TABLE OF
CONTENTS

THE GRAPEVINE '04

IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

12/06/04
Monday evening's Town Council meeting was attended by Boy Scout Troop #192 as they learned a little about Town Government.

The majority of the meeting involved end-of-year housekeeping for the town, including the putting up for sale of two portable basketball goals and a portable nine-hole putt-putt course by the Recreation Department. The items will be advertised soon and for more information, you can contact Tim Rhoney at 879-2132.

Three public hearings were set for January 10th: The Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) regulations, the new zoning ordinances, and the Pizza Hut annexation will all take place at the January town council meeting which was rescheduled to the 10th because Town Hall will be closed on the 3rd for the New Year's holiday.

Valdese has received statewide recognition for its employee safety and wellness programs. It's insurance company stated that Valdese had the third best safety rate among 250 local governments and the North Carolina League of Municipalities credited Valdese with having one of the best wellness programs in the state.

In construction news, the Gardiol sidewalk project is nearing completion with the restoration of people's lawns remaining. Also, the post office mailbox relocation project is expected to begin this week.

The new Town Hall remains on the back burner. The Town is currently evaluating its options and taking proposals on renovations of the existing building. Some equipment, such as the heating system, is too old to feasibly be repaired and such factors, along with cost issues, will be considered when deciding which option is best for the town. There will be more discussion and a presentation of options at the January council meeting.

Membership at the Fitness Center is back on the rise and is now over 500 people. Typically, the new year sees a rise in membership, with a steady decline over the course of the year. On a related subject, Town Manager Jeff Morse stated that the bid to become a regional training center for triathletes is still a possibility. Restructuring in the national organization has slowed the process but that the town will continue to campaign.

Don't miss Old Colony Player's production of The Homecoming, beginning Thursday night. This story is related to the story of The Waltons and this production is being directed by Chuck Moseley. The production runs through Sunday.

11/29/04
With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas just around the corner, a number of events are planned for the holidays, beginning with the annual Valdese Christmas parade this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Also, don't miss Old Colony Players Christmas production, The Homecoming, beginning December 9th and running through the 12th.

Work on Rotary Park has begun above the tennis courts at the Community Center. The concrete slab for the picnic shelter has been poured and the posts for the cover are up.

And speaking of the Community Center, from December 1st through January 31st, they are offering discounts on membership packages: 10% on the 1, 3, and 9 month memberships and 25% on the one year membership. Also during this period, daily fees for the pool and fitness center will be lowered. Contact the Community Center at 879-2132 for more information.

The Trail of Faith lit its display on Friday evening with a little help from Valdese Elementary School students who provided the musical accompaniment. The lights will be on from 6:00 until 9:00 p.m. through Christmas Day and are free to view, though donations are requested.

On the subject of tourist attractions, the Waldensian Museum and Waldensian Heritage Wines' expansion projects are coming along nicely. The Museum's addition will effectively double it's display area and add an orientation room and other much-needed improvements. The Winery is creating a facility for hosting catered events beside the main building.

And if your Christmas shopping is not complete, stop by the Rock School Arts Foundation's Art Galleries for some great gift ideas, including: paintings, baskets, sculptures, and much more. The Art Galleries are open from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

11/02/04
First I must apologize to anyone who went to last Friday's Boogie Night concert to find that it wasn't there. Apparently, the people from the Valdese Business Association who help coordinate the show were unable to be there so they decided to end the concert series early. Unfortunately, I wasn't told.

The Valdese Town Council met last evening, but first a few reminders of upcoming events. This Saturday, from 6:00 - 10:00 a.m., the Valdese Rotary Club will have its annual pancake breakfast at the Valdese Elementary School. Friday, November 28th will be the Relay For Life at the track behind the Old Rock School. And Saturday, December 4th will be the Valdese Christmas Parade at 10:00 a.m. More details on the last two events will be posted as we get closer to their date.

The Rotary Club presented preliminary plans for the development of their mini-park above the tennis courts at the Valdese Community Center. The plans include a covered picnic shelter, a grill, benches, and parallel parking spaces, which will mean fewer spaces but more room for the park. They plan to have a dedication ceremony on February 22nd, 2005, the day before the Rotary Club's official centennial anniversary.

The Valdese Police Department may soon be sporting a new look as newly hired chief John Suttle proposed going with a dark silvery-grey for the shirts and adding a matching vertical stripe down the sides of the pants. The uniform was shown at the council meeting and it does look better than the current solid blue and makes you think of a state trooper. The new shirts will be a cotton-poly blend instead of the current polyester which will be more comfortable for the officers. Their rank insignias will move from their arms to their lapels. The Department is also planning to acquire two new patrol cars as their current cars have accumulated a number of miles.

The Valdese Public Works Department is proposing that it begin charging a flat $25 fee for picking up construction waste from any property, whether the waste was created by the property owner or a contractor. This fee is not a revenue-generator, but will be to offset the landfill tipping fee they pay each time they take a load to the landfill. They are also considering picking up yard waste that is larger than 7" in diameter once a month for that same $25 fee. Branches that size cannot be shredded and must go to the landfill.

Pizza Hut will soon become an official part of Valdese as the town has elected to annex their property. Annexation was a condition Pizza Hut agreed to when it applied to receive town services.

Three new speed bumps will soon appear on Hill Street to slow traffic coming to and from the Valdese Community Center.

