Town of Lake Lure, 

North Carolina

I am very pleased to report that the Town Council has adopted a budget for the coming fiscal year that meets the majority of our needs and does so without a tax increase. Copies of the new budget are available for review at Town Hall, but the following is a synopsis taken from the adopted budget ordinance:

This budget for Fiscal Year 2000-01 is based upon the following:

1. There is an implicit assumption that there will be no annexations or major growth in population served during the subject fiscal year.

2. No increase in ad valorem tax rate on property is proposed this year. Total estimated valuation on real, personal and utility property is $268,364,200 and motor vehicle valuation is estimated at $10,000,000, according to Rutherford County's Tax Administrator. This should generate about $871,200 in tax revenue.

3. For the first time, the Town Council has adopted a six year "Capital Improvements Program." The first year of the program constitutes the "Capital Budget" and the expenditures listed for the first year have been incorporated in this FY 2000-01 annual budget.

Capital expenditures have been increased by $186,477 in comparison to last year with a total of $259,562 allocated for General Fund capital expenditures. Of that amount, $65,000 is related to street maintenance activities funded directly by "Powell Bill" receipts and $49,600 for replacement police vehicles will be reimbursed by a grant from the NC Traffic Safety Commission. Replacement vehicles for the fire and public works departments, irrigation at the golf course, and paving of the community center parking lot are also included in this fund. In addition to the grants already approved, we will be seeking grant funding where available to offset the costs of these additional capital improvements, thereby reducing the burden on the local taxpayers.

Over $120,800 for water and sewer related projects will be funded under the Water/Sewer Fund. Included are the construction of a new sewer main and purchase of a replacement vehicle. Several projects were to planned to be funded through grant monies, however we were unsuccessful in obtaining those grants. The most essential of those projects are included in this budget and we will continue to seek additional funding.

A new transformer must be purchased for the hydro-electric plant at a cost of $163,000 from the Electric Fund. This project was budgeted for last year, but due to delays will not be completed until this fiscal year.

4. This budget includes a fair, but modest, 3.0% cost-of-living adjustment for town employees. I am proud of the consistent dedication, loyalty and hard work demonstrated by our small work force; however, we must recognize the need to maintain our competitive standing versus the compensation and benefits offered by surrounding localities and the private sector. Failure to be vigilant and equitable in this regard will make it most difficult to continue to attract and retain the talented and dedicated cadre of employees we now have on staff. The current pay plan was adopted in 1994 and has been adjusted and modified since then only by any COLA increases granted by Town Council. An increase in insurance benefits for a vision plan will be added.

5. No new employees are provided for; however, one part-time position in the Fire Coordinator’s office will be expanded to a full time position.

6. Revenue in the Electric Fund was impacted by the expiration in February, 1999, of the contract between the town and Duke Power. The town and our consultants negotiated a new contract with Duke to increase the amount proposed to be paid by Duke for power generated by our plant at the dam. Even with the new contract, revenues are projected to fall far short of the amounts we received prior to 1999. In addition, the contract requires that the town fund the $163,000 cost for replacement of the elderly transformer which forms the interconnection with Duke Power’s facility. A portion of this cost will be taken from the Electric Fund reserves.

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William Smith, employee of the month, has been with the Town of Lake Lure since July 1, 1999. Prior to his employment with the Town of Lake Lure, Bill was employed with the enforcement division of the North Carolina Motor Vehicles and the Buncombe County Sheriff's Department.

Bill holds certifications in Basic Law Enforcement Training, North Carolina Intoxilizer operation, ASP Baton, and Basic Radar operation. He has also attended Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Haywood Technical Community College, Blue Ridge Community College, Wake Technical Community College and the North Carolina Justice Academy.

Bill resides in Henderson County with his wife and daughter. We, as colleagues and friends, say thank you to Bill for the wonderful job he is doing for Lake Lure.

REGULAR MEETING: The regular town council meeting was held on Tuesday, June 13, 2000, at 7:00 p.m. at the Lake Lure Municipal Center.

Under the "consent agenda," Council:

* approved the minutes of May 9, 2000 (regular & closed meeting), May 12, 2000 (recessed regular meeting), and May 19, 2000 (special meeting);

* approved year end budget adjustments for FEMA reimbursements and department overruns as submitted from the Finance Director;

* approved request from the VFW Post #10473 to suspend the town peddling ordinance on June 17, 2000, 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 Noon, at the town's community center outside porch area for the purpose of selling crafts, household goods, and baked goods;

* approved request from Joseph Weinberger to suspend the town alcohol ordinance for alcohol consumption on the inside area of the town community hall during a family reunion on July 3, 2000;

* scheduled a public hearing on July 11, 2000 to rezone Shumont Estates Phase 4 lots 14 through 27 from R-1A to R-1C; and

