Published in the Courier-Tribune on February 15, 2011
by Hugh Martin
BISCOE — Biscoe commissioners approved grant applications Monday for a wastewater treatment plant report and a paved path for safe access to local schools.
The first resolution was to seek grant funding assistance from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Construction Grants and Loans Section for the town’s wastewater treatment plant preliminary engineering report.
The grant, in the amount of $50,000, would fund 100 percent of the cost of the report, which would “assess the technical and administrative obstacles and constraints with upgrading their wastewater treatment plant to obtain compliance such that costs for repair and upgrade can be determined and improvements made.”
Biscoe Town Manager Brooks Lockhart informed the board that the grant had been applied for previously without success. The Hobbs & Upchurch engineering firm of Southern Pines which is working with the town, suggested the town reapply for the grant.
The second grant request was for a Safe Routes to School project, which would be funded entirely by the N.C. Department of Transportation for a total of $159,500 with no cost to the town.
The Safe Route project would be the installation of a five-foot-wide paved path that would extend from the intersection of Cedar Creek Road and U.S. 220 Business for a distance of 2,600 feet to the entrance driveway of East Montgomery High School. The path would follow the right-of-way of the Aberdeen, Carolina & Western Railroad. A similar grant request was made in 2009, but was not funded.
The project is intended to provide a safe access for walkers and bicyclists to the campuses of Green Ridge Elementary, East Montgomery High and East Middle Schools. All three schools are adjacent, with a road connecting the middle and high schools, but no route in place between the elementary and high schools.
Commissioner John Beard questioned how the project would benefit Green Ridge Elementary, since there is no current access to that school from the proposed project.
Lockhart responded that there is a possibility that a greenway could be constructed between the schools along a sewer right-of-way that is already in place.
In other business, Mayor Jimmy Blake, Commissioners Beard, Jerry Smith, Mike Criscoe, Gene Anderson and Jimmy Cagle:
Approved two resolutions, the first in support of dissolving the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments, the second in support of forming the Piedmont Triad Regional Council.
The new council would bring in members from the Northwest Piedmont Council of Government, which would bring the total of counties up to 12 from the current seven. Mayor Blake stated that the membership fee for the new council would go down from $650 a year to $500 a year.
“It will be a good thing for economic development,” Blake said.
The board retired to closed session to discuss personnel and a possible real estate transaction, but no action was taken.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
MCC Awarded grants for HVAC upgrades ♥
Published in the Courier-Tribune on February 11, 2011
by Hugh Martin
TROY — Montgomery Community College trustees were informed of the receipt of two grants totaling $310,000 during their meeting at the college on Feb. 9.
Matthew Woodard, interim vice president of Administrative and Student Services, praised Director of Facilities Kevin McNeill for taking the initiative to write the applications for the grants. McNeill was recognized and thanked by MCC President Dr. Mary Kirk and the full board for the work he has done in acquiring the funds during a time of increasing budget cuts.
The funds are being used to update the HVAC system throughout the college that will result in additional savings through lower and more efficient energy usage. Woodard said that the systems in all campus buildings will be routed through an automated controller for more efficient operation.
Woodard also reported that individual desktop printers, where costs per copy were more than 30 cents each, had been replaced by a network to a single printer where black and white documents cost less than 1 cent each and color copies cost less than 3 cents each.
“Emails can be scanned for free,” Woodard said. “This action has resulted in a huge savings for the college.”
Kirk added that printing costs have been further reduced by making documents available online so that students can print them on their home computers as they are needed.
In other business the board:
• Approved the clear-cutting of 15 acres of hurricane-damaged timber on college land. The tract will be used by the forestry program as a teaching tool.
• Heard that the campus restaurant will be operated in-house due to a state requirement that fair-market rent had to be charged for outside vendors to use the space. The last operator chose not to continue to provide services under the new requirement.
The in-house restaurant will offer soups, salads and submarine sandwiches and make bread on-site. It is expected to be in operation around the first of March.
• Approved out-of-state travel for Kirk to attend the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in Decatur, Ga., in May. She is an officer of SACS and all of her travel expenses will be paid by SACS.
• Heard that the student full-time equivalent (FTE) audit resulted in some exceptions being found in Continuing Education. Gary Saunders, dean of Continuing Education, told the board that the exceptions were mainly coding errors and changes were being made to prevent future problems.
• Received for the first reading of a policy for the naming of MCC facilities.
• Approved a new organizational chart, updating changes made since the previous chart was approved in January 2010.
• Welcomed two new system technicians, Josh Johnson and Adam Sommer.
• Welcomed six new employees: Crystal Thomas, Special Programs assistant; Metzi Hopkins, Developmental English instructor; Mitch Walker, director of Information Technology; Lenny Andrews, CIT Program head; Marcus Ervin, lead maintenance technician; and Randy Gunter, dean of Curriculum.
• Accepted resignations from Robert Lawing and Dawn Braswell, both from the Basic Law Enforcement Technology department. Lawing has accepted a full-time position as captain of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Braswell will join the Siemens Group in Technical Training Services.
