Macon County Commissioners Tap Derek Roland For County Manager

Front: Derek Roland, who starts his new job as Macon County Manager on December 16th.

Back: (L-R) Commissioners Ron Haven, Ronnie Beale, Kevin Corbin, Jimmy Tate and Paul Higdon

The Macon County Commissioners met tonight for less than half an hour, most of which was spent by the commissioners taking everyone through their thought process of selecting Macon County native Derek Roland to be the new manager of Macon County, then they voted 5-0 to offer the job of Macon County Manager to Derek Roland.



He will start his new job on December 16, 2013 and his base pay will be $100,000 a year and he will be allowed $500 a month for travel expenses. He will work out a notice with the Town of Franklin, where he is currently the Town Planner.

MEDIA ROLL CALL

Here is a list of the local media organizations present at the meeting:
Macon Media -- Bobby Coggins
The Franklin Press -- Jessica Waters
Macon County News -- Brittney Burns

The Town website has a short bio of Derek that I will re-post here:

Derek Roland is a native of Macon County. Upon graduation from Franklin High School, Roland attended Western Carolina University, receiving a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and Law in 2007. In the two years following his graduation, Roland worked for Unique Properties as a North Carolina licensed real estate broker. In 2009 he assumed the position of Macon County Planner, where he proudly served until March of 2012. Roland was hired by the Town of Franklin as Planner in late March 2012, and looks forward to serving the citizens of the municipality for years to come. Currently, Roland is completing his Masters Degree in the field of Public Administration at Western Carolina University. Roland is a member of the Franklin Rotary Club and was named Macon County Citizen of the Year for 2011.

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SECU Foundation Awards Local Hospice House Foundation A $1 Million Challenge Grant

Yesterday, the SECU Foundation awarded the Hospice House Foundation of WNC a million dollar challenge grant to help with the $3.8 million dollar project of establishing a six bed hospice facility in the old Dryman HOuse on Maple Street. The Hospice House Foundation is challenged to promptly raise $2.2 million before actually receiving the funds. The
House will include six spacious private patient suites, residential style living areas and other amenities including a family kitchen, dining room, chapel and exterior gardens. In honor of SECU Foundation’s challenge grant to HHF’s Capital Campaign, the facility will be named SECU Hospice House of Western North Carolina.


The Hospice House will need your help to raise the additional $2.2 million. If you are interested, please send your tax deductible donations to:

Hospice House Foundation of WNC
PO Box 815
Franklin, NC 28744

You can visit the Hospice House website at hhfwnc.org to learn more about their mission and even see their event calendar.

To learn more about the SECU Foundation, please visit their website at www.ncsecufoundation.org

Here is video taken at the event.





Here are some photos from the event:

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MAVEN Launch Coverage

The newest mission to Mars, MAVEN, will be launching today at 1:28pm EST...provided the weather holds. I have embedded a video player that will show the launch live. I will replace with a recorded video of the launch later today. Below that is some information about the mission, beginning with a PSA by LeVar Burton.


More about the mission below:

MAVEN stands for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN





Mission Briefing:

Features on Mars resembling dry riverbeds and the discovery of minerals that form in the presence of water indicate that Mars once had a thicker atmosphere and was warm enough for liquid water to flow on the surface. However, that thick atmosphere was somehow lost to space. Scientists suspect that over millions of years, Mars lost 99% of its atmosphere as the planet’s core cooled and its magnetic field decayed, allowing the solar wind to sweep away most of the water and volatile compounds the atmosphere once contained.

The goal of MAVEN is to determine the history of the loss of atmospheric gases to space, providing answers about Martian climate evolution. By measuring the rate with which the atmosphere is currently escaping to space and gathering enough information about the relevant processes, scientists will be able to infer how the planet's atmosphere evolved over time. MAVEN will have four primary scientific objectives:

•Determine the role that loss of volatiles to space from the Mars atmosphere has played through time.
•Determine the current state of the upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the solar wind.
•Determine the current rates of escape of neutral gases and ions to space and the processes controlling them.
•Determine the ratios of stable isotopes in the Martian atmosphere.