* canceled agreement between the Town of Lake Lure and the Hickory Nut Trolley Company regarding parking a trolley vehicle on town owned property

In other activities, Town Council:

* received the town budget and budget message for Fiscal Year 2000-2001 presented by Town Manager;

* held a public hearing for the town budget for Fiscal Year 2000-2001;

* adopted ordinance no. 00-06-13 (town budget for Fiscal Year 2000-2001;

* held a hearing regarding an appeal from the decision of the Lake Structures Appeals Board (LSA-00-01 John Cloud);

* approved request from the Hickory Nut Gorge Chamber of Commerce for financial assistance of $2,500 from the town towards the cost of the fourth of July and Christmas Boat parade celebrations;

* approved request from Johnny Bell and Tommy Ellison for a sewer connection in Chimney Rock;

* approved lowering the lake level 4 1/2 feet starting December 11, 2000 for a two month period; and

* approved request from Don Miller to suspend the town's alcohol ordinance on Saturday, July 1, 2000, for an outside event (Independence Day celebration). The serving of alcoholic beverages will be restricted to a designated area located on the western end of The Place Restaurant. Approval was contingent upon providing adequate security and the town not being held liable for this event.

SPECIAL WORKSHOP MEETING: A special workshop meeting of the Lake Lure Town Council was held on Friday, June 9, 2000, 9:30 a.m., at the Lake Lure Municipal Center for the purpose of discussing the budget for Fiscal Year 2000-2001.

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COMMUNITY POLICING NEWS

By Police Chief Mike Bustle

It's finally official, the Lake Lure Police Department received a grant totaling $35,000 from the Governor's Crime Commission to establish a regional youth center in Lake Lure.

The search is already underway to locate an administrator for this youth center. Any assistance in locating this special person will be appreciated. The possibilities for this position are endless, as well as, rewarding. Please contact Chief Bustle with suggestions.

The new police Harley Davidson motorcycle should be delivered and operational around the beginning of July. This motorcycle is currently being outfitted with emergency equipment in Gastonia at the Carolina Harley Davidson and will be delivered soon by owner "Click Baldwin", a resident of Lake Lure.

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By Ron Morgan, Lake Lure Fire Coordinator

Those who are frequently on the lake may have seen a new boat during the past few months. This boat has been described as the ugliest boat on the lake. If you are wondering who owns this boat, well it belongs to various Fire Departments (Bill's Creek VFD, Fairfield Mountains VFD, and Chimney Rock VFD). Their old V-hull boat was replaced by a donated used 24 ft. pontoon boat. This silver pontoon boat is equipped with an enclosed cabin, portable pump, generator, red lights, and other accessory items. Last month, these Fire Departments used this boat to assist three dispatched calls.

There is a need to upgrade this boat once again. The fire boat is too heavy for its size and needs a bigger boat chassis. A portable pump from one of the fire department's is currently being used on this boat at this time. These fire departments have managed to come up with enough money to purchase a new 90 HP outboard motor, but they will need additional funds to upgrade their fire boat. Donations for this fire boat project may be given to any of fire departments mentioned above. Please designate your donation to be used for the "fire boat". For further information, call me at 828-625-9333.

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UPPER BROAD RIVER WATERSHED

Understanding North Carolina’s river basins is quickly becoming an important issue to our North Carolina population because of our concern for water quality.

What is a river basin? A river basin or watershed encompasses a land region where surface water flows from the highest elevation, such as mountain ridge to the lowest elevation, and like a lake via our streams and creeks. Due to the topography of our mountain region, we have nine designated river basins in Western North Carolina that extend into our border states which eventually flow into the ocean.

Some concerns of watershed protection include protecting the soil and water resources.

The major problem of erosion is the movement of soil off-site which has a detrimental impact on water quality. One problem is sediment clogs our stream channels and lakes changing the gravel streambed to one with a muddy bottom, which adversely affects our aquatic organisms. Also, our mountain lakes are constantly filling with sediment and property owners are having to pay the cost of dredging.

Additional pressures are being placed on natural resources in Western North Carolina due to increased population growth, economic development (agriculture, industry, residential), and commercial growth. Because of these concerns, our government has allocated state funds titled as the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. This fund has created a watershed protection project called the "Upper Broad River Watershed Protection Program."

The Upper Broad River Watershed surrounds Lake Lure and is part of the Broad River Basin which flows into South Carolina. This watershed encompasses parts of three counties including Rutherford, Henderson, and Buncombe. The Upper Broad River Watershed Protection Program consists of programs that assist property owners in the protection of soil and water resources. There is assistance for property owners in identifying existing erosion sites and developing an erosion control plan to stabilize eroding areas. Funds are available to assist property owners in the cost of implementing erosion control measures. Also, this program provides a low interest loan for the implementation of erosion control measures at new construction sites.