• Approved a lateral entry for Connie Harris into the new position of Purchasing and Evening administrator. This position was created as a result of combining positions to help the college meet the budget cuts that were mandated by the state.
Kirk also noted that two faculty members who plan to retire will not be replaced, resulting in further savings to comply with those cuts.
Jeff Hamilton, vice president of Instruction, reported on a new Faculty Evaluation program that had been developed by faculty volunteers who had been working on the program since September. Hamilton said that the program should take effect in the fall of 2011.
Hamilton also told the board that the state decision to end the fee waivers for high school students and inmates has resulted in a drop in the number of online classes being taken.
Representatives from MCC have met with high school seniors at Family Worship Ministries Christian Academy in Troy; seniors from Wescare Christian Academy in Troy have visited the MCC campus; and MCC was able to market classes to high schools outside of the county.
• Gay Roatch, MCC Foundation executive director, presented the board with pledge cards for the 2011 fund-raising drive. Roatch said that the goal for the drive will be $175,000, up from last year’s $150,000.00. The drive will begin March 1.
by Hugh Martin
TROY — Montgomery Community College trustees were informed of the receipt of two grants totaling $310,000 during their meeting at the college on Feb. 9.
Matthew Woodard, interim vice president of Administrative and Student Services, praised Director of Facilities Kevin McNeill for taking the initiative to write the applications for the grants. McNeill was recognized and thanked by MCC President Dr. Mary Kirk and the full board for the work he has done in acquiring the funds during a time of increasing budget cuts.
The funds are being used to update the HVAC system throughout the college that will result in additional savings through lower and more efficient energy usage. Woodard said that the systems in all campus buildings will be routed through an automated controller for more efficient operation.
Woodard also reported that individual desktop printers, where costs per copy were more than 30 cents each, had been replaced by a network to a single printer where black and white documents cost less than 1 cent each and color copies cost less than 3 cents each.
“Emails can be scanned for free,” Woodard said. “This action has resulted in a huge savings for the college.”
Kirk added that printing costs have been further reduced by making documents available online so that students can print them on their home computers as they are needed.
In other business the board:
• Approved the clear-cutting of 15 acres of hurricane-damaged timber on college land. The tract will be used by the forestry program as a teaching tool.
• Heard that the campus restaurant will be operated in-house due to a state requirement that fair-market rent had to be charged for outside vendors to use the space. The last operator chose not to continue to provide services under the new requirement.
The in-house restaurant will offer soups, salads and submarine sandwiches and make bread on-site. It is expected to be in operation around the first of March.
• Approved out-of-state travel for Kirk to attend the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in Decatur, Ga., in May. She is an officer of SACS and all of her travel expenses will be paid by SACS.
• Heard that the student full-time equivalent (FTE) audit resulted in some exceptions being found in Continuing Education. Gary Saunders, dean of Continuing Education, told the board that the exceptions were mainly coding errors and changes were being made to prevent future problems.
• Received for the first reading of a policy for the naming of MCC facilities.
• Approved a new organizational chart, updating changes made since the previous chart was approved in January 2010.
• Welcomed two new system technicians, Josh Johnson and Adam Sommer.
• Welcomed six new employees: Crystal Thomas, Special Programs assistant; Metzi Hopkins, Developmental English instructor; Mitch Walker, director of Information Technology; Lenny Andrews, CIT Program head; Marcus Ervin, lead maintenance technician; and Randy Gunter, dean of Curriculum.
• Accepted resignations from Robert Lawing and Dawn Braswell, both from the Basic Law Enforcement Technology department. Lawing has accepted a full-time position as captain of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Braswell will join the Siemens Group in Technical Training Services.
• Approved a lateral entry for Connie Harris into the new position of Purchasing and Evening administrator. This position was created as a result of combining positions to help the college meet the budget cuts that were mandated by the state.
Kirk also noted that two faculty members who plan to retire will not be replaced, resulting in further savings to comply with those cuts.
Jeff Hamilton, vice president of Instruction, reported on a new Faculty Evaluation program that had been developed by faculty volunteers who had been working on the program since September. Hamilton said that the program should take effect in the fall of 2011.
Hamilton also told the board that the state decision to end the fee waivers for high school students and inmates has resulted in a drop in the number of online classes being taken.
Representatives from MCC have met with high school seniors at Family Worship Ministries Christian Academy in Troy; seniors from Wescare Christian Academy in Troy have visited the MCC campus; and MCC was able to market classes to high schools outside of the county.
• Gay Roatch, MCC Foundation executive director, presented the board with pledge cards for the 2011 fund-raising drive. Roatch said that the goal for the drive will be $175,000, up from last year’s $150,000.00. The drive will begin March 1.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Candor Gets Sidewalk Map ♥
Published in the Courier-Tribune on February 10, 2011.
by Hugh Martin
CANDOR- In a meeting Feb. 7 , the Candor Board of Commissioners took no official actions but heard details on several projects currently in the planning stages.
