Jeff Hunt. Image courtesy of the district attorney’s website.

Gov. Pat McCrory announced Thursday that he has appointed Jeff Hunt, the district attorney for Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties, as a special Superior Court judge.

“I’m pleased and proud the governor has illustrated his confidence in me by appointing me to this special Superior Court judgeship, which will be headquartered in the western part of the state,” Hunt said in a statement.

The Hendersonville Times-News reported that Assistant District Attorney Doug Pearson will be sworn in as acting district attorney.

According to a statement from McCrory’s office, Hunt began his career in law with the firm Long, McClure, Parker & Hunt, a trial firm in Asheville and Marshall.

Information on the district attorney’s website said that Hunt graduated from Wake Forest University in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In 1975, he received his law degree from Wake Forest University and was licensed to practice law in the same year. He was, from 1981 through 1985, the in-house trial and labor counsel for the Olin Corporation, Ecusta Group, in Brevard. He returned as a partner to Long, Park, Hunt, Payne and Warren in 1988.

It goes on to say that Hunt is currently a charter member of the board of trustees of Transylvania Community Hospital Foundation and that he served various terms on several state boards and commissions, including the Board of Economic Development, the Banking Commission and the Personnel Commission between 1984 and 1992, having been appointed to each position by Gov. James Martin.

First elected in 1994, Hunt was reelected without opposition in 2010 as district attorney for the 29B Prosecutorial District. In 2012, he ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination to the 11th Congressional District, which covers much of Western North Carolina. According to WHKP, Hunt has been active in Republican politics, including co-chairing McCrory’s Western North Carolina campaign for governor in 2008.

An official with the state Division of Water Quality says the environmental agency is within days of issuing a notice of violation to the Metropolitan Sewage District of Buncombe County following a nearly 6 million-gallon sewage spill on April 30, though it is unclear whether — or how much — the agency will be fined.

Chuck Cranford, supervisor of the surface water protection section of the Division of Water Quality, said his agency will review the circumstances of the leak and other information before they determine a whether to issue a penalty or what level of penalty the spill would incur.

“Normally, a spill of this magnitude would predicate a fine,” he said. “But we don’t always issue a fine. It really depends on the circumstances. MSD is an excellent operator and that goes far in our decision.”

Thomas Hartye, the general manager of MSD, said the agency plans to respond to the violation with a more in-depth report about the spill that occurred during a pump replacement project done by subcontractor Gilbert Engineering.  Immediately after the incident, it was reported that the spill pushed 7 million gallons of sewage into the river; MSD’s most up-to-date reports indicate the spill volume was closer to nearly 6 million gallons — still a level not documented since the blizzard of March 1993 knocked out power to the treatment plant for several days. That report will likely include many more details about how the spill occurred.

While a leak of this magnitude is rare, the subsequent action in the hours and days following the spill highlight how officials with MSD, public health and environmental agencies and private environmental groups respond to public health and water quality emergencies. And while MSD appears to have met legal requirements for a discharge of this magnitude, those actions still raise questions about how – and when — officials must notify the public during such an event.

Launching a chain of environmental oversight

News release on the April 30 sewage spill on the French Broad River. Click to view full-size image.

The MSD was established under an act of the state legislature and is a nonprofit, publicly owned utility that provides wastewater collection and treatment services. It treats an average of 16 million gallons of wastewater daily. It is regulated by the state Division of Water Quality, which is itself authorized by the federal Clean Water Act through a permit program to control water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters.

Cranford, with the Division of Water Quality, said MSD must report a leak greater than 15,000 gallons within 24 hours. A mandatory report to those officials by MSD, says that 5.86 million gallons of contaminated water reached surface water — or roughly 1 million gallons of sewage per hour.

Hartye, with MSD, said the agency first contacted the state Division of Water Quality. Officials followed that call with ones to the MSD board of directors and to the media. According to the report filed by the MSD, state water quality officials were alerted at 8:40 a.m., five minutes after the incident that led to the spill and before the spill had actually gone into the French Broad River.

“They called before it happened,” confirmed Cranford, referring to the delay between the repair mishap and the moment the contaminated water entered the waterway. According to the report filed by the MSD, the leak reached the river at its treatment plant in Woodfin and was stopped at 2:45 p.m. later that day.

