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Shutting down Fifth Avenue ‘drug house’ required patience, coordination of agencies

Hendersonville News

NEW HHS IS A GO: City OKs rezoning, special use request

The Hendersonville City Council on Friday afternoon voted 3-2 to approve a special use permit and the rezoning necessary for a new Hendersonville High School. Construction is expected to start next spring, with a target completion date of August 2020.The decision came after a hectic 24 hours of meetings, starting with a quasi-judicial public hearing conducted by the city council on Thursday evening, followed by a meeting of the council early Friday morning, then a reconvened meeting of the Henderson County Commission at noon Friday and a continuation of the city council's meeting at 1:30 p.m.At issue for the city council was the future of the historic Stillwell building. On Friday morning, council member Jerry Smith urged the addition of stipulations to the special use rezoning that would require the county to "preserve, maintain and use (the Stillwell building) as a public-school use."The Henderson County Commission balked at that language, voting 5-0 on Friday to reject further conditions on the special use permit. Henderson School Board Chair Amy Lynn Holt, who was at that meeting, agreed with commissioners and said she was "uncomfortable with these terms."Commission chair Michael Edney and Holt addressed the city council with their concerns on Friday afternoon. “The commission is totally committed, with the school board,” Edney said. “The school board owns the building. We don’t feel that written conditions are necessary.”Edney said that the county will need to borrow money – the project is estimated to cost as much as $52 million – and that the lender will require the county, as part of the mortgage documents, to agree to “service, maintain and repair” all collateral used to guarantee the loan. The Stillwell building will be among that collateral.Holt told the council that the school board “wants to go on with the new building. We have never discussed demolishing the building or using it as anything other than school use. It is our intention to keep that intact.”Council member Jeff Miller said the motive behind their adding stipulations to the special use agreement was to ensure that the historic building was preserved. He asked Holt, “Are you (the school board) cool with it?” Holt said yes. “The school board supports the new project and maintaining Stillwell. We just wanted to protect Stillwell.”Edney said the county “also has no issue with keeping Stillwell. You’ve got our word.” He reminded the council that on Aug. 17, commissioners voted 5-0 to “do whatever is necessary to bring Stillwell to preservation form and let the school board decide future use.” The county has budgeted $1 million per year for the next four years for the maintenance of the Stillwell building.Edney also reminded the council that all the property involved in the new construction would be subject to city council review if any changes in plans were proposed because of its status as special use zoning.Miller responded, “I do believe it’s (Stillwell) protected now. We’ve done our job. I feel comfortable that Stillwell will be preserved.”The final vote on the proposal for the new construction – coming after two years of contentious debate – had Miller, Mayor Barbara Volk and Council member Steve Caraker in favor of rezoning and Smith and Ron Stephens opposed.County Manager Steve Wyatt said construction plans would move forward right away to try to meet the original target opening date of August 2020. Construction is expected to take 24 months, according to architects Clark Nexsen. Wyatt said that there is a chance the opening would be pushed back to January 2021 because of the rezoning delays.The new school will have 225,000 square feet of space and span 9th Avenue onto the former Boyd Automotive site on Asheville Highway. Because the new school will be built on the Boyd site, students will not be affected by the construction, according to Wyatt and Clark Nexsen officials. The city council has stipulated, as part of the rezoning agreement, that 9th Avenue cannot be closed before Jan. 1, 2018.The design will feature a single, interior drop-off point for students, a fence around the property and improved traffic signals, traffic lanes and cross walks to ensure safety and improve traffic flow, Chad Roberson of Clark Nexsen told the city council Thursday night.A new parking lot with 123 spaces will be built along Fassifern Court between Oakland and Fleming streets. Thursday night, Miller requested that speed bumps or traffic calming elements be added to that lot so that it would not be used as a “cut through” for drivers seeking quicker routes to the main roads around the school. Roberson said those would be added.Late Friday, school board members reflected on the last two years’ efforts toward Friday’s final decision and what comes next.“We will be working with the commission and deciding what to do with Stillwell,” board chair Holt said. “I would like classes for HHS in Stillwell. And we need to set priorities” for work on Stillwell, including replacing the fire escapes and repairing water, brick, roofing and HVAC issues. The first $1 million check from the county will be issued July 1. “We’ll have to see what can be done July to June 30 (2018). The students won’t be out of there for two years.”“I hope the council doesn’t feel like their opinions didn’t matter,” she said. “I just didn’t want another layer of government that my board would have to go through for approval.”Bill Orr, president of the HHS Alumni Association, said the alumni will be “moving from friendly opponents to monitors of the commission on HHS issues.”School Board member Rick Wood said he is glad the back and forth among governmental bodies is over. “It’s been hard on the school board and on me personally,” he said. “I hope we can all learn from the process. It’s been a rocky process. I hope we learn to work more together for the common good of the students and taxpayers.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Youth Orchestra performs in Thomas Auditorim