Town Clerk Tammy Kellis reported to Mayor Richard Britt and commissioners Tim Smith, Leslie Thomas, Layton Booker and Phillip Hearne about a map of the town's sidewalks that had been prepared by Larry Pierce of Tri Tech Engineering. The map notes the conditions of the present walks and will be a tool in preparing an engineering plan to address ongoing needs and concerns of the system.
In other business:
by Hugh Martin
CANDOR- In a meeting Feb. 7 , the Candor Board of Commissioners took no official actions but heard details on several projects currently in the planning stages.
Town Clerk Tammy Kellis reported to Mayor Richard Britt and commissioners Tim Smith, Leslie Thomas, Layton Booker and Phillip Hearne about a map of the town's sidewalks that had been prepared by Larry Pierce of Tri Tech Engineering. The map notes the conditions of the present walks and will be a tool in preparing an engineering plan to address ongoing needs and concerns of the system.
In other business:
- Public Works Director Brice Hollis reported that work was under way on the refurbishment of a sewer pump station on Whiskey Road. Hollis said the work was slated to be completed by the end of March.
- Police Chief Randy White informed the board that an exercise involving the Robin Sage training would take place on Main Street Friday, Feb. 11, around 8 p.m. Robin Sage is an annual military training exercise involving Ft. Bragg Special Forces in Montgomery County.
- Kellis reported that the N.C. Association of Municipal Clerks had requested that the state Legislature consider a requirement that the clerks of all municipalities become certified. This would require her to receive additional training that would cost $1,500 plus annual fees.
- Kellis reported that Cindy Laton of FirstHealth, who is in charge of the Healthy Kids/ Healthy Community program, will hold meetings throughout Montgomery County to assist the towns in preparing projects that would be funded by a $20,000 grant. The monies would be divided among the five municipalities.
- Commissioner Thomas reported on a recent Peach Festival meeting that she said was well-attended. Mac Clark of Candor has been selected as grand marshal for the 2011 parade.
- Commissioner Hearne said he was waiting to hear from consultant Ron Niland of All American Associates about grant applications that are in the works.
- Mayor Britt ended the meeting by sharing a letter of praise that he had received from a Whiteville citizen about Candor police officer, Eddie Bagwell, who had assisted the individual while stranded on U.S. 220 in January.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Farmers' markets must grow ☺
Published as a letter to the editor in the Watauga Democrat on February 8, 2011.
Through news articles and e-mails I have been keeping abreast of the saga of the Watauga Farmers' Market and its attempts to relocate.
I have family in Watauga County, and on visits to the area I try to pay a visit to the market, which is, in my opinion, an institution that needs to be saved.
In the current economic times, a community, via its leaders, should wholeheartedly support such a nonprofit endeavor as a local farmers' market.
Farmers' markets are a draw for a community. People who shop at a farmers' market will also shop at area businesses and support the local economy.
Other businesses that bemoan the competition of locally-grown produce should look at the big picture. Buying local produce keeps dollars in the community. You won't find bananas, pineapples and citrus at a local market in the mountains of North Carolina. Local growers complement larger businesses.
If your customers want local produce, why not purchase it locally? Save money, improve quality and keep your money at home.
You do not have the contamination issues related to factory farms that ship in produce from thousands of miles away.
Many towns and communities across this state and nation are forming, building and adding farmers' markets because of many reasons, both economic and health-related.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there were just more than 1.000 farmers' markets in the United States in 1994. There are now more than 6,000 and the numbers are increasing.
While I personally hate to see the Watauga market leave the current location, I do understand the hardship that such an expensive lease agreement can cause.
The loss of this vibrant market would be a huge blow to the community at large. The growers are your friends and neighbors. You know them and you know where your produce comes from.
Where else can you go to find such a large variety and amount of food, flowers and crafts from your very own community?
Please support your local farmers by encouraging your representatives to work with the market, not against it.
Hugh Martin
Biscoe
Through news articles and e-mails I have been keeping abreast of the saga of the Watauga Farmers' Market and its attempts to relocate.
I have family in Watauga County, and on visits to the area I try to pay a visit to the market, which is, in my opinion, an institution that needs to be saved.
In the current economic times, a community, via its leaders, should wholeheartedly support such a nonprofit endeavor as a local farmers' market.
Farmers' markets are a draw for a community. People who shop at a farmers' market will also shop at area businesses and support the local economy.
Other businesses that bemoan the competition of locally-grown produce should look at the big picture. Buying local produce keeps dollars in the community. You won't find bananas, pineapples and citrus at a local market in the mountains of North Carolina. Local growers complement larger businesses.
If your customers want local produce, why not purchase it locally? Save money, improve quality and keep your money at home.
You do not have the contamination issues related to factory farms that ship in produce from thousands of miles away.
Many towns and communities across this state and nation are forming, building and adding farmers' markets because of many reasons, both economic and health-related.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there were just more than 1.000 farmers' markets in the United States in 1994. There are now more than 6,000 and the numbers are increasing.
