June 9 – 9am-1pm

Please wear comfortable clothes/shoes, work gloves, and bring plenty of water and snacks.   We’ll provide a free lunch from Blue Ridge Bakery afterward.

Please let us know if you plan to attend so we will have enough tools and food!

Todd Branham
Long Cane Trails
epicrides@gmail.com
(828) 606-5107

NOTE: Trimming trail involves using hand clippers and loppers to trim the roots. This requires bending over, sitting or squatting for most of the workday. You’ll also get in a short hike en route to the work spot. Plan to wear comfortable clothes/shoes, a good pair of work gloves and bring plenty of water/snacks for yourself on the trail.

If you haven’t already, “like” the Bracken Mountain page on Facebook. From there you can get some more information on workdays and also cancellation notices if the weather is bad. Below is a schedule of the remaining work days for the project:

May 20, 2012, 1-5:00pm – Finish work
June 2 – 9-1pm (National Trails Day)
June 9 – 9-1pm (tentative)

If you have any questions about the workdays for finish work please email or call

Todd Branham
Long Cane Trails
epicrides@gmail.com
(828) 606-5107

All other questions for the project can still be directed to

Daniel Cobb
City of Brevard, Planning
dcobb@cityofbrevard.com

(828) 885-5630

Schenck student Ben Dockery clears rhododendron during one of the Bracken workdays. (Courtesy photo)

Since mid-January, students from Schenck Job Corps Civilian Conser-vation Center have teamed up with the City of Brevard on the Bracken Mountain project.

Joining several other volunteers in the community, Schenck students have volunteered many weekends in an effort to pave the way for a no-table milestone for the City of Brevard and its residents. The trail will give everyone the opportunity to hike or bike from downtown Brevard to Pisgah National Forest.

Alternating between Saturdays and Sundays, Schenck students and other volunteers have devoted countless hours to this project, clearing the trails for future use. Up to this point, Schenck students have contributed 156 hours of volunteer labor for this project.

The planning for the Bracken Mountain property began back in 2007. The state and the city agreed on the terms of a conservation easement which stipulated that the property could be used for only passive recreation uses such as Hiking, mountain Biking, bird watching, etc. Once the master plan for the Bracken property was completed, it was added to the City Planning Department’s work plan until funding became available this year.

The trails will total about 6 miles in length and should be open this summer. The trail system will include a trail that will connect the city’s property with F.S. road 475C, eventually leading to the fish hatchery. Hiking and mountain Biking will be allowed, and hunters will be allowed to pass through the property to get to the game lands in Pisgah.

Daniel Cobb, a planner with the City of Brevard, has been pleased with Schenck’s participation in the project,

“Students from Schenck Job Corps have been present at each of our six volunteer workdays this year,” said Cobb. With the help of Schenck and other volunteers from the community, over 4.5 miles of trails have been cleared.

“Every workday someone comes up to me and tells me how much fun it is to work with Schenck students. I have been very impressed with everyone’s work ethic and positive attitudes. Schenck students are some of the most polite group of young folks I have ever worked with. I hope we can continue to have a group of them with us at each of our workdays. We wouldn’t be as far along as we are without their help.

The Schenck Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center is associated with the National Forests of North Carolina and currently serves 224 students. The USDA Forest Service operates 28 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers across 18 states with a capacity of 6,200 students. Job Corps has provided opportunities to more than two million economically disadvantaged young Americans. This voluntary education and job training program offers career technical training, academic, and social skills training to students nationwide. For more information on Job Corps, visit http://jobcorps.gov, and for specific information on Schenck Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center, visit http://schenck. jobcorps.gov.

The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The Agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to State and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world.

(Allen is liaison specialist for Schenck.)

Article from the Transylvania Times, written by By Carly Allen,
April 2, 2012 | Vol. 126-No. 27

Rick Daniel calls volunteering to help create the proposed six miles of new trails at Bracken Mountain “tough but rewarding work.”

Daniel, an assistant district attorney for the Judicial District 29B, lives near the city of Brevard-owned Bracken Mountain property, which looms over downtown adjacent to the Brevard Music Center.

Daniel moved to Brevard from Cincinnati, Ohio, roughly two years ago because of the “amazing trails for mountain Biking and hiking.”

“We are in the trail corridor clearing phase, which basically involves us volunteers following behind volunteer sawyers and moving everything they have cut as far off of the trail corridor as possible,” he said of the work on Bracken Mountain. “This sometimes involves dragging entire trees through extremely thick rhododendron thickets, up or down very steep slopes.”

The eighth volunteer workday is planned for this Saturday at Bracken Mountain.

