Completion date again set for Upward Road project

I'll believe it when I see it. From the Times-News:

After a four-year tangle with delays and a price tag estimated to be $1 million over budget, a project to widen a nearly 2.8-mile stretch of Upward Road seems to be, finally, coming to an end.

"We should have all lanes open, I hope, by early next week," said N.C. Department of Transportation Resident Engineer Aaron Powell, sharing a common refrain of relief heard throughout the community. "It took us four years to get here."

The last minor adjustments still called for in the project should be done in a month. . .

Read it all.

America in Bloom judges in town to evaluate county's beauty

Thursday morning, judges from America in Bloom, a national non-profit group that "promotes nationwide beautification through education and community involvement by encouraging the use of flowers, plants, trees, and other environmental and lifestyle enhancements," visited Flat Rock as part of their Henderson County trip.

They specifically looked at four locations in the village:

• Flat Rock Village Hall
• Flat Rock Playhouse
• St. John in the Wilderness
• The Park at Flat Rock

They are also judging Laurel Park, Hendersonville, and Mills River as part of their two-day visit.

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

Village of Flat Rock officials and park volunteers made a short presentation about the new Park at Flat Rock and answered questions from judges on a two-day visit to see if the community measures up to national beauty standards.

Flat Rock, Hendersonville, Mills River, Laurel Park and Henderson County are participating in the effort to get recognition by America In Bloom, a nonprofit organization that encourages beautification, historic preservation and volunteerism. The judges also look at community pride, and Flat Rock park volunteers displayed plenty of that.

"It's a gateway to the community," Sally Boyd, vice president of the Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundation, told the judges. "Everybody is going to see this as they come into Flat Rock and enjoy it.". . .

Read it all, and from the Times-News:

Henderson County rolled out the “green” carpet Thursday morning, welcoming judges from the America in Bloom national awards program to the start of a two-day tour of the heart of Apple Country that could put the land of four seasons on the map once again.

Henderson County will be competing against like-sized populations in Winter Park, Fla., Santa Paula, Cali., and Holland, Mich., this year, to win accolades from the nationwide beautification program that aims to “plant pride” in communities. Contestants will be judged in areas of overall impression, heritage preservation, environmental efforts, urban forestry, landscapes, floral displays and community involvement.

Modeled after successful beautification programs in Europe and Canada, Thursday marked America in Bloom's first visit to Henderson County.

Carol Elliott, of the Land O Sky Garden Club, and Mia Freeman, owner of Mia's Marketplace of Antiques & More, spearheaded the effort to bring America in Bloom to the county. . .

Read it all.

Dye Creek rehabilitation becomes park priority

Dye Creek as it runs through The Park at Flat Rock

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

With the council's tentative approval, the plan to rehabilitate Dye Creek moved to the top of the priority list, not including work the Village Council is already committed to for the clubhouse renovations and landscape buffering between the park and the Highland Golf Villas.

"It sounds almost too good to be true," said Vice Mayor Nick Weedman. "Here somebody walks in and says we're going to do this amazing thing for you and it's not going to cost you a nickel."

Amazing but true.

The work would be done through a state mitigation credit program under which developers can get a permit for projects that eliminate wetlands by paying for projects to repair or enhance wetlands somewhere else. It's the same program Laurel Park used to re-channel the creek through Rhododendron Lake Park, a job the French Broad Mitigation Partners also completed.

The creek that crosses the Park at Flat Rock from Highland Lake and empties into King Creek was straightened decades ago most likely for farming, said landscape architect Ed Lastein, the village's park development consultant.

"It's in full sun, which means it's choked with vegetation, especially this time of year," he said.

The contractor proposed a new path with "meander bends," stream bank repair and plantings of river birch, flowering dogwood, elderberry and pussy willow. . .

Read it all.

Filmmaker Paul Bonesteel headlines ECO event

From the Times-News:

Local filmmaker Paul Bonesteel will speak and show his documentary film “The Mystery of George Masa” at 7 p.m. July 28, as a fundraiser for the Environmental and Conservation Organization. The showing will be in the McIntosh Room of the Blue Ridge Conference Hall, 180 W. Campus Drive, Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock. At 6 p.m., a preview reception with refreshments will feature a talk by Bonesteel about making the film. . .

Read it all.

The Book Exchange reopens after repairs

Good news! From the Hendersonville Lightning:

The Book Exchange has reopened after repairs from a truck accident last month that demolished the front porch.

The front porch of the historic building, which dates to 1847 as the Flat Rock Post Office, was heavily damaged when a pickup truck crashed into it on May 17. A new porch is still under construction but customers can get easy access through the side door. . .

Read it all.

Historic Flat Rock hopes to save Mountain Lodge

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

One of the most historic homes in Flat Rock — and also one of the most time-ravaged and costly to save — would go to Historic Flat Rock Inc. if a bankruptcy court in South Carolina approves the sale.

