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Asheville writer and poet Holly Iglesias will read from her new collection, Angles of Approach, at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 22, at City Lights bookstore in Sylva.
Iglesias, who teaches at UNC Asheville, is a recent recipient of a major fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Iglesias is also the author of Souvenirs of a Shrunken World, a collection of poems focused on the 1904 World’s Fair, and a critical work, Boxing Inside the Box: Women’s Prose Poetry.
An autograph session will follow.
828.586.9499.
Cyrano’s Book Club will meet at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, in the Senior Citizen’s Center in Sylva.
The current book discussion will deal with Tom Franklin’s new novel, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. New members are welcome.
Additonal information about this meeting and future meetings can be obtained by contacting Gary Carden at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To the Editor:
The Republican design on Medicare comes straight from that dubious chapter of the Vietnam War in which “it became necessary to destroy the town to save it.”
Rep. Paul Ryan’s voucher scheme would destroy Medicare as surely, if not as fast, as repealing it. It is wrong in so many ways as to be diabolical:
• By making it easier for Congress to freeze payments and then slash them. For all their presumed influence, seniors have less lobbying clout than the doctors and hospitals Medicare presently pays directly.
• By putting America’s elderly on the hook for ever-increasing costs, captives once again to the health insurance racket and the vagaries of charity care.
• By pitting those who are already seniors against those who hope to live to be. Nothing could be more cynical than to say to some of us, “You can keep your Medicare. We’re throwing only younger folk under the bus.”
We have already tried “consumer choice” and “competition.” The notion that patients can spend more wisely out of pocket is woefully unrealistic. What are your options when you’re felled with a stroke or heart attack? Only to go where they take you, or lie there and die.
If the commercial market were as efficient as the Republicans pretend, health care would not be costing America nearly half as much again as the average of all 30 nations that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Health consumes 16 percent of our gross domestic product, compared to 10.3 in Canada, 11.2 in France, and 10.5 in Germany, to name only a few of the nations that provide universal coverage without socializing doctors. The excuse here is that we have the best health care in the world, but do we really? Our life expectancy of 77.9 is nearly two years less than the OECD average.
As a citizen on Medicare, I’m willing to do my part for our country’s future. For starters, I could pay more for the prescription drug plan that a Republican president failed to finance. I could also pay higher taxes. But the Republicans don’t want to share the burdens fairly — not when they refuse even to consider tax increases for people like Donald Trump.
Martin A. Dyckman
Waynesville
To the Editor:
Circumstances have prevented the organization of the annual county-wide litter pick-up/recycling event to celebrate Earth Day here in Macon County.
Because there has been no one able to fill this breach for a spring-time effort, let me personally urge all Macon County residents to please go outside, pick up and appropriately recycle the glaringly evident roadside trash, the plastic bags blown into the fields, brush and trees, and the various junk decorating our streams and mountain vistas.
It is my hope we can organize a county-wide litter pick-up later in the year, on Saturday, Sept. 24, to coincide with an international earth effort taking place at that time.
Shirley Ches
Franklin
To the Editor:
In the April 6-12 issue of The Smoky Mountain News, Carole Larivee wrote a letter to the editor that was headlined “GOP legislators try to block federal money.”
Larivee referenced House Bill 422 sponsored by three Republican state representatives, claiming it would block “a $461 million federal grant to improve rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte, creating 4,800 jobs over the next two years.” She claimed the money “comes with no strings attached.”
I believe Larivee’s letter misled readers.
First, HB 422 prevents the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) from applying for, accepting, or expending federal grant funds unless the project had been approved through an act of the General Assembly. Under current law, NCDOT is given unlimited authority to receive funds for rail programs from the federal government, and spend those funds, without legislative oversight.
HB 422 is not draconian! N.C. county commissioners must approve applications for state or federal grants before they are made by county departments. Why shouldn’t the same apply to state departments?
Gov. Perdue is proud of reorganizing DOT to remove political cronyism from its decision-making. Passing HB 422 would be another excellent way for her to bolster that goal.
Second, the Obama administration allotted $8 billion of its $862 billion stimulus program for high-speed rail projects. This stimulus spending has been one factor in adding around $3 trillion to our national debt in two years. The DOT grant is more borrowed federal money.
Third, the $545 million grant will not create 4,800 jobs in two years, as Larivee wrote. The DOT’s own press release from Aug. 10, 2010, on the award claims “It is estimated to create or maintain 4,800 private-sector jobs.” These are jobs over four years. Furthermore, the way the estimate was made counts one job which lasts four years as four jobs. How’s that for creative accounting?
Finally, Larivee says the money “comes with no strings attached.” There are strings. If the rail project turns out to be a failure, and is shut down, N.C. would be required to repay the $545 million. N.C. will also have to provide supplementary operating funds in perpetuity. This project could be our State’s Amtrack.
Governors and legislators in Florida, Wisconsin, and Ohio have declined the free federal high-speed rail grants totaling in excess of $3 billion. I would not be disappointed to see N.C. come to its senses and decline to use its grant.
Vic Drummond
Franklin
Once more the Department of Transpor-tation will come to Macon County, in the name of listening to community input, when they hold a hearing on the fate of McCoy Bridge Monday evening, April 25, at 6 p.m. at Cowee School.
Spanning the Little Tennessee River between the Oak Grove and Rose Creek communities, McCoy is one of about thirty truss bridges remaining in service in North Carolina. It is part of an historical and scenic corridor along the northern reach of the Little T, starting with the West’s Mill Historical District, embracing the Cowee Cherokee Mound and McCoy Bridge, passing the buried remains of long forgotten Cherokee settlements and taking the slow pace of a winding highway on one side and the uniquely beautiful Needmore Road on the other. And the river itself, of exceptional quality, boasts a number of rare aquatic species as well as ancient fish traps that appear in times of low water.
When the state DOT last held a McCoy hearing in January of 2009 and presented only their preferred alternatives – all of which were quite similar – they were perhaps taken aback by community reaction and memory, which recalled the 2002 hearing and DOT promises made then for a detailed study of how the bridge could be refurbished. They had not done that, but promised to have a thorough analysis available at the next hearing, which is now at hand.
DOT would have us believe that truss bridges are unsafe. This simply is not true. To emphasize the fear associated with an unsafe bridge, shortly after the last hearing DOT lowered the McCoy Bridge load limit from 15 to 3 tons. This for a bridge that has been posted at 15 to 21 tons for over 70 years. The crossing at McCoy Bridge is slow speed and low volume. There has never been a recorded accident at or on the bridge.
Refurbishing – a highly successful practice for keeping historic bridges in service in other states – is not the only option. Two retired engineers – one in Rose Creek and the other in Oak Grove – presented a redesign proposal in person to the NC-DOT in May of 2009. This proposal would upgrade the capacity of McCoy Bridge to 26 tons, widen the bridge slightly while keeping its one-lane character, and have trusses remain as historical, rather than load-bearing, members. This plan was largely ignored by DOT, who was unable to deviate from the policy of “we don’t replace one-lane bridges with one-lane bridges.”