Come to the next Upper Broad River Watershed Protection meeting on July 20^th, 9:00 a.m., at the Lake Lure Municipal Center for information about the Watershed Protection Programs, or you may call Pamela Pyles at the Town of Lake Lure at (828) 625-9983, Ext. 123.

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General: Samples were collected on April 29th and May 27th. There had been moderate rains in the days before the April sampling and light rains before the May sampling. Water levels were reported as normal during both monitoring events.

The Broad River watershed: Ten sites are monitored monthly. These include one site each on the Broad River, Hickory Creek, and Reedypatch Creek which all flow into the Rocky Broad River at Bat Cave, two sites on the Rocky Broad River at Chimney Rock and at Lake Lure, and one site each at Pool Creek, Cane Creek, the Public Golf Course Creek, Buffalo Creek, and Fairfield Mountains Creek. All of the latter sites are located just upstream from Lake Lure.

Reedypatch Creek, Hickory Creek, and the Broad River at Bat Cave exhibited very good water quality both months. However, the section of the Rocky Broad River from Bat Cave to Lake Lure exhibited poorer water clarity than the sites upstream in May. There were also problems with water clarity and elevated sediment concentrations both months at the site of Fairfield Mountains. The site on Pool Creek exceeded turbidity standards for trout waters both months. Cane Creek showed poor water clarity in April.

Lake Lure: Four locations on Lake Lure are monitored for temperature and dissolved oxygen at one meter depth intervals. These locations are at the dam, in the main channel, at Buffalo Bay, and at Tryon Bay. A secchi (pronounced seckee) depth is also taken at each of these four locations to measure water clarity (the greater the secchi depth, the clearer the water). The extent of light penetration is approximately twice the secchi depth. The dam and lake center locations are also monitored for phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations at one meter from the surface and one meter from the bottom.

The lake temperature profile in April and May shows that it is following the normal pattern of stratification that it has shown for the past several years. Surface temperature was 15 degrees C (59 degrees F) in April and 25 degrees C (77 degrees F) in May. These surface temperatures extend down to about 6 to 10 feet and then begin to decrease. At 12 meters (39 feet) temperatures begin to stabilize and reach a steady 8 degrees C (46 degrees F) at about 16 meters (53 feet). The temperature of the water below 12 meters will remain fairly stable throughout the year.

The water was well oxygenated throughout all depths in April, but began to show a noticeable decline below 12 meters in May. The differences were most remarkable in Tryon Bay. This pattern is almost identical to that shown last year. Oxygen concentrations also increased from 7.8 parts per million at the surface to 8.9 parts per million at 6 meters (19.7 feet) at the dam and then began to decrease again below that level. This spike between 4 to 6 meters is the result of oxygenation from algal respiration at the deepest edge of the light penetration zone. This pattern is also almost identical to the pattern shown last year. The spike was similar throughout the lake, but was greatest in Tryon Bay. There may be greater amounts of algae growth in Tryon Bay.

Secchi depth was greatest (83 inches) at the dam and in the main channel and lowest in Tryon Bay and Buffalo Bay (74 inches). Secchi depth and the depth of algae in the lake vary during the day depending on the amount of sunshine. On a sunny day, algae may move to deeper levels to avoid too much ultra-violet light. On cloudy days, and evening or early morning hours the algae may move closer to the surface. This can affect the secchi depth if there is a lot of algae as the water becomes cloudier (with algae) at shallower depths.

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QUALITY REPORT

The Town of Lake Lure wants you to know that our drinking water is some of the purest anywhere in the state. This report will answer questions about the source of the treatment and substances detected in Lake Lure’s drinking water. The Town of Lake Lure is proud to report that its drinking water met all federal and state standards for drinking water.

The town’s water treatment and distribution system serves a population of approximatly 820 and about 309 metered customers. The source of Lake Lure’s drinking water consists of three wells located in the Bottomless Pools area. The water quality of these wells are continuously monitored by town personnel, state agencies, and federal agencies. These three wells continue to be an excellent source of drinking water.

Lake Lure’s water is pumped from deep beneath the surface, injected with a solution of sodium hypochlorite, and then stored in three concrete storage tanks (sized 20, 60, and 80 thousand gallons).

Treated water is delivered by gravity into distribution mains which range in size from 2" to 12". This distribution system runs from the Chimney Rock Fire Station to Thelma’s Mountain Convenience Store and the Snug Harbor area.

The town has added two new state certified water operators Mark Pobanz and Chuck Ammacher on staff. Thank you for all the studying and effort you have put into these courses. The town now has three certified water operators, all of whom are required to attend classes each year to maintain their certification.

Yes, Lake Lure’s drinking water is safe to drink. In order to ensure that tap water is safe, the EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of contaminants in water provided by public water systems.

