The Buncombe County Commissioners met tonight. The agenda was rather irrelevant. The meeting was short with a few community presentations. It will be continued to next week, in a time slot simultaneous with the Asheville City Council meeting. CIBO’s Mike Plemmons explained the purpose for the continuance was to discuss Buncombe County’s proposed purchase of the Volvo property for $7 million, and perhaps other controversial items. The printed agenda and the commissioners’ comments from the dais gave no clues.
Citizens weren’t happy about pitching in to purchase the Volvo plant and take it off the tax rolls. They were doubtful the county would find a buyer that could create the 400 jobs on which it was gambling. If it was a sure thing, said Hope Herrick, “Let Volvo sell the property itself.”
The usual cast of characters showed up for public comment. It’s the new URTV. One expressed disdain at going from six hours a month to six minutes to get her messages across. Many who speak claim spiritual powers and accuse the commissioners of fraud and conspiracy when the facts go nowhere near supporting the allegations. Yet the stories recirculate Tuesday after Tuesday.
Now that the URTV excitement is dwindling, the CTS scare is back. People get cancer of all different sorts, and that is immediately correlated to perchloroethylene leaking from the old site. The EPA wasn’t quick to accept that well water showing increased levels of contamination had not been tampered with. Yet, the commissioners and city council were wearied, and they ran water lines out to the folks to ease their minds.