Other states do. Pennsylvania has over 700 truss bridges in service; Iowa over 1,200. These are both states comparable to North Carolina in geographical size. Indiana makes a point of restoring and bringing its historic bridges up to modern load-bearing standards. But North Carolina is rapidly losing its history to rigid policy standards that breach no exceptions. This must stop if we are to have any living history left. Come out Monday to Cowee School at 6 p.m. to meet with NC-DOT and make your voice heard. Safety and history are compatible.
Doug Woodward
Macon County
Governments at all levels and all across the nation are broke. At every county courthouse and state house, money taken in from taxes and fees can’t match the spending elected officials have become accustomed to. As they say in literature, a reckoning is coming. Over the next several years, the relationship between taxpayers and our government will undergo a fundamental shift.
It’s a pendulum swing, similar to what we experienced with Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Many of us won’t like the consequences, and so we’ll write opinion pieces or letters to the editor, or blog, or protest in the streets, and finally elect folks who will do our bidding. That’s the way it works.
As I was reading about local unrest toward government spending, I got an email form Doug Woodward about the McCoy Bridge in Macon County. You can see his thoughts in our letters section.
Woodward and his neighbors are up in arms about a bridge. I wrote about that bridge controversy nine years ago, and at that time my argument did not focus on the monetary cost of rehabilitating a bridge versus building a new one. Everyone had money back then, and building around the mountains was booming. No, I worried about the cultural and symbolic value of the old bridge to the community it served.
Today we can include the fiscal argument. If it is cheaper to rehab the old bridge and give the community what it wants, then just do it. It makes sense on every level.
Anyway, here’s a portion of that column from 2002 that Woodward asked us to re-print prior to the April 25 public hearing that could decide the fate of the bridge:
Bridges have a unique symbolism in literature and in real life. At their best they provide a thread of connectedness, while at other times they highlight the distance and depth of opposing views.
In Macon County, the McCoy Bridge crossing the Little Tennessee River just off N.C. 28 is bearing the burden of exposing how government and communities can sometimes work against each other. In this case, the individual entities involved don’t harbor ill will toward the other. The real underlying problem is that the government units — the county and the state — don’t have the kind of planning in place to adequately deal with the situation that has arisen.
When that occurs, the government entities and the private citizens must share in the blame. Whether you believe it or not, in this country private citizens still determine what kind of government leaders they will have, and therefore share in whatever decisions are made. As we learn to grapple with the modern challenges of growth, sprawl and protecting the environment, this little bridge may provide an example of how to work together to meet common goals.
The McCoy Bridge is a one-lane vehicular truss bridge, the last one in Macon County. Vehicles traveling in opposite directions between the highway and Rose Creek Road must wait for cars coming across the bridge before they can pass. There is no room for zooming, two-way traffic moving at dangerous speeds. Residents in the Oak Grove community of northern Macon County want it to remain that way.
… The bridge serves a rural community a few miles outside of Franklin. As it is, massive, sprawling development on the opposite side of the river — and across the bridge — would be difficult. Many of those who might see the development potential of that mountain real estate would refrain because access is limited by the bridge. It serves as a kind of barrier, not natural, of course, but one that was built in 1939.
The state Department of Transportation, however, has determined that the bridge needs work. Engineers have deemed it functionally obsolete and unable to handle future traffic demands. Its structural integrity is suspect, they say.
…. There is also a very significant cultural and historical side to this issue. Throughout these mountains we are building roads and opening up rural areas for development instead of tackling the more difficult issue of protecting these lands and containing development in areas where infrastructure already exists. The DOT is right that the bridge is probably in dire need of some engineering work. A Ford Excursion certainly puts more stress on an old bridge than a 1945 Dodge did.
The trouble is that the DOT mandate to keep roads and bridges safe also enables them to carry more traffic, makes them wider, and makes them safer for higher speeds. Those attributes, though, are not necessarily good things for the community that uses the road — or the bridge in this case — that is being “improved.” And what we must remember is that the bridge was built to serve the community.
It’s easy to guess what will happen in this unique area of Macon County in the future if local and state leaders — along with private citizens — don’t wrestle with issues like this and get on the same page. Roads will be widened and curves will be straightened. Houses will be built. Schools will be needed in the outlying areas, solid waste will have to hauled somewhere, septic tanks or sewer lines, along with other infrastructure, will need to be built. Taxes will go up to meet these needs. The rural countryside five miles outside of Franklin will become just another suburb. A one-lane truss bridge will not be able to handle the traffic.
The McCoy Bridge dilemma serves as an example of the challenges facing these mountains. Residents who value our rural countryside have to make sure they put the leaders in place who have the same values, not those who will pave over paradise instead of working for a better alternative. Time is running out.
That warning from 2002 didn’t foresee the housing bubble burst and the ensuing recession. The dizzying pace of construction in the mountains has ground to a halt. So now we do have time to take stock of what’s important and work to save it. And we have to be more careful with every tax dollar that is spent.
In this case, we stand with the Woodward and the residents who live in this community — rehab the historic bridge and make it a showpiece instead of building a concrete slab spanning the Little Tennessee river.
(Scott McLeod can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Public hearing
The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing on Monday, April 25, regarding alternatives for replacing the McCoy Bridge. The hearing will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Cowee Elementary School gymnasium. It will be a question-and-answer session with transportation officials. Maps displaying the bridge replacement alternatives will be available prior to the public hearing from 5 to 6 p.m.
The Small Business Center of Haywood Community College will offer a free seminar entitled, “Business Owner’s Guide to Facebook and Twitter: Starting from Scratch to Online Success” from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26.
The hands-on workshop will be held on campus in Room 219, with each business owner at a computer station. During this workshop you will learn to:
• Create a Facebook business page
• Add information about your business
• Learn how to post on your wall and how to share information
• How to build a following
• Interact on Facebook as your business page
• Add and manage photos
• Open and manage a Twitter account
• Set goals and manage success
Cintia Listenbee is a journalist and the owner of Listenbee Media (cintialistenbee.com), a consulting firm that works with businesses and non-profits developing social media strategies, offering training, coaching and managing social media campaigns.
Bring a few photos of your business and you will leave this workshop with a Facebook business page as well as a Twitter Account ready for use. Space is limited so please pre-register early to reserve your seat. Call the Small Business Center at 828.627.4512 for this free seminar.
Jackson County is one of four counties in North Carolina that has decreased its dropout rate the most, according to a report recently released by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
Jackson County’s dropout rate fell from 4.43 percent in 2008-09 to 1.99 in 2009-10. That state’s average dropout rate is 2.55 percent, the lowest rate ever recorded in North Carolina.
