generated by the store for years to come.

“I do think because of the cost of the store and the personnel involved, the town’s revenues are going down, not up,” said Galloway.

Local governments will only realize the full benefit of the new store when it is paid off.

The town estimates that it’ll receive $94,000 from ABC profits this year. Last year, the town got $112,000, which was spent on law enforcement and alcohol education.

Alternatively, the Town of Maggie Valley has received no money from ABC’s profits in the last few years. A second ABC store was built on Dellwood Road there in 2009.

“We’ve been allowing them to keep the excess to help pay for the second store,” said Tim Barth, town manager for Maggie Valley.

The town annexed a satellite tract a mile outside town limits to get a parcel close to Waynesville, grabbing customers who’d usually travel to Waynesville’s ABC store.

The ABC board in Maggie set aside money years in advance to buy inventory for the new store and save up for the debt payments.

Maggie’s second store was successful in luring customers away from Waynesville’s ABC store, due to its strategic geographic location that’s closer to Waynesville than Maggie. Sales rose for the Maggie Valley ABC board in 2008-2009, but not enough to save the board from landing in the red.

According to annual reports from the town of Maggie Valley, the ABC board operated at a loss of $5,600 in the ’08-’09 year. In comparison, the board’s income from operations in the 2007-2008 fiscal year was a solid $72,479.

Revenues at both the Maggie Valley and Waynesville ABC stores will likely be adversely affected by alcohol sales at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. Liquor sales at the casino started in late 2009.

Is privatization on the way?

Talks of privatizing liquor sales in North Carolina may hinder Waynesville’s plans for a second Alcoholic Beverage Control store.

The governor has appointed a committee to study reform of the ABC system, including the possibility of privatizing alcohol sales.

Calls for reform were sounded after it was discovered that two ABC staffers in New Hanover County were being paid a combined $350,000 annually. Meanwhile, liquor industry representatives had treated Mecklenburg County ABC board staffers to multiple lavish meals, with one tab totaling $12,700.

Earl Clark, chairman of the Waynesville ABC board, said his board would be hesitant to build a new store if the state decides to follow through with privatization and end the monopoly of ABC boards.

“There’s no doubt that it would affect us because we don’t want to do something that we’d lose money or the town would lose money,” said Clark.

Clark said though the system could use reform, privatizing the system would prove harmful for local governments that get a cut of the profits.

“I think that it would hurt the town and the county on their distribution,” said Clark

Foodies can have it all at the sixth annual Mélange of the Mountains culinary gala in Haywood County.

Many of the region’s best chefs will assemble at The Gateway Club in Waynesville to show off their finest fare and engage in head-to-head competition. Attendees can see which restaurant’s chef triumphs in each category as they mill about sampling the finest offerings from area restaurants.

Meanwhile, local chefs will face the challenge of creating extraordinary cuisine with basic kitchen equipment. Judges will determine whose dish triumphs in eight categories, including meat, fowl, seafood, salad, soup, dessert, and vegetarian.

This year, chefs will also concoct their best interpretation of the traditional French crepe, as part of a new category, the Folkmoot Exclusive Dish.

After the heat of competition subsides, the chefs will serve up savory samples directly from the menu of area restaurants. Those who attend can also sneak a peek at the expertly presented winning dishes.

There’ll also be a garde manger, or “keeper of the food,” who’ll prepare hors d’oeuvres and carve fruits and vegetables.

Patrick Tinsley, food and beverage director at The Gateway Club, has competed every year since Mélange started six years ago. But there’s little that’s predictable about the competition.

“I’ve thought ‘That’s the best thing I’ve ever made in my life,’ and it doesn’t win gold,” said Tinsley. Other times, Tinsley creates a dish that he’s less than enthusiastic about, and it wins big.

Last year was a phenomenal year for Tinsley, who placed in seven of the eight categories and won five gold medals.

But there’s no guarantee about this year’s Mélange, and many casual establishments have overtaken fine dining restaurants in the past.

Judges are kept in the dark about which chef created each dish. They base their scores solely on taste and plate presentation.

For Tinsley, the competition isn’t any more stressful than a typical evening in the Gateway Club kitchen.

“Most chefs are used to stress, they’re used to getting things out quickly, used to being judged,” said Tinsley. “Everything you put out is going to be judged.”

What is challenging, however, is crafting an exceptional dish on what basically amounts to camping gear. Cooks have to resort to using butane stoves, though they’ll sometimes also use a toaster oven or microwave.

“It’s not as nice as cooking out of your own kitchen,” said Tinsley.

The medal is well worth the effort, though. Winners stand to gain heavily from the exposure.

“There’s 300 people up there listening to see who won,” said Tinsley.

Chefs who participate in Mélange are naturally competitive, and friendly rivalries have sprung up over the years.

“It’s nice to stare down at Doug at Sweet Onion [Restaurant] and flash the gold,” said Tinsley. “But he’ll also do that back to you when he wins.”

Most restaurants will enter into one category, showcasing a specialty they have, like a decadent cheesecake or a hearty soup.

“I personally think it’s a good, healthy competition,” said Art O’Neil, who owns The Gateway Club. “Most of these chefs are stuck in their kitchen all the time. Nobody gets to see them.”

O’Neil, who helped come up with the event, said the Mélange is a chance to showcase local restaurants and allow Haywood County chefs to meet each other.

“The more we do to support each other, the more likely we’re all going to succeed in our business, and keep people from driving to Franklin, driving to Asheville to find food,” said O’Neil.

Tinsley said the competition also gives food lovers a better idea of who’s in the kitchen crafting their favorite dishes at local eateries.

“People have a certain image in their minds of chefs,” said Tinsley, but not everybody shows up to Mélange dressed in immaculate chef’s pants and coats.

Cindy Robertson never for a minute believed in ghosts — that is, until she moved into her new restaurant outside Cherokee. And she’s not alone.

A mysterious presence has made converts of every restaurant owner who’s moved into the building in recent years.

Robertson had her first encounter when she was preparing to open Cindy’s Diner. Robertson was painting the walls when she felt a tug at her sleeve. When she turned around to see who it was, she spotted an elderly man standing at the back of the restaurant, near the kitchen area.

Robertson went over to investigate, but the stranger had disappeared.

“I thought it was my cook trying to scare me,” said Robertson. “He thought I was trying to scare him.”

Since then, Robertson has seen the ghost poke his head around the corner of the building on several occasions. Each time she walked over, though, no one could be found.

One morning, Robertson walked into a sweltering restaurant. “The stove had been turned up,” said Robertson. “We check it two, three times before we leave ... it was on high. It was so hot that it was white.”

The ghost has even turned off the stove during the day when everyone else is around, Robertson said.

Other times, Robertson has walked up to the restaurant to see that their sign had been moved to block the entrance. Employees usually bring the sign inside and rest it at the side of the door each evening.

“There’s no way wind could get in the inside,” said Robertson.

A perplexed Robertson called Clint Menacof, whose family owns the property, to find answers. Menacof wasn’t at all surprised by her inquiry.

Though Robertson hesitated to divulge the full details of her experience — for fear of being perceived as crazy, Menacof pressed her for an exact description of the presence. He wanted to verify that it was the same description given by the previous restaurant owner and staff.

It was.

“That’s the thing that makes it kind of difficult to discount,” said Menacof. “You’ve got two different tenants with no knowledge of the other one.”

A curious coincidence

Both owners have said that the “ghost” is unlike the kind we see in Hollywood movies. He is tall and slender with dark hair and glasses.

“He’s not like some vague, hazy figure,” said Menacof. “He appears as a solid, real normal person — to the point, they can tell he’s wearing glasses or what clothes he has on.”

Based on the descriptions given to Menacof by those who’ve encountered the ghost, the ruling hypothesis is that the it is none other than Lester Arnold, Menacof’s wife’s great-uncle and the owner of Arnold’s Drive In, which occupied the building for years.

To confirm his suspicions, Menacof brought in pictures of Lester, who passed away in the last decade. Robertson verified that the man she’d seen bore a very close resemblance.

According to Menacof, nothing could have swayed either restaurant owner to believe that Lester might still be around.

“They knew nothing about the building, nothing about its history, nothing about who Lester Arnold was,” said Menacof.

Arnold first popped up during the Mexican restaurant’s stay in late October 2007. It was just around the Day of the Dead festival, when spirits are offered their favorite treats overnight.

Unfazed upon learning about the ghost, the Mexican restaurant’s owner asked Menacof if Lester liked beer and left some out for him that night. Shortly thereafter, Lester wasn’t encoutered again by the owners.

The Mexican restaurant moved out in late 2008, and Cindy’s Diner moved last year. Lester wasn’t seen at the diner until around late October again.

Lester’s family believes that his disappearance come late fall has a lot to do with the off-season, which roughly begins in November. It’s a time when most restaurant owners, like Lester, board up the place and head into vacation mode.

“Everyone could take a deep breath and start to enjoy the winter,” said Menacof.

But when the tourist season gets cranking again, Lester may make a reappearance at Cindy’s.

“I’m curious to find out what happens in April or the first of May,” said Robertson.

Whether Lester shows up or not, Robertson says she fears little about his presence.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” said Robertson, though she tries to avoid coming in early by herself.

Though staff at the Mexican restaurant all confirmed they’d seen Lester, Cindy’s employees have been more hesitant. Only one has admitted coming across something out of the ordinary. She heard someone say “Hey” a few times when no one else was around.

“I think they don’t want to admit what they see in here, but they see and hear it,” said Robertson.

Meanwhile, regular customers are itching to catch a peek at Lester, Robertson said.

If they do, they have little to worry about, according to Menacof.

“While he was alive, Lester was one of the nicest people you would ever meet,” said Menacof.

The Maggie Valley Planning Board has eased requirements on a proposed set of design standards that would shape the town’s appearance in the long-term.

The board hopes to replace the haphazard look of the town with more earthy colors, natural materials, and other components of mountain-style architecture.

Most town aldermen expressed support for the proposal at a joint meeting with the planning board on Friday.

The proposed ordinance had formerly prohibited high-gloss finishes and fluorescent colors for building exteriors. Now, those who want to renovate or build a new structure are only “discouraged” from such choices. They would still need to gain the approval of the planning board, however, before moving forward with the review process.

While the planning board has been toiling for three years to come up with a set of acceptable standards, several business owners have raised concerns about the costs of adhering to the strict standards.

They worried that a mountain theme would mean more expensive construction costs, thereby hurting existing businesses and driving away potential business owners.

“I feel like we need to move forward with this, but you know, I want to see new businesses come in, too,” said Alderman Colin Edwards.

But the planning board repeatedly stressed that the standards would more likely help the town than hurt it by making Maggie more cohesive and eye-pleasing.

“I think having a standard design is more of an attraction than a detraction,” said planning board member Tom Benoit.

Alderman Scott Pauley said he is also in favor of having a mountain theme in Maggie Valley.

“As a business owner, I don’t feel threatened by the document,” said Pauley, who also owns Travelowes Motel. “I see it as a step forward to enhance our town.”

Other changes to the proposed standards include an increase of building height limitations from the town’s standard of 45 feet to 55 feet in flood areas.

The town has held a series of public meetings to help gain input from citizens about the ordinance.

Though the first public meeting attracted nearly 70 people, the second meeting was not well-attended. Town officials will launch a comprehensive effort to get more stakeholders involved and are contemplating sending out a mailing to all Maggie Valley business owners.

The next and final meeting will likely be held at the end of April. Attendees will get a chance to assume roles within the design review process to better understand how the document will come to life.

Mayor Roger McElroy, who also supports the standards, said he hopes the mountain theme will materialize at last.

“We’ve been talking about this for 20 years at least,” said McElroy. “I think it’s the time to do it.”

The U.S. Small Business Administration plans to hand over more than $1.4 million in disaster relief loans to a host of unlikely recipients in the region.

The low-interest loans are meant to aid businesses distressed by a rockslide that shut down a section of Interstate 40 in Haywood County since October.

Many of the 15 businesses that have received loans so far are hotels, motels and restaurants found far from the interstate. Others don’t appear to be tourism-related businesses at all, making it hard to figure how a drop in the traveling public on I-40 would have hurt their bottom line.

Becky & Jaime’s Water’N Hole, a bar in Waynesville, will receive $17,300 in federal money.

Asheville’s Fun Depot, which offers go-carts, laser tag and mini-golf, will get $87,800 in loans.

And Falin Excavating in Sevierville, Tenn. — more than 35 miles away from where Interstate 40 is blocked off — has received the most out of any business so far: $333,200.

SBA spokesman Matt Young pointed out that the economic impact is far more widespread than one might think.

“You can have counties north of Haywood, south, east or west,” said Young. “They all could have been impacted because of their inability to have access to Interstate 40.”

County lines mean little when it comes to doing business, Young added. Businesses on either side of the closed road may have lost access to suppliers, for example.

Young would not provide the names of businesses that were denied a loan.

A pervasive impact

Dave Day, owner of Asheville’s Fun Depot and the adjacent Brookstone Lodge, received SBA loans for both businesses.

Day said sales have dropped by 10 percent because of the rockslide, and his businesses have suffered the loss of lucrative bus groups that often stop by.

“It’s not like I was going to go out of business, but it definitely had an effect on the business when your sales drop off,” said Day.

With an ailing economy already hurting sales, businesses have had the extra burden of proving their financial loss was caused particularly by the rockslide.

Since Day keeps a tally of where his customers come from, he was able to show the SBA a drop-off of customers from Tennessee.

Hotel manager Teresa Smith said she’s likewise seen a plunge in Tennessee travelers venturing to Maggie Valley since the rockslide occurred.

Smith is general manager of the Maggie Valley Inn, one of the few clear-cut cases of a tourism-based business in the actual vicinity of the slide.

On a recent weekend, only 12 out of 110 rooms at the hotel were occupied. During the same weekend last year, 28 rooms were full.

“Certainly [the loans are] going to help keep us afloat through the rest of the winter,” said Smith. “March and April are even typically slower than December, January and February because skiing is over with.”

Smith said though above average snowfall has brought a greater influx of skiers to Maggie Valley, the inn has had to cut back on its already skeletal wintertime crew.

Smith not only handles her regular duties but also mans the front desk and answers phones — tasks that would usually be divvied between two employees.

Even though the inn is approved for loans, they haven’t received one lump sum, Smith said. The SBA is doling it out a little at a time.

Loan or no loan, it’s clear that most businesses in Maggie Valley have all been affected by the rockslide.

“You can just ride up and down the road in Maggie Valley and look at how many cars are in each of the businesses,” said Smith, who also serves as president of Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce. “You get a good feel for what everyone’s going through.”

Ghost Town is far from off the hook for repairing the latest landslide in Maggie Valley.

The Rich Cove slide originated from Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park more than a month ago. About 16,000 tons of material remain unstable at the site, threatening an even worse slide.

No one has said yet whether natural causes or the failure of retaining walls led to the mudslide. But that might not matter. Town officials have discovered several lines of attack for forcing the amusement park company to foot the cleanup bill.

Town Manager Tim Barth has unearthed a state law that would allow the town to step in and stabilize the site then force Ghost Town to cover all the expenses.

Another more long-term option is to pass an ordinance regulating development on steep slopes — to prevent future landslides and force property owners to clean up slides that occur. The county already has such an ordinance, but the town chose not to adopt it, so it doesn’t apply to Ghost Town, which is within town limits.

The state law that Barth cited says a town can summarily remove anything that is dangerous to public safety within one mile of time limits. Expenses would be covered by the property owner. If they aren’t paid, the town could place a lien on the property and on any other property owned by the same entity in town, except for primary residences.

Barth acknowledges that it would be difficult to get Ghost Town to pay up since it’s already mired by bankruptcy. But the town may proceed anyway.

“It may be a situation where certain actions have to be taken to stabilize that area, and maybe the town gets paid back at a later time after the property is sold,” said Barth.

It would be beneficial for anybody who owns the land to repair the slide, Barth added.

Town officials are still waiting to hear on the prospect of federal assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture.

The USDA may be able to provide 75 percent of funding for the Rich Cove slide repair, though local sources will still need to scrape up the remaining 25 percent.

The town and county plan to meet jointly after the estimate for the cleanup and stabilization work is finalized some time this week. Both governments hope Ghost Town will cough up money for the cleanup regardless of its bankrupt status.

However, Ghost Town’s bankruptcy attorney has said the park does not have the $250,000 it needs to open for the season unless an investor is found.

Steep slope ordinance in sight?

Barth recently consulted with Haywood County on the possibility of adopting a steep slope ordinance within town limits.

Because of the potential for another slide at Rich Cove, the town would have to move fairly quickly. It could adopt the county’s slope ordinance wholesale, rather than take the time to write one of its own.

“We recognize that there’s a time factor, that we need to probably get something in place fairly soon,” said Barth. “But we want to make sure we do things the right way, and in a way that makes sense for Maggie Valley as well as the county.”

Barth said the town had not pursued an ordinance in the past because little development occurred on steep slopes within town limits.

Another limiting factor was not having enough resources to hire a full-time engineer to enforce a steep slope ordinance. If the county agrees to handle enforcement, Maggie might sign on to Haywood’s ordinance.

“That would be the easiest, quickest way to have legislation enacted,” said town planner Nathan Clark, who hopes that the slide will renew serious discussions about a steep slope ordinance in Maggie.

Such an ordinance provides several ways to force a landslide cleanup.

For example, Haywood can delay necessary permits to hold up development until the slide is stabilized. It can also fine property owners until they cooperate.

“It might start out at $5,000 or it might start out at $50, depending on the severity of the slope failure and how much noncooperation there is,” said Mark Shumpert, Haywood County engineer.

Under the county ordinance, Shumpert has the authority to deem a slope in danger of sliding a “critical slope” and compel the property owner to stabilize it.

For now, the county has little influence over the Rich Cove cleanup. That would change, however, if Maggie passes a steep slope ordinance and the county takes over.

“It all boils down to jurisdiction,” said Shumpert.

Two landslides hit in the Maggie area in January 2009, but they were outside the town limits so the county’s slope ordinance kicked into effect.

For the first time, Haywood County was able to force a property owner to clean up a slide.

One property owner recently submitted design plans for the slide stabilization.

The other owner filed for bankruptcy, and the county is now negotiating with the bank that’s taken over the property. Haywood has not filed a lien on the property.

Shumpert said the bank has two options: it can either repair the site and sell the house on it, or it can bulldoze the home and return the area to its natural state.

Despite using every nook and cranny available, Swain County schools are still struggling to track down classroom space for its exploding student population.

The number of students at Swain County High School has shot up so dramatically that the school has outgrown its auditorium and must now hold two assemblies instead of one on every occasion.

“That’s a time issue, and sometimes, a money issue,” said Regina Mathis, principal of Swain County High, which often has to pay speakers double the price.

In the 2002-2003 school year, 1,679 students attended the county’s schools. By 2008-2009, that number that had grown to 1,840.

Swain County High School shows the biggest rise in students, with an increase of 110 students in the last six years.

The high school has tried to accommodate that growth by asking four teachers to share classroom space. It has converted an auto mechanics classroom into a regular classroom, even using the hallway that leads up to the room as lab space, and transformed an equipment storage room next to the gymnasium into a small classroom.

What used to be a student lounge with couches is now office space for support staff. Where chorus students formerly practiced singing, history classes have taken their place.

One math teacher and his students must trek out to a doublewide from the school each day, cutting time spent in class.

“That’s a little inconvenient for kids if it’s raining,” said Mathis.

And the problem is not limited to just the high school. Elementary schools in Swain have even held art and music classes on stages in the past.

Running out of time

The problem is not new. A committee was formed to assess building needs in January 2007, and several solutions have been discussed. But with little funding to implement the solutions, Swain schools have been left struggling.

In 2009, Swain County qualified for a federal school bond program that gives lenders a tax break for funding school construction. But the county has been unable to lock down any lenders so far, County Manager Kevin King said.

According to the committee’s plans, Swain West Elementary will ideally be first to get new classrooms. Next in line would be Swain East Elementary.

The committee’s plans also call for a new $25 to $30 million high school to be built on a 50-acre tract the county purchased a few years ago for that purpose near the current high school site.

Meanwhile, the middle school would be cut down to only seventh and eighth grades and move into the old high school. The old middle school could then become a third elementary school for the county.

Mathis said the committee has looked at installing $1 million or $2 million additions, but such small expansions would only be a stopgap measure.

“Why put that in if we’re going to have $25 million for a new high school?” asked Mathis. “Sure, I’d love to have more classrooms, but in the long run, it doesn’t make sense.”

Sam Pattillo, facilities director for Swain County’s schools, said this is only a preliminary plan, however, not something that’s been set in stone.

“It’s a start for discussion,” said Pattillo.

King pointed out that building the high school alone might result in a whopping 15 cent tax increase to cover $1.9 million each year in bond payments.

Rather than employ a piecemeal approach right now, King recommends tackling the entire problem in 2018, when the school system’s current debt of about $900,000 will be mostly paid off.

“It’s not attainable right now,” said King. “If it’s not attainable, then there’s really no need to pursue it.”

But Mathis said eight years might be a long time to wait.

“Looking over the last eight years, we’ve grown 27 percent,” said Mathis. “What if within the next eight years, we grow 27 more?”

The county will soon begin reaping dividends from the North Shore Road cash settlement. At a minimum, the county will receive around $800,000 a year in interest, and it could grow much larger if the federal government follows through on paying the full settlement it has promised.

The interest off the cash settlement fund could potentially be set aside for school construction.

But school board member Jerry McKinney said he’s concerned about tying up the North Shore money in a reoccurring expense like bond payments.

“I’d rather see other ways of funding construction needs,” said McKinney. “But education should get the lion’s share [of the settlement], I believe.”

Other options for getting the new high school built before 2018 include holding a bond referendum to ask the people whether they’d support a tax increase to build the high school. It’s doubtful that such a major tax increase would pass in Swain or anywhere else, however.

McKinney, who is running for county commissioner, said having such a small tax base in Swain always poses a challenge for school funding.

But McKinney understands space needs in Swain County schools are a pressing issue and new that facilities are necessary.

McKinney pointed out that Swain County still had the same number of gymnasiums it had when he was a boy.

“The old one at the middle school is 70 plus years old,” said McKinney. “We keep renovating, we keep adding to it, trying to keep it up. Because of that there is a need in this community.”

A proposed health board rule in Haywood County has reignited a debate about how far officials can go when it comes to private property.

Public outcry crushed a nuisance ordinance considered by the county last spring. Now, it’s made a dent in the health board’s plans to amend a little known rule from 1970.

The rule spells out how to safely store garbage that can attract disease-carrying pests, like rodents and mosquitoes. With the new amendment, the health director is allowed to step onto private property if a property owner is uncooperative. Violators can be charged with a misdemeanor.

State law has long allowed health directors in North Carolina to abate public health risks by entering private property. They can even clean up the property if the owner refuses and recoup the cost through a lien.

The health board was ready to vote on the amendment with little ado in January. But a crowd of 75 rallied at the last minute and turned up to oppose it. The stunned board members decided to hold off on the vote.

A few changes to the rule change were announced last week after the board gathered for a work session. The rule now requires the health director to first obtain an administrative search warrant before entering private property — unless there’s an imminent hazard.

“Imminent hazard” means a situation that is likely to cause an immediate threat to human life, an immediate threat of serious physical injury, an immediate threat of serious adverse health effects, or a serious risk of irreparable damage to the environment if no immediate action is taken.

Haywood County Health Director Carmine Rocco said even in such an emergency case, he’d try to seek consent first.

Constitutional or not?

Many at the January meeting had cried that the health board rule was simply a back-door approach to passing a public nuisance ordinance they already defeated.

Jonnie Cure, who helped round up the opposition, argued that if neighbors were putting her health at risk, she could just take them to civil court.

“If somebody is putting my life in danger, I have remedy,” said Cure. “I don’t need to sic the health department on them.”

Lenise Paschke, pharmacist and chair of the Haywood health board, said the board didn’t have the time or the energy to police people’s yards.

“It is not our intention to go running through the county, entering people’s property. These statutes have been on the books quite a while. We haven’t done that yet,” said Paschke.

The health board maintains that the rule is a way to protect public health — not address aesthetic issues.

“It has nothing to do with how many bikes somebody has in their front yard or issues related to personal taste,” said Rocco.

The rule is more narrowly tailored than the nuisance ordinance considered by county commissioners last spring. The nuisance ordinance would have cracked down on junk on peoples’ property, prohibiting everything from outdoor storage of scrap metal to junked cars to non-maintained swimming pools.

County Attorney Chip Killian said the health board has gone out of its way to satisfy concerned citizens with recent changes. Killian considers the state law to be wholly constitutional.

“That’s really going the extra step, we feel,” said Killian.

But opponents argue the state law violates the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, which protects citizens from unreasonable searches.

“The victim here is the property owner, not the person who’s supposedly put at risk,” said Cure.

Waynesville Attorney Russell McLean said a search warrant should be required every single time, despite state law saying otherwise.

Killian disagrees.

“It’s not up to us to decide whether the state statute is unconstitutional or not,” Killian said. “I don’t believe it is, but if it is, that’s another matter. We’re supposed to proceed under guidelines of state law.”

Rarely used rule

Rocco has worked in public health in North Carolina for more than 20 years and has never stepped on private property without the owner’s cooperation.

Usually, the health director works with property owners and educates them on the public health risks lurking in their backyard.

Knowing the health director could enter their property or put a lien on their land might provide an incentive to cooperate.

“This just gives us one more tool for us to address public health concerns,” said Rocco. “I will do what I think is necessary to protect the public’s health.”

Storing garbage improperly can attract flies, rats, snakes or other disease-carrying animals. Property owners who allow standing water to collect provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which can also spread disease.

Lacrosse encephalitis is of particular concern in Western North Carolina, which sees a few cases every year. Last year, through November 2009, four cases of lacrosse encephalitis were reported to the health department in Haywood. A boy in Cherokee died last year from the mosquito-borne disease.

Other complaints included 33 sewage complaints, nine vector complaints and six trash complaints — all would fall under the rule in question. Vectors are disease-carrying animals.

The rule regulating solid waste has been on the books for 40 years but was sitting dormant for the past two decades until it was rediscovered last year.

A solid waste task force was created last summer to look at where modifications to the rule needed to be made. The task force worked for several months to amend the rule and held public meetings to discuss the issue before the vote in January.

“Unfortunately, nobody came,” said Rocco.

The health board will decide the next steps at its meeting on Wednesday, March 10.