MAVEN is expected to reach Mars in September 2014. By then, the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite on board the Curiosity rover will have made similar surface measurements from Gale crater, which will help guide the interpretation of MAVEN's upper atmosphere measurements. MAVEN's measurements will also provide additional scientific context with which to test models for current methane formation in Mars.

More information can be found on the mission page at NASA. 

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NCDOT Now November 14, 2013

This week on “NCDOT Now”:

•The leaves haven’t even finished changing color yet, and we’ve already seen snow flurries in parts of the state. See how our crews prepared for this first brush with winter weather.

•This time last year, NCDOT lost one of its own in a tragic accident on N.C. 12 in Dare County. We’ll show you how Brad Stevenson’s co-workers, family and friends created a lasting memorial in his honor at the maintenance yard where he worked.

•NCDOT dedicated the new I-85 bridge over the Yadkin River last week to veterans who have served our country in the past and those who continue to serve today. Hear why Secretary Tata said the bridge is a proper symbol to honor their sacrifice.

•Riding the train in North Carolina just got even easier. Find out how our new website makes buying your tickets quicker and more convenient.


“NCDOT Now” is posted every week. A video podcast version is available via iTunes. People with digital media players, such as iPods or iPads, as well as smartphones, can download “NCDOT Now” directly to their devices and play them back anytime, anywhere and get automatic updates of new programs. Subscribe for free by clicking here.

“NCDOT Now” is also available on the department’s YouTube page. Current and past editions of the broadcast are easily accessible by clicking on “Playlists” and selecting “NCDOT Now.”

An RSS feed of the program is also offered for those who want to subscribe and receive automatic updates via email each time a new edition is posted.

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Beyond Earth: Removing the Barriers to Deep Space Exploration A Panel Discussion Hosted by Marshall Institute and the Space Enterprise Council

It has been a while since I've had time to post something just for the fun of it, so here goes...

On Tuesday, November 12, the Marshall Institute and the Space Enterprise Council convened a panel discussion to consider the challenges facing the U.S. space exploration program.

William Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, moderated the panel.

Panelists included:

• Julie Van Kleeck, Vice President, Space Programs, Aerojet Rocketdyne
• Charlie Precourt, Vice President & General Manager, ATK Space Launch Division
• John Elbon, Vice President & General Manager, Boeing Space Exploration
• Jim Crocker, Vice President & General Manager, Civil Space, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company

Video of the panel discussion is below.

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2013 Election Results Infographic: The Pie Chart Edition

Those of you who know me know how much I love the opportunity to express data in visual formats, like charts and maps and so on. So, here are a series of graphs showing the results of Tuesday's election in visual terms.

Most of the pie charts should be self-explanatory, but I added a brief description below most of them anyway.

Mayor Results




Vote split between the different Aldermen. People could vote for a maximum of three candidates in this race.


Voter Turnout expressed as a percentage.


Voter participation in the Aldermen races. There are 2618 registered voters and there was a maximum number of 7854 possible votes in those races, so if someone only voted for one or two Aldermen, there other votes still counted as not participating in the election.

Voter participation in the Mayoral race. I counted the three write ins as not participating because the votes were not cast for a declared candidate.

Votes by method of voting in the Mayoral race:

Votes by method of voting in the Aldermen races (in order of finish):

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2013 Election Results in Franklin, NC

The last three hours have been hectic, so please forgive me for not updating the blog until now.

FINAL VOTE TALLY

MAYOR

Bob Scott -- 493 -- 72.82%
Sissy Pattillo- 181 -- 26.74%

ALDERMAN (Top three are seated)

Barbara McRae -------- 373 -- 19.88%
Patti Halyburton Abel -- 337 -- 17.96%
Billy Mashburn -------- 292 -- 15.57%

Video of Bob Scott at The Rathskeller:

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Today is Election Day in Franklin Scroll Down for Updates

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS TODAY
POLLS OPEN 6:30AM TO 7:30PM

Today is election day and I'll be in town from 6am until probably after 9pm today and will be providing updates throughout the day on social media using the hashtag #FranklinNC on Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

I will also be adding updates here from time to time today, so if you don't use social media, please check this article every couple of hours or so.

