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Hendersonville News

School Board picks architects promising major Stillwell renovation

The Henderson County School Board voted unanimously on Thursday to hire architects who promise a renovation of the historic core classroom building and auditorium at Hendersonville High School along with a second new classroom building, a new gym and other new buildings. The board vote came after members heard presentations about construction of a new or renovated Hendersonville High School from the two finalists vying for a contract to design the job. It rejected a recommendation of an ad hoc committee, which had voted 5-2 for the county architect of record. PFA-LS3P, a collaboration of Asheville-based pfa and Charlotte-based LS3P, and ClarkNexsen, the county's architect of record, were the last two firms left standing among nine that responded originally to an invitation to bid on a new round of HHS plans. PFA-LS3P presented the more detailed plans for a combination Stillwell building renovation and new construction. The partnership said it would: Preserve and renovate the Stillwell building and 1974 gym. Raze the vocational-ed building, cafeteria, bandroom and old gym. Add a new cafeteria and vocational-ed building, renovate and expand the Stillwell auditorium, add a new administrative office and a classroom building along Oakland Street and build a second gym next to the 1974 Jim Pardue gymnasium. Complete the project in two phases, without housing students in mobile units, and finish by August 2022. Design a single point of entry for security reasons, allowing access to the Stillwell Building and the new classroom building. Add an enclosed courtyard behind the Stillwell building in roughly the spot where the vocational-ed building stands today. PFA-LS3P estimated the cost at $52.4 million. ClarkNexsen presented five options, including Stillwell renovation and new construction options and one, called Hail Mary, that was basically the same as the all-new construction option the School Board no longer favors. "There's such a price difference between the two firms," board Chair Amy Lynn Holt said. "Clearly, they were showing a full renovation of the Stillwell building, with bigger class sizes, everthing in that building." Even if it added other options, "We're still millions of dollars under the first number ClarkNexsen is coming in on." Mary Louise Corn, who voted for ClarkNexsen in the School Board vote last week, said PFA had made the best presentation. "Some said only consider ClarkNexsen. They've got all the lay of the land," she said. "Some have said ClarkNexsen shouldn't even be considered because we don't trust them. There's no doubt PFA made the best presentaiton. It's fine and easy to put on a dog and pony show. It's easy to make the rendering look great. ... are very honest about the price, I think they're telling us things we don't want to hear." But she added, "I would be fine with PFA." Amy Lynn Holt strongly endorsed PFA. "At the end of the day, I still feel that PFA did an amazing job," she said. "I think it's undisputed." "I feel great. I think it's the right choice," said Blair Craven, who has been the School Board's strongest advocate for saving the Stillwell building. "Several people said it, this project does deserve a fresh look. ... We'll see what that price is going to be for them to get us to hopefully a guaranteed maximum price and set of drawings that we can bring before the county that will be approved." How does he see the path to getting three vote on the County Commission to approve the new plan? "I truly believe that PFA is going to put something forward that they're going to be proud of, that they're not going to be able to say no to and that they will ultimately check the boxes and say yes, we're going to be able to do this. We're going to have at least one new county commissioner, possibly two with the election coming up, but I think we can get three votes no matter how that comes out." Holt said the choice for her came down to listening to constituents. "To me it's what the community wants," she said. "I didn't have anybody from that part of the community" favoring another shot for ClarkNexsen. "I would hope that when they see we're being fiscally responsible, that we're within the budget and that we're producing something for that community and that's great for the students I hope that they would approve it," she said. "I would like to see from here and out — we can confer with the county — but that it really big directed by us. When you heard those firms talk, I never heard them say, 'When we designed a school for the county commission.' I never heard them say that. That's the process. We're directed to be over schools." Boney, lead architect for LS3P, told the board he is the third-generation to lead a firm that specializes in school renovation and construction, having completed 2,500 projects over that time and 576 in the past 20 years. The firm touts its adherence to the "three Cs," meaning it's "creative, competent and cost conscious." The architects "design places where students want to be," it says. Boney and PFA Project Leader Maggie Carnevale touted the two firms' experience in renovating historic school buildings and combining new construction and renovation in tight urban spaces, citing Asheville High School, the historic West Charlotte High School and others. They pledged to deliver an "open and honest" process, communicate clearly and often with the board and the public and give detailed stakeholder updates. They proposed this timeline: Deliver drawings by January 2019. January-September 2019: Advanced planning and cost projections. September 2019-Jan. 1, 2021: Phase 1 construction (new cafeteria and career technical education building). November 2019-Jan. 1, 2021: Phase 2 construction documents, cost estimates. November-December 2020: Phase 2 permitting. January-May 2021: Demolish cafeteria, band room, auxiliary gym and CTE building. May 2021-August 2022. Phase 2 construction (administrative offices and classrooms along Oakland Street and auxiliary gym south of the Pardue gym). August 2022: Turn over project to Henderson County School Board. Students move in.     This is a developing story. Return to the Lightning for updates.       Read Story »

