Mobile Home Sales in Mt. Pisgah, SC

The former school welcomes a food pantry, medical clinic, and gymnasium to bring residents of the rural community together.

KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — The sights and sounds of what used to be an elementary school have quickly evolved as the former Mt. Pisgah Elementary School has now opened as a community center.

The school was consolidated with Bethune Elementary and Baron-DeKalb to form what is now North Central Elementary, leaving the building vacant. But, after a lot of hard work, the community has brought new life to the building.

"I grew up in the community, and I went to school here for 12 years," said Mt. Pisgah Community and Resource Center Board President Faye Libby. "I left and came back in 2014, and I swore I would never come back here to live because there is absolutely nothing to do. But now I'm thinking, 'Oh boy, we've got a lot to do in our rural country area.'"

"Next Tuesday, the 7th of February, we will open the first food distribution of United Way and so the people up in the area can come and get the foods and then, in a week or two, the Carolina Medical Center is gonna be open," Libby said.

The Medical Center will be free to the public and looks to be open on Tuesdays only, but it's an effort to provide medical resources outside of Camden into this community.

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"Now, we're open Sunday afternoons from 2-4:30 p.m. where we open the facility, but we have been averaging about 55-60 people on Sunday afternoon. The gym floor is full of people shooting hoops," Libby said.

"It feels good because for basic needs, the towns around are about 10-12 miles away," says lifelong Mt. Pisgah resident Joe Ogburn.

"It's been very good," resident Mary Davis said. "I've gotten to meet several of the volunteers that you don't get to meet because you are spread out and you don't know them."

The center is hosting a yard sale on February 11th from 8 a.m. -1 p.m. with all money raised going back into the center.

For hours when the center is open, they are telling people to check their Facebook Page, as they continue to welcome different entities.

Former Mt. Pisgah Elementary was consolidated back in October with two other schools' forming North Central Elementary.

KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — Kershaw County Council will cast their final vote on Tuesday evening for the July 2022 to June 2023 budget.

One of the items in the budget is to use a portion of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) a total of $300,000 dollars to transform Mt. Pisgah Elementary School into a community center.

The school was consolidated with Bethune Elementary and Baron-Dekalb to make what is now North Central Elementary, which has left that area with an empty building.

Tom Gardner, Kershaw County Councilman for District 6 says, "The Old Mt. Pisgah school it's been there for ninety-eight years in that community, it means a lot, and everything is centered being very rural around the churches and that school."

Councilman Gardner says it was an idea that came to mind months back and won't cost taxpayers, "It is the ARPA fun we're setting it up three-hundred thousand and basically, it's one hundred for renovations, then two years of operating money, and then at which time we will be creating a non-profit to operate the community center."

RELATED: New Kershaw County school resource officer glad to be home, share lessons learned

The building has brought in several entities to tour and explore options, "We talked to some of our agencies here, the Medical Clinic, United Way, Food For The Soul, Arts Center, Library, they all actually took a tour of the building and they felt like that could provide services that are twenty-five miles away."

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Donny Supplee with United Way of Kershaw County is one of those people who came out to see what the building offered, "A bunch of folks who really care about that community and want to make a difference, and so I agreed and we wanted to help as well."

Gardner hopes the process will begin soon, "Hopefully we can get it going once everything gets transferred."

This is the first in a series “Forest Plan in Action.”

For Forest Supervisor of the North Carolina National Forests James Melonas, the more than a million acres of land that make up the Nantahala and Pisgah forests are a puzzle. After more than a decade of putting the pieces together, the community got a first glimpse at the complex composition when the Forest Service released the long-awaited plan on Friday.

The final puzzle contains four main themes, according to Melonas: restoring forest ecosystems, providing clean and abundant water, connecting people to the land and acting in partnership with others.

The contours of the plan are shaped around the themes and the needs of the specific geographic regions in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests.

“We've created what we call geographic areas, so different parts of the forest that we have specific goals and objectives to achieve within those,” Melonas said.

For example, the Davidson River area in the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard has more recreation use than a backcountry area further west in the Nantahala National Forest.

“We know that we're going to continue to see changes in climate and the frequency and intensity of storm events and insect and disease outbreaks are going to continue to increase,” Melonas said. “And so we need to be able to adapt over time to those changes and the plan allows us to do that.”

Alongside the final plan, the 754-page environmental impact statement was published as well as the 95-page record of decision which explains the reasoning behind the plan. All those documents and others are available on the Forest Service website.

Changes from the objections

Last January, the final draft plan was released, and stakeholders submitted about 800 eligible objections filed by stakeholders in March 2022. The Forest Service made changes to the final plan based on some of the objections, Melonas said. The final plan added 474 additional acres to the Big Ivy/Craggy Mountain Forest Service Scenic Area and 234 acres at Shope Creek and Snowball Mountain as part of a Special Interest Area. Objections also added a process for collaborative trail planning opportunities with recreation stakeholders. The plan also added the North Fork of the French Broad River to the Wild and Scenic Rivers list based on objections received.