While I personally hate to see the Watauga market leave the current location, I do understand the hardship that such an expensive lease agreement can cause.
The loss of this vibrant market would be a huge blow to the community at large. The growers are your friends and neighbors. You know them and you know where your produce comes from.
Where else can you go to find such a large variety and amount of food, flowers and crafts from your very own community?
Please support your local farmers by encouraging your representatives to work with the market, not against it.
Hugh Martin
Biscoe
Friday, February 4, 2011
A Slow Death ☺
This story was written in February 2009 as I sat in my upstairs office at The Post and watched the demolition of an icon across the street. I never got around to submitting it for publication.
by Hugh Martin
Biscoe - Red's Gas Station was an icon in Biscoe for 55 years. Built in 1954, the station stood through a lot of good times and bad. It was the site of a regular "hangout" for different people in the community.
C.E. "Red" Sedberry always seemed to be in a good mood and his hearty laugh could be heard all over the downtown of our small community. He was a fixture at my family's church, Biscoe Presbyterian, and he would serve as a town commissioner later on.
Red and his right hand man Benny Dunn pumped a lot of "Pure Oil" and Union 76 gas and fixed a lot of cars in and around that building.
As I child I used to stop at Red's as I walked home from school, usually to buy a pack of Tom's Peanut Butter Crackers for ten cents and a little "Co-Cola" for a quarter.
I was challenged to my first fight by the boy who would become my best friend out back at the "concession stand," where the cracker and drink machines stood . We took it over to the Methodist Church yard for the actual blows. I didn't know then or now why we fought. I think it was his idea.
Oh, and he whipped my butt.
Red had the first self service pumps in Biscoe. He also had the first diesel pumps. I remember the time the local ambulance pulled to the pumps and the driver proceeded to "fill 'er up" with diesel at the self serve pumps. He didn't notice that the vehicle ran on plain ol' gasoline until it was too late.
When I grew older and started driving, Red's parking lot was the hangout for all of us young "hoodlums" who chose to just "sit uptown" and talk rather than go out and get in trouble. We had our share of problems with certain police officers who didn't understand what we were up to, but it was a great place to just sit and wave at folks driving by and enjoying the company of our friends. Red never gave us any trouble. We never sat there unless he was closed and we kept the trash picked up for him.
Some of my friends that would "hang out" back in the late 1970's and early 1980's have gone a long way. Several business owners, a Superior Court Judge, attorneys, educators, writers, government workers, a Chief of Police and just plain folks frequented Red's parking lot. It kept a lot of us out of trouble.
I found my wife there.
Red and I solved a bank robbery there before it even took place, but we didn't know it at the time. We were just being good folks. At least that's what the U.S. Attorney told us when we were subpoened to Federal court in Winston-Salem back in 1984.
After Red passed away the building stood empty for a while, then was the site of a used car dealer for a few years.
If a building could have a soul, Red's was the one.
But "progress" has now claimed our icon. What stood for fifty-five years was reduced to a pile of rubble in less than two hours. Six hours later it was in a landfill in another town.
Now we will have a shiny new four lane highway to split our little town down the middle. It'll make it easier for the garbage haulers, log trucks and folks who can't be bothered with slowing down for a little hick town to put us behind them.
Goodbye old friend. At least we still have our memories of a simpler time.
Note: The first photo was taken at 8:15 am, February 13, 2009.
The second photo was taken at 9:55 am that same day . . . just 100 minutes later.
by Hugh Martin
Biscoe - Red's Gas Station was an icon in Biscoe for 55 years. Built in 1954, the station stood through a lot of good times and bad. It was the site of a regular "hangout" for different people in the community.
C.E. "Red" Sedberry always seemed to be in a good mood and his hearty laugh could be heard all over the downtown of our small community. He was a fixture at my family's church, Biscoe Presbyterian, and he would serve as a town commissioner later on.
As I child I used to stop at Red's as I walked home from school, usually to buy a pack of Tom's Peanut Butter Crackers for ten cents and a little "Co-Cola" for a quarter.
I was challenged to my first fight by the boy who would become my best friend out back at the "concession stand," where the cracker and drink machines stood . We took it over to the Methodist Church yard for the actual blows. I didn't know then or now why we fought. I think it was his idea.
Oh, and he whipped my butt.
Red had the first self service pumps in Biscoe. He also had the first diesel pumps. I remember the time the local ambulance pulled to the pumps and the driver proceeded to "fill 'er up" with diesel at the self serve pumps. He didn't notice that the vehicle ran on plain ol' gasoline until it was too late.
When I grew older and started driving, Red's parking lot was the hangout for all of us young "hoodlums" who chose to just "sit uptown" and talk rather than go out and get in trouble. We had our share of problems with certain police officers who didn't understand what we were up to, but it was a great place to just sit and wave at folks driving by and enjoying the company of our friends. Red never gave us any trouble. We never sat there unless he was closed and we kept the trash picked up for him.
