TABLE OF
CONTENTS

THE GRAPEVINE '05

IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

08/24/05
The 2005 Waldensian Festival featured more attractions, better crafts, and more music than perhaps ever before, but it was all offset by a hot/humid day that limited how long people stayed in town and how many even attended the event. Certainly, the helicopter rides went over well as it appeared overhead for a good portion of the day and seemingly always with a full load of flyers. The footrace saw nearly 250 participants ignore the temperatures to compete in the 5K and 10K races, though times seemed to be a bit slower than normal. The car show, like last year, did not get the hoped-for turnout with only about forty cars.

The Friday evening festival had a tremendous turnout for the music, children's rides, cruise-in at Myra's and fireworks. It was described by many as the largest crowd they had seen along Main Street other than on Festival day.

Old Colony Players enjoyed a successful run of the outdoor drams, "From This Day Forward" with the final tally showing an increase in attendance over last year. It's next production will be "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in mid-October.

East Burke football kicks off this Friday evening with a road game at Newton-Conover. Be sure to tune in to WSVM at 7:00 p.m. for the pre-game show and at 7:30 p.m. for the kickoff.

Schools across the county will be returning to class on Thursday. Fourteen elementary schools will have new principals this year, including Valdese Elementary who welcomes back former assistant principal, Bob Acord. The school has requested that students not bring rolling bookbags to school.

08/04/05
Monday's Council meeting threatened to set a record for shortest meeting lasting well under the typical hour. Of interest at the meeting: it was announced that the Pilot Club of Valdese presented the Fire Department with an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and plans to donate one to Heritage Middle School before the school year begins.

The second readings of the Grease Ordinance, the Weeds and Vegetation Code Amendments, and the Animal Control Code Amendments were held with no changes noted.

The public hearing for the closing of Club Circle Drive was held with the Donnahues (who proposed the closing) and two other parties attending. Barbara Campbell, a neighbor of the Donnahues had several questions for the council and was satisfied with the answers she received and supported the closing. Frances Young who also lives on Club Circle spoke in support of the closing.

The Burke County Parks and Recreation Department had submitted a funding request to the Town of Valdese for assistance with parks planned in the eastern end of the county. The council rejected the request, feeling that its current fiscal situation would be an undue strain on its already tight budget.

Regarding the Old Frances Garrou High School, the town has had a second meeting with the Board of Directors of the Trail of Faith and both parties seem satisfied with the outcome. The developer has proceeded with its grant application but must show that its business model (a forty-unit assisted living facility for the hearing impaired) will be successful over a thirty year period.

Don't forget that the 30th annual Waldensian Festival is just next week. It will include all the activities and attractions of past years plus a fireworks show on Friday evening at 10:30 p.m., a battle of the bands in front of the Old Rock School on Saturday, and helicopter rides at the Trail of Faith on Saturday.

07/31/05
Former Waldensian Presbyterian Church pastor, Dr. Paul Felker, passed away Sunday morning at 3:00 a.m. after a long battle with health problems. He was at Carolina Specialty Hospital in Charlotte. Dr. Felker came to the Church on January 16th, 1969 and served as pastor until Rev. Feild Russell arrived (I believe in the early 1990s.) Funeral arrangements are as follows.

• Receiving - Tuesday, 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Services

• Interment - Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. in the Waldensian Cemetery.

• Service - Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. at the Waldensian Presbyterian Church.

On a happier note, Valdese is welcoming Senator Elizabeth Dole to town Monday morning with an 11:00 a.m. meeting at Town Hall. I believe the meeting is regarding the town's grant/loan for the new Town Hall building. The regular council meeting will still be at 7:00 p.m., Monday evening.

More information on the helicopter rides at the Festival. Up to four people may fly at a time for $20 per person. The ride lasts 3-5 minutes and will encompass the festival sites. Rides will take off and land at the Trail of Faith.

07/26/05
With this week being National Aquatics week, the Valdese Recreation Department has a number of activities planned to help celebrate. On Wednesday, July 27th, there will be a Junior Lifeguard Program held for ages 10-14 from 8:00 until 11:00 a.m. The program helps young people learn more about what is required to be a lifeguard, including: basic water rescues and basic CPR. Participants must be able to swim fifty yards non-stop and there is a $6 fee.

On Thursday, from 7:00 until 10:00 p.m., it's Back to the 80's night with lower prices and all the musical hits from the eighties.

On Saturday, the Department is hosting a Beach Party Luau from 7:00 until 9:00 p.m. With your general admission, you will also enjoy beach music and there will be prizes and games for the kids.

Festival plans are being finalized with some exciting new additions this year that promise to make the 30th Waldensian Festival the best ever. After production of "From This Day Forward," there will be a fireworks display on the football field behind the Old Rock School, just like on July 4th. The show is expected to begin between 10:15 and 10:30 p.m. and last about fifteen minutes.