Since Jan. 14, roughly 75 volunteers have helped clear four-and-a-half miles of the six miles of corridor. After the work is done, a local company, Long Cane Trails, will bring in machinery to actually create the trails.

This work is expected to begin in the next few weeks. The project will cost $134,200 to complete.

One trail will be a four-mile loop around the mountain. The trail will include three bridges to cross streams and access to two small cascades. Views of downtown, particularly during the winter, will be visible from portions of the trail.

The trail will be 5 feet wide to accommodate families, multiple users (mountain bikers and hikers for example), small vehicle access for long-term maintenance of the property, and access for rescue equipment should the situation ever arise, said Daniel Cobb, with the city’s Planning Department, which is overseeing the project.

An example of what the trail will look like is the popular Moore Cove trail in Pisgah National Forest that was recently widened to 5 feet. Cobb also addressed concerns that the wider trails could lead to erosion problems.

“As long as the trails are properly designed and built using standard practices, the width of the tread should not be a factor in the amount of erosion,” Cobb said. “We will be taking every precaution to prevent erosion both during and after construction.”

The two-mile trail will connect the mountain trail with Forest Road 475C. This will allow hikers and mountain bikers to travel on to the Pisgah Wildlife Education Center in the Pisgah National Forest.

Cobb acknowledged that the volunteer support has been “great” and encouraged others to come out to pitch in. Volunteers have included students from Schenck Job Corps.

Jay Hinze is another volunteer. He moved to the area seven years ago, saying he and his wife “fell in love with the natural beauty of the area.”

A retiree, Hinze also likes to repair and maintain trails in the national forest.

“Building the Bracken Mountain trail fits in with what I like to do,” he said. “I like the camaraderie associated with working with people of like interests.”

Cobb cautions that potential volunteers should be physically fit as some of the terrain is steep.

No definite date has been set on when the trail work will be finished, but Cobb said it would be this summer.

What is complete is the parking lot at the start of the proposed trails at the end of Pinnacle Road. Though not open to the public yet, the lot will have 10 spots.

The longer-term plan is to connect Bracken Mountain to downtown and the city’s bike/hike path system.

Precisely how to make that connection remains to be determined. The city’s Comprehensive Pedestrian Plan, which city council adopted in 2007, established as a high priority city goal the construction of sidewalks along Probart Street from Railroad Avenue to Music Center Drive.

This would greatly improve safety for pedestrians along Probart Street, including homeowners and Brevard Music Center students.

This Saturday’s volunteer work day will run from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

To sign up for the work day, contact Cobb at (828) 885-5630 or at dcobb@cityofbrevard.com.

Article from The Transylvania Times
March 19, 2012 | Vol. 126-No. 23

Around 100 people gathered at the newly constructed parking area at the entrance to the 395-acre tract of land to show their support for the project.

“There are very few communities that have that type of downtown-forest connection,” Harris said. “Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has it. Big Bear, California, has it, but Brevard will be one of the few, if not the only one, on the Eastern Seaboard that has it.”

Harris said that the panoramic views from the property offer both incredible views of the surrounding mountains, but also a great view of downtown Brevard.

The Bracken Mountain property is located due west of downtown near the Brevard Music Center.

“Brevard is noted for its natural amenities,” Harris said. “You don’t have to look past Looking Glass Rock, Sliding Rock and the other natural mountain-scapes that are around us to have a great appreciation for our natural beauty. This gives us a direct connection to that beauty.”

Harris said the project would not have been possible without the support of the entire community.

“The people who worked on this project got it,” he said. “They understood how this would complement our community, which already has an understanding of the value of our natural amenities. Because of that, they made it happen.”

Harris said he was glad to have the help of Councilman Mac Morrow, noting that he was an integral role in pushing the project forward over the years.

“There is nobody that knows more about that property than Mac Morrow,” he said. “He used to hike that property when he was a child and a young man. He knows every square yard of that property.”

Morrow talked about the extensive history of the land that makes up the Bracken Mountain property. From a water source, to a gold mine to a very productive timber forest, Bracken Mountain has had an integral role in the history of Brevard and Transylvania County, Morrow said.

Morrow said he could tell countless stories about the history of the property, and he encouraged everyone to seek out the stories on their own.

City Manager Joe Moore said the Bracken Mountain project is indicative of the strategic approach the council has taken to foster economic development and enhance the life of Transylvania County’s citizens.

“Woods and water have always been the underpinning of our economy,” he said. “This is just a different approach to that. Rather than extracting our natural resources, this is an attempt to conserve those resources to promote economic development (and) enhance quality of life, as well.

“It’s a way to not only make our connection between the city and the forest – which is a strong connection not only to our economy but also to our identity – but it will also link up Brevard with one of our big cultural partners, which is the Music Center.”

