League puts spotlight on female leaders

Women who are making a significant contribution to the community answered questions and explained the roles and responsibilities of their positions at the League of Women Voters meeting on Thursday, March 8.

Karen Wallace is the director of Fontana Regional Libraries. One of the big projects underway is the new library located at 819 Siler Road near the new Southwestern Community College campus. The opening is scheduled for April 2 with the grand opening on April 21. Staff, volunteers and Macon County maintenance have been shrink-wrapping books and moving them to the new location.

"It's a busy time for us," Wallace said. "Sixty to 70 percent of the collection has been moved. We have been very fortunate with our efforts to move the library."

While the library is closed, Wallace has worked with agencies and institutions to temporarily provide services to the public.

Tax forms and tax assistance is available at the Macon County Community Facilities Building. Limited free internet access is available during scheduled lab hours at Southwestern Community College, Macon campus. Books are available at Friends of the Library bookstore and Fontana Regional Libraries in Bryson City, Highlands, Sylva, Nantahala and Cashiers.

Over $1 million has been raised to furnish and equip the new library. Funding has been provided by the town, state, county and contributions made to Friends of the Library.

"Roberta Swank (fund raising chairman) has done a fabulous job," Wallace said. "We couldn't have done it without her help."

Ten new staff members have been hired for the new, larger library and hours have been expanded, opening 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The library will continue to provide services such as toddler and preschool story time as well as the reading rover, which brings the library to pre-schoolers and day care providers throughout the area.

Susie McCoy has been the Head Start director for Macon Program for Progress for seven years. The Head Start program currently has 315 children, including 135 children aged 0-3 and 180 children aged 3-5. McCoy said that volunteers are welcome and that there are always children who love to be read to.

"It's a great program," she said. "It helps prepare children for school."

As Head Start director, McCoy juggles different responsibilities including budgets, interviews, handling parent complaints and working hands-on with the children, to name a few.

McCoy has also been a member of the Board of Education for 10 years. The board is a non-partisan position made up of five members responsible for duties such as approving budgets, policies and doing committee work. Members visit schools and work with county commissioners to receive funding for school projects.

"We have great plans to build another school and do work at East Franklin Elementary," McCoy said.

Sissy Pattillo is a former educator and current alderwoman for the Town of Franklin.

"You wear a lot of hats as an alderwoman," Pattillo said. "It's been a rewarding experience."

Each person on the board is a member of a committee. Pattillo and Alderman Bob Scott are on the street and sidewalk committee, which involves tasks such as measuring concrete, inspecting asphalt and planting flowers.

When the town agreed to use Powell Bill funds for sidewalk work on Riverview Street near Angel Medical Center Pattillo was in contact with asphalt and concrete companies. She also contacted Verizon and Mediacom to take down their lines off the power pole that needed to be moved.

The town is active again in the Main Street program. They are also considering using the Burrell Building as the new town hall. At last month's meeting an architect presented proposed plans to the board. Also, a McDonald's is in the planning stages, to be located at the corner of East Main Street and Highlands Road near the Little Tennessee River.

"We have many things going on right now," Pattillo said.

Barbara McRae has been the editor of The Franklin Press for nearly four years. Prior to this position she was a reporter at The Press and she also worked at Duke Power.

"I'm proud of The Franklin Press," McRae said. "We're the oldest operating business in Macon County. You can go back and see the history of Franklin and Macon County by looking back at the pages of The Franklin Press."

The Press was founded by T.J. Christy as a weekly newspaper in 1886. As editor, McRae has a variety of responsibilities, including managing staff, assisting with story ideas, writing editorials and columns, copy editing and the layout of the newspaper.