Some of my friends that would "hang out" back in the late 1970's and early 1980's have gone a long way. Several business owners, a Superior Court Judge, attorneys, educators, writers, government workers, a Chief of Police and just plain folks frequented Red's parking lot. It kept a lot of us out of trouble.
I found my wife there.
Red and I solved a bank robbery there before it even took place, but we didn't know it at the time. We were just being good folks. At least that's what the U.S. Attorney told us when we were subpoened to Federal court in Winston-Salem back in 1984.
After Red passed away the building stood empty for a while, then was the site of a used car dealer for a few years.
If a building could have a soul, Red's was the one.
But "progress" has now claimed our icon. What stood for fifty-five years was reduced to a pile of rubble in less than two hours. Six hours later it was in a landfill in another town.
Goodbye old friend. At least we still have our memories of a simpler time.
Note: The first photo was taken at 8:15 am, February 13, 2009.
The second photo was taken at 9:55 am that same day . . . just 100 minutes later.
Getting Started - Way Too Late ☺
This entry originally appeared in my blog for Uwharrie Heirlooms, my plant business, on July 15, 2009. I kind of like it, so I'm adding it here.
I've been interested in growing heirloom vegetables and plants for quite a few years, but it seems that life just kept getting in the way. I should have started this back in 2005, but circumstances got in the way then and have seemed to ever since,
For the past couple of years I've been writing for a local weekly newspaper, which is actually a 24/7 job if you want to cover the news the way it should be covered. I have really enjoyed the work. Unfortunately, it was not destined to last.
The economy in this part of the world really is suffering. If you don't work for the government or Wal-Mart you are lucky to have a job. Our little newspaper officially bit the dust yesterday after many heroic attempts on the part of the owners to keep it going. So now, six more people are unemployed, myself among them.
But, as I know and my family and friends keep reminding me, God never closes a door without opening another one.
So, now's my chance to get back to the point I was in 1976 - growing plants. I think the happiest time in my horticultural life was when I was sixteen years old with a small greenhouse in the back yard. I was growing plants for myself and others.
I guess it all started the summer I spent with my grandmother Martin (Memaw), I think it was either 1967 or 1968. We planted a small garden, probably 10 x 10, on the north side of her small house in Biscoe. I'm sure it was all done wrong, but it kept me busy which, looking back, was probably her intention anyway.
When I was older, around 1976, my dad and a neighbor built me a small 8 x 12 greenhouse. I remember two people in particular who took me under their wings as far as plants were concerned.
The first was Annie Butler, an elderly African-American lady who had a homemade wood and fiberglass greenhouse in her back yard on the outskirts of town. And. let me tell you, that greenhouse was bursting at the seams! Annie and her husband, Bud, were friends of my parents, and we went over to see them often. We never left their house without either a plant or a cutting to take with us.
Bud used to plow gardens around town for people, using a mule and an old turning plow. As a boy I loved to sit and watch him work that mule.
The other person was Guy Greene, who started a small greenhouse and nursery business after he reitired as a meat cutter at the local Piggly Wiggly store. Guy was generous, as most true plant lovers are. He gave me the best advice for growing plants that I ever received. On one of my visits I was complaining about the problems I was having with my plants, that they weren't growing the way I thought they should.
His advice was in the form of a comment. Guy told me, "You've been keeping your hand too far away from the fertilizer bucket!"
I never forgot that, but I still seem to have that problem from time to time. My philosophy on fertilizers have changed a bit since those days, but plants still need food if they're going to grow.
Annie and Guy both are gone. Guy passed away in the fall of 1978, and Annie moved up north to live with family around the early '80's after her husband wandered away from the house and was never found. I never heard what happened to Annie after that.
Since then there have been others. There was Mrs. Callicutt and her daughter, Joyce Atkins. Paul Lewis grew some plants and did landscaping, and Ethel Reynolds and Gladys Monroe kept me busy for several years. They taught me to never say "thank you" for a plant gift. They said if you do it will die. They said you're supposed to say, "I hope it grows."
In 1983 I strayed from my path. I took on some landscaping and then spent the next fourteen years growing farther and farther from my greenhouse work. My landscaping business grew larger than I could handle and I lost my work bit by bit. I still had a small greenhouse (14 x 22) that I used until the big snow of 2000 crushed it, but I had so many distractions I was unable to use it the way I wanted.
In 1997 I went to work in the Horticulture department of the North Carolina Zoo, spending the next eight years there.
This brings me back to today. I'm hoping that God has closed my door on the newspaper work so that I can see the opening he's made for me to get back to my "roots," pun intended.
I bought a used 20 x 50 greenhouse a couple of years ago, but it has just been a pile of wood and metal, since I've never had the opportunity to actually put it back up!
Well, the time has come. I've been working since July 2 (my last day at the newspaper) to get my area cleared of junk, briars and weeds. I still have a way to go, but I've been putting a lot of ideas in my head and researching in books and on the internet, and I'll be ready to go as soon as I get my gardenspot tilled up.
