TABLE OF
CONTENTS

THE GRAPEVINE '05

IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

12/05/05
The town council meeting began with an issue that has been on the minds of citizens of Valdese for quite some time...what's to become of the Frances Garrou High School building on Church Street. You may recall that the town had been approached by the Western North Carolina Housing Partnership, who was interested in converting the building into housing for the special needs population. Apparently, the organization had to receive the building from the town and not the actual owner, Senator Jim Jacumin's Trail of Faith organization. This criteria, and the negotiating process between the town and the Trail, brought the issue to Monday's council meeting. The Trail of Faith purchased the building approximately ten years ago for $5,000, proposing to convert it into a conference center/bed and breakfast for tour groups. While the organization has done some work inside regarding safety and clean-up, the building has largely remained unchanged since its purchase. The town offered the Trail an annuity of $5,000 per year for thirty years for the building. Sen. Jacumin, speaking on behalf of the Trail argued that that building was the only property adjacent to the Trail of Faith where they could expand and that they still planned to someday restore it. The issue, for both sides, did not seem to be the money so much as the terms under which the WNCHP has to operate. At the end of the thirty years, the building would be sold back to the donor (or another interested party) at its fair market value. The organization would be putting about $4 million into the building and assuming a three percent per year appreciation (roughly consistent with inflation,) the building would be worth almost $10 million at the end of the thirty years. The Trail had said that it would sell the building back to the town, but wants to retain ownership after the thirty years have passed--which would mean having to buy back the building for possibly $10 million. Ultimately, no agreement between the town and the Trail of Faith could be reached and since the WNCHP was working against a deadline of January 5th, the project has essentially died. The town has looked at other buildings (empty textile plants) but even if they were suitable, it is unlikely that they could be evaluated by the WNCHP in time to complete their grant application by January 5th.

East Valdese Baptist Church, in response to some concerns of citizens of Berry Street about closing part of the road, proposed an alternative plan that addresses everyone's issues. Instead of closing the street on the eastern side of the Church's property and creating a cul-de-sac, the church suggested that the road be rerouted to the southern-most entrance of its parking lot, where there is currently a gate. The parking lot would also be redesigned and a barrier erected to separate traffic and pedestrians. The town will meet with the DOT and get cost estimates and will be responding to the church by next month's council meeting.

Robinson Hosiery, after the fire of a few months ago, continues to operate, leasing Alba's John Louis Plant, and has no plans of closing. The town, in an effort to help keep the company afloat during this period, agreed to an economic incentive equal to one half of the company's water and sewer bill for six months.

Valdese completed a study of a possible merger with Morganton's utility department. This merger would only occur under extreme circumstances that would not allow the town to provide water and sewer at an affordable rate. Such a circumstance would be if a significant number of water-using industries closed as the large volumes these industries use have helped subsidize lower rates for Valdese citizens. Carolina Mills recently scaled back from a seven day-a-week production to five days and reduced its water consumption from 800,000 gallons per day to 500,000. The study was to determine how much of its water customer base could the town afford to lose before it would have to significantly raise its rates or merge with another utility department. Councilman Chip Black noted that the county has considered merging all the utility departments to aid with industrial recruiting county-wide.

The Public Works Department is declaring two old trucks surplus. The first is a 1982 Ford Street Sweeper that, according to Department Head Steve Morrow, is hard to find parts for and does not currently run. The second is a 1991 Ford F-250 that the department inherited from the Wastewater Plant.

Tiger Gym is being closed for the winter to save on energy and staffing costs. All youth programs that use the facility will be moved to the Valdese Community Center for a few months. No programs will be cut as a result of the closure, however the time set aside for free-play basketball and volleyball will be eliminated until Tiger Gym is reopened.

If you're not yet in the Christmas spirit, or even if you are, be sure to go see Old Colony Players production of  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, this Thursday through Sunday at the Old Rock School. Its directed by the Voice of the Cavaliers and Community Affairs Director, Chuck Moseley. On a related note, the Old Rock School and Old Colony Players are looking into being able to accept credit card payments for tickets for events in the auditorium.

