TABLE OF
CONTENTS

THE GRAPEVINE '05

IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

04/04/05
There is still no official word on the destiny of the old Francis Garrou High School on Church Street. According to Town Manager Jeff Morse, the town will be meeting with the FHA to evaluate its potential as low income / subsidized housing. If it looks to be too costly to renovate, the building would have to be demolished by either the town (which would assume ownership of the property) or by its current owner, the Trail of Faith. An answer from the FHA can be expected within thirty to sixty days of the meeting.

Also at the Town Council meeting last night, the final details of the Downtown Business Appearance program were presented, including a definition of what constitutes downtown. For purposes of the program, downtown has been defined as Main Street between Eldred (on the east) and Morganton (on the west) streets, plus Eldred Street, out to the Interstate. The program will be a budgetary item with a fixed amount of funds each year and matching grants will be made on a first come, first serve basis, assuming they qualify. Signs will not be part of the program. For details, contact Larry Johnson, Director of the Valdese Planning Department at 879-2124.

The new Town Hall issue seems to be more of a case of when, rather than if. Three new sets of proposed plans were presented at the meeting by architect Robert Salsbury. The new building would be shaped somewhat like "┬" with the council chambers forming the vertical portion at the bottom. Plans call for a building approximately 7300 square feet and, at a cost of $125 per square foot, a total price of $900-930,000 is expected. With its extra offices and more space, the new building would allow for future expansion in the towns services. One issue found with the size of the new building concerns the proposed Faet Street location. The building, as designed could not fit on the site and face Faet Street (i.e. face the current building.) It would have to face the alley to the south, which would obviously look odd. The town is also considering a lot on Massell Street, below the Post Office that belongs to attorney Harold Mitchell and even possibly, the old High School lot, should that building be demolished.

Regardless where the new town hall is located, the existing facility will receive some much-needed renovations, including: a new roof, repairs to the walls in the police department, and communications towers. What is not certain is whether the current administration portion of the building will be renovated, rented, or just abandoned. Repairs on the current building could run between $275 and $500,000, depending on the extent of the work. Mr. Morse remained firm that no tax increase would be necessary to cover the cost of the new building.

The Relay for Life is coming up on April 29th and 30th on the football field behind the Old Rock School. The overnight event raises money and support for cancer and typically draws quite a crowd. To join in, contact Debbie Jones at 879-2120.

At the next town council meeting, the Burke County School Board will present an update on the new high school, which will apparently be located behind Carolina Mills, off Lovelady Road..

03/08/05
At last evening's Town Council meeting, Sandi Walker of Dolls and Designs by Sandi presented the town with an approximately twelve-inch Waldensian-style doll that she had designed and will soon be selling in her store. It was presented in appreciation for the town's helpfulness and support. Mayor Hatley gratefully accepted the gift on behalf of the town and said it would likely be displayed at the Old Rock School.

While at the meeting, Mrs. Walker also announced an upcoming community yard sale to be held on Saturday, April 2nd from 8:00 until 11:00 a.m. The event, entitled "The Treasure Market" will be in the Town parking lot, beside Wachovia Bank and will continue on the first Saturday of every month through September. Spaces will be available for $5 and you can also rent a table if you need one for $5. The event is sponsored by the Valdese Business Association and the Town of Valdese. Call Sandi at 893-0640 to sign up or for more information.

Mayor Hatley proclaimed March 7th, 2005 as "Meghan Smith Day" for her civic-minded efforts. Ms. Smith was named a Prudential Spirit of Community distinguished finalist. According to the Prudential website, Ms. Smith, "a junior at East Burke High School in Connelly Springs, spearheaded a can-recycling program in eastern Burke County to benefit Habitat for Humanity, the Ronald McDonald Charities, and the environment. She placed collection boxes throughout her area, established a permanent collection trailer in Connelly Springs, and gave children living in Habitat for Humanity houses the opportunity to build a mobile can-collection “house” for recyclables."

The Town decided to upgrade the flower beds along Main Street using paving stones like those found in front of the Waldensian Presbyterian Church and across from the front entrance to town hall. Though the cost would be more than double that of using timbers, the pavers would last much longer and require less maintenance. Also concerning the Main Street sidewalks, several new trash receptacles will be purchased so that each block will have at least one on each side of the street.

