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Hendersonville News

City feels 'kicked in the teeth' by McGrady water bill

Hendersonville City Council members said they were surprised that state Rep. Chuck McGrady filed a bill subjecting city water rates to state regulation just three days after a seemingly constructive two-county summit on utility issues. McGrady orchestrated a meeting Friday with officials from Henderson and Buncombe counties, Hendersonville and Asheville and other legislators from both counties, including state Sen. Chuck Edwards. Hendersonville officials came away from the meeting confident that McGrady would hold off moving ahead on any plan that would heavily regulate the city water system. McGrady filed a bill that bars cities from charging differential rates unless they get state approval. “We thought we had a good meeting Friday but obviously Chuck has escalated things,” said Hendersonville mayor pro tem Caraker, who represented the city along with Councilman Ron Stephens. “We’re going to work on bringing our inside and outside rates closer together. And we would welcome continuing the conversation with the county to get our water utility and our sewer utility more responsive according to the county’s criticism. “Chuck told us he was going to file a bill as a placeholder. He didn’t indicate it was going to be this bill, which is quite a surprise,” Caraker added. “We were perfectly willing to have the rate structure conversation but obviously Chuck thinks about it over the weekend and decides this was not quick enough.”   ‘Productive in tone and substance’ The City Council had been bracing for an attack in the form of legislation ever since the Board of Commissioners failed in an effort to force the city into ceding its water system to a countywide authority. McGrady’s bill bars cities from shifting water revenue to any other purpose. The proposed law would allow the expenditure of enterprise fund revenue for things like construction and new pipelines, repaying debt and paying into a city’s general fund for officials’ time devoted to utilities management and other shared costs such as vehicle maintenance. Cities could charge outside users a different rate only if the Local Government Commission, a state board that oversees local government finances, approved the rates after a public hearing. Instead of targeting Asheville specifically, as McGrady and the Legislature did two years ago with a bill invalidated by the state Supreme Court, or targeting Hendersonville, the bill applies statewide. “It does (apply to Hendersonville) to the extent that it’s a statewide bill,” McGrady said. “It applies to everybody.” Like Caraker, McGrady characterized Friday’s meeting as positive. “We had an all-parties meeting on Friday with representatives and managers and it was productive in tone and substance,” he said. McGrady said he hoped that the cities and counties would be able to “deal with some of the representation issues that Henderson County has put forward,” possibly through an interlocal agreement. His bill subjecting differential rates to Local Government Commission approval is lighter in oversight than a version that would have subjected the city’s utility system to control of the North Carolina Utilities Commission. That was an idea McGrady had raised after a Hendersonville officials rejected the idea of joining a countywide water authority. The commissioners endorsed the idea of Utilities Commission jurisdiction over the city’s rates and capital spending after negotiations with the city collapsed. “I call that a hard oversight,” McGrady said. “This is what I would call more soft oversight. There are cities across the state that are functionally bankrupt” and are extending water lines well beyond the city limits to capture water customers and balance their budgets. Because of that, he said, he found that the idea of restricting out-of-city rate differentials was gaining wide appeal. He characterized the water legislation as a work in progress, a draft that could effectively keeps the parties at the negotiating table. “I told the parties based on their good faith I will stand down on what I called the nuclear option,” forcing a water authority. “My bill does have a study provision in it. It’s not a heavy handed approach,” he said. “I think all the parties recognize I have plenty of other options if they can’t work it out themselves.” City Manager John Connet said the staff was still evaluating the consequences of McGrady’s bill. He said the city likes oversight by the Local Government Commission better than the Utilities Commission idea. “We know them. We work with them on a regular basis,” Connet said. As for the impact of the bill statewide, Connet said there’s no doubt that many cities have tuned in to a power struggle that started here. “There are a lot of cities and a lot of systems that charge a rate differential so obviously it’s going to affect them and I expect they’ll have questions,” he said. “I think our folks are willing to sit down and talk to the county. Exactly what the topics will be is yet to be determined. Obviously, we heard from Rep. McGrady that rate differential is something he’s concerned about.” McGrady and county officials are also pushing for some form of representation for outside users, Connet said. A constructive meeting on Friday did not mean, McGrady said, that the city has signed off on the bill. “They’re not going to be OK with the bill but they’re certainly OK directionally and I’ve also told them this is not a take it or leave it,” he said. “I’m quite open to input and willing to make changes that make sense. But I do intend to move the bill.”   ‘Kicked in the teeth with this’ Caraker and Miller say they’ve been stunned by the way the water war blew up. “They act like they’re the only people that have any moral authority and have the wellbeing of the people in the county in mind and that’s just not true,” Miller said of McGrady and the county commissioners. He said he could understand the county’s position if the city was not running its water system properly and communicating openly. “But as long as it’s going as nicely as it is now and we’re inclusive, why go in there and stir it up if it’s not a grudge or heavy-handed politics,” he said. “No one can come in and look at our books and say we are pulling money out of that enterprise fund and spending it inappropriately…. It’s a huge business and we are not good ol’ boy networking this.” Caraker agreed. “He’s going to be affecting the pocketbooks of a lot of people,” he said of McGrady’s proposal. “I don’t see that he’s making a lot of people statewide happy. It’s kind of astounding to me that all this is going on.” The city signaled that it was willing to work toward equal rates, involve the county in long-range planning and look at some form of representation to outside users. “And all of a sudden we get kicked in the teeth with this. We had such a good relationship with the county up until very recently, with the high school thing and this water situation. I feel like I just walked by Rod Serling and he pointed me to the ‘Twilight Zone.’ I took the lead in the meeting Friday because somebody had to come forward and come toward the middle. But forcing the issue in legislation is kind of nasty.”   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Planning Board recommends City Council deny HHS plan

