Town of Lake Lure,
North
Carolina
Town of Lake Lure, North
Carolina
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THE LAKE LURE TRIBUTE Published by Town of Lake Lure, P.O. Box 255, Lake Lure, NC 28746 Newsletter
Editor & Coordinator: Monica Stofer
MAYOR'S COMMENTS by Jim Proctor Happy Fourth Of July! With our country at war, let us
all take time to remember our dedicated armed forces. And remember these
famous words; "WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" Town Budget As noted in the manager's report
last month, the budget has been completed and adopted by the town council. Also
as noted the tax rate will remain the same. I would like to say that it
has been a long and well thought out process that brings us to our adopted
budget. With increases in costs, unknown state revenues and a continuing
uncertain electric income we certainly had some very tough decisions to make. I
congratulate our town employees, especially our town manager and department
heads for their hard work and help with this procedure. The town is very
fortunate to have such a dedicated staff. Ride for Kids On August 21st, the eleventh annual Ride For Kids will once again come to Lake Lure. The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the U.S. funds medical research grants and clinical fellowships to help find the cause and cure of childhood brain tumors. Last year more than 450 motorcycle riders raised more than $96,000!! If you would like to donate this
year please mail a check made out to "PBTFUS" to PO Box 384, Lake
Lure, NC 28746. You may also leave donations at the Lake Lure Town Hall.
Their website is: http://ride4kids.org/ Fireworks To be safe and legal, please let the professionals give the fireworks shows this Fourth of July holiday. As you may remember, in years past there was a fire at a boathouse due to an illegal fireworks show. If you plan on spending money this year for fireworks, I encourage you to instead give a donation to the Hickory Nut Gorge Chamber of Commerce for their fireworks show on July 3th.
TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT by H.M. "Chuck" Place III, AICP The Proverbial "Hole in the Water" Boats! They are great fun and productive sometimes. Or they can be a trial and tribulation and a source of great embarrassment! Take, for example, my last trip in the town administrative division's "old" boat. First, however, a note as to the intended function of the admin boat. Since the town owns the lake, we issue permits for any structures built adjacent to or over the lake waters including seawalls, docks, piers, and boathouses. We also require that lake structures be kept in good repair. Both require inspections, most of which must be done from the water. The admin boat is also used as an auxiliary police boat for training and to augment the patrol boat on very busy days such as the 4th of July (it makes a great waterborne command center). Finally, it is used as a VIP tour boat to educate visiting officials on the workings of our town facilities and show off this spectacular area. Five years ago, we bought a 15 year old ex-tour boat for this purpose. While it was in reasonable shape and economically priced, it was well used and has been more expensive to operate than I expected (note the emphasis on "I" - I had no prior experience in the joys of boat ownership). In addition, it is a powerful inboard-outboard tri-toon and not well suited for the inspections function, so I decided to trade it for a less intimidating craft. A couple of weeks ago, after getting the boat back from it's spring going over by our mechanic, I decided to give it one more run before offering it for trade on a newer boat. It fired right up and ran great so I headed out to lake (if you can say "out to sea," why not "out to lake"?). The boat must of sensed that I was planning to get rid if it and, like a kid heading to the dentist whose tooth doesn't hurt any more, it seemed to want to show me that everything was OK. After about 30 minutes, I headed back in. I got to a point about 800 feet from the mouth of the river when the RPM's started to drop and I heard a crackling sound behind me. I turned around and saw a huge plume of white smoke billowing out of the engine compartment. Instinctively, I shut everything off and made for the bow, as far from the engine as possible without getting wet. The smoke was so thick it could have passed for a WW II smoke screen. I literally could not see the shoreline behind me. About that time I heard a faint holler from up on the hillside above the lake. There I spotted a crew remodeling a house. One of them had his hands around his mouth and was shouting, "ARE YOU ON FIRE DOWN THERE?" I put my hands around my mouth and shouted back, "I DON'T KNOW." He replied, "YOU BETTER JUMP!" By that time, I was starting to think a little more rationally and noticed that the clouds from the engine