The Town will move forward with East Valdese Baptist Church's request to close the portion of Berry Street that runs between it's sanctuary and parking lot. This simply means that the church must now file a petition and a public hearing will be held with all affected property owners receiving notification. This does not mean that the street will definitely be closed, however.

The Valdese Fire Department signed a Mutual Aid Agreement with the Triple Community Fire Department which will allow for greater responsiveness by our fire department. It will also lead to lower insurance ratings for the Town because of the stronger coverage.

Town Manager, Jeff Morse clarified the reasoning behind the Sprint Triathlon postponement and added a few details to their plans. The decision was made by the race directors and Set-up, Inc because of the uncertainty of weather and the potentially dangerous bike course should their be frozen precipitation. Mr. Morse also added that on Saturday, there was a problem with the heater in the swimming pool bubble and that conditions were very humid inside which would not have made for an enjoyable experience for participants (and officials.) In all, forty of the two-hundred pre-registered competitors could not make the May 28th date but with three more months to advertise and recruit, new competitors could possibly be found to fill the gap. The race will now always be on the last Saturday of May, with the Founders Festival.

In other business,

• Three police cars were declared surplus and sold to the highest bidder.

• The wheelchair ramp at the parking lot near Major Electric will be constructed by "Temo" Garrou.

• The Town reversed its earlier decision and will share the cost of using brick pavers in the sidewalk in front of the Waldensian Museum. Other Town efforts at presenting a unique and consistent image factored into its decision.

• The North Carolina League of Municipalities will hold its annual meeting in Hickory and Valdese has been selected as a "Spouse Day Trip."

• The Gideons will hold its annual convention in Valdese (not sure if this is a local, regional, or national meeting.)

• Mayor Hatley noted that at the League of Municipalities Board of Directors meeting, the Valdese Wellness program was held out as a model program for other state municipalities to follow.

03/03/05
Bad weather, or the threat of it, has postponed the second annual Valdese Sprint Triathlon until May 28th. The forecast currently calls for rain on Saturday, but fairly mild temperatures. Since this race attracts a lot of first time competitors, I assume that the move was made to keep them from being discouraged by the weather and perhaps not even showing up. The move, while inconvenient for some, should have a positive impact on the third annual Founders Festival, which will be held on the same date.

If you logged on last week and found the site down, it's because I switched servers from Morganton's HCI to Volcano Host, run by Joe Ellis, here in Valdese. From my end, the tools for creating and maintaining web sites are much better on Volcano Host--note the working message boards. From the visitor's perspective, there should be no noticeable change. Another benefit is that the Valdese Survey seems to be working again.

I hope I remember to mention this later, but Old Colony Players will be holding auditions for "From This Day Forward" on April 23rd & 24th and on April 30th and May 1st from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. at the outdoor amphitheater on Church Street. The play will run on Fridays and Saturdays from July 8th through August 13th. For more details, call 874-0176.

02/21/05
Congratulations to East Burke's boys basketball team on a fine season that ended sooner than they would have liked. Their final record of 19-5 included three heartbreaking losses to Freedom, one to A.C. Reynolds, and one in the state tournament to Central Cabarrus this evening. The girls team plays at East Burke Tuesday evening against North Mecklenburg.

Old Colony Players had a hit with its latest dinner theater, Don't Dress For Dinner, as all five shows sold out, despite inclement weather one weekend. The Burke County Chapter of the Red Hat Society even made an appearance at one of the performances. With such a successful run, don't be surprised if it comes back in a future season.

The King Pup Radio Show didn't go as well as planned with only an estimated 60-65 people showing up to have their applause broadcast across the country and into Australia and New Zealand.

I was wrong about Allways Travel's move. They actually went into the Old Rock School and not Amy Powell's home as I had reported. They are now in Room #20, but their telephone number has not changed. Their information has been updated on the Allways Travel page of this website.

I encourage everyone to make use of the new message boards (see link on the right.) I replaced the old system with one that is easier for me to manage but should be very easy for you to use, as well. The idea is to provide a forum for everyone to discuss whatever is on their mind and to keep abreast of all the events in our town. You are required to register but you can select your own screen name. 

02/07/05
Last night's Town Council meeting was attended by members of Boy Scout Troop #202 who stayed for about half the meeting. I assume they were perhaps working on a local government merit badge.