The Hendersonville Planning Board in a split vote on Monday recommended that the City Council deny a rezoning for a new Hendersonville High School, saying that the plans raised safety and traffic concerns and were incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood.The Planning Board also recommended denial of a special-use permit in a 5-3 vote.The board took the action, which is not binding, after the county’s architect of record and engineers explained the $54 million new school, which has been strongly opposed by HHS students, faculty and alumni. Architect Chad Roberson said after the meeting that as far as he knows the county plans to go forward with the application before the City Council on May 4. The meeting seemed for the first hour to be the watched pot that failed to boil. The county made a straightforward presentation of the rezoning and special-use permit application, going into detail about traffic, parking and security. Opponents raised the same objections they had been making for nearly two years — on traffic, failing to use the historic Stillwell building and neighborhood concerns. After the public hearing was closed, Planning Board members had only four questions for Roberson. But then, when it came time to discuss the application, Steve Johnson asked to have his three minutes, as the public had been given, “to air some things that may not sound relevant.” He recounted that his hometown in Tennessee spent five years to site and build a new school, reaching an agreement on the "perfect spot" after much public discussion. “But the situation here is a little bit different,” he said. “We’re talking about building a new high school that’s larger than the one we have now on top of it, I know it’s not literally on top of it.” Among his concerns were areas the Planning Board is allowed to consider — “namely safety, traffic, neighborhood compatibility and just acreage,” he said. “It’s a beautiful looking concept if it were in the right place. I have a hard time going along with it with all the consternation that has been drummed up about it.” Given the concerns, "I’m not sure it’s time to make this decision,” he said. “I don’t why the city and county can’t get together on this and come up with something that’s suitable.” John Coker seconded Johnson’s motion to recommend the City Council deny the development applications. Supporting the motion were Jay Thorndike, Aaron Black and Jon Blatt. Ray Mundy, Peter Hanley and Ben Pace voted no. Planning Board Chair Steve Orr does not vote. When it came to the concerns about the acreage, Mundy said the Planning Board had raised the same issue when Ingles applied for a permit to build a new store on Spartanburg Highway. “They put a large building on a postage stamp,” he said. He was dubious, but “it looks really good.” “Somewhere along the line it comes to the point where it’s time to proceed or put it to bed,” Mundy said of the long HHS debate. Now the future of HHS is anything but put to bed. The Planning Board’s no vote revived the spirits of HHS alumni and other supporters who want the county to maintain original Stillwell building as an integral part of the school and it set up a big decision for the City Council on May 4. HHS Alumni Association President Bill Orr said the Planning Board decision was the first time he'd seen an attempt to stop "a wagon running downhill without brakes." "We don't need something crammed down our throats like a law enforcement center," he said. "I've told City Council members, 'Don't let county commissioners kill your elected body like they did the Board of Education."   Read Story »