The Hendersonville Symphony Youth Orchestra will perform in concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at the Bo Thomas Auditorium at Blue Ridge Community College. Tickets are $7 per person available at the door one hour prior to the concert.This is the second of two annual concerts the HSYO presents, each a culmination of a semester’s worth of musical studies and practice. For r, this concert offers the young musicians an opportunity to share months and months of hard work with the community.“This concert is the culmination of a semester of hard work,” said Dorian Neuendorf, Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra’s Operations Manager and Youth Symphony Artistic and Administrative Director. “From an educational viewpoint, it is all about technique and styles; constantly building on things. It is a fine balancing act of what to undertake and the end results.”One of those results is teamwork and fostering a supportive environment. The youth orchestra conducts a concerto competition annually to highlight an outstanding member. This year both Noelani Perry, a senior violinist, and Cole Jenkins, a junior cellist, will be featured in selections supported by the rest of the youth symphony.On the program are Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Coriolan Overture, Opus 62,” Saint-Saens’ “Violin Concerto No. 3, Opus 61, First Movement” (featuring Noelani Perry), “Cello Concerto No. 3, Opus 51, First Movement” by Georg Goltermann (featuring Cole Jenkins), and Franz Schubert’s “Symphony No. Eight, ‘Unfinished’.”Founded in 1971, the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra exists to enrich the Hendersonville and Henderson County communities with live symphonic performances and music education opportunities for youth and adults. For more information, visit hendersonvillesyphony.org, or call the HSO office at 828-697-5884.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Obamacare supporters plan 'die-in' at Meadows' office

Several county branches of the NAACP, Democratic activists and supporters of Obamacare will stage a die-in Thursday afternoon at the district headquarters of U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows in Hendersonville to urge him to oppose a Republican-drafted bill that would replace the Affordable Care Act. The protest comes as President Trump and Republican leaders in Congress are trying to round up enough votes to push through a bill that would repeal President Obama's signature legislation and replace it with the Republican-designed plan. The plan was teetering on the edge of having enough votes to pass on Wednesday. The Freedom Caucus, an influential group of 30-40 conservatives, had thrown its support behind a new version of health care reform after it helped sink an earlier plan. "The White House has announced a new rush-through repeal and replace plan for the Affordable Care Act that, if passed, will be disastrous for millions of Americans," Melinda Lowrance, coordinator of the NAACP in Western North Carolina, was expected to say in prepared remarks. Lowrance said that the Republican solution for insuring people with pre-existing conditions — funding high-risk pools that states would manage — would result in "unattainable premiums, effectively making them uninsured." She cites a study that says a woman with breast cancer, insured by the high-risk pool, would pay $45,000 extra. In the 11th Congressional District, she said, "Rep. Meadows is responsible for 280,500 non-elderly people with pre-existing conditions." The event was scheduled to feature nine people telling stories about how lack of health insurance killed them. "I ask you, how exactly does this travesty of a fake health insurance act help anyone except insurance companies anf the wealthy?" Lowrance asks.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Three arrested for NHHS bomb threat

