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Despite citizen's lecture, Sylva leaders OK library funds
By Carey King
Sylva leaders were berated for nearly 45 minutes Thursday night (Nov. 4) as Sylva resident Marie Leatherwood took them to task on issues ranging from street maintenance to the new library to the Jackson County Airport.
Her speech was a near-repeat of a lecture she gave county commissioners Oct. 12.
"You're going to have a long, long hearing, as long as my voice holds out," Leatherwood said.
Calling both groups of elected officials "modern-day Caesars," Leatherwood said she felt it her duty to serve as a "whistleblower" on local government spending.
"I've got a good feeling you don't know how much the county spends," Leatherwood told town board members, calling both the county's airport and $1.5-million purchase of 4.8 acres in Cashiers "rip-offs." County commissioners' wasteful spending, she said, should be reason for Sylva leaders to withhold town contributions to the new county library planned for Jackson Plaza.
"You can't even put a roof on the leaking house of Sylva while the county board continues grandiose spending and incredible waste of taxpayers' money," Leatherwood said, noting that the town should first fix its streets and stormwater systems before contributing to county projects. "Logging out at Pinnacle Park for a few thousand bucks" and "sticking band-aids on Allen Street" are no way to run a fiscally-responsible government, she said.
"Do you have well-paved streets? If so, raise your hand," Leatherwood asked the board.
None did so, with board member and Vice Mayor Maurice Moody responding, "We can't take the role of students and teacher, I don't think." Moody presided over the meeting in the absence of Mayor Brenda Oliver.
Board member Danny Allen later commented that town leaders had no business hearing about airport funding and Cashiers property, which are both county matters.
"You have the option of refusing to give Jackson County not one penny," Leatherwood said, focusing much of her talk on the county's request for half the $210,000 purchase price for the Jackson Plaza library site. Leaders could have saved money by instead building at Mark Watson Park, which is already county-owned property, she said. In addition, Sylva Police Chief Jeff Jamison has gone on record saying the area has a "proven track record for crime," Leatherwood said.
"If anything happens to any child or teenager, whether it is a drug offer or anything else, the people of this town will be on you like a ton of bricks," she said.
Despite Leatherwood's comments, however, board members afterwards approved contributing $105,000 to the Jackson Plaza buy, agreeing to decide later whether the monies will come from the town's general fund balance or UDAG fund.
Town Manager Richard McHargue said that county Manager Ken Westmoreland had indicated that payments could be stretched over five years and would not begin until fiscal year 2005-2006.
"It's been quite an effort on the part of the town board and the citizens to keep the library in town. That discussion went on for well over a year. That has already been decided. We did have input into that site, and I would like to see us fund that," Moody said.
In other business Nov. 4:
• Skyland Drive rezoning
Sylva leaders voted unanimously to rezone 32 acres in the East Sylva Circle area and on the east side of Skyland Drive and Scotts Creek Road from R-3 residential to B-2 commercial.
Board members voted in May to rezone 16.5 acres in the Harold Street area and on the west side of Skyland Drive the same way.
Area resident Denise O'Connor said at the public hearing preceding the vote that she and her neighbors were worried about both increased taxes and traffic in the neighborhood.
Zoning Administrator Jim Aust assured her that homes will be taxed at their present use unless the owners convert them to businesses, at which point they will be reassessed.
Further, he said, "The area is suited for quiet businesses. You're not going to get a gas station because they're going to want to be out where the traffic is."
• Professional business district
Board members decided to take a different tack on Marion Jones' request that his property at 33 Dillsboro Road be rezoned with the "professional business district" classification.
They instead unanimously voted to extend the B-2 commercial zone on Grindstaff Cove Road to include his parcel, leaving untouched other properties in the residential area on the east side of Bartlett Street between Dillsboro Road and Storybook Lane.
The move came following an October public hearing during which residents of the area spoke against having more offices and businesses in their neighborhood.
"It does pay to come and speak up," Moody commented.
• BalsamWest fiber optics
Sherry McCuller, chief financial officer of BalsamWest FiberNet, petitioned Sylva leaders to allow the company's fiber-optic route to come through Sylva.
Unlike Sylva-based Metrostat Technologies, McCuller said, BalsamWest focuses on wholesale service to major telecommunications carriers, not individual needs for Internet or voice services.
"We're a carrier's carrier," McCuller said. "The only thing we do is carry other people's traffic."
Founded by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Drake Enterprises, the company will soon complete construction of a fiber-optic "backbone" that will upgrade telecom services in Western North Carolina, North Georgia and Eastern Tennessee to a level usually found in major cities, McCuller said. An extension of that backbone through Sylva would connect the network to Verizon's central office here, she said.
Town attorney Eric Ridenour said he was concerned about rights of way and Metrostat's cooperation with the project.
Board members delayed discussion of the matter until their Dec. 9 meeting.
• Nanny Lane/Griffin Road annexation
Although both an informational meeting and public hearing concerning the annexation of 31 acres along N.C. 116 were held this past summer, both meetings must take place again due to a scheduling mishap, said McHargue.
State law requires an informational meeting and public hearing to be scheduled according to a specific time frame before an annexation vote can take place, McHargue said. The Nanny Lane and Griffin Road meetings missed that time frame, he said.
The new public information meeting has been set for Monday, Dec. 20, at 5:30 p.m.; the public hearing for Thursday, Jan. 6, at 6 p.m.; and an expected vote on the annexation ordinance at the regular town board meeting Thursday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m.
• Woody Hampton/Hall Heights annexation
Board members will meet Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m., for an expected vote on the annexation of 20.5 acres on Hall Heights and Woody Hampton roads.
• Fireman's Relief Fund
Board members agreed to allow Keith Hamilton to replace Justin Cochran on the Fireman's Relief Fund Committee.
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