Henderson County News

City police arrest man on child exploitation charges

Hendersonville police detectives and agents with the Department of Homeland Security arrested an Arden man after an investigation involving child exploitation. Detectives charged Johnathan Cody Alexander, of Arden, with solicitation of a child by a computer to commit an unlawful sex act resulting in an appearance at a meeting location, and dissemination of obscene material to a child under 16. Mr. Alexander was taken into custody without incident and was jailed at the Henderson County Detention Center under a $10,000 secured bond. The Hendersonville Police department continues to conduct proactive investigations into Internet crimes against children . The public is asked to contact the Hendersonville Police Department at 828-697-3025 or Henderson County Crime Stoppers at 828-697-STOP with any information involving the exploitation of minors.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Jackson Park check results in a dozen felony drug charges

A Henderson County sheriff’s deputy making a security check at Jackson Park came across a suspicious vehicle and ended up arresting three occupants on a dozen felony charges. When the deputy drove through the park at 8:30 p.m Sunday, he spotted the car with three passengers, one of whom had a knife in his lap. After backup arrived, deputies took the three into custody. Bobby Wise, 56, of 614 Buena Vista Drive, was charged with possessing 19.7 grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of heroin, 22 doses of the stimulant Vyvance (a schedule II narcotic) and drug paraphernalia. Wise was charged with: -- Felony maintaining a vehicle for controlled substance-- Felony possession of methamphetamine-- Two counts of felony conspiracy to sell/deliver methamphetamine-- Two counts of felony conspiracy to sell/deliver heroin-- Two counts of felony conspiracy to sell/deliver Vyvanse, Sch II CS-- Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia Wise is being held in the Henderson County Jail under an $87,000 secured bond. Monica Buckner, 34, of Fairview, was found to be in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Buckner also concealed methamphetamine that was found after arriving at the Henderson County Jail. She was charged with: -- Two counts of felony conspiracy to sell/deliver methamphetamine-- Felony possession of methamphetamine when entering the Henderson County Jail-- Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia Buckner is being held in the Henderson County Jail under a $14,500 secured bond. Deanne Bautista, 46, of 74 Little Mountain Drive, was charged with felony conspiracy to sell/deliver methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. She is being held in the Henderson County Jail under an $8,500 secured bond.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Nik's Run seeks to raise addiction awareness

Patti Fredrick-Enloe kept hoping for the best. Her son, a star athlete in high school, had fallen into addiction, first with alcohol, then pain pills and finally heroin. She hoped he would not become a statistic, one of 13,000 North Carolinians since 1999 to die of an accidental overdose. That hope was dashed when a law officer knocked on the family’s door on Oct. 29, 2013.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Scholarships help single moms pursue BRCC degrees

Taking five college classes while working full-time would be a tough balancing act for any 22-year-old. Victoria Hayes has an even higher priority every day — spending time with her daughter, Holly.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