There's thirty-eight heirloom tomato plants in one-gallon containers sitting on the porch of my office, ready to go in the ground. I should be able to harvest a good amount of fruit before first frost, which is October 30 in my neck of the woods.
I hope to be able to keep everyone posted on my progress, and please say a prayer for me and my family as I venture into new old territory!
I hope it grows.
I've been interested in growing heirloom vegetables and plants for quite a few years, but it seems that life just kept getting in the way. I should have started this back in 2005, but circumstances got in the way then and have seemed to ever since,
For the past couple of years I've been writing for a local weekly newspaper, which is actually a 24/7 job if you want to cover the news the way it should be covered. I have really enjoyed the work. Unfortunately, it was not destined to last.
The economy in this part of the world really is suffering. If you don't work for the government or Wal-Mart you are lucky to have a job. Our little newspaper officially bit the dust yesterday after many heroic attempts on the part of the owners to keep it going. So now, six more people are unemployed, myself among them.
But, as I know and my family and friends keep reminding me, God never closes a door without opening another one.
So, now's my chance to get back to the point I was in 1976 - growing plants. I think the happiest time in my horticultural life was when I was sixteen years old with a small greenhouse in the back yard. I was growing plants for myself and others.
I guess it all started the summer I spent with my grandmother Martin (Memaw), I think it was either 1967 or 1968. We planted a small garden, probably 10 x 10, on the north side of her small house in Biscoe. I'm sure it was all done wrong, but it kept me busy which, looking back, was probably her intention anyway.
When I was older, around 1976, my dad and a neighbor built me a small 8 x 12 greenhouse. I remember two people in particular who took me under their wings as far as plants were concerned.
The first was Annie Butler, an elderly African-American lady who had a homemade wood and fiberglass greenhouse in her back yard on the outskirts of town. And. let me tell you, that greenhouse was bursting at the seams! Annie and her husband, Bud, were friends of my parents, and we went over to see them often. We never left their house without either a plant or a cutting to take with us.
Bud used to plow gardens around town for people, using a mule and an old turning plow. As a boy I loved to sit and watch him work that mule.
The other person was Guy Greene, who started a small greenhouse and nursery business after he reitired as a meat cutter at the local Piggly Wiggly store. Guy was generous, as most true plant lovers are. He gave me the best advice for growing plants that I ever received. On one of my visits I was complaining about the problems I was having with my plants, that they weren't growing the way I thought they should.
His advice was in the form of a comment. Guy told me, "You've been keeping your hand too far away from the fertilizer bucket!"
I never forgot that, but I still seem to have that problem from time to time. My philosophy on fertilizers have changed a bit since those days, but plants still need food if they're going to grow.
Annie and Guy both are gone. Guy passed away in the fall of 1978, and Annie moved up north to live with family around the early '80's after her husband wandered away from the house and was never found. I never heard what happened to Annie after that.
Since then there have been others. There was Mrs. Callicutt and her daughter, Joyce Atkins. Paul Lewis grew some plants and did landscaping, and Ethel Reynolds and Gladys Monroe kept me busy for several years. They taught me to never say "thank you" for a plant gift. They said if you do it will die. They said you're supposed to say, "I hope it grows."
In 1983 I strayed from my path. I took on some landscaping and then spent the next fourteen years growing farther and farther from my greenhouse work. My landscaping business grew larger than I could handle and I lost my work bit by bit. I still had a small greenhouse (14 x 22) that I used until the big snow of 2000 crushed it, but I had so many distractions I was unable to use it the way I wanted.
In 1997 I went to work in the Horticulture department of the North Carolina Zoo, spending the next eight years there.
This brings me back to today. I'm hoping that God has closed my door on the newspaper work so that I can see the opening he's made for me to get back to my "roots," pun intended.
I bought a used 20 x 50 greenhouse a couple of years ago, but it has just been a pile of wood and metal, since I've never had the opportunity to actually put it back up!
Well, the time has come. I've been working since July 2 (my last day at the newspaper) to get my area cleared of junk, briars and weeds. I still have a way to go, but I've been putting a lot of ideas in my head and researching in books and on the internet, and I'll be ready to go as soon as I get my gardenspot tilled up.
There's thirty-eight heirloom tomato plants in one-gallon containers sitting on the porch of my office, ready to go in the ground. I should be able to harvest a good amount of fruit before first frost, which is October 30 in my neck of the woods.
I hope to be able to keep everyone posted on my progress, and please say a prayer for me and my family as I venture into new old territory!
I hope it grows.
Montgomery Debates Pay Issues ♥
Published in the Courier-Tribune on January 26, 2011
Submitted story was modified and amended by C-T staff prior to publication.
by Hugh Martin
TROY — The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners has made changes to payroll policies after finding discrepancies among departments and inconsistent policies for on-call and holiday pay.
At a meeting on Jan. 18, the board approved a contract for $5,000 with the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments (PTCOG) to develop a payroll operations manual.