Melonas said the Forest Service team learned a lot from the community during this process. This is the first time that the Forest Service has taken on community input for the Forest Plan in this way.

“We've learned a great deal. The first thing I say is that there's an incredible amount of passion for Nantahala-Pisgah. I haven't met anybody that doesn't love these forests. And we know that there's a great diversity of values and ideas on how best to manage the forests,” Melonas said. “We also are really humbled by the incredible amount of work and dedication from so many partners to help us develop this plan.”

Tribal Partners

Melonas also highlighted the partnership between federally recognized tribes and the Forest Service in the development of the plan.

"We're very excited and proud of our work consulting with our tribal partners,” said Melonas.

The record of decision lists 12 tribes with historic ties and interests in the management of the Forests in the plan area.

Those tribes include:

• Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas

• Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town

• Catawba Indian Nation

• Cherokee Nation

• Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana

• Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

• Kialegee Tribal Town

• Muscogee (Creek) Nation

• Poarch Band of Creek Indians

• Thlopthlocco Tribal Town

• United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians

• Shawnee Tribe

Old growth forests and new growth

One focus of the new plan is having different ages of trees throughout the forest, Melonas said. The new forest plan establishes 265,000 acres of the forest as part of an old growth network, an increase of about 50,000 acres of the current old growth network and in the old plan. The network makes up about a quarter of the forest. The large majority of the forest is between 80 to 120 years old because of logging in the past.

“We recognize in the plan that we need more young forest, and we need more old forest and, and what we call open forest, that kind of mosaic fire adapted forest that's a little bit more open,” he said. “And we recognized the need for working to create young forests, which is important for many wildlife species.”

Nine newly eligible wild and scenic rivers

The plan identifies nine waterways as newly eligible to be “wild and scenic rivers,” a federal designation designed “to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations.” The Cullasaja River, Fires Creek, Flat Laurel Creek, North Fork French Broad River, Santeetlah Creek, South Toe River, Thompson River, West Fork Pigeon River, and Whitewater River all made the list. These rivers, plus the ten already eligible rivers, brings the total eligible wild and scenic rivers in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests to 19.

“As we know, Nantahala-Pisgah has some of the most incredible rivers and waterfalls and water systems of any national forest,” Melonas said. ”When we look at ‘wild and scenic rivers,’ those are ones that are outstanding in their values, really stand above and beyond - whether that's for their scenic characteristics or for recreation values.”

Maintenance needs

The plan identifies a backlog of maintenance needs that the Forest Service plans to address through partnership with local organizations. Melonas cites Tropical Storm Fred in 2021 as one example.

“So what that looks like on the ground is replacing old culverts that we know are going to get blown out in the next storm event with structures that provide passage for trout and other mountain species that rely on those stream and rivers in the forest to better withstand the storm event,” he said.

Addressing the maintenance needs serves another function: making the forest more resilient to climate change by preparing for stronger storms and other tactics.

Issues not addressed in the plan

While the Forest Service Record of Decision includes five main issues addressed during the development of the Forest Plan: Vegetation Patterns and Wildlife Habitats, Special Designations, Access, Recreation, and Economic Contributions of the Forests, it also acknowledges issues not yet addressed.

The plan does not include a decision on oil and gas leasing on the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forest or a decision on the management of the Chattooga River, which was designated as Wild and Scenic around 1974.

The Forest Service declined to include an oil and gas leasing decision because of the low potential for commercial development of oil and gas deposit in the Forests, according to the decision. “If technologies change and there is interest in commercial interest in developing those resources, the oil and gas availability will be re-evaluated at that time,” the decision states.

Ongoing monitoring is necessary to determine if a change in visitor use management on the Chattooga River is needed, according to the decision. The river is currently managed with the Sumter National Forest of South Carolina and the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest of Georgia.

Athletes from the Charlotte and Raleigh areas are well-represented on the 2023 Carolinas Classic rosters, which were released Wednesday.

The game pits some of the best N.C. public school athletes against their S.C. counterparts annually. This year’s game will be played March 25 at Hoggard High School in Wilmington

Four Charlotte Observer-area boys and four girls were named to the N.C. rosters. Charlotte-area boys included Myers Park’s Elijah Strong, Hough’s Trey Horton, Chase’s Addison Archer and Bessemer City’s Randall Pettus.

Observer-area girls selections included North Mecklenburg’s Nevaeh Farmer, Lake Norman’s Kirsten Lewis-Williams, Shelby’s Ally Hollifield and Newton-Conover’s Cassidy Geddes.

The Raleigh-area had two boy on the rosters, Holly Springs’ Collin Kuhl and Farmville Central’s Jah Short. Two Raleigh-area girls were named: Millbrook’s Rechel Douglas and Clayton’s Darrionna Howard.

▪ In addition to the games, the student-athletes will participate in community service events, including a visit to the Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center and four New Hanover County elementary schools.

▪ Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and students. Proceeds benefit Camp Corral, a nonprofit that supports the lives of children of wounded and fallen military heroes.