LIGHTNING PHOTOS: Here are the banners of ArtScape

Hendersonville's newest public art display, ArtScape, debuted this spring in downtown Hendersonville, from Mud Creek to Mud Creek. Forty-one depictions of artwork by artists from Henderson County working in forms from watercolor to wood are displayed on light posts and power poles from the Visitors Center to Seventh Avenue East near the Oklawaha Greenway. The outdoor exhibit includes 2x3-foot photos of the artwork on Main Street and Seventh Avenue and on the avenues on either side of Main Street. Made possible by sponsorships and a grant from the Community Foundation, the ArtScape pieces are for sale at Art MoB on Fourth Avenue East and Art on Fourth on Fourth Avenue West. Check out all the pieces here.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

CITY COUNCIL CHOOSES MILL DEVELOPER

The Hendersonville City Council on Thursday night chose a developer from Carrboro as a partner to transform the Grey Hosiery Mill into an upscale boutique hotel with 57 rooms, signaling that the city's 20-year quest for saving the historic structure could be near an end. The proposal to cooperate on a development with Belmont Sayre is not a done deal. The council authorized City Manager John Connet and the city's UNC School of Government-based consultant to draw up an agreement over the next 90 days and present it to the council on July 6. "We’ve been so excited," said Margie Bukowski, director of client services for WeaverCooke, the contractor for Belmont Sayre. "We've brought together a great team. Belmont Sayre is very familiar with buildings that have long histories." Although the proposals were less ambitious than the City Council's vision — calling for a 130-room hotel with a restaurant and an event space for 200-300 guests — council members said that after years of false starts and dashed hopes they would count the project as a victory if it quickly comes to fruition. "If we go with this recommended person, as long as they’re willing to start quicky, I think we’ve won, actually," said Councilman Steve Caraker, who admitted to being "underwhelmed" by the number and magnitude of the three proposals that were on the table. To make the project happen, the city would sell the property for $1 million and invest $850,000 in streetscape improvements to create a well-lighted attractive corridor from Grove Street to Main Street. The city projects that total revenue from the project would reach $1.98 million — $1 million for the property sale, plus $312,000 in interest for financing the sale plus $676,500 in tax revenue. Belmont Sayre, which redeveloped the American Tobacco Co. in Durham and is currently renovating the old Battery Park Hotel in Asheville, says it will use tax credits the state allows for redevelopment of shuttered factories. The city's consultant, Development Finance Initiative, put the total project cost at $13.5 million, with Belmont Sayre carrying the lion's share. The ratio of private investment to public money was 16 to 1, the report said, compared to six-tenths to 1 for a mixed use proposal and 7.5 to 1 for a proposal from a hotelier that would build a hotel on the mill property without using the old building. "This is going to be an upscale hotel," Bukowski said of the idea that ultimately won. "This is not your middle level type of hotel and we know how to do that." In response to a question from Councilman Ron Stephens, Bukowski said it's possible that the hotel could expand. A hotel market consultant advised her company to start with a modest number of rooms, given the demand in downtown Hendersonville, especially in winter. Council members liked that Belmont Sayre would convert the old stocking factory into a hotel, even if the plans lacked the restaurant, for now, and event space. The other contenders were an Erie, Pa., company that proposed a three-story Cobblestone hotel on the mill site and Josh Leder, a Brevard developer who transformed the historic Brevard Lumber Co. into an event space. In the end, council members liked Belmont Sayre's return on investment for the city's ante and liked the developer's pledge of quick action. Jerry Smith said that in almost eight years on the council he would be glad to tell constituents that "we actually know what we’re going to do this time." Caraker, a manager in construction, said speed is essential. "If we don’t save this building quickly, it’s done,” he said. With that, the council directed the staff to negotiate up an agreement that could turn the old mill into an asset that enhances downtown and creates a connection to the Historic Seventh Avenue District, which council members aspire to resurrect. "OK," Mayor Barbara Volk said after the unanimous council vote. "The clock is ticking."     Read Story »

Henderson County News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Coffee for cops, plant sale, library celebration, Train Tales