When is the public notified?

According to guidelines of the permit, spills greater than 15,000 gallons mandate that the public be notified – but not immediately.

In fact, the permit specifically says that the agency must issue a press release to all print and electronic news media providing coverage in the county where the discharge occurred, and a public notice be issued within ten days of the event. A news release was issued on May 1, and a public notice appeared in the May 5 print edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times. Carolina Public Press did not receive a copy of the notice.

“This was a very unusual event and hasn’t happened in my career,” said Hartye, who added that MSD also shared information with media reporting at the scene of the spill. “One of our lessons is to assemble a collective email list so we can quickly broadcast up-to-the minute information to everyone who needs the information.”

MSD officials also said the agency stayed in close contact with health officials in Madison County, where the river flows after it leaves Buncombe County.

Jan Shepard, Madison County’s health director, said she was contacted shortly after the spill by both MSD and state water quality officials.

“There was lots of timely communication throughout the day,” Shepherd said, adding that her department went on to notify local businesses, municipalities and the U.S. Forest Service of the spill.

According to a spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, it is the responsibility of the local health departments to determine if there is a risk to public health in the event of a sewage leak. State health officials may get involved if flooding or backflow sends sewage into homes.

Marc Fowler, the Buncombe County environmental health director said in an email that the Buncombe County Health Department became aware of the spill through the local media.

While public parks were not closed in Buncombe or Madison counties, MSD placed a yellow “keep out” sign warning the public of “sewage contaminated waters” at the entrance to Ledges River Park — a popular destination for kayakers located in Alexander, in Buncombe County, downstream of the spill. The sign at Ledges Park was removed on May 2.

The sign may seem a rather insufficient public warning given the rate of sewage flowing into the French Broad River, but, according to Fowler, test results provided by MSD showed fecal coliform bacteria counts dropping quickly in the hours following the spill.

By Wednesday morning, the day following the spill, the count was 430 coliform cfu/100ml at Ledges Park and 320 at Hot Springs Bridge in Madison County just after noon. According to Fowler, depending on rainfall, a “normal” count is usually between 0 and 600.

Who considers public health?

A sign at Ledges River Park tells the public to avoid using the French Broad River following an April 30 sewage spill. It was removed May 2. Jon Elliston/Carolina Public Press

While state water quality officials have the authority to determine the impact of a spill, it is the local health director who has the right to take action to issue an imminent health hazard notice related to a spill of sewage, Fowler said.

“A local health department has the option to provide recommendations and/or guidance only if current conditions indicate a risk to health,” Fowler said in an email.

Cranford agreed and said “the folks that make calls about public health are the local health departments. Our job is to make sure MSD is in compliance with their permit and to enforce it.”

Cranford said that recent rains diluted the impact of the spill and that the high flow of the river also increased the volume of contaminated water from the treatment facility. Cranford says his agency took water samples from the site of the spill downstream to Hot Springs in Madison County.

“They picked a good time to mess up,” said Hartwell Carson, the French Broad Riverkeeper and employee of the Western North Carolina Alliance. His job is to serve as a river advocate and to monitor water quality in the French Broad River watershed in North Carolina.

Carson said he was notified of the spill by a call from WLOS-TV at approximately 11 a.m. on the day of the accident. He arrived at the scene at noon.

“I felt that the MSD did a pretty good job in the aftermath,” said Carson, whose organization independently monitored water quality following the spill. Carson said his organization’s water samples aligned with test results from both MSD and DWQ. Carson also issued recommendations after the spill through Facebook about whether it was safe for swimmers to go into the river in certain locations.

“The MSD is a pretty competent group and this was an accident rather than the result of neglect,” Carson said. “At the same time, it was a large spill. I’d like to seem them receive some sort of fine so other operators don’t get the wrong message that you can have such a large accident without penalty.”

Ultimately, the concern of events like this one is the chance they will happen again, Cranford said. “We’ve already had discussions about this: the why, when, how and what of events like this in the future,” he added.