Work to develop Bracken for recreational purposes began in 2007 with negotiations to secure right-of-way into the property from Pinnacle Drive.

Many neighboring property owners, including the Josephine Renzulli family, Brevard Music Center, and the WNC Service Corporation, were instrumental in creating legal access to the property

The city will host volunteer workdays to build trails in the coming year. Volunteers interested in helping with trail construction and other aspects of property development should contact Daniel Cobb at (828) 885-5630 or by email at dcobb@cityofbrevard.com.

Article from The Transylvania Times written by staff writer By Eric Crews
December 5, 2011 | Vol. 125-No. 97

Todd Branham of Blue Ridge Adventures and Long Cane Trails has volunteered his time since last spring to finalize the layout of the internal loop trail, as well as the connector trail from the Bracken Property to the Pisgah National Forest boundary.

Prior to his retirement, former Pisgah District Ranger Randy Burgess was instrumental in approving the location and connection of the connector trail from the Bracken Mountain Property to Forest Service Road 475-C. Once the groundbreaking is complete, the city will begin organizing work days to clear trail corridors.

This will take some time but will be a great opportunity to get the community involved in the project.

Once the trail corridors are cleared, the city will solicit bids from qualified trail builders to perform any necessary machine work associated with trail construction.

After the machine work is completed, volunteers will be back on the trails to complete final touch up work.

The city intends to complete trail construction and host a grand opening event next June.

The longer-term plan is to connect Bracken Mountain to downtown and the city’s bike/hike path system.

Precisely how to make that connection remains to be determined.

The city’s Comprehensive Pedestrian Plan, which city council adopted in 2007, established as a high priority the construction of sidewalks along Probart Street from Railroad Avenue to Music Center Drive.

This would greatly improve safety for pedestrians along Probart Street, including homeowners and Brevard Music Center students.

It would also provide improved connectivity to Bracken Mountain.

The Pedestrian Plan also established the goal of extending the city’s bike/hike path into the Rosenwald neighborhood, and from there along Norton and Brushy creeks to Brevard High School and Brevard Music Center.

This project is a long-term goal that would greatly improve bicycle and pedestrian safety and connectivity for the Rosenwald community, and connect a number of key destinations (Brevard High School, Brevard Music Center, Bracken Mountain, downtown Brevard, etc.) and complete the entire north-south corridor of the bike/hike path system as set forth in the Pedestrian Plan.

The timing and funding of these projects and other potential options for establishing a pedestrian connection to Bracken Mountain are still to be determined by city council. The public is invited to attend Friday’s event and are encouraged to RSVP by contacting Daniel Cobb at (828) 885-5630 or dcobb@cityofbrevard.com.

Article from The Transylvania Times
November 28, 2011 | Vol. 125-No. 95 

The forum was organized by the Chamber of Commerce.

The candidates in the Nov. 8 non-partisan election are incumbent Larry Canady, Wes Dickson, Maurice Jones, Charlie Landreth and John Monteith.

Canady, 61, is the owner of The Proper Pot, a downtown business. He has been in business on Main Street for nearly two decades and serves on the county’s Economic Development Advisory Board.

Dickson, 34, is the owner of Sycamore Cycles. He said he’s excited about Brevard’s potential because of its natural environment and growing popularity among visitors who are interested in the great outdoors.

“This is the place I want to live. I want to make it better,” he said.

Maurice Jones, 39, works for Mountain Area Community Services and has been active in community betterment projects.

“I want to be a voice for the citizens,” he said.

Landreth, 46, owns Landreth Landscapes LLC, and said he offers “a clear vision for a strong Brevard.” He said the city should take advantage of its location near the Pisgah National Forest.

Monteith, 48, is a funeral director for Moody-Connolly Funeral Home in Brevard. He said he is running because of his “love” for his “home town.” He said his father and his grandmother were born on the same property he lives on today.

The following are summaries of the candidates’ responses to several questions:

What would you like the City of Brevard to be in 20 years, and what changes would you like to see to meet that vision?

Canady said community leaders have spent a lot of time and effort working to develop a vision for the future and to update existing land use plans to make sure the city has a focus as it moves forward. Clearly, music, arts, and outdoor recreation will be vital parts of the city’s future, as they are now, he said.

Dickson said the arrival of companies such as Sylvan Sport and Carmichael Training Systems are just two examples of the kinds of companies that can be attracted here to put people to work. He is looking forward to the opening of the Bracken Mountain area west of the city which will provide trails to connect Brevard to the Pisgah National Forest.

Jones said too many young people have to leave Brevard after completing their education, and he’d strive to work for more vocational choices for them so they have the option of staying here.