Slated to roll out this summer, the Henderson County school system’s “Meals On the Bus” mobile feeding site has already inspired community organizations to work together to feed students in need. Throughout the fall and spring, the vision of HCPS Child Nutrition Supervisor Amanda Stansbury has been taking shape, thanks to efforts from the school system’s transportation department, the Child Nutrition Department, the Correction Enterprises of the N.C. Department of Public Safety, the graphic design and carpentry classes at North Henderson High, Printville in Hendersonville, the Community Foundation of Henderson County and Gillilandscaping and Grading. A retired school bus was purchased earlier in the school year with a donation from Gillilandscaping and Grading and a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Henderson County covered the retrofitting of the bus interior to accommodate up to 15 students seated on benches at tables along either side of the bus. North Henderson High School’s carpentry class installed a plywood floor base in the bus. Stansbury Child Nutrition Director Robert Rolfe taped the interior windows so the Transportation Department could paint the inside walls a clean blue.The design for the bus was created by North Henderson High student Christian Martinez-Maya, who won a $100 scholarship from the Child Nutrition Department for his winning entry in the design contest.The “Meals On the Bus” will be a mobile addition to the three summer public feeding sites at King Creek, Edneyville Community Center and Patton Park, as well as 28 feeding sites at each elementary school and youth service organizations, which the school system already operates through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program to provide free lunches to children ages two to 18.The mobile food site will allow the school system to reach students where they are, Stansbury said. In the future, the retrofitted bus could also be used by partnering organizations to provide students with a mobile library book check-out, health screenings and dental checks. Law officers get free coffee at Black Bear Stand TALL (Thank a Local Lawman) will host the next week of free coffee, tea and soft drinks at Black Bear Coffee Co., 318 N. Main St., from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 10-15. Trinity Presbyterian sets Friends in Christ Trinity Presbyterian Church, at 900 Blythe Street, invites men of the community to join in meeting as Friends in Christ on Wednesday mornings at 10:30 in the church lounge. Friends in Christ offers men a time and place to get together to talk and share personal feelings with other men without fear of being embarrassed or judged. All are welcome. While Biblical scripture is a major source for closer connection with God and each other, Friends in Christ is not a Bible study group. Men show up because they enjoy being among friends or feel a need to be present where all are welcomed. Trust and honesty are expressed, heard, and felt among the men who become Friends in Christ. For more information call 828-692-6114 or visit www.trinitypresnc.org or the Facebook page. NAMI Connection meets on April 13 NAMI Connection, a free facilitator-led peer-to-peer support group for adults living with mental illness, will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, at First Congregational Church, 1735 Fifth Avenue West. For more information call 888-955-6264.   Congregational Church announces Sunday forums First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1735 Fifth Ave., invites the public to its weekly adult forums in the Felix Building at 9 a.m. Sundays. There is no forum on Easter Sunday. Here are the topics:• April 9 – Women’s March. The recent Women’s March on Washington and its more than 600 sister marches around the world was a powerful protest and advocacy event. People from FCUCC who participated, Maralee McMillan, Diane Rhodes and Dawn Kucera, will speak about their experiences. The male perspective will be given by Clay Edelman.• April 23 –Weapons of the Spirit. Rabbi Philip Bentley. Holocaust Remembrance Day begins at sunset. Rabbi Bentley will tell stories, including the one about the Christians in the French Protestant farming village of Chambon-Sur-Lignon who used non-violent resistance to save the lives of 5,000 Jews after France had surrendered to the Germans in WWII. “Weapons of the Spirit,” an award-winning documentary movie released in 1989, told the story to the world. Retired Rabbi Philip Bentley was recently named by Agudas Israel Congregation as Senior Rabbinic Scholar.