I have several friends in the local races for Mayor and Aldermen seats on the Franklin Town Board and I would like to see them all win, even if there are more of them than there are available seats. The ones that don't win tonight, I'd like for them to keep in mind that there will be three Aldermen seats open in 2015.

ELECTION DAY WEATHER FORECAST

Perfect voting weather today with mostly sunny with highs in the 60s and light winds. For those of you who are registered to vote in Franklin and Highlands...there is no excuse not to vote today. Unless you voted early.

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UPDATES


Updates will be posted in reverse chronological order so you won't have to scroll to the bottom of the page to see if I have posted anything new.

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Update #4 Blogger won't let me add the update to this post, so click here to see the fourth update.


Update #3 4:00pm

I spent about an hour at the town hall this afternoon and conducted an exit poll, but will not be releasing the results until the polls close at 7:30pm tonight.

39 people voted in the hour I was there and 252 so far had voted as of 3:20pm this afternoon. Many of the candidates continued to work the polls, and at one time or another today, all of them have been present.

Here are a few of the photos I took while I was there:

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Update #2 8:30am

According to poll workers, as of 8:30 am, only 28 people had voted. 327 had participated in early voting.

Here are a few of the photos I took while I was at the town hall:




From left to right: Alderman Bob Scott (running for Mayor), Angela Hubbs Moore (running for Alderman), Emmanuel Carrion (running for Alderman), Donnie Abel (husband of Patti Abel), Patti Halyburton Abel (running for Alderman) and Adam Kimsey (running for Alderman).


Angela Hubbs Moore baked some snacks and made some coffee to hand out to voters.


Here is a look at the campaign signs in daylight


This is not election related, but the Town Hall is next to the landing pattern for MAMA-2 and I can't help myself when it comes to taking photos of aircraft.

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Update #1 7:30am

I was at the polling location at the town hall before they opened this morning and took a few photos. Poll workers told me that less than 300 people took the opportunity to vote early in this election.

Here they are, in no particular order (click on any of them to see a larger version):

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Halloween 2013 “Booze It & Lose It” Campaign Gets Underway

This post is sponsored by the Governor's Highway Safety Program.



BOOZE IT AND LOSE IT

RALEIGH – Ghosts, goblins and witches are not the scariest things roaming around this Halloween – drunk drivers are. The Governor’s Highway Safety Program today kicked off its Halloween “Booze It & Lose It” campaign to catch those drivers who create frightening situations on the road by driving drunk.

“Halloween is already full of terror without adding drunk driving to the mix,” said Don Nail, director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. “We encourage those celebrating to take a cab or designate a sober driver to ensure they make it home safely.”

So far this year, approximately 239 alcohol-related fatalities have occurred in North Carolina. Law enforcement officers across the state are holding checkpoints and stepping up patrols to ensure that number does not rise during Halloween.

To remind motorists about the dangers of driving drunk, the N.C. Department of Transportation and GHSP created this public service announcement. They urge people to share the video with family and friends, so they will know the deadly consequences of getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol.

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Macon County Planning Board 10-17-2013

The Macon county Planning Board met last night to discuss ten properties that are being considered for sale as surplus, some of them are listed on the county website. The board made two motions during the meeting, the first was to check with the neighboring landowners of a 3.25 acre landlocked parcel on Middle Creek to see if any of them were interested in purchasing it. The second motion was to donate a 0.68 acre parcel next to the Macon County Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (known locally as the Co-op) since the property is so small and part of it being used by that group.

The general consensus of the board was to shop the other eight properties to the various departments of Macon County government to see if there was need to keep a particular parcel for their use.

The discussion also touched on communicating with the Macon County Economic Development Commission to see if there was a potential for a duplication of efforts on one or more of the properties and to review the Macon County Comprehensive Plan to see if any of the properties would have potential use according to that document.

The list of the ten properties (click on the Parcel ID for more information from the county GIS website) the board discussed are:

6584369478  The old County Garage on West Old Murphy Road. The property has been assessed at $301,380  with the buildings at $101,380 and the land at $200,000.

During the discussion of this property, members noted that it is in an ideal location for a commercial property or even a Farmer's Market and could serve to help revitalize that section of town.