Karen Cragnolin, executive director of RiverLink, has been on the board of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund since its inception. Funding for the program, which invests in water-related projects across the state, has seen its funding fall by nearly 90 percent in the past two years. It could face more cuts in the upcoming state budget. Colby Rabon/Carolina Public Press

This month, as the state Senate prepares to unveil its budget proposal, conservation groups in Western North Carolina are keen to see what the spending plan might hold for a key state trust fund that’s fueled investment in water quality projects and watershed protection throughout WNC.

The Clean Water Management Trust Fund, which since its inception in 1996 has distributed more than $200 million in grants in the region and more than $977 million statewide, has seen its funding fall by nearly 90 percent in the past two budget cycles and faces an even deeper cut this year. (See a county-by-county list of key projects financed by the fund in WNC.)

Gov. Pat McCrory’s budget proposal, released in March, included $6,750,000 this year for the fund, by far the lowest amount in its history. The CWMTF, along with other trust funds for state parks and recreation and the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, all saw record low funding proposed.

Meanwhile, WNC supporters of clean water efforts say that short-changing a program that’s been a boost to the region’s economy is the wrong move.

“To me, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund is the best economic development tool we have in WNC and in the state,” said Karen Cragnolin, executive director of Asheville-based RiverLink, a nonprofit that works as a watchdog for the French Broad River.

Cragnolin, who has been a board member of the fund since its inception, said the arrival of craft breweries in the mountains of WNC is one obvious way to make the case that the push for clean water the fund has helped finance over the years has provided results.

With the support of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, work is underway to restore this stream near the New Belgium Brewing site in West Asheville. Since its inception, the fund has distributed more than $200 million in grants for projects in the 18 westernmost counties of the state. Colby Rabon/Carolina Public Press

The fund, she said, has played a critical role during the transition in the region’s economy from manufacturing to tourism and recreation by helping to restore streams and watersheds, cleaning up brownfields near the French Broad and conserving prime lands like DuPont State Forest.

“We know the health of our economy depends on the health of the environment,” Cragnolin said.

When it was founded, the CWMFT was designed to review, rank and distribute grants to projects statewide for watershed protection and conservation, storm water and wastewater improvements and stream and wetlands restoration. The annual spending target for the fund was $100 million but averaged only half that, except during a stretch of years from 2005 to 2008 when it was fully funded.

Like many of the state’s trust funds, in the slow recovery from the recent recession, the fund’s appropriation has been a source of money to offset budget shortfalls elsewhere. In her last two years in office, Gov. Bev Perdue proposed a significant drop in money for the fund. The GOP leadership in the House and Senate cut it even deeper, taking the annual appropriation down to $11.25 million per year — then not only the lowest in its history, but a mere one-third of the amount of the previous low.

The legislature also added restrictions on how the money could be used, putting an emphasis on buffers around military bases in the eastern part of the state, but those restrictions were later dropped.

Source: Clean Water Management Trust Fund

Regional impact

A look at the types of grants distributed in WNC over the years closely follows the region’s topography. At the headwaters of the region’s rivers, in places like Avery County, CWMTF grants have been used mainly for land acquisition and conservation easements. Downstream, grants have been used to restore stream banks and help local governments better manage storm water and wastewater.

In most cases, the grants have leveraged funding from state and local government sources as well as conservation groups and advocates.

Carl Silverstein, executive director of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, said he’s worried that the fund’s budget struggles could discourage private landowners who are interested in conservation projects.

“I’m afraid there could be a chilling effect for private contribution and investment if the agency isn’t seen as viable,” he said. The CWMTF, he said, has helped finance extensive headwater protections in WNC.

Last year, the conservancy received a $600,000 CWMTF grant to help it purchase the 601-acre Grassy Ridge Tract, in the Roan Highlands. The fund’s contribution augmented funds from a coalition of organizations and individuals for the $2.7 million purchase, which includes the headwaters of Roaring Creek, a wild trout stream that flows into the North Toe River watershed.

“It is just a chart-topping property,” Silverstein said. “It’s been on our list of highest priorities for 40 years.”

Silverstein said it’s a bad time to back away from land acquisition and conservation projects. “We still see real estate values in the low range,” he said. “It’s a good time to be investing in protecting water sources.”