• April 30 – Thrive and Nami, Kristen Martin and Lisa Wilt. Kristen Martin, executive director, will articulate Thrive’s position on the importance of mental health parity and the need to participate in preventative care that includes preventative mental health care. Wilt, president of the Henderson/Polk affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI Four Seasons, will describe how the agency is eradicating the stigma of mental illness, promoting recovery and optimizing quality of life for both individuals and families by providing information, promoting legislation and supporting community programs.• May 7 – The Body Code. Fran Westin. Developed by Dr. Bradley Nelson, the Body Code is a form of energy work that identifies and corrects imbalances that can cause emotional and physical problems for people. Westin, an Emotion Code and Body Code practitioner, was a social worker for 10 years working with parents’ and children’s intense emotional experiences before becoming a mother and grandmother. The experiences have given her deep understanding of how stored emotions affect our health and how the human body has a powerful ability to heal itself if conditions are right. County hosts ‘I Love My Library’ on Friday The Henderson County Public Library holds its third annual “I Love My Library” event at the main library from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, April 7. The event is intended to thank patrons, demonstrate library services, show how to get involved at the library and welcome new members. The event includes information tables, refreshments, prize drawings, giveaways and demonstrations of digital services. Henderson County Commissioner Grady Hawkins will host a special children’s story time and craft at 3:30 p.m. For more information contact Marcie Dowling at 828-697-4725 x. 2320 or mdowling@henderson.lib.nc.us. Bullington Gardens sets Mother’s Day plant sale Bullington Gardens, a horticultural education center and public gardens at 95 Upper Red Oak Trail, will hold a special Mother’s Day plant sale on Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.The sale features a wide variety of native and non-native perennials, hanging baskets, tomatoes and other vegetable starts, herbs, unusual annuals, and small trees and shrubs. Many of these plants were started from seeds and cuttings onsite in Bullington’s greenhouses. They’re perfect for Mother’s Day gifts, functional and decorative birdhouses, garden art and crafts created by volunteer artists will also be available. For more information, call Bullington Gardens at 828-698-6104 or visit bullingtongardens.org. AAUW invites public on Barter Theatre trip The American Association of University Women invites the public to join in for a Spring Fling to the see the hit musical “Footloose” at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Va. The all-day trip on Wednesday, May 23, includes bus transportation, lunch, the play and a stop to browse the Heartwood Artisan Center, wine, snacks and soft entertainment on the return trip. The bus will leave from behind Belk at 9 a.m. and return at 7:30 p.m. The all-inclusive cost is $99 for the early bird special (until April 10) and $109 until the May 5 reservation deadline. For more information and tickets, contact Martha Rumbough at 828-595-2879. The trip is a fundraiser sponsored by the Hendersonville branch of the American Association of University Women. Proceeds will support women’s education. Galleries host receptions for ArtScape banner artist   The ArtScape Hendersonville Banners committee invites the public to celebrate the ArtScape banners recently installed in downtown Hendersonville during receptions at Art Mob Studios & Marketplace, 124 Fourth Avenue East, and at Art On Fourth Gallery & Studio, 125 Fourth Avenue West, from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 7. The two galleries are hosting the receptions with the artists and banner sponsors in attendance. The art reception and sale celebrates the first annual ArtScape Hendersonville banners. Artwork selected as a result of a jury process has been reproduced on 40 banners that will hang from lamp posts on Hendersonville’s Main Street, Seventh Avenue, and side streets for a year. The 40 artists