Steve Jones, Jackson County’s assistant superintendent, said he couldn’t point to “any one thing that made the difference, but rather a hundred little things designed to meet kids where they are in life and take them as far as they can go.” He did point to two of Jackson County’s student retention initiatives – the Bridge Program which targets 9-12 graders, and Momentum Victory, which is geared toward 7-9 graders.
The Bridge Program is funded by Southwestern Commission’s Workforce Investment Act Youth Program and works one-on-one with high school age students to keep them in school, help them graduate, and move on with their lives. The Momentum Victory Program is funded through a grant from the General Assembly and is dedicated to early intervention and prevention among middle-schoolers and early high school age students.
The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, April 25, regarding alternatives for replacing the McCoy Bridge on Rose Creek Road over the Little Tennessee River in Macon County.
NCDOT has proposed replacing the existing bridge with a new bridge located downstream from the current location. The proposal will require additional right of way. The public hearing is the final opportunity for the public to ask questions and state comments before an alternative for replacing the bridge is chosen.
The public hearing will take place at the Cowee Elementary School gymnasium in Franklin. It will be conducted as a question and answer session with a moderator and panel of NCDOT and Federal Highway Administration representatives. Maps displaying the bridge replacement alternatives will be available prior to the public hearing from 5 to 6 p.m.
For additional information, contact Christy Huff, Project Development and Environmental Analysis, Bridge Unit, at 919.707.6173 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A trash pick-up of Veterans’ Boulevard and U.S. 19 is being organized by the Swain County Chamber of Commerce beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 30. Participants will meet in the Ingles’ parking lot and the chamber will provide trash bags and safety vests. Volunteers are responsible for gloves and grabber sticks.
828.488.3681 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A presentation on a state bill to overhaul energy consumption will be given by the Canary Coalition at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21, in Sylva.
Avram Friedman, director of the Canary Coalition, will explain the Efficient and Affordable Energy Rates Bill, H135/S367, which has been introduced in the General Assembly.
The bill would lead to a new method of billing for energy use on a sliding scale. Those who conserve and use less energy will pay a lower rate. Those who use more will pay exponentially more.
Separate rate structures would apply for residential, commercial and industrial users. The bill also creates an Energy Efficiency Bank to provide low-interest loans for energy-efficient projects that would be administered as part of monthly utility bills. Seven other states currently have implemented similar rate structures.
The presentation will be held in room 220 of the Jackson County Justice Center.
U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan will meet with constituents Thursday, April 21, from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at the Southwest Development Commission in Sylva.
The office is at 125 Bonnie Lane, across from Southwestern Community College. The purpose is to help people “navigate issues with federal agencies,” according to an announcement of the event titled, “Conversations with Kay.”
Waynesville resident Kristen Wall, a trainer with the Asheville Compassionate Communication Center, will present two workshops on conflict resolution.
“Communication: Skills for Transforming Conflict” will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, at the Haywood County Library in Waynesville and at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, at Blue Ridge Books at 152 S. Main Street in Waynesville.
“‘Nonviolent’ doesn’t just mean the absence of physical violence,” says Wall. “The ‘nonviolent’ in Nonviolent Communication means being powerful by being your most vulnerable human self, and refusing to dehumanize the other.”
For more information about upcoming presentations and classes, visit www.ashevilleccc.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A two-day preview of The Main Street Artists Co-op gallery will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23.
Twelve returning artists will join nine new members displaying a wide spectrum of the visual arts, ranging from wall art to 3-D works at the gallery on Main St. in Waynesville.
The gallery will officially open on May 1.
828.926.2043.
Western Carolina University’s Concert Choir and University Chorus will present a free concert at 8 p.m. Monday, April 25, in the Coulter Building recital hall.
This will be Director Robert Holquist’s final concert before he retires after more than 30 years of teaching at WCU.
The two ensembles will perform pieces by Schubert, Andrew Lloyd Webber and a selection of spirituals.
828.227.3259 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Local lawyer Bill Jacobs will chronicle his cycling journey across the United States in a program at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 28, at the Albert Carlton Library in Cashiers.
Starting in California last September, Jacobs spent 40 days traveling through 10 states, averaging 80 miles a day to finish in Wild Dunes, S.C. The trek totaled more than 3,200 miles.
Jacobs’ bike and equipment will also be on display.
828.743.0215.
Students ages 16 to 22 who dream of a life on stage can have the opportunity to work with musical theater professionals at Western Carolina University’s 2011 Triple Arts Broadway Series, to be held July 17 through Aug. 1.
Broadway veterans Terrence Mann and Charlotte d’Amboise will lead a two-week workshop where skills in auditioning, dancing, singing and scene interpretation will be developed and honed.
A staff of expert choreographers, vocal teachers and directors will assist in the program.
To register, applicants must submit a registration form along with a $35 fee, a resume, a photographic headshot and a video audition of a song, dance or dramatic performance as well as a letter of recommendation from a non-relative vocal, dance or drama professional. All accepted applicants are required to provide a non-refundable $250 deposit by April 30.
828.227.7397 or visit triplearts.wcu.edu.
The documentary “Waiting for Superman” will be screened at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, at the Albert-Carlton Library in Cashiers. The movie chronicles the state of the nation’s public schools.
After the film, charter school advocate and activist Ned Fox Jr. will lead a question and answer session. Fox served as headmaster for Charlotte Latin School from 1976-2001 and is active in the charter school debate.
828.743.0215.
A free flute and oboe concert will be held at noon on Thursday, April 21, at Grace Church in the Mountains on North Haywood St. in Waynesville.
The concert is the next in the Grace Noon series, now in its third year.
The concert will feature two local musicians, Tiffany Powell on flute and Patricia Stone on oboe. Powell is a graduate of Western Carolina University. Stone earned a bachelor and masters in music from the University of Georgia.
The Grace Noon concerts are free and begin at 12 p.m., concluding just before 1 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring and enjoy their lunch during the program.
Taste of Chocolate is coming April 30 to the Maggie Valley Country Club, and the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center is looking for bakers to bake their favorite chocolate recipe.
This year’s categories are Amateur, Bed and Breakfast, and Professional. A panel of judges will sample each recipe and award first, second and third prizes in each category.
Tickets for spectators are $12 in advance, $15 at the door.
828.456.6456 or e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
When the new Jackson County Public Library Complex opens in early June, an active team of volunteers will be needed to make the library run smoothly.
Jeni Silver, the library’s new volunteer coordinator, is ready to recruit local volunteers for jobs from tour guides to book repairers to readers.
Individuals who would like to become part of the Jackson County Public Library Volunteer Team, or wish to get more information, may contact Jeni Silver at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
With the Jackson County Library poised to move to its new home, patrons with valid library cards are asked to make the move easier by checking out library materials for an extended period of time. The more books and other items which are checked out by patrons, the less the library staff will have to move.
