The Friends of the Greenway have been informed that sewer construction in areas adjacent to Tassee Shelter and its parking lot off Ulco Drive will begin the week of April 25.

According to the construction contractor, the public will not have access to the parking lot or to the Shelter for a minimum of three weeks.

Mountain Mediation Services will hold a three-day Community Mediation Training May 24, 25 and 26, in Bryson City, for individuals who want to learn neutral ways to mediate conflict in their workplaces, families, churches, community organizations and neighborhoods.

The training will be held at the Bryson City United Methodist Chuch, 76 Main Street, Bryson City, from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day. The fee of $195 covers all materials, the training, and the snacks and beverages provided throughout the day.

Juan’s motorbike sputtered to a near standstill as we bounced up yet another rocky hill. I felt the throttle release and prepared for the downshift that would send the bike lurching forward and nearly topple me backwards onto the gouged up excuse for a “dirt” road behind us. Fifteen hundred miles from home, one kilometer to La Sevita.

Perhaps I should back up for a moment.

In the fall of 2008, I traveled with my family to India for two months. To say the very least, that trip opened my eyes. I had heard the term “global water crisis” thrown around in a couple of my science classes at Franklin High School, but to me it had always been some obscure event far from the here and now.

The Town of Franklin Board of Aldermen are having a tough time figuring out whether or not they should adopt a floodplain ordinance for the town.

In the event of a major flood, the delay could cost property owners who do not qualify for federal protections from flooding. But the same property owners, wary of the extra cost of the FEMA program, dispute recent floodplain maps released by the federal agency.

On Monday, aldermen held a continuation meeting and explored the matter. Aldermen decided not to make a decision on whether they support adopting an ordinance, but commissioned another study to question the accuracy of FEMA’s designated floodplains.

In an effort to draw more tourists from the Atlanta market, the Tourism Development Authority has launched the first of a series of TV spots advertising the highlights and attractions of the Town of Franklin.

Produced by local artist, Michael Rogers, in partnership with Tony Angel, a local web designer and marketing consultant, the first advertisement began airing last week and is set to run for three more weeks. The spot, which Angel calls a teaser, uses various still photographs and some video of local events, places of interest and the area's natural beauty to attract visitors Franklin.

Extortion, imprisonment among the charges

Two Franklin men have been arrested and are currently in Macon County Sheriff’s Office custody after authorities received a call regarding the invasion of a home on Wild Meadows Road.

Officers Bryant Hodgin, Jonathan Phillips and Patrick Merrit responded to a call from the residence reporting extortion and imprisonment.

Board agrees to exempt owner-occupied dwellings

On Monday at Town Hall, aldermen narrowed down a desirable minimum housing code draft. The purpose of a minimum housing code is to hold all dwellings within city limits to certain standards in the interest of public safety. Prior to the meeting, aldermen were considering two versions of the ordinance, one excluding owner-occupied dwellings to code standards and the other holding all dwellings under code standards.

Since a draft of the code was first broached by Henning last year, in response to the town’s inability to respond to safety and aesthetic complaints by residents, aldermen have finally affirmed their desire to exclude owner-occupied dwellings from code standards

After several months of discussion and two public hearings on the issue, the Macon County Board of Commissioners has asked the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to consider a compromise on its planned improvements of Needmore Road. Last week the board unanimously passed a resolution indicating its support of a compromise alternative to the controversial $13 million option the NCDOT has put forward as its “preferred” option.

The improvements to Needmore Road – a picturesque, gravel road that runs from Macon to Swain County along the Little Tennessee River through a 4,500 acre tract of preserved game land – have been the source of much controversy since NCDOT began its public input process on the project last summer.

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Macon County and the Town of Franklin will seek to name a bridge after a local man and veteran of the Vietnam War who was held for six years as a prisoner of war.

At their last meeting, the Macon County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution requesting that the North Carolina Department of Transportation designate the Bridge over Highway 441 South Business/U.S. 64 bridge near Westgate Plaza as the “Nathan B. ‘Nat’ Henry Bridge.” The Town of Franklin is expected to pass a similar resolution in the near future.

The city of Asheville recently hosted its third annual HATCH Experience which broke loose throughout the downtown area, bringing together creative professionals from all over the world. Hatch began in Bozeman, Montana in 2003 and is held every October 5-9. It was brought to Asheville in 2009 and is held from April 14-17.

A lofty concept, HATCH is a four-day festival, featuring panels, workshops and events in architecture, film, music, photography, journalism, fashion and design and technology.