will be at the opening reception, and are offering the artwork depicted on the banners for sale to the public. Live music, appetizers, and drinks will be provided at both locations. Led by Hendersonville artist Costanza Knight, the ArtScape Hendersonville Banners Committee is a collaboration of the Art League of Henderson County, the Arts Council of Henderson County and Downtown Hendersonville and received funding from the Community Foundation of Henderson County. For more information contact the Arts Council at acofhc@bellsouth.net or 828-693-8504 or visit www.acofhc.org. Pisgah Legal hosts ambassador training Pisgah Legal Services is hosting an Ambassador Training on Thursday, April 6, from noon to 1:30 p.m. to provide volunteers and supporters with an overview of key information about Pisgah Legal Services’ programs and plans. This is an opportunity for anyone interested in learning more, to get an insiders snapshot of Pisgah Legal Services. Participants will meet attorneys and key staff who are vital to the work of helping the most vulnerable escape domestic violence and child abuse, avoid homelessness and overcome the legal challenges of living in poverty. RSVP to eleanor@pisgahlegal.org or 828.210.3443 if you plan to attend and if you would like lunch.The Last Road performsat church’s Bluegrass BashThe Last Road will perform at Hendersonville Presbyterian Church’s monthly Bluegrass Bash at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 16. There is no charge and the public is invited to enjoy bluegrass favorites and free ice cream and cookies. Hendersonville Presbyterian is at 699 N. Grove St. For more information, call (828) 692-3211. Lifelong Learning program explores Rosenwald Schools Blue Ridge Center for Lifelong Learning is sponsoring a program on “The Rosenwald Schools” from 10 a.m. until noon Wednesday, May 17, the Patton Building at Blue Ridge Community College.The course will provide a history about the Rosenwald Schools.Members and non-members are invited to attend. To register visit www.brcll.com, call 828-694-1740, or visit the BRCLL office on campus or register upon arrival at the course.On the same date from 1:15 to 3 p.m. there is a community event with alumni from the Mars Hill and the Flat Rock Rosenwald Schools will be present. Miss Hortence Potts of Flat Rock is the only known alumnus still living in Henderson County. The Flat Rock school was open to African-American students from 1922 until 1952.In the early 20th century, Dr. Booker T. Washington, prominent educator and founder ofTuskegee Institute in Alabama, and Julius Rosenwald, the president of Sears, Roebuck,and Co. and a wealthy philanthropist, developed “one of the most important partnershipsto advance African-American education.” Their plan for elementary schools to be built inrural areas included even the building blueprint. By 1932, there were approximately 5,000 Rosenwald Schools built in the South, including some 800 in North Carolina. Most of these community schools were neglected, abandoned, and/or demolished. Saluda Historic Depot announces Spring Fling SALUDA — The Saluda Historic Depot is kicking off its spring fundraiser with a fried chicken and shrimp gumbo “Spring Fling” at the Back Alley Barn behind Thompson’s Store/Ward’s Grill at 24 Main Street, Saluda, at 6 p.m. on April 22. The Radio Rangers will play from 7 to 9. The three-member band from Atlanta is performing for free to help the Saluda Historic Depot with its fundraising efforts to pay the mortgage on the purchase of the building. Inspired by the town of rich railroad history, Dan Foster wrote a ballad about the Saluda Grade. Dan arranged and performed the first version with the band High Cotton. The ballad has been arranged for the Radio Rangers and was released at the Saluda Historic Depot last November. The CD will be on sale during the Depot Spring Fling. Other band members are singer-songwriter Mark Ewald and Bryant Kachel, on electric bass. Attic and garage treasures will be sold in a Silent Auction. Auction items include antiques, paintings, glassware, furniture, plants, gift certificates to vacation spots and local adventures and more. Tickets are $30 and on sale at Thompson’s Store, the Saluda Historic Depot and at the door or through PayPal by visiting http://www.saludahistoricdepot.com/fundraisers/. Donations, which are tax deductible, to the Saluda Historic Depot in 2017 will enable the nonprofit to receive matching grant funds from the Polk County Community Foundation. For more information, please contact Judy Ward at 828-674-5958 or judyward@charter.net or Cathy Jackson at 828-817-2876 or cathy@saludalifestyles.com.   