During the week of Monday, April 25, through Saturday, April 30, patrons can come into the current library and check out one or more containers full of library items. Each item checked out during this week will be stamped with a due date of Monday, June 13. No return items will be accepted on Saturday, June 11, the date of the grand opening. Items returned after June 13 will incur the usual late fees.
828.586.2016.
The Haywood County Arts Council’s Quilt Trails project will unveil its first quilt block in Maggie Valley at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26, at the Maggie Valley Town Hall.
The Maggie Valley Town Hall block is the fifth block on the Haywood County Trail, joining other blocks on the Shelton House in Waynesville, and the Shook House, Lil’s, and Haywood institute in Clyde.
The Town Hall block design is a traditional Little Red School House pattern selected and purchased by the High Country Quilters and given to the Town of Maggie Valley as a gift. Elsie Orrell, president of the High Country Quilters Guild and Kay Ross, member of the Guild presented the Guild’s proposal in late 2010 at a Town Hall meeting where the Town Board voted to hang the block on the left front of the building which was originally a school house.
The four-foot-by-four-foot wooden block was painted using traditional colors of vivid red and bright white and will be on the left side of the building near the front entrance. The block can be easily viewed and photographed from Soco Road or from the parking lot of the Maggie Valley Town Hall.
The beautiful rock school house was built in 1930 with assistance from the W.P.A. at a cost of $8,000. It consisted of four classrooms, an auditorium, and indoor plumbing. Families in the community donated sled loads of rock which mostly came from nearby creeks.
In 1952, two brick classrooms and a cafeteria were added. The building was used as an elementary school until 1986. For 80 years the building has served as a stabilizing force in the community as a center for education, sometimes as a place of worship, sometimes as a clinic, sometimes for quilt shows, and other times for meetings to grow a better community. The former school now houses the Town Hall and the Maggie Valley Library.
Anyone who would like a quilt block installed on their barn or building, or need more information about the Haywood County Quilt Trails project, can call Kay S. Miller, executive director at the Haywood County Arts Council at 828.452.0593 or email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Who: Haywood County Arts Council and Haywood County Quilt Trails
What: Unveiling of First Quilt Block in Maggie Valley at the Maggie Valley Town Hall
When: April 26 at 5 p.m.
Where: Maggie Valley Town Hall
Great art isn’t often associated with speed – the Mona Lisa wasn’t painted in an hour. Michelangelo took more than four years to perfect the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
But for the last 10 years, a special event has laid out a challenge to local artists: create a finished piece, ready for sale, all in under an hour. It’s not a simple task, but Quick Draw has proven a popular challenge for artists, whose pieces are auctioned off at the end of the hour to support the arts education in Haywood County.
Now in its 10th year, Quick Draw is a fast-paced event that provides a new environment for people to experience art and for artists to create it, while providing funds to support the next generation of artists.
For the artists themselves, the event supplies a challenge and a chance to interact with the public that the studio just can’t provide. And with space for only around 50 artists, Jo Ridge Kelley — artist, owner of Ridge Runner Naturals in Waynesville and Quick Draw committee member — said they’ve now had to make it an invitation-only event.
“You know, it’s become so popular that we have to say that it’s by invitation only,” said Ridge Kelley. “Now we work with the ones that have been faithful to Quick Draw all these years.”
One of those artists is Ann Vasilik. Vasilik is a Western North Carolina native whose watercolor paintings can be seen in galleries and public spaces around the region. For her, the challenge, the crowd and the buzz of artistic creation make the event a unique experience every year.
“I enjoy the challenge and then just adding the time element on top of that just makes it even more exciting for me,” said Vasilik. “I certainly love doing watercolor, and this is an opportunity to show the medium at it’s best.”
Not all of the artists at Quick Draw can work against the clock, of course. Some art, by its very nature, takes a lot longer than an hour to come together. But around half will race the time limit to get their creations completed before auction time.
With a bustling and interested crowd milling around, working for an audience can be vastly different to creating solo.
While strategies for withstanding the pressure from both audience and deadline vary, Vasilik said her preferred method is blocking them out completely.
“What happens at Quick Draw is I totally block out the audience in front of me — the sounds and what they’re saying — because I’m so focused on the painting,” said Vasilik. “I have a little sign on my board that says ‘right brain at work, speech impaired.’”
For the spectators, even if the artists are too busy to chat with them about their work, just watching so much creativity burst forth in one place is an exciting experience.
Ridge Kelley said she hears art lovers singing the event’s praises all year long.
“I have people come into our gallery and say it’s their favorite event of the year, they wouldn’t miss it,” she said. “The creative energy is what I hear the most about. It’s just so amazing to see that many artists all in one place.”
While an event like this is fun for both participants and onlookers, the point, of course, goes beyond simple art appreciation.
Quick Draw raised $13,000 last year to fund art in local schools, as well as funding two scholarships for students studying the arts at a collegiate level.
This year, according to Ridge Kelley, they’re shooting for the $20,000 mark and trying to fund three scholarships.
But in addition to the funds generated by ticket sales and auction proceeds, Vasilik sees the event itself as an opportunity to turn more and more people on to arts education.
“I think the journey through the painting is the exciting part, seeing it come together,” said Vasilik. “I think you gain appreciation for what the artist puts into it, and a large part of it is entertainment, so you want to educate and entertain at the same time.”
WHEN: Saturday, April 30 • 4:30-9:30
WHERE: Laurel Ridge Country Club • 788 Eagle Nest Rd., Waynesville
HOW MUCH: $50 in advance
MORE INFO: www.wncquickdraw.com
The Jackson County Recreation/Parks Department is still accepting registration for this year’s 5K Run/Walk at Greening Up the Mountains. The annual race takes place at 9 a.m. prior to the opening of the festival events in downtown Sylva. This year, all proceeds will benefit the greenway trail being built at the Webster Department on Aging complex.
This year’s course is new, providing a much more friendly terrain for the race than in previous years. The course runs from Mark Watson Park across Business 23 and down Old Dillsboro Road, then turns around in Monteith Park and comes back on the same route to the finish at Mark Watson Park. This course is primarily flat, with few slopes, but does have one gravel section.
T-shirts are provided with registration and are guaranteed to the first 75 to register. Pre-registration is $20; race-day registration is $25, and begins at 8 a.m. the day of the race. Registration forms may be printed from www.downtownsylva.org.
What child wouldn’t love to be a super hero for the day? The Downtown Sylva Association is sponsoring a “Recycled Superhero” contest for children during Greening Up the Mountains this year.
All superhero costumes will be made from donated recycled materials – and we need your help to make these dreams a reality. Recycled materials – everything from fabric scraps to paper towel rolls, aluminum cans to cardboard boxes – can be dropped off at Town Hall in downtown Sylva.
Children will be able to use their imaginations to come up with their very own superhero costumes from your donated items, get their faces painted by volunteers from Western Carolina’s University Players, and come up with their very own unique super powers.