Head coach: Ike Walker, Jack Britt

Assistant coach: Billy Martin, RJ Reynolds

Jacob Adair, 6-3, Enka

Addison Archer, 6-7, Chase

James Scott, 6-11, EE Smith

Elijah Strong, 6-8, Myers Park

Trey Horton, 6-5, Hough

Collin Kuhl, 6-8, Holly Springs

DyQuavion “Jah” Short, 6-4, Farmville Central

Randall Pettus, 6-2, Bessemer City

Jack Voth, 6-5, Hoggard

Head coach: Marlon Lee, Clayton

Assistant coach: Brandon Holloway, Pisgah

Daneesha Briggs, 5-7, Beddingfield

Reychel Douglas, 6-0, Millbrook

Kirsten Lewis-Williams, 5-10, Lake Norman

Nevaeh Farmer, 5-3, North Mecklenburg

Darrionna Howard, 6-0, Clayton

Ally Hollifield, 5-6, Shelby

Cassidy Geddes, 5-7, Newton-Conover

Ka’Nyah O’Neal, 5-8, Southside

Evangelia Paulk, 6-0, Asheville

Caroline Thiel, 6-0, Rocky Mount

Head coach: Jerome Stewart, Timerland

Assistant coach: Joshua Staley, Ridge View

Montraivis White, 5-9, Gray Collegiate

Chrisean Oree, 6-1, Keenan

Sean Lindsay, 5-11, Dorman

Arden Conyers, 6-7, Westwood

Justin Britt, 6-5, Goose Creek

Malachi Stevens, 6-4, Oceanside

Horace Jacques, 6-1, Orangeburg-Wilkinson

Brandon Crawford, 6-9, Irmo

Jordan Butler, 7-0, Christ Church

Avantae Parker, 6-8, Gray Collegiate

Head coach: Perry Stokes

Assistant coach: Jeanette Wilder, Saluda

Jessica Means, 5-6, Saluda

Jessica Woods, 5-8, Westwood

Alaina Nettles, 5-7, Summerville

Amiyah Ferguson, 5-7, Timberland

Dasia Ferguson, 5-9, Dorman

Yasmine Cook, 5-9, Stratford

Trinity Delaney, 6-0, AC Flora

Kamari Thompson, 6-0, Southside

P’eris Smith, 6-0, North Augusta

Lindsay Garner, 6-2, Lexington

This story was originally published February 15, 2023, 3:26 PM.

Nov. 2, 2022 - Crews worked to cut down a 78-foot red spruce dubbed "Ruby" from Pisgah National Forest on Wednesday in preparation for its tour to Washington D.C. where it will stand in front of the U.S. Capitol. (Photo credit: WLOS Staff)

HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Each Christmas, a tree from one of America’s national forests is chosen to stand in front of the U.S. Capitol. The honor this year goes to the Pisgah National Forest.

From NC to DC: Capitol Christmas tree harvested from Pisgah National Forest

Removing the 78-foot red spruce Wednesday took a lot of careful planning and coordination.

First, the choice had to be made. The U.S. Capitol architect narrowed options down to the Pisgah National Forest.

“He made his pick," says Matt Eldridge, timber sale administrator with the U.S. Forest Service. "Ruby, the red spruce and the scientific name is Picea rubens."

He says harvesting takes more than a chain saw.

“That crane is going to lift it," Eldridge says. "The other crane is going to hook to it till we get it horizontal, gently lowering it onto that truck."

Fellow U.S. Forest Service timber sale administrator Rodney Smith had the honors of handling the chain saw, admitting he was a bit nervous.

“A little bit, which I would hope would be acceptable,” he said

CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREE, FROM NC THIS YEAR, MAKING SEVERAL IN-STATE STOPS ON WAY TO DC

First, workers had to hook up the crane's rigging to the top of the tree.

Smith and his Forest Service crew worked at the base. He made what's called a B-cut -- sawing about halfway on one side.

“Come to the other side and cut in about half that distance, pop another wedge in for support,” Smith said.

The plan wasn’t to drop the tree, but free it, so the crane could lift it away. Bluetooth connections kept everyone in communication.

“I’ll let them know when I’m making the final cut and basically say, 'crane operator, she's all yours’,” said Smith.

All the planning paid off perfectly and was music to all interested parties.

“Where we're at is ancestral Cherokee homeland," says Joey Owle, Cherokee secretary of agriculture and natural resources. "We are able to partner with the Forest Service with this mutual respect."

There was appreciation of a major sponsor adding an element to the big tree.

WITH LIMITED SUPPLY OF FRASER FIRS THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON, EXPECT HIGHER PRICES

“There's a companion truck that’s going to follow the tree up on its route and deliver some Christmas trees to some of our military families at Joint Base Andrews,” said Ryan Adair with 84 Lumber in Asheville.

It all adds up to this year's U.S. Capitol Christmas tree arriving in Washington soon.

“She’ll be decorated with thousands of ornaments, hand-made by North Carolinians all across the state,” says the U.S. Forest Service’s Lorie Stroup.

From here, the tree is loaded onto the truck. It will travel across North Carolina for two weeks and arrive on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 18.

Click here to learn more about the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree.