News

Ask Matt ... about 'cut and run' crews, Miss Makita

Miss Makita, Jessica Harbour, won’t be coming to East Flat Rock.

By Matt Matteson, Published: May 18, 2015

Matt Matteson, the Lightning's intrepid researcher, answers readers' questions.

Q. Why does Duke Energy leave the trimmings behind after they cut the trees on the right-of-way? Shouldn’t they haul them away?

Duke Energy often uses its contractor Asplundh – the guys in the orange bucket trucks – for tree trimming. Duke’s policy is to leave the debris behind in a “manageable state.” This is probably because those trees belong to the private property owner and the utility’s primary interest is only to keep them out of their power lines. I see nothing inherently wrong with Duke’s “cut and run” operation. In contrast, NCDOT does tree trimming to maintain line of sight corridors for vehicular safety. In most cases, they carry off the limbs. Confused?

Q. Whatever happened to Miss Makita? I always enjoyed her visit to Louis Williams & Sons Hardware each spring.

The last time Miss Makita was in town was four years ago for the grand relocation of Louis Williams & Sons hardware from Seventh Avenue to the new King Street location in East Flat Rock. Storeowner Danny Williams said that in years past several area hardware and building supply stores would chip in to fly the power tool diva in from the West Coast but with several store closings, the promotion became cost prohibitive. Today, the two closest Makita distributorships are in Waynesville and Greenville.
Miss Makita Day had been a ritual on Seventh Avenue for more than 20 years marked with free hotdogs, popcorn, drinks, and of course, those coveted signed posters. Williams said those posters must hold real value. “One year someone broken into the store and the only things taken were six signed Miss Makita posters hanging on the wall.” Some contend that it was a rite of passage for a young man to get his own signed poster from the alluring girl wearing no more than a tank top, hot pants and stiletto heels. Today the drill maker even has a Latino model – Senorita Makita. Danny Williams didn’t rule out bringing back Miss Makita. “Never say never,” he said with a smile.

Q. What are they hauling in those oversized white bags you sometimes see in the backs of pick-up trucks in the county?

Fertilizer, mostly but they could also be soybeans. I found one local source for those bags - Coastal AgroBusiness. Manager Chuck Francis showed me his warehouse where they custom mix fertilizer and fill those 1000-lb nylon bulk bags. When it gets to the farm, a fork-lift-fitted tractor raises the bag by the straps and the pellets drop through a “stovepipe” size hole in the bottom of the bag and into the farmer’s spreader.

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