11/10/05
Monday's Town Council meeting was dominated by the open forum/public comment portion with four groups and one citizen wishing to address the council. First to present were Girl Scout Troops 84 (Drexel) and 684 (Valdese) who were working on their "Gold Project." The proposed the construction of a nature trail down at McGalliard Falls that would lead from the picnic shelters, into the woods near the children's swings, across the bridge, and down behind the Meytre Grist Mill to a picnic area. They plan to line the trail with landscape timbers and surface it with either gravel, rock dust, or wood chips.

Second to present was the Valdese Youth Council which was outlining its plans for 2006. They hope to have a "Battle of the Bands" with Burke County bands competing against Catawba County bands. They are also looking at having a post-prom party in conjunction with the recreation department to help insure a safe night for high-school students from East Burke.

The next presentation was from Morganton resident, Clark Erwin, who developed Tannery Square and renovated Nite Furniture in Morganton. He was proposing that the town work with him to develop the old Kathy Hoisery facility behind AutoZone into a multi-use facility that would include a Mexican restaurant, offices, and perhaps even residences. As this proposal was still in the formative stage, he was not specific with any requests or plans, but was primarily gauging the town's interest.

Finally, the Council heard a presentation from Carolina Land and Lakes, a non-profit agency that is working on a Watershed Restoration Project to improve water quality in our lakes and streams. They were in Valdese to discuss their plans to address the water quality of Lake Rhodhiss. According to Town Manager Jeff Morse, the town will face a $23 million wastewater plant improvement project to reduce the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus entering the lake if another solution is not found. Chip Black noted that Lake Rhodhiss has lost 35% of its volume due to sediment and asked what might be done about that issue. The Carolina Land and Lakes representative said that there was little that could be done short of dredging--a slow and costly process--the lake. I suppose you could also raise the dam to raise the level of the lake.

After the scheduled groups presented, Mr. Reid Nash addressed the pre-election council and challenged them to create changes in our community for the coming year. Mayor Hatley handed Mr. Nash a copy of all the projects (about seventy, or so) that the town was currently working on and added that if there was anything he didn't see on the list to let him know.

You may remember that East Valdese Baptist Church had petitioned to close Berry Street's access on the eastern side of it's property. Town Manager Jeff Morse requested that the council approve installing two additional speed bumps on the road near the church to see if that alleviates the problem of through-traffic and eliminates the need for closing the road. The church could evaluate the effectiveness of the speed bumps and decide whether closing the road and the public hearing (proposed for sometime in January) was necessary. If the road is closed, the town could remove the new speed bumps and use them elsewhere.

The town will be providing economic incentives to Robinson Hoisery to help them get back into operation after the tremendous fire last month that did so much damage. The exact amount is not set, but should be several thousand dollars since it was based on six months of the plants utility bills.

The restoration of the downstairs restrooms at the Old Rock School is complete. And speaking of the Old Rock School, there were two very well-attended concerts there over the weekend. The first, on Friday, featured a chamber orchestra from the Czech Republic and was partly hosted by the Rock School Arts Foundation. The second was Kathleen Lowman Ribet's annual piano concert.

10/23/05
The past several days saw the parking lot of the Old Rock School getting a lot of use. Thursday and Friday evening, Old Colony Players held its last two performances of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," on Saturday morning, Town officials dedicated the football field in Joe Temple's name, and on Saturday evening, the Town of Valdese held a bluegrass concert in the Rock School, featuring "Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen."

The next few weeks look to keep the School busy as well, with musical performances, exhibitions and shows, and the opening of the RSAF annual Christmas Show and Sale. See the Old Rock School page for complete details.

On Saturday, at 11:30 a.m., the dedication and naming of the football field behind the Old Rock School was held. Plans are, as I understand it, to have a large "V" at midfield for the Valdese Tigers and near the sideline on the press box side, it will say "Joe Temple Field." Mr. Temple is perhaps best known for his football prowess, including an appearance in the Shrine Bowl in 1953. In researching Mr. Temple, I found a number of other former Valdese Tigers who participated in the Shrine Bowl, shown in the following list.