Landreth said he’d like to see Brevard College, which for many years has had from 600 to 700 students, to someday grow to an enrollment of closer to 1,000.

“I’d like to see a future where tourism is (still) a part of the economy,” he said.

Monteith echoed Jones on the jobs issue, saying his son Wes has not been able to find suitable employment in Brevard.

“He had to leave to find something in his field,” Monteith said.

What is the biggest and most important challenge that the City of Brevard faces at this time? How would you address the issue?

Dickson said water and sewer improvements are critical if the city is to grow.

Jones returned to the issue of more jobs, while also mentioning water and sewer and other infrastructure as vital. He said the county needs an educated work force and jobs “so people can afford to live here.”

Landreth said that whatever the city undertakes, it will be done with a very limited amount of money. He said the city cannot raise taxes. On the other hand, if there is growth in the community, he said, “we can collect more.”

Monteith focused his response on the city’s 30-year-old water plant, which he said is quickly approaching capacity.

Canady returned to the economy, saying, “I wish Brevard were immune to national issues, but face it, we are not.” He said the city must be ready when the economy improves to deal with potential growth. He expects small environmentally-friendly technology-driven businesses to prosper here. While a lot of large employers are not likely to come here, the addition of small employers will have an impact over time.

Government is claimed to get in the way of business. Do you see that to be a problem in Brevard? What local actions would you recommend to improve the business environment?

Jones said he doesn’t think it has to be that way, but there are steps that can be taken to make the process for new businesses easier. Streamlining the process and offering prospective business owners a checklist to follow to get their projects approved would help, he said.

Landreth said he would be “a more assertive advocate in the economic development process.” He said the city Planning Department needs to be an advocate for new business, as well as a regulator for the same people.

Monteith said he would like to revisit the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and make sure it is not stunting business growth. The city does need proper regulations, however, he said.

Canady said the UDO consists of regulations that have been in place since the 1950s.

But he also said developers need to get answers more quickly when they make applications.

Dickson said he thinks business owners should be “helped along” and provided “better customer service.”

Discuss the value of the Bracken Mountain project to the residents of Brevard and Brevard’s image.

Landreth, like all of the candidates, called the project to develop trails on the former city watershed property a great one that will benefit the whole community, provide enhanced recreation opportunities, and help attract new visitors and new business to Brevard.

Monteith said he was pleased that it will connect downtown to the national forest and it will be good for the economy.

Canady said pathways on the mountain are currently being cleared, and he believes Brevard, because of its natural assets, can become “a small Aspen,” which is a center for outdoor activity, the arts and retirement in Colorado.

Dickson fully supports the development and said the project is “exciting.”

Jones said it would add value to the community and be a great resource and an economic boost.

How do you propose we pay for a new water treatment plant and other infrastructure?

Monteith said a water plant or any new infrastructure costs money, and while he opposes property tax increases, increases in other revenues would be more appropriate. Grant funds should be applied for, he added.

Canady said 30 percent of the city’s revenues are set-aside in reserves, and he wants that to remain the case. He also wants to create a debt ceiling and not exceed that, he said.

Upgrades should be made without raising taxes, he said.

Dickson said he also does not want to raise taxes for such projects but rather seek grants for them. Perhaps the county could partner with the city on such a project, he said.

Jones said such projects need “collaboration and brainstorming.”

Landreth said municipal bonds are a prime source of financing for such projects.

Is it appropriate to expand infrastructure (water, sewer) without zoning?

All the candidates said the city should not readily expand water and sewer to areas that are unzoned because that could have the affect of causing growth without any focus or planning.

What obligation does the city have to support institutions such as Brevard College, the Brevard Music Center and the Transylvania Community Arts Council? What form of support?

Jones said the city does have some obligations.

“It’s a symbiotic relationship. We grow together, and we can fall together,” he said.

Landreth said these entities are key partners of the cities and should be treated as such.

“If they thrive, then the city will thrive,” Monteith said.

Canady agreed with what the others said.

Dickson said he supports those agencies fully.

“They are near and dear to my heart,” he said.

What can the city government really do to create new jobs?

Jones said the city should make it easier to open a new business or expand one that is here now.

Landreth said this could happen by the city promoting its assets and asking what kinds of jobs it wants to promote.

Monteith said his goal is to keep taxes low and create a business friendly environment.

Canady said it is not the city’s job to create new business but to have the best facilities so people will want to come here.

Dickson suggested speeding up the UDO approval process. He called for “a quicker turnaround and a very easy checklist for those businesses that want to be here.”

Article appearing in The Transylvania Times and written by Mark Todd Staff Writer
September 29, 2011 | Vol. 125-No. 78