Children can build their costume between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the DSA Children’s Booth at Bridge Park; judging will start at 2:30 p.m. near the Children’s Booth. Winners will be announced in several categories at 3:15 p.m. and can take home prizes from local sponsors.
Bring all household items and related materials that could help us make superhero costumes for these kids.
The 2011 Heritage Alive! Mountain Youth Talent Contest at Greening Up the Mountains has really exploded.
The start time for the contest has been changed from 10 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Bridge Park stage to accommodate the large number of youth who want to perform. Approximately 24 acts will take the stage before the program draws to a close at 11:15 a.m.
Entertainers ranging from 10- to 18-years-old will perform on fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, buck dancing, vocals and poetry.
Cash prizes for all participants have been donated by the Catch the Spirit of Appalachia Board of Directors, parents of the 4-H youth, First Citizens Bank, United Community Bank and Champion Credit Union. Judges for the contest are Judy Rhodes (guitar/piano/singer entertainer); Pam Dengler (fiddle/piano entertainer); and Ron Smith (guitar/banjo/singer entertainer).
Jackson County 4-H is joining with Catch the Spirit of Appalachia to produce the Mountain Youth Talent Contest. The Heritage Alive Mountain Youth Talent Contests started in 1997 and is for youth ages 5-18. The purpose is to discover, develop, and encourage talent in the youth of Western North Carolina and to provide an opportunity for local youth to perform on stage before an audience.
Participants in the Talent Contest will now also be eligible to participate in “4-H Entertains” at the district and state level. The Mountain Youth Talent Contest will be offered in three locations and “Best of Show” winners will perform at Mountain Heritage Day at WCU.
• Greening Up the Mountains Festival (Sylva) – Saturday, April 23.
• The Franklin Folk Festival – Saturday, July 16.
• Great Smoky Mountains Railfest in Bryson City – Saturday, Sept. 17.
The two organizations are also working together to bring the JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians) program to Jackson County. 4-H is working with a group of community members to start this after-school music program next year. Classes will be taught by regional musicians who will pass along their skills in guitar, fiddle, and banjo.
The JAM organizing group is currently seeking funding through grants and individual contributions to get this program off the ground. The program is also in need of instruments (guitars, violins, and banjos) so that costs for participants can be kept low. For more information contact Ray Menze at 293.3407 or Pam Dengler at 506.8802.
Smoky Mountain Stage
(Suntrust Parking Lot, Area D)
10-10:15 — Jackson County Heritage Preservation Commission Poster Contest Awards
10:30-11:30 — Triple Threat Performing Arts Academy (including an audience participation dance lesson!)
11:45-12:15 — Lions Gate Kung Fu Academy
12:30-1:30 — Marshall Ballew
1:45-2:45 — Dan River Drifters
3-4:30 — The Freight Hoppers, with special dancing guests the Cullowhee Valley Cloggers.
Tuckaseigee Stage
(Bridge Park, Area E)
9:30-11:15 — Heritage Alive! Youth Talent Show (sponsored by Jackson County 4-H)
11:30-12:15 — John-Luke Carter
12:30-1:15 — Total War
1:30-2:15 — Buchanan Boys
2:25 — Announcement of Superhero Costume Contest Winners!
2:30-3:15 — Big House Radio
3:30-4:30 — Vertigo Jazz Project
Mother Earth Day Jam
All musicians invited to participate in an open jam session. Tuckaseigee Stage, 4:30-6.
The 14th annual Greening Up the Mountains Festival is slated for Saturday, April 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Sylva.
The spring festival, named for the way spring creeps up the mountain sides, began over a decade ago as a celebration of Earth Day. Crafters, environmental groups, non-profits, local businesses, and farms and nurseries will provide more than 135 engaging booths for this year’s attendees.
The festival’s music lineup includes headliners The Freight Hoppers, Vertigo Jazz Project and Big House Radio and local favorites Marshall Ballew, the Dan River Drifters, John-Luke Carter, Total War and the Buchanan Boys. Performances by Triple Threat Performing Arts Academy students and the Cullowhee Valley Cloggers will add to the day’s festivities, as will the Heritage Alive! Youth Talent Contest sponsored by 4-H and the presentation of the Jackson County Heritage Preservation Commission’s Poster Contest Awards.
The day begins with a 5K Walk/Run at 9 a.m. from Mark Watson Park, sponsored by the Jackson County Greenways Project.
This year’s festival centers around the theme of supporting local businesses, providers and residents as the best way to create a sustainable economy. The festival will showcase demonstrations, booths and educational displays from environmental groups, “green” initiatives and those focused on learning and sustaining traditional mountain crafts and arts.
New this year, a “Market Square” will provide an open-air space for farms, CSAs, nurseries, beekeepers and others to showcase their traditional agricultural wares, and a full complement of children’s activities will encourage their participation in environmental stewardship and local economies.
The festival brings an estimated 10,000 people to downtown Sylva each year.
Sponsors for this year’s version of Greening Up the Mountains include: Howard Allman-Allstate Insurance, Pepsi, Duke Energy, Harrah’s, United Community Bank, Charles Wolfe-State Farm, Jackson County Arts Council, Soul Infusion, Bubacz, The Smoky Mountain News, Tuck Reader, WRGC Radio, McNeely Companies, Dogwood Women’s Health, Stanberry Insurance, Suntrust, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, Western Carolina University, Annie’s Naturally Bakery, and Southwestern Community College.
For information call 828.586.1577 or visit www.downtownsylva.org.
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and the Franklin Bird Club will host a bird outing at the Tessentee Bottomland Preserve on April 15.
The preserve is located in Macon County, south of Franklin. Birders will meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Tessentee Preserve parking lot and will walk approximately 2 miles along an old wagon road that follows the Little Tennessee River, which lies in the heart of a major flyway. The Tessentee Preserve is stop No. 53 on the N.C. Birding Trail.
The outing will last about three hours and will be led by John and Cathy Sill. Participants should bring water and binoculars. No dogs are allowed.
To get to Tessentee Bottomland Preserve from Franklin, take the U.S. 23-441 south for approximately 5.2 miles, turn left onto Riverside Road and follow for .5 miles, turn right onto Hickory Knoll Road and follow for about 1.9 miles — the preserve is located off a private drive (2249 Hickory Knoll Road) on the right-hand side of the road. The parking area is on the left, before the farm gate. To RSVP contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.524.2711, ext. 209.
LTLT acquired the 60 acres of bottomland and river bluff land at the confluence of Tessentee Creek with the Little Tennessee River in November 1999. The acquisition was the first land protected along the free-flowing Little Tennessee. Today, more than 5,200 acres and 35 miles of river frontage have been conserved. LTLT’s Tessentee Bottomland Preserve now encompasses 70 acres and includes a granite outcropping above Tessentee Creek with commanding views of the broad Little Tennessee Valley looking south. For more information about the conservation and restoration projects of LTLT, please visit www.ltlt.org.