The primary item on the agenda involved a request by East Valdese Baptist Church to close Berry Street which runs parallel to Highway 70 and between the church and its parking lot. Newly installed minister, Brett Howell, spoke on behalf of the church and expressed their concerns over the dangers of traffic coming through during hours when the church was active. Town Manager, Jeff Morse, noted that the issue had come up about ten years ago and the town had installed the now-present speed bumps to slow traffic. He outlined two current options: either have Berry Street turn south just before the church parking lot and join Eldred Street at the southern end of the parking lot or create a cul-de-sac where Berry Street meets the church parking lot, creating, in effect, a dead-end street. Mr. Morse said that the town would get input from its fire and police chiefs, look at other options and associated costs and address the issue at the next council meeting. A public hearing would held before Berry Street would be altered.

On February 19th, King Pup Radio, a syndicated show carried by fifty-three stations nationwide and even in Australia and New Zealand, will be recording a show at the Old Rock School on February 19th. Local acts include George Shuffler who will perform with Laura Boosinger, and Linville River Band. Tickets are still available and may be purchased by calling 879-2129.

The Valdese Rotary Club will dedicate its new park, adjacent to the tennis courts at the Valdese Community Center, on February 22nd, one day before the date of its centennial. Banners will be hung across Main Street announcing the event. An 11:30 a.m. luncheon will be held at First Methodist Church, followed by the 12:30 p.m. dedication ceremony.

The baseball/softball tournaments I mentioned last month have been scheduled with one per month between March and October with the exception of April. There would be up to twenty-eight teams (four per age group with seven age groups) of Division II AAU teams. Recreation Department Director Tim Rhoney felt that we would not be competing with Morganton's $3 million little league effort because the were targeting the Division I teams. The Valdese-hosted tournaments would cost relatively little and would include improvements to existing recreation department facilities.

Valdese will be participating in a pilot program that allows citizens to file requests and work orders online. The internet-based software program would receive a citizen request, forward it to the proper department, and allow the citizen to track the progress of the request online. The trial will last up to eighteen months and will be at no cost to the town.

01/11/05
Monday's Town Council meeting was run by Mayor pro-tem Susan Stevenson as Mayor Hatley is recovering from knee surgery. It was a busy meeting with a number of agenda items that affect the citizens of Valdese.

One of the first issues was the new zoning ordinance that was passed by the Town Council. The new ordinance includes changes that affect roadside and business signs, setbacks for new home construction, and accessory dwelling regulations, among others. The new zoning ordinance will be posted shortly to the town's official website: www.ci.valdese.nc.us in PDF format for viewing and printing.

Discussion continued on the possibility of constructing a new town hall. While a new facility is but one of a number of possible solutions to the growing needs of the fire and police departments, as well as the town administration, town officials must take steps in that direction in order to secure possible financing through Rural Housing Service. Current plans are to complete an application for a loan of $1.2 million at 4.8% for forty years. As part of the application, the town must have a contract with an architect (Robert Salsbury) and preliminary plans which have already been created. Mr. Salsbury is also currently creating cost estimates for renovation of the existing town hall.

The Post Office outside mailbox will soon officially move off St. Germain Street and to the south side of the Post Office. Construction and signage are complete and all that remains is for the directional arrows to be painted on the asphalt. There will be a one week period before the box is moved during which the town will alert citizens (via WSVM and other means) of the box's new location.

Lovelady Road will soon undergo a widening process which will temporarily mean the loss of parking for the walkers down at the wastewater plant road since the road crews will park vehicles there and, I believe, the bridge will be worked on and a detour will take traffic through the existing parking lot. Walkers will be allowed to park on one side of the entrance road to the wastewater plant.

Allways Travel is moving out of downtown and into Amy Powell's home. A chiropractor will move his office into their building.

The recreation department has seen memberships rise from 480 in October to 589 as of early January. They have increased advertising and promotions to help boost membership and are more proactive in retaining members. The department will host seven baseball and one basketball tournament between March and October on Valdese and area facilities. They will also be assisting with two additional baseball tournaments. This could bring a number of people into the area who will hopefully find things to buy while they visit our historic attractions between ballgames.

The Valdese Triathlon is moving along on schedule with seventy pre-registered entrants. The goal is to have 300-350 entrants, well above last year's total of 274.

In other news, the Cottian Way subdivision, off Church Street, was approved, three patrol cars were declared surplus, a new "Welcome to Valdese" sign will be installed on Carolina Street on Thursday, and the handicap ramp near Major Electric will be redesigned to lower the grade (eventually the parking lot will be redesigned to compensate for parking spaces lost to the longer ramp.)