There is a big potential to protect headwaters in WNC, a move that later proves cost effective, he added. “When the headwaters have siltation and pollution, it impacts every part of the system downstream.”

Jay Leutze, a trustee with Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, agreed on the need to keep watershed protection moving forward. He said that positive change in the North Toe River watershed is a testament to the effectiveness of the fund in boosting voluntary ways to protect water quality.

“When I was a kid, mountain people would not eat fish out of the North Toe,” he said. “Since 1996 we’ve seen a steady improvement in water quality. More areas are fishable and swimmable. People are coming here to go fishing and paddling.”

As critical as cleaning up rivers and land acquisition has been in the highlands, it’s important, he said, to remember that the water quickly leaves Avery County. “Everybody’s drinking water from up here,” he said.

The impact of lower funding is already taking its toll, especially downstream. To spread around its dwindling resources, the fund capped grants for wastewater projects at $600,000. As a result, applications from local governments with wastewater and storm water projects have fallen off sharply.

Richard Rogers, executive director of the CWMTF, said the types of connection projects that local governments sought grants for in the past often come with multimillion-dollar price tags. They also aren’t easy to divide into phases.

“It’s not enough to lay the pipe halfway to the wastewater treatment plant,” he said.

Rogers said the low level of funding has made it difficult to pursue larger projects, and it’s also had an effect on expectations.

When McCrory’s budget was released in February, it included an appropriation for the fund for only the first year of the biennial budget. At the time, state budget director Art Pope said the lack of a second year budget amount does not imply the program will be ended, just that a figure had yet to be set.

Rogers said the declining budget and uncertainty about the future has made some potential applicants wary of applying. “Having that recurring funding is critically important,” he said. “When funding is uncertain, when you get funds for one year but aren’t assured of the next, people are not as willing to complete an application.”

RiverLink’s Cragnolin said one of the things most as risk is the willingness to pursue projects that seem out of reach. The CWMTF has enabled small towns, landowners interested in conservation and the area’s land trusts to think big.

“All across the state we’ve seen people think about taking on big projects and seeing them through,” she said. “If we continue to see this kind of low funding, they’ll stop doing that, stop planning, stop thinking big.”

DuPont State Forest, in Transylvania County, garnered a $16.6 million grant by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, one of the largest single investments made by the program  in the 18 westernmost counties of North Carolina. Angie Newsome/Carolina Public Press

The Clean Water Management Trust Fund, which since its inception in 1996 has distributed more than $200 million in grants in the region and more than $977 million statewide, has seen its funding fall by nearly 90 percent in the past two budget cycles and faces an even deeper cut this year.

Below is a list of the largest mountain-area projects funded by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, total grants from the fund and the total amount leveraged and spent on the projects overall (with additional funding from other sources). For information on additional, smaller projects also aided by the fund, see the fund’s website.

Avery: 23 projects

$9,969,685 CWMTF; $25,558,744 total spent on projects

2012 — acquisition, Grassy Ridge Tract, Martin Creek, $599,905

2010 — acquisition, Humpback Mountain Tract, Harris Creek, $1,310,000

2008 — acquisition, Rhyne Tract, North Toe River, $2,450,000

2006 — acquisition, Powdermill Creek Tract, North Toe River, $1,070,000

2001 — restoration, Linville River, Sloop Dam removal, $465,000

Buncombe: 31 projects

$17,319,965 CWMTF; $38,234,929 total

2012 — restoration, Asheville-Craven Street watershed improvements, French Broad River, $400,000

