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Sign kitsch to be debated at Waynesville hearing Business owners and merchants in Waynesville angling for bigger, flashier attention-grabbing devices have piloted a rewrite of the town’s sign ordinance, which will be considered by the board of aldermen this month. If passed, the changes will open the door for giant blow-up characters, bouquets of balloons, plastic banners strung from awnings or poles, and billowing fabric figures that gyrate when piped full of air. It would also allow for larger signs in some commercial districts and allow businesses to cover a larger portion of their store windows with signs. A public hearing on the sign changes will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, at town hall before the Waynesville Board of Aldermen. The rewrite of the sign ordinance initially stemmed from a debate over sandwich boards, those folding signs set on
Smoky Mountain News
Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2013
If passed, changes would allow businesses to cover a larger portion of their windows with signs. the sidewalk to advertise the daily latte or quiche special at cafés. The sandwich board ban would be lifted under the new sign ordinance, a rather innocuous matter now compared to the other changes in the revised sign ordinance. It was crafted by a de facto committee of town planning board members and business owners. The Waynesville town board could accept or reject the proposed changes, or pick and chose which to allow. To see a copy of the changes to the ordinance, go to www.smokymountainnews.com and click on this story. — By Becky Johnson
The small stretch of road in Waynesville is the only gap in the town’s pedestrian system, which runs from the Recreation Center out to Lake Junaluska. Caitlin Bowling photo s Waynesville pedestrians mosey down North Main Street toward Walnut Street on their way home or to one of the businesses along the road, they get to a point where the sidewalk ends, where they must walk on grass or through parking lots and contend with vehicular traffic to get to where they are going. The area surrounding the intersection of North Main and Walnut streets is one place in Waynesville where there is a dearth of sidewalks, said Town Planning Director Paul Benson. “This is the only missing section of sidewalk on the Waynesville pedestrian system that extends from the Rec Center all the way to Lake Junaluska,” Benson said. “That is why we focused on it in the first place.”
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Speak out The Waynesville Board of Aldermen will host a public hearing on the North Main Street Corridor Plan at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at town hall, after which the board will vote whether to accept the plan. The town of Waynesville hired J.M. Teague Traffic Engineering, which is actually headquartered along that troublesome stretch of North Main Street, to study the intersection and draft a fix. The plan, which is estimated to cost $3.2 million, includes widening and realigning the road
Waynesville Vet-Fest to support Wounded Warrior Project Vet-Fest in Waynesville will feature a poker run, live music and food on Saturday, Nov. 9, in the Haywood Square shopping center. Live bands will play from 3 to 10 p.m., including Brian Keith & the Mile High Band, Smokerise and Fried Pie Experience. The event
around where Main and Walnut streets connect, adding sidewalks and creating bike lanes. The biggest disturbance would be the realignment, which would make the turn from Walnut Street to North Main Street more of a 90-degree angle. The change would force a couple businesses out of the way. “The muffler shop, that is the big one that is right on the corner,” Benson said. “That one would definitely go.” A Waynesville institution, Duvall’s Restaurant, would also have to move. The owner of both properties was not happy about the proposed changes, but he also took the “if it happens, it happens” philosophy, Benson said. The property owner would receive money to compensate him for any loss of property. The people who rent from him and actually ran the businesses were not as easily placated, said Benson. N “The people who were renting were the ones who were really upset,” Benson said. But then again, the businesses there could be long gone by the time the project gets started. “There is no funding for this project; there is no timeline,” Benson said. “My best guess would be 30-years plus for construction.” The plan is simply one of many to-do projects that Waynesville wants to receive DOT funding for. It must battle the state bureaucratic ranking system, which rates hundreds of road projects throughout the state based on importance and need for funding. The North Main Street Corridor plan is by no means the most important, especially since there are no congestion problems at theN intersection. “There is no real critical need for it at this point,” Benson said. Although Waynesville will not touch the roads, it could install the sidewalks. “That might be something we can go forward with on its own,” Benson said. — By Caitlin Bowling
is family friendly. A poker run starts at noon. Motorcyclists will visit five stops, drawing a card at each one to see who has the best hand by the end of the run. Stops include Jack’s Leather Shop in Maggie Valley, Legends in Maggie Valley, Harley Shop in Cherokee and Steel Horses. The cost is $20 for drivers and $15 for passengers. Proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project and veterans initiatives. Haywood Square is in downtown Waynesville on Branner Avenue. 828.734.5795.
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Waynesville wants input on plan for North Main, Walnut streets
Open Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
710 North Lakeshore Drive 828-454-6777 Located across from the Terrace Hotel in the Harrell Center
lakejunaluska.com/bookstore *Must present coupon at time of purchase. Offer cannot be combined with any other coupon or discounts. Offer expires December 31, 2013.
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Mike Eveland for Maggie Valley Alderman Paid for by Mike Eveland for Maggie Valley Alderman