On the county level, the Burke Partnership for Economic Development has selected a site off Kathy Road in Morganton as the location for an industrial park. This affects Valdese as a member of the partnership because the town will be helping to pay for construction of the park. Several months ago, the town agreed to set aside $.01 of its property tax revenues to go toward the project and the first payment will be $3,350 for earnest money in securing the 80 acres of land.

10/23/04
The Valdese Business Association will host Halloween Festivities on Friday (October 29th) beginning with Trick or Treating at downtown merchants at 3:00 p.m. At 5:30 p.m. there will be a costume parade that begins at the recreation center and goes to the Main Street parking lot near Wachovia. At 6:00 p.m., a costume contest will be held for all participants.

Friday also marks the last Friday Boogie Nights concert of 2004. The concert, also held in the Wachovia parking lot, will feature "Night Moves" and will begin at 7:00 p.m.

On Tuesday, Dr. Ben Garrou will hang up his stethoscope after 39 years as a physician. In such a long tenure Dr. Garrou could likely have three generations of family members under his care. I have been told that he has become fond of the beach and since I've seen him driving a convertible around town, I imagine his retirement will include a number of  visits to the coast. He has been helping train and acclimate his replacement (Dr. Brenda Baker) for the past few months. Best of luck to an excellent doctor and a fine human being.

10/07/04
Congratulations to Valdese First United Methodist Church on it's 75th birthday.

The town is still busy with a number of projects, mostly dealing with roads and facilities. The Gardiol Road sidewalk construction is in the early stages with some of the area being flagged and the town is looking at fixing a potential sinkhole problem on Praley Street in the southbound lane.

The paving of Main Street may be delayed until Spring if work cannot begin before Winter sets in.  As part of the project, a new traffic light system will be installed and a possible turn lane will be added for westbound traffic onto Carolina Street, near Sara Lee Bakery.

The town will begin maintaining the grounds for the Valdese Library since the Burke County Library System has had to make some cutbacks.  The adjacent Cole house, which the Library now owns, will be handled by the prison system.

The relocation of the outside mailbox at the post office is finally on its way to becoming a reality with approval having been received from the postal service and property owner. In case you've forgotten, the mailbox will be moved to the south side of the building and a drive-through route will be created with traffic entering on Rodoret Street and exiting behind the post office onto St. Germain.

The town will be applying to FEMA for compensation for damage costs incurred from the two hurricanes.

Hi-Performance Engineering, located on Laurel Street, behind the Laundromat is doing some exterior improvements and renovations and has received a $1000 grant from the town as part of its Downtown Revitalization efforts and its Facade Improvement Program. Speaking of the FIP, it will soon undergo some revisions to consider all exterior portions of buildings and other issues not addressed in the original program.

The Fitness Center has experienced some membership drop-off lately and is looking at ways to boost participation. According to Tim Rhoney, this is typical for this time of year and the peak membership period is typically January, with New Year's Resolutions and cooler weather driving people indoors. Current membership is about 540 people.

09/08/04
With school back in session, the streets are a bit quieter than usual in Valdese. The Festival is over and people have turned their attention to a hurricane that's dumping a lot of rain on our area. It's ironic that the hurricane is named Frances since former Town Clerk/Administrative Assistant Frances Hildebran just had a retirement dinner in her honor at the Old Rock School.

Mrs. Hildebran was in attendance at tonight's town council meeting and helped install Thelda Rhoney as the new Town Clerk/Administrative Assistant.

Also installed at the meeting, to no one's surprise, was Barbara Hefner as the new Tourism Director. This is a newly-created office that will focus on tourism development in conjunction with Allen VanNoppen's office. Mrs. Hefner's position as Assistant Director of the Community Affairs Department will be filled by Alex Dalmas.

At the meeting it was announced that Tiger Gym would be getting it's roof resurfaced and the Teacher's Cottage will be getting new siding.

The annual Litter Sweep/Roadside Cleanup campaign will be coming soon and the town will embrace the effort to clean and beautify our town. Flyers will be printed up and public service announcements will be broadcast on WSVM. The campaign also encourages people to take part in the adopt-a-highway program.

The relocation of the outdoor mailbox at the Valdese post office has been approved by the U.S. Postal Service and should take place in the near future. The mailbox would be moved to the south side of the building and traffic would come off Rodoret Street, pass it with the driver's side closest to the box, then continue behind the building and come out on St. Germain Avenue.

Four "Welcome To Valdese" signs have been ordered and will be placed at the four major entrances to town: off the interstate on Carolina and Eldred Streets and on Highway 70 on the eastern and western end of town.

Speaking of Main Street, it looks as if it will finally be getting that paving it has needed for some time. According to Town Manager Jeff Morse, the paving should be complete by this winter and will take care of the pot holes and raised water meter holes that have become such a nuisance.

The Gardiol Road sidewalk project has hit an unfortunate delay as the recent bad weather has called away Duke Power's line workers. One of the first steps in constructing the sidewalk involves relocating the telephone poles and with the workers away, only limited progress will be made.

Apparently, Lovelady Road is under consideration as a location for one of the new Burke County high schools. The new school would hold approximately eight hundred students and would significantly increase traffic on Laurel Street in the morning and afternoon. The property is not actually in the town limits so the only control that the town will have over any development will be in an advisory position. Jeff Morse said that the town will insist on a significant buffer be retained between school property and the town's residential property. The locating of a high school off Lovelady is not definite however, as the cost of preparing the site might be too high.