Any actor or director at Haywood Arts Regional Theater will tell you there’s nothing wrong with “The Sound of Music.” Or “Oklahoma” for that matter.

But that doesn’t mean they want to spend all season shuffling through seasoned classics, singing songs everyone already knows by heart.

Each year, HART gets a whole winter season to experiment and explore, bringing plays that have long intrigued actors and directors to its more intimate, 75-seat Feichter Studio Stage.

Feichter plays in recent years have included “Equus,” a story of a young man who is sexually fascinated by horses; “Wit,” in which an English university professor grapples with a terminal case of ovarian cancer; “The Full Monty,” involving six unemployed men who resort to becoming strippers; and “Coyote on the Fence,” which tells the tale of a racist skinhead on death row.

HART’s latest play, Pulitzer-winning “Doubt: A Parable,” is about a priest suspected of sexually abusing a boy in the ‘60s.

Despite an ending that leaves audiences with more questions than answers, “Doubt” sold out its first weekend and was held over for a second weekend of showings.

A sizeable segment of HART’s audience is clearly enthused by the community theater’s daring spirit. It’s not unusual for the theater to turn away people at the door during its winter season, which has raised the bar for theater-lovers in the area.

“Our audience has come to expect us to not do the same thing,” said Steve Lloyd, HART’s executive director. “Lots of theaters underestimate their audiences and want to play it safe by doing ‘The Sound of Music’ again.”

Audiences aren’t the only pleased party. Community actors and directors are delighted to have the opportunity to tackle more serious projects.

“It’s a great theater for letting actors experiment,” said Suzanne Tinsley, one of the founding members of HART and director of the recent “Doubt.”

Art O’Neil, who has acted with HART for a decade, said he’s had his share of traditional plays.

“I’m beyond it,” said O’Neil. “If I’m going to put the energy into it, pick something that’s going to challenge me.”

O’Neil said he has witnessed a shift in HART’s standing over the years, one that he applauds.

“I think there’s a fairly long line now of plays that are not the traditional small-town community theater plays,” said O’Neil. “Ten years ago, we probably could not have done a play that had a curse word in it.”

Since then, the theater has tackled topics like homosexuality and racism and even the raciness of “Cabaret,” where scantily clad thespians greeted theater-goers right at the door.

But HART isn’t choosing these plays just to stir up controversy. A sincere desire to challenge itself and audiences is at the root of HART’s motives. Plays worthy of city stages are the result.

“I don’t have to go to New York, I don’t have to go to Atlanta to see it,” said O’Neil. “It’s not professional theater, but it comes darn close at times.”

While HART isn’t afraid to go on the cutting edge, it’s not going to force the entire community into joining the journey. Whenever the theater publicizes potentially controversial plays, it affixes a warning about adult content.

And it’s not like HART totally ignores it settings, a few modifications here and there are made.

For example, at the culmination of “The Full Monty,” HART actors actually went through with the striptease, ending up completely naked on stage — but a blinding bright light behind them completely concealed them from the audience.

The play was a huge hit.

In preparing for the stunt, Lloyd and others actually moved through the auditorium, ensuring that the view would only entail a bright light and nothing else, no matter where one was seated.

“It ended up being funny,” said Lloyd. “The audience laughed .... They realized we weren’t going to take people off the deep end.”

For upcoming plays at HART, look no farther than what’s already on Broadway. Lloyd frequently picks up plays that have just become available, like “Chicago,” which was just released to community theaters six months ago.

“I want us to be leading the bandwagon, not following it,” said Lloyd.

For that hard work, HART has won numerous awards, all of which have been handed to plays originating from its smaller stage.

Although its Feichter stage has been successful, there will continue to be a diverse mix of plays at HART with, hopefully, something for everyone.

Lloyd says he compares the theater’s offerings to a dinner menu, making sure to include both hearty and delightful offerings.

“There’s going to be puff pastry, but I’m not going to serve you seven courses of that,” said Lloyd.

Upcoming plays at HART

• “Beyond Therapy” – March 5-7

• “Seussical” – April 23-May 9, weekends

• “Falling in Like” – June 4-13, weekends

• “Chicago” – July 9-Aug. 1, weekends

• “Catfish Moon” – Aug. 27-Sept. 7, weekends

• “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story”– Sept. 24-Oct. 17, weekends.

• “The Little Foxes” – Nov. 5-14, weekends.

Rather than continuing a reactive approach to rockslides on Interstate 40, the DOT is making a widespread effort to prevent disasters like the Oct. 25 slide from occurring again.

The DOT says it will invest $4 million to stabilize five other sites that have either experienced slides in the past or are likely sources of future slides. The money will hopefully come from federal highway emergency funds.

“If there’s a silver lining in all of this,” said Jon Nance, DOT’s chief engineer of operations, “it’s that we’ve located other areas that need to be repaired to prevent another occurrence like this one.”

All of the sites are in the final five miles of the Pigeon River Gorge before reaching the Tennessee line. The area is known for instability and has been prone to slides since its construction. When a second rock slide struck six weeks ago — in the same vicinity as the major slide — it triggered an assessment of the corridor to identify particularly unstable spots.

This additional work will not affect the reopening of I-40, though one mile of the westbound lane will be closed until this summer to finish it.

The DOT estimates the new project will employ between 50 to 100 more people. The first step is removing unstable rock in a process called scaling, which involves men with crowbars dislodging loose rock. Large bolts will then be set deeply into the mountain to snug down the rock face.

Harsh winter weather has delayed the reopening of Interstate 40 until late April, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Snow, rain, heavy winds and bitter cold shut down operations for a total of 14 days, leading to the delay.

“The weather has been the only reason,” said Jon Nance, chief engineer of operations for the DOT. “The contractor has been very aggressive.”

The DOT initially stated the cleanup would take about three months shortly after a massive rockslide buried the interstate near the Tennessee border on Oct. 25.

Following a closer look, the DOT shifted its target for reopening to March, but warned the cleanup could take as long as May.

The cost of repairing the rockslide’s impact remains $10 million, at the upper limit of the original estimate.

Dean Kirkpatrick, owner of Dean’s Haywood Café near exit 24 of Interstate 40, said he’s disappointed about the delay but understands the reasoning behind it.

Kirkpatrick often interacts with I-40 workers who regularly visit his restaurant and give him the latest updates.

“We appreciate all of them, the road crews, the bridge crews, working day and night,” said Kirkpatrick.

Still, Kirkpatrick admits that January and February have been the two toughest months he can remember in his 40 years of business.

While it’s been months since the DOT shut down the Interstate near his business, Kirkpatrick holds no grudges against the agency.

“They are anxious to get it open just as much as we are,” said Kirkpatrick. “I’m sure they’re getting a lot of flack.”

Businesses that rely on the interstate for tourism are also eagerly anticipating the road’s reopening. Tourism in the region usually starts picking up in April, according to Lynn Collins, director of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority.

But Collins said the first priority is to make roads safe for travelers.

The DOT has been cooperative changing its signs to let travelers know they can still access Western North Carolina regardless of the road closure, according to Collins. They’ve even placed one such sign in South Carolina, Collins added.

According to the DOT, about 25 inches of snow fell between December and February, a 250 percent increase over the historic average of 10 inches.

Seventeen inches of rain fell on the area during the same period, about a 30 percent increase over the historic average of 13 inches.

In spite of the tough weather, contractors have cleared a rock mass 60 feet wide, 80 feet tall and 20 feet thick — the size of a small apartment building — and are working on installing 590 rock bolts to stabilize the mountainside.

Crews have drilled 230 holes and have installed 125 as of Monday. Drilling for the bolts has been underway for more than seven weeks, but they have finished only a third of the work.

Some bolts are more than 100 feet long. In particularly steep sections of the rock face, bolts must be lowered in place by a helicopter while men in harnesses guide them into place. The bolting process can continue once the Interstate reopens.

The DOT has taken advantage of the 20-mile road closure to work on maintenance projects, including paving tunnels, repairs to four bridges, tree and brush maintenance and slope mowing along the corridor — all of which has amounted to $5.3 million in investments.

“We have not been sitting idly by,” said Nance. “We have done a lot of work.”

With a large loan payment looming and not enough money to pay it, the fairgrounds turned to Haywood commissioners this week to save it from foreclosure.

Commissioners voted Monday to purchase the fairgrounds facilities and apply for a 40-year U.S. Department of Agriculture loan of between $600,000 and $800,000 to pay off the outstanding debt and make improvements.

The fairgrounds board had counted on annual contributions from the county to cover loan payments on two new additions: a covered arena the size of a football field and a second indoor exhibition hall.

But the fairgrounds, along with all other nonprofits, lost all its funding when the county cut its budget after the recession struck.

“They more or less left us holding the bag,” said Skipper Russell, a farmer and president of the fairgrounds board.

The loan on two buildings totals roughly $337,000.

The county has already pumped $989,871 into the fairgrounds since 1999. Haywood owns the 25-acre property, but not the facilities on it, which include two large exhibition buildings, a livestock barn and a covered arena.

Since the 100 percent cut in its county funding, the fairgrounds has been limping along. It hasn’t been able to install restrooms, concession stands or bleachers at the arena, making it difficult to attract events to the 68,000 square foot venue.

“I think our board of commissioners have put them in a bad position,” said Commissioner Kevin Ensley, who also serves on the fairgrounds board.

On Monday, the county agreed to be responsible for about $15,000 annually in property and liability insurance, as well as $25,000 to $40,000 in start-up costs the first year.

Haywood commissioners will also appoint a seven-member governing board to replace the now 27-member fairgrounds board, though a new advisory board will also be created.

Fairground revenues will pay for a full-time fairgrounds manager responsible for marketing, as well as maintenance and utilities. Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick has proposed that the revenues in excess of a certain amount should go toward the loan payment.

If the USDA loan is approved, it would likely carry debt payments of $40,000 per year — far less than what the county has contributed annually in the past.

In previous years, the county had devoted $150,000 annually to the fairgrounds.

“It’s just a Catch-22,” said Commissioner Mark Swanger. “With an incomplete fairgrounds, it’s difficult to attract the venues and events that would make the center profitable. But you can’t get the money to do that because you don’t have the events.”

Swanger said the board would face the same conundrum year after year unless commissioners made a decision to assist the fairgrounds. Most commissioners were quick to distinguish the fairgrounds from other nonprofits since the county owns the fairgrounds property.

They also stressed that the fairgrounds drives the local economy, with 55 to 60 events per year and monthly flea markets that bring 100 vendors to the venue.

“Don’t forget that money passes through our economy two or three times,” said Swanger. “It is part of the economic development engine for the county.”

Citizen Jonnie Cure remained unconvinced.

“I believe this is nowadays what we call a bailout,” said Cure, who accused the commissioners of once again using fuzzy math to justify their actions.

Ensley emphasized that the county would be paying far less annually with the 40-year loan than it had been in the past.

“I’m looking at that as a savings, whether that’s fuzzy math or not,” said Ensley.

Russell admitted he felt bad asking taxpayers to contribute to the fairgrounds when they’re struggling to make ends meet.

“I hate it, but there’s no other option available for it,” said Russell.

Commissioner Skeeter Curtis reluctantly voted for the measure. He criticized the board for cutting funding in the first place and for not taking care of its properties and obligations.

“In the past, we haven’t done what we should have been doing to keep our facilities and our commitments up,” said Curtis. “As long as we keep doing that, we’re going to keep having situations like this.”

It all started with a stranger’s death.

At the time, Carl Hughes was working as a construction supervisor for the oil corporation Chevron in Angola.

A worker came into his office to ask permission to take the afternoon off to bury his daughter, who had died from malaria.

The announcement left Hughes stunned.

While the Waynesville resident has caught malaria a whopping eight times during his years working abroad, he’d always had access to premier medical treatment. For Hughes, malaria was akin to a bad case of the flu.

But others were not so lucky.

For the next few weeks, Hughes racked his brain, trying to come up with a way to help.

“God was thumping on my head,” said Hughes. “I had no idea what to do about it. I knew I needed to do something.”

Hughes began researching insect repellents that could help prevent the deadly mosquito-borne disease. He hoped to formulate an all-natural spray without DEET, despite knowing that those kinds of bug sprays hadn’t found much success.

When Hughes returned to Waynesville for a month-long break, he worked in his garage, toiling to put together a natural bug spray that worked. Hughes went on an all-out mission, devouring all the information he could hunt down on essential oils, their properties, and aromatherapy.

“My wife thought I was nuts,” said Hughes, who had a background in engineering, not chemistry.

The result was Whup-A-Bug, an all-natural insect repellent that has earned national and even worldwide attention.

Hughes hauled cases of the spray back to Africa along with him to hand out for free. A chief in one village told him malaria had been reduced by almost 70 percent as a result of the repellent.

Word of mouth led to higher demand, so Hughes mixed up the solution and sent them to his friends and acquaintances, but never for a profit.

“We weren’t in the business of making insect repellent, we just did it,” said Hughes.

But two years ago, Hughes decided to focus on Whup-A-Bug full-time and quit his job, setting up shop in a Waynesville factory.

Despite the struggles inherent in running a small-business startup targeting a nationwide audience, Hughes has been able to achieve remarkable things.

He’s fought for a U.S. patent for his formula, been knighted by an ancient Christian organization, and recently been contacted by The Discovery Channel for a two-part profile series.

Hughes regularly sends his product to camps for children with blood disorders and other life-ending diseases, like Victory Junction Camp, sponsored by NASCAR.

“For the first time children could go into the woods without fear of getting bitten, on top of their fragile medical condition,” said Hughes.

Hughes occasionally still donates his repellent to villages in Angola, though he says he’s finding it harder to find a messenger who can personally deliver the product.

Reclaiming the

all-natural name

Based on his research, Hughes discovered there was only one reason why all-natural repellents weren’t working well — greed.

According to Hughes, major companies only put enough essential oils in a product to be able to proclaim that it’s all-natural. The measly amounts are not enough to be effective for long, but they save the company money.

“They always include citronella, but only put 1 percent or 3 percent active ingredients in,” said Hughes. “Our product is 15.3 percent active.”

Hughes said everything he needed for his product to be effective could already be found in nature.

“There are oils that insects will not come close to,” said Hughes. “That’s what’s in this product.”

What was revolutionary about Hughes’ insect repellent is how he formulated it.

Hughes used cedarwood, lemongrass, citronella and rosemary, but was first to figure out how to combine those four oils to their maximum strength, so that one oil doesn’t overpower another.

His unique method has resulted in a patent for Whup-A-Bug after 11 months of fighting for it with the U.S. government. Achieving a patent is a major milestone for an all-natural product, according to Hughes.

Still, the cloud of misleading labels on products hangs over Whup-A-Bug, threatening its success. Hughes would like the public to be better educated on the all-natural labeling that’s sometimes slapped on not-so-natural products.

While the Environmental Protection Agency requires companies to register insect repellents, classified as a pesticide, companies have used a loophole to avoid being registered — and regulated.

Companies can bypass registration if their ingredients are “demonstrably” safe for the intended use.

Hughes said companies often break down essential oils into chemical components and use the cheaper chemicals rather than the essential oils in their product.

Meanwhile, Hughes said he hands over $21,000 each year to the EPA to register his product nationwide.

Hughes said the public simply doesn’t know the difference.

“They don’t know all these games that are being played out there,” said Hughes. “The EPA doesn’t have the manpower or the resources to go after all these people.”

Hughes recently served on a group of small business owners who advised the EPA and Small Business Administration on this particular exemption.

Hughes said it’s hard to compete with other insect repellents lining the shelves at stores, claiming to be all-natural just like Whup-A-Bug. But he is positive that Whup-A-Bug is the better value if the customer considers the amount of active ingredients in each bottle.

“The biggest challenge is getting people to try it,” said Hughes. “Once they try it, cost doesn’t become a factor.”

Growing success

Hughes hasn’t had the luxury of millions of dollars to launch an advertising campaign nationwide. But distributors from across the country have somehow taken notice of Whup-A-Bug.

“The only reason this product is where it’s at right now is because of word of mouth,” said Hughes. “That tells me it works.”

The company’s equine products have especially taken off, causing distributers of animal care products to beat on Hughes’ door.

Melissa Fischbach, owner of The Baroque Horse Store in Northern California, found Hughes’ product after launching an extensive search for a bug spray that was not only effective but also environmentally safe and non-toxic to sell at her store.

“I found all these qualities in Whup-A-Bug,” said Fischbach. “All of my customers have been impressed by its effectiveness. I’ve had many repeat customers.”

Beyond insect repellent for humans and horses, Hughes has formulated flea and tick sprays for cats and dogs, and sprays for the home.

Hughes says he has formulated 61 products, though many of them still have to go through Federal Drug Administration testing.

Whup-A-Bug spray is also being used in the mess halls and barracks of Fort Rucker in Alabama, according to Hughes. In addition, the poultry industry is testing the product.

“We’re talking to everybody,” said Hughes, who utilizes everything from e-mails to blogs to publicize his product.

Hughes recently inked a deal with Lebermuth, one of the largest natural oil suppliers in the country. The partnership will greatly boost Whup-A-Bug’s ability to supply major distributors across the United States.

Still, all that did not come without hard work and devotion to the product. Hughes said it has been a daily test of survival to keep the business afloat.

Hughes hopes to someday employ about 20 people in Waynesville. For now, he’s working with the help of two other employees.

While investors have previously come knocking on Hughes’ door seeking to invest $5 million and own a 75 percent share, which is normal for most ventures, Hughes refused.

“As bad as I need money, I said no. I won’t sell control,” said Hughes, who believes the first step the investors will take is to dilute the product back to 1 percent and simply use the Whup-A-Bug name to make profits.

The Discovery Channel recently contacted Hughes to include him on a two-part documentary for its Profiles series.

He hesitated to let them film his story, since he was simply not ready to manufacture on a nationwide scale just yet.

Hughes imagined 20 million people phoning Whup-A-Bug, as he stared at two cases of supply on his shelf.

Now that Hughes has a deal with Lebermuth, he’s ready for The Discovery Channel to come into the picture.

Journey to knighthood

Though Hughes has traveled to about 14 countries in his lifetime, Whup-A-Bug has taken him to places he would never have expected.

Last November, Hughes was knighted at St. John’s Cathedral in New York City and accepted into the Knights of Malta, a worldwide organization that started in the year 1081.

Hughes was knighted along with 20 others, including the former president of Okinawa in Japan. Hughes had been nominated for his humanitarian work preventing cases of malaria in African villages.

It was an unbelievable experience steeped in tradition, Hughes said.

He was booked into a hotel right on Broadway, just a few doors down from Carnegie Hall. A limousine picked Hughes and the other initiates up from the hotel and took them to the old cathedral.

“Everything was just totally awe-inspiring,” said Hughes.

“It’s hard to believe that I was even involved.”

All the officials streamed into the church wearing their robes with the symbolic Maltese cross, as a priest asked the group to stand and give an oath of allegiance. They vowed to dedicate their lives to the purpose of God, and help and protect underprivileged people.

One by one, each new member was called up to be knighted with a sword.

“It was so humbling,” said Hughes.

Despite achieving official knighthood status, Hughes says he doesn’t use the title that goes with it.

“My neighbor calls me Sir Carl all the time,” said Hughes. “A lot of people at the church do it, but I don’t use it.”

Buy some

Whup-A-Bug is sold locally at Ace Hardware Store and Tarheels Guns and Gunsmithing in Waynesville and on the company’s Web site at www.whupabug.com.

Haywood County commissioners are reluctant to hand over taxpayer money to stabilize the latest landslide in Maggie Valley — even if the federal government chips in for much of the cost.

At a commissioners meeting on Monday, the Town of Maggie Valley asked the county to partner in a grant application from the federal Emergency Watershed Protection Program. If approved, the grant would pay to remove debris, reroute the natural stream channel, and most importantly, shore up the still unstable portion of the mountainside. About 12,000 to 16,000 tons of material is looming over the Rich Cove community, posing the potential for more slides.

The federal grant would cover 75 percent of the cost, while the remaining 25 percent would have to be found locally.

But lingering questions over whether the slide at Rich Cove was a natural disaster or caused by a failed retaining wall at Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park has caused county commissioners to hesitate about participating in the program.

Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick said the issue at hand is whether Ghost Town is at fault. If so, the company, not county taxpayers, should pay for the slide’s impact. Ghost Town has been struggling with bankruptcy for the past year, however.

Steve Steve Shiver, CEO of Ghost Town, said he just didn’t have enough data — namely the cost of cleanup and stabilization — to make any decisions.

“At this point, we’ll just wait and see what the estimates are,” said Shiver, adding that Ghost Town has been able to repair a road that was washed out by the slide over the weekend. Road access to the top of the mountain is now restored, Shiver said.

At one point on Monday’s meeting, Commissioner Skeeter Curtis asked Maggie Valley’s town manager point blank if the town would pursue litigation against Ghost Town in the future to recoup its costs.

“Is the Town of Maggie Valley willing to enter litigation to get their 25 percent back?” asked Curtis.

Maggie Valley Town Manager Tim Barth replied the town would talk to Ghost Town about whether its owners would chip in to cover the 25 percent local match.

“It won’t get any cheaper for them, I’ll just say that,” said Barth. “If they have to fix that on their own, it’ll be 100 percent cost, and not 25 percent.”

Meanwhile, Commissioner Mark Swanger worried about setting a precedent for providing county money to clean up slides, even when they occur on private property or are caused by private companies.

“How is this one different from the ones we had in the past?” asked Swanger.

Swanger said if Maggie is going to ask for county assistance, it should also follow the county’s lead in implementing regulations for development on steep slopes.

Curtis added that local governments should begin pushing to bring landslide insurance coverage to the state, even if it is expensive.

The commissioners ultimately decided not to commit to the program before receiving a concrete dollar figure on the 25 percent match.

“Really, the bottom line is going to be the cost,” said Commissioner Bill Upton.

Town and county leaders will hold a joint meeting once the federal agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, comes up with a proper estimate for the stabilization and clean up.

A project manager and engineer surveyed the slide this week and hope to provide a damage survey report by early next week.

Carol Litchfield, a local representative from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said while legal complexities may arise with this particular landslide, it meets the objectives of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, which only responds to natural disasters.

Litchfield said the main issue now is not the 25 percent, but whether the grant will be awarded given competition for the funds. Litchfield said it can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up a site, though she does not have a ballpark figure for what it would cost to stabilize the Rich Cove slide.

The agency will not cover the costs for repairing structures or homes damaged by the mudslide, she added.

The last time the Emergency Watershed Protection Program was utilized in this area was to mitigate the impact of the 2004 floods in 17 western counties, including in Haywood and Macon counties. At that time, a federal state of emergency was declared, and the state covered the 25 percent match.

With this slide, there hasn’t been enough damage to call for a state of emergency at the state or federal level, though both the county and the Town of Maggie Valley signed a disaster declaration.

For now, the threat of another slide still looms over Rich Cove with a precautionary zone that covers more than double the size of the area currently damaged by the slide.

“We got to do something,” said Greg Shuping, emergency services director for the county. “The fact remains that we have a threat.”

Haywood Community College shot to the top in a nationwide recycling competition by doing little more than what it already does to promote sustainability.

More than 600 colleges signed up for RecycleMania across the country, recycling and composting more than 84 million pounds of material in just 10 weeks.

In HCC’s first year entering, it ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 19 in the country in its category of Waste Minimization, in which schools compete to see which produces the least amount of municipal solid waste (both recyclables and trash) per person.

By the end of the 10 weeks, HCC weighed in with about 19 pounds of trash per person. In comparison, Ursinus College, which ranked last in the category at No. 199, had a cumulative result of 200 pounds of trash per person.

In the first week, HCC sent more than 1,900 pounds of paper, cardboard, aluminum and plastic to the recycling center, as well as 3,500 pounds of scrap metal.

More than 500 pounds of wood were salvaged from the campus to be reused and over 100 pounds of food waste from the café were added to HCC’s compost pile.

Alan Morrow, HCC Campus Arboretum Team Leader, who led the effort, said the college did not have to start from scratch to succeed in the competition. It already had a compost pile, and students and staff have been trained to use recycling bins, located in every classroom and building.

“Participating in RecycleMania is just another way to highlight what HCC does every day to incorporate sustainability into campus life,” Morrow said.

For more information, visit www.haywood.edu or www.recyclemania.com. Contact Morrow at 828.627.4135.

With Haywood County’s revenues down by 4 percent, schools are looking at another year of disappointing budget allocations at the local level.

Preliminary budget figures show the Haywood County public school system might receive $335,000 in capital outlay funding from the county — a far cry from the $735,000 it requested.

Capital outlay includes any costs related to buildings on school property, from replacing roofs to regular maintenance to new construction.

Meanwhile, Haywood Community College might get $165,000 for capital outlay needs despite its request for $500,000.

To make matters worse, both figures are part of a budget that is short by more than $738,000.

“With revenues as flat as they are this year, we may even have to cut that some more,” said Commissioner Kevin Ensley.

But HCC President Rose Johnson stressed that the college’s capital needs are even higher than the $500,000 it requested this year.

“We are serving a student population of 11,000,” said Johnson. “The stress of doing that in facilities that need major renovations and repair is becoming very strong.”

For example, the college must completely redo its heating and air conditioning system in Building 300, where general education and natural resources classes take place.

Replacing the heat pumps alone would cost $270,000, with the total for the project nearing $560,000, according to HCC.

Recently, the air conditioning went out in the cosmetology building at HCC, which alone will take $17,000 out of HCC’s budget.

Some county commissioners had suggested dipping into the quarter-cent sales tax funds HCC receives to cover maintenance needs for the time being.

Johnson and the board of trustees vehemently oppose the idea, stating that money from the quarter-cent sales tax was passed solely to fund new construction at HCC — and that’s exactly what it will be used for.

Johnson said with a growing population of students, that money should be used to build a creative arts building that meets the needs of today as well as the future.

“If we began to defer funding from that fund, then we are really sliding behind meeting the needs for the campus,” Johnson said.

Commissioner Kevin Ensley said all organizations should understand that the commissioners’ hands are tied.

“This year, we’re just trying to hang on,” said Ensley. “What they receive will reflect what the economy is giving us right now.”

Ensley says a tax increase to bring in more revenues is absolutely out of the question, considering how much citizens are still suffering under the recession. “Having to do with less, we can’t ask for more,” he said.

Commissioner Mark Swanger agreed, stating that he is “confident” that there will not be a tax increase this year. He praised department heads, along with Finance Officer Julie Davis and Assistant County Manager Marty Stamey, for cooperating under a tight budget.

