New EV charging station in town
By Lorraine Bennett
Staff Writer
Hayesville’s new Electric Vehicle charging station is in place behind Town Hall and could become operational this week.
The Hayesville Town Council learned at Monday’s regular meeting that the station is installed and wired. Signage still must be added to indicate ingress and egress. The station can service two vehicles at once after drivers swipe a credit card.
Partial funding for the station came through a grant after Volkswagen settled with federal authorities in a suit charging violation of emission laws in vehicles previously advertised as having low emissions. The settlement included funds for Environmental Mitigation Trust distributed to states where the offending vehicles were sold. The funds were to be targeted for projects to reduce pollution.
The town also received a private donation to begin installation of the station.
Could Mardi Gras come to Hayesville?
If Michael Castellano has his way Hayesville might have a Mardi Gras parade by next March 1, 2025. Castellano, who moved to Hayesville after hailing from New Orleans, envisions a “Moonshine Mardi Gras” parade with a king and queen, a marching band, costumes, balloons and beads to be thrown but no alcohol would be sold at the parade.
All proceeds would go to benefit the town, he said. The first parade would be small to see if the idea catches on.
“We’ll see where it goes. We’ll be the only one in the area that has this,” he told council members. “We’ll handle all the liability insurance. I’ve already talked to State Farm. I’ve talked to the sheriff and he’s on board.’’ Castellano said people he has approached with the idea think it’s great. Such an event could bring in tourism and grow to be a major attraction for the area if it became an annual event.
If bad weather canceled the parade the festivities could move to the Beal Center, he said. He told the council members he just wanted to get reaction to the idea. Members listened with interest and took a wait-and-see approach but did not vote.
A Clay County historic architectural survey is underway and Michael Ann Williams, professor emeritus from Western Kentucky University, is helping conduct the survey for the N.C. Historic Preservation Office.
Williams, who addressed the Town Council, said Clay County had the fewest historical buildings documented in the entire state. The survey is looking at buildings about five decades old, sites that tell Clay County’s history, she said. The goals of the survey are to support local history efforts, inform planning and community development, facilitate heritage tourism and help educate everyone about the county’s history.
The survey includes agricultural buildings, old schools, religious structures and especially log structures and barns. About 100 structures will have been surveyed by the end of next week, she said, including Ogden School and the creamery near the John C. Campbell Folk School.
Information from the survey will be added to a statewide database on historical structures.
At last month’s council meeting members voted to approve some internal repairs at Historic Hayesville Inc.’s Centennial Exhibit Building at 116 Sanderson Street. HHI Executive Director Sandy Zimmerman said electrical work at the building is almost completed.
“We have a lot in process right now,” she said. Plans are to open the building to the public in early April and keep it open through mid-December.
In other action at Monday’s meeting the council reappointed Richard Cary to the Planning and Zoning Board after his term expired at the end of February.
The council set a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 8 to review changes made to the town’s planning and zoning ordinance and sign regulations. Councilman Harry Baughn observed that there appeared to be no major changes, just tweaks to update grammar and some reorganization.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Ron Wallace said some changes were made to clarify definitions.
“You have to go through this process because the law says any changes must go before a public hearing,” Wallace explained.
The Planning and Zoning Board is still awaiting action from the North Carolina legislature on the matter of short-term rentals. The public hearing will not include that issue.