On Saturday, there will be helicopter rides leaving from the field at the Trail of Faith. Cost is $20 per person. The duration and route of the flight is not yet determined.

07/06/05
The weather threatened for a while, but the Fourth of July celebrations in Valdese came off without a hitch. A large crowed turned out for the Trail of Faith's anniversary celebration and many more were present when the fireworks lit up the evening sky in a twenty minute spectacle.

Before the fireworks show, Myra's drew the winner of the raffle held for a 1985 Cadillac El Dorado coupe. The car was won by Mr. and Mrs. Larry Connelly of Valdese who were not present for the drawing. Audrey Earp phoned Mr. Connelly with the good news and he and his wife hurried downtown to claim their prize.

An apology to Puddleduck Kids who I thought had closed its doors. They have actually relocated to Mount Calvary Baptist Church.

Don't forget that Old Colony Players' production of "From This Day Forward" begins this weekend and runs through the weekend of the Festival.

06/28/05
Ten inches. That's the maximum grass length under the new Weeds and Vegetation Ordinance under consideration by the town council. The ordinance, which will receive further modifications and another review, includes stricter measures of enforcement, including procedures for declaring property a public nuisance if it is unsightly or a health and safety issue. Property owners not addressing the problem within a grace period may have a lien placed on their property for the cost of the town's remedying the problem itself. Check back for the approved version of the ordinance in the future.

Another ordinance was addressed at the July (held June 27th) council meeting--the animal control ordinance. Under the proposed changes, the current fine of $25 per offense would double to $50 on the second offense and on each additional offense up to at least $200 for the fourth offense. The Public Works Department handles animal control but does not seek out offenders. Rather, it responds to complaints by citizens. The department responded to twenty-eight calls last month.

The old (Frances Garrou) high school is always a topic of interest and it appears to be nearing a conclusion. The organization interested in developing the school into assisted living housing for the hearing impaired is ready to invest four million dollars into renovations to the facility. The town is currently trying to agree on a price for the building with the Trail of Faith.

The town council heard a presentation by Bob Powell of Environmental Solutions, Inc., concerning the FOG (fats, oils, and grease) regulations and how they will affect local food services. ESI is contracting with the town to provide training to businesses and public awareness literature, explaining the problem and how the citizens can contribute to a solution by minimizing the introduction of these materials into the sewer systems. The countertop (or under-sink) collection containers were shown to the council and distribution to citizens should take place soon. Cost for the disposable liners has not yet been established.

Town Manager, Jeff Morse, highlighted some of the key points of the 2005-06 budget. The budget was originally to be based on 2.5% growth in property values over a two year period, ending this year. However, property values actually declined by two percent due primarily to changes in the industrial property values. This decline led to a reduction in tax revenues of $50,000. To compensate for the revenue decline, the town will not make its annual contributions to capital reserve accounts in the recreation, street, and sanitation departments. These accounts set aside money for anticipated future needs. In this case, those needs include: a new bubble and bowling equipment for the recreation department; a new truck for the street department; and a new garbage truck for the sanitation department.

There will also be an increase of ten percent in the water rates for commercial and residential customers or about a $1.30 increase in the monthly minimum water bill. Industrial customers will see a five percent increase. The rise is a result of Icard buying a larger portion of its water from Hickory and a decline in local industries' consumption. The rate increase will be reevaluated later in the year, as forecasted revenues become more certain.

Mayor Hatley currently has selected three students for his youth council for the League of Municipalities meeting in Hickory this fall. He expects to have four to six students for the full council and an adult leader/chaperone. If you wish to submit yourself or someone for consideration, contact town hall at 879-2120.

You may soon see new cast iron protectors for the light poles in Valdese. Resembling small fences, these protectors are intended to help prevent incidental damage to the poles from cars.  

Two new, as yet unknown, business are filling in the holes left by the departure of Puddleduck Kids and Allways Travel's move to the Old Rock School. Interior modifications are taking place in both buildings but I do not yet know what businesses are coming.

06/08/05
The latest proposal for the Frances Garrou High School building was released at Monday's Town Council meeting in response to a citizen's question. Currently, the facility is being evaluated by a non-profit organization who is interested in using it for a "Special Needs Housing Complex for the Hearing Impaired." Renovations and improvements would come from grant money. The Trail of Faith is the current owner of the building and would have to sell it back to the town at cost so the town could donate it to the organization. If this proposal falls through, it is expected that the town will proceed with condemnation of the building, followed by demolition.

At the request of Michael and Dawn Donnahue, the closure of a portion of Club Circle Drive is under consideration. The town has inspected the road with the fire and police chiefs, both of whom said that closing that portion of the road would not impair their ability to provide service to the homes. All residents in the affected area will be notified of the pending closure and a public hearing has been scheduled for the Town Council Meeting on August 1st.

