June 2003

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TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT

by H.M. “Chuck” Place III, AICP

It’s Raining, it’s Pouring....

It’s pretty obvious that we have had more rain recently than for several years past. I asked Utilities Director William Grimes to compare the month of April this year with last year at the hydro plant to help put the difference into perspective. During April, 2002, generator #1 ran for 75.5 hours. This past month, generator #1 ran for 318 hours. Last April, generator #2 ran for 108.5 hours while this April it ran for 560.5 hours and the combined total electricity produced by both generators amounted to 340,000 KW last April compared with 1,574,000 KW this year - almost five times more. The difference in income for the period of mid March to mid April shows an increase of over 300% and we just got our April-May check which is up almost 360% over last year! Much of the extra time running was during off-peak hours so the difference is not quite so dramatic as the running hours, but even so, the increased income is very welcome. I don’t know how much more rain we are going to receive, but we’ll savor it while it lasts. On the other hand I’ll bet the merchants and motel owners are saying “rain, rain, go away.......”

All this precipitation has caused the state to declare an official end to the many years of drought. This is great news, but has it’s down side, too. Now that we appear to have so much water, the need to conserve doesn’t seem so important anymore. Not so! Water conservation is always important. Our area is growing rapidly and it is possible for us to out use our supplies of surface water if we’re not careful. More importantly, most of our wells are deeper than surface wells and their source will take a lot more time than a few weeks or even months to recharge, no matter how much rain we have been getting. So, keep on conserving. And if you have questions about how, watch for Public Works Director Tony Hennessee’s article in the next Tribute.

TOWN COUNCIL ACTIVITIES

by Town Clerk Mary Flack, MMC, CTC

REGULAR MEETING: The regular town council meeting was held on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, 7:00 p.m., at the Lake Lure Municipal Center.

Under the “consent agenda,” Council:

* approved the minutes of April 8, 2003 (regular meeting) and May 2, 2003 (special workshop meeting);

* approved request from Paul and Jan LaQue to suspend the town alcohol ordinance in order to serve beer and wine during a wedding reception inside the community hall of the Lake Lure Municipal Center on August 9, 2003, from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and allow D. J. music inside the community hall for this event;

* approved request from Brian McDermott to suspend the town alcohol ordinance in order to serve beer, champagne, and wine during a wedding reception inside the community hall of the Lake Lure Municipal Center on July 3, 2004, from 5:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.;

* approved request from Dwayne Bolt and Faith Nelon to suspend the town alcohol ordinance in order to serve beer, champagne, and wine during a wedding reception inside the community hall of the Lake Lure Municipal Center on July 20, 2003, from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.;

* approved request from Larry Sanders on behalf of the Chimney Rock Baptist Church to hold worship services at the Lakeside Chapel located on town property and permitting access to the right of the town’s former boat landing in order to conduct lakeside services held on Sundays starting May 4, 2003, through October 12, 2003, from 9:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m.; and

* approved contract between the Town of Lake Lure and the town auditor for fiscal year beginning July 1, 2002 and ending June 30, 2003.

In other activities, Town Council:

* reviewed and revised a proposed boat slip policy for the Town of Lake Lure which was presented by Commissioner Lea Hullender; authorized the town manager and town attorney to make the final changes to this policy and present it for final approval at the next town council meeting being held on June 10, 2003;

* approved proposal from Fire Coordinator Ron Morgan to purchase a new fire boat;

* accepted warranty from Pumps, Parts and Service, Incorporated, for two pumps installed at the town’s lift station;

* heard a proclamation from Mayor Jim Proctor supporting the sale of “Buddy Poppies” by the Veterans of Foreign Wars in gratitude to the men and women of this country who have risked their lives in defense of the freedoms which we continue to enjoy as American citizens;

* approved budget amendments presented by the finance director and town manager regarding (1) lake silt removal; (2) Public Works Department - storm debris removal and erosion; and (3) control State revenues - inventory; intangible, beer, wine, and food stamps;

* directed the town attorney to draft an ordinance pertaining to a new federal law requiring individuals under the age of 13 to wear life jackets while in a boat on Lake Lure;

* scheduled a special town council meeting to be held at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 28, 2003, at the council meeting room of the Lake Lure Municipal Center in order to review preliminary budget items for fiscal year 2003-2004;

* scheduled a special town council meeting to be held on Thursday, June 19, 2003, 9:00 a.m., at the council meeting room of the Lake Lure Municipal Center for the presentation of the town budget and budget message for fiscal year 2003-2004; hold a public hearing for the purpose of discussing the proposed budget for fiscal year 2003-2004; adoption of town budget ordinance; and approve the Capital Improvements Program; and

* held a closed session meeting in accordance with G.S. 143-318.11(a)(3) to discuss legal matters and attorney client privilege regarding pending litigation between Patricia Hyatt and the Town of Lake Lure.

COMMUNITY POLICING NEWS

by Chief Mike Bustle

Please remember that local and state law enforcement agencies across the nation are participating in a Click -It or Ticket campaign from May 19th to June 1, 2003. Most agencies add additional officers especially during holiday weekend periods. Teen drivers will be targeted with special education efforts to increase seat belt use rates among this high-risk group.

Aggressive Drivers: Who are they?

Here’s what we know of them, so far:

• These high risk drivers climb into the anonymity of an automobile and take out their frustrations on anybody at any time.

• For them, frustration levels are high, and level of concern for fellow motorists is low.

• They run stop signs and red lights, speed, tailgate, weave in and out of traffic, pass on the right , make improper and unsafe lane changes, make hand and facial gestures, scream, honk, and flash their lights.