2004 — acquisition, Reems Creek Headwaters, $4,120,000

2001 — restoration, Swannanoa River, $1,508,000

Cherokee: 11 projects

$5,973,400 CWMTF; $13,624,533 total

2012 — wastewater/septic improvements, Valley River watershed, $175,000

2008 — acquisition, Andrews Water Supply Watershed, Beaver Creek, $1,627,000

2007 — acquisition, Murphy, Marble Creek, $2,462,000

2001 — restoration, Valley River, $400,000

Clay: 5 projects

$2,848,190 CWMTF; $3,594,960 total

1998 — restoration and improvements, Brasstown Creek, $2,571,470

Graham: 4 projects

$4,186,950 CWMTF; $7,437,900 total

2008 — acquisition, Miller Tract, Eller Mill Creek, $2,362,000

2007 — septic System Replacement Project, Stecoah Creek, $560,000

2001 — restoration, trout buyout, Santeetlah Lake, $1,250,000

Haywood: 22 projects

$9,528,827 CWMTF; $37,998,300 total

2006 — Pigeon River Buffer Project, $350,066

2000 — stream restoration/ stormwater improvements, Lake Junaluska, $677,555

1998 — acquisition, Lake Logan, $3,800,000

Henderson: 40 projects

$21,795,503 CWMTF; $85,341,699 total

2005 — acquisition, World’s Edge Tract, Pool and Wolf Creeks, $3,900,000

2004 — acquisition, Schenk Tract, Green River, $5,141,000

2000 — county wastewater collection system, $500,000

2010 — restoration, Ochlawaha Bog, Mud Creek, $119,400

Jackson: 19 projects

$16,064,067 CWMTF; $40,214,658 total

2008 — Tuckasegee River wastewater treatment plant upgrades, $1,500,000

2006 — acquisition, Webb Tract, Cedar Creek, $2,369,000

2006 — acquisition, Plott Balsam Mountains, Fisher Creek, $3,580,000

2005 — Tuckasegee wastewater collection system rehabilitation, Cope Creek, $1,225,000

2003 — Dix Gap Creek collection system, $353,000

1997 — Tuckasegee wastewater collection system, $1,200,767

Macon: 23 projects

$9,397,417 CWMTF; $22,374,919 total

2007 — Mill Creek septic hookups, Highlands, $728,000

2006 — acquisition, Slagle Farm Tract, Cartoogechaye Creek, $612,000

2005 — acquisition, Needmore expansion, $727,000

1997 — stream and wetlands restoration, Little Tennessee River, $3,885,000

Madison: 8 projects

$2,157,661 CWMTF; $4,272,701 total

2007 — acquisition, Hornstein and Eidus Tracts, French Broad River, $139,000

2000 — Marshall stream restoration/ bank stabilization, French Broad River, $338,598

1997 — wastewater revolving fund/failing septic systems, $1,028,063

McDowell: 19 projects

$10,428,500 CWMTF; $21,421,601 total

2010 — acquisition, Wildcat Mountain, Catawba Headwaters, $1,341,000

2006 — Marion wastewater regionalization/ discharge elimination, Corpening Creek, $3,000,000

2005 — acquisition, CSX Tract, Catawba River, $936,000

2000 — Old Fort wastewater/sewer rehabilitation, Catawba River and Mills and Curtis Creeks, $400,000

Mitchell: 5 projects

$5,199,842 CWMTF; $9,784,907 total

2010 — wastewater/septic, high school connection, Spruce Hill, North Toe River, $752,842

