February 2003 Archived Columns

2/23/2003

The weather has been bouncing around a little, as it always does this time of year. Most of last week was warmer, and we had a very hard rain Thursday night. Friday evening, I heard the peepers for the first time, and it reached almost 60º on Saturday. Sunday morning, we had about an inch of snow up on top, and the temperature was right on the freeze. The ground was so warm that it didn’t stick on the roads, and it wasn’t a problem getting to the office. By the way, I still heard the peepers this morning; they’re tough little fellows.

We’ve been nicely busy for this time of year, and I think things are beginning to gear up for the spring. It’s high time for bargain hunters to come up and have a look before we get into the busy season. As I’ve said before, because we had a very rainy fall, we still have a very good inventory for this time of year.

A couple of numbers may make our level of activity clearer. We averaged 370 visitors a day to our company website for the first 17 days of the month, and our gross commission income for the first six weeks of 2003 was up a whopping 66% over the same period in 2002. I attribute this increase to people seeking investment property as an alternative to the stock market. It might also be worth mentioning that the 2002 numbers are in, and we more than doubled our nearest competitor in Fannin County with a total volume of $44,277,928 versus their $22,027,490.

The next shot has been fired in the great beer and wine by the drink war. The three restaurants who initially requested pouring licenses, Mama Rosa’s, Forge Mill, and the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant filed suit last week against Fannin county for, among other things, denial of due process of law.

Some of you may be interested to know that we have a new Chinese restaurant in Blue Ridge, next to the Food Lion. Seating is limited, but they do allow takeout of their buffet and they have a fairly large menu. Initial “reviews” have been very positive. I tried the Moo Shu Pork the other day, and found it good. It’s called China 1, and the number for takeout is 706.258.3658.

The Fannin Chamber Chamber of Commerce has the first issue of their new promotional magazine out. It’s called “Visit for a Lifetime” and it features various aspects of Fannin County and our attractions. It is designed both to promote our tourism and second-home industry and to help in recruiting business and industry to the area. It’s been very nicely done. Copies are available at the Chamber Office, which is located behind the United Community Bank, across from the McDonald’s. If you haven’t been to the Chamber, it’s worth a visit to browse through the information on recreational opportunities in the county.

2/17/2003

The ice storm that was forecast for last night (Sunday) never came. The middle part of the week had a spring-like feel, with Wednesday and Thursday being very nice. The weekend was rainy and cool, and the colder trend seems likely to continue into next week.

We’ve had some activity in the office, but with the rainy weather, not as much as last weekend. It’s getting time for the bargain hunters to come up and see what’s available, because we’ll likely see a sharp upturn in activity when trout season starts at the end of March.

There were a couple of interesting items in the press this last week. According to the February 12th issue of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the TVA is proposing to raise residential rates 8.1% this fall, to pay for a major cleanup of their fleet of eleven coal burning power plants. The TVA has no coal burning plants in Georgia. They do, however, have seven in Tennessee, and these plants are thought to be responsible for much of the acid rain and ozone problems in the Smoky Mountains and the rest of the Tennessee Valley. As Tim Homans says in his book on hiking in North Carolina (in the part on hiking up to the Hangover), the blue distance (over toward the Smokies) is getting browner all the time. The conservationists quoted in the article are generally pleased, although there was some grousing that the TVA is blaming the rate hike on the coal plants, when they are going to spend just as much on repair of the Brown’s Ferry Nuclear Plant.

The same issue of the Times Free Press carried a fire-breathing lead editorial condemning Republican Congressional leaders for adding sneaky riders to the omnibus appropriations bill that would, among other things, open up the Cherokee National Forest to increased logging without any environmental review. Apparently there have been some modifications to this bill in the meantime, but I haven’t yet been able to determine the precise extent of the compromises. Those of you who like to write your congressmen about environmental issues might consider doing it again.

I wanted to mention that the Epworth General Store is liquidating their stock of outdoor clothing (on the second floor). I’ve picked up some nice Field & Stream mesh-backed fishing shirts, and they have some Carhartt items as well. I believe everything is half price, and the last time I was out there, they still had a fairly good stock. To get to Epworth, take Hwy. 5 north from the Blue Ridge McDonald’s to a left just past Abernathy’s. Take the second right, Madola Road, to the four-way stop in Epworth. The Epworth General Store is on the right. You can call the proprietors, Mr. & Mrs. Jeans, at the store, 706.492.7662.

Finally, a word of thanks to new Eagle Scout Lew Ayers, who built a set of stairs down into the river at Tammin Park as his service project. This will make it easier for people to access this popular fishing spot, and it looks like a job well done.

