Town of Lake Lure, 

North Carolina

Town Manager's report will be delayed until July issue.

Sam Karr, Finance Director, has been employed with the Town of Lake Lure for eight years. He oversees the financial record keeping; prepares the town's budget; monitors expenditures, revenues, fixed assets and account payables. He also maintains the town's risk management program. Sam graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and a Master Degree in Public Administration. He also continues to further his education by attending classes at the Institute of Government in Chapel Hill. Sam resides in Lake Lure with his wife Denise, son Nicholas and daughter Jodie. We say a very special "thank you" to Sam who is one of our most valued employees.

In addition, we welcome to our staff Terri Potts who is the town's newest employee. The town is fortunate to have Terri as their new Zoning Administrator. Terri comes to Lake Lure from North Topsail Beach of North Carolina where she held the position of Zoning/Planning/CAMD Administrator and Code Enforcement Officer for five years. Terri currently holds memberships with the American Planning Association, North Carolina Association of Flood Plain Managers, North Carolina Association of Community Rating System (CRS) Coordinators, North Carolina Association of Zoning Officials, North Carolina Association of Local Permit Officers (LPO) a Division of Coastal Management.

REGULAR MEETING: The regular town council meeting was held on Tuesday, May 9, 2000, at 7:00 p.m. at the Lake Lure Municipal Center.

Under the "consent agenda," Council approved the minutes of April 11, 2000 (regular meeting), April 18, 2000 (special meeting), April 26, 2000 (special meeting); and approved budget amendment regarding Powell Bill Funds as submitted from the Finance Director.

In other activities, Town Council:

* held a public hearing on proposed Ordinance No. 00-05-09 amending the zoning map of the Town of Lake Lure to rezone the property (map 539, block 1, lot 1) on which the Sunny Daze Store is located from the current zoning R-3 (Resort Residential) to CN (Commercial Neighborhood). Ordinance No. 00-05-09 was adopted;

* approved the Capital Improvements Program for Fiscal Year 2000-2006 as submitted by the Town Manager;

* accepted a bid offer of $15,000 for town property and authorized the Town Manager to advertise for an upset bid (contingent upon getting deed restrictions removed from this property);

* approved request from the Lake Lure Golf and Beach Resort at Fairfield Mountains to add an additional slip onto their existing dock (free-of-charge) to accommodate a fire boat with the stipulation that this slip is not to be rented;

* discussed getting an approved study underway focusing on the lake's carrying capacity for boating and recreational use to include long range planning;

* authorized the Town Manager to negotiate a lease agreement with Lucian Gago to use town property (located on the north side of Girl Scout Camp Road at Highway 9) for parking vehicles beginning on July 1, 2000 through July 4, 2000;

* authorized the Town Manager to negotiate a lease agreement (18 months) with Linda Laughter regarding proposal to operate food concessions at the town club house;

* approved request from M.C. Beddingfield and Julia Henderson Heaton to suspend the town alcohol ordinance during a wedding reception being held on town property for August 19, 2000 and permission to have a professional DJ for this event;

* held a closed session meeting for the purpose of discussing legal matters [G.S.143-318.11(a)3]; and

* recessed the regular town meeting until Friday, May 12, 2000, 9:00 a.m., at the Town Municipal Center.

RECESSED REGULAR MEETING: The recessed regular town council meeting was held on Friday, May 12, 2000, at 9:00 a.m. at the Lake Lure Municipal Center.

Town Council:

* adopted Ordinance No. 00-05-12 (amending Chapter 85 of the Town of Lake Lure Town regulations, providing for limits on the number and size of fish allowed to be caught in Lake Lure);

* approved request for VFD members of Green Hill and Shingle Hollow Fire Departments to receive one boat permit at a resident rate;

* discussed preliminary budget items for Fiscal Year 2000-2001;

SPECIAL WORKSHOP MEETING: A special workshop meeting of the Lake Lure Town Council was held on Friday, May 19, 2000, 10:00 a.m., at the Lake Lure Municipal Center.