Henderson County News

Utility line repair blocks Publix driveway, creating traffic jam

Everyone knew the crowds would be big when Publix opened its Hendersonville store on Wednesday. No one counted on a utility line stopup that forced city crews to close the main driveway for five hours — creating a traffic jam in the parking lot. Chalk it up to bad timing and coincidence. From the beginning, observers have wondered whether building in the middle of Hendersonville's best-known flood zone — where Mud Creek crosses White Street, a couple hundred yards west of Greenville Highway — would make flooding worse. Wednesday's sewer line problem had nothing to do with stormwater or the store opening. City officials think it was caused by contractors building the upgraded sewer lines for the project. The culprit: a sewer line plug inadvertently left by construction crews."The line didn't have any overflow but the line was backing up," City Manager John Connet said Wednesday night. When crews opened a manhole to see what caused the backup they found something called a sewer plug — a heavy-duty rubber ball used to plug lines during construction. Once the work is done, the sewer line contractor is supposed to remove the plug. "It did not get removed after the construction," Connet said. City officials plan to contact the contractor to discuss the situation. City crews got the call around 1 p.m. and finished fixing the line around dark. They reopened the driveway shortly after 7 p.m. While the Greenville Highway driveway was closed, cars queued up in three lines 12 or 15 deep waiting to exit onto White Street.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Zoning board continues treatment center case

The Henderson County Zonng Board of Adjustment is taking up an application for First Contact Ministries to build a residential drug treatment facility on Erkwood Drive, a center that dozens of neighboring homeowners oppose. The regular meeting of the board was moved from the county building on King Street to the Historic Courthouse because of the expected size of the crowd. The crowd of people for and against First Contact's application filled the meeting room on the second floor of the courthouse. Shortly before 6 p.m., the zoning board announced that it would continue the hearing after adjourning at around 6 p.m. When it closed the hearing at 6:04, the attorneys had questioned only three witnesses and the zoning board chair had called none of the people who had signed up to speak for and against the special-use permit. When the meeting was gaveled to order at 4 p.m., Chair Ron Kauffman called on attorney Brian Gulden, who represents homeowners opposed to the treatment center, to present his request for a continuance of the case for at least two weeks. Opponents had only 28 days to study the case, retain expert witnesses and gather evidence. "We’re asking to continue so our group can prepare and gather the facts and evidence necessary," he said. The Zoning Board of Adjustment turned down the request and began hearing the case at 4:30. When Chair Ron Kauffman asked those who were a party to the case or planned to testify to stand, around 40 stood up. Gulden opened his case by challenging Toby Linville, the county zoning administrator, on the details of First Contact's application and on whether the proposed facility met the definition of an assisted living residence, under the county ordinance and state law. Linville said he forwarded the application to the Department of Social Services and the state Department of Health and Human Services, which would review the proposal for licensing purposes. Gulden then asked a series of questions intended to show that zoning of the property — it's split zoned Residential One and Estate Residential (one-acre lots) — prohibits some of the uses First Contact proposes as part of the residential recovery center, such as parking and offices. Is the use residential or commercial? Gulden asked. "It's both," Linville said. "That's why it requires a special use permit." Gulden's questions were intended to support his position that because the county land-use code does not allow the uses or the functions First Contact proposes. Gulden asked what would happen if First Contact did not get state approval for the facility. Would there be an empty 20,000-square-foot building? "No," Linville said. "They won't get their first permit until that question is answered." Gulden asked Linville whether the facility would be compatible with surrounding zoning in the Flat Rock and Hendersonville jurisdictions.  In his opening statement, Derek Jones, the attorney for First Contact Ministries, said that clients at the 42-bed facility would be detoxed before they entered treatment. Mud Creek Baptist and its 4,000 members support the mission of First Contact to help people recover from drug abuse. Jared DeRidder, an engineer with WGLA, described the site plan for the facility, and said he had determined that the plans were in compliance with the county land development code. He worked with the county, the NCDOT and the city in preparing the application. The center is expected to draw 10 to 20 vehicle trips a day, he said. The NCDOT requires a traffic impact analysis if a use generates 3,000 trips a day. Henderson County's threshold is 1,000 trips a day, DeRidder said. The facility would comply with NCDOT requirements for a driveway permit and with county code requirements for landscaping, buffering and other. In cross examination, Gulden asked DeRidder whether the residential treatment center was a commercial use. DeRidder confirmed that he had designed the site plan under the commercial requirements of the land-use code. Jones next called James Senatore, the architect for the project. An architect for 48 years, Senatore said he had looked at neighboring residences and had designed something that would be compatible — using wood, stone, stucco and glass that are common in residential exteriors. "It fits in the community because of the nature of the exterior," he said. Gulden asked about door locks and alarms. "It's not going to be an alarm that's going to be flashing through the neighborhood," Senatore said. A door alarm for an unauthorized exit would go off in a resident assistant's quarters.           Read Story »