The preservation group submitted an offer of $550,000 from a revolving fund it uses to save, stabilize and resell endangered historic properties. The offer has the support of a bankruptcy trustee appointed by the court in April to guide the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of owner William Maxwell Gregg II and guard the interest of creditors. . .

"The home [Mountain Lodge] was built in 1827 and is one of the oldest homes in the Flat Rock area with great historical significance to the community," [Bankruptcy trustee R. William Metzger Jr.] said in a motion asking a judge to authorize the sale. "It is in extremely poor condition due to its age and lack of maintenance, upkeep and repairs, which has resulted in vandalism, roof and water damage for several years. The home has not had power or utilities since 2010 and is only presently insured through the efforts of Russell Brands." There is some urgency. The policy expires Aug. 6, and the lender has little incentive to renew it. . .

Read it all. 

Flat Rock ice cream social brings community together

A report on yesterday's annual Flat Rock ice cream social in the Times-News:

From butter pecan to rainbow sherbet, 84 delicious gallons of ice cream were scooped out for Celebrate Flat Rock on Saturday afternoon on the lawn of Village Hall.

For more than 12 years, village residents have come together at the beginning of summer to celebrate their community.

Master of Ceremonies Tiffany Ervin flew in from Australia on Friday night just in time for the celebration, which she's been a part of for seven years.

“It is just the perfect day for people to come out and enjoy the weather, the beauty of Flat Rock and all that Flat Rock has to offer, because they incorporate more than just free ice cream and music,” Ervin said. “You can go shopping, there's live music tonight, there's Connemara, there's the Playhouse, there's the merchants association—it's a great opportunity to bring everyone together.”. . .

Read it all. 

Annual Flat Rock ice cream social this Saturday

The Celebrate Flat Rock! Annual Ice Cream Social is tomorrow (Saturday, June 7) from noon to 4:00 p.m. (rain date June 8). See you there! From the Times-News:

ANNUAL ICE CREAM SOCIAL RETURNS TO THE VILLAGE

The village of Flat Rock will hold its annual Ice Cream Social at noon Saturday on the grounds of the Village Hall and throughout the village.

Mayor Bob Staton will open the festivities, which will continue until 4 p.m. Letters to Abigail will kick off the afternoon's entertainment.

As a change of pace, the Henderson County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit will put on a demonstration of the unique ability of these special dogs and their handlers.

Various musical groups will perform, from The Studebakers to the West Henderson High Small Ensemble.

Caasie and the Clowns of Glory will entertain young and old with face painting, balloon making and temporary tattoos.

The Book Exchange will have a half-price book sale on all used books from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Blood Connection will hold a blood drive from noon to 4 p.m.

The Blue Ridge Fire Department is again arranging for demonstrations by the Sheriff's Office Swat Team and the Bomb Squad as well as EMS and local fire departments. For the comfort of all attending, please leave pets at home.

For more information, call Carol Andrews at 697-0208.

Flat Rock stylin'

No one can say the village of Flat Rock doesn't know how to pick em'.

Not only is The Park at Flat Rock a beautiful place, but Wayland Shamburger of Shamburger Architecture, the architect designing the park buildings, is one well-dressed guy, as evidenced by his appearance in a Joseph Laughter ad.

You can check out some of his preliminary park designs on the village website here.

Caroline Long receives the 2014 ATHENA award

I'm a little late with this, but since there's a Flat Rock connection, I didn't want to miss it. From the Hendersonville Lightning:

Caroline Long, a Hendersonville mom who turned her own struggles and questions about raising two children with autism into a nationally recognized school for autism treatment, was recognized as the 2014 Athena Award winner for her contributions to the community and her mentoring of other women.

Long began working to create the St. Gerard House for children with autism near downtown Hendersonville in 2009, primarily using her own financial resources. In the four years since the St. Gerard House opened, more than 400 students and family members have been helped and served by the school's early behavioral intervention program. She is reachable after hours, before hours and on weekends to mentor moms struggling with an autistic child.

St. Gerard House, which carefully documents its findings, is gaining recognition as a national model for autism therapy. Caroline is also spearheading an international Rwandan Sisters Project to bring missionaries from Africa to St. Gerard House to learn how to help children with autism in Rwanda. . .

And from the Times-News:

Caroline Long, founder of the St. Gerard House in Hendersonville, was recognized Thursday [May 15] as the seventh annual ATHENA Award winner during the Business & Professional Women's Luncheon at Kenmure Country Club. . .

In 2009, Long turned her own experiences raising autistic children into a nonprofit organization that provides families of autistic children with support and educational resources — including The Grotto School, which provides individualized education to local autistic children based on applied behavior analysis.

“I happened to have two children that didn't fit into a mold anywhere, so we had to figure it out,” Long said Thursday.

Now that St. Gerard House and The Grotto School are in Henderson County, local families don't have to go it alone when their children are first diagnosed with autism, said Mike Farmer, treasurer of the St. Gerard House board of directors. . .