Haywood Community College’s Earth Day celebration will include demonstrations of renewable energy and sustainable technologies, a Green Business Expo, green games and green films.
The Earth Day activities will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, on the college campus in Clyde.
Some of the renewable energy/sustainable technology demonstrations include wood gassification by James Nowack; biodiesel production and operation; hybrid vehicle demo and electric bicycle by the Land of Sky Regional Council; compressed natural gas vehicle by Alt Tech Eco; and a Chevy Volt electric vehicle, which is the only one of its kind in Western North Carolina.
Some of the Green Businesses participating in the Expo include HCC’s Small Business and Technology Development Center, Haywood Waterways Association, Haywood County Public Library, Haywood Builders Supply, and Sundance Power Systems.
For more information contact Preston Jacobsen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 828.565.4033.
In honor of Earth Day, Steve and Mary Abranyi of Green Mountain Builders & Realty Group are collecting unused cell phones. Any proceeds received from the collected phones will be donated to local environmental organizations.
Cell phones can be dropped off at the office of Green Mountain Builders & Realty Group, located between Laurel Street and Spruce Street in Highlands.
828.526.9523.
The annual Freestyle Shootout and Demo Days are set for April 15-17 at the Nantahala Outdoor Center.
The competition in the shootout, which includes some of the top professionals, begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. On Friday lights will be set up so competitors can practice their moves under the stars in preparation for the weekend.
The 2011 event, says the NOC website, will likely be the last year of competition on the original freestyle feature in the Nantahala River before enhancements are made for the 2012 World Cup event and the 2013 ICF World Freestyle Championships in the Nantahala Gorge.
All the boats in NOC’s massive demo fleet will be available for free test-paddling on the Nantahala River during Demo Days. The normal one-hour free demo has been expanded to two hours except for the most popular boats.
Manufacturer reps will also be on hand to answer questions about new boats and gear. The outfitter store is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday; and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The weekend’s festivities also include live music.
For more details visit ww.noc.com.
More than 200 riders are expected to participate in the 19th anniversary of the annual Tour de Cashiers on April 30. The tour has grown to three routes, ranging from 25 to 100 miles.
Once again, this year the tour will partner with a similar ride in Walhalla, S.C., “Issaqueena’s Last Ride.” The combination of these two rides form the Blue Ridge Double. The events will be on consecutive weekends.
All rides for the Tour de Cashiers start at the Village Green in Cashiers on Saturday morning April 30 at 9 a.m. The early-registration cost is $40, or $35 for riders who sign up for the Double. The entry fee includes a T-shirt, light breakfast and a hearty post-ride lunch, as well as on-road support and well-stocked rest stops. www.TourdeCashiers.com.
Volunteers, too, are needed to man rest stops, ride support vehicles along the routes, assist with registration, and so on. 828.421.2658 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
BicycleHaywoodNC is sponsoring group rides for new and newly returning bicycle riders.
The focus of the rides will be to assist cyclists in enhancing their fitness and including bicycling as part of a lifestyle change. Rides start at Rolls Rite Bicycle Shop on North Main Street just past the Haywood County Board of Education in Waynesville. The rides are part of the Haywood Fitness Challenge for 2011.
Interested participants should be at Rolls Rite by 5:30 p.m. with their own bicycle and helmet. A brief safety chat and bicycle check will be held before each ride, and participants are required to sign either an annual release and waiver of liabilities, or an individual release and waiver each ride.
Children under the age of 18 must have parent or guardian signatures on the releases, and children under the age of 15 must be accompanied at all times by a parent or guardian.
No rider will be left behind. Dress for the rides should be comfortable clothing that will not bind or get caught in the bike drive train.
In the event of inclement weather, rides will be postponed until the following week.
828.276.6080 or www.bicyclehaywoodnc.org, “local rides” page.
The Cherokee Runners Organization is seeking sponsors for its first Cherokee Runners Moonlight Race 5K Run/Walk, which will take place on Monday, July 4.
The event will coincide with the tribe’s Fourth of July celebration and fireworks. The race will help fund the Cherokee Runners Summer Running Camp, and 20 percent of entry fees will be donated to the Cherokee Special Olympics.
There are several levels of sponsorship, ranging from “Friends of the Cherokee Runners Classic” ($25 donation) to a “Title Sponsorship” ($500 donation). Each level includes event day recognition and at least one complimentary race entry.
The Cherokee Runners Organization started in March of 2010 as an informal group of runners ranging from amateur to elite. After forming friendships and becoming a support for one another they decided to form a club. They welcome runners, friends of runners, visitors, beginning runners and walkers of all levels.
www.cherokeerunners.com, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A workshop on preparing shiitake or oyster mushroom long will take place at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 14, at the Cashiers Community Library.
Participants will learn to prepare a shitake or oyster mushroom log and can take a log home with them to start growing. The cost is $10 per log with a maximum of three logs per person.
To register or for more information call 828.743.0215
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate its fifth-annual National Junior Ranger Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, with special activities at Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee.
Activities planned will range from ranger-guided walks and programs to making dinner bells at a blacksmith shop. Making historic toys, cornhusk dolls, and visiting touch tables with animal skins, skulls and scat are a few of the other natural and cultural opportunities available.
Children can “earn” their Junior Ranger badge by completing three of the specially planned activities. A Junior Ranger booklet is also available for those who would like to explore the park in more depth. The Junior Ranger booklets, produced in cooperation with Great Smoky Mountains Association, can be purchased for $2.50 each at park visitor centers.
National Junior Ranger Day is a special event for National Park Week, celebrated this year between April 16 and 24. National Park Week is an annual president-proclaimed week for celebration and recognition of National Parks. This year’s theme is “Healthy Parks, Healthy People.
The Friends of Panthertown and the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust will hold a clean-up day along trails in Panthertown Valley at 11 a.m. on April 15.
Panthertown Valley, often called the Yosemite of the East, is part of the Nantahala National Forest. The 6,300-acre backcountry area offers more than 25 miles of designated trails with vast terrain ranging from deep gorges to cascading waterfalls and granite rock domes.
Anyone interested in participating should contact Kyle Pursel at 828.526.1111 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Volunteers will meet at the Salt Rock Entrance off of Breedlove Road. Bring water, food, a pair of gloves, and pruners if you have them.
Harold Catman Sims has published a new book titled Kevin Tames the Bullies.
Sim operates the Catman2 no-kill cat shelter in Jackson County, and all proceeds from the sale of the book will go toward helping operate the shelter.
Kevin Tames the Bullies is a sequel to Sims’ first book, Kevin the Helpful Vampire Cat. In his first book Kevin helps new cats adjust to life in the Catman2 shelter. But unbeknownst until now, Kevin was teased and bullied by some of these same cats when they noticed Kevin’s upper canine teeth were growing longer, making him look like a Vampire cat.