The study, to be ready for review in April, will be led by Matt Reece, who has extensive experience in public and private sector organizations.
Because several departments are over-budget halfway through the fiscal year, County Manager Lance Metzler has dropped 911, Animal Control and Information Technology from 7.5 percent to 3.5 percent of their salary for on-call time and the employees will rotate on-call duty.
Modifications are being made to other departments to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act, particularly as it pertains to exempt, or salaried, employees.
“Some employees are very unhappy with the changes, but it will be temporary until we get a payroll plan in place,” Metzler said.
A change in the personnel policy on payday dates was unchanged when Commissioner Jim Matheny made a motion to rescind a portion of the policy, but the motion was not supported by commissioners Dolon Corbett, Anthony Copeland, Edgar Morris and Chairman Jackie Morris.
Pay day is the last day of every month and employees had been paid the last week of the month in advance. The change will affect only those hired the last week in a month, which Metzler said would happen rarely. For example, a person who starts on Jan. 25 will get paid for the last week in January at the end of February and paid for February at the end of March.
The commissioners had voted to adopt the personnel policy in November, but Commissioner Matheny saw that portion as unfair for a person to be without a salary for such an extended time.
“How can we expect an employee to live for two months on five days pay?” Matheny said. County Finance Director Lisa Rolan said in most cases new employees would be receiving wages from their previous job that should cover them until the county pay begins.
Matheny argued that many people are out of work and have no income.
Commissioners Dolon Corbett and Edgar Morris said time sheets should be submitted before an employee is paid.
No one seconded Matheny’s motion and the policy stands.
In other business,
• Metzler reported that the county must reply to N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) by Jan. 31 regarding fines levied on the county due to sludge violations at the water treatment plant.
The problem was a sludge buildup in the water intakes and, subsequently in the holding tanks. The sludge was being deposited in a creek instead of on a drying field to be taken to the landfill.
“We have corrected the problem and are working on a permanent solution,” Metzler said. “We are doing all we can as fast as we can.”
Metzler said Wednesday that negotiations with DENR were ongoing. DENR originally fined the county $202,000, but reduced it to $85,000 as compliance requirements were met. Metzler is now trying to negotiate deadlines on six additional requirements to further reduce the fine to $70,000.
The county has requested funds for use at the water treatment plant from the $2 million grant which will be available from the Golden Leaf Foundation. Metzler said the towns of Star, Biscoe and Troy are also making requests.
• The Town of Star submitted a request for $4,000 for their 2011 summer recreation program that will focus on childhood obesity. Requests for recreation programs will be put in the budget process.
• Recognized Jeff Branch, D.A.R.E. Officer with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department, who was recently named as the North Carolina D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year.
• Recognized Extension Agent Chrissy Haynes and students from East and West Montgomery high schools, who were in attendance as the Montgomery Youth Leadership group.
• Reappointed Todd Kearns to the Health Board.
• Appointed Commissioner Matheny to the Department of Social Services Board, replacing Commissioner Edgar Morris, who submitted his resignation without explanation effective Dec. 31, 2010.
• Appointed Commissioner Corbett to the Consolidated Municipal ABC Board and approved a resolution of support for the state ABC system. The resolution opposes privatizing the ABC system in N.C.
In a work session prior to the regular meeting, the commissioners:
Heard a mid-year report on employee insurance from agent Bill Hudson.
Hudson said this might be the year to give up some front end benefits, such as low deductibles and co-pays, to keep a favorable plan. Montgomery County is self-insured. The deductible for insured dependents was raised from $500 to $1,000 last year, but very few employees have insured dependents.
• Heard a report on the ABC stores from board members Ben Haithcock and Phil Richardson, who said the goal is to break even this year.
ABC stores in Albemarle and Asheboro have taken customers away from both sides of the county and large numbers of Hispanic customers left the county when the mills closed, Haithcock said.
Richardson said the two stores, one in Mt. Gilead and one in Biscoe, have two full-time and two part-time employees each and there have been no profits to distribute to the county and towns.
• Kevin Lancaster, personnel director for Montgomery County Schools, asked the board to continue funding the Montgomery Scholars Program, but limit it to a scholarship for one graduate of each high school who will return to teach science, math or special education.
Lancaster said the demand for teachers is not as great now, but the Scholars program is worth continuing with those restrictions.
• Brady Dickson, chairman of the airport commission, said the N.C. Division of Aviation will work with the county on grants to get the airport in Star up to minimum standards. The report on the status of the airport will be presented at the February meeting.
• Brenda Caudill, health educator, and Julie Clark, health director, reported on the State of the County Health Report 2010. The report is online at www.montgomerycountync.com.
Caudill said the health department is in the process of being accredited by the state, a new designation for health departments.
Clark said the latest grant to the department was for $18,000 to build a walking trail at East Middle School and form community walking clubs.
Submitted story was modified and amended by C-T staff prior to publication.
by Hugh Martin
TROY — The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners has made changes to payroll policies after finding discrepancies among departments and inconsistent policies for on-call and holiday pay.