• David Dalmas - 1964
• William "Bill" Jerome Cline - 1960
• Albert Francis Perrou, Jr. - 1960
• Doug Cline - 1955
• Joe Temple - 1953
• Bob Williams - 1951
• Charles Young - 1938

Elections are coming up for Valdese with Mayor Jim Hatley facing a challenger, Cheryl Robinson of Walnut Avenue. Granville Morrow and Chip Black are running unopposed, and Susan Stevenson is running for reelection against Kenneth Ingalls of Springwood Drive. The election is on Tuesday, November 8th.

Next Monday is of course Halloween and the Valdese Merchants Association is hosting Treats in the Streets where costumed youth can trick-or-treat at participating local businesses. After trick-or-treating, there will be a parade down Main Street, followed by a costume contest (with prizes) held in the Wachovia parking lot. Participants will meet at the Valdese Community Center at 2:30 p.m. and the activities continue until 6:30 p.m.

09/22/05
A major fire destroyed much, if not all, of Robinson Hoisery Mill on Robinson Street, putting at least seventy people out of work. The mill was started by the Robinson family about fifty years ago and three sons of the original founder still operate the facility. It is not yet known what started the blaze and future plans for the company are uncertain at this time.

The fire comes on the heels of good news the town of Valdese had received when Martinsville, Virginia-based furniture manufacturer, Shenandoah Furniture, announced that it would be coming to Valdese, expanding its operations into the former Saha Union building across from Childers Market. The company plans to initially hire about thirty people and expand to as many as one hundred in a few years. Shenandoah Furniture manufacturers upholstered products like chairs, sofas, etc...

The Little League football season kicks off this weekend with the Valdese Tigers taking on Forest Hill. Team pictures for football players and cheerleaders will be this day. The Tigers also play in Valdese on October 15th against Salem and a homecoming game against George Hildebrand on October 22nd.

If you are interested in learning how to Shag, the Valdese Recreation Department and the Sandy Beach Shag Club will be offering lessons beginning Thursday, September 29th. The lessons will be held at the Morganton Elk's Lodge. Beginners meet at 6:30 pm. and Intermediate to Advanced will meet at 7:45 p.m. Cost is $20 per person for five lessons. Contact Deanes Short at 437-5827 for more information or to pre-register. You may also show up on September 29th and register then.

The Town of Valdese is presenting a bluegrass concert featuring Kenny and Amanda Smith Saturday evening. Visit www.bluegrassattherock.com for more details.

09/06/05
The Town Council held its monthly meeting Tuesday night.

The FOG (fats, oils, and grease) campaign officially kicks off this week and you should be receiving your trappers next week. The Public Works department will put the grease trapper in a grocery bag and tie it to your garbage can when they make their circuits next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The kit includes the container, two disposable bags, and a brochure explaining the program. They will also be putting a sticker with a summary of the new sanitation ordinance on the dumpster which explains what they will not collect. Restaurants, churches, and schools will be visited by a consultant who will train them on the program and how to comply.

The land for the two trailer parks on Praley Street and Highway 70, respectively, are now in the town's possession. There is an agreement with the park's former owner that if he cannot sell the remaining trailers, they will be turned over to the town to sell or dispose of.

The subject of the former Frances Garrou High School is always a popular topic and it was once again addressed at the council meeting. According to Town Manager, Jeff Morse, the Western North Carolina Housing Foundation has an application in to receive funding and tax credits for the project. An architect has already been hired and the project could get the go-ahead by January. If funding is not available this year, the application would be resubmitted for the following year.

Councilman John "Chip" Black reported that Triple Community Water may be interested in being purchased by the town of Valdese or perhaps by the county. Triple Community is a major customer of the town's and if the county were to acquire it, they would likely supply those customers with water from Morganton. This would be a significant financial hit to the town's revenues from water.

The paving of Main Street has been delayed once again, until Spring of 2006. Steve Morrow has been told that the delays are due to the cost of fuel.

Friday, from 9:00 until 9:30, Blue Ridge Healthcare will hold its groundbreaking ceremony at Valdese General Hospital for its renovation project.

In an effort to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the church congregations in Burke County have been asked to donate its loose offerings from last week and the next three weeks to the Red Cross.