The other cats were pointing at Kevin laughing and sometimes swatted a paw at him. He didn’t understand why they were doing this until he happened to see himself in a reflection in his water dish. Then he knew … he was different. He wanted the teasing to stop but he didn’t want to fight them and be a bully himself. So he finds a non-violent way to solve the problem.
Books can be ordered for $14.95 ($12.95 for the book and $2 for shipping) by mailing PO Box 2344 Cullowhee, N.C., 28723.
Author Bart D. Ehrman will read from his latest book, God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question – Why We Suffer, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.
Ehrman is the author of more than 20 books, including three New York Times bestsellers. He is also a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is a leading authority on the New Testament and the history of early Christianity. His work has been featured in Time Magazine, the New Yorker, The Washington Post and others.
828.456.6000 or visit blueridgebooksnc.com.
To the Editor:
If the Republican Congress were really serious about balancing the budget they would take a long hard look at the Pentagon, as that is where the lion’s share of discretionary spending is located. The cuts they are proposing are clearly ideologically-driven, as they come at the expense of programs designed to help the poor and middle class. Here are 10 reasons why military spending should be on the chopping block:
• It accounts for over half of the discretionary budget – $717 billion out of a total discretionary budget of $1.247 trillion — 57 percent.
• Military spending has doubled in the last 10 years — from $334 billion in 2001 to $722 billion in 2010.
(3) The Pentagon budget has a history of cost overruns — $300 billion above what Congress authorized for various weapons systems in the last 5 years.
(4) The Pentagon budget has not been accountable to Congress and there are no audits.
(5) Pentagon contracting is out of control. Standards, quality control and review for redundancies could yield significant efficiencies and savings. And, as retired Army Lt. General John Vines says, we don’t even know if all this activity is making us safer.
(6) The U.S. military budget accounts for 46.5 percent of global military spending.
(7) U.S. presence in the world includes hundreds of military bases in Europe, particularly in Germany. Are these bases necessary to our defenses?
(8) The military budget is funding weapons systems — added in by Congress — that even the Pentagon does not want or need.
(9) Military contracts are not a job-creation engine. Military dollars spent in a state yield the least number of jobs, compared to investments in health, education, transportation, and even tax cuts.
(10) Local economies are not dependent on job creation through military contracts with private firms. In all but one state, at least 94 percent of the gross state domestic product does not arise from military contracts with local companies. Even in Virginia, which hosts the Pentagon, 90 percent of the state’s economy relies on non-military goods and services.
Before they cut Medicare, Social Security, food stamps, Head Start, education, health care, foreign aid, and other programs which meet human needs, let’s demand that our Congressional representatives cut waste, graft, unneeded weapons systems and military bases, and unprovoked and unwinnable wars from the War (Defense?) Department budget.
Doug Wingeier,
Waynesville
To the Editor:
The commercial property owners, the merchants who rent property for their small, medium and large businesses, deserve to understand how the county has decided that commercial property has increased 35 percent, 42 percent, and even 67 percent in value. This is very bad for Haywood County.
Maggie Valley is at economic Ghost Town level and I do not mean the one up on the mountain! I mean the merchants and commercial property owners in Maggie. The same goes for downtown Waynesville. How can our elected officials believe that commercial property is worth so much more money? You cannot give away commercial property in most commercial areas of the county.
A week or two ago a super liberal organization called MoveOn.org came through Haywood County and was invited to meet with county Democrats at their center in Haywood Square. I received an invitation via the Internet and decided to go see their performance and hear what their message was.
I was met at the front door and told, “You are not allowed at this meeting!” I guess they knew who I was, but they failed to greet me by name. I told the person blocking the doorway that I had received an invitation on the Internet and had come to hear their message. She said loudly for all those already seated inside to hear ... “Only card carrying Democrats are allowed in this meeting.”
OK, I replied, and stood perplexed outside the closed door. Then they sent a man out front to stand there and hold up a large professionally prepared poster that was all red, white and blue that stated in very large letters, “Stop the War on Workers!” Well I am a worker, along with other employed people in Haywood County, and I was not aware of a war against me and other workers around the county. But, maybe I am just working too hard to survive these hard times and have not been made aware of a war on me that needs to be stopped!
But now that the new revaluation results have been mailed to commercial property owners I am about to decide that the county commissioners have declared war on businesses in Haywood County. Haywood County, Canton, Clyde, Maggie Valley, Waynesville and the Downtown Waynesville Association all participate gleefully in taking money from property owners in Haywood County and spending it willy-nilly on this non-essential services or pet projects. They will now set a tax rate and we will cough up money for them to pass out to this agency and that agency in the name of Big Government ....
Are you Taxed Enough Already? Meet me in front of the Haywood Courthouse on Tax Day, April 15, Friday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Bring your own lawn chair. Open mike and the meeting is open to those who carry a party card and to those who do not! There will be no door to close in your face. This meeting is open to all.
Jonnie Cure
Waynesville
By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist
A fellow once asked me, about a car I was selling, “What’s the least you would take for that car?” I thought for a second and replied, “What’s the most you’d give for it?”
In that exchange was the essence of the market. Buyers want to pay the least they can and sellers want the most they can get and the idea of the market is to find a place where their interests intersect.
In the case of the car we both had information we could go on to determine a fairly narrow range of value for the car. There are published reports of what similar vehicles sell for and there are other bits of information that gave both of us a range in which a realistic price ought to exist. What was left was to consider our individual needs, how much he might want the car versus how badly I needed to sell it.
The parameters of the transaction though were determined by this thing we call a market which is nothing but a confluence of information, need and desire. The market gives the buyer and the seller some assurance that there is a reasonable range of price that can be arrived at by applying the available information to the available supply and demand.
I’ve had several conversations recently with people seeking to buy or sell property here in Jackson County. A question seems to keep coming up, what is anything actually worth? I have a friend who is looking to buy a few acres on which to build a house. He’s found a piece of land that seems suitable and is to his liking. He wants to offer a fair price but because of the failure of the market he has no idea of how to determine what that might be. I happen to know the seller in this transaction, and he too would like to arrive at a fair price but has little means of judging what that might be. Because neither trusts the market, neither is willing to complete the transaction.
There are many factors that have contributed to the failure of the market for land here in Jackson County. Prices had reached speculative levels before the overall crash. Many of our normal pricing mechanisms like government valuations reflect these prices, which are clearly no longer valid. Then too we had a number of development companies that to varying degrees had engaged in a game of catching the rising bubble. They offered plans and schemes that probably never would have succeeded but were at the least based on the fiction of ever-rising prices.
These plans and schemes were specifically designed to be attractive to a class of buyers who felt particularly wealthy due to inflated stock, capital, and property markets. These were people who were living an illusion, their wealth was neither liquid nor solid yet their willingness to spend on things like second homes reflected a confidence that simply was not justified.