At a meeting on Jan. 18, the board approved a contract for $5,000 with the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments (PTCOG) to develop a payroll operations manual.
The study, to be ready for review in April, will be led by Matt Reece, who has extensive experience in public and private sector organizations.
Because several departments are over-budget halfway through the fiscal year, County Manager Lance Metzler has dropped 911, Animal Control and Information Technology from 7.5 percent to 3.5 percent of their salary for on-call time and the employees will rotate on-call duty.
Modifications are being made to other departments to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act, particularly as it pertains to exempt, or salaried, employees.
“Some employees are very unhappy with the changes, but it will be temporary until we get a payroll plan in place,” Metzler said.
A change in the personnel policy on payday dates was unchanged when Commissioner Jim Matheny made a motion to rescind a portion of the policy, but the motion was not supported by commissioners Dolon Corbett, Anthony Copeland, Edgar Morris and Chairman Jackie Morris.
Pay day is the last day of every month and employees had been paid the last week of the month in advance. The change will affect only those hired the last week in a month, which Metzler said would happen rarely. For example, a person who starts on Jan. 25 will get paid for the last week in January at the end of February and paid for February at the end of March.
The commissioners had voted to adopt the personnel policy in November, but Commissioner Matheny saw that portion as unfair for a person to be without a salary for such an extended time.
“How can we expect an employee to live for two months on five days pay?” Matheny said. County Finance Director Lisa Rolan said in most cases new employees would be receiving wages from their previous job that should cover them until the county pay begins.
Matheny argued that many people are out of work and have no income.
Commissioners Dolon Corbett and Edgar Morris said time sheets should be submitted before an employee is paid.
No one seconded Matheny’s motion and the policy stands.
In other business,
• Metzler reported that the county must reply to N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) by Jan. 31 regarding fines levied on the county due to sludge violations at the water treatment plant.
The problem was a sludge buildup in the water intakes and, subsequently in the holding tanks. The sludge was being deposited in a creek instead of on a drying field to be taken to the landfill.
“We have corrected the problem and are working on a permanent solution,” Metzler said. “We are doing all we can as fast as we can.”
Metzler said Wednesday that negotiations with DENR were ongoing. DENR originally fined the county $202,000, but reduced it to $85,000 as compliance requirements were met. Metzler is now trying to negotiate deadlines on six additional requirements to further reduce the fine to $70,000.
The county has requested funds for use at the water treatment plant from the $2 million grant which will be available from the Golden Leaf Foundation. Metzler said the towns of Star, Biscoe and Troy are also making requests.
• The Town of Star submitted a request for $4,000 for their 2011 summer recreation program that will focus on childhood obesity. Requests for recreation programs will be put in the budget process.
• Recognized Jeff Branch, D.A.R.E. Officer with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department, who was recently named as the North Carolina D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year.
• Recognized Extension Agent Chrissy Haynes and students from East and West Montgomery high schools, who were in attendance as the Montgomery Youth Leadership group.
• Reappointed Todd Kearns to the Health Board.
• Appointed Commissioner Matheny to the Department of Social Services Board, replacing Commissioner Edgar Morris, who submitted his resignation without explanation effective Dec. 31, 2010.
• Appointed Commissioner Corbett to the Consolidated Municipal ABC Board and approved a resolution of support for the state ABC system. The resolution opposes privatizing the ABC system in N.C.
In a work session prior to the regular meeting, the commissioners:
Heard a mid-year report on employee insurance from agent Bill Hudson.
Hudson said this might be the year to give up some front end benefits, such as low deductibles and co-pays, to keep a favorable plan. Montgomery County is self-insured. The deductible for insured dependents was raised from $500 to $1,000 last year, but very few employees have insured dependents.
• Heard a report on the ABC stores from board members Ben Haithcock and Phil Richardson, who said the goal is to break even this year.
ABC stores in Albemarle and Asheboro have taken customers away from both sides of the county and large numbers of Hispanic customers left the county when the mills closed, Haithcock said.
Richardson said the two stores, one in Mt. Gilead and one in Biscoe, have two full-time and two part-time employees each and there have been no profits to distribute to the county and towns.
• Kevin Lancaster, personnel director for Montgomery County Schools, asked the board to continue funding the Montgomery Scholars Program, but limit it to a scholarship for one graduate of each high school who will return to teach science, math or special education.
Lancaster said the demand for teachers is not as great now, but the Scholars program is worth continuing with those restrictions.
• Brady Dickson, chairman of the airport commission, said the N.C. Division of Aviation will work with the county on grants to get the airport in Star up to minimum standards. The report on the status of the airport will be presented at the February meeting.
• Brenda Caudill, health educator, and Julie Clark, health director, reported on the State of the County Health Report 2010. The report is online at www.montgomerycountync.com.
Caudill said the health department is in the process of being accredited by the state, a new designation for health departments.
Clark said the latest grant to the department was for $18,000 to build a walking trail at East Middle School and form community walking clubs.
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