Concrete plant update See story on page 7 WEEKLY
COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
April 29 - May 5, 2010 Vol. 8 • No. 17 Woodfin • Weaverville • Barnardsville Fifty Cents Mixed drink vote brings up old debate
By Matt Tate Pass liquor by the drink and watch
this town grow. Pass liquor by the drink and watch
this town decay. While there are many opinions in
between, these two represent the most passionate views on each end of the li- quor by the drink barometer. Weaverville voters will again be
faced with the opportunity to pass or decline mixed drinks in restaurants during Tuesday’s (May 4) vote. Tis vote comes about three years
and one week since the last vote failed in April 2007. Te state mandates three years must pass between votes. Tis will be the third time town resi- dents have been faced with this vote. At the last election, voters passed
an ABC store referendum by 59 votes (338 to 279). Mixed drink sales failed by two votes (309-307). Te April 2007 vote was a special
election, which can cost the town roughly $4,000, said Weaverville Town Manager Mike Morgan. After Weaverville Town Coun-
cil approved putting the vote on the ballot in January, it was tacked onto Tuesday’s primary to reduce costs, Morgan said. In regards to the ABC store in
Weaverville that opened in October of last year, total sales touched nearly
$500,000 in the first quarter of 2010.
Economic impact On the opinion barometer, count
Lou Accornero, chairman of the ABC Board, into the fold that believes that the vote is a linchpin to growth. “It helps the further development
of Weaverville. It will bring in more restaurants, hotels, motels,” he said. “I think that one vote will bring in, in two to three years, 300 jobs. I think that is a tremendous plus for Weav- erville.” Accornero, who is in talks to bring
a pub/restaurant to the old fire station he is renovating on Main Street, said liquor sales are a strong factor for res- taurants considering new locations. “Tere are some restaurants that
won’t go anywhere if they can’t sell li- quor. Even if it’s only 5 percent of their business, it’s a healthy 5 percent given the amount of return,” he added. Northridge Commons could also
be a benefactor if the vote passes. Several lots at the shopping center are positioned for restaurants. Given that the exit could be the last
major stop for drivers heading west on the future I-26 or the first major stop for eastbound drivers, the potential is there for dollars. Both out-of-town guests and resi-
dents are now tempted to drive into Asheville if they are looking for liquor
Continued on page 16 WE INSURE MOBILE HOMES!
Who’s winning the ABC store wars?
By Clint Parker In the ongoing ABC store wars
between Woodfin and Weaverville, market share is the name of the game and, on paper, it looks as if Weaver- ville is winning that war. However, a closer look at the numbers shows that neither store is producing the revenue the two respective towns hoped for when they were approved. At the April Weaverville Town
Council meeting, ABC Board mem- ber Jacob Lions gave a glowing report to the council members on the finan- cial health of the Weaverville store. Te profit and loss statement ob-
tained by the Weaverville Tribune supports Lions’ report to the council and a similar report from Woodfin’s ABC Board shows that the opening of Weaverville’s store has had a sub-
stantial negative impact on revenue Woodfin’s sales. Weaverville reported $488,811 in
total sales on its profit and loss state- ment during the first three months of the year, while Woodfin posted $301,282. Woodfin is down from $622,831 during the same period last year. According to reports filed by
Woodfin with the North Carolina ABC Commission, Woodfin ABC’s liquor sales have fallen by more than 50 percent during the first quarter of this year as compared with their sales during the first quarter of last year when the Weaverville store was not yet open. Woodfin also posted a net loss of nearly $20,000 while Weaverville’s report showed a profit of roughly $35,000. An issue, though, with profitabil- ity for Weaverville is its development
costs. Weaverville borrowed $1.8 million ($1.5 million from BB&T for construction of the build- ing at Northridge Commons and $300,000 from HomeTrust Bank for fixtures and start-up costs). Cur- rently, the board makes interest pay- ments on a monthly basis of about $1,200 and a single lump sum of in- terest and principle annually. Lions said that they had made the $75,000 payment this month and will make another payment of $75,000 in Au- gust. Woodfin only borrowed $500,000
to build its ABC store because the town owned the land which it was built on. Woodfin ABC had been paying $3,000 per month for the rent of the property, which was $36,000 per year positive cash flow into the town’s budget, but recently
Continued on page 16
Repairs start for I-26 bridges weaverville
See story on page 9 50¢
Phone 645-6300 • Fax 645-0065 •
www.brankinsurance.com 9 Georgia Avenue “Just off Main Street” Weaverville, North Carolina
PATTY
PETE
LAUREN
PAUL
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