7514015877 This is the old Cullasaja Elementary School property. It is situated on 8 acres and has been assessed at $1,631,140 with the building at $1,231,140 and the land at $400,000.

During the discussion on this parcel, there was some uncertainty if the Macon County Board of Education had deeded the property over to the county or not and one of the possible uses for it included a training area for law enforcement and fire personnel. Board members also noted that it was outside the city limits, so not subject to zoning. There was a question regarding whether or not the Town of Franklin would be willing to extend services to this site for a new owner.

6499611525  This is a 3.25 acre landlocked and undeveloped parcel assessed at $30,030 on Middle Creek. 

Board members decided to see if any of the neighboring property owners were willing to buy it from the county. The assessed value of the parcel is $30,030. There are no buildings on this wooded lot.

6579719828 This is a 0.57 acre undeveloped parcel (Lot #13 in the Copeland Subdivision) off Bradley Creek Road assessed at $15,120.

6579718376 This is a 1.01 acre undeveloped parcel (Lot #7 in the Copeland Subdivision) off Bradley Creek Road assessed at $17,170.

Board members were unsure of any county use of these properties.

6576456654 This is a 3.25 acre undeveloped parcel on Barnard Road assessed at $63,810.

The board members discussed shopping the property to the owners of neighboring parcels, but took no specific action.

7504484670  This is a 3.76 acre undeveloped parcel assessed at $81,210 that the county originally purchased for use as a recycling center, but decided to locate it elsewhere.

Board members talked about shopping this property among the various departments to see if any of them had a use for it, but took no specific action.

6585635293  This is a 0.86 acre that is next to the Co-op Building that has been assessed at $22,580. 

Board members noted that most of it was already being utilized by the Macon County Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and they probably thought they already owned it. The board voted to donate the property to this group.

6594489400  This is a 5.25 acre undeveloped parcel assessed at $85,000 that was part of the old Macon County Airport. The county planner described is a wetland and mostly in the floodplain.

The general consensus of the board was to consider offering it to the Greenway. There was also a discussion about using it for a Farmer's Market. No specific action was taken on this property.

6586466705  This is a 2.56 acre lot that is assessed at $86,020 (the building that is on it was not assessed) on the Iotla Church Road that is next to the North Carolina Forest Service property and has a shed on it that is used by the NC Forest Service.

There was a lengthy discussion about this parcel that included who was maintaining it and the trees that had been cut because they were in the flightpath for aircraft landing and taking off at the Macon County Airport, which led to discussions about possible FAA restrictions on the height of structures that could be built on the property. Board members discussed asking the NC Forest Service if they were interested in the property, as well as asking the Macon County Airport Authority if they wanted it. No specific action was taken by the board on this parcel.

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Franklin TDA 10-14-2013

The Franklin Tourism Development Authority Board met late yesterday afternoon for their regularly scheduled October meeting, and the video of the full meeting is below, as well as a downloadable copy of the press kit that was sent to members of the media.





MEDIA ROLL CALL

Macon Media (me)
Macon County News and Shopping Guide
The Franklin Press


PRESS KIT

Franklin TDA 10-14-2013 by Thunder Pig

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Morning Sun

Good morning.

I spent far too long standing in the parking lot taking photos of the sun in the fog.

In the end, I had to take a little creative license...

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League of Women Voters Host Mayoral Forum Today

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m248/Thunder-Pig/Macon%20County/2013/TITLECARDCORRect_zps1dde607c.jpg
The Macon County League of Women Voters hosted a forum for the candidates who are running for Mayor of the Town of Franklin today at noon.

Here is the video of the complete forum.



I will be cutting the video up into segments overnight and will post them by question and by candidate tomorrow and Saturday.

About fifty people attended the forum, and barely more than ten of them were registered voters inside the city limits.

Learn more about the candidates at the following links:

Sissy Patillo [Facebook]
Bob Scott  [Facebook] [Website]

Early voting begins next Thursday.

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Macon County Law Enforcement on the Lookout for Multiple Stolen Vehicles

I recorded the BOLO (Be On the Look Out for) a few minutes ago:

Post by Macon County Public Safety, Road Conditions and Weather Updates.

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