Montreat Minute 12/6/24
Come to the Gate Lighting Today at 4:30
All are invited to the 2024 Lighting of the Montreat Gate for Christmas this afternoon, December 6th. The community gathering will begin at 4:30 at the gate. Just follow the sound of the Montreat Calliope playing Christmas carols, courtesy of Robert and Kristi Sulaski. Refreshments and fellowship start at 4:30 with remarks and the lighting set for 5:00. Children will be helping the mayor light the gate with a countdown.
The event is sponsored by the Montreat Adult Summer Club, the Montreat Conference Center, and the Town of Montreat. The lights and installation were made possible through contributions from generous Montreaters. Everyone, Montreaters and the extended community, is invited to this special holiday event.
There will be handicapped and limited parking at the Memorial Garden, with other parking at the various parking lots at the Montreat Town Hall.
This has been a challenging fall and this event is a great way to visit neighbors and kick off the holiday season.
Town Council Meeting Thursday, December 12, at 6:00pm
The Montreat Town Council will meet for its monthly meeting next Thursday, December 12th, at 6:00pm in Assembly Inn’s Convocation Hall. Please note the change in location while the Town Hall is being restored from the hurricane. The Public Forum precedes the Council Meeting, beginning at 5:30pm.
For a copy of the agenda, CLICK HERE. The meeting will be live streamed and recorded. For information about streaming the meeting, CLICK HERE. Everyone is invited.
Firewise Update: Important that You Read This
Congratulations, Montreat! Our town, once again, has had its Firewise certification renewed for 2025. We have been in good standing every year since first earning this status in 2020. Thank you for cleaning debris from your property, pruning those flammable shrubs, keeping firewood away from your house, and cleaning out those gutters. Please keep reporting your hours to Nancy Midgette ([email protected]).
Most of our focus is on debris and flammable plants, but we need to keep in mind four factors that cause that debris to catch fire in the first place:
- Open burning – with just a little bit of wind, a small fire can get out of control very quickly. Buncombe County just placed a ban on open burning due to dry, windy conditions. We should never have an open burn in Montreat because of our wooded environment. This applies to outdoor fire pits/rings as well.
- Downed live power lines – can spark a fire quickly. If a tree falls on a line and then a chunk of the tree falls to the ground it, too, can cause a fire even if the line itself does not come down.
- Sparks from a chimney – can easily ignite nearby vegetation. Does your chimney have a screen covering that allows smoke, but not sparks, to escape? Are you sure? Most chimneys have a cover, but that is not the same thing as a screen. When you next have your chimney cleaned, ask the technician to check for a screen covering. And if you don’t have one, ask to have one installed.
- Ashes from wood stoves or fireplaces – can still be hot enough to start a fire. Earlier this week, a Black Mountain resident dumped wood stove ashes out in his yard, thinking they were completely out. But with the high winds, the ashes were fanned and an ember resulted. Unfortunately, the embers turned into a brush fire and the fire completely destroyed his house. Dispose of ashes properly- in a metal container and make sure they are completely out.
We all need to remain vigilant! Remember – if you see smoke, there’s probably fire. Thanks for all you do to keep Montreat safe!
Hurricane Relief Donations- Make a Gift in Someone’s Honor
Looking for a unique gift for someone? Make a donation to the Town of Montreat Hurricane Relief Fund in their honor and send them a card announcing your gift. The cards are preprinted with room for a note or your signature at the bottom. Cards are available by request from Angie Murphy ([email protected]) or by stopping by the Public Works building temporary administrative office.
Donations are helping us stay strong financially. CLICK HERE for instructions regarding how to make online donations and gifts by check. Pass the link on to friends who love Montreat and want to see it rebuilt. And don’t forget to get your cards.
Meet Jeff Eaton, Montreat’s Chief of Police
We regularly profile a Montreat Town staff member or Town Council member. This month we are featuring Jeff Eaton, Chief of the Montreat Police Department.