Though public schools receive money from both the county and the state, HCC meets all of its capital needs from county funding alone. Drastic cuts in the county budget means the college is helpless in completing necessary maintenance.

Donna Forga, vice-chair of HCC’s Board of Trustees, said she like many others feels let down with what the county has pledged.

“We recognize the financial situation that the county’s in, that every organization is in right now, these are times that we’ve not seen financially,” said Forga. “While we understand that, we’re disappointed in that.”

A depleting reserve

Haywood County public schools have grown accustomed to seeing money flow in steadily from both the county and the state, but they’ve had to make a tough adjustment since the economic downturn.

Before the recession, Haywood’s school system annually received $600,000 from the county to support its capital needs. In addition, the board chipped in another $135,000 annually to meet its 25 percent match requirement for state per capita funds.

From the state, the school system drew in $500,000 each year in lottery funds, and $500,000 more in per capita funds, which are based on how many students attend Haywood’s schools.

Public school leaders have saved up this money from multiple sources for quite some time, but since county commissioners slashed their budget, they’ve had to dip into the pot.

“If it wasn’t for the lottery and the [state per capita money], we wouldn’t be able to do quite as much as we can do now,” said Tracy Hargrove, maintenance director for Haywood County Schools.

Despite the recession, commissioners have managed to come through with the 25 percent local match for state per capita funds, as required by law.

The county board recently approved allocating $106,500 to replace a flat roof at North Canton Elementary and begin an HVAC and electrical upgrade at Central Haywood High School.

Even though the school system now holds $1.16 million in lottery funds, it has devoted all but $286,000 of that money for two turf projects, according to Finance Officer Larry Smith.

Money is slowly but surely running out.

Assistant Superintendent Bill Nolte said the county has received no state per capita funding this year, and they will likely receive none next year as well.

“There’s just not a lot we can plan for,” said Nolte.

Hargrove said the schools will just have to prioritize with the money it is getting.

“It’s like anything else, you can always use more money,” said Hargrove. “Is there anything that’s live or die that’s being pushed out? No. We can survive.”

Swain County citizens might have been more thrilled about a candidate forum that was held Thursday, April 22, than the people actually running.

About 75 residents came to forum to see candidates candidly answer questions submitted by fellow citizens. It was an unprecedented opportunity to get directly acquainted with candidates.

But only four of the 10 sheriff candidates showed up, and only one out of three candidates for county chairman made it to the forum. Nine out of 14 commissioner candidates came that night to speak to citizens on pressing issues.

Among those who were missing were elected officials, including Sheriff Curtis Cochran, Commissioners Steve Moon — who had already agreed to attend a Chamber of Commerce dinner that night — and Philip Carson.

Sheriff candidates John Ensley and David Franklin committed to the event but didn’t show up. Sheriff candidate Steve Ford sent his regrets, as he had to undergo an unforeseen medical procedure, though he expected to be released a few days later.

Commissioner candidate Jerry Shook openly expressed his disappointment with those who did not participate in the forum.

“Everyone has been cordially invited to this,” said Shook. “There is some who chose not to be here, chose not to share their opinions with you, chose to keep their ideals behind closed doors...We didn’t, and I will not.”

Several citizens expressed the same sentiments as Shook.

“I’m disappointed more candidates didn’t turn out,” said Valerie Harrison, a senior advocate in Swain County. “If you’re running, why weren’t you here tonight?... This, to me, is important. I would like to have seen this place packed.”

Despite less than full participation by candidates, the evening was full of healthy discussion about issues ranging from animal control to open government to Swain’s drug problems. Citizens said they were grateful for the opportunity to meet the candidates.

Bryson City resident Mary Ann Byrd said she’s usually skeptical of media coverage in general and wanted to see how the candidates answered questions, unmediated by the press.

“I want to hear it from their mouths,” said Byrd.

Bill DeHart, 62, said the night was a golden opportunity to learn more about candidates and he couldn’t imagine why any Swain County resident would miss the forum.

When asked what he looked for in his leaders, he replied, “Somebody that doesn’t bullshit.”

“I think that’s the highest priority,” said DeHart. “If you say you’re going to do it, do it. If you can’t do it, don’t say you can.”

John Howard, a 37-year-old Swain County resident, said he was concerned about the relationship between the sheriff’s department and the county commissioners.

Howard added, “I’m tired of the good ol’ boy system. People need to be held accountable.”

His wife, Leanne Howard, 44, said curbing the drug problem should be a first priority, as should making law enforcement’s response to crime more consistent. Howard said she’d once called in to inform the sheriff’s department of a suspicious car in the neighborhood. “They called the SWAT team,” said Howard. But when she informed them of an identity theft case, in which she lost $1,500, she never got a call back.

Bryson City resident Beth Zimmerman said she was concerned about unemployment in the county. She supported sheriff candidate David Thomas’s idea of hiring staff locally.

Meanwhile, Harrison said she wished candidates had paid more attention to senior citizens. Only commissioner candidate Raymond Nelson and sheriff candidate Steve Buchanan mentioned the elderly in their speeches.

Harrison said there’s a significant senior citizen population in Swain County that needs to be attention from county leaders.

“These are people who’ve been here for generations,” said Harrison.

Formulating the forum

Two Swain County citizens, Robin Hamilton and Vickie Crews put together the forum after going through an election cycle in Swain County without knowing any of the candidates.

Hamilton said she’d initially hoped other citizens would lead the effort. “I was hoping someone else would take the ball and run with it, but nobody did,” said Hamilton.

So the duo got to work contacting candidates, lining up a venue, recruiting Smoky Mountain News Publisher Scott McLeod as the moderator and publicizing the forum.

Citizens and candidates both said they were grateful for their hard work.

“This was a tremendous service,” said Harrison.

All candidates were given time for opening and closing speeches. Supplanting the usual format where all candidates answer the same questions, each Swain candidate was asked a different question.

Below are some notable comments from each candidate:

Sheriff’s race

Wayne Dover, Republican sheriff candidate: “I will give you my word — There will be an officer 24/7 dedicated to nothing but animal control and animal care.”

Steve Buchanan, Democrat sheriff candidate said being a newcomer is a positive: “I haven’t lived here my whole life... As a sheriff’s candidate, I don’t owe anyone anything, I don’t have to repay favors.”

David Thomas, Democrat sheriff candidate: “I’m going to have an open door policy with all the commissioners and citizens of Swain County.”

Chuck Clifton, Democrat sheriff candidate: “How can you be a leader of a law enforcement agency if you have no knowledge? There is no substitute for experience and education in law enforcement.”

Commissioners races

Mike Clampitt, Republican candidate for chairman: “My one and only promise is I will be accountable to you because you are the ones that put me there... This county will be a team. Public service will be our business.”

Tommy Woodard, Democrat commissioner candidate: “What we need is openness and honesty, Swain County reunited with a common vision and a common goal. This board of commissioners has the ability to start that process.”

Raymond Nelson, Democrat commissioner candidate on interest from North Shore road settlement: “We need to have an input on what you want done with it. Use it wisely, use it frugally, use it for the benefit of all and not a few.”

John Herrin, Republican commissioner candidate: “Elect me because I’m going to come hunting you down, and we’re going to run this government together.”

William (Neil) Holden, Libertarian commissioner candidate: “As a Libertarian, I owe no allegiance to party politics. That is one thing that sets me aside from all these good folks you see here today.”

Gerald (Jerry) Shook, Republican commissioner candidate: “I don’t take the backseat. I’m not afraid to face any issues... We need to stand up and stop taking the bullying, and we need to start fighting for the community.

Judy Miller, Democrat commissioner candidate, in direct response to Shook: “Fighting’s good, but consensus is better.” Miller supports public involvement in creating a long-term plan for Swain County.

David Monteith, incumbent Democrat commissioner candidate after being asked whether he supports the county manager style of government or the older style, where department heads reported to commissioners: “I would like to go to the other style of government. I think it better keeps commissioners more involved in all of the decisions. The more commissioners know, the better decisions they can make.”

Billy Woodard, Democrat commissioner candidate: “We got to capitalize on what little revenue we have, promote our beautiful mountains, our quiet lifestyle, and our small business.”

Andy Parris, Republican commissioner candidate on the budget and tax increases: “I want to see what we have, what we can do with it before we go pushing anything else on the people.”

Against all odds, a 250-year-old scarlet oak tree still stands on N.C. 110 south of Canton, despite being struck by lightning, despite neighboring a busy road, despite being forgotten by many for more than three decades.

A Native American council existed near the Osborne Boundary Oak, and Gen. Griffith Rutherford and his men marched by the tree while battling Native Americans nearby. The tree is documented to have served as a line marker in the late 1700s.

It remained in public memory long after.

In 1976, hundreds of local activists rallied to save the oak after the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced it would fell the tree in its quest to widen N.C. 110. Public opposition was so strong that DOT moved the highway to rescue the tree in 1978. It even put up a guardrail to protect the historic oak.

After so much energy was invested into preserving the Osborne Boundary Oak, it now lives unrecognized and undistinguished, trimmed and hacked haphazardly like any other tree by the DOT.

This year, Doris Hammett, one of the original protesters against the DOT in the ‘70s, decided it was time to take up the cause once again.

Hammett’s husband spent his last days near the tree at Silver Bluff Village, an assisted living facility in Canton. She visited him daily and would pass the diseased tree each time she went. Hammett knew she had to take action.

“In the ‘70s, the tree had a full canopy of leaves ... It was a healthy tree,” Hammett said. “When I went back, the tree has rotten limbs, it’s diseased, it’s been hacked.”

Hammett contacted the DOT, the Haywood County manager, a state senator, two historical societies, Haywood Community College’s Forestry Department — everyone she could think of who might help.

The DOT was caught completely off-guard by Hammett’s call. Changing of the guard at the agency meant knowledge of the oak had gradually been lost as officials retired.

Lloyd Anderson of Southern Tree Care, along with Doris, her daughter, DOT representatives, and historical society members, recently visited the oak to see if any hope remained for the badly damaged tree.

After a close inspection, Anderson said the tree had suffered significant root loss due to road construction, been injured by salt flying off the highway in the wintertime, and had survived being struck by lightning in the last five years.

Despite all that, Anderson concluded that with proper care, the tree could be rehabilitated and survive for another 50 years.

“It’s a tough, old tree,” Anderson said. “Everything that’s been done to it, especially after it’s been struck by lightning, it definitely has a vigor and life to it.”

Richard Queen, roadside environmental engineer at the DOT, said since learning of the oak and seeing it face-to-face, he, too, would like to see the tree saved.

Queen said the DOT would take care of the tree and bring it back to life, though the agency’s first concern will always be public safety.

“We always have to consider the liabilities of a limb falling on someone as they drive by,” Queen said.

Hammet is confident the DOT will once again take action to save the tree, but regardless of the help it has pledged, Hammett is not taking any chances on the tree this time around. She hopes to raise awareness of the Osborne Oak and other historic trees in the area to ensure they are remembered and flourish for as long as possible.

The Bethel Rural Organization is working to get the Osborne Boundary Oak on the America’s Historic Tree Register, while Hammett has convinced Haywood Community College to have its students study the tree each year to observe its growth.

With Arbor Day coming up April 30, Hammett and her daughter, Karen, hope the community will not only plant new trees but also recognize the special trees we already have.

“We have very little of the old growth forest left,” said Karen Hammett. “Old remaining giants show us what the forest was originally like before settlers came here.”

Recognized ‘Tree Cities’ in WNC

Waynesville, Sylva, Asheville and Brevard were recognized by the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA community for their commitment to urban forestry.

Waynesville was one of only 20 towns in the state to also receive a Tree City USA Growth Award for demonstrating progress in its community forestry program recycling. The prestigious Growth Award honors environmental improvement and higher levels of tree care in Tree City USA communities.

Tree City USA communities must have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

More information about Tree City USA can be found at www.arborday.org/TreeCityUSA.

Not every tree planting is beneficial

Planting a tree this Arbor Day, April 30? Waynesville town horticulturist Jonathan Yates hopes it’ll be the “right tree for the right place.”

Yates bemoans that many trees in town are mutilated each year to keep from touching utility lines overhead. He would rather see the trees cut down and have shorter trees planted, which would save homeowners from investing money in yearly maintenance, Yates said.

Waynesville has a list of trees that are appropriate for each neighborhood. Contact Yates at 828.456.3507 for more information.

Haywood County Solid Waste Director Stephen King did not spend his interview with The Smoky Mountain News sitting at an office, pointing to encouraging recycling statistics.

Instead, King was constantly on the go, picking up a stray glove he spotted on the ground, ripping off plastic wrapping from a cardboard box headed to a recycling pile, and even sorting recyclables, taking the place of an employee as she chatted with the reporter.

King has personally learned to use all the equipment at the Materials Recovery Center in Clyde, where the county’s recyclables are hauled.

As many already know, King’s utter devotion to the cause does not wane after the workday is done. He’s known to spend his spare time picking up recyclables, just like he did with his dad as a young kid.

King says it’s difficult to see a mess without wanting to clean it up.

“It’s just a conscious effort, what I believe in, the way I think people should be,” said King. “I want to take something nobody else wants and make it a valuable commodity.”

Though King is modest about his role, it’s clear his wholehearted commitment to sustainability has given Haywood County an immense leg-up in increasing recycling.

“When the boss gets interested, that makes a big difference,” said Commissioner Bill Upton.

Haywood now ranks 11th in the state for total amount of material recycling, averaging 212.9 tons per capita, according to 2009 statistics from the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources.

A mere two years before in 2007, Haywood County ranked 63rd out of 100 counties in the state. Since then, Haywood has practically doubled its per capita recovery of recyclables.

King said the citizens are the ones who deserve congratulations, not him.

“It’s not a one-man show, it’s a community effort,” said King.

Commissioner Mark Swanger said people are becoming more aware of the benefits of recycling and simply want to do the right thing.

“As generations grow up, it becomes a natural thing to do,” said Swanger. “It’s something they’ve always done.”

Government is certainly taking up the cause as well, with a state ban on plastic in the landfill passed in October 2009 and a landfill ban on discarded computer equipment set to take effect in April 2011.

Local county and town governments have worked to promote recycling to citizens through presentations, newsletters and educational materials online.

The Town of Waynesville is expecting to set its own record for recycling this year. From July to December 2009, the town picked up 157.2 tons of recyclables. If residents continue recycling at this rate, the town might break 300 tons at the end of the fiscal year in July 2010.

In comparison, Waynesville residents recycled a total of 173.6 tons for the entire 2004-2005 fiscal year.

Town Manager Lee Galloway said he’s personally observed an increase in recycling in his own household. Galloway and his wife recently put out their garbage before heading for a walk and realized they only had one bag of trash and two bags of recycling.

“Between what we put in the recycling and what we put in the compost, it really cuts down on what we put in the can at the street,” said Galloway.

Commissioner Kevin Ensley said he hadn’t educated himself on recycling until just last year. Until then, he didn’t realize citizens could recycle more than cardboard.

He went straight to Sam’s Club and bought himself two large trash cans to add to the one he already had for paper.

With seven people in his household, Ensley says he’s seen the number of trash bags he takes out decline from six a week to just two.

“It’s amazing, really,” said Ensley, who became convinced recycling was the way to go when he thought of all the space that recycling would save in the county landfill that taxpayers support.

“I’m not really an environmental-type person, I’m for keeping tax rates low,” said Ensley.

For those who are less than concerned with saving the environment, recycling advocates are likely to bring up two economic arguments to sway the debate.

Material that isn’t recycled heads to the landfill, which has finite space and which costs taxpayers to expand. A new cell at Haywood’s landfill cost almost $5 million and is projected to last five years. Recycling can add two years of life to that figure.

The second argument that’s routinely brought up by advocates is that recycling supports American jobs.

The county’s recycling center has five full-time employees devoted to sorting the steady stream of recycled materials that flows in. Then, there are the haulers who either bring recyclables to the facility or tow them away after they’ve been separated and compacted into enormous “bales.”

After them are those who work at plants that process recycled material, including many in North Carolina and nearby states like Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama.

“Recycling supports jobs in every one of these states,” said King.

Despite Haywood’s incredible success story with recycling, the picture’s not all rosy, as is evident as soon as one walks into the Materials Recovery Facility in Clyde.

The problem with success

A sea of blue plastic bags holding recyclables greets the eye and overwhelms the imagination at the MRF. It’s difficult to picture workers actually making progress, sorting through that mountainous heap.

In the face of a shocking surge in recycling, Haywood’s MRF has not gained, but actually lost employees in the past few years.

“We, in some respects, are a victim of our own success,” admits Swanger, who along with Upton serves on the county’s solid waste task force.

Robin Ledford, pick line operator and supervisor, can attest to that. She’s seen a jump from 4 to 6 tons a week of recyclables to 20 to 26 tons a week since she started working at the pick line three years ago.

The pick line is situated in an enclosed area above the heap of blue bags and mammoth bales of already sorted recyclables. It is reminiscent of the factories of yesteryear, where workers planted themselves in front of a conveyor belt all day, engaging in highly repetitive work.

An unsorted mess enters the room on the conveyor belt, as employees situated on either side of it work furiously to toss materials into one of four bins either beside them or across from them.

The quickest and most experienced employees take care of the front of the line, and the unsorted mess gradually becomes manageable as it moves forward.

A magnet sits at the end of the line to pick up some of the recyclables as well. It cost the county $23,000, but saved the county $18,000 in just the first year, according to King.

While the county says its studying needs at the MRF, Ledford and her co-workers are not shy about expressing their own opinions.

“We need help, but the county doesn’t seem to think we do,” said Ledford. “It’s stressful. It gets to you sometimes ... Everybody there gets depressed because it keeps piling up.”

Sometimes, workers are pulled from other departments within solid waste to help keep up with the never-ending tide of recyclables.

Sheriff Bobby Suttles has devoted as many as eight inmates to help out, but recently inmates haven’t been coming to the MRF.

Ledford demands that all commissioners — along with citizens — immediately take a tour of the facility. “They really don’t see what we do,” said Ledford.

However, Swanger said the solid waste task force is actively pursuing solutions to the problem. It’s just too early to say what action the county will take.

“I think it will be a while because it’s complicated,” said Swanger. “There’s much research to be done.”

Several presentations on solid waste have been made to the county board over the last few years, but the lion’s share of discussion is still taking place within the study committee.

For now, possibilities include privatizing various aspects of solid waste, including hauling recyclables from the MRF. Swanger assures employees these discussions are entirely premature. “We don’t want to scare employees, [but] we have an obligation, I think, to explore all possibilities.”

The option of hiring more employees to deal with the surge in recycling is not off the table, Swanger added.

Upton said there’s not only a need for additional staff, but also for a director of recycling.

In Ensley’s view, it would take a while before the county could add any staff to MRF.

“We’d have to have some growth in the economy to be able to add a position,” said Ensley. “We might be able to move some people laterally.”

While the need for a solution is obvious, some disagreement among commissioners exists over just how profitable recycling can be.

According to Swanger, recycling extends the life of the landfill, but it is generally not a profitable venture.

“In the long run, it does save money, but the actual selling of the commodities that are recyclable are not profitable,” said Swanger.

Ensley, however, said recycling could potentially be a moneymaker, and the more citizens recycle, the more recyclables the county can sell.

King also defended recycling’s potential for generating revenues. According to him, the recycling sector, like many others, is experiencing a down market, which has cut into revenues. The county could see more revenue if it invested money to improve operations and fix equipment that’s long sat unused at the recycling center.

A forklift has been sitting at the MRF for a year, waiting to be fixed, while a baler is approaching 20 years of service.

“Everywhere you turn, there’s equipment down like that,” said King. “You show me a piece of equipment in a business that’s 20 years old ... In a business, you gotta stay with the times.”

Paul White, a hauler from Maggie Valley, concurred with King, emphasizing that there’s only one baler in the recycling building that’s now operational.

“If it breaks down, they’re up the creek,” said White. “Stephen King is probably doing the best he can with what the county gives him to work with — but it ain’t enough.”

Unspeakable discoveries

Despite recycling’s many demonstrable benefits, there will always be a sliver of the population opposed to it, Swanger said.

Ledford has witnessed that opposition up close. She’s come across some “inhumane” items in her line of work, including dirty diapers, cat droppings, needles, and bagged dead animals, like a dead possum just last week.

Ledford doesn’t believe it’s an accident. “There’s no way you should get raw meat in your recyclables,” Ledford said.

Commissioners Swanger and Ensley were taken aback upon hearing about Ledford’s experience.

“Whether a person takes the time to recycle or not is one thing,” said Swanger. “But to protest against recycling is irresponsible.”

Ensley said he had not heard of such occurrences before. “That doesn’t really make any sense,” said Ensley. “You’d have to be really illiterate to do that.”

King, however, doesn’t want to pay attention to the slight minority that opposes recycling. For the rest of the world, it’s become almost fashionable to recycle or pursue sustainability.

King said he usually hates trends, but can’t deny the benefits of moving away from being a “throwaway society.”

“Most people are realizing we can’t have the same mentality of use, use, use, dispose, dispose, dispose,” King said. “They’re understanding we have to preserve some.”

In the lead-up to the primary elections on May 4, criticism of the current administration is stewing underground in Swain County.

Most commissioner candidates admit reluctantly that much of that frustration is directed toward County Manager Kevin King, though few would openly criticize King themselves. Others have heard complaints that county commissioners seem to sit back while King makes decisions for them.

Complaints include concerns over King’s close family relationships with his uncle, Philip Carson, a sitting commissioner who is running for chairman; and Sue Carson King, Kevin King’s mother, who is running for clerk of court.

Still others protest what they perceive as a lack of transparency and entrenched partisanship in county government.

King characterized the criticisms as being baseless and simply a routine part of the usual election cycle.

“The county manager is always looked at,” said King. “[But] he is the one that is basically following through with the orders of the board.”

Moreover, King said the economic downturn is playing a major role in citizens’ dissatisfaction. “In this recession, everybody’s wanting to point the blame,” said King.

Since political backlash goes with the territory, county managers are offered hefty severance packages that discourage politically-motivated firings.

King’s contract, which doesn’t expire until December 2013, comes with a particularly generous golden parachute. If he gets fired without adequate cause, he would continue receiving his salary plus benefits until his contract runs out. King’s current annual salary is $65,776. In comparison, Jackson County’s manager makes $144,304.94, while the county manager for Haywood County receives $125,320 per year.

In addition, King would get a lump sum payment equal to a year’s salary and benefits, including car allowance, medical insurance and retirement. The county would also provide major medical hospitalization and life insurance for both King and his immediate family for a year.

If King resigns at the recommendation of a majority of commissioners, he receives the same benefits, but if he voluntarily resigns, he would not.

King said he’d let his record speak for itself in spite of citizens’ grumblings against the county administration.

Rumors flying

Almost all candidates admitted that they’ve heard negative comments about the job Kevin King has done as county manager.

“Most of the time, in the heat of emotion, I’ve had several people say that Kevin King was one of the first people that needed to be fired,” said Democrat candidate Tommy Woodard, adding that he has not made his own evaluation on King’s job yet.

Democrat Robert White, who is running for commissioner and is the former superintendent of Swain County schools, said he’s heard people don’t like Kevin King, but admits that King has a tough job to do. White has also heard that Kings is making most of the decisions behind-the-scenes — rather than the elected officials calling the shots. White pledged a more proactive role if he gets elected.

“I think we’ll make the decisions as a board,” said White. “He is an employee, more or less, working under the board of commissioners.”

Democrat candidate Billy Woodard said, “I heard that he runs the county as he wants to, but I don’t know that because I’m not in there.”

For Republican candidate John Herrin, it’s not King who’s the real problem. While Herrin “tends to agree” that King has too much power, he added that King directly reflects what the current board wants.

“If they want to be laidback, be absent from the post, let him carry their load, that’s their prerogative,” said Herrin. “[But] the people did not elect Mr. King. They elected the board.”

According to current Commissioner Steve Moon, who is running for re-election, however, it’s ridiculous to say the board has not been proactive.

“I just don’t see any solid proof behind that statement, that we’re a do-nothing board of commissioners,” said Moon. “Whoever would say that is either a malcontent or don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Current Commissioner David Monteith, who is also up for re-election this year, refuses to blame one person for all of Swain County’s problems. If Monteith did have a problem with King, he would deal with it personally.

“He works for me, and four other commissioners,” said Monteith. “I would not air it publicly. That’s a personnel problem — if there is one.”

Monteith says King has done an “OK” job in his opinion, adding that many who do criticize King have little information to go on.

“Until they put his shoes on and do his job, it’s easy to criticize when you’ve not been there,” said Monteith.

However, Monteith admits there’s always room for improvement in the job that King is doing, and that he would like to be kept in the loop by King in the future. Monteith said he usually has no clue what will come up at a Monday meeting until the Thursday or Friday before.

“Informed people do not create a problem, it’s the uninformed,” said Monteith.

Meanwhile, King maintains that a weekend is plenty of time to review the packet for an upcoming meeting.

Monteith says he calls Kevin King every morning at 8:15 to ask about the agenda and King’s activities. “I should not have to do that,” said Monteith.

King retorted that he keeps all commissioners equally informed of significant developments as soon as they occur. There’s a difference between keeping commissioners informed and bugging them with the day-to-day occurrences or being “micromanaged” by them, King said.

Commissioner Moon said King makes sure he’s fully up-to-date on all the latest happenings.

“He keeps us informed about what we need to know and sometimes, what we don’t want to know,” said Moon, who receives calls from King “quite often.”

Moon said he hasn’t heard much negativity about King’s performance.

“If you look in the right nooks and crannies, you’ll find critics,” said Moon. “Harsh critics, sometimes.”

Most candidates say they just have to wait and see how King performs if they are elected to the board. Republican candidate John Herrin said he would not hesitate to fire King if he did not meet Herrin’s high expectations.

Pointing fingers

The state Local Government Commission recommends that counties set aside at least 8 percent of their budget for a cushion. Last year, Swain’s reserve funds fell to 6.6 percent, prompting state oversight of the county’s finances.

King and commissioners differ on whether King warned them of the pending financial crisis before it was too late.

In his defense, King said the board was “fully alerted” about the potential that the fund balance would fall below the 8 percent benchmark. King said he stressed the need for additional revenues or to cut additional positions or add furloughs.

“The board chose not to do anything during the time period,” said King. “The board at the particular time wanted to wait it out to see how everything would shake out.” King said anyone who looked at the meeting minutes could see that he suggested the board cut back. King admitted he knew by September 2008 that the fund balance would be compromised by at least $250,000. It ended up being short by $1 million, however, and that information wasn’t made public for nearly another year.