compartment were white, not black or gray, and smelled like overheated steam and antifreeze, not various petroleum products. So, I decided that before making the plunge I would wait to see what might happen. As the billows subsided, I figured it was probably a burst water hose or gasket and called town hall on my cell phone to ask for a tow. As I was disconnecting, I heard a voice at my feet and looked down. There was Eric Kunath, come to rescue me. It was he and his crew from K Enterprises that were working on the house. He said that he thought I was in peril and ran down to the boathouse at the lake's edge, thinking that if there was a boathouse, there must be a boat. There was - a yellow plastic, single man kayak! So here he was like a knight of old, mounted on his trusty yellow plastic ONE MAN! boat. I said thanks, but no thanks, explained the cause of my problem and invited him aboard while I waited for the tow. Eric was initially pleased to see that there was no major emergency, but then said that he had been really sure the boat was burning and about to explode and had called 911 to report a pontoon boat on fire and said to send the fire boat! "Oh, boy," I thought. And sure enough, right about then, we heard a siren. I looked down the lake for the boat, but couldn't see it. Then Eric grabbed my arm and pointed the other way. Bouncing around the access path on Memorial Point was Chief Buck Meliski in the Chimney Rock fire truck! "Great," I said to myself. "I'm 800 feet out in the lake and they send a TRUCK!" Then we looked back down the lake and I swear I could hear the crescendo of the orchestra as around the point came the brand new, bright red FIRE BOAT with a bone in it's teeth, looking like a destroyer flinging up a bow wave on either side, lights flashing and coming flat out down the lake to the rescue. It was the greatest thing I have ever seen on the lake and was worth the embarrassment of explaining that I wasn't really on fire after all. Well - I got towed, the head gasket was blown, Buck explained that it was normal practice to send a truck as backup just in case, Eric paddled back to his job after a heartfelt word of thanks from me, the fireboat had a good practice run, everyone had a good laugh, and the new town boat was delivered six days later. The best part of the whole thing was that I learned it took less than 15 minutes from Eric's call to 911 in Rutherfordton for a firefighter to drive two miles from Bill's Creek Fire Station to the lake, start up the fire boat and travel from the far north end of the lake almost to the far west end. That's a great response time, as far as I'm concerned!
TOWN COUNCIL ACTIVITIES by Town Clerk Mary Flack, MMC, CTC REGULAR MEETING: The regular town council meeting was held on Tuesday, June 8, 2004, 7:00 p.m., in the meeting room of the Lake Lure Municipal Center. Under the "consent agenda," Council: * approved the minutes of May 11, 2004 (regular meeting) and May 20, 2004 (special meeting); * approved a budget amendment as submitted by the finance director to transfer $100,000 from the hydro-electric fund equity to the capital reserve silt fund for future silt removal; and *approved a budget amendment as submitted by the finance director to transfer $5,500 from the water/sewer fund equity account to the water department's professional services account. In other activities, Town Council: * received the town budget and budget message for fiscal year 2004-2005 present by the town manager; * held a public hearing regarding the town budget for fiscal year 2004-2005; * adopted the town budget ordinance no. 04-06-08 for fiscal year 2004-2005 as presented; * approved the capital improvements program as presented by the town manager; * approved a request from Ken Jordan to change the date previously approved by town council for a boat parade to be held on August 7, 2004 starting at 7:00 p.m.; * approved a request from Bryant Smith, Cheryl Smith, and Howard Steppe to waive the time limit to appeal the decision of the Lake Structures Appeals Board regarding case #LSA-04-01 in order to hold a hearing on June 8, 2004 during the town council meeting; * held a hearing to appeal the decision of the Lake Structures Appeals Board regarding case #LSA-04-01 Bryant Smith, Cheryl Smith, & Howard Steppe; Bryant Smith agreed to drop his appeal and instead alter his boat slip in accordance with town regulations by moving the vertical supports to the outermost edge of the overhang to enable the boat slip to be widened to allow room for his new ski boat. Town Council accepted Mr. Smith's withdrawal to appeal at this time and granted Mr. Smith the ability to resubmit his appeal within thirty days if it was determined that there is insufficient room for Mr. Smith's boat after altering his boathouse; and * held a closed session meeting to discuss personnel matters in accordance with G.S. 143-318.11(a)(6).
