Town of Lake Lure,
North
Carolina
Town of Lake Lure, North
Carolina
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THE
LAKE LURE TRIBUTE 1927-2002
75
YEARS OF PROGRESS Mayor:
Jim Proctor Commissioners:
Blaine Cox, Lea Hullender, Dick McCallum, George Pressley, Town
Manager: H.M. “Chuck” Place SEPTEMBER
2003 Published
by Town of Lake Lure, P.O. Box 255, Lake Lure, NC 28746 Newsletter
Editor & Coordinator: Monica Stofer Telephone:
(828) 625-9983
Fax: (828)
625-8371 Website:
www.ci.lake-lure.nc.us
E-mail: lakeluretown@blueridge.net
TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT by
H.M. “Chuck” Place III, AICP Water
System Improvements.
“There’s good news tonight,” as a newscaster used to say. I have commented in past articles about our lack of success
in winning state grants to upgrade and expand our water system.
We applied for grants three years in a row with the most recent being an
application for 1.8 million dollars. After
we failed to achieve sufficient points for the grant award, Vincent Tomaino, the
staffer from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources responsible for
our initial review, suggested that we apply, instead, for a low cost loan from
the State Revolving Loan Fund.
We did apply last fall on Mr. Tomaino’s recommendation. Our application
was for $1.9M to replace the Parmely well and Pool Creek reservoir which we will
lose in a few years due to court action and to upgrade existing mains to improve
water pressure and provide for additional fire hydrants. We also plan to expand the system to provide service to an
area not currently being served. During
the state review process, we were informed by Mr. Tomaino that we had scored
high enough in this round to possibly qualify for partial grant funding in place
of part of the loan. And then
August 18th, he sent an e-mail message stating that we will, indeed,
receive $1, 272,188 in grant funds, thereby reducing the loan principal to
$683,912. When all was said and
done, we scored the second highest rating among 28 applicants.
By way of background, the town owns three wells with a combined capacity
of 97,000 gallons per day from which all water for the town system is drawn.
These include the Vess, Powers, and Parmely wells.
We also own two ground level storage tanks, Pool Creek and Washburn, with
a total capacity of 100,000 gallons and about 11.5 miles of distribution lines. The water is checked daily and, because the wells
produce very high quality water, treatment is limited to mild chlorination to
meet a federal mandate. We currently have an agreement with the Village of
Chimney Rock to operate their new system in exchange for an interconnection with
that system and use of their reservoir.
The town system is currently limited to that area west of Snug Harbor in
the vicinity of Memorial Highway and has 327 metered connections. (A private company, Carolina Water System, serves Lake Lure
Golf & Beach Resort, Apple Valley and Shumont Estates under contract with
the Fairfield Mountains Property Owners Association.)
This project will hasten the day when all residents of the Town of Lake
Lure will be served by good quality, plentiful potable water and be protected by
adequate water for firefighting. Our thanks go out to Vincent Tomaino for his
invaluable advice and assistance and to our consulting engineers, McGill
Associates, for preparing the application. TOWN
COUNCIL ACTIVITIES by
Town Clerk Mary Flack, MMC, CTC
REGULAR MEETING: The regular
town council meeting was held on Tuesday, August 12, 2003, 7:00 p.m., at the
Lake Lure Municipal Center.
Under the “consent agenda,” Council: *
approved the minutes of July 8, 2003 (regular meeting and closed session), and
July 16, 2003 (recessed regular meeting and closed session); *
approved a request from Jake Grove and Stella Creager to suspend the town
alcohol ordinance in order to serve beer, wine, and champagne during a wedding
reception inside the Community Hall of the Lake Lure Municipal Center on June 4,
2004, from 9:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.; and *
approved a request from Stanley Long to: (1) hold the Annual F-100 Truck Show
“Run to the Rock” on town property adjacent to the Lake Lure Community
Center on September 19-21, 2003; (2) town provide a Mayor’s choice trophy
and (3) suspend the town’s peddling ordinance in order that food,
t-shirts, truck parts, and other items may be sold on site during the show.
In other activities, Town Council: *
verified approval for a request from Terry Cole regarding a Christian Music
Festival being held on town property on September 26-27, 2003 for exclusive use
of the town beach, meadow, Memorial Point and Community Hall; *
tabled a request from Gordon Blackwell to replace sand on his lake shore
property; *
approved a budget amendment of $1,250.00 from the Hydro-Electric Fund to cover
the cost of Cardinal Energy to prepare a package for Lake Lure to participate in
the North Carolina GreenPower Program funding; *
adopted Resolution No. 03-08-12 approving the agreement for Project E-4819, the
town center pedestrian walkway, and authorizing the Mayor and Town Clerk to sign
and execute said agreement; *
held a discussion regarding lowering the lake level and approved lowering the
lake level effective December 8, 2003 after the annual Christmas boat parade and
raising the lake level back to full pond by March 1, 2004; *approved
an additional fee be charged for dumpsters used during events in Morse Park at a
rate of actual cost to the town; *
held a discussion regarding a proposed merit pay policy for town employees; and *
scheduled a public hearing to be held at the next regular town council meeting
on Tuesday, September 9, 2003, at 7:00 p.m. or thereafter, at the Council
Meeting Room in the Municipal Center to
consider adopting an ordinance to establish a Lake Lure Marine Commission.