When the possibility of a whistle-stop depot and train service first arose, there was consideration of closing the railroad crossing on Rodoret Street--below the post office. Norfolk Southern is still considering the closure of that crossing and also evaluated the possibility of closing the Praley Street crossing. At Monday's council meeting, the town passed a resolution supporting the Rodoret crossing, but will not support closing the crossing on Praley Street. This, however, does not mean that any railroad crossings will be closed and if such closings should be seriously considered, a public hearing would be held prior to a final decision.

The 2005 North Carolina League of Municipalities conference will be held in Hickory, October 16th - 18th. This year, there will be a youth conference, prompting Mayor Hatley to establish a youth council for the town of Valdese. He is seeking intelligent 9th - 12th graders who live in Valdese and are interested in the town and/or government to serve on the committee. The committee will attend the NCLOM meeting in Hickory with its expenses covered by the town. This will be an ongoing committee, though, and will continue to function after the conference. Contact town hall at 879-2120 if you are interested.

Town Manager Jeff Morse gave an overview of the budget for Fiscal Year 2006 though it has not yet been approved by the Town Council. In the proposed budget, he notes, there is no tax increase, but there will be a water rate increase to compensate for lost industrial customers who had been subsidizing lower rates for the citizens through their heavy usage. The average monthly bill should only rise a couple of dollars, at most. There will also be an increase in the new Water and Sewer tap fees, rising from $400 to $750 for in-town residents and $800 to $1,500 for out of town customers. While providing taps for the Cottian Way subdivision, the Public Works department realized that its costs were much higher than they had been charging.

05/29/05
The brief rain didn't affect events in downtown Valdese Saturday as the town played host to two notable events: the second annual Sprint Triathlon and the third annual Founders Festival.

The Sprint Triathlon was well attended and this year's winner was local triathlete Sonni Dyer. With a staggered start you can never tell for certain who the winner is until all the results are in, but since the earlier start times go to the more qualified participants, you can expect the winner to be among the first overall finishers. A post-race barbeque dinner was provided to participants, volunteers, and spectators. Since every race typically offers a t-shirt, participants in the triathlon received a commemorative visor.

At about 11:00 a.m., a brief shower threatened the Founders Festival in the Wachovia parking lot on Main Street, but it was followed by a warm, sunny afternoon--a perfect day for a festival.

Note that Fun Fishing at McGalliard Falls takes place next Saturday (June 11th.) If you would like to be a part of the event, contact the Valdese Recreation Department at 874-2132. Also, the Recreation Department will offer tennis lessons on Monday, June 6th, 13th, and 20th for anyone interested. Contact the department for more information.

05/03/05
Last Friday promised to be a busy one in Valdese with a number of events taking place throughout the town. In addition to the weekly cruise-in at Myra's, there was a bluegrass concert at the Old Rock School, a dance at the American Legion, and the Relay For Life taking place on the football field behind the Old Rock School. Earlier in the day, the Valdese Rotary Club held its annual golf tournament in Morganton at Quaker Meadows Golf Course. The winning score was 58 but I am not sure which team was posted the score. The Relay for Life raised $46,500 as of Friday night and coordinator Debbie Jones believes as the money continues to come in, they could break $50,000 in donations. Bret Watson co-coordinated the event.

The new Burke County High School was a primary topic at last night's town council meeting. It appears inevitable that it will be located behind Carolina Mills, off Lovelady Road. Randall Brackett of the Burke County Board of Education was asked to address the Town Council and update them on the progress and plans of the Board. He noted that the new facility was modeled after Walter Johnson Middle School and would be 146,000 square feet, holding 800 - 1,000 students. The students will come from Heritage Middle School. The gymnasium will hold 1,400; the auditorium, 1/2 of the students; and the lunch room, 1/3 of the students. Construction is planned to begin in October and students would begin attending the new school in 2007. The increased traffic flow created by the new school would likely be moderated by the addition of traffic lights at either end of Lovelady Road and perhaps even on Lovelady at the turn into the school. If the lights are added, Gardiol Road may see an increase in traffic from people heading to Lake Rhodhiss and wanting to avoid the lights and school traffic. The planned widening of Lovelady Road has been delayed by the State until 2009.

The plans for renovations of the bathrooms at the Old Rock School are back on the table as the project was awarded to Griffin Construction (Alan Griffin) in a 3-2 vote by the council. The need for new bathrooms was first brought up three years ago, but was delayed by other projects.

A revised plan for the new Town Hall was presented by Robert Salsbury. The facility is about 94' wide and 85' deep--7,311 square feet overall. It includes a 68 seat Council Chamber and may include a basement for archives and storage. Since a location has still not yet been determined, the Town's next step is to begin obtaining cost estimates for the possible locations.

As an interesting side note to the North Carolina Tar Heels winning the national championship in basketball, the street sign for Tar Heel Street has been stolen. Public Works Director Steve Morrow said that since UNC's win, the signs keep disappearing.

May 14th is Postal Carriers Food Day. If you have food donations, you can leave them at your mailbox or drop them off at the lobby of the Post Office on Rodoret Street.