PERSONNEL UPDATE by Anita Taylor, Personnel Director, Deputy Town Clerk, MMC, Several personnel changes are taking place. Charlie Greeson, Pro-Shop Clerk at the golf course has announced his resignation. Charlie began work for the town October 17, 2001. Catrice Cunningham has accepted the position and began training Tuesday, June 22nd. Terri Potts, Zoning Administrator, has announced her resignation. Terri began work for the town May 15, 2000. Lewis McDade, maintenance worker in the Public Works Department, announced his retirement effective July 1, 2004. Lewis began work for the town August 23, 1996. We will miss these employee very much and wish them well in their future endeavors.
COMMUNITY FIRE NEWS by Ron Morgan, Fire Coordinator We have notice that many of you have installed your new lake front property address signs. These are very beneficial to responding to emergencies around the lake. There are still a quite a few properties without signs, for those of who have not installed or purchased these signs yet, they can be ordered at the Lake Lure Town Hall. The cost for these signs are $10.00. For more information please call 828-625-9333 or 828-625-9983 ext. 100.
COMMUNITY POLICING NEWS by Chief Mike Bustle On Monday, June 21, 2004, the Lake Lure Youth Center began free swimming lessons at the Geneva Motel, through a recent donation from the Southeastern V.R.O.C. Motorcycle Owners and Rider's Association and motel owners Lynn and Vicki Smith. The event has been attended by thirty-eight Hickory Nut Gorge youth. Red Cross swimming instructor Carolyn Black, is conducting the lessons. She will hold another two-week course during the month of July 2004. Congratulations to all area folks who made this event such a beneficial success! Contact Sharon Theiss, Vicki Smith or your local community police officer for additional information. On Monday, June 28th, and Tuesday June 29th, the Lake Lure Police Department and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will host a Boater's Safety Class at the Lake Lure Town Hall. The six hour course will begin on Monday at 6:00 p.m., and convene again on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Course participants will receive a state certified certificate from the N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission upon successful completion of the course. The course is an excellent basic boater safety course that also covers applicable state law and the unique ordinances of Lake Lure. Please contact your community police officer at 828-625-4685 to register or for more information regarding this valuable course of instruction. Recently the Lake Lure Police Department has received reports and initiated investigations of several area business break-ins. Luckily, nothing was taken during either, but significant damages occurred during each. Please be alert to these events during your normal routines and report any suspicious activities seen in our area. Officers are eager to investigate unusual activities or circumstances and your report may prevent a crime or assist in an ongoing investigation! Elderly Driving Safety Traffic safety of aging Americans is fast becoming one of the greatest concerns of government, auto manufacturers and insurance companies. According to federal data, the number of Americans over the age of 70 involved in fatal traffic accidents increased by 33 percent from 1989 to 1999, even as traffic fatalities overall declined by 9 percent during that period, according to the American International Auto Dealers Association (AIADA). A recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that drivers over the age of 65 are 1.78 times more likely to die in a car crash than drivers between the ages of 55 to 64. Drivers over 75 are 2.59 times more at risk; for drivers over the age of 85, the risk is 3.72 times as high. Some government proposals include more frequent testing for driver's license renewals and ways to make roads - particularly intersections - safer. More than half all fatal accidents among drivers over 80 occur at intersections, compared to 25 percent among drivers under 50, according to federal reports. AIADA has assembled a list of "Safety Tips for older Drivers," available at aiada.org.
by Charlie Greeson, Pro Shop Clerk The goose grass is growing great. Maybe you've noticed. Another thing you may have noticed is a large pile of dirt at the back of the #1 tee. That's thanks to Craig Mullikin. What we want to do with it is lengthen the tee box, elevate the back portion for the blue tees and add senior tee. Not sure when everything will be finished. You'll just have to come out and play from time to time and check on our progress. We've had a new step installed at the #3 tee box. This was an improvement that was needed for a long time and we finally managed to get it done. The pump station for the irrigation system has been hit by lightning about three times in last seven months. Duke Power has installed additional lightning protection and hopefully, that will remedy the situation. Necessarily, we've had to replace the pumps due to them being fried in the strikes. We currently have 30 HP and 25 HP motors on line and a 15 HP motor waiting in the wings in case we get hit again. This should keep us in water for those greens that need it so badly during this time of year. We are going to attempt to aerate greens sometime this month providing conditions are favorable for that venture. Just check with the course if that's a bother for your game. It looks like we may have another record year for total revenue. All the numbers are not in as of this writing, so stay tuned for more information on the score.