Henderson County sheriff’s deputies arrested three 17-year-olds and charged them with making a bomb threat that forced a precautionary lockdown of North Henderson High School Wednesday morning. Henderson County Public School system notified the sheriff's office at 10:34 a.m. that a bomb threat had been made against North Henderson High School on social media. The Sheriff’s Office responded and placed the school on a precautionary soft lockdown. The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office bomb detection K9 assisted with a sweep of the school where no devices were located. Investigators identified three suspects who were interviewed and charged with making a false report concerning mass violence on educational property. The lockdown was lifted at approximately 12:15 p.m. Charged were Seth Corn, Kain Brown and Anselmo Castillo, all of Hendersonville. were arrested and their bonds have been set at $500.00 each. Their first court appearance was set for Thursday morning.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Locally shot ‘Dirty Dancing’ remake to air May 24 on ABC

The television remake of Dirty Dancing, which was filmed in Hendersonville and other Western North Carolina locations, will air on ABC television at 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 24.The production team set up a base in Hendersonville off Seventh Avenue and filmed at the Kanuga Conference Center and its historic summer camp cabins among other locations.The production team brought more than 1,225 temporary jobs to the Hendersonville area and to other locations including the High Hampton Inn & Country Club in Cashiers.The remake is a three-hour primetime special based on the 1987 classic, which was filmed in Lake Lure. It stars Abigail Breslin, Debra Messing, Sarah Hyland, Beau ‘Casper’ Smart and Billy Dee Williams.“Kanuga’s historic and scenic setting suits the production perfectly—over the years more than a few comparisons have been made between Kanuga and the original film’s setting,” a Kanuga ConferenceCenter spokeswoman said last spring. “We’re honored to be a part of another production that showcases the beauty of Western North Carolina.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (130)

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

Henderson County News

April showers bring drought relief

After an upgrade in drought conditions, the city of Hendersonville is lifting the voluntary water restrictions that have remained in effect since last Oct. 17.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Residents rise up against N.C. 191 event barn

Thirty residents urged the Henderson County Board of Commissioners on Monday to revoke a permit that a county zoning board issued for an event barn in a residential zone off N.C. 191.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Veterinarians offering $10 rabies shots this week

Annual low-cost rabies vaccination clinics for dogs is being held this week at area veterinary clinics. The $10 rabies shots are being held through Saturday at the following clinics by appointment only:All Saints Animal Hospital........................................................697-1717Animals R Us Veterinary Clinic................................................693-7387Animal Care Clinic.....................................................................692-7201Apple Valley Animal Hospital..................................................685-1650Etowah Valley Veterinary Hospital.........................................890-1401Fletcher Animal Hospital..........................................................684-4244Haywood Animal Hospital.......................................................697-0446Health Care for Pets Hospital..................................................891-4848Hendersonville Veterinary Hospital.......................................692-0561Kanuga Animal Clinic...............................................................692-0941Laurel Park Veterinary Hospital.............................................697-5686Merry Forest Animal Hospital................................................890-2471Mills River Animal Clinic.........................................................891-9685North State Animal Hospital..................................................692-1902White Oak Veterinary Hospital.............................................687-2803Rabies is a vaccine preventable disease in humans, dogs, cats and ferrets as well as some domestic livestock. All mammals are susceptible to rabies and it is nearly always fatal. Rabies can be prevented in humans with timely and appropriate treatment. The disease most often occurs in wild animals especially skunks, raccoons, bats and foxes. Raccoon rabies is present in the raccoon population in virtually every North Carolina county.If you think your pet was exposed to rabies or if you have questions, call the Henderson County Sheriff Office’s Animal Enforcement Division at 697-4912. Visit the Communicable Disease-Rabies link at hendersoncountync.org for additional information about the signs and symptoms of rabies and dog bite prevention.   Read Story »

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