2008 — acquisition, MER Equity Tract, Rose Creek, $4,215,000

Polk: 10 projects

$3,327,577 CWMTF; $9,138,652 total

2008 — restoration, North Pacolet River restoration, $1,582,087

1999 — Tryon wastewater/sewer rehabilitation, Howard Street extension, $660,490

Rutherford: 15 projects

$13,863,000 CWMTF; $50,202,592

2010 — acquisition, Weed Patch Mountain, Buffalo Creek, $1,776,000

2008 — acquisition, King Tract, Hickory Nut Gorge, $3,579,000

2006 — acquisition, Chimney Rock State Park, Fall Creek, $1,533,000

2005 — restoration, cattle exclusions, Broad River tributaries, $480,000

1997 — acquisition, Rollins Tract, First Broad River, $4,200,000

Swain: 6 projects

$8,841,900 CWMTF; $23,302,250 total

2004 — wastewater, marina waste management, Fontana Reservoir, $325,000

2002 — acquisition, Needmore Tract, $6,660,000

2002 — acquisition, Bryson City, Lands Creek, $1,531,000

Transylvania: 29 projects

$22,203,769 CWMTF; $43,211,189 total

2012 — acquisition, DuPont State Forest connector, Reasonover Creek, $387,269

2010 — acquisition, East Fork of the French Broad headwaters, $1,000,000

2004 — acquisition, Brevard, Brackens and Brushy Creeks, $1,037,000

1999 — acquisition, DuPont State Forest, Little River, $16,600,000

Watauga: 54 projects

$12,742,572 CWMTF; $35,713,574 total

2008 — Kraut Creek urban stormwater demonstration improvements, $136,000

2002 — Watauga and Wilkes counties, straight pipe elimination, $338,000

2002 — acquisition, Boone Fork Creek, $3,350,000

1999 — restoration and stormwater improvements, Watauga River, $880,000

Yancey: 9 projects

$2,325,000 CWMTF; $6,153,605 total

2004 — acquisition, Popper Tract, Price Creek, $1,534,000

2006 — acquisition, Wilburn Tract, South Toe River, $611,000

Source: N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources/Clean Water Management Trust Fund

The meetings will be held from 6-9 p.m. at the following dates and locations:

• Thursday, May 23 at Tartan Hall of the First Presbyterian Church, 26 Church St., Franklin, N.C. 28734; and
• Thursday, May 30 at the N.C. Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, N.C. 28806.

Participants are encouraged to arrive at 5:30 p.m. to review materials prior to the meeting.

Click here to read the updated meeting flyer [PDF].

Topic areas to be presented and discussed are:

• Managing outdoor recreation, access and scenery in public forests managed for multiple uses,
• Availability of wildlife habitats on the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests with an emphasis on early successional habitats (young forest areas), and
• National forest lands that require special management and determining criteria to evaluate the need for designated areas (i.e. special interest areas, wilderness, etc.).

Learn more at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/nprevision.

-Press release from the U.S. Forest Service, shared May 14.

Region A Partnership for Children is the nonprofit organization that administers North Carolina’s Smart Start and N.C. Pre-K initiatives in the seven westernmost counties of the state and on the Qualla Boundary. Funding will expand the Parents as Teachers program in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.

Parents as Teachers is a family support program widely used by Smart Start in Region A. Participating families benefit from home visits, group connections, child screenings and a resource network – the core components of PAT. Eligibility requirements are less restrictive than with other models, and there is strong evidence of success. Data shows reduced public assistance dependence and increases in positive parenting practices, identification of developmental delays, physical and social development and school readiness. The program’s flexibility makes it possible to serve a wider range of families with limited funding and to coordinate the effort across counties with a variety of agencies and organizations.

Southwestern Child Development Commission, a private nonprofit headquartered in Webster, provides quality early care and education in seven WNC counties and provides or coordinates childcare resource and referral services in 13 WNC counties. The grant to SCDC will educate and engage stakeholders with the goal of improving access to quality, affordable early childhood care and education.

Children living in poverty often do not receive the enrichment that quality childcare provides in the crucial first 2,000 days of life, and, for many families, quality, dependable child care is an unaffordable luxury without the financial aid of childcare vouchers. The commission will partner with Children First/Communities in Schools of Buncombe County, Mountain Area Child and Family Center, Children and Family Resource Center of Henderson County and Pisgah Legal Services to advocate for a more transparent, fair and sustainable childcare subsidy allocations process, train providers and parents to advocate for expanded access to quality early childhood education for low-income families and host county roundtables to enhance collaboration and reduce gaps in service during the first 2,000 days of children’s lives.

The goal of the foundation’s early childhood development work is to improve education and developmental outcomes for children, particularly at-risk children not in formal early childhood programs. The issue resonates with CFWNC fundholders, and the Lipscomb Family Foundation Fund chose to co-invest significantly in both grants.

“In the last four years we have witnessed substantial cuts to early childhood programs, and there is no sign that this trend is reversing,” said Philip Belcher,  vice president for programs at the foundation. “We know that investing in quality learning experiences during the early years is economically efficient and more cost effective than remediation efforts. Our intent is that these grants – one focused on program expansion and one utilizing an advocacy strategy — will help to make high-quality early care and education possible for more families in the region and will improve outcomes for some of our youngest residents.”

In 2011, The Community Foundation adopted a new strategic plan that focuses discretionary resources on people in need, early childhood development, food and farming and preserving natural and cultural resources.