Henderson County News

What's the new brand for Henderson County farm tourism?

The Henderson County Tourism Development Authority recently completed the process to trademark “Crest of the Blue Ridge” for agritourism marketing. The TDA partnered with local agribusiness agency AgHC, apple growers, cideries and wineries to come up with the name and secure the trademark. Now that it is secured, “Crest of the Blue Ridge” will be used by the Henderson County TDA and local producers in marketing Hendersonville as an agritourism destination. The TDA will also serve as the watchdog to ensure that no businesses or individuals use the trademark without approval. “We felt it was important to have this specific agricultural area designated,” says Beth Carden, executive director of the Henderson County TDA. “As agritourism has grown in our area, it’s become an important part of what we do, so we wanted to recognize its role in bringing tourism to our region.” Henderson County’s wine industry is in the process of obtaining a federal designation as an American Viticultural Area. Each AVA is defined by geography and communicates certain location-specific qualities — such as elevation, climate and soil — to wine consumers. North Carolina currently has five federally designated AVAs. In its application for a federal AVA designation, the local wine industry submitted “Crest of the Blue Ridge” as its preferred name. To learn more about the “Crest of the Blue Ridge” trademark and agritourism marketing efforts, call the Henderson County TDA at (828) 693-9708.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (189)

You won't want to miss this week’s Hendersonville Lightning.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Shoppers fill parking lot to sample new Publix