Lifelong Learning center announces summer talks Blue Ridge Center of Lifelong Learning announces the course offerings for the summer. For registration materials and more information visit www.brcll.com or call 828-694-1740.The Blue Ridge Center for Lifelong Learning, the only lifelong learning program presented at a two-year campus in the state of North Carolina, is a program of courses designed for those who are still interested in learning and enjoying talks on a variety of subjects. The courses are presented, usually in Room 150 in the Patton Building, on the Blue Ridge Community College campus. Parking is free.Courses are:• JOURNEY TO JORDAN - 1-3 p.m. Thursdays, May 4 and 11.• RELIGIONS OF APPALACHIA – 10 a.m.-noon May 8, 10, and 15.• SOUTHERN AUTHORS - 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays, May 16, 23, and 30; 1:00 - 3:00• ROSENWALD SCHOOLS - 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday, May 17. • PUBLIC TRAGEDIES - 1-3 p.m. Thursdays, May 25 and June 1. • CHINA UNDER COMMUNISM - 10 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, and 22. • TRIVIA WITH WILSON CASEY, THE “TRIVIA GUY” - 10 a.m.-noon Wednesdays, June 7 and 14. • BIRDING - 1-3 p.m. Mondays, June 19 and 26. • SAVING THE FRENCH BROAD RIVER - 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday, July 12.• GLOBAL CAPITALISM AND THE RISE OF ISIS - 1-3 p.m. Thursdays, July 13 and 20. • THE PROLIFIC PHOTOGRAPHER - 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, July 19. • USING REGIONAL (GEOLOGICAL) KNOWLEDGE TO SOLVE LOCAL (ENGINEERING) PROBLEMS - 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays, July 25 and Aug. 1. • MAH JONGG - 10 a.m.-noon Mondays and Wednesdays, Aug. 7, 9, 14, and 16. • LEGENDS AND LORE OF THE CHEROKEE - 10 a.m.-noon Mondays, Aug. 21 and 28. EdVentures (one-day fieldtrips) include: • Carolina Bison and Camels and Elk - OH MY! - Tuesday, May 9; beginning at 9:45 a.m. • Oak Ridge, TN: The Manhattan Project’s Secret City - Wednesday, May 24; beginning at 7:15 a.m. • Asheville Art Exploration: The River Arts District and Beyond - Monday, June 5; beginning at 10:15 a.m. • Mines, Minerals, and Much More! - Wednesday, June 21; beginning at 7:15 a.m. YMCA hosts Healthy Kids Day on April 29 The YMCA of Western North Carolina is hosting its annual Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jackson Park.Healthy Kids Day is a free community event that focuses on improving the health and well-being of local kids and families. The public is invited to enjoy 5k runs, games, healthy snacks and fun for the whole family. The Healthy Kids Day initiative is a powerful reminder to encourage children to focus on physical and mental play instead of idling away their summer days. The event is expected to attract 1.2 million participants nationwide.The Healthy Kids Day in Hendersonville is presented by Pardee–UNC Health Care with additional support from Foot RX Running, Asheville, Hendersonville Pediatric Dentistry and LuLaRoe (Lisa M. Brown).   Transportation author speaks at Train Tales SALUDA — Terry Ruscin, author-historian-photographer, will be the guest speaker at Saluda Train Tales at 7 p.m. Friday, April 21, at the Saluda Historic Depot. His program includes a timeline of railroad history in the eastern United States with a focus on the Carolinas and on Polk, Henderson and Buncombe County railroad heritage. Personalities include railroad executives, innkeepers, townsfolk and celebrated figures that passed through our region or became part-time or fulltime residents here. Depot architecture will be illustrated and discussed through contemporary and vintage photographs, elevations and plans. Ruscin will pilot his audience through Landrum, Tryon, Saluda, Hendersonville and Asheville, including the breathtaking climb from Melrose to Saluda. The program includes a brief history of street rails and logging operations. Ruscin’s latest book, A History of Transportation in Western North Carolina (History Press), will be available for sale and signing. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation starts at 7. There is limited seating.   Read Story »

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