• They drive at speeds far in excess of the norm which causes them to follow too closely, change lanes frequently and abruptly without notice (signals), pass on shoulder or unpaved portions of the roadway, and leer at and/or threaten verbally or through gestures motorists who are thoughtless enough to be in front of them.

• Put your pride in the back seat. Do not challenge them by speeding up or attempting to hold-your-own in your travel lane.

• Wear your seat belt. It will hold you in your seat behind the wheel in case you need to make an abrupt driving maneuver and it will protest you in a crash.

• Report aggressive drivers to the appropriate authorities by providing a vehicle description, license number, location, and if possible direction of travel.

• If you have a “cell” phone, and can do it safely, you can report aggressive or impaired drivers to the police by calling #911.

• If an aggressive driver is involved in a crash farther down the road, stop a safe distance from the crash scene, wait for the police to arrive, and report the driving behavior that you witnessed.

The Lake Lure Police Department and N. C. Wildlife will host a Boater Safety Class at the Municipal Hall on June 23^rd and 24^th, 2003, from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Successful completion of the two-day, six-hour class will provide the student an official certificate of completion. Please telephone Vicki at the LLPD, 828-625-4911 for registration prior to the day of class; ten students are required for the class to be presented.

In September of 1996 the Town of Lake Lure and Village of Chimney Rock experienced a devastating flash flood. This flood was the result of 12 inches of rain falling in three hours, with a total of 17 inches over a 24-hour period. The resulting flood caused tremendous damage, but fortunately no lives were lost.

This brought to the forefront the need for emergency warning of residents and visitors in harms way. We had already been working toward a solution, but with no funding we were not making much progress. The Presidential declaration following the flood made disaster mitigation grants available. After much work and a couple years later we received grants for emergency warning sirens and an automated telephone notification system. The drought of recent years has caused many to forget the flood.

Lake Lure and Chimney Rock has nine outdoor warning sirens. They are located from the Henderson County line in Chimney Rock to River Creek Campground, about four miles east of Lake Lure, along the river. We also have one siren in Fairfield near the Bald Mountain Lake Dam.

The locations of these sirens are based on the significant damage and life threat experienced along the Broad River in 1996. The purpose of these sirens is to warn people of flash flooding and hopefully give them time to evacuate.

We also received an automated telephone notification system through this grant. This system has pre-recorded messages and can call anyone programmed into the database and play the message when activated. This system is also aimed at notifying people along the river to evacuate if necessary. These systems are activated at the Rutherford County 911 center; however, very soon we will have the capability to activate the sirens locally. The system is designed for emergency notification only and since installation we have not had to activate this system.

When activated the sirens produce an alert tone and recorded message. There are messages for flash flood watch, flash flood warning, tornado watch, and tornado warning. We test the sirens through a silent activation that also tells us if there is a problem with one of the sirens.

If you live or have a place of business along the river and would like to be added to the telephone notification list please call our office at 828-625-9333. We also have brochures if you would like one on this information.

First things first...the groundhog is still there in the middle of the 9th fairway. Speaking of animals, while the rain has caused a decrease in golfers, we have seen an increase in other frequenters of the course. There are record numbers of turkey, geese, deer, crows, and foxes showing up and leaving their legacy everywhere; especially the turkeys. You ought to hear Chris when it sticks to the rollers on his greens mower. Actually, no, you shouldn't.

Next,...Rain, rain, go away; come again another day; that's 'cause golfers want to play. We may have had a wetter spring but I can't remember when. Hopefully all this rain won't rot the turf before you have a chance to play again. There is some good to report though - the greens are as lush as ever. It does make for a slower putting surface, but, it sure is smooth. The rain has made for some difficult mowing conditions. On the days that we can mow, we try to mow as much as possible before it rains again. As a result, we are mowing out many of the roughs. This may make a difference for those playing Bingo, Bango, Bongo but for the rest of us it's not such a bad deal. We can now make a better recovery for those errant shots. On the other hand, Chris had the whole course fertilized around the end of May and he may be playing with fire. If it keeps raining, he might not be able to keep it all mowed. At least we have some astoundingly green fairways.

There's a new addition to the course that I don't think anyone has ever seen before now. We have placed divot buckets on the tee boxes at all the par 3's. Now, when you make a divot on those tee boxes you can repair it quickly and easily. Just scoop out a cup of sand and pour it out on the divot area. The sand contains seed and will begin to heal the spot immediately. We want to say thanks in advance to all those who help us keep those tees in good shape.

Last, but not least, all you good children (bad children too) remember to treat your dear ol' sufferin’ dad to a round of golf for Father's Day. I'm sure he'll appreciate it and maybe even forget about the time you....(well, you know what I mean). Fairways and greens y'all. Remember, keep your head down and your spirits up.

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.

Dive into God’s Love - join Chimney Rock Baptist Church at 270 Boys Camp Road for Vacation Bible School. It will be held June 2^nd - 6^th, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. For more information, contact Deanna Myers at 828-625-0470.

Garden Club - Join the garden club in another field trip, this time to the Sandy Mush Herb Nursery on Thursday, June 5th. The nursery has been in operation since 1977 and continues to expand their collection of handmade plants. They offer a wide range of rare herbs, handsome flowering perennials, fragrant foliage plants, wildflowers and flowering plants. For more information about this trip please contact Jean Hoffman at 828-625-1631 or Joanne Phillips at 828-625- 8498. The garden club will not have a July meeting.

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 July issue is June 18, 2003.

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