Commissioners say they were not aware of the problem until April 2009, when the LGC contacted them. The commission said Swain County had appropriated more than $2 million from the emergency fund. It was only legally authorized to appropriate about $1.8 million, however.

The letter also admonished King and the board for not authorizing changes to the budget by passing budget amendments. It’s widely known that commissioners must pass a budget amendment even if they spend a penny more than what was appropriated in the budget they passed at the outset of the year.

Contradicting King, Moon said he was not aware that the fund balance was going to fall below the 8 percent benchmark until after the fact. Moon would not comment on whether King should have informed the board sooner about the issue.

“We can’t blame bad economic times on Kevin King,” said Moon, adding both King and Finance Officer Vida Cody have done a good job working to create a balanced budget.

“I don’t understand it myself, but I think Kevin does a great job,” said Moon.

Jail blues

With the new $10 million jail eating up much of the county’s revenues — and sitting half-empty — many are looking back to how such a mistake could have been made.

Swain County’s previous board decided to build the 109-bed jail, expecting to receive overflow prisoners from surrounding counties even as they planned jails of their own.

Now that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is moving forward with its plans for a jail, Swain stands to lose half of the prisoners it is currently housing in its jail — leaving it only a quarter full.

King was a major advocate of such a large jail and convinced commissioners at the time it was the right thing to do, insisting it would be easily filled with future growth.

According to King, the difference between building a 75-bed jail and a 109-bed jail was only $1 million, accounting to $50,000 in debt payments each year.

“That’s not going to make you or break you,” said King.

But every year, Swain struggles to meet $450,000 in debt payments and an additional $160,000 on overhead and staff at the jail. The new jail annually costs the county $610,000 more than the old jail.

Monteith says he is glad to have voted against the facility, pointing out that he had argued all along to drop the jail to a 75-bed facility. Originally, a 150-bed jail had been planned.

“I stood on that then, I still stand on that,” said Monteith. “It is too big, it’s costing too much to heat, costing too much to cool, costing too much all the way around.”

Meanwhile, Moon said he was not involved in the planning of the jail, but that the county would have to live with the decision that has been made.

King admits that the jail is having a significant negative impact on the budget since it’s not pulling in enough revenue.

But it was absolutely necessary for the county to replace its decrepit 80-year jail, which only had 55 beds and often had to turn away overflow prisoners from surrounding counties.

King said the previous sheriff Bob Ogle wanted a larger jail and had reported that no other counties were planning on building its own jail at the time.

According to King, Swain planned its jail before the other counties.

“We were really the first one at the rotation. We started our process in 2005,” said King. In reality, however, Jackson, Haywood and Cherokee counties were already well on their way to building new jails of their own.

Calls for open government

Another issue brought up by critics is what they see as the county government’s antipathy for operating transparently.

Republican John Herrin said he’s asked for all documents related to the North Shore Road settlement, but received only a few emails.

King retorted that not all board members use e-mail, and they are not required to tape one-on-one conversations. Moreover, King sent all emails in his possession and personally made a request to commissioners to forward any relevant emails on to Herrin.

Monteith responded with about 10 emails, but no other commissioners responded to the request.

Republican sheriff candidate Wayne Dover said earlier that he had asked for records on all DARE program funds. A response letter from Finance Officer Vida Cody, however, states, “I regret to inform you that we will not be able to provide you with any information regarding the DARE program. I have made multiple verbal request [sic] for this information. On Feb. 9, 2009, I was informed by Jenny Hyatt, that Sheriff Cochran had said that this information would not be provided to the county.”

King said he could only make requests to other departments, not force them to make it available.

In recent weeks, King instructed Cody not to speak to the media and to direct press to his office.

“The board instructed me to send everything through the public requests officer,” said King, who as county manager serves as the public requests officer for Swain.

The request came after Cody spoke to The Smoky Mountain Times about her decision to pay for a K-9 dog’s surgery after Sheriff Cochran refused to pay for it with his department’s budget.

King said the new policy will allow him and commissioners to be more informed about what information is given to the press, and to make sure the facts that are presented are accurate.

King said Cody might sometimes give out numbers, without knowing proper background information to contextualize those numbers.

However, Herrin called the recent decision absurd, adding that King should not be a gatekeeper of information.

“That’s foolhardy,” said Herrin. “She’s the finance officer, what should she not know?”

Herrin added that citizens have to ask very specific questions to get public information at times, and other times, no information comes from a request.

“It’s very easy for a request to be sidetracked,” said Herrin. “If we ask for something, we should be able to see it.”

Herrin proposes following in Wake County’s footsteps and posting all expenditures and revenues online for citizens to see.

Billy Woodard said the county government must be an open government in order to suppress the spread of inaccurate information.

“The people are supposed to know what’s going on, but we don’t,” said Woodard. “If we get information, we get information that’s not factual...there’s too many rumors going on around the county, nobody knows the facts.”

It’s all in the family

Critics have raised concerns about the close family relationship between Kevin King and Philip Carson, King’s uncle who is commissioner and running for chairman; and Sue Carson King, Kevin King’s mother, who is running for clerk of court.

Democrat Candidate Robert White said that the relationship had crossed his mind, though he isn’t necessarily concerned about it.

“I can see where people would be concerned about that,” said White. “The criticism is that there’s too many of one family associated with county government.”

White later said the public has full right to elect Philip Carson and Sue King, however, if they so choose.

Moon agreed that the majority will rule on this case, adding that he personally didn’t see a problem with the relationship.

King said when he started working for the county 15 years ago as a finance officer, no one in the building was related to him.

“This is a small county,” said King. “There are a lot of people that I’m related to, and board members are related to. This is something that can’t be helped.”

King said with such a small population, it’s difficult not to run into family members at the county building. He said Hester Sitton, who is also running for clerk of court, is related to at least four people in county government. King said family relations should not hinder a candidate from running, however.

“It’s their own prerogative,” said King. “If they want to run for office, hey, feel free.”

Haywood County Attorney Chip Killian had his response ready for the citizen activists who have incessantly demanded referendums on a string of controversial county decisions.

At Monday’s commissioners’ meeting, Killian informed them that state law actually forbids counties from holding such referendums without approval by the state legislature.

In recent months, a few citizens have insisted on holding a vote of the people on purchasing the former Wal-Mart shopping center to house the county’s DSS and health departments.

They’ve also asked for a vote on supporting overtly Christian prayers by commissioners to open public meetings, despite the risk of a lawsuit.

County commissioners are required by law to hold referendums on general obligation bonds, but they cannot initiate a vote by the people on any other issue without first obtaining permission from the General Assembly.

“It is unlawful to use public funds to set up and hold a referendum that the General Assembly has not authorized,” said Fleming Bell, a professor of public law and government with University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Commissioner Mark Swanger estimates that it would cost at least $30,000 in taxpayer money to fund a referendum. “It’s not something that can just be done because you want to do it,” said Swanger.

A vote by the people is required every time a loan is backed by the “full faith and credit” of taxing power of the county, according to Commissioner Kevin Ensley.

Since the county is purchasing the former Wal-Mart property, it can use that property as collateral. Because the county is not completely relying on its taxing power to back the loan, it is exempted from the referendum requirement.

Moreover, Ensley said a referendum in this case is just not practical.

“I don’t think the seller would wait for November for us to do that,” said Ensley.

Ensley admitted that even he would not wait for a vote if he were selling property, adding that real estate agents would be similarly reluctant to wait months for a referendum to secure a deal.

Not every decision requires county commissioners to run down to Raleigh to get approval for a referendum, Ensley added.

“We don’t live in a democracy, we live in a constitutional republic,” said Ensley. “You vote for people to represent you.”

Unlike most voters in a referendum, commissioners and county staff spend hours researching issues before they make a decision, Ensley added.

“If you aren’t educated on the issues, how will you know?” said Ensley. “Your vote might not be informed.”

Swanger emphasized citizens don’t need a referendum to express how they feel on pressing issues. They have other avenues for expressing their opinions, like commenting at public meetings or through letters to local newspapers.

While Ensley and Swanger said a referendum would have no legal effect, Fleming said his understanding is that the General Assembly can actually require a referendum to be binding.

Both commissioners had cited a referendum Buncombe County held on zoning in the 1990s. In that case, the advisory vote was nonbinding, and commissioners later passed zoning changes despite a majority of voters opposing the measure.

Commissioners defend Wal-Mart purchase

Swanger said it’s a “very small number” of opponents who are requesting a referendum. He said the handful of people who make regularly public comment at county meetings don’t necessarily represent the rest of Haywood County’s 60,000 residents.

Swanger said he’s spoken to many people who have studied the issue and are in favor of the Wal-Mart purchase.

However, Swanger admits that there were opponents who have legitimate concerns about spending taxpayer money or have a philosophical disagreement with the commissioners. But he suspects the motives of a few who demand a referendum.

“I think some of it is a political agenda of being against anything the government does unless it benefits them,” said Swanger. “There’s a group of people who are just anti-government, and I don’t think it matters what the decision is.”

Ensley said in his experience, public opinion is split 50-50 on the Wal-Mart renovation project, but those who are for small government and against the Wal-Mart purchase often change their mind once Ensley explains the county’s justifications. Ensley tells them that state would require the county to build a new facility that could cost between $20 and $25 million if commissioners don’t take action.

“They see the common sense behind doing it and taking care of that situation,” said Ensley. “Unless you don’t want to do it at all, it makes sense to do it.”

Ensley said renovating the DSS facility would not solve parking problems or provide additional space for necessary expansions. “The building was built for a hospital, not for offices,” said Ensley.

Ensley also tells opponents that much of the debt payment would be offset by outside funds.

Of the annual debt payments, Haywood County would pay $260,000, about $260,000 would come from state and federal reimbursements, and $125,000 would come from Tractor Supply, which is leasing part of the old Wal-Mart building.

According to Swanger, Congressman Heath Shuler has also requested $6 million from the federal government to fund the Wal-Mart project.

Finance director Julie Davis says that Haywood County’s preliminary Rural Development loan application has been approved at the state level. Commissioners have not discussed a tax increase to finance the project, Davis added.

At the last Haywood commissioners meeting, a citizen asked Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick and Commissioner Bill Upton to answer a political question as election candidates. This week, county attorney Chip Killian said that move was unlawful.

Commissioners cannot use the forum of a public meeting as a forum for politicking. In essence, state law forbids commissioners from using the forum at taxpayers’ expense to make political speeches or answer questions concerning political issues.

“The board is sitting as a board for the purpose of conducting county business, not politicking to get re-elected,” said Killian.

Haywood County has offered time for public comment long before it was required, and it offers citizens the chance to speak at both meetings while public comment is required only once a month, Killian added. That time should be used to offer input on county business, not for politics.

Diehard fans of “The Andy Griffith Show” would know there’s more than meets the eye to Rafe Hollister. The coarse hillbilly overall-clad farmer turns up to audition for the skeptical local choir and blows the crowd away with his powerful voice.

Despite just a handful of appearances on the show, Hollister left such a strong impression on local musician Sam Brinkley that he decided to name his band after the character.

Waynesville’s version of Rafe Hollister features Brinkley on lead vocals, guitar and harmonica; Brooks Butler on lead guitar and backing vocals; Mark Moser on mandolin; Jeff Mendenhall on fiddle; Joseph Massie on bass; and most recently, Vince Seabrook on drums.

The band, which utilizes traditional bluegrass instruments in creating its roots-rock sound, self-classifies its music as “mountain rock.”

Months after Rafe Hollister emerged, other local musicians started picking up on that classification and began using it to describe their own music.

“I should have trademarked that,” jokes Brinkley, who formed the band with Moser in early 2005.

As the genre indicates, Rafe Hollister’s songs might appeal to a wide cross-section of music lovers. Its latest album, “Stimulus Package” offers a harmonic fusion of traditional bluegrass melodies, country twang and catchy rock-influenced rhythms. Brinkley’s growling vocals add a dynamic energy that doesn’t let up.

“Stimulus Package” debuted in December, following up a self-titled release in 2006. The band jumped on the album title at a rehearsal when Brinkley threw it out for consideration. It reflects the group’s general predilection to sarcastic humor.

“We don’t take ourselves too seriously in Rafe, we always like to inject some humor into our songs,” said Brinkley. “We just thought that would be a catchy name.”

One thing band members do take seriously, however, is pride for their own roots in North Carolina. The state flag is their official logo as well as the cover art for their latest release.

“We love being from the mountains and living here,” said Brinkley. “We want to represent that in the music.”

That much is clear from the first song, “Humble Home,” which cajoles an unnamed pretty girl to abandon an all-day fight against city traffic and come down to “my countryside.”

But don’t expect a full lineup of patriotic songs praising only the idyllic aspects of mountain life here. Most of Rafe’s lyrics are tongue-in-cheek (“That’s about as Southern as unsweet tea”) with many songs addressing common stereotypes about life in the Southern Appalachia.

On its Web site, the band boasts of its references to whiskey stills, missing teeth, pig fights, “family trees that don’t branch,” tractors, possums, and Nascar — just to name a few.

Most of us here will know what Rafe’s referring to in “Smoke from the Mill” with its repeated refrain, “Smoke in the air and the smell from the mill, and the smell from the mill, and the smell from the mill.”

Two traditional songs are also included in the album, including “Red Rocking Chair” and “Swannanoa Tunnel,” a rare song from the early 1900s that laborers would often sing while piecing together the original two-lane road to Asheville, which they called Swannanoa Tunnel. Moser’s grandfather discovered the tune decades ago when he was commissioned by the Library of Congress to go around recording folk songs. Brinkley says Rafe Hollister is one of the few bands who have ever covered the song, let alone known that it existed.

Rafe Hollister frequently performs in Waynesville, Sylva, Asheville, east Tennessee, north Georgia, and South Carolina. The band will play the Greening up the Mountains festival in Sylva this weekend.

Concertgoers can expect an energy-packed show more influenced by rock ‘n roll than bluegrass. Rafe often leaves its songs open-ended to indulge the crowd — and themselves — with lively extended jams.

“We like to leave a lot of space live for improvisation,” said Brinkley. “We never sound the same twice.”

Those who attend might want to keep an eye out for a special guest the band sometimes brings on stage. Rafe’s mascot is a stuffed raccoon named Randy, passed down from Massies’ grandfather.

“It’s really old,” said Brinkley. “That’s, just again, our twist of humor. We set him on stage with us when we play.”

Brinkley confirmed that Randy would be making an appearance at the Greening up the Mountains show on Saturday.

Visit www.rafehollister.com to listen to select songs for free or buy the album. Stimulus Package is also available on iTunes, Amazon and Napster.

Six Democrats and five Republicans are vying for three seats on the Haywood County board of commissioners. Only three from each party will advance past the May 4 primary to the November election. The Smoky Mountain News spoke with the candidates about some of the most pressing issues in the county.

Excessive spending?

Commissioners caught flak from some citizens for raising the tax rate by 1.7 cents last year amidst one of the worst recessions to strike the country. They claim the board is spending beyond taxpayers’ means.

A different group criticized commissioners for making excessive cuts and slashing millions from the budget.

Earlier this year, commissioners decided to purchase a former Wal-Mart in Clyde to house the Department of Social Services and Health department, which had long awaited a move from its aging facilities. The total Wal-Mart project will cost taxpayers an estimated $12.5 million.

At the county fairgrounds, taxpayers will be taking on a loan of up to $800,000 to pay off outstanding debt and make improvements.

The county board has been accused of “bailing out” the fairgrounds board, a nonprofit that’s been unable to keep up with loan payments after the commissioners cut all funding when the economy tanked.

Moreover, commissioners were chastised for spending more than $4.5 million last year to expand the landfill, which was running out of room.

Raymond L. Brooks (D) says the commissioners were quick to jump the gun on the Wal-Mart purchase, and opposes pulling the property from the tax base. Brooks supports a vote by the people on such major decisions. He said there must be better planning in general for deteriorating facilities in order to prevent impulse spending in the future.

Kirk Kirkpatrick (D) said the cost of rehabilitating the existing DSS building would far exceed the cost of purchasing and renovating the old Wal-Mart. “It may be difficult for some people to grasp that now, but I am in hopes that 10 years from now folks will look back and say it was a tough decision, but it was a good decision.”

John McCracken (D) said he won’t criticize the commissioners, who had to make “very, very tough decisions” during the last budget process. He is concerned with the timing of the Wal-Mart purchase, however. McCracken would have liked to see the DSS building renovated and considers it a landmark in the county. McCracken said he considers the fairgrounds a county operation and supports the commissioners’ purchase.

Rhonda Schandevel (D) wants to identify and cut any wasteful spending in the county. Schandevel supports the Wal-Mart purchase, because it was a good deal financially and because the DSS and health departments were in jeopardy of losing funding if no action was taken.

Michael Sorrells (D) says he’s had to cut back as a business owner and a homeowner, and he believes the county must do the same. Though the rough economy made the Wal-Mart purchase more affordable, Sorrells believes the decision came at the “most inopportune time.” He supports the county’s purchase of the fairgrounds, however, because he believes the venue will be profitable in the long run.

Bill Upton (D) stands by the board’s decision to purchase the old Wal-Mart rather than renovating the old DSS building. “It was going to cost us so much more to renovate and add space, that it was not cost-effective.” Upton said the fairgrounds can be profitable in the long-run. Although commissioners raised the tax rate, Upton commended the board for balancing that “small increase” with cuts in funding and positions.

David Bradley (R) said he won’t throw stones at a glass house and believes commissioners did what they deemed necessary on Wal-Mart. “The deal’s done, no matter whether you’re for it or against it.”

Going forward, Bradley would like to reduce debt, pay off obligations and sell some of the county’s current property.

When it comes to the budget, Tom Freeman (R) said commissioners are not thinking things out before they act. Freeman would have supported the fairgrounds purchase if the county had enough money to pay for the purchase without a loan.

Jeanne Sturges Holbrook (R) would not comment on the job that commissioners are doing, but says that there’s an urgent need to face fiscal responsibility. “Regardless of whether the budget is $65 million or $6 million, reducing debt, reducing expenses, that’s what’s needed.”

Denny King (R) criticizes the commissioners’ timing on the Wal-Mart purchase. He said that citizens should have voted on both that decision and the fairgrounds takeover. King said the county could have gotten by longer in the current DSS building.

Michael “Hub” Scott (R) says commissioners should not be in the real estate business.

Scott supports the commissioners’ decision to purchase the fairgrounds, however, since it brings business to the county from all over the Southeast.

Tackling a rare conflict with HCC

County commissioners are still at odds with Haywood Community College over new construction and maintenance needs at the college.

Commissioners accuse HCC of overspending on environmentally-friendly and optional features at the planned creative arts building. They say a quarter-cent sales tax that was passed by voters to fund new construction and expansion at HCC should be used responsibly.

Meanwhile, HCC wants the county to restore funding for maintenance — which was cut by two-thirds during the recession — so it doesn’t have to dip into sales tax money for repairs and renovations.

Raymond L. Brooks (D) said he is not in a place to take a side on the conflict, but emphasized the commissioners should not cut back on education even during a recession. “Young people are our future.”

Kirk Kirkpatrick (D) would like HCC to use the quarter-cent sales tax to construct new facilities “as reasonable as possible,” and use the leftover funds for maintenance and other improvements. Kirkpatrick said the college will continue to get a line item appropriation for maintenance, though he does not anticipate seeing the funding go back to the pre-recession level of $500,000.

John McCracken (D) hopes the commissioners and college leaders can reach a compromise that will work for the time being. He recognizes that HCC has critical needs and wants to help the college as much as possible, but suggests temporarily using a portion of the sales tax money for maintenance until the economy recovers.

Rhonda Schandevel (D) said the county has a responsibility to HCC and to the buildings in the county. Schandevel said many worked hard to pass the sales tax increase, so it should be committed to new construction and not supplant existing appropriations. “I believe that the county should look at increasing the funding.”

Michael Sorrells (D) said it would be ideal to restore full funding to HCC and the public school system, but until the economy recovers, schools must make arrangements to get through this tough time.

Bill Upton (D) said HCC will receive as much as $2.6 million from the quarter-cent sales tax that they may use for any immediate needs. “That money is their money.” Upton said the conversation with the college is ongoing, and the commissioners will look at the possibility of raising funds for maintenance.

David Bradley (R) says HCC might have to put some projects on hold until the economy straightens out. “Right now, it’s maybe not the best time to actually go into the building process.”

Tom Freeman (R) says that like each county department, HCC should work with the money that it’s presently receiving from the county. “We’ll see what happens in a year or two years down the road.”

Jeanne Sturges Holbrook (R) had no comment on whether the county’s funding to HCC should be changed. Holbrook believes the college should utilize the quarter-cent sales tax money for only those uses approved by voters in the referendum.

Denny King (R) says he’s not familiar enough with the issue to take a side. But the sales tax increase that the voters supported should go only to HCC, King said.

Michael “Hub” Scott (R) said the quarter-cent sales tax must only fund new buildings. He said if the college could pursue another quarter-cent increase to help maintain its buildings if it really needs the funds. However, state legislators would have to approve that measure, and they are unlikely to do so again.

Confronting the local 9-12 movement

A group of citizen activists launched the 9-12 Project in Haywood County, a national movement that supports small, fiscally conservative government and is similar to the Tea Party.

Members have presented themselves as dedicated watchdogs. They are conspicuous at every county meeting, where they barrage commissioners with questions and criticisms.

Commissioners often respond, but have argued that the 9-12 group is actually costing taxpayers more money by taking valuable time away from the county staff. Commissioners say it’s one thing to request public information, but it’s another to ask for one-on-one Q&A sessions or PowerPoint presentations.

Raymond L. Brooks (D) says any kind of improvement usually begins at the grassroots level. “That seems to be something our commissioners have forgotten, especially these last several months.” Though some 9-12 members “want to get on tangents,” that is the case with many groups across the country, Brooks said.

Kirk Kirkpatrick (D) said the 9-12 movement is helping people become more aware of government and express their own opinions. But like with any group of people, Kirkpatrick believes there are a few bad apples. “I think there are people with good intentions in the 9-12 group, and those that I question whether their intentions are truly to find out the truth...Clearly, there’s some attempt to create publicity.”

John McCracken (D) said having more people interested in government is always a positive. He’s attended three 9-12 functions and recognizes that many of the members have legitimate concerns. McCracken said as assistant superintendent, he welcomed the opportunity to address questions and took time to personally explain financial concerns.

Rhonda Schandevel (D) said it’s great any time people get involved in government, and she respects everyone’s opinion. But Schandevel doesn’t appreciate the anger members display. “It’s one thing for there to be passion and to do something with that passion, but when there’s anger, that is such an unproductive emotion.”

Michael Sorrells (D) agrees with a lot of the 9-12 group’s goals, like efficient and smaller government and lower taxes. Sorrells admits that government has “gone away from the people,” but that they still have to govern. “You elect them to make decisions. If you don’t like their decisions, then you vote them out.”

Bill Upton (D) says the 9-12 movement is positive for Haywood County. Upton admits that the group takes time away from taxpayer-supported county staff, but he supports citizen involvement and receiving broader opinions.

David Bradley (R) says people across the country feel ignored by their government. “They feel that nobody’s listening and nobody cares.” Bradley said the 9-12 group has every right to voice concerns and organize. To avoid taking up too much county staff time and to allow more participation from home, Bradley advocates posting all public information on the Haywood County Web site.

Tom Freeman (R) said commissioners should listen to the group and any other citizens who want to talk. “Listen to what they’ve got to say, not let it go in one ear and out the other. Let it rest in between.”

Jeanne Sturges Holbrook (R) plans to speak to the 9-12 group and says it’s positive to see citizens tune in to their local, state and federal government.

Denny King (R) has spoken to the 9-12 organization and said the group is doing a good job. King supports their goals of keeping taxes low and ensuring the government remains constitutional.

Michael “Hub” Scott (R) said he doesn’t know much about the 9-12 group, though members have contacted him to ask if he is a conservative, to which he replied yes.

The latest prayer debate

A lawsuit in Forsyth County sparked debate over whether it is constitutional to say overtly Christian prayers at county government meetings, causing commissioners to tread cautiously in making specific references to Jesus.

Some were outraged by the move, claiming commissioners should be allowed to pray however they please. But others argued that commissioners represent the government, which is forbidden from sponsoring any particular religion.

A few said fighting a lawsuit with taxpayer money would be worth the ability to pray in Jesus’ name at meetings. They demanded a vote by the people on the issue.

Raymond L. Brooks (D) said commissioners should be allowed to pray to whoever they’d like, whether it’s Jesus or Allah. “The First Amendment was given to protect the people. It wasn’t given to protect the government.” Brooks says he’ll stick by his convictions and pray in Jesus’ name if elected.

Kirk Kirkpatrick (D) said the issue isn’t one that gets to be decided by a vote by the people. “I believe the Constitution has already decided...A vote is not above the law that has been established.”

John McCracken (D) said he supports a moment of silence to allow those who want to pray do so to their particular God. McCracken would like to open the meeting with prayer, but he said there are firm opinions on both sides. “You can get involved in some very expensive litigation.”

Rhonda Schandevel (D) said no one could take prayer away from her, but she would respect other people’s religious beliefs. “As much as I believe in my lord Jesus Christ ... we should not force it down anybody’s throats.”

Michael Sorrells (D) said he supports holding a prayer at the outset of meetings, but that the issue of a separation of church and state is involved. Sorrells supports saying the Lord’s Prayer, which doesn’t expressly say Jesus but is clearly praying to the Christian God.

Bill Upton (D) has not changed his prayer since he took office four years ago. “I’ve never had Jesus in my prayer, but just used Heavenly Father. It wasn’t something I thought about.”

David Bradley (R) says he understands both sides. He would like to hold a prayer with fellow commissioners ten minutes before going into a public meeting. Bradley pointed out that the country’s founding fathers were very religious and their values are still relevant today.

Tom Freeman (R) said it’s sad that Jesus has to be taken out of everything. “If I need to pray at the commissioners meeting, I’ll pray. I will not leave his name out. He’s number one in my life.”

Jeanne Sturges Holbrook (R) said religion is a private matter and would not comment on whether she would or would not pray to open meetings as commissioner.

Denny King (R) said the Bible plainly teaches that Christians have to pray in the name of Jesus. “I will make it known to the other commissioners that if I pray, I will pray in Jesus’ name.” King said it’s not an issue that needs to be voted on.

Michael “Hub” Scott (R) said he would pray in Jesus’ name as commissioner. Scott said it was “pathetic” that the judicial branch, rather than the legislature, is running the government. “I don’t need a college degree or be from out of town to know why this country is going straight to Hades. We have no morals anymore.”

