MURPHY
Town looks into housing
The town has hired an engineering firm to look at 18.83 acres of town-owned property at the end of Fort Butler Street across the Hiwassee River from downtown to see if it is suitable to develop into workforce housing.
Officials have hired McGill Associates of Asheville to see if the property is suitable to develop into a single-family development of affordable workforce housing of 15-20 units. Tax records show the town acquired the 18-acre parcel in 2001.
The property is at the end of Fort Butler Street, just up the street from a 0.8-acre parcel where the Fort Butler Trail of Tears historic site is located. The town acquired the historic site in 1925, according to tax records.
The town is addressing a shortage of affordable workforce housing in the Murphy area. The town broke ground Dec. 1, 2023, on Valley River Apartments, a multi-unit workforce housing project behind Walmart supercenter.
McGill bid $55,000 to complete the preliminary work on the Fort Butler Street property.
Details: Visit townofmurphync.com.
MURPHY
Schools growing
Four Cherokee County schools were recognized for exceeding growth expectations as reflected by results of end of grade and end of course exams in the 2022-23 school year.
Schools recognized for exceeding academic growth were Andrews Middle, Murphy Elementary, Murphy High and Martins Creek Elementary/Middle. Schools that met academic growth expectations were Andrews Elementary, Hiwassee Dam Elementary/Middle, Murphy Middle and Peachtree Elementary.
Schools Superintendent Keevin Woody characterized the difference between meeting growth and exceeding growth as the difference between completing a lap and running more than a lap.
Meanwhile, Hiwassee Dam High School had a graduation rate of 97 percent, the highest in the county. Tri-County Early College received a certificate of achievement.
Next school year, Hiwassee Dam Elementary students will be moved to Ranger Elementary, Ranger middle-schoolers will move to Hiwassee Dam Middle and Murphy Middle will absorb middle schoolers from Martins Creek. The board of education is still considering whether and how to merge Martins Creek and Peachtree elementary schools.
Details: Visit cherokee.k12.nc.us.
MURPHY
Old laws repealed
Cherokee County officials did some early spring cleaning this month, wiping off the books 16 laws that were either obsolete or were replaced or superseded by newer laws.
Many of the repealed laws were from the 1980s and granted franchises to cable television providers in Cherokee County; old-timers may remember High Country Cable TV and Mountain View Cable TV, among others.
The county also repealed its 1976 civil preparedness law because it doesn’t have a civil preparedness office, although it does have an emergency services office; a law regulating the manner of taking foxes – state law supersedes that; and a sewage ordinance because the county doesn’t have a sewer plant.
Some of the repealed laws were more recent. The county repealed a 2021 local law making it illegal to unlawfully possess catalytic converters – trumped by state law; and 2015 laws regulating adult entertainment and adult bookstore businesses, which were invalidated by state law in 2021.
One law dealt with a hot-button issue – a 1999 noise ordinance was repealed as being unenforceable as written. The county was unwilling to write a new noise ordinance in 2023 following heated public meetings punctuated by property rights supporters.
Not repealed was a 1962 ordinance establishing a county planning board; the board was reconstituted in 2023 with members of the board of commissioners filling the seats. The new board has been focusing on controlling the growth of crypto-currency mines in the county along with other high-impact industries, such as nuclear waste dumps.
MURPHY
No Q&A for 10 minutes
Cherokee County Commissioner Ben Adams struck out a second time in his effort to add a 10-minute question-and-answer period at the end of each board of commissioners meeting.
He made an unscheduled motion in early January to add a Q&A that went down to a 3-2 defeat. Because the motion was not on the agenda, a second vote was possible.
At the board’s Jan 22 meeting, Adams presented a more fleshed-out proposal that included a reason – “This is a courtesy and is put in place to help the public understand why business is conducted in the (manner) that it is” – along with rules and procedures.
Like the first time, Adams and Commissioner Jan Griggs voted for a Q&A. Also like the first time, Commissioners Dan Eichenbaum, Randy Phillips and Cal Stiles voted against it.
The proposal, though it failed to pass, had a side effect, with several board members taking extra time to explain other items on the Jan. 22 agenda.
MURPHY
Help dogs to freedom
The Valley River Humane Society is hosting a Freedom Walk and Fill the Bus fundraiser Thursday at Konehete Veterans Park.
The humane society was rocked on Feb. 1, 2023, with the loss of animal shelter manager Kirsty Waller. A passionate person, she spent her life saving animals, and treated every animal in her care as her own. Waller knew the name, personality and background of every animal that crossed her path.
For the Freedom Walk, each shelter dog paired with a shelter worker or volunteer will walk a mile at the park in honor of Waller. The public is asked to help by donating money at the finish line or donating needed items to help Fill our Bus. If you can’t join us in person, all donations made in memory of Kirsty Waller can be sent via our website or our Amazon wishlist.
All adoptions on that day will be half priced. Rain day is Wednesday, Feb. 7. Times are 10 a.m. to noon for Group 1 and 1-3 p.m. for Group 2.
Details: valleyriverhumanesociety.org.
STATE
Homeless count today
North Carolina’s annual count of homeless people will take place tonight and Thursday morning.
The process involves surveying people to find out where homeless people slept on the night of Jan. 31, providing an in-depth look at homelessness in this region and throughout the state.
In Cherokee County, multiple agencies and volunteers will aid in the efforts, including Four Square Community Action, the Department of Social Services, Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital in Peachtree, Emergency Medical Services, volunteer firefighters, veterans groups, Reach of Cherokee & Graham Counties, law enforcement, municipalities and community volunteers.
Details: foursquarecommunityactioninc.com.
CORRECTION
Due to a reporting error, a caption under a photo on page 1A in the Jan. 24 edition of the Cherokee Scout misidentified the person speaking. That person was Dane Rickett, chief technology officer for Cherokee County Schools. The Scout regrets the error.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Public meetings
THIS WEEK
- Andrews Board of Aldermen will hold a work session at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Facilities Building, 85 Fourth St.
- Murphy Town Council meets at 5 p.m. Monday at Murphy Electric Power Board, 5 Wofford St. downtown. Live-streamed on the Scout’s Facebook page.
COMING SOON
- Andrews Board of Aldermen meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in the Facilities Building.
- Cherokee County Tourism Development Authority meets at 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, in the Murphy Visitors Center, 20 Tennessee St.
- Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in Murphy.
- Cherokee County Board of Health meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, at the Cherokee County Health Department, 228 Hilton St. in Murphy.
- Cherokee County Veteran Forces meets at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, at the Cherokee County Courthouse in Murphy.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown and Editor Randy Foster.