The Community Foundation is a permanent regional resource serving 18 counties in Western North Carolina. Foundation staff leverage knowledge about the region and relationships with donors to enrich lives and communities in the region.  The Foundation facilitates $11 million in charitable giving annually. More information can be found at www.cfwnc.org.

-Press release from The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, shared May 14.

Image courtesy of Mission Health.

ASHEVILLE – Mission Health is pleased to announce the opening of Mission Spine and Back Pain Center. The center is located at 7 Vanderbilt Drive in Asheville, and offers the full continuum of spine and back care in one convenient location.

“We are pleased to offer this specialized care to the community of Western North Carolina,” said Jonathan Bailey, vice president of operations at Mission Hospital. “Eight out of 10 people experience back or neck pain at some point in their lives, and it can often be debilitating. It is important for our patients to know that they don’t have to live in pain; there are solutions-both surgical and nonsurgical-that can help them live pain free and active lives.”

Physicians at the center include:

• Physiatrist: Dr. Margaret Burke
• Pain Interventionist: Dr. Cleveland Thompson IV
• Neurosurgeons: Dr. Wesley Fowler III, Dr. Richard Lytle Jr., Dr. Eric Rhoton, Dr. Jon Silver and Dr. Ralph Loomis
• Orthopedic Spine Surgeons: Dr. James Hoski, Dr. Mark Moody and Dr. Hubert Gooch

According to a press release, Mission Spine and Back Pain Center offers an innovative approach to patients suffering from back and neck pain. Patients are connected to specialists through a patient coordinator at their first visit and from there are guided through a comprehensive treatment plan. Treatments and services at the center include clinical evaluations by a physiatrist, pain injections, physical therapy, MRIs and imaging, and spine surgery evaluations.

“Convenience plays an integral factor when dealing with acute back pain,” said Dr. Richard Lytle, Jr., physician at Mission Spine and Back Pain Center. “Often patients see multiple specialists and need ongoing physical therapy. With all of these services offered in one location, our caregivers and physicians work with our patients throughout the process, carefully monitoring their progress to ensure optimal recovery.”

The center spans two floors and more than 30,000 square feet.

-Press release from Mission Health, shared May 14.

These stories originally appeared on-air on WLOS-TV and are published by Carolina Public Press through a content-sharing agreement with the ABC affiliate, which is based in Asheville.

By Mike Mason

A News 13 investigation exposes serious fire code violations at Buncombe County schools. We found violations have been reported year after year and now a former electrician for the school district is blowing the whistle, claiming school officials told him not to pull the required permits and life safety issues were not inspected. Buncombe County has 42 public schools and more than 25,000 students. We inspected hundreds of safety records at every school for the past 2 years and we uncovered disturbing details that led up to this alarming failure.As day breaks over Buncombe County, we begin our busy lives. Parents send their kids off to school and the last thing they should have to worry about is their child’s safety. But a News 13 investigation found maybe they should.

Last night we told you about dozens of fire code violations reported year after year. Now, we’ve uncovered more work that was done at schools without the proper permits and without the proper inspections for years. Contractors are the ones facing stiff penalties but they say school officials are also to blame. For years, the district has hired private contractors to do construction and install fire alarms. Since permits weren’t pulled, the licenses of more than a dozen contractors are on the line and they’re speaking out saying school officials are the ones who told them to break the rules.

This community awareness-raising program features a panel discussion on independent media in Asheville and includes Nelda Holder, freelancer writer and contributing editor to Mountain Xpress; Mark West, chair and professor of mass communication at UNC Asheville; Eric Mattox, president of the board of directors of Friends of Community Radio; Angie Newsome, director and editor of Carolina Public Press; and Cecil Bothwell, member of Asheville City Council and former news reporter and community radio host.

Join these experienced leaders for a discussion of the role and challenges of the free press and independent media today, including policy proposals that could support public news and local voices. The panel will be moderated by Nelda Holder, and the public will be invited to ask questions and offer comments.

The event is free and open to the public. There is a suggested donation at the door, and proceeds will benefit Asheville Free Media, Black Mountain College Museum and Carolina Public Press.