Six Democrats and five Republicans are vying for three seats on the Haywood County board of commissioners. Only three from each party will advance past the May 4 primary to the November election. The Smoky Mountain News spoke with the candidates about some of the most pressing issues in the county.

Excessive spending?

Commissioners caught flak from some citizens for raising the tax rate by 1.7 cents last year amidst one of the worst recessions to strike the country. They claim the board is spending beyond taxpayers’ means.

A different group criticized commissioners for making excessive cuts and slashing millions from the budget.

Earlier this year, commissioners decided to purchase a former Wal-Mart in Clyde to house the Department of Social Services and Health department, which had long awaited a move from its aging facilities. The total Wal-Mart project will cost taxpayers an estimated $12.5 million.

At the county fairgrounds, taxpayers will be taking on a loan of up to $800,000 to pay off outstanding debt and make improvements.

The county board has been accused of “bailing out” the fairgrounds board, a nonprofit that’s been unable to keep up with loan payments after the commissioners cut all funding when the economy tanked.

Moreover, commissioners were chastised for spending more than $4.5 million last year to expand the landfill, which was running out of room.

Raymond L. Brooks (D) says the commissioners were quick to jump the gun on the Wal-Mart purchase, and opposes pulling the property from the tax base. Brooks supports a vote by the people on such major decisions. He said there must be better planning in general for deteriorating facilities in order to prevent impulse spending in the future.

Kirk Kirkpatrick (D) said the cost of rehabilitating the existing DSS building would far exceed the cost of purchasing and renovating the old Wal-Mart. “It may be difficult for some people to grasp that now, but I am in hopes that 10 years from now folks will look back and say it was a tough decision, but it was a good decision.”

John McCracken (D) said he won’t criticize the commissioners, who had to make “very, very tough decisions” during the last budget process. He is concerned with the timing of the Wal-Mart purchase, however. McCracken would have liked to see the DSS building renovated and considers it a landmark in the county. McCracken said he considers the fairgrounds a county operation and supports the commissioners’ purchase.

Rhonda Schandevel (D) wants to identify and cut any wasteful spending in the county. Schandevel supports the Wal-Mart purchase, because it was a good deal financially and because the DSS and health departments were in jeopardy of losing funding if no action was taken.

Michael Sorrells (D) says he’s had to cut back as a business owner and a homeowner, and he believes the county must do the same. Though the rough economy made the Wal-Mart purchase more affordable, Sorrells believes the decision came at the “most inopportune time.” He supports the county’s purchase of the fairgrounds, however, because he believes the venue will be profitable in the long run.

Bill Upton (D) stands by the board’s decision to purchase the old Wal-Mart rather than renovating the old DSS building. “It was going to cost us so much more to renovate and add space, that it was not cost-effective.” Upton said the fairgrounds can be profitable in the long-run. Although commissioners raised the tax rate, Upton commended the board for balancing that “small increase” with cuts in funding and positions.

David Bradley (R) said he won’t throw stones at a glass house and believes commissioners did what they deemed necessary on Wal-Mart. “The deal’s done, no matter whether you’re for it or against it.”

Going forward, Bradley would like to reduce debt, pay off obligations and sell some of the county’s current property.

When it comes to the budget, Tom Freeman (R) said commissioners are not thinking things out before they act. Freeman would have supported the fairgrounds purchase if the county had enough money to pay for the purchase without a loan.

Jeanne Sturges Holbrook (R) would not comment on the job that commissioners are doing, but says that there’s an urgent need to face fiscal responsibility. “Regardless of whether the budget is $65 million or $6 million, reducing debt, reducing expenses, that’s what’s needed.”

Denny King (R) criticizes the commissioners’ timing on the Wal-Mart purchase. He said that citizens should have voted on both that decision and the fairgrounds takeover. King said the county could have gotten by longer in the current DSS building.

Michael “Hub” Scott (R) says commissioners should not be in the real estate business.

Scott supports the commissioners’ decision to purchase the fairgrounds, however, since it brings business to the county from all over the Southeast.

Tackling a rare conflict with HCC

County commissioners are still at odds with Haywood Community College over new construction and maintenance needs at the college.

Commissioners accuse HCC of overspending on environmentally-friendly and optional features at the planned creative arts building. They say a quarter-cent sales tax that was passed by voters to fund new construction and expansion at HCC should be used responsibly.

Meanwhile, HCC wants the county to restore funding for maintenance — which was cut by two-thirds during the recession — so it doesn’t have to dip into sales tax money for repairs and renovations.

Raymond L. Brooks (D) said he is not in a place to take a side on the conflict, but emphasized the commissioners should not cut back on education even during a recession. “Young people are our future.”

Kirk Kirkpatrick (D) would like HCC to use the quarter-cent sales tax to construct new facilities “as reasonable as possible,” and use the leftover funds for maintenance and other improvements. Kirkpatrick said the college will continue to get a line item appropriation for maintenance, though he does not anticipate seeing the funding go back to the pre-recession level of $500,000.

John McCracken (D) hopes the commissioners and college leaders can reach a compromise that will work for the time being. He recognizes that HCC has critical needs and wants to help the college as much as possible, but suggests temporarily using a portion of the sales tax money for maintenance until the economy recovers.

Rhonda Schandevel (D) said the county has a responsibility to HCC and to the buildings in the county. Schandevel said many worked hard to pass the sales tax increase, so it should be committed to new construction and not supplant existing appropriations. “I believe that the county should look at increasing the funding.”

Michael Sorrells (D) said it would be ideal to restore full funding to HCC and the public school system, but until the economy recovers, schools must make arrangements to get through this tough time.

Bill Upton (D) said HCC will receive as much as $2.6 million from the quarter-cent sales tax that they may use for any immediate needs. “That money is their money.” Upton said the conversation with the college is ongoing, and the commissioners will look at the possibility of raising funds for maintenance.

David Bradley (R) says HCC might have to put some projects on hold until the economy straightens out. “Right now, it’s maybe not the best time to actually go into the building process.”

Tom Freeman (R) says that like each county department, HCC should work with the money that it’s presently receiving from the county. “We’ll see what happens in a year or two years down the road.”

Jeanne Sturges Holbrook (R) had no comment on whether the county’s funding to HCC should be changed. Holbrook believes the college should utilize the quarter-cent sales tax money for only those uses approved by voters in the referendum.

Denny King (R) says he’s not familiar enough with the issue to take a side. But the sales tax increase that the voters supported should go only to HCC, King said.

Michael “Hub” Scott (R) said the quarter-cent sales tax must only fund new buildings. He said if the college could pursue another quarter-cent increase to help maintain its buildings if it really needs the funds. However, state legislators would have to approve that measure, and they are unlikely to do so again.

Confronting the local 9-12 movement

A group of citizen activists launched the 9-12 Project in Haywood County, a national movement that supports small, fiscally conservative government and is similar to the Tea Party.

Members have presented themselves as dedicated watchdogs. They are conspicuous at every county meeting, where they barrage commissioners with questions and criticisms.

Commissioners often respond, but have argued that the 9-12 group is actually costing taxpayers more money by taking valuable time away from the county staff. Commissioners say it’s one thing to request public information, but it’s another to ask for one-on-one Q&A sessions or PowerPoint presentations.

Raymond L. Brooks (D) says any kind of improvement usually begins at the grassroots level. “That seems to be something our commissioners have forgotten, especially these last several months.” Though some 9-12 members “want to get on tangents,” that is the case with many groups across the country, Brooks said.

Kirk Kirkpatrick (D) said the 9-12 movement is helping people become more aware of government and express their own opinions. But like with any group of people, Kirkpatrick believes there are a few bad apples. “I think there are people with good intentions in the 9-12 group, and those that I question whether their intentions are truly to find out the truth...Clearly, there’s some attempt to create publicity.”

John McCracken (D) said having more people interested in government is always a positive. He’s attended three 9-12 functions and recognizes that many of the members have legitimate concerns. McCracken said as assistant superintendent, he welcomed the opportunity to address questions and took time to personally explain financial concerns.

Rhonda Schandevel (D) said it’s great any time people get involved in government, and she respects everyone’s opinion. But Schandevel doesn’t appreciate the anger members display. “It’s one thing for there to be passion and to do something with that passion, but when there’s anger, that is such an unproductive emotion.”

Michael Sorrells (D) agrees with a lot of the 9-12 group’s goals, like efficient and smaller government and lower taxes. Sorrells admits that government has “gone away from the people,” but that they still have to govern. “You elect them to make decisions. If you don’t like their decisions, then you vote them out.”

Bill Upton (D) says the 9-12 movement is positive for Haywood County. Upton admits that the group takes time away from taxpayer-supported county staff, but he supports citizen involvement and receiving broader opinions.

David Bradley (R) says people across the country feel ignored by their government. “They feel that nobody’s listening and nobody cares.” Bradley said the 9-12 group has every right to voice concerns and organize. To avoid taking up too much county staff time and to allow more participation from home, Bradley advocates posting all public information on the Haywood County Web site.

Tom Freeman (R) said commissioners should listen to the group and any other citizens who want to talk. “Listen to what they’ve got to say, not let it go in one ear and out the other. Let it rest in between.”

Jeanne Sturges Holbrook (R) plans to speak to the 9-12 group and says it’s positive to see citizens tune in to their local, state and federal government.

Denny King (R) has spoken to the 9-12 organization and said the group is doing a good job. King supports their goals of keeping taxes low and ensuring the government remains constitutional.

Michael “Hub” Scott (R) said he doesn’t know much about the 9-12 group, though members have contacted him to ask if he is a conservative, to which he replied yes.

The latest prayer debate

A lawsuit in Forsyth County sparked debate over whether it is constitutional to say overtly Christian prayers at county government meetings, causing commissioners to tread cautiously in making specific references to Jesus.

Some were outraged by the move, claiming commissioners should be allowed to pray however they please. But others argued that commissioners represent the government, which is forbidden from sponsoring any particular religion.

A few said fighting a lawsuit with taxpayer money would be worth the ability to pray in Jesus’ name at meetings. They demanded a vote by the people on the issue.

Raymond L. Brooks (D) said commissioners should be allowed to pray to whoever they’d like, whether it’s Jesus or Allah. “The First Amendment was given to protect the people. It wasn’t given to protect the government.” Brooks says he’ll stick by his convictions and pray in Jesus’ name if elected.

Kirk Kirkpatrick (D) said the issue isn’t one that gets to be decided by a vote by the people. “I believe the Constitution has already decided...A vote is not above the law that has been established.”

John McCracken (D) said he supports a moment of silence to allow those who want to pray do so to their particular God. McCracken would like to open the meeting with prayer, but he said there are firm opinions on both sides. “You can get involved in some very expensive litigation.”

Rhonda Schandevel (D) said no one could take prayer away from her, but she would respect other people’s religious beliefs. “As much as I believe in my lord Jesus Christ ... we should not force it down anybody’s throats.”

Michael Sorrells (D) said he supports holding a prayer at the outset of meetings, but that the issue of a separation of church and state is involved. Sorrells supports saying the Lord’s Prayer, which doesn’t expressly say Jesus but is clearly praying to the Christian God.

Bill Upton (D) has not changed his prayer since he took office four years ago. “I’ve never had Jesus in my prayer, but just used Heavenly Father. It wasn’t something I thought about.”

David Bradley (R) says he understands both sides. He would like to hold a prayer with fellow commissioners ten minutes before going into a public meeting. Bradley pointed out that the country’s founding fathers were very religious and their values are still relevant today.

Tom Freeman (R) said it’s sad that Jesus has to be taken out of everything. “If I need to pray at the commissioners meeting, I’ll pray. I will not leave his name out. He’s number one in my life.”

Jeanne Sturges Holbrook (R) said religion is a private matter and would not comment on whether she would or would not pray to open meetings as commissioner.

Denny King (R) said the Bible plainly teaches that Christians have to pray in the name of Jesus. “I will make it known to the other commissioners that if I pray, I will pray in Jesus’ name.” King said it’s not an issue that needs to be voted on.

Michael “Hub” Scott (R) said he would pray in Jesus’ name as commissioner. Scott said it was “pathetic” that the judicial branch, rather than the legislature, is running the government. “I don’t need a college degree or be from out of town to know why this country is going straight to Hades. We have no morals anymore.”

Swain County is nearing the end of an ongoing saga with neighboring Graham County over who will provide emergency services to Deal’s Gap.

The sparring counties reached a tentative agreement last week pending approval by both boards.

According to the agreement, Swain will reimburse Graham $250 for each time it sends an ambulance to Deal’s Gap, as well as pay any portion of ambulance bills that is uncollectible.

“It is good news. We can still be a friend to Swain County and help them out in that area but in this case we are being fairly compensated,” said Steve Odom, chairman of the Graham County commissioners.

In exchange, Graham will also reimburse Swain for taking care of emergency calls at Graham’s Tsali mountain biking area, which is closer to Swain.

Kevin King, county manager for Swain, called it a fair agreement and said he expects commissioners to approve the plan next week.

Deal’s Gap — an outlying Swain territory that is completely bordered by Graham — receives droves of thrill-seeking motorcyclists headed to the Dragon and Hellbender, world-famous sections of winding roads. But it would take an ambulance 45 minutes to get there from Swain, so Graham has long provided emergency services to the territory.

Graham was being hit in the pocketbook by routinely covering all 911 calls to the area and grew weary of responding to an increasing number of serious wrecks. Each time Graham sends an ambulance out of the county to the remote Deals Gap territory, “We have to call in backup crews to cover our own county,” Odom said.

And patients treated don’t always pay their ambulance bill.

“A lot of times we are left holding the bag,” Odom said.

Odom said Swain was taking advantage of Graham. The county proposed everything from annexing the territory to demanding $80,000 annually from Swain.

But Swain County claimed it was incurring its own expenses transporting Graham patients to area hospitals from the Tsali campground.

After a months-long stalemate on the issue, Graham decided to drop all emergency services to the area in January. Swain leaders retreated from their line in the sand and said for the first time, they would be willing to negotiate.

But according to King, the two decided to cooperate again after a rockslide shut down the Dragon.

“A lot of conversation came out of those few days it was closed,” said King.

While King is unsure on why Graham County backed down from its initial demands, he suspects the county could not find figures to back up their initial request, which he called extravagant.

Before the tentative agreement was reached, Swain’s rescue squad had independently collaborated with the Steacoah rescue squad to come up with an agreement of its own. Stecoah would provide first-responder coverage to the area until Swain could make the long drive to Deal’s Gap.

King said the new arrangement will again solidify the relationship between the two counties.

“We’re all mountain people and trying to reach an agreement,” said King.

Becky Johnson contributed to this article.

Nine Democrats and four Republicans have set their sights on four open commissioner seats in Swain County. A primary on May 4 will decide which four Democrats will advance to the November election. All four Republicans will automatically advance, along with one Libertarian candidate. Another primary will determine which Republican candidate, Bill Lewis or Mike Clampitt, will go head-to-head with sole Democrat candidate Phil Carson in November for the chairman’s seat.

*Democrat Jerry McKinney dropped out of the race to serve out his term on the school board.

The question on everyone’s mind

Swain County commissioners presided over a historic decision this year, signing an agreement with the federal government to settle once and for all a dispute that has been raging for more than six decades.

Swain will presumably receive $52 million in exchange from dropping its claims to the North Shore Road, a 30-mile road the government flooded 66 years ago and never rebuilt.

Swain will get $12.8 million now and the rest in increments over the next 10 years. The money will be placed in a locked trust fund with only the interest remitted to the county each year. Interest could amount to $800,000 for just the $12.8 million already in hand. Candidates discussed how they’d like to see that money spent.

Steve Moon (D) said the cash settlement is a great deal for the county. Moon is in favor of setting up an emergency fund to make sure that the county doesn’t dip too far in the red in the future. “This money will help prevent really bad times in the county. It’ll be a godsend.”

Tommy Woodard (D) said the North Shore Road should have been put to a vote many years ago. Since the issue has been decided, Woodard supports using the money for the school system and public safety.

Raymond Nelson (D) said a good portion of the settlement money should be used to improve walking trails on the North Shore Road to make sure families removed from the park territory when the lake was created can visit graveyards that are barely accessible now.

Donnie Dixon (D) said he’ll believe the settlement money is coming when he sees it. “I’m afraid it’s going to be another ‘if and when funds are available.’” If the money does come through, Dixon would place it in an emergency fund to keep the county running in case the economy worsens. Dixon added that it should be only used for the betterment of Swain County and a portion should be used to recognize that part of Swain’s history.

Robert White (D) said if citizens helped formulate a strategic plan for the county, the board could look at their ideas in deciding how to spend the North Shore money. White says the interest money should go into big projects, rather than being deposited into the general fund or used for recurring expenses.

Judy Miller (D) is in favor of setting up a grant with the North Shore money to fund projects in the long-term. “We should not expect to use that money for our basic needs. That money should be something that is extra and should not be wasted or frittered away.”

Janice Inabinett (D) says the community should have input on how the North Shore settlement money is used. “I think community dialogue is more important than the money itself.” Inabinett would like to see the money used to focus on the needs of the county’s youth.

David Monteith (D) is highly skeptical about the North Shore cash settlement. “It’s only on paper, that ain’t in the bank.” If the money does come through, Monteith would love to see a heritage center built in Swain County. He’d like to set up an emergency fund with the remainder.

Billy Woodard (D) believes Swain will eventually receive the North Shore money, but says it’s up to county commissioners to push representatives to make sure that happens. Woodard wants to set aside some of the money for emergencies for now. When the county is back on a good financial footing, it can build a heritage center to honor families who lived on the North Shore.

Woodard believes that the money belongs to every taxpayer in Swain County, and should not be doled out to special interests.

John Herrin (R) asked for all communication on the North Shore cash settlement. “I refuse to allow these people to have a half-assed closed-door soap opera.” But Herrin received only a handful of emails between the county manager and the attorney — none from county commissioners to each other or anyone else.

Herrin said the county sold itself for “less than a cup of porridge,” but says the North Shore money should undoubtedly be devoted to education.

Andy Parris (R) said he doesn’t think Swain County will receive the North Shore money, and the only chance of getting another appropriation is to see President Barack Obama re-elected, even though Parris admits he’s not an “Obama fan.” Parris said the money that the county has received should be used to create jobs so young people don’t have to move somewhere else to make a living.

James King (R) said the cash settlement should benefit every single taxpayer in Swain County in a direct way. King said the issue is settled, but it might take years to get all the funds promised by the federal government.

Jerry Shook (R) said the cash settlement could be used to build a “fun factory” to retain tourists and give local kids something to do afterschool. The county could hire talented high school students to work at the fun factory and use profits to fund scholarships.

School funding

When it comes to salaries, teachers in Swain County are at the bottom of the totem pole compared to other counties. Swain is one of the few that doesn’t offer a local supplement to augment the base teacher’s salary paid by the state.

A steady growth in the student population has led to serious space needs in Swain County schools, especially at the high school. But commissioners have not taken action other than buying property adjacent to the high school for future construction. The candidates debated the need for an additional school in the county.

Steve Moon (D) said the county will need a new school in the very near future, and is unsure whether it will be funded by a bond or a tax increase. Though teachers deserve a higher salary, Moon said the county does not rake in enough now to give them a local supplement. Moon said the North Shore cash settlement might be used toward that problem.

Tommy Woodard (D) said many public servants, not just teachers, in Swain are some of the most severely underpaid in the state. With the current economy, Woodard says he’d be leery of building a new school. “I’m not denying that there is a need for classroom space. I’m just not sure it’s something that we can be doing right now.”

Raymond Nelson (D) said he’d rather see the high school expanded than see a new school built. Nelson said teachers’ salaries could afford to be raised, but would like to see state lottery money used to fund a salary increase.

Donnie Dixon (D) said the county board should closely evaluate whether it’d be more cost-effective to expand schools or build a new one. Dixon said in order to fund a new school, the county needs a bigger tax base and to fight for grants. Dixon says he would favor a salary increase for teachers if it is “practical.”

Robert White (D) said commissioners should work closely with school officials to see how to come up with money to tackle space needs. In the meantime, schools should see if they can come up with funds within their current budget. White says he tried to start a local supplement for teachers as superintendent, but the money was needed elsewhere.

Judy Miller (D) said some of the North Shore money might have to go toward setting up a local supplement to teachers’ salaries. Miller said commissioners will have to take a look at the need for new school construction.

Janice Inabinett (D) would like to set up a citizen involvement task force to research the schools’ needs, pull the issue apart and come up with the best recommendations for commissioners.

David Monteith (D) sits on the school’s planning board, and says the only way to increase schoolteachers’ salaries now is to increase taxes. “I will not vote for a tax increase under no circumstances.” Monteith said the growth in the student population is not enough to push the construction of new buildings.

Billy Woodard (D) says the county can’t increase funding to the schools unless the economy picks up. When the county’s financial improves, Woodard hopes to take a look at increasing teachers’ salaries.

John Herrin (R) says in order to raise teachers’ salaries, Swain must look at increasing its tax base. While this could be achieved with a higher tax rate, he supports user taxes instead. “We need to look at what revenues we’re overlooking.”

Andy Parris (R) said Swain’s schools are in good shape, but teachers’ salaries, as well as salaries for law enforcement, do need to be addressed.

James King (R) said money from the lottery should be used for construction at the new schools. Commissioners should demand information from state representatives on where the lottery money is being used, King said.

Jerry Shook (R) said the commissioners should take a serious look at student population growth at public, charter and private schools in Swain County to see if additional facilities must be built. Shook said the school board is responsible for teachers’ salaries and should make choices in their budget that would allow for a raise.

Serious budget woes

The recession hit all Western North Carolina counties hard, but Swain faced one of the greatest challenges. Commissioners did not adequately plan for a tough fiscal year and were later notified by the state that the county’s reserve funds had fallen to a dangerous low.

The state’s Local Government Commission recommends that all counties set aside a cushion of at least 8 percent of their budget for emergencies — Swain had only 6.6 percent. The LGC immediately began overseeing Swain’s budget, and commissioners struggled to plug the $1 million shortfall on the fly.

Meanwhile, the newly built $10 million jail continues to scoop up much of taxpayer money without bringing in enough revenue. The county is not receiving hoped-for jail fees for housing prisoners from outside Swain because surrounding counties have built their own jails.

Steve Moon (D) said dipping below the 8 percent standard was due to “a series of bad events” and pointed out that the entire economy had been in bad shape. “We had a hard time maintaining that 8 percent.” Moon says the county will have to wait and see on the jail and hope that the sheriff can bring more federal prisoners to the facility.

Tommy Woodard (D) said like many others, the commissioners underestimated the recession. Woodard said the county should focus on vital services, like education and public safety, and make cuts elsewhere.

With multiple jail escapes in recent years, Woodard says the county needs to restore confidence in order to attract prisoners back to its newly-built jail. To accomplish that, commissioners must work with the sheriff, Woodard said.

Raymond Nelson (D) said the commissioners have done a poor job handling the budget during the recession and have not spent money or made cuts wisely. “I don’t think you can cut the budget on law enforcement and still protect the people of the county properly.

Nelson said the jail needs more federal prisoners, but said it’s too late to comment on the size of the jail now.

Donnie Dixon (D) earlier came into office when the previous group of commissioners had landed the county below the 8 percent benchmark. The state had threatened to come in and raise taxes, but within a year, the county was able to meet the state requirement. Dixon said instead of fighting feuds, commissioners need to sit down “like they got a little bit of education” and figure out what’s draining the county’s fund balance.

Dixon says Swain jailers should be better trained to keep prisoners from escaping so the county can attract prisoners from outside Swain.

Robert White (D) said commissioners have done a good job with what they had to work with, but the county must gain more revenue in the future. White would also like to see a greater effort to secure grants and possibly add another grant writer to the county staff. Until then, the county should use the money it does have wisely.

White says the jail should also be included in a long-term strategic plan.

Judy Miller (D) said it’s unfortunate that commissioners did not think ahead and initiate cuts as soon as the recession hit. “It’s another instance where planning ahead needs to be done.” Miller is concerned about Cherokee’s plans to build a jail and says the commissioners really need to sit down to come up with a plan to tackle this “big issue.”

Janice Inabinett (D) said she has not studied the budget issue. However, Inabinett wants Swain to better market the area’s natural resources to bring in people, and generate more revenue for the county.

Inabinett says not having enough prisoners to fill the jail is actually a good thing. The county could look for another entity that could be interested in the building, and send its prisoners to other counties’ jails.

David Monteith (D) says the county’s budget mess is due to insufficient planning and wasteful spending on pet projects that should not have been done. But commissioners have tightened their belts, and Monteith says the county is seeing a turnaround. “Everyone is doing their job much better than they were doing a year ago.”

Because federal prisoners have not returned to Swain’s jail despite a new agreement with the U.S. Marshals, Monteith suspects that politics are involved. “It’s hard for a little county to compete with the a big county. We have to take crumbs off the table.”

Billy Woodard (D) says he won’t criticize commissioners without knowing the complete situation, but admits many residents are concerned about the county’s finances and the possibility of a huge tax increase. Woodard plans to examine exactly how money has been spent by current commissioners.

Woodard said the sheriff should work hard to bring federal prisoners to Swain’s modern jail. “We didn’t need such a big jail, but hindsight is 20/20...I don’t think if we arrest every criminal in Swain County that you could fill that jail.”

John Herrin (R) said commissioners should be conservative with their projections for how much money taxes will bring in. They should track the budget at every meeting, and post every expense on the county Web site.

Commissioners should also take a hard look at how to avoid landing in the red.

“If that means more taxes, then that may be where we have to go.” But before taking money out of taxpayers’ pockets, Herrin said the government should exhaust every other option.

Andy Parris (R) said there’s been some irresponsibility on the part of the county board. Cutting the sheriff’s department was a mistake, Parris said. “That was purely a political move...that was a stab at him [Republican Sheriff Curtis Cochran] and that wasn’t a very smart one.”

James King (R) said Swain had plenty of money before commissioners went on a spending spree that put them in bad shape. All departments should have a working relationship with the board so that they follow the budget that was accepted at the beginning of the fiscal year. Changes should be made upfront and not in the middle of the year, King added.

The sheriff should work with other counties that don’t have jails of their own and also try to bring federal prisoners from all over the state to Swain County, King said.

Jerry Shook (R) said commissioners must make hard decisions and not be afraid to make cuts in the budget when necessary. Shook said there are some in the county who are getting “personal servitude” and are unjustifiably being paid with taxpayer money.