PROTECTION PROGRAM by Clint Calhoun, Erosion Control Specialist Do you know what's living in your stream? You might be surprised by what's there. Aquatic life is an important source of information when studying water quality. Many of the species present in a stream, river, or lake are important water quality indicators. This article is the first in a series of articles that will introduce you, the reader, to some of the critters living in our streams and how they relate to water quality. We will not look at one-celled organisms as it would take a couple of years to cover all of these. Instead, we will start with the macro invertebrates, which are critters that we can see without a microscope. First of all an invertebrate is an animal that doesn't have a backbone or any form of internal skeleton. Instead, they have some form of exoskeleton which gives their bodies structure and stability. We shall divide our aquatic invertebrates up in groups that we can more easily analyze. The first group of invertebrates that we will look at are the mollusks. Mollusks are typically split into three groups: Pelecypods (bi-valve or double-shelled), Gastropods (uni-valve or single-shell), and Cephalopods (no external shell). Cephalopods are things such as squid, cuttlefish and octopus, all of which are marine species. Our focus will be on Pelecypods and Gastropods which can be found in freshwater ecosystems as well as marine ecosystems. Pelycepods are typically filter feeders. As water moves through their shells and siphoned into their bodies, oxygen and nutrients are filtered out of the water and into the tissues of the organism. The water is then siphoned back out once the oxygen and food has been depleted. There are two different types of pelycepods in freshwater ecosystems. There are freshwater mussels and there are freshwater clams. Both types have gills through which they obtain oxygen from the water. Because these organisms are gill breathers, water quality is very important for their survival, however, some are more tolerant than others. Freshwater clams are greatly affected by changes in water quality and are very often one of the first groups of aquatic organisms to disappear when water quality starts to decline. Some of the freshwater mussels on the other hand, manage to tolerate the change but their numbers tend to drop significantly if the water degradation persists for a long period of time. When present in large numbers, they play an important role by filtering a lot of harmful nutrients out of the water that might harm other organisms. Low numbers of mussels might suggest that impairment of the stream is occurring or has already happened. There are several species of freshwater clams and mussels found in North Carolina. Many of these are declining and some are endangered. Freshwater clams and mussels are usually found in sandy bottom streams but occasionally occur in rocky streams as well. They are a favorite food source for many species of fish, particularly bream species (bluegill, red-breasted sunfish, red-eared sunfish, etc.) which are also known as shellcrackers. The other group of mollusks in freshwater ecosystems is the gastropods or snails which are all single-shelled. Snails can be divided into two groups, those that breathe with gills (prosobranchs, pronounced proso-branck) and those that breathe with lungs (pulmonate). These snails typically feed on detritus (decaying matter) and aquatic plants such as algae. Snails with lungs tolerate poor water quality conditions very well. They are typically bottom-dwellers, in fairly shallow water, that will occasionally crawl up a rock to the surface to take a breath and then go back to the bottom again. There are three types of pulmonate snails: spiral shell, coiled shell, and conical shell. Gilled snails or prosobranchs on the other hand, require good water quality conditions. They prefer fast moving, highly oxygenated water. These snails are usually found in very shallow water attached to rocks where they dine on the microscopic algae and detritus that accumulates. Prosobranchs are all spiral shelled and have a leathery "shoe-like" structure on the bottom of their foot called an operculum. These snails are also right-handed whereas spiral shelled pulmonate snails are left-handed and lack an operculum. Freshwater snails are an important food source for fish. Prosobranchs which are most of the time fairly small, are also a favorite food source for crayfish which are another important water quality indicator.
Go check out your stream. See what's living in there. You may be surprised what you will find. Next month we'll look at another group of organisms so stay tuned. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime at 828-625-9983 ext. 123 or clintcalhoun@blueridge.net.
GOODBYE by Tony Hennessee, Public Works Director A dedicated member of Lake Lure Public Works has announced that he will be retiring on June 30th. Lewis McDade started at the Hydro-Plant and has since been with the town maintenance many years. Lewis we will miss you greatly! This now leaves us with the task of selecting a new family member for the Street Department of Public Works. The salary for this position begins at $21,324. Applications can be picked up at town hall and will be accepted thru July 9th.