Shoppers took almost every space in the parking lot and filled the aisles as they checked out the new Publix for the first time on Wednesday. The supermarket chain opened the store at 7 a.m., plunging into the south gateway battle for food and pharmacy dollars and putting competitors to the test. "I don't know where they would have parked if we had parked there," Assistant Manager Linda Rush said. She was referring to nearly 150 employees on duty for the grand opening, all of whom were directed to park at Mud Creek Baptist Church and shuttled to the store all day long. The 88-year-old Lakeland, Fla.-based grocery chain moved into North Carolina in 2014, opening stores in South Asheville and Weaverville as well as metro areas in the Piedmont. The store on Greenville Highway at White Street had been the subject of much second-guessing. The grocer’s plans to build a new store in Hendersonville first surfaced in February 2015 and was officially announced 16 months later. Numerous tries at a floodplain permit has delayed a final OK and even now the store opened under a temporary certificate of occupancy while it awaits final state approval of its floodplain plan. “I’ve had so many questions about when you were going to open,” Mayor Barbara Volk said to Kim Reynolds, the Charlotte-based community relations manager for Publix.Besides the curious, the shoppers are likely to include the many area residents who have lived at some point in Florida, where Publix dominates the food market. “We anticipate there will be a line around the corner when we open,” Reynolds said on Tuesday morning. Sneak peek Mayor Volk was among about 15 guests who got a sneak peek at the new supermarket on Tuesday. Now that it's open, Publix will flex its retail muscle with its reputation for service, a wide variety of fresh produce, meats and produce and Aprons Simple Meals, a cooking demonstration station offering customers two recipes a week.The store has hired 150 employees, most of them from the area, and promoted many managers from other stores.“Publix does have a culture of promoting from within,” Reynolds said.Store manager Sanel Tufekcic comes from Palmetto, Florida, in the Tampa Bay area, where he was assistant manager. Assistant Manager Linda Rush, who transferred from the Publix store in Greeneville, Tennessee, said she had her eye on the Hendersonville store as soon as she learned it would open.Bakery manager Emily Tompkin came north from the Villages in Central Florida.“I’ve always been in the bakery,” she said. “I started as a decorator and actually my daughter’s a decorator now, too. My husband’s a baker.”Kaye Strang knows her way around a kitchen. She closed the Saluda Grade Café when she could not find enough help. She’s now a Publix deli clerk and loving it. Her bosses like her, too.“When we first met, I thought you were a transfer from another store because you knew everything,” Rush said to her. Aprons Simple Meals At the Aprons Simple Meals station, Bil Mitchell asked everyone whether they knew what they were having for dinner that night. No one raised their hand. Seventy percent of the time people at mid-day don’t know, he said. That’s the market Publix targets with its simple recipe approach, serving up the day’s special from among 1,300 recipes. The station is stocked with the ingredients for that night’s supper.“A lot of people struggle with what to have for dinner,” he said. “You can come by here and a half hour later have everything you need.”At the seafood counter, Bob Doughty boasted that “the fish we sell was swimming in the ocean 1½ days ago.” Retired from Raytheon in McKinney, Texas, Doughty decided he still wanted to work and immediately thought of Publix.“I knew Publix from my Florida days,” he said. “Publix was always the place we shopped.”Meat cutter Taylor Ortiz left an assistant market manager job at Ingles in South Asheville to take a new job at Publix.“It’s absolutely amazing,” he said of the work environment. “Every day it makes me happy to have made that decision.”Other specialties include olives, antipastos, hummus and more than 200 varieties of artisan cheeses, sushi made fresh daily, fresh soup bar, a full-service pharmacy with an expanded health and wellness section and an event planning center that can put together menus for everything from tailgate parties to weddings.Started in Winter Haven, Florida, in 1935 by George W. Jenkins, Publix has 1,197 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. It has 188,000 employees and reported sales of $34 billion in 2016. One of the largest employee-owned companies in the U.S., it has been named one of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work for in America” for 20 years straight.It opens its store in the south gateway against a recently remodeled Fresh Market, the Harris Teeter and a new Ingles and it becomes the sixth pharmacy within a few hundred yards of Greenville Highway at Spartanburg Highway. Denise Cumbee Long, the executive director of the United Way, was among the invited guests at the preview. She had never set foot in a Publix.“Pretty impressive,” she said. “I think they’re going to give other stores a run for their money.” * * * * * Publix store hours are 7 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week. Pharmacy hours are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is 694-4440.       Read Story »

Henderson County News

School Board likely to pick HHS architect Friday

The Henderson County School Board will meet at 9 a.m. Thursday to hear two finalists pitch their architectural firm’s ideas for Hendersonville High School construction.   Read Story »

Hendersonville News

Neighbors poised to fight drug rehab center

A full house is expected Wednesday night when supporters and opponents of a drug rehab center across from Mud Creek Baptist Church make their case to the Henderson County Zoning Board of Adjustment.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Publix wins permit to open Wednesday

Publix is set to open its 50,000-square-foot Hendersonville store at 7 a.m. Wednesday after receiving a temporary certificate of occupancy allowing 90 extra days to get a federal floodplain permit.   Read Story »

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