Shook said it’s a shame how commissioners have treated Sheriff Curtis Cochran. Shook says that the county has served as a training grounds for law enforcement agencies who move on to surrounding counties that pay higher salaries. Shook said these officers should sign a contract to work in Swain for a certain number of years if they receive county funding for training.

With a long trail of accomplishments already behind him, Tony Giorgio is ready to work his magic on Western North Carolina.

In the nearly three decades of work, Giorgio’s charity Compassion for Kids has raised $1.5 million for 2,000 seriously ill children and their families in need of treatment.

Giorgio also helped pass legislation in Florida that prohibits utility companies from cutting off power without notice to children and adults with catastrophic diseases.

Giorgio is known for calling up everyone from governors to hospital administrators to negotiate care for those who cannot afford it, even some with health insurance.

Since moving to Maggie Valley, Giorgio has raised $42,000 for a Waynesville girl who was catastrophically ill.

Now, the New York native is turning his attention to teenagers in WNC who have fallen through the cracks.

After growing up as a street kid in Brooklyn, donning a leather jacket and even being chased by police, Giorgio admits he was no saint when he was young. But he was able to pull his life together and says that’s what will help him connect with teens.

“Even though I’m 66, I know what they’re going through,” said Giorgio. “Life experience is a big educator.”

Giorgio has lost three houses, two businesses, dealt with sickness, and experienced life at rock bottom. Yet his perseverance has kept him going, and he continues to help others in need.

“I survived it, and I can prove that it’s doable,” Giorgio said.

Giorgio showed a taste of that resolve when he camped out in Tallahassee in a little Motel 6 for practically two years to get the utility bill passed in Florida. He was no lobbyist and was only able to piece the bill together after studying books at the local library.

Nipping the bud

Giorgio was making progress with teenagers at a Salvation Army youth center in Waynesville, but the recession forced that and other similar programs to shut their doors.

He worries about the possibility of all his work unraveling as these teens return to the streets once more. Giorgio had gotten to the point where he’d gained the kids’ trust and learned how to discipline them effectively.

While Giorgio hopes to put together a new program for teens so he can pick up where he left off, he has yet to track down find funding or space. The urgent need for teen-oriented programs drives Giorgio on.

Giorgio’s biggest fear is that widespread program cuts will cost society more in the long run.

“They may have to be brought up in courts. They may have to go on state aid,” said Giorgio. “Letting them go...may come back at you, and you may be paying twice as much.”

Schools, churches, and law enforcement are all missing the mark, according to Giorgio, who advocates an alternative approach to assisting these teens with a heavy emphasis on listening rather than lecturing.

“Just to put a band-aid over the problem isn’t helping these kids,” said Giorgio. “You can’t demand discipline right off the bat when they don’t know you...They’ll respect you more if they feel you’re working with them and not against them.”

Giorgio said the current systems in place makes teens feel incompetent, rather than empowering them and teaching them life skills.

Giorgio’s plan for a successful teen program includes a few essential components: providing a hot meal, truly listening to the teenagers, and offering games and recreation.

He’d also like to have speakers and tutors at the center.

Rather than providing feedback on their parents’ problems or their teachers’ problems, Giorgio wants to focus on what the teenager sees as their own problems.

“I’m not talking just the usual run of the mill problems,” said Giorgio. “They have serious issues that they deal with every day.”

Giorgio plans to introduce faith-based education, including fundamentals of religion, though he won’t be shoving religion down the teenagers’ throats.

“As far as I’m concerned, God, Jesus and faith is on the good side of the scale, not the bad side,” said Giorgio. “If we can’t teach them good and represent good, then we’re missing the mark.”

Giorgio admits that times have changed since his days growing up in Brooklyn, undoubtedly for the worse. The deterioration of family structures across the country has made it hard for teens to get the support they need.

“What’s out there for kids is so much harder than what it was when I was growing up,” Giorgio said.

According to Giorgio, the biggest enemy to combat in WNC is simply boredom.

“They’re suffering from boredom,” said Giorgio. “You know what happens when kids get bored.”

To learn more, call Giorgio at 866.926.4600 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A handful of Haywood County residents are demanding a vote by the people before county leaders proceed with purchasing the abandoned Wal-Mart building.

The request comes despite the county commissioners’ unanimous vote in January to buy the shopping center to house the Department of Social Services along with the Health Department.

Haywood has yet to secure the 40-year, low-interest federal Rural Development loan to fund the project.

If granted, the loan would require an annual debt payment of about $632,000 starting in 2012. But the county claims rent from Tractor Supply Co., which is leasing a part of the building, along with state reimbursements for health and social services, will cut that number by about half.

Citizens at Monday’s commissioners meeting argued that since the money would be coming out of their own pockets, they should be allowed to vote on the issue.

They claimed that commissioners were willfully bypassing the vote by deciding to apply for the federal loan, instead of holding a bond referendum to finance the project.

“The commissioners, in essence, are telling the people of Haywood County that you do not trust our judgment,” said Beverly Elliot.

Another speaker, Lynda Bennett, accused the commissioners of holding secret sessions, while at the same time admitting the commissioners had not broken any laws in purchasing the Wal-Mart.

“It is legal, but it’s not popular,” said Bennett.

Chairman Kirk Kirkpatrick said he fully stands behind the commissioners’ decision and sees a vote by the people as unnecessary in this case.

“We are elected to make decisions on behalf of the county,” said Kirkpatrick, adding that not every item that comes forth demands a countywide vote. “Vote by the people is an expensive item, and we choose those items carefully.”

Kirkpatrick said the commissioners had only gone into closed session to discuss price negotiations, and closed session minutes will be released once the purchase is finalized.

Later in the meeting, Commissioner Skeeter Curtis pointed out that the citizens who criticized the commissioners had already left before the seeing the presentation of design plans for the renovated Wal-Mart.

“They don’t have enough interest to be involved with what’s going on here,” said Curtis. “How in the world can you vote on something if you don’t know what you’re voting on?”

The deserted Wal-Mart near Clyde will be hardly recognizable once Haywood County is through with its makeover of the megastore.

Sunlight will stream in through 30 skylights scattered across the low-slung ceiling of the former big-box store. A new metal roof will cover the front 25 feet of the building, with a mountain vernacular style entrance supplanting the once mundane building facade.

The made-over building will be a far cry from the cramped and crumbling offices that currently house the Department of Social Services and Health Department, which will relocate to the new site.

A $6.1 million renovation will transform the once gaping interior space into “little communities,” according to project architect Scott Donald with Asheville-based Padgett and Freeman Architects, PA.

The renovated space will include a shared entrance lobby, health clinic, Meals on Wheels kitchen, dental clinic, W.I.C. area, along with offices for more than 200 social workers.

Also included in the preliminary design is space for a central permitting office, including planning, erosion, building inspections and environmental health.

County commissioners voted to purchase the vacant big-box for $6.6 million in January. Architects estimate the renovations will cost another $6.1 million to retrofit the nearly 100,000 square feet of space.

Plans are still in the early stages. Commissioners will sign off on a design by fall and send the project out to bid. Construction could be completed by summer 2011.

Commissioners say the old Wal-Mart is a bargain to solve a problem that could no longer be ignored. DSS was fed up with leaky roofs, frozen pipes and cramped office space, as well as the lack of space and confidentiality at their offices, which date as far back as the 1920s. Facility inspections landed Haywood’s DSS building in the bottom 1 percent of 70 DSS facilities throughout the state.

With the county budget on everyone’s mind, two Haywood commissioners received a vote of confidence on the job they’ve done despite a staggering recession.

Chairman Kirk Kirkpatrick and Commissioner Bill Upton both sailed through the Democratic primary with comfortable margins. Newcomer Michael Sorrells, a service station, convenience store and café owner in Jonathan Creek, will join the two incumbents on the Democratic ticket come fall.

Sorrells has served on the Haywood school board for six years and has emphasized his experience working with a large budget as well as his business acumen. Sorrells said he’d always been told he had a lot of support within the community, and the primary results verified that for him.

“I ended up in the mix, and I’m tickled to death,” said Sorrells.

Commissioner Kirkpatrick said the current board provides an open forum and a transparent government, which helped both incumbents win the primary.

Both Kirkpatrick and Sorrells said the budget and solid waste needs will prove to be major issues in the November election. Kirkpatrick said the commissioners have handled the budget well despite a major recession. Commissioners will continue to analyze all of the county’s expenditures to see where cuts can be made, however unpleasant it may be to cut certain services, said Kirkpatrick.

“You just have to cut it with a sharp knife, but it’s difficult,” said Kirkpatrick. “We’ve made most of the cuts that we can make.”

However, growing impatience with government spending hit home in Haywood County, where the conservative 9/12 movement persistently made itself felt at every commissioners’ meeting.

Fiscal conservatives in Haywood asserted that county leaders were spending freely while ordinary citizens were just scraping by.

At the center of the debate has been the estimated $12.5 million commissioners plan to drop on renovating an abandoned Wal-Mart in Clyde. The former megastore will house the county’s health and social services department.

“I just think we need to think before we get out our checkbook,” said Waynesville voter Chris Forga.

But the two department’s current facilities have been used for more than a half century, and commissioners argued that it would be far more expensive to renovate or buy new property than renovate the Wal-Mart store.

Last year’s 1.7 cent tax increase similarly inflamed citizens who were struggling to pay bills at home. Simultaneously, other citizens took commissioners to task for cutting all nonprofits from the county budget.

Nevertheless, commissioners claimed they have worked well under a tight budget and point out that tax rates in Haywood are currently 17th from the bottom in the 100-county state.

Haywood County commissioner

Democrat – top three advance

Michael T. Sorrells: 2,537

J.W. (Kirk) Kirkpatrick: 2,520

Bill L. Upton: 2,290

Rhonda Schandevel: 1,942

John C. McCracken: 1,556

Raymond L. Brooks: 1,451

Frank (Danny) James: 628

Republican – top three advance

Mic Denny King: 1,099

David Bradley: 986

Tom Freeman: 817

Jeanne Sturges Holbrook: 781

Michael (Hub) Scott: 560

Removing sediment from Lake Logan would not only benefit its owner, Evergreen Packaging, it could potentially save homes and businesses from flooding, according to a study that was recently completed by McGill Associates.

“If we’re successful, we could lower the lake level, hold the floodwaters, and decrease impact,” said Joel Storrow, president of McGill Associates.

Evergreen Packaging primarily uses the lake to maintain the water flow necessary for its paper mill operations. Lowering the lake level would increase water storage capacity for Evergreen, while simultaneously holding back floodwater that could potentially damage properties located downstream. Increasing the lake’s capacity would therefore remove properties from the floodplain.

Just how many properties would be saved by dredging Lake Logan is dependent on how much sediment is removed. Lowering the lake by 10 feet would remove 15 structures from the flood plain. Dredging 15 feet from the lake would save 23 structures, while lowering Lake Logan 20 feet would save 29 properties.

Evergreen says it is only comfortable with dropping the lake by 10 feet, however, due to fears that filling up a lake that’s 15 or 20 feet deeper during a drought would prove challenging.

McGill has compiled preliminary cost estimates, which show it would take $1.8 million to draw down the lake by 15 feet; $6.8 million to drop the lake 15 feet; and $9.8 million to dredge 20 feet.

Storrow said he plans to pursue funding from the Federal Emergency Management Association, which could potentially provide 75 percent of the cost.

However, the recession means FEMA, like many other agencies, has less funding to dole out in grants.

“This is a very competitive program,” said Storrow. “This isn’t a slam dunk.”

However, because McGill’s study incorporated floodplain mapping from the state and the Army Corp of Engineers, it can back up its claims that dredging the lake would save homes, thereby making its application more competitive.

The study was commissioned after the devastating 2004 floods with state and federal aid funds. The Town of Canton received enough aid to fund 50 percent of the study, while Haywood County and Evergreen provided 25 percent each.

Despite widespread criticism of the job he’s done, Swain Sheriff Curtis Cochran proved unstoppable in this year’s Republican primary. Cochran buried opponent Wayne Dover in a landslide with more than 77 percent of the vote.

In November, Cochran will go head-to-head with Democrat primary winner John Ensley, who had an impressive run with nearly 29 percent of the vote despite competing with a whopping seven other candidates.

If the primary is any indication, the November race will be close. At the end of Tuesday’s primary, Ensley walked away with 513 votes, while Cochran received 525.

“I’m just in awe of how may people came out and supported me,” said Ensley. “There were a lot of great candidates.”

Cochran said he had been hoping for a landslide, and characterized the win as evidence of success during his first term.

“I think the support shows that the people are pleased with the job we’ve done,” said Cochran.

Ensley said his emphasis on community involvement in the sheriff’s office, more education for officers, outreach programs in the school system and better networking with surrounding counties all contributed to his win.

During the primary, almost all candidates emphasized their experience in law enforcement, drawing a sharp contrast between them and Cochran, who had no prior law enforcement training before being elected sheriff.

But Cochran has retorted that he is the lone candidate with on-the-job experience as sheriff. He has undergone training and participated in seminars since taking office as well.

Cochran said despite many candidates touting their experience, no one could ever say they’ve had enough training. “It’s a learning process every day,” said Cochran. “We run across something new just about on a daily basis.”

Ensley is the owner of Yellow Rose Realty but is also a North Carolina certified law enforcement officer. He has worked as a jailer in Florida and worked for Swain’s Sheriff’s Office for nearly two years as well.

Controversial issues were not few or far between during Cochran’s first term as sheriff: a suspected murderer escaped from Swain County’s jail last year; Cochran sued Swain’s Democratic county commissioners for discriminating against him by essentially reducing his salary; a Swain detention officer purchased a big-screen TV using the county’s credit card; and a newly built $10 million jail continued to sit half-empty.

Candidates were lining up and campaigning more than a year before the actual primary. Now, the focus will be on the upcoming general election.

Ensley plans to emphasize his 18 years of business experience, in addition to his law enforcement training. “You need to know the law, but also be an administrative and PR guy [to be sheriff],” said Ensley, adding that he knows how to run an organization and build working relationships.

Ensley says he will also cooperate with county commissioners if elected as sheriff. “It is imperative that we do that,” said Ensley.

Cochran said he hopes both Republicans and Democrats will come together to support him in November.

Similar to his last election campaign, Cochran will focus on eradicating drugs in Swain County.

“We have taken a stand against drugs from day one, and we’re going to continue that,” said Cochran.

Swain County sheriff

Democrat – one winner advances

John Ensley: 513

Mitchell B. Jenkins: 285

David Thomas: 236

Julius F. Taylor: 218

Steve Buchanan: 197

Steve Ford: 150

David Franklin: 119

Chuck Clifton: 53

Republican - one winner advances

Curtis Cochran: 525

Wayne Dover: 156

Other sheriff races:

Haywood County sheriff

Democratic primary

Bobby Suttles*: 3,720

Dean Henline: 966

*The winner will face a Republican challenger in the fall.

Macon County sheriff

Democrat – one advances

George Lynch: 965

Richard Davis: 776

Ricky Dehart: 114

Though both commissioner candidates running for re-election in Swain County have safely landed a spot in November’s election, a newcomer earned the top spot in Tuesday’s primary.

With only four commissioner seats up for election, all four Republican candidates automatically advanced to the November election. Democratic voters had to choose four out of nine commissioner candidates running in the crowded primary.

Democrat Robert White received the most votes in that race, with about 15 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, Commissioners Steve Moon and David Monteith both received about 14 percent of the vote.

“I was a little surprised, let’s be frank about it,” said White, on election night. “This is my first venture in politics, and I really didn’t know what to expect.”

As a retired superintendent, White emphasized his experience in Swain County’s school system during the race, emphasizing that he’d spent countless hours creating a balanced budget and creating a strategic plan for the Swain’s schools.

If elected as commissioner, White promised to create an ad hoc committee of citizens to look at Swain County’s needs in the long-term.

Donnie Dixon, the fourth Democrat to move forward to the November race, received about 12 percent of votes cast in the Democratic ballot.

Dixon, a tool and dye maker and machinist, focused on bringing high-paying jobs to the county, creating a more open government with televised meetings and also focusing on setting long-term goals.

With Swain County’s reserve funds dipping dangerously low in the last budget cycle, Dixon vowed to bring financial stability to the county if elected. He served as commissioner in the 1990s when a similar budget crisis occurred and was able to help rectify the situation.

Monteith said he would be more than happy to work with all four Democrats primary winners should they win the November election.

“That, to me, would be a great bunch of people to work with,” said Monteith. “If this is the pick of the people, I would love to have this to work with.”

Monteith said if elected, his top priority is to develop an assisted living senior center in Swain County, which would not only help the elderly community but would bring jobs to the area.

Swain County commissioner

Democrat – top four advance

Robert White: 929

Steve Moon (Incb.): 877

David Monteith (Incb.): 856

Donnie Dixon: 741

Gerald (Jerry) McKinney: 629

Billy R. Woodard: 612

Tommy Woodard: 611

Judy Miller: 427

Janice Inabinett: 328

Raymond Nelson: 136

*There are also four Republicans and one Libertarian running for commissioner, all of whom automatically advance to the fall primary.

Swain County chairman

Republican – one winner advances

Mike Clampitt: 435

William (Bill) Lewis: 220

*The winner will face Democrat Phil Carson in November.

Just a month ago, no one here would believe that the President and First Lady of the United States would one day be savoring smoked trout from Sunburst Farm in Canton while on vacation. Or munching on fresh lettuce directly delivered from Jolley Farms, also in Canton.

The small Western North Carolina town has officially connected with the White House, and in more ways than one.

Denny Trantham served Barack and Michelle Obama at The Grove Park Inn, where he works as executive chef. Trantham, too, hails from Canton. It’s where he grew up, and where he held his first job as a dishwasher at a local restaurant in the late ‘80s.

Trantham is the reason those local products showed up on the menu in the first place. As the visionary responsible for crafting Grove Park’s menus months in advance, he has always placed a special focus on utilizing local products no matter what changes are made to restaurant offerings.

It’s the relationships he’s built with farmers over the years that has made the resort’s local farm-to-table program a hit.

“I’ve known these people a long time,” said Trantham. “If I need trout, I know where to go. If I need peppers, I know where to go.”

Grove Park consistently incorporates farm offerings produced within a 100-mile radius in the menus of its multiple restaurants, using bacon from Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview or goat cheese from Three Graces Dairy in Madison County, for example.

When the program began three years ago, only a handful of farms participated. It was a trial-and-error process, and some were overwhelmed with the quantity Grove Park demanded every day.

Trantham must be selective about how much local produce is offered at each of the inn’s restaurants since it is not available on a large scale.

“If I’m feeding 1,200 and I gotta have salad greens, that’s a challenge,” said Trantham.

But local farms have adapted over the years, including Jolley Farms in Canton, which built its own greenhouse to use during winter months and continue supplying the resort with produce.

“It’s as close as you can get to year-round,” Trantham said.

Trantham’s enthusiasm for local produce existed long before it became a ubiquitous trend.

He learned all he knows from his mother and grandmother, who kept up gardens with green beans, corn, squash and zucchini. They also made their own jam, jellies, preserves, relishes, and pickled vegetables, making sure to never waste a thing.

“The funny part today is that everyone’s crazy about farm-to-table, but I think it’s something we did all along,” said Trantham, who believes the local food movement is more than a passing fad. “This isn’t a trend by definition. This is going to be a way of life.”

Southern Appalachian culinary traditions have been another mainstay at the Grove Park Inn since Trantham joined the staff nine years ago, and he intends to keep it that way.

That dedication in particular helped bring traditional Southern cooking to the Obamas.

Though President Obama stopped by at the historic inn while on the campaign trail, the latest visit was a whole different ballgame.

As Obama fans watched his every move, Trantham and fellow chefs were simultaneously subject to scrutiny from security each time they prepared the president’s meal.

A few changes to the Sunset Terrace restaurant menu were made, though Trantham is barred from discussing much about the meal, like what was exactly served or even who sat at the table with the Obamas.

Trantham said the hardworking kitchen staff was experiencing an “ounce” more of stress during Obama’s visit. They not only had to prepare an impeccable dinner for the president and first lady, but also a quality dining experience for 300 guests in the other dining room at the same time.

Ten chefs worked busily in the kitchen that night, while usually six suffice.

“We survived,” said Trantham. “I feel like we learned how to once again survive under pressure.”

Trantham introduced the menu to the Obamas, who tried a taste of ramps and were especially interested in learning more about Grove Park’s farm-to-table program.

“They enjoyed everything about their meal, and the president and first lady were gracious enough to meet each and every one of our chefs,” said Trantham, who characterized the Obamas as “down-to-earth” and “hospitable.”

Obama shook each chef’s hand, and announced that it was a perfect photo opportunity. “That was our moment in the spotlight,” said Trantham. “It was a great surprise for all of us, but it’s one that we’ll never forget.”

Since then, Trantham says the resort has received dozens of inquiries from those piqued by Obama’s stay there. Trantham by no means believes he’s reached a peak in his career by working as executive chef at the luxury resort, and now, serving the President.

“A lot of people say you’ve made it,” said Trantham. “In my mind, I’ve not made it. I’m just starting ...You gotta keep moving, you gotta keep growing, you gotta keep inventing, you gotta stay ahead of the curve, all the time.”

Many who walk into Joel Queen’s gallery mistakenly assume the artwork there solely represents Cherokee tradition.

After all, Queen comes from a long line of Cherokee potters and basketmakers who passed down their art to him as soon as he was able to crawl. And he’s one of Cherokee’s most prominent artists — among the few to successfully run his own gallery and to teach at the Southwestern Community College’s Oconaluftee Institute of Cultural Arts.

But looking closer, it becomes clear that Queen’s artistic vision extends far beyond the Qualla Boundary. His work is as much inspired from Greek vessels, Egyptian sculptures, and Celtic designs as aesthetic traditions from Cherokee and the Southeast.

Queen is just as interested in seeing what Cherokee artists produce as what artists on the other side of the country are up to. He loves traveling across the nation with his family, competing at art shows like at the Sante Fe Indian Market, especially for this purpose.

“The competition keeps me on my toes,” said Queen. “I thrive on it. If I don’t win one year, I’m going to have to do something better next year. That part of it, I really love.”

Even if he doesn’t win, though, the art market provides Queen the perfect opportunity to observe new artistic traditions as they are being formulated.

Queen, along with fellow artist and friend John Grant, decided to create Cherokee’s own annual art market because they saw it as integral to bringing fresh ideas to the region’s art scene.

“The only way art advances is to be able to see what’s going on outside of here,” said Queen, adding that the art market has the additional benefit of boosting the local economy.

An ongoing education

Queen had learned the craft of basketmaking from his grandmother when he was just 5 years old and later fell in love with sculpture. But when Queen settles down to work in one of his two studios, he doesn’t limit himself to just one, or even two, kinds of media.

Queen credits his high school art teacher for showing him how to diversify, which ended up complementing Queen’s own personality in the end.

“It was very eye-opening for me to be able to work in leatherwork, silverwork, clay and paintings,” said Queen.

“... I don’t like being confined. I like being able to express how I feel through different media.”

Luckily for Queen, that versatility has been useful in a volatile economy, when one medium might not sell as well as another.

With a diverse skill set in tow, Queen set out for his next challenge, large-scale pieces — what later became his signature style. Since many artists didn’t like to work large at the time, Queen had to resort to self-teaching to learn to build such heavy pieces.

“Large pieces are more challenging. That’s why I like doing them so much,” said Queen. “It keeps it interesting. It’s very easy for me to lose interest if there’s not a challenge to it.”

Now, Queen can create sculptures 10 to 12 feet tall as well as he can build miniature pieces as small as 2 or 3 inches tall.

Queen also hand builds his pottery, rather than throwing it on the wheel. Pots won’t be perfectly symmetrical this way, but each piece is unique, different from the one before. Though hand building was slow going at first, Queen learned techniques to speed up the process, so he can create at nearly the same rate as an artist who wheel throws.

“I’m not knocking wheel throwing work,” said Queen. “It’s still beautiful and takes talent to do it, but hand building is just a totally different area.”

For one thing, when the electricity goes out, Queen can go right on creating.

“As long as you got wood, you can still burn the pot,” said Queen.

Faced with a tall and growing stack of bills in the solid waste department, Haywood County commissioners are seriously considering offloading part of county trash and recycling operations to private companies.

Whether it’s the $4.5 million spent to expand the White Oak landfill, expensive equipment sorely in need of repair or replacement, environmental fines incurred by the now defunct Francis Farm landfill, or a relentless rise in recycling without staffing to sort it — county commissioners have just about had enough.

The equivalent of 15 full-time employees would be out of a job as early as July 1, the start of the next fiscal year, if the outsourcing plan is enacted. Commissioners have yet to vote formally on the drastic change in county operations, but Commissioner Kevin Ensley says the board seems to be in agreement thus far.

“We’re pretty much going to be doing this,” Ensley said.

A solid waste task force has examined every facet of the issue and recommended the following:

• Privatize the county’s 10 convenience centers, where residents without trash pickup dump household garbage and recyclables, a move that would save the county $145,192.

• Eliminate the pick line at the recycling center where employees sort recyclables. Instead, haul recyclables — other than cardboard, paper and metal, which can be more profitable to sell — to another county to be sorted by machine. Citizens will be encouraged to sort their own recycling. Projected cost savings: $286,166.

• Eventually close the transfer station in Clyde some time this fall. Towns with trash pickup and private haulers would have to take loads directly to the White Oak landfill. Residents can still drop bulky items, metal, cardboard and paper in Clyde, however. Projected cost savings: $940,000 annually.

The first two recommendations may take place as early as July 1, though the transfer station shutdown will have to wait until the landfill is prepared for increased traffic. It would need a redesign to keep the public separated from heavy dump trucks and improvements to the dirt roads, which are passable only by four-wheel drive in the rain.

Even if the first two recommendations are implemented, the solid waste fee would still shoot up from $70 to $92 per household this year. County leaders say that the fee would jump even further to $110 if they don’t contract services out to private companies.

“We can’t ask our people to pay much more,” Commissioner Bill Upton said.

“Now would be the best time for us to go down this path,” said Commissioner Mark Swanger, who anticipates soliciting proposals and bids from contractors in the very near future.

Haywood leaders have already been in discussions with one Tennessee company and two North Carolina companies so far.

Furthermore, county leaders are exploring the option of private management of the landfill and have not completely ruled out selling the property.

“If they brought up the idea, we would listen,” said Stephen King, solid waste director for Haywood.