BOAT PARADE by Ken Jordan A new summer tradition will be set in Rutherford County - Lake Lure, N.C. The first annual Hickory Nut Gorge Summer Boat Parade is scheduled for Saturday, August 7, 2004 at 7 p.m. on the shores of Lake Lure. The general public will vote for their favorite boats at the FREE reviewing stands at Lakeview Restaurant in the resort, Larkins on the Lake, and near the Lake Lure town marina. The proceeds are being donated to the Hickory Nut Gorge community firefighters. The theme this year will be Saluting This Great Country , rallying in support of our armed forces personnel and celebrating things that make America great. For more information on how to join in on the fun, please contact Ken Jordan at 828-625-9439.
by Paula Jordan and Patricia Maringer The forestry committee, led by Patrician Maringer and Paula Jordan, is continuing to research ways and means of providing fair, reasonable ordinances to prevent the excess cutting of trees within the Lake Lure town limits. Such a program would NOT ban the cutting of trees altogether, but would work to prevent the complete removal of trees from a given tract of land, such as recently took place at the corner of Hwy 64/74A and Washburn Rd. In reviewing North Carolina's legislative background on this question, the committee has located a number of bills that have been adopted by the General Assembly to confirm the right of individual towns to regulate the cutting of trees. Committee members then conferred with Senator Walter Dalton, and learned that January 2005 would be the time to submit such legislation for the Town of Lake Lure. In the meantime, research continues into the details of ordinances already in place in towns similar to Lake Lure, that is, small, heavily forested resort and retirement towns in western North Carolina. The committee also plans to consult with the Lake Lure residents in open meetings. They will then work with the Zoning and Planning Board to help mold ideas from all these sources into practical, reasonable, and enforceable forestry ordinances that will, as far as possible, meet the needs of all our citizens. Those wishing to assist with this work should contact Patricia Maringer at 828-625-0093 or Paula Jordan at 828-691-5008. Your help will be much appreciated.
It is that time of year when the families are back and you see more boats and water toys on the lake. Lake Lure is glad to see everyone come and enjoy our beautiful lake but we would like to remind you to be safe and remember a few things. For those who have temporary inflatable water recreation devices and have already got permits for them, (they do need a permit), they are only permitted during daylight hours and are to be used only by swimmers. Such devices shall be removed from the lake when not in use. Also remember the changes in no wake zone times that are now in place as follows: "All water vessels must be operated at "no wake" speed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. during months of October through April and 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. during the months of May through September. All boats running at night must meet those lighting standards required by Wildlife Resources Commission regulations or applicable state law".
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 Rod or Yvonne Anderson at 828-625-0464. Garden Club will be touring five local gardens on July 8th starting at 10 a.m. and will be followed by a buffet salad luncheon in the Fairfield Mnts. Chapel Fellowship hall at 1 p.m. The Rutherford Garden Club will be the guest for this meeting. Some of the gardens included are those of John and Penny Cloud, John and Diane Cloud, Alex and Mary Karr, Nan and Hugh Pinney, and David Ray. For more information, please call 828-625-1065 or 828-625-9496. Thank you - The family of Heath Cook would like to take this time to express our sincere gratitude to ALL in the Hickory Nut Gorge for their emergency services, contributions and prayers following Heath's accident on May 11, 2004. Words can not express our appreciation. You have touched our hearts and made us feel like family. May God Bless You, Heath, Rhonda, Courteney, Pat, Jim and Chad Cook.
New Owner - Char Leneschmidt now owns and operates Curves for Women at 305 Buffalo Creek Road in Lake Lure at Fairfield Mountains. It is open Monday through Saturday. Curves for Women offers a unique, easy exercise in just 30-minutes. For more information and a free tour, please call 828-625-0270.
NOTICE For comments about the operations of the Lake Lure Tours, call 828-625-1373. The Board of Adjustment and the Lake Structures Appeal Boards have a vacancy position available as an alternate member on each board. Applications may be picked up at town hall for those interested in this position. All applications must be turned in by July 7th.
The deadline for newsletter articles to be received at Town Hall for the August issue is July 21, 2004.
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