Town Council:

* accepted a bid of $409,000 from Brown Utility Company, Inc. regarding the lift station at the Hydro-Electric Plant; and

* discussed issues regarding outdoor music events and developed a permit for these events.

Many thanks to all contributors and participants of the Lake Lure Police Department's "dunking booth" during the recent Lake Lure Dogwood Festival. This event was responsible for raising needed funding for the children's program sponsored by the Lake Lure Police Department. The children's program provides a Christmas gift sponsorship for a local family, items handed out by police officers (badges, pens, and wrist bands), and items needed for the upcoming Youth Center which are not covered by a grant.

Special thanks to Cindy Sims, local Kiwanians, and many others for raising the requested $50 to dunk the Police Chief. This event produced many good times, as well as, an opportunity of "revenge" for some individuals. Again thank you for supporting this worthwhile fund raising event.

FIRE NEWS

By Ron Morgan

Our Fire Departments have been busy over the last couple of months responding to several structure fires, brush fires, motor vehicle accidents, and other calls. It has always interested me how busy most fire departments are during winter months because of heat related fires. Fire Department calls also increase as soon as individuals return to the Lake Lure area for spring. We realize that educating the public is the best fire prevention. Many of the accidental fires could be prevented by common prevention. Defective equipment or heating devices is one area which may give a clue that a problem is about to occur. When doing fire investigations, a common question I ask the homeowner is, "have you had any problems with appliances, heating units, or the electrical system?" Many times the answer is "yes", but the problem has not been checked by a qualified service person. Now this may or may not cause a fire, but you should have these things checked.

Another common cause of fire, we see is brush fires which have gotten out of control. Many people don't take burning brush seriously and will burn any time it is convenient for them. Burning brush can be very hazardous due to many circumstances. Pay attention to the weather and conditions before you burn brush. Dry conditions we are experiencing now is not a good time to burn. Also, people will say, "it rained two days ago". The question is how much did it rain and what conditions followed the rain. If it only rains a quarter of an inch, and it is windy and/or cold, then the top of the ground will be dry again.

Cooking is also a common cause of fire. Most of the time these fires could be prevented easily or extinguished quickly. First, always be careful when cooking with grease and be prepared to extinguish a grease fire. Be sure you don't get distracted or forget something on the stove. This would prevent many of these fires. But if a grease fire occurs, then something as simple as putting a lid on the pot is the quickest and safest way to extinguish the fire. Never pick up and carry the pot while it is on fire. This simply spreads the fire and spills hot grease on you. Everyone should have an ABC type fire extinguisher in your home.

These are a few fire safety tips. We welcome the opportunity to share fire prevention information with groups, civic clubs, church groups or anyone interested in fire prevention. Remember fire prevention is not just for kids.

Lastly, I would like to thank our firefighters for the tremendous job they do for the citizens of Lake Lure and Rutherford County. Speaking from experience, being a Volunteer Firefighter is not easy nor glamorous. I think people often perceive volunteering meaning performing duties when convenient instead of when needed. That is not the case for dedicated Volunteer Firefighters. When the alarm sounds, it means drop what you are doing and helping neighbors in need.

Because of night training, station duty on weekends, and other circumstances which may arise can cause a stressful family life. Firefighters are asked to respond to situations such as winter storms, floods and major disasters. While serving the public during these occurrences, Firefighters must leave their own families not knowing how they will be affected by this same event. This is just a little sample of a Volunteer Firefighter's life. Being a firefighter often requires putting others before themself.

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all of the firefighters and their families for volunteering their time, as well as, risking their lives for others while serving the Town of Lake Lure. Also, I ask the citizens of Lake Lure to pray for their safety.

According to Rebecca Driscoll of the Local Census Office of the Bureau of the Census, Lake Lure (including Fairfield) and Chimney Rock are being treated as a special area for the purpose of the 2000 Census count. This is because of the number of hotels, motels and time-share properties in this resort area. Residents of this area will not receive survey forms in the mail but will be visited by enumerators who will interview them in person. The interviews are being conducted through June of this year. The bureau is still looking for enumerators to work in this area. The pay ranges from $9.75 to $11.25 per hour plus 32.5 cents per mile. Call 1-888-325-7733 for further information.

by Golf Course Manager

Summer is almost here and the golf course is in great shape. Come out and see all the improvements which have been made. For your convenience, the hours of operation for the golf course are 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. seven days a week.