A devastating week

Last week, King had the difficult task of calling his employees at the recycling center together to announce that they would likely lose their jobs in less than two months.

King ran down to most of the county’s 10 convenience centers to personally deliver the bad news to workers there.

“It’s a very difficult predicament to be in,” said King. “I felt personally if I didn’t let them know, I would be doing them a disservice.”

Regardless, workers at the pick line are still deeply disappointed in county leaders.

“A lot of them have worked for some time,” said Dan Best, a pick line worker. “It’s just devastating for the people.”

With an unemployment rate at about 12 percent in Haywood County, Best said commissioners are sending much-needed Haywood jobs out of the county.

Larry Boone, an employee at Hazelwood convenience center, said he felt “uneasy” about the potential of losing both his job and benefits. Some of the savings from a private company taking over would likely be a result of lower wages and fewer benefits.

Though convenience center employees like Boone have a real chance of being rehired by the private companies that take over, it’s another story for the pick line workers at the recycling center.

“I have a lot of compassion for the employees,” said King, who said the gathering at the recycling center brought tears to his eyes. “I’m right here working with them.”

Ensley said he, too, hates to see job loss but pointed out that the county’s recommended budget is 2.5 percent lower compared to last year’s budget, reducing the size of government and saving taxpayers of Haywood County more money.

“I’m not comfortable with us losing jobs, but I’m more not comfortable with raising the fees and taxes,” said Ensley. “I would rather keep those as low as we can.”

Benefits of privatizing

Commissioners have depicted privatization of trash and recycling operations as a direct path to efficiency.

The county’s current system is decidedly antiquated compared to what private companies devoted solely to solid waste accomplish every day.

King said it’s been difficult trying to fix equipment so old that he has to call all over the country to find parts.

“It’s a lot of cost involved to get yourself updated,” said King. “We’ve just scraped by for so many years in trying to utilize everything we can.”

Most private companies can compact garbage far more tightly, which could mean a doubling or even tripling of the landfill’s capacity, according to Swanger.

Shutting down the transfer station would save the county from ferrying loads of trash to the landfill. “The least amount of times we can touch something, the more money you save,” said Upton.

County residents, however, would not be forced to make the long trek out to White Oak — located at exit 15 off I-40 — and would still be able to dump bulky items, like couches, at the Clyde facility.

Town and county residents may have to begin sorting recyclables since the county will ship off certain recyclables but keep paper, cardboard and metal in-house.

For now, blue bags containing those products would still be hauled away to be sorted by machine, even if they contain paper, cardboard or metal.

King pointed out that using a machine would be vastly more efficient than having employees pick through mountains of blue bags manually.

“If we’re able to process two tons a day, they’re able to process eight tons an hour,” said King.

Disputing claims

According to Dan Best, a recycling pick line employee, the commissioners would not save taxpayer money in the long run.

“It’ll be just as expensive or more expensive,” said Best. “They’re using that for an excuse, and it don’t hold water...What they’re after is to get it out of their hair.”

It would cost more to haul away recyclables than sort them here, Best said, adding that contractors may initially offer attractive deals, but they would jack up prices once they’ve secured an agreement.

Swanger disagreed, arguing that the county would carefully construct contracts with private entities to protect the taxpayers from such price increases.

Paul White, a private hauler in Haywood County, agreed with Best, adding that the move would actually harm small businesses and private households in the end.

Hauling trash directly to the landfill rather than the transfer station would prove taxing for his vehicle, since access to the landfill can be especially difficult during bad weather, and construction debris like nails often damage tires there.

White said he’ll have to pass on the cost for upkeep to his customers, some of whom are already having trouble paying for the service with the poor economy.

“That pretty well puts me out of business,” said White.

Though the county planned to meet with private haulers to discuss privatization, White is skeptical about how much voice he and his fellow haulers will actually have.

“They already know what they’re going to do,” said White. “This is just a token meeting.”

Not a philosophical decision

County leaders openly support the idea of privatizing the landfill, but they stop short of touting privatization as the answer to all of government’s problems.

“This is not a philosophical discussion,” said Swanger.

King said it’s not a matter of government’s ability, but rather of adequate funding.

“I think government can do jobs as well and sometimes even better as long as it’s properly funded or maintained through the years,” said King. “If we’d started from day one funding the whole aspect in a different matter, I think we’d be in a little bit different shape.”

Privatization isn’t the best option for every county department in Swanger’s view.

“I think it’s function-specific. There are things that only government can do that cannot be logically privatized: law enforcement, emergency services, education,” Swanger said. “Many things government does and does well. There are other things that can have better results with a public-private partnership.”

Swanger said the proposed solution for solid waste would create such a partnership, with regular reviews, scrutiny and compliance ensured by county officials.

More than three months have come and gone since a major mudslide crashed through Maggie Valley’s Rich Cove community, and slide victims are still wondering when a cleanup will finally begin.

Their properties are not much better off since the Feb. 5 landslide occurred, with enormous boulders, splintered trees and muddy debris still cluttering yards. Some residents with ruined drinking wells continue to suffer lack of access to water.

Then, there’s the 12,000 to 16,000 tons of loose material hanging over their heads at the top of the mountain.

For now, these homeowners have little recourse. Their homeowner’s insurance does not cover landslides, and Ghost Town amusement park — where the slide originated — is still mired in bankruptcy and had no liability insurance at the time of slide.

While a federal grant has been devoted to fix the dangerously unstable mountainside, no state or federal funds have been dedicated to repair homes and private property. The grant will do little to help residents whose driveways are busted, drinking wells ruined or homes rendered unlivable.

Many slide victims have flocked to town hall for the twice-monthly updates from Town Manager Tim Barth, but their questions seem to outnumber the answers currently available.

About 16 concerned citizens came to the latest meeting last Wednesday (May 5) when Barth informed them that a plan for stabilizing the mountain and cleaning up debris that threaten the nearby stream may be in place by next week.

Most of the $1.4 million project will be funded by a federal grant, while the Department of Transportation will fund much of the 25 percent local match, as the slide impacted state-maintained Rich Cove Road. The Town of Maggie Valley and Ghost Town have contributed $25,000 each toward that 25 percent match as well.

Resident Ike Isenhour said the residents in Rich Cove just don’t have the funds to chase Ghost Town with lawyers to receive compensation for the damage to their property.

“If you’re poor folk, and you’re living paycheck to paycheck, then you have no recourse,” said Isenhour.

Isenhour’s driveway on Landing Drive was taken out by the landslide, and though volunteers have installed a temporary fix, he’s now in need of a more permanent solution.

A few thousand dollars worth of gravel would be a mere drop in the bucket but would help his family immensely, Isenhour said.

Meanwhile, Isenhour’s neighbors still have no access to water, and have run a hose to a relative’s house nearby, where they often fill up bucketfuls of water to bring back home to flush their toilets. The situation has remained unchanged since the mudslide occurred, though warmer weather means the water running through the hose no longer freezes as it did this winter.

Barth responded that the federal Emergency Watershed Protection grant is not designed to do work on private property.

“Things like digging somebody a new well, I don’t believe would be a qualifying expense under this grant,” said Barth.

The solution may lie with private citizens once again. The Greater Maggie Valley Natural Disaster Team, which involves a slew of churches, businesses and private citizens devoted to helping those affected by natural disaster, helped slide victims in February and are exploring ways to continue assistance.

Erma Bond, assistant pastor at the Maggie Valley United Methodist Church and part of the disaster team, regularly attends the semi-monthly meetings at town hall.

Bond and her team have discussed the possibility of helping residents regain a water supply many times without yet coming to an agreement.

“If we helped the ones that had the water problem, then what are we going to do for the others?” said Bond.

It may be best to donate a collective disaster relief fund to the town to prioritize, Bond said.

Stabilization to begin soon

Two engineering firms have been commissioned for $125,000 using money from the federal Emergency Watershed Protection grant.

McGill Associates will coordinate stream restoration and debris removal, while Bunnell-Lammons, a geotechnical engineering firm based in Greenville, S.C., will determine how exactly to stabilize the slope.

Eager contractors have already begun contacting the companies expressing interest in taking on the work, but Barth said they must undergo a thorough vetting process to ensure they are qualified and experienced.

“Someone who has a small backhoe and a dump truck cannot go up and do this work,” said Barth.

State Geologist Rick Wooten said the earth continues to shift beneath Ghost Town in the Sky, a mountaintop amusement park where the slide originated from behind a series of terraced retaining walls.

On May 3, Wooten traveled to the top of the mountain once more to measure a scarp in the pavement. Wooten said his measurements show land there has moved down 4.8 inches vertically, and horizontal displacement has occurred as well — meaning the slope is moving both downward and outward.

Wooten is not alarmed by the slight creep, however.

“It’s nothing dramatic,” said Wooten.

With the rainy season upon us, however, Maggie Valley resident Deborah Reynolds asked Barth if any preventative actions could be taken before work officially begins to stabilize the mountain.

“Is there any type of measure they can go ahead with so that people can at least feel safe?” asked Reynolds.

“Someone needs to make sure they go up there every time it rains,” added Resident Denise Sutton.

Barth said the town might take action if rainfall exceeds five inches, but with the only road to the top of the mountain still largely impassable, it’d be difficult to do much work now.

Town steps in

The town hall meetings Barth conducts run fairly casually, with residents candidly discussing what they’ve read in the paper this week, expressing their ongoing concerns and asking questions informally. Many of the questions revolved around Ghost Town, which may emerge from bankruptcy soon with a new owner, Al Harper. (see story on page 6).

But Barth was unable to shed much light on Ghost Town’s plans.

“I wouldn’t know Mr. Harper if I ran into him,” Barth replied.

Residents were miffed at the lack of communication from Ghost Town.

“Nobody hasn’t come talk to us,” said resident Tammy Rich. “We haven’t seen a soul. We still don’t have any water.”

“He says they’re going to open in July,” said Resident Betty Miner. “What a laugh.”

Resident Jane Simpson asked if the town could prevent Ghost Town from opening until the stabilization is complete.

“I don’t know if they can open or not,” said Barth. “But if their customers come to me and say ‘Is it safe to go up there?’ I’m going to say ‘No.’”

According to Isenhour, there is too much focus is on getting Ghost Town back open for the summer season rather than helping impacted residents. Barth said the town’s main focus is to see the mountain stabilized and safe, not to help Ghost Town reopen.

Though the Rich Cove community lies in both town and county territory, town leaders have spearheaded the cleanup effort, tracking down funding for the cleanup and keeping residents in the loop with the regular meetings.

Miner said she’s grateful to the town for holding the semi-monthly meetings but would like to see an engineer or geologist familiar with the efforts inform residents about their findings.

Barth said he was planning to do so once more specific plans are in place.

“It doesn’t make sense for the engineers to come before they complete their report,” said Barth.

Haywood Community College leaders have chipped away more than $430,000 worth of features from its proposed creative arts building, but the project’s $10.3 million price tag continues to leave county commissioners cringing.

The Haywood County commissioners gave the college the go-ahead on the project last week, without addressing the most contentious issue: its cost.

County leaders voted 4-1 to submit a loan application to the state Local Government Commission, which must approve all debt incurred by local governments — without specifying exactly how much money would be borrowed, admittedly an odd omission from a loan application.

Meanwhile, HCC leaders had asked the commissioners to commit outright to a $12 million loan, which would cover other construction projects along with the cost of the new creative arts building.

The county board stopped short of a full endorsement, sticking to its assertion the college has not done all it can to cut costs.

Commissioners agreed to proceed with the loan application once HCC receives bids on the project, hoping the cost would come in less than anticipated.

A special quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters in a referendum two years ago will fund the project. While the special sales tax is earmarked for construction projects at the college, commissioners say they are obligated to make sure it is spent wisely.

Commissioner Kevin Ensley cast the sole vote against the project, again expressing concerns about the proposed building’s price tag.

“I don’t think I can support the building as it’s designed right now,” said Ensley. “I just think the building they’re trying to build is too expensive.”

The college is attempting to acquire “platinum” level environmental certification for its building, equivalent to the highest level of green building in the country. Ensley says the architects he’s consulted have said platinum buildings cost 20 to 25 percent more than usual.

Ensley has requested correspondence between the college and the state construction office and learned, for instance, the college plans to use rainwater to flush toilets in the building, an endeavor that requires double the plumbing.

HCC Board of Trustees Chairman Mark Bumgarner defended the building’s green features, arguing that the creative arts building is subject to strict state energy requirements.

The energy-hungry pottery kilns, welding equipment and shop tools have made it especially costly to meet state guidelines — forcing the college to install more energy saving features than normal to offset the higher than normal energy use.

Following these requirements happens to coincide with criteria for energy-efficient construction.

“The only thing to reduce would be to eliminate space, and space is the most important part,” said Bumgarner. “We’ve gone through a great deal of due diligence. This is not just something that we said, ‘Let’s be fancy and do more than we need to do.’”

As part of its attempts to lower cost, HCC has replaced exterior and interior stone and wood finishes with less expensive options, reduced the amount of exterior site lighting, removed interior sound proofing finishes in low-noise areas, eliminated exterior seating and tables, and eliminated an interior shower stall, planning to use a classroom safety shower instead.

HCC President Rose Johnson said the cost reductions occurred as a part of routine due diligence during the construction design process.

“We informed county commissioners during meetings that we took that step,” said Johnson. “That step was not a result of their questions.”

Though debates have arisen over construction costs in the last few months, commissioners and HCC leaders all agree that the college needs a new creative arts building.

“The college is pleased that the county commissioners took action on is intent to start the process of securing a loan,” said Johnson.

Bumgarner pointed out that HCC’s creative arts program is a keystone that sets the college apart from other community colleges not only in North Carolina, but the entire country.

According to Bumgarner, the county manager and finance director anticipate revenues from the quarter-cent sales tax to bring in about $1.5 million each year, which in Bumgarner’s view is sufficient to apply for a $12 million loan.

“That’s the level that exists with the current recession,” said Bumgarner.

Commissioner Mark Swanger said he would rather see the special sales tax money stretched further rather than every penny being committed to loan payments.

“Why borrow money if you got that money sitting there?” said Swanger, adding that the county commissioners will have the ultimate responsibility for the loan. “If sales tax money coming in is insufficient to pay debt service, the county would be responsible for using property tax money. I take that seriously.”

Counties usually have no choice but to accept unfunded mandates from the state, but this time, Haywood County commissioners are pushing back.

For the second time in recent years, legislation has been introduced in the state that would pass on the responsibility of maintaining secondary roads from the state to local level by 2011.

The Haywood board of commissioners already passed a resolution opposing such a transfer in May 2009, but the legislation has since been reintroduced.

They unanimously passed a similar resolution at a meeting last month, vowing to write a strongly worded letter to the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, which has also opposed the measure in the past.

“We should make sure they get on board with us,” said Commissioner Skeeter Curtis at the meeting. “That’s our lobby group. We need to make certain they lobby very heavily against this bill.”

County Manager David Cotton pointed out that larger counties were in favor of the transfer since they have funding to take care of their own roads. But if the law is passed, it would be a detriment for rural counties like Haywood.

While Commissioner Bill Upton said he’d heard the measure would not be passed, he added that commissioners should not let their guard down.

“I think we need to watch this very closely,” said Upton.

Haywood County commissioners are fighting opposition on all fronts after a county task force recently recommended major changes to trash and recycling operations.

The central debate is revolving around a proposal that would privatize a portion of the county’s trash operations, put 15 full-time county employees out of work, and shut down a transfer station in Clyde where haulers now deliver their loads.

“The same folks that say reduce the costs are here saying save the jobs,” said Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick at a county meeting Monday, which saw everyone from private trash haulers to county employees to regular citizens railing against commissioners.

Meanwhile, town officials in Waynesville, Clyde and Canton are none too happy about greater expenses being passed down to them as the county offloads some of its current responsibilities.

Haywood County’s budget as proposed calls for the county to outsource operations of its 10 convenience centers, where residents without curbside trash pickup dump their household garbage and recyclables.

The county also plans to lay off employees who now sort all the county’s recyclables manually. Alternatively, recyclables would be hauled away to be separated much more quickly by machine.

If both measures are passed, the county would save $431,000. However, the household solid waste fee would still increase by $22 to make debt payments on an expansion of the White Oak landfill. Without the cost saving measures, those fees would jump up by $40 per household this year. The fee is currently $70.

Most controversial of all, though, is the suggestion not yet incorporated into this year’s budget: closing the county’s transfer station in Clyde.

For now, the transfer station offers town trash trucks and private haulers a one-stop shop. It’s where they drop off recyclables and where they offload trash, which the county then delivers the rest of the way to the White Oak landfill.

If the proposed changes are passed, all haulers would be forced to make the long trek out to the landfill, located off exit 15 on Interstate 40.

Though shutting down the transfer station could save the county $940,000 annually, opponents say the costs would still be passed down to customers in one form or another.

“It’s more expensive on the private haulers, it’s more expensive on the towns,” said Paul White, a hauler from Maggie Valley, who also criticized the county for excluding the towns and private sector from its solid waste committee, which came up with the recommendations.

“It’s going to affect everybody in this room, not just me,” said Roger Henson, a private hauler who handles trash pick-up for the Town of Clyde. “Reconsider this, because I’m telling you, it’s going to hurt.”

Dan Best, an employee on the recycling pick line facing a layoff in less than two months, argued the commissioners are sending money away from Haywood.

“Keep it in-house, keep it in Haywood County, and make Haywood County a viable place,” said Best.

The towns

speak up

Joy Garland, town administrator for Clyde, was caught completely off-guard by the county’s proposal.

“We just learned about this. It kind of comes as a little late in the budget year,” said Garland. “We’re just trying to put our numbers together at this point ... My board is not in favor of it, I can tell you that.”

Henson said if the transfer station in Clyde closes, his costs would skyrocket by 66 percent from having to make the long haul out to White Oak multiple times a day. The increase would be passed on to his main client, the Town of Clyde.

“We knew it would impact us, but had no idea 66 percent,” said Garland, who anticipates town residents seeing their household fees shoot up from $9 to about $15 per month.

Over in Canton, closing the transfer station would cost the town about $115,000 a year in new equipment. That translates to monthly fees jumping from $8 up to $13 per household.

Al Matthews, Canton’s town manager, said the town would seriously consider privatizing its own operations.

“We could probably contract for service cheaper than we could pass that cost on to our customers,” said Matthews.

Waynesville residents might see their household rate rise from $5.50 per month to $8 a month if the county shuts down its transfer station.

Waynesville Town Manager Lee Galloway said the town would need to acquire two new rear-loading garbage trucks and hire a new employee to shuttle trucks between curbside collection crews and the larger trucks bound for the White Oak landfill.

There also would be more wear and tear on the trucks, requiring more diesel fuel and more service, as well as an additional set of tires annually, Galloway said.

Driving to White Oak instead of the transfer station in Clyde would also add an extra 27,000 miles annually to each truck in Waynesville. The total cost increase annually for the Town of Waynesville would come out to $199,000.

Galloway said he couldn’t speak for his town board, but that he would prefer to see the county fee set higher to keep the transfer station open.

The Town of Maggie Valley, which is much closer to White Oak than its neighbors, is unfazed by the county’s proposal. Adding four miles to their private contractor’s journey each way will not result in a price hike.

“They might have to leave town a little bit earlier than if they were taking it to the transfer station,” said Tim Barth, Maggie’s town manager. “That would be the only difference.”

Maggie Valley residents can expect their household fees to remain steady at $8.24 per month.

Barth said the town decided to get out of the trash business in 2003 after growing tired of maintaining and replacing expensive equipment — not unlike the county’s current quandary.

At Monday’s meeting, Commissioner Skeeter Curtis reiterated that the proposal is far from a done deal, while Commissioner Mark Swanger said shutting down the transfer station would streamline the process and prevent trash from unnecessarily being handled twice.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Kevin Ensley expressed confidence that the private sector would somehow pull through.

“I believe the entrepreneurs that haul the trash now will find a way to make money,” said Ensley. “I really do.”

However, Best said if the county invested adequately in the department, solid waste director Steven King could run it more successfully.

“If he had the backing of the commissioners, they can make this place go,” said Best.

Ten-year-old Waynesville resident Zeb Powell has exclusive, 24-7 access to a skate park in town — it’s in his driveway.

Powell got hold of a half-pipe, rails and multiple ramps when the indoor BP Skate Park closed down last fall. But as it turns out, having a park to yourself isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

“He loves doing it with other people,” said his mother, Val Powell. “By himself, it’s just not as much fun.”

Zeb is one of many skateboarders in Waynesville waiting for the long-promised public skate park on Vance Street, near the Waynesville Recreation Center.

For now, skaters still have to deal with a town ban on skateboards on sidewalks and most town streets. Violators face a $50 fine and the possibility of having their boards confiscated.

The proposed fenced-in outdoor park will cost somewhere between $275,000 to $325,000 to construct. So far, the town has lined up $120,000 to devote to the project.

Included in that total is a $60,000 state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant Waynesville recently received, plus a $20,000 grant from the Waynesville Kiwanis Club. The rest comes from town funds.

With the idea of a skate park stalled for more than a decade, the state grant eluded the town when it first applied in 2009. To boost its chances of winning the coveted grant in the next cycle, the town dipped into its own coffers to fund a design plan for the park — hoping to prove it was dedicated to the idea. The plan worked.

Waynesville hired California firm Spohn Ranch Skateparks to lead the project earlier this year. In March, the firm held a public input meeting with local skaters to help shape the look of the park. The firm will present three potential designs at an online meeting next week.

Recreation Director Rhett Langston says he sees a parallel between skate parks and golf courses. Each should have its own unique character and offer different elements from those facilities nearby. With skate parks relatively close in Asheville and Hendersonville, Waynesville’s recreation department wants to offer something else with its park.

“We want ours to be as nice but also different,” Langston said. “So all skaters can go from one location to another.”

Right now, Waynesville parent Joe Moore said he’ll be thrilled to see any kind of skate park.

“I wish there was more money to make it happen immediately,” Moore said. “The wheels of bureaucracy always move too slow.”

Moore wholly supports the project, though, and is happy the park will have no entry fee. He says he’s not worried about the park being unsupervised by town staff.

“Most parents are not going to drop off their 7- to 12-year-old to skateboard and run errands,” said Moore.

Though Moore originally preferred an indoor park, he would now love to see an outdoor facility with a roof overhead to protect skaters like his son Dylan from wet and snowy weather. He also suggests wooden ramps rather than those made of concrete.

“Skateboarders like to see things change,” said Moore. “Concrete, once it’s poured, it’s always going to stay the same.”

Most skaters who attended the first public meeting supported a hybrid of a bowl and a street park with ramps, rails, stairs and more, Langston said.

Langston, who has been instrumental in moving the skate park forward, was himself a skater in his youth. But that was before the rise of skate parks nationwide.

“We would just fly down the hill in our neighborhood,” said Langston. “We just made do with what we had.”

Donate

The Waynesville Recreation Department is selling bricks with personalized messages for a walkway leading up to the park. So far, skaters have raised about $3,000.

Those interested in purchasing one brick for $50 or two for $75, making a donation, or volunteering should contact Rhett Langston at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.456.2030.

$6,342,044.

That’s approximately how much money needs to be raised before Haywood County residents can expect to see a recreation park built in Jonathan Creek.

With the recession retaining its stranglehold on the nation, county commissioners aren’t contributing a single cent to the park in this year’s proposed budget.

The project, as many already know, is years away from becoming a reality, even though the park’s design is nearly finalized.

Having a design in hand undoubtedly gives the county a leg up in securing state recreation grants, which mostly fund projects that are already underway.

But there’s one other source that could be of assistance to the many softball and baseball players itching to play at the park’s proposed four new fields.

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority — which collects lodging tax and helps promote tourism in the county — already contributed $10,000 of the $15,000 that went into the Jonathan Creek Park design process.

Sports tournaments are known to bring out-of-town visitors not only out to the fields during the day, but also to hotels and motels after the game is through.

“Whenever you have kids in any type of competition, you have parents, grandparents, brothers, and sisters,” said Marion Hamel, TDA’s vice-chair for the Town of Maggie Valley. “I think it would just be a boon to the whole area.”

More “heads in beds” means more money for the TDA, which in turn leads to a higher advertising budget to then bring even more tourists to town. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle that gets a boost from new facilities that draw tourists.

The idea is not new. TDAs or similar associations across the Southeast have utilized their funds to do more than just place ads in newspapers and magazines. On the east coast, they’ve funded boat docks. In Greensboro, they helped the International Civil Rights Center & Museum come to fruition.

The Buncombe County TDA has gone so far as to devote one percent of its lodging tax solely to brick and mortar projects that generate additional room nights.

Its beneficiaries throughout the years are many, including the Bob Moog Museum, concert venue The Orange Peel, Pack Square Park, the Buncombe County Civil War Trails, and the Bonsai Garden at the North Carolina Arboretum, to name a few.

Small in the game

For now, Haywood’s TDA is unsure that it’ll play a major role in funding the Jonathan Creek park.

“The problem is we’re going through the budget process right now, and it’s looking very, very, very slim,” Hamel said. “I would be very hesitant to say yes. If we had the funds, yes, I would support that.”

Alice Aumen, who serves as chair of the TDA, said the organization has already made unprecedented cuts due to the triple whammy of the recession, the rockslide that shut down Interstate 40 for six months and 2009’s rainy summer.

The agency’s year to date revenue is down by 8 percent, and the TDA held a special meeting last week to determine how to possibly fulfill the budget they’ve passed for this year with such a shortfall.

Members voted to close doors at the Balsam visitor center three days a week and the Canton Visitor Center altogether until the end of June, when the new 2010-2011 fiscal year begins.

“It’s never happened before,” Aumen said. “We certainly hope it doesn’t happen again.”

Aumen would not comment on whether the TDA would fund construction on the Jonathan Creek Park, adding though that there had been no discussion yet on the subject.

According to Aumen, that decision would depend on how members see TDA’s role in the community.

“Some people perceive that TDA is really a promotional agency, as opposed to getting into product development,” said Aumen.

Ken Stahl, chair of the TDA’s finance committee, said the agency must above all determine how to maximize the impact of each tourism dollar it receives.

The TDA decided to help jumpstart the Jonathan Creek Park project with funding because of its potential to bring overnight visitors to the area for years to come, Stahl said.

“Maybe it was important for us to contribute to the front-end of this thing,” Stahl said. “Our thoughts were to help this project along, thinking it would help in the long run.”

Though the Haywood TDA has widened its scope, it hasn’t totally lost focus on its core principles of marketing and promoting the area.