COMMUNITY
POLICING NEWS by
Chief Mike Bustle
According to a recent report from the Federal Trade Commission, identity
theft again tops the list of consumer complaints.
It is one of those things that most people are not concerned about until
it happens to them. If you have
been following the local news of late, you have learned of an increasing number
of identity theft cases in the surrounding area and recently in Lake Lure.
In 2001, there were approximately 500,000 identity theft victims;
that’s people who actually filed a police report.
It cost banks and credit-card companies about $5 billion because they
ultimately pick up the tab. But the
consumer doesn’t get away scot-free. The
average victims will spend $1,374 and 175 hours cleaning up their credit
reports. We live in a time when if
you make it easy to steal from you, chances are someone will. The following
steps will help you reduce your risk of identity theft: 1.
Guard your Social Security number.
It is the key to your credit report and banking accounts and is the prime
target of criminals. 2.
Monitor your credit report. It
contains your Social Security number, present and prior employers, a listing of
all account numbers, including those that have been closed, and your overall
credit score. After applying for a
loan, credit card, rental or anything else that requires a credit report,
request that your Social Security number on the application be truncated or
completely obliterated and your original credit report be shredded before your
eyes or returned to you once a decision has been made.
A lender or rental manager needs to retain only your name and credit
score to justify a decision. 3.
Shred all old bank and credit statements, as well as “junk mail”
credit-card offers, before trashing them. Use
a crosscut shredder. 4.
Remove your name from the marketing lists of the three credit-reporting
bureaus. This reduces the number of
pre-approved credit offers you receive. 5.
Add your name to the name-deletion lists of the Direct Marketing
Association’s Mail Preference Service and Telephone Preference Service used by
banks and other marketers. 6.
Do not carry extra credit cards or other important identity documents
except when needed. 7.
Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Copy both sides of your license and credit cards so you will
have all account numbers, expiration dates and phone numbers if your wallet or
purse is stolen. 8.
Do not mail bill payments and checks from home.
They can be stolen from your mailbox and washed clean in chemicals.
Take them to the post office. 9.
Do not print your Social Security number on your checks. 10.
Order your Social Security Earnings and Benefits statement once a year to
check for fraud. 11.
Examine the charges on your credit-card statements before paying them. 12.
Cancel unused credit-card accounts. 13.
Never give your credit-card number or personal information over the phone
unless you have initiated the call and trust that business. 14.
Subscribe to a credit-report monitoring service that will notify you
whenever someone applies for credit in your name.
FIRE
DEPARTMENTS RECEIVE GRANTS by
Ron Morgan, Fire Coordinator
Last month I announced the good news that Bill’s Creek and Chimney Rock
fire departments had received Federal Grants totaling approximately $90,000 to
purchase new breathing apparatus. We
now have more good news, Fairfield Mountains fire department has now received
notification that their grant request has also been approved for approximately
$57,000 to purchase new breathing apparatus.
This is great news, now all three area fire departments will have new
breathing apparatus with many new safety features.
The best of these features allows the incident commander the ability to
monitor the status of the breathing apparatus
through a remote radio controller. This controller will give the incident
commander instant status on the amount of air left in the breathing apparatus.
It also has an instant alarm that goes off
if a firefighter goes down inside a structure, and has the ability to
send an evacuation signal directly to the firefighters working inside if the
structure becomes unsafe.
We expect to receive the new equipment in approximately 5 to 6 months and
the grant only has a 10% local match,
saving local taxpayers a considerable amount of money.
GOLF
COURSE NEWS by
Charlie Greeson, Pro Shop Clerk
Last month I reported on some deer activity around the course and this
month brings more of the same. If
you happen to think you’re running across a bunch of bad ball marks in the
greens now, it could be more of those pesky deer hoof prints.
They’ve been eating good this year.
You can tell by how deep the tracks are. Also last month I wondered if the aliens had anything that
would effectively get rid of ground hogs and chiggers. I want to add deer to that list. Speaking of aliens, they still haven’t got here.
You can tell because we still have ground hogs and an overabundance of
chiggers. Either that or they
don’t have anything to effectively control them.
There is one thing we have gotten under control (I hope) and that’s
those black, low flying, wasp looking insects at the ladies tee for hole number
eight. I never knew of them to
sting anyone but they sure could make you hesitate about walking up on that tee
box. Another flying bug that
we’ve had some run-in’s with is the yellow jacket.
The nest on number eight has been exterminated with extreme prejudice.
I hear yellow jacket soup is a traditional Cherokee dish.
If anyone wants to try stirring up a batch I’ll see if I can direct you
to thriving colony of the culinary critters.