2/9/2003

The weather bounced back toward cold this week, and we had a little snow Thursday afternoon and early evening. Where I am, a few miles east of Blue Ridge, it switched over to rain during the late evening, and the temperatures stayed right around the freeze. By morning, it hadn’t frozen and the roads were pretty clear. I understand that along the river and over toward the Cohuttas, it didn’t switch over to rain, and some people out Old State Road 2 had up to four inches, with some power outages. It was a very wet snow, which loads the pine branches down and makes them susceptible to breakage, especially in the wind, so it was good that it rained where it did. Saturday was a beautiful, clear day, but it remained cold.

We were surprisingly busy in the office on Saturday. It’s still a good time for bargain hunters to come and see what’s out there before the season begins, and that was probably at least some of the activity we saw on Saturday.

There was a letter to the editor of the News Observer that raised an interesting issue. The writer, John C. Kies, observed that the second home market in Fannin County was a good arrangement for the permanent residents because it provides “a captive tax base which cannot make any real demands on the county via the electoral process.” I’ve heard other people say “they’re taking our money and spending it on themselves.” It is a fact that second-home owners, despite the fact that they have been an economic boon to the county, do not really have a voice in its government, because they do not vote in local elections. There’s an interesting case in the New York court system, brought by a man who lives in the city and also owns property in the Hamptons. The basic argument of the suit is that you should be able to vote in local elections anywhere and everywhere that you own property. This case might have some merit, because of the long-standing principle that ownership of property confers voting rights. There is also the traditional American aversion to “taxation without representation.” Should this case succeed in New York and be upheld on appeal to the Supreme Court, it might have a considerable effect on elections in places like Fannin County.

Unless and until that happens, second-home owners will not have a real voice in the government of this county unless they choose to register to vote in Fannin, instead of where they presently vote. For most people, this would mean voting by absentee ballot. The county election officials will accept applications for absentee ballots by fax, which does makes it easier to vote in elections when one cannot attend in person. People who feel that their long-term interests lie in Fannin County rather than where they presently reside might consider this alternative.

February is probably the best month to plant tree seedlings, which are available from the state forest service. The prices are very reasonable. As best I recall, twenty select dogwoods are $25, and fifty pine seedlings are about the same price. For about twenty dollars more, you can get 500 pine seedlings. These are bare root seedlings, which basically remain dormant for a year after they are planted. The pines are best planted with a dibble bar, which can be borrowed from the forest service (with a $50 deposit). The dogwoods are a little bigger, and generally require a shovel. The cutoff for ordering is usually about this time of year, but I notice that the forest service office (on Old 76 at Highway 60 south) still has their sign up saying they are available. You can call the Fannin office of the Georgia Forestry Commission at 706.374.6232.

2/3/2003

Over the years, I’ve usually seen the first signs of spring on February 1st. According to my journal, I’ve seen the first Mourning Cloaks several times on that date. It isn’t quite like that this year, but you could make a case that the year has turned, based on the very heavy, spring-like rain we had on Thursday. The creeks were stained and swollen, and there are bad mudholes on some of the dirt roads, especially where some people don’t know that the biggest sin in the mountains is tearing up somebody else’s road. Today (Sunday) is a beautiful, sunny day that started around 40°. The first red wasps of the season are buzzing sleepily around, and we might even see 60° by late afternoon.

The sunsets have been really spectacular lately, and I hope we can get a few pictures that we can share of the sun going down behind the Cohuttas.

I was locked in the box for training Friday and Saturday again this week, so I don’t know what the general level of activity was going into the weekend. I suspect that we’re at normal winter levels, and that it’s still a good time for bargain hunters to come and see what’s out there before the tourist season starts.

The aftershocks of the great beer and wine debate continue to be felt, especially in aggrieved letters to the editor from both sides of the question. According to the News Observer, minutes of the county commission meeting reveal that Richard Vollrath, our County Chairman, voted against, along with the other two commissioners.

As we head into February, the war talk has many local residents in a somber mood, in part because many people hereabouts have children in the military. As I said in my column just before Christmas, it hasn’t been a very good year for our working people anyway, because of the closing of the Levis factory and other negative economic events. At the same time, it’s fair to say that the locals, who are staunchly Republican, were buoyed by the recent election, and in particular by the ousting of the turncoat Barnes. It’s going to be interesting to see how the new Governor resolves the flag dilemma, although his recent statements indicate that he’s in no hurry to slice through this particular knot.

When we had the first snowfall of the season, the snow came in so fast and furious that the schools had trouble getting the students home. Last week, there was a little happening at the Village Restaurant (which has a great breakfast bar) honoring the school bus drivers for their service and dedication. I hear it was very nice, with special invitations and everything, and probably the first of its kind. Kudos to Sandra Mercier, our new superintendent, for initiating this event.

Well, it’s my first day off in a long time, and if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to do a few house chores and sit on the deck, maybe even watch the sunset. If you don’t have anything better to do, check it out on the webcam. I’ll bet it’s going to be a good one.

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