A simulcast of the event can be heard on Asheville Free Media at www.ashevillefm.org from 7-9 p.m. on May 30.

For more information, contact Stephanie Biziewski at msstephaniebiz@gmail.com.

-Press release from Asheville Free Media, shared May 13.

Fearing that employees will quit before the proposed transition of the management of behavioral health services to a neighboring organization, officials with Western Highlands Network voted unanimously Monday to offer qualifying employees a one-time bonus of at least $3,500 to stay.

The Western Highlands Network governing board approved a resolution of intent on April 25 to begin working with Smoky Mountain Center, based in Jackson County, on a plan to transition the management of the state contract for Medicaid waivers and other functions.

Western Highlands has been the managed care organization for more than a year for Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania and Yancey counties. Smoky Mountain Center manages services for Alleghany, Alexander, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, McDowell, Swain, Watauga and Wilkes counties.

Officials had originally planned to finalize that agreement at today’s meeting. It was postponed, however, because the plan was not ready for consideration, board chairman Charles Vines said.

“We thought we would have it, but we didn’t. That’s why I removed it from the agenda,” Vines said after the meeting.

But the agreement isn’t the only major task ahead for the transitioning organization. Staffing concerns are also taking a spotlight.

Prior to the meeting of the full governing board, personnel and finance committees discussed proposed retention incentives.

Artie Wilson

“We are concerned that staff will be leaving before this transition,” said board member Artie Wilson.

He said two options for retaining employees were considered. One was a bonus equal to 10 percent of the employee’s annual salary, with a minimum bonus of $3,500 and a maximum of $7,500. The other was the $3,500 minimum bonus, with no cap on the amount.

Wilson said the $3,500 minimum was recommended because 10 percent of the annual salary for 31 of the agency’s employees would be below $3,500. He said the personnel committee recommended the latter option, leaving the final amount open for consideration.

Interim CEO Charles Schoenheit said 185 employees would be eligible for the bonus. The total projected cost for the one-time retention incentives is $931,297, Wilson told the board.

The effective date for the bonuses would be July 31 or Sept. 30.

July 31 is also the termination date set for the state contract. However, the board has asked the Division of Medical Assistance with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services for an extension until the end of September to complete the transition to Smoky Mountain Center. The board does not know yet if state health officials will agree to the extension.

Carl Classen

Western Highlands Network board member Carl Classen, who serves on the organization’s finance committee, said the bonuses would be paid 84 percent from Medicaid funds and 16 percent from other undesignated funds. He said the finance committee is seeking to have the bonuses paid entirely from Medicaid funds.

“We need our staff to help close out this transition and to close out our organization,” Classen said. He said about 11 accountants, auditors and attorneys would be crucial to completing the move to Smoky Mountain Center.

“We hope we can work with Smoky to retain those employees,” he said.

According to a memo sent to board members May 9, seven employees have resigned since the announcement of the state termination of Western Highlands’ contract.

“We are in a critical situation with maintaining the staff necessary to continue operations at WHN while we transition with Smoky. Staff have scheduled interviews and/or are receiving offers from other employers due to this period of uncertainty while major HR (Human Resource) decisions are being made,” the memo stated.

“Both Smoky and WHN are working diligently on the transition, but until there are guarantees for positions, staff are nervous and feel they must pursue employment opportunities,” it continued.

“We have been understaffed. This is due to the hiring freeze that was put in place last year, but also due to the reorganization with the Thornton group. We did not hire staff in order to assure that qualified staff would have positions in the reorganization. We have been utilizing temporary staff in some areas to bridge gaps that have turned into extended periods of time. WHN needs every employee to maintain the functions of running WHN,” the memo concluded.

The executive steering committee, made up of the chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, and waiver managers from Smoky Mountain Center and Western Highlands have met, and the issue of retaining staff is of grave concern to the steering committee, according to the memo.

The two organizations have each set up “Partnership for the Future” information on their websites about the transition. It also gives providers and consumers the opportunity to sign up to receive email updates.

Visit www.smokymountaincenter.com/partnership or www.westernhighlands.org/partnership to find news, events and answers to frequently asked questions about the effort.