About the only hazard I know of on the course right now is the middle of
the fairway on hole number seven. The
abundant rain has given us a fit trying to keep it mowed.
Chris and Bill have been fighting the luscious growth tooth and nail and
mowing blade. My solution to that
hole is play a slight fade or moderate slice to the hill on the right where
there’s solid ground. Actually,
that’s where all my drives seem to land whether I play it that way or not.
Our days in August have been
muggy hot and not the most conducive to a comfortable round.
I don’t know about y’all but I’m already looking forward to fall
and some cooler weather. So, if you
want to play a round in the 70's (don’t you wish I meant strokes) come on out
early and start before the sun gets too far up in the sky.
The course is in great shape; the greens are rolling fast and firm; and,
the price is right. Fairways and
greens to you all.
THE
LAKE LURE HAPPENINGS by
The Kids At The Lake Lure Youth Center
The Lake Lure Youth Center opened for the fall season on August 11th
and has tons of kids who go there. We
would always love more! We
will try to put a article in the newsletter each month to share the events going
on and the birthdays of everyone just to give people an idea about what’s
happening in the youth center.
Here are some statements from kids and leaders from the youth center.
Lyle Myers says, “Excited!”; Eli Searle says, “Middle school is fun
and exciting!”; Ashley Freeberg says, “It’s great to have an opportunity
like this to come after school and hang out with friends and just relax from a
busy day at school.”; Kyle Kelley says, “You can come and eat free food.”;
Serenity Ash says, “Being able to come to the youth center after school is fun
because I get to come and hang out with all my friends, play sports and have
snacks.”; and John Payne says, “This place is ‘Da Bomb!”
The birthdays for this month are: Kayla Harper on September 4th
and Christopher Abel on September 19th.
We also have few who would be willing to babysit if anyone needs the
help; in particular Justin Chillington who is 14, 828-625-8829 and Danielle
Reinhiardt who is 12, 828-625-0903.
For more information or to get your child in the youth center, call
Sharon Theiss at 828-625-5220. And
remember, volunteers are always welcome!
NEWS
AROUND LAKE LURE
Lake Lure Newcomers invite
those who are new residents in Lake Lure (24 months or less) to join them in
various activities which include: potluck, gourmet, out’n about, theater,
bridge/poker, book club, and hiking. Anyone
interested in becoming a member, call Hugh or Nancy Pinney at 828-625-0867.
Lake Lure Lakefront Owners Association
(LLLOA). If you are interested in Lake issues and concerns and own
lakefront property on the
shores of beautiful Lake Lure, the LLLOA invites you to become a regular member.
Associate memberships are
also encouraged for those who are interested in our Lake.
Each year members receive a directory of members, informative Muse
Letters, and a first class mailed subscription
to the Town of Lake Lure monthly newsletter, The Lake Lure Tribute.
Members meet at the Town
Community Center socially
at least annually to meet neighbors and discuss issues.
Annual dues are currently a modest $17.00. You may pick up
an application for
membership at the Municipal Center or call Chuck Watkins, Pres. at
828-625-2122 or Hugh Pinney, Treas. at 828-625-0867
for an application or any questions you may have.
The Lake Lure Beach is slowing down, that time of year. They will only be open on Saturdays and Sundays, September
the 1st - 14th and then will close for the season on the
15th.
The Garden Club will be
traveling to the Whitegate Inn on Monday, September 8, 2003.
Dr. Ralph Coffey owner/operator
of the 1889 Whitegate Inn in
Asheville has agreed to host a meeting of the Garden Club at the Inn. The
meeting will include lunch, lecture and a garden tour. Dr. Coffey will discuss
many things, one of them being, the ten most successful plants for attracting
birds and butterflies and he will point out the plants in the gardens of the
Whitegate Inn. For more
information on time and cost or to register, please call Jean Hoffman at 828-
625-1631 or Joanne Phillips at 828-625-8498 by September 1, 2003. Numbers will be limited, so call early!
The Friends of the Library are
sponsoring a Potpourri Benefit at Hermans International on Buffalo Creek Road in
Lake Lure. This special event will
be held on Sunday, October 5, 2003, from 3 to 5 pm. The charge will be $7.50 per
person. There will be something for
everyone: food, beverage, silent auction, raffle, door prizes and special
entertainment. The proceeds will permit the library to continue to be an asset
to the community, and to expand the services by investing in new materials.
So...come by and enjoy the day with your neighbors!
Fairfield Mts. Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary reminds
everyone of their annual rummage sale/auction on Saturday, September 27, 2003 at
9:00 a.m. till 12:00 noon. The
auction starts at 10:00 a.m. They
have made a few changes to things
and places of donation, so please contact Jeannette Morgan at 828-625-8985 if
you would like to donate anything.
NOTICE For
comments about the operations of the Lake Lure Tours, call 828-625-0077.
The deadline for newsletter articles to be received at Town Hall for the October issue is September 17, 2003. |
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