Montreat Minute 08/12/22

August 12, 2022

Mayor’s Summary of the July 14, 2022 Town Council Meeting

Greetings Montreaters,

The Council and staff and approximately 13 attendees for the Public Forum and 21 for the Council meeting convened while several others joined by Zoom. If you would like to view the recording, CLICK HERE. Here is my summary of tonight’s meetings. Remember you can read the complete, official summary in the meeting minutes that will be published next month.

Public Forum

  • Letta Jean Taylor asked that we not have a public hearing and vote on the subject in the same night.

CLICK HERE to read the complete meeting summary…

PHC Tour of Homes Tomorrow and Sunday, August 13 & 14

Don’t miss the Presbyterian Heritage Center’s Tour of Homes this Saturday and Sunday, August 13 and 14, from 2:00 to 5:00pm. Tour eight historic homes and buildings including the Billy Graham Evangelical Association office. A general brochure listing the homes is available with ticket purchase.

Tickets are a suggested donation of $15/person, cash or check made payable to the Presbyterian Heritage Center. They may be purchased today through Sunday at the Presbyterian Heritage Center and the Post Office from 2:00 to 5:00pm.

Come get a taste of Montreat history and support the Presbyterian Heritage Center, a special Montreat treasure.

New Bear Ordinances Passed by Town Council

At its August meeting last night, the Montreat Town Council passed a series of new and revised ordinances involving bears, hunting dogs and bear hunters. The purpose of the new ordinances is to protect Montreaters and maintain high levels of public safety, especially during bear hunting season. The new ordinances include:

  • Revised dog control ordinances
  • A new trespass ordinance
  • A new ordinance prohibiting release of hunting dogs in Montreat
  • A new ordinance requiring notification to the Police for dogs running at large in Town
  • A new ordinance prohibiting feeding bears and penalizing improper garbage disposal

A public communications campaign will begin in early fall to inform Montreaters about:

  • The new ordinances and what they mean
  • Other measures the Town is taking to protect property owners and guests
  • Property owners’ and guests’ rights
  • What to do if you see or are involved in a bear/dog/hunter incident
  • How to effectively and safely live with the bear population

Watch for information on the communications campaign. Contact the Town staff (828-669-8002 or [email protected]) for additional information about the ordinances.

Pay-As-You-Throw Trash Location Moved

Due to overwhelming volume, the town’s “Pay-As-You-Throw” Trash program has changed the drop off location and increased the size of the receptacles. It has moved across the driveway from the old Town Services Building on Rainbow Terrace. Both recycle (blue) and regular (green) trash dumpsters are available.

The Town’s convenient “Pay-As-You-Throw” trash program is an addendum to Monday sanitation pickup. Specially printed green trash bags and blue recycling bags are available for purchase at the Town Hall. A roll of five bags is $5.00. Should you or someone staying at your home need to dispose of kitchen or household trash or recyclables outside of the regular Monday pickup schedule, trash and recycling in the Town pre-printed bags can be deposited in the dumpsters 24/7.

Please Note: Only pre-printed bags purchased from the Town Hall may be used. Security cameras are in place to ensure that only residents (and renters) using the Pay-As-You-Throw bags are utilizing the service.

A special note to property owners who rent their homes: Please ensure renter instructions about sanitation disposal are updated with the Monday only pick up information and the Pay-As-You-Throw option. We recommend home owners provide the special pre-printed bags for renters. The recently adopted ordinance prohibiting feeding bears includes fines for improper garbage disposal. Fines will be levied against home owners/renters if bears get into improperly stored garbage bags.

Updates and Reminders

  • The Planning and Zoning Sub-Committee on Signage will meet on Tuesday, August 16th, at 10:30am in the Town Hall Community Room. The meeting will not be streamed.
  • The Bridge Aesthetics Committee will meet on Tuesday, August 16th, at 2:00pm in the Town Hall community Room. The meeting will be streamed. Streaming instructions may be found by CLICKING HERE.
  • The Town Sanitation Staff has been overwhelmed by the volume of trash this summer. Please remember some important facts about sanitation pick up:
    • Do not put any bags out that are not in bear proof containers except on the morning of pickup. If you rent your house out, please make sure renters know about this policy and the fines associated with improper garbage storage and disposal.
    • No matter your location, please have your trash out by 8:00am on pick up day
    • Please tie trash bags to facilitate removal by the sanitation team
    • If you have cardboard boxes or other cardboard, please break down the boxes and lay all cardboard together
    • The Town’s Pay-As-You-Throw option is available for trash disposal on other days of the week. CLICK HERE for details.

Questions?

Do you have Town-related questions you would like answered? If so, please send them to Angela Murphy at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Have a great weekend!