Protecting the land
While the great property bubble was building there were many here in Jackson County who were concerned about the unfolding events. Thousands of acres of environmentally sensitive land were being slated for development. It seemed that the plans for these developments gave little attention to either environmental consequences or for that matter more prosaic concerns like the ability of local infrastructure to absorb and service the additional development. In addition, the idea of turning Jackson County into a wealthy enclave of gated developments was far from attractive and highly unsettling to people, both natives and those who had relocated here.
Somewhere between the golden goose of high-end gated development on every available parcel and absolute preservation there was likely to be a middle ground. Many of those who supported the development of land use regulations saw those regulations as a means to ensure that development bore the burdens and responsibilities of its impacts as a consequence of reaping profit. Many recognized that some, moderate development offered good solid middle-class jobs in the trades for many long time Jackson County residents. The failure of the boon times was that it overwhelmed the county’s capacity to absorb it. Many of the plans were unrealistic, financed in highly speculative ways and far too nebulous in terms of their care for existing communities and sensitive environments. In addition, many of the developers ignored local economies and local tradesmen in favor of carpetbaggers and firms designed to work quick, cheap and fast as a means of deriving maximum profit to the exclusion of all other considerations.
The crash put an end to all of that. And while many of the speculators, the developers, real estate hucksters, attorneys and financiers who fueled the boom lost heavily, some of those hurt worst were local individuals and communities who were left with high property valuations, higher taxes and a moribund economy.
We’ve moved from a highly inflated market fueled by speculation and untenable assumptions to no market, a sense that no one knows quite what anything should be worth and everyone seems hesitant to engage in even basic economic activity. The uncertainty affects the retirement plans of some, the job prospects of others, and even the fundamental assumptions on which much of the county’s budget is based.
Fixing a damaged market
The problem, it would seem, is that there is a great deal of inventory available (although much of it is compromised by various legal entanglements). Some very large areas that had been slated for high-end development are locked into a legal limbo.
Some of the land most impacted is also some of the most environmentally sensitive. Some of it currently has half done, poorly done infrastructure that threatens a tremendous mess. For examples, one only has to look at the reporting on some of the more informed local blogs. And perhaps even worse is that many of the 7,000-plus lots that were essentially exempted from the land-use regulations exist within these developments.
So, we have an essentially non-functioning market in Jackson County, a damaged economy, and a huge inventory of damaged and legally encumbered land.
I wonder, though, if there isn’t a possible solution that might serve everyone’s interests to some degree or another. The overall public interest might best be served if some of the most sensitive land that was slated for development and is now compromised by legal, financial or environmental complications was transferred into the public trust either through conservation easement or transfer into state or federal parks or game lands.
The first argument one might expect to hear about such a proposal is that the county could not afford to lose the prospective tax base. That same argument was made 40 years ago when much of the land that is now Bear Lake Reserve (or was, since some has since been sold) was offered into the public trust. In retrospect, we can see the loss of opportunity and the costs that development has imposed.
The fact is that a sizable reduction in inventory would actually give the market some basic parameters against which to re-establish itself. The future loss of supposed tax base, certainly no sure thing given recent events, would likely be offset by the faster recovery of local property markets and the associated increase in economic activity.
There are those who might argue that at present the terrain looks quite nice thank you. Development has been halted and the assaults on the environment and our communities have ceased. I would reply that at best that is only temporary and that we have all the elements for another bubble in place, although I would concede that it is an event likely not to occur for perhaps 10 years.
Still, there is a tremendous amount of money, both corporate and private equity, sitting on the sidelines at the moment. The hesitancy of that money to move might just as likely be attributed to wiliness as fear. Someone somewhere is waiting to pick up distressed assets at a bargain and the question isn’t if, it may be when. The ensuing consolidation may actually be worse. There is some indication that parts of the trophy market are, if not recovering, at least evolving. One should remember that those in the top 2 percent of income have actually done quite well of late.
We may have an example of a more savvy investor here in Jackson County. J.P. Kennedy, a software developer for the oil services industry, may be one of the largest single landholders in Jackson County. He sold much of what became Bear Lake to Centex and bought back some of that when Centex failed. It also appears he has been involved at various levels with the Legasus properties.
Mr. Kennedy or some entity that is as equally well resourced may be in a position to consolidate thousands of acres for development. Given the current attitudes of those in power at state and local levels it is likely that government might find itself willing to be accommodating to the desires of ostensibly powerful interests. And for all the good the ordinances did, their creation left avenues large enough to drive a very large bulldozer through for those who might be so inclined.
Unlikely partners?
What’s to be done? Well there might just be an opportunity available provided those with power and those with expertise can come together in some fairly creative way. A couple of banks and a private equity company or two own some pretty worthless paper on several thousand acres. There are any number of lot owners who purchased lots in developments that will never exist. There are claims, counterclaims and foreclosures, tax liens and likely any other number of legal hurdles that might make immediate development of any of this land impossible.
If local, state and federal agencies — along with conservation and preservation organizations — were to put their heads together, it occurs to me that between existing tax credits and incentives, easement possibilities, and possibly even mitigation credits, that a reasonable proposal might be created that would allow the banks and private firms holding what amounts to useless paper to clear their balance sheets fairly quickly. Actually, those developers and investors that didn’t go under might like to participate, since the elimination of inventory and the likely restoration of the market that would follow would be in their interests as well.
We live in an unsettled time. Governments at all levels are cutting programs and expenses. Investors are timid and markets are stymied. The times are difficult, but difficult times often uncover unique opportunities.
(Mark Jamison lives in Webster and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)
Cat adoption fees will be discounted from April 16 to 19 at Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation in Waynesville. Cats between four months and four years old will be $1 per pound. The adoption fee will be waived completely for cats older than four years.
All cats have been spayed or neutered and are up to date with their shots.
828.246.9050 or visit www.sargeandfriends.org.
Men and boys are encouraged to gather in Sylva to take a stand against violence against women at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 16.
The 100-Man March will begin at the Sylva Bridge Park for the official count of all male attendees. The group will then proceed to the Old Courthouse steps for a ceremony. Throughout the hour-long event, interviews with participants and community leaders will be taped for an audio documentary of the 100Man March, courtesy of WRGC radio.
828.631.4488, ext. 207 or visit www.reachofjackson.com.
The documentary on the state of education in America “Waiting for Superman” will be shown at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 21, followed by a talk with a school reform activist at the Cashiers Library.
Charter school advocate and activist Ned Fox, who lives in Cashiers, will lead a question and answer session. Fox has served as headmaster at Charlotte Latin School and interim co-director for Summit Charter School. He also has a private firm that serves as school consultants and has worked on school reform for years. 828.743.0215.
Life coach Marne Harris will conduct a workshop “Alter Yourself: 5 Fundamentals of Fulfillment” from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 14, at Old Mountain Health Center in Waynesville. The course focuses on core changes people can make to conquer life’s challenges with ease and success. $15. Call or e-mail to RSVP. 828.631.3841 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
