Second Avenue in West Jefferson Renamed Back Street

By Joel Frady

Second Avenue in downtown West Jefferson, which runs parallel with Jefferson Avenue, will officially take on the name Back Street. The motion to rename the street was approved at the regular meeting of the West Jefferson Board of Alderman on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Several businesses are located on Second Avenue, including the Ashe County Farmer's Market and Smithey's Cafe, and the name change was proposed to help both businesses and visitors to the county.

"Most folks over a number of years have referred to it as [the Back Street], so that was really the only reason," West Jefferson Mayor Dale Hudler said of the change. "If you're local, you say 'Well just go to the Back Street.' It's been called that for many, many years."

Carol Dobson, owner of Tis the Season on Second Avenue, added that the idea to change the name "started when we were getting visitors questioning where certain businesses were located because the maps all call it Second [Avenue] and people were advertising the Back Street. So we needed the continuity of names.

"People that would come to town didn't even know where the Farmer's Market was," she added. "When we would say 'the Back Street,' I had a lot of people say 'Why don't you just name it the Back Street if that's what you call it?'."

The motion was approved 3-0, with board members Jerry McMillan, Stephen Shoemaker and Brett Summey voting in favor of the name change. Board members Calvin Green and Tom Hartman were unable to attend the meeting. The resolution only approves the motion, however, as the town still needs to order the signs.

The board also approved the West Jefferson Land Use Plan by a vote of 3-0. The plan, developed in conjunction with the High Country Counsil of Governments, was created to be used as a tool to help promote healthy growth in the future. The 27-page plan covers every aspect of the town's use in regards to land use, infrastructure and physical environment, and makes a slew of recommendations for how the town should approach growth in the future.

Hudler previously stated that the plan will help the town "to be able to foresee and thoughtfully plan our growth.

"We must insure that however our town grows, we have limitations in place to have it grow the way the citizens want it to grow," Hudler said.

A public hearing about the land use plan was held before the meeting to allow local citizens the opportunity to give their input on the plan, but no one stepped forward with any questions or concerns.

West Jefferson Police Chief Brian Grogan gave the town's police report for the months of October and November. During that time, the department received 391 calls and responded to 26 automobile accidents. There were 17 criminal investigation reports taken, ranging from larceny to narcotics, and four of the 17 are still under investigation. 15 people were arrested, five for driving under the influence, and the department issued 78 citations for a total of 94 charges.

"It's been a fairly uneventful couple of months," Grogan said at the meeting. He noted that the recent speed reductions have been successful in slowing down drivers.

"I feel like this speed thing is working out good on the south end of town here," he said. "It seems like people have slowed down some - they're still not there yet, but even just by looking at it they've slowed down some."

The West Jefferson Board of Alderman will hold their next scheduled meeting on Thursday, Jan 8, 2009. To find out more, contact West Jefferson Town Hall at (336) 246-3551.