Other than the sports complex in Jonathan Creek, the only other capital project the TDA has contributed to is the Maggie Valley’s festival grounds, which received $115,000 for lighting and other electrical needs.

According to the American Planning Association, however, sports tournaments generally create a greater economic impact for local communities than special events and festivals. Most non-major festivals overwhelmingly attract locals rather than faraway visitors.

Steve Fritts, vice president of Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon — the design firm leading the project at Jonathan Creek — is currently working on a project in Indiana, where the convention and visitors bureau is funding 100 percent of an $18 million sports complex.

Chattanooga, Tenn., spent $10 million on a new eight-field softball complex that’s estimated to bring an economic impact of $25.9 million between 2008 and 2013, according to Fritts. From 1992 to 2006, the city documented more than $50 million in economic impact from softball tournaments alone, Fritts said.

Meanwhile, Rock Hill, S.C., reports that holding about 35 sports tournaments each year adds $5 million of direct economic impact to its room tax each year. That tax money had paid most of the bills on a new soccer field and tennis center in town.

Though the impacts can be enormous in certain cases, Haywood County still faces a crunch in figuring out how to fund its own $6.3 million sports complex. The answer can’t fully lie with the TDA.

“There is obviously a limit to how much we can do that we can do,” Stahl said. “This is really a county project. They’re the ones that bought the property, and they’re the ones that are going to develop it.”

Haywood’s TDA typically has a total budget of $1 million, while similar organizations in Asheville and Cherokee can spend $1.5 million or more out of their multimillion dollar budget each year.

“We’re small in the game of TDAs,” Stahl said.

Haywood Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick said that with the county’s own tight budget, the recreation department will have to start applying for state grants, hoping for the best.

“It’s unfortunate that we’re not in a financial position to move forward with the construction,” said Kirkpatrick.

On the bright side, having a design in place will still move Haywood up on the queue for receiving state funding.

“Without a site master plan, you can’t get anywhere,” said Claire Carleton, recreation director for the county. “This is the most important initial step.”

The park’s many offerings

After receiving ample input from vocal citizens, the Haywood County Recreation Board has selected a master site plan for the Jonathan Creek sports complex.

The park will include a 225-foot baseball field, a 200-foot baseball field, and two 300-foot softball/baseball fields that would accommodate men’s softball tournaments, as well as a two-story scorer’s tower with concessions and restrooms.

The plan also calls for an Astroturf multipurpose field, a small soccer field, tennis courts, playground, horseshoe pits, picnic sites, batting cage, a handicapped fishing pier, and a walking trail alongside the creek.

The plan awaits final approval by the Haywood County commissioners.

Once repair work is complete, a precarious Maggie Valley mountainside destabilized by a major mudslide will be returned to its natural state.

The hard part will be getting to that point.

Last Wednesday, anxious residents downslope of the slide along with town leaders gathered to hear the plan of attack. Three engineers from McGill Associates and Bunnell-Lammons presented their preliminary reports, which recommend methods for both stabilizing the slope and restoring a displaced stream to its original path.

The top of the mountain was leveled more than 40 years ago to make way for Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park. Unwanted dirt was pushed over the side of the mountain in the process.

Engineers want to remove that fill soil and re-grade the slope to its natural state, peeling back the layers until they reach the contour of the original mountainside.

For now, it is unclear how exactly contractors will go about their work without setting off another slide, however. Town Manager Tim Barth said he is not sure who would be liable if another slide were to occur.

Without repair, however, a slide of the same or even greater magnitude than the last one could occur, according to Bunnell-Lammon, which is in charge of the slope stabilization part.

The state geologist earlier said up to 16,000 tons of loose material threatens the mountainside. Homes below have been left endangered ever since February’s slide, which left a 3,000 feet wake of destruction down the mountainside.

In engineering terms, a “factor of safety” of 1.0 or less indicates an “impending or active slope failure.” The upper portion of the slope now has a factor of safety of 0.6. Bunnell-Lammons recommends a minimum a factor of safety of 1.3, but preferably 1.5.

While the “how” of the plan is still being formulated, one thing is clear, use of major equipment will be minimal.

“Some of those jobs, it’s shovels and wheelbarrows,” said J.P. Johns, an engineer with McGill.

“This is not going to be a scenario where we get large pieces of equipment up there working around,” said Randy Hintz, project manager with McGill. “This is more likely going to be a situation where we have bobcats (small graders) and mini-excavators up there working.”

Red tape

The primary source of funding for the approximately $1.4 million project will come from a federal grant, while N.C. Department of Transportation will fund much of the rest. Meanwhile, Ghost Town and the Town of Maggie Valley say they will contribute $25,000 each.

All work will be supervised by qualified field specialists, who will be on site to approve even the most minor changes to the official plan. Contractors must be certified by the DOT and demonstrate a minimum of three similar jobs completed successfully.

Barth says he is hopeful it will take no longer than two to three months for the work to be completed once it begins.

McGill is waiting to receive necessary permits before it can hire a contractor to start work. The firm anticipates that a permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources could take up to 30 days.

Even after that, the DOT will require engineers to put the job out to bid for a minimum of 21 days.

That announcement left the crowd stunned at Wednesday’s meeting.

“That’s ridiculous,” someone whispered.

“Is there no way to expedite the 51 days you were talking about?” asked Mayor Roger McElroy. “That seems to me like an unreasonable time.”

Hintz responded that since North Carolina has not declared a state of emergency — like the town of Maggie Valley and Haywood County did in February — his firm has little choice but to follow the normal protocol for publicly-funded jobs.

“In order to get the state funds to participate in this project, it must go through all the same channels,” said Hintz, while reassuring residents that the project has moved forward since February. “We’ve accomplished an awful lot at this point.”

Resident Kurt Biedler asked specifically if debris would be removed from his house, one of the five worst damaged by the slide.

“I mean these are things that are very important to me right now: trees, rocks, guardrails, timber,” said Biedler, who has moved to Arden for now.

Hintz said he would have to check with the funding agency before he could answer. “We have been given a very narrow focus on the types of things we can spend this money on,” said Hintz.

As part of the stabilization process, a road on Ghost Town’s property that sits on top of the fill dirt will be dismantled. The road is key to getting from one part of the amusement park to another. It will not be rebuilt by contractors working on the project.

According to Bunnell-Lammons, it appears the landslide started at Ghost Town’ retaining wall, where the fill soil placed with the MSE walls met underlying residual soil. Those MSE walls will be removed as part of the repair process.

Bunnell-Lammons stated in its report that it had been specifically directed not to determine the cause of the slide or evaluate the parties responsible for the slide.

“Our scope of work is how to immediately repair it,” said Will Gentry, a Bunnell-Lammons engineer. “We have not gone into why did it fail and how did it fail.”

Creek restoration

Meanwhile, mud, downed trees, and other debris have stopped up culverts where the creek crossed Rich Cove Road three times on its way down the mountain. The landslide also created a wide, long swath now prone to erosion.

To restore the stream, McGill’s plan recommends removing mud, downed trees, and other debris from three culvert crossings along Rich Cove Road. Currently, the blocked up culverts are forcing the stream to divert from its natural path.

Contractors will work upstream to downstream in the upper section, then downstream to upstream in the lower portion in order to work “dry.”

The removed trees would be ground up into wood mulch, which will be spread out on the mountain slope. This will minimize how much material contractors have to deliver up the steep slope.

“We’re going to try to limit the hauling out and the hauling in,” said Johns.

“Speed bumps,” made of mulch will be installed to slow down water as it flows down the slope.

Vegetation will be re-established with native species as much as possible, though a true restoration will be difficult to accomplish with the limited funding that’s available.

The first priority, however, will be to address the unstable slope at the top of the mountain.

“We don’t want to do any work down below until we get the top stabilized,” said J.P. Johns, an engineer with McGill.

In the eyes of Canton’s town leaders, the status quo in recreation funding just isn’t cutting it.

For years, the town of Canton has had to maintain an aging public pool and has struggled to obtain stadium lighting to allow night games at the International Paper sports complex, which could cost as much as $400,000.

Yet since the start of the recession, the town has received not a penny from the county to support recreation. Residents from all over the county, not just within town limits, use town facilities like the pool in Canton and the recreation center in Waynesville. Yet town taxpayers are left footing much of the bill without county support.

That prompted Canton’s mayor, all four of its aldermen and its town manager to show up to the last Haywood county commissioners meeting, requesting that recreation funding not only be restored, but also that it be doled out fairly.

“We feel like we’re not getting all the funding that we’re possibly entitled to receive,” said Canton Alderman Kenneth Holland.

Until the recession struck, Haywood County annually sent $30,000 Canton’s way for recreation, while sending $70,000 to Waynesville for the same purpose.

But last year the county eliminated recreation contributions for Canton and Waynesville and has revealed no plans for restoring it.

“The needs have been great, but funds have been few,” said Canton Mayor Pat Smathers.

Canton leaders say they feel shortchanged geographically. The resolution that the Canton board formally presented alleged that there were few programs “if any” and no facilities operated by the county recreation department in Canton and the rest of eastern Haywood County.

On the other hand, the county has begun planning a $6.3 million sports complex in Jonathan Creek after already completing the first county-developed park in Allens Creek. Both projects are in western Haywood County.

Canton’s board of aldermen have requested that the county once again allocate funds to individual towns and school recreation programs, rather than to the county recreation department.

“At least on this end of the county, there’s a perception, ‘Hey, what’s the county rec department doing here?’” said Smathers.

But Claire Carleton, county recreation director, denied that there was any favoritism for the western half of Haywood.

“Each entity has got to stand up and prove their needs,” said Carleton. “No matter where they’re coming from, east, west, it doesn’t matter.”

While county commissioners were sympathetic to the Canton board’s request, they stressed that the recession has left their hands tied when it comes to appropriating funding for recreation.

As a Canton resident, Commissioner Skeeter Curtis is well aware of the town’s recreation needs, but he said the county is down to bare bones with the tough economy. Curtis also pointed out that the Town of Canton is “well-represented” on the county recreation board, which has a significant say in which projects the county moves forward with next.

“If there was money, I would stand up for the people of east Haywood,” added Curtis. “But I’m on both sides of the fence now, I can see both sides.”

Meanwhile, Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick emphasized that “contrary to popular belief,” no construction work had started on the Jonathan Creek park. Kirkpatrick also pointed out that in the past, the county supplied $321,000 to help construct the sports complex in Canton. Haywood County also transported fill from the Beaverdam Industrial Park to grade the sports complex at the county’s cost.

Commissioner Bill Upton said Canton is actually in the lead when it comes to having a complete sports complex. For now, the Jonathan Creek sports complex exists only on paper.

“If they ever get their lights, they’re way ahead,” said Upton.

Bridging the divide

Canton’s town leaders claim that 65 percent of the people who use the public pool in Canton come from outside town limits. Similarly, the town of Waynesville reports that about 70 percent of people who use its recreation center do not live in town.

Though user fees generate some revenue, town property taxes play a significant role in propping up both the Waynesville recreation center and Canton’s outdoor pool. In essence, town taxpayers are subsidizing those two facilities for the entire county.

The Town of Waynesville reports that it makes $695,000 operating the recreation department, including the recreation center. In contrast, the recreation department faces $2.2 million annually in expenses, from paying off debt on the recreation center to paying regular operating expenses. It’s up to town taxpayers to help make up the difference with $1.1 million of contributions from property taxes in the 2010-2011 town budget.

For now, Waynesville residents pay the same monthly fee as county residents at the recreation center, though town leaders have toyed with the idea of charging higher fees for county residents living outside town limits in the past. The idea has proven to be a logistical challenge.

“That becomes a total nightmare when someone’s coming in to check in,” said Wells Greeley, Waynesville alderman.

The easiest way to receive support from county taxpayers who live outside town limits was to receive direct funding from the county. With the total cut in recreation funding from the Haywood county taxpayers though, towns are now left to their own devices.

“It is a challenge every year to devote the money to our recreation, but it’s a vital part of every municipality in Haywood County,” said Greeley.

Carleton said while recreation is crucial for both the mental and physical health of citizens, most government officials see recreation as a non-essential service. The county recreation department has seen major funding cuts of its own since the recession hit.

“That’s just the way it’s always been, from the national level all the way down to Haywood County,” said Carleton. “It’s a widely known fact, the first thing that’s going to be cut is recreation.”

Carleton would not say what she thought was the best way to divvy up the recreation responsibilities among county and town recreation departments. But she added that the most important points are to not duplicate services and to work together.

Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown agreed that governments philosophically shouldn’t be competing with each other.

“I hate that east-west argument,” said Brown. “I thought we had got over it ... that kind of diatribe and that kind of mentality gets you nowhere.”

However, Brown said he, too, would like to see recreation funding restored to municipalities. More than that, he would like to see the county work more closely with the towns.

“If the county wants to be in recreation, it should sit down with everyone to decide how we want to spend the citizens’ money,” said Brown. “What we need to do is sit down and discuss things, and that’s not going on now. That is the biggest problem.”

Nantahala Outdoor Center raft guides can finally relax after working the busiest season the outfitter has seen in the last 10 years.

“There are a lot of sore shoulders,” said Charles Connor, director of marketing at NOC. “We’re all kind of walking around in a daze right now.”

July was by far the busiest month, with business soaring 20 percent higher than last year’s numbers. On some days, NOC was sending out a guided trip every 15 minutes — not to mention the other 11 rafting outfitters that operate in the Gorge.

The company tapped anyone trained to guide, from the CEO to the dishwasher, and head guides taxied them down to the river to meet demand.

“One of our biggest desires is not to turn anybody away,” said Charlie Allen, head guide or “czar” as they are nicknamed on trips.

This summer, NOC has seen total guided trips companywide shoot up by 13 percent from last year, and 15 percent on the Nantahala. The most growth was seen on the Pigeon River in Tennessee where trips increased by 50 percent.

“We’re definitely growing on a strong trajectory over there,” said Conner.

Interest in the Nantahala has been piqued with the Nantahala River Gorge being named earlier this year the site of the 2013 World Freestyle Kayaking Championships.

Raft guide Joe Dean, 63, said there were 1,829 people rafting on the Nantahala on a single Saturday, creating choke points.

“Being on the river, there can almost be gridlock,” said Dean.

The only blemish on this summer’s record has been the Cheoah River near Robbinsville. The release schedule of water from the dam hasn’t been conducive to recreational rafting, according to Conner.

“Some of the interest that we had in 2007 when it was first available is kind of waning a little bit,” said Conner.

Why this year?

Theories abound on why this summer was particularly successful, especially when NOC didn’t undertake a major marketing campaign.

The record hot weather helped pull folks from Atlanta, Asheville, Knoxville, Chattanooga and the Research Triangle to Western North Carolina’s cool mountain rivers.

“Some of the old-timers say it needs to be 95 in Atlanta,” said Allen. “That’s when the cars crank up and they head for the mountains. If it’s 85, they may go down to one of the South Carolina beaches.”

NOC was thankful that the weather was hot, but not hot enough to create drought conditions.

“The weather is so particular that you need to really have a perfect season like this,” said Conner. “You need heat, and you need just the right amount of rain.”

“This year, everything worked in our favor,” said Allen, who likens the weather conditions needed for rafting to those needed for farming.

The improving economy may be another factor.

NOC’s rafting director Cathy Kennedy, who has worked at the company for 40 years, said the rafting industry has traditionally done well in a down economy. Many who can’t afford a weeklong trip to Disney World will opt for a day trip on the river.

“It’s a pretty economical vacation,” said Kennedy.

“People have probably decided, ‘Well, the economy’s bad, but we still have to live,’” said Dean. “It’s dawned on them that it’s not going to change right away, might as well have some fun.”

The Gulf oil crisis might have also sent vacationers away from the those beaches and to the Smokies.

“Raft guides were coming off the river saying, ‘Everyone in my boat said they didn’t want to go to the beach,’” said Allen.

According to Kennedy, some late booking church groups canceled their trip to the Gulf Coast beaches and came instead to the mountains.

Not anticipating the stars to align this season, NOC had stuck with hiring the standard 150 to 200 raft guides across its seven river operations. Next year will probably not be any different.

“We’ll probably wait and see,” said Conner.

The challenging summer has been good for the local economy and for guides’ paychecks, but NOC employees say they are ready to wind down.

“I think we’re all grateful it happened, and we’re all grateful that it’s coming to an end,” Dean said.

Public input is being sought for a memorial dedicated to the North Shore families in Swain County who had their land taken in the 1940s during the creation of Lake Fontana.

A design meeting will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at United Community Bank in Bryson City.

The push for a memorial comes from two Swain County residents, Richard and Carolyn Allison, who say it’s time to honor the 600 families and gain some closure to the decades-long North Shore Road debate.

The Allisons moved to Whittier about four years ago, but they quickly saw how the heated debate over the North Shore Road had divided the county. They decided to spearhead efforts to create a memorial after recently completing a grantwriting course at Southwestern Community College.

The Allisons are seeking information from the community to come up with the 600 family names to put on a memorial wall, which they are calling a War Memorial. The name is sure to be an attention grabber.

“It gives something to mull over,” said Richard Allison.

Even though the North Shore families didn’t exactly fight in World War II, Lake Fontana was built to generate electricity for an aluminum plant that made airplane parts for the war.

After seeing their land taken away, North Shore residents seem to be suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, according to Allison.

“They lost not only their home, they lost loved ones who had to go into the service,” said Allison. “It’s important to get rid of this Post-traumatic Stress Disorder that has developed over all these years. They’re not just being ornery because they wanted something that was promised to them, it’s just because they have been stressed out.”

Lawrence Hyatt and Carolyn Allison will speak on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder at the meeting. While Richard Allison said a memorial might not fully relieve that stress, seeing North Shore families honored might be helpful.

Creation of the lake flooded a road that once led from Bryson City to Tennessee, passing through numerous rural communities along the way. In addition to losing their land, those who once lived in the area felt cheated by the government’s broken promise to rebuild the road.

Participants will divide into three groups to discuss what kind of mission statement should be etched onto the memorial wall and where it should be located. So far, the design calls for a granite and marble memorial with one large column flanked by two shorter columns of equal size over a base.

The cost would be about $4,900 and $1.25 more for each letter. It could be housed at the Swain County Administration building or in the North Shore area of the national park.

Charlotte Littlejohn has spent much of her morning in a bustling kitchen preparing traditional frybread. Next to her, Donavon Crowe is stirring an enormous pot of chili. Crowe says he’s probably made six gallons of it already.

Littlejohn and Crowe are surrounded by a dozen others, some jotting down orders, others rushing out for delivery. All are donating their time for a cause that is both atypical and close to their hearts.

Money raised from the Indian tacos, chili, frybread and drinks sold will help the Blanton family afford the cost of attending the first-degree murder trial of Edwardo Wong two-and-a-half hours away in Newton, a proceeding that could take two months. The trial was moved outside the region for fear it would be impossible to find unbiased local jurors.

Wong faces the death penalty for shooting and killing state Trooper Shawn Blanton two summers ago. Blanton had pulled over Wong for a routine traffic violation on a stretch of Interstate 40 outside Canton.

Blanton died that night at Asheville’s Mission Hospital — the same hospital where his newborn son, Tye, was being treated. Little Tye had been born premature and died from medical complications just four months after his father.

The unthinkable tragedy left a mark on the Cherokee community then and continues to move the tribe today.

“It’s been a harsh two-and-a-half years,” said Anthony Sequoyah, a close friend of the Blanton family. “You still see people with T-shirts, stickers on their cars. People are always asking, ‘What we can do?’”

“I think the loss for everyone here is as fresh as the first day it happened,” said Nikki Bradley Nations, Shawn’s grandmother. “It takes a tribe to raise a child, and a tribe has lost a child.”

With Shawn Blanton’s death, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians lost its first enrolled member to earn the title of North Carolina state trooper. Community members now wear T-shirts with his trooper ID, G-540, to acknowledge his achievement.

“Everyone wears them because we’re proud,” said Nations. “We just want him to know we’re proud.”

On Friday, about 65 people had signed up in advance for the fundraiser lunch. More showed up spontaneously, handing over $10 donations for the $6 meal.

“The community recognizes that this family has gone through — trauma none of us want to go through in our lifetime,” said Principal Chief Michell Hicks.

Watching gavel to gavel

Two years ago, Sequoyah was forced to make the painful call to Shawn’s father, Dave Blanton, to tell him his son had been shot.

“I told him he was shot in the shoulder, and everything was going to be fine,” said Sequoyah.

It wasn’t until the frantic ride to Asheville that the two learned the injury was far more serious.

Sequoyah himself was so devastated from Shawn’s death that he took a month off from his job at Cherokee EMS, where Dave also works.

“Shawn was probably the closest thing to a brother that I’ve had. I’m a single child,” said Sequoyah. “Dave is the next best thing to my father.”

Sequoyah has been at the Blantons’ side in Newton this month as jurors are selected for the emotionally draining trial.

“It’s hard to sit there,” Sequoyah said. “It’s hard knowing what’s going through Dave’s mind.”

So far, Sequoyah and many others have been infuriated by what they see as a blatant attempt by Wong to delay the trial. Wong has demanded new lawyers and recently a new judge.

“After a while, it just seems like a bunch of stunts,” said Crowe, a distant cousin of the Blanton family.

“It’s not fair. He makes it look like he has all the power,” said Robin Swayney, manager of the Qualla Boundary Library. “It makes me angry. He did something despicable and horrible.”

Swayney says it seems as if Wong is desperately grasping for anything he can to push back the inevitable.

“To me, it’s like a waste of time,” Swayney said.

“And resources,” added Yona Wade, director of the Cherokee Cultural Arts Center.

Jenny Bean, who volunteered at Friday’s benefit, said it’s unfair that Wong has all his expenses taken care of while the community has to scrape together money to allow the Blantons to attend his trial.  

Others take issue with Wong’s general disposition during the hearings.

“He’s emotionless,” said Sequoyah. “When he talks, he talks with a smart attitude.”

“It’s like he doesn’t care,” said Littlejohn. “I’m angry, and I think a lot of people feel hurt.”

With the death penalty as a very real possibility for Wong, Nations isn’t surprised by the legal maneuvering, however.

“If I was fighting for my life, I would try to delay it as much as I could,” said Nations. “I understand that.”

Life or death?

Whether Wong will be handed down a death sentence — and whether it is deserved — is in the forefront of most people’s minds in Cherokee.  

“People feel very strongly,” said Nancy Pheasant, a paramedic at Cherokee EMS. “Everyone you talk to has their own opinion on how the outcome for the trial should be.”

Some of the Blanton’s closest friends say Wong more than deserves to die.

“I know his defense attorneys are trying to keep it from being a death penalty case,” Pheasant said. “That’s exactly what it needs to be.”

With two years passing by since the murder and still no resolution, Littlejohn hopes justice will prevail in the end. She, too, is in favor of the death penalty for Wong.

“On Shawn’s part, he didn’t get the option [to live],” said Littlejohn. “He didn’t have any options there.”

Sweyney wasn’t so sure that the death penalty would be the best answer for Wong, though.

“Seems like the easy way out to me,” said Sweyney.

As for Nations and her family, they just want to see the trial come to a prompt end. The legal process has already reopened wounds that were just beginning to heal two years after Blanton’s death.

A camera mounted in the dashboard of Blanton’s patrol car captured audio of the shooting. Blanton can be heard moaning and pleading for his life. When the recording was played in open court, deputies had to restrain Blanton’s father from leaping out of his seat toward Wong.

“We know there has to be a trial,” said Nations. “Mr. Wong deserves a fair trial, I reckon. We just want to go on and have Shawn in our hearts and memories and laugh about him … We want to get on with our lives.”

Tribe members say the family can get closure only after the trial is settled. Tribal officials, including Hicks, plan to make the drive to Newton to attend part of the trial.

“This issue does need to come to an end,” said Hicks. “The sooner the better.”

Lynne Harlan, spokeswoman for the tribe, said the trial might help the family move on, but what was done to Shawn Blanton will remain etched in the tribe’s permanent memory.

“It will be the end of putting salt on that wound, but that wound still does not heal,” said Harlan. “This is part of our history that we won’t forget.”

Nations looks forward to the day she won’t have to see Wong on TV, in newspapers or in person. Faith has sustained her in the aftermath of Shawn’s murder, and it is what continues gives her peace today.

“Mr. Wong is in the hands of a gracious, merciful and — don’t forget — he is a just God,” Nations said.

Shawn’s legacy

Happier memories of Shawn Blanton live on despite the cruel circumstances of his death.

Pheasant remembers him always smiling, always laughing, always making somebody’s day.

“You could just be having the worst day of your life. He would just come up and give you a hug,” said Pheasant. “Dave’s the same way. You can hear Dave’s laugh from a mile away.”

Nations remembers how Shawn and her other grandchildren would come straight to her house each day after school. One of Shawn’s younger cousins would constantly try to beat him at wrestling — unsuccessfully, of course. And every summer, they would take camping trips together.

“Shawn was always adventurous,” said Nations.

He was also an avid softball fan. Blanton coached a girls’ team at Smoky Mountain High School in Sylva, where a new indoor training facility for baseball and softball will be named after him. The Shawn Blanton Scholarship Fund continues to assist girls who play softball.

The N.C. Department of Transportation recently dedicated a bridge at Exit 31 of I-40 to Trooper Shawn Blanton. Thousands of friends and strangers alike have joined a Facebook group dedicated to him, posting messages of support and consolation to the family.

“He’s an unforgotten hero killed in the line of duty,” said Hicks. “Shawn will never be forgotten.”

Crowe said losing someone who always made a positive impact on the community has been tough.

“He was such an outstanding Cherokee man,” said Sarah Sneed, a resident of Birdtown. “He was a contribution from our people to the state of North Carolina.”

The tribe continues to show an outpouring of support years later, whether it’s the fundraisers like the one held on Friday, or the recent motorcycle memorial ride to fund Blanton’s softball scholarship.

“His memory is alive in those works that we do,” said Harlan. “We keep his life and his work going … not just for sentimental reasons, but also practical reasons.”

Still, Nations says not many days go by that she doesn’t miss Blanton. Once a week, she has a quiet breakdown that nobody knows about.

But the family continues to grow. One of Dave Blanton’s nieces recently gave birth to triplets. With the family’s permission, Sequoyah decided to name his five-month-old “Shawn” in honor of Trooper Blanton.

As the Blanton family prepares for one of the most difficult trials of their lives, the tribe seems to stand behind them in spirit.

“It’s shown what we do best. That is, to unite as a tribe, as a community,” said Wade. “Something we do culturally that’s in our blood.”