The next tournament is scheduled for June 24 and 25. This will include a member-guest, and two-man best ball tournament. So members bring a friend and non-members come join.

A reminder to all members. Membership renewals are due on or before June 30. Now is a perfect time for non-members to join. For more information, please call 828-625-4472.

The Lake Lure Lions Club recently made contributions totaling $4,700 to several of the organizations in the Lake Lure area. It has been a tradition of the Lions Club to show their appreciation to the community for its support of Lions Club activities during the year. While the majority of Lions Club projects benefit the blind and visually impaired, support of other community organizations and services is recognized to be equally important. Guests accepting the contributions on behalf of their respective organizations from Lions Club President Douglas Fairchild were Lois Mathews for the Friends of the Mountains Branch Library and David Toney for the Hickory Nut Gorge EMS. Contributions to four local Volunteer Fire Departments which provide protection to Lake Lure and the surrounding fire districts were accepted by Chief Buck Meliski of the Chimney Rock VFD, Chief Gary Wilson of the Lake Lure VFD and Fairfield Mountains VFD, and by Chief Jim Howell of the Bill's Creek VFD.

Lake Lure Lakefront Owners Association annual meeting and bi-annual election of officers will be held Friday, July 7, 2000, 6:00 p.m., at the Town Municipal Center. Members are urged to attend. New lakefront owners are also invited to attend and become members.

The Lake Lure Lions Club want discarded eyeglasses and hearing aids. Their club collects and recycles eyeglasses and hearing aids. These glasses and hearing aids are first sorted, categorized by prescription, then cleaned and reconditioned for further use. They are then distributed to worldwide locations, including many third world countries, where vision and/or hearing impaired people just don't have ready access to eye/hearing clinics to serve their needs. Collection boxes for your discarded eye glasses and hearing aids are located at the Mountains Branch Library, the Chimney Rock Post Office, the Lake Lure Post Office, the Chamber of Commerce, Daltons Store in Bill's Creek, and the Valley Market at the Lake Lure Golf and Beach Resort.

New chiropractic office opens in Lake Lure. The Healing Touch Chiropractic Center of Rutherfordton now has a satellite office located in Lake Lure. The new facility offers comprehensive, total body care. They specialize in Network Chiropractic (a gentle, relaxing method that uses low-force adjustments to maintain spinal health. Also, they provide licensed physical therapy and therapeutic massage. The office is located in the Arcade Building, directly across from the beach. Entrance is just behind the bank, take the elevator to the 2nd floor, Suite 203. Office hours are by appointment with convenient evening hours available.

The Chimney Rock Baptist Church will hold worship services on Sundays (May 7 through October 8, 2000), 9:00 a.m., at the Lake Lure Chapel located across from the Lake-View Exxon Store. Come Worship with us!

Vacation Bible School will be held at the Chimney Rock Baptist Church on June 12-17 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Elementary age children are invited to share in this fun and exciting study. The theme for this year will be "Veggie Tales".

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 Fred Noble or Jeanine Noble at 828-625-8706.

**********************************

Notice

For complaints or comments about the operations of the Lake Lure Tours, call 625-0077.

**********************************

Send mail to  Webmaster@ci.lake-lure.nc.us  with questions or comments about this web site.

The Official Government Site of the Town of Lake Lure.

This Site is dedicated to the memory of former Mayor Jack Powell.

This web site is prepared and maintained by the Town of Lake Lure webmaster.  The information contained in this site was believed to be valid at the time of posting.  The Town of Lake Lure assumes no liability for damages incurred directly or indirectly as a result of errors, omissions or discrepancies.  Moreover, the Town of Lake Lure is not responsible for the content nor endorses any site which has a link from this page.