The Environmental Protection Agency sets maximum contaminant level goals (MCLG) and maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for drinking water. The maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) is the level of contaminants in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLG’s allow for a margin of safety. The MCL is the highest level of a contaminant allowed in drinking water. MCL’s are set as close to the MCLG’s as feasible using the best available treatment technology. This water quality report will show substances detected in Lake Lure’s finished water during 1998. Results are shown in parts per million (ppm) and parts per billion (ppb). Simply, this means a ppm equals one minute in two years and a ppb equals one minute in 2,000 years.

Drinking water including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Water Drinking Hotline at 800-426-4791.

* Nitrates - below MCLG

* Trihalomethane - below MCLG

* Volatile organic chemicals - None detected (except for hexachlorobutadiene which was below MCLG)

* Bacteriological - checked monthly

* Chlorine residual - checked daily

Use water wisely

1. Use water for irrigation only in the early morning hours or during late evening hours unless your grass shows signs of withering and require additional water.

2. Check plumbing for leaks and fix them.

3. Store drinking water in the refriger-ator to avoid running excess water from the tap to get cold water.

4. Take short showers or reduce the depth of water used for tub bathing.

5. Do not leave faucets running while shaving, brushing your teeth, or rinsing dishes.

6. Install water saving devices (plastic bottles, commercial units in non-water saving toilet tank, water saving type toilet and etc.).

7. Install water flow restriction devices in showerheads.

8. Wash full loads in clothes washer or dishwashers.

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LAKE LURE

Thanks for all the compliments made about the improvements to the golf course. Now with our new rates, there has never been a better time to come out and play some golf. The town has lowered the current membership rates and added quarterly and semi-annual memberships.

The new price for Friday night Captains Choice is ten dollars. What better way to spend a Friday evening than playing nine holes of golf with friends. Captain's Choice is every Friday night at 5:30 p.m. Bring a partner or pair up at the course.

Our next tournament is July 22 and July 23. This will be a two man alternate shot. For more details call 828-625-4472.

No. Holes Green Fee Cart Fee Total

9 $10.00 7.00 $17.00

18 $14.00 $10.00 $24.00

Week Days

No. Holes Green Fee Cart Fee Total

9 $ 8.00 $6.00 $14.00

18 $11.00 $9.00 $20.00

Senior Days

No. Holes Green Fee Cart Fee Total

9 $ 7.00 $6.00 $13.00

18 $ 8.00 $7.00 $15.00

Membership Rates

Annual Membership Year (July 1 -- June 30)

Single $ 80.00 $150.00 $180.00

Family (2) $100.00 $180.00 $250.00

Additional (+) $10.00 $ 20.00 $35.00

* Cart fee rates do not include applicable

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NEWS AROUND LAKE LURE

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 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!

The Kiwanis Club of Hickory Nut Gorge, at its second annual presentation dinner on June 15, presented donation checks to a number of emergency and service organizations in the Gorge. A total of $6,050.00 was presented to Helping Neighbors, Inc., Hickory Nut Gorge Recreation Association, Lake Lure Police Department's Children's Fund, North Carolina Nature Conservancy (Bat Cave Bridge Fund), Friends of the Library (Mountains Branch), the Hospice organizations of Rutherford and Henderson Counties, the Bat Biz (a free publication), several local beautification projects, and the Kiwanis of Hickory Nut Gorge Educational Grant. Additional funds are being held in reserve for Trauma Teddies, Church Christmas Outreach, Soccer Team Sponsorship, Kiwanetts, Future Emergencies, and the Kiwanis Club Fund Builder Reserves. In-state and world-wide charitable activities, the local Kiwanis Club has provided $1,225.00 to the Carolina Flood Relief effort in Tarboro, NC, and has forwarded $1,000.00 to the Kiwanis International service project, the effort to eradicate Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) in children all over the world. The organization raises funds for these and other community support efforts through vending activities at Hickory Nut Gorge community events and charitable collections both from organization members and from the community at large. The highly regarded Hixon award was presented to Mary Flack for her efforts toward collections for the Iodine Deficiency eradication effort. Twelve-year-old Cory Goodridge received a plaque and a Swiss army knife in recognition of his assistance to her for raising funds for IDD. Red Apple service awards were presented to Marcia and Riley Hardy, Jan Bush, and Sheila West.

JAS Books and Things is a new business owned by Lisa Beauford located in Lake Lure at the Jasmine Hill Shopping Center (2408 Memorial Highway 64/74-A). JAS Books and Things specializes in new, used, and collectible books, as well as gift items, greeting cards, and office supplies. Services offered include: faxing, typing, resumes, photo scanning, software duplication, online sales training, specialized computer assistance, and more. Also, there is a large children's section including storytime on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. For more details, call 828-625-9700 or e-mail lbeauford@blueridge.net.

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.

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