Jeff with his son, Colin, at a Scouts trail biking event
We welcomed Montreat’s new Chief of Police to his position on September 3rd. Jeff came to us with substantial policing experience, most of which was spent with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office. He has an affinity for Western North Carolina, having been born and raised in the area. Born in Hendersonville, he was raised in Henderson County and graduated from East Henderson High School. His nearby grandparents had a farm, where he worked when he wasn’t riding horses or wrestling on his high school team.
After high school, Jeff went on to Appalachian State University, majoring in criminal justice, while continuing to wrestle until his career was cut short by a broken leg bone. He joined the National Guard while in college, helping to pay tuition. After graduating from Appalachian State, he joined the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, where he served in a wide variety of positions, departments, and leadership. He began in the county jail as a detention officer, then moved on to the County Court as a security officer. He then served as a school resource officer. During his time at the school, his love of wrestling was rekindled, so he became a volunteer coach. He served in other positions, growing in both experience and responsibility, including a Patrol Officer, Detective, Detective Lieutenant, and Executive Lieutenant among other positions. His experience included criminal investigation, narcotics investigation, and Internal Affairs. His last assignment prior to retirement was as the Assistant Facility Manager at the Buncombe County Detention Center (Jail).
Shortly after retirement, he realized he wasn’t ready for retirement! “I needed to use my brain and experience working with people,” Jeff commented. A friend told him about the MPD Chief of Police opportunity, and the rest is history.
Jeff didn’t work long for the Town before he and his wife, Elizabeth, became victims of the devastating hurricane. Living on a hilltop in Arden overlooking the French Broad River, they were safe from the flooding. However, their lot is heavily wooded and on the morning of Friday, September 27th, two large trees succumbed to the wind and saturated ground and came crashing down onto their home. Elizabeth was in the kitchen and Jeff was in the bedroom when it occurred. Fortunately, they were unharmed, as were their two dogs and Senegal parrot. Unfortunately, the entire house was destroyed and uninhabitable. “I like to do home improvements,” Jeff said. “We spent 25 years working on that house and it was gone in a moment.” They have since temporarily moved to an Air B&B (“Do you know how hard it is to find a place that allows two dogs and a parrot?”, Jeff quipped). They are rebuilding on their Arden property but clearing out some of the trees.
When Jeff is not working, he likes to spend time with Elizabeth. He likes hiking with his dogs and spends quiet time reading. He and his son, Colin, were very active in Scouting until Colin aged out.
What are Jeff’s plans for the Department? “There is some modernization and updating that needs to be done,” Jeff stated. “I also would like residents to know that there is more to policing than just enforcing the law. Public safety involves many things. Community policing gets us out to meet the residents where we can then help by looking at problems and solving them together. I think my experience doing many aspects of policing will help make Montreat a better place to live. I’m enjoying the interaction with residents. Montreat is such a pleasant place to be a part of.”
We are extremely fortunate to have Jeff as our Chief, especially with his breadth of experience in all aspects of law enforcement, community policing, and administration. Make sure to introduce yourself next time you see him.
- Town administrative offices are temporarily located in the Public Works building while hurricane related renovations are being done at the Town Hall. Hours remain the same, 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday.
- We are grateful to the Town and Public Works staff for the Herculean effort in picking up bulk items and hurricane debris. Sanitation Worker, Drew Brown, stated it is the largest pickup in his memory.
- Do you receive your own copy of the Montreat Minute or know someone who doesn’t? Sign up for the Sunshine List to receive the Montreat Minute and stay “in the know” about the Town’s happenings. CLICK HERE to sign up for the list!
- Do you receive Montreat Code Red alerts, an emergency communications system used a number of times during the hurricane? If not and you would like to be added to the list, email [email protected] and provide your name and phone number to be called in the event of an emergency.
Questions or Comments?
Do you have Town-related questions or comments to offer? If so, please send them to Angie Murphy at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Have a great weekend and stay warm!