The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • 77

SCHOOL DAYS MARKET PLACE Section Li 11 SCHOOL DAYS I I MARKET PLACE I Section 0 11 THE YEWSSOBSERVER THE EllITA011SEIIIIER "91 11' NORTH VIEWS Sound off: So what makes North Raleigh unique? See what some of our readers say then give us your thoughts Page 2N NORTH VIEWS makes North Raleigh our readers say then give unique9 See what some of Sound off: So whet us your thoughts Page 2N 0 '4 :7 70' -N 444'' 7" FRIDAY OCTOBER 15 1999 FRIDAY Baths and beyond: North Raleigh spas are focusing on more than just facials and massages these days Page 4N FREE TIME The fright stuff: North Hills Mall's new tenant hopes to treat you with the tricks up its cloak sleeve Page 6N Working vacation: Green Elementary students study Egypt during the year-round school's break Page 5N Fourth-graders solve problems with their inventions Page 5N ate' 0 I kol I I NotihRoleighNewscom I -I 1 41-' --111 "ca 4 o111 Vit-! 1- 0 4-7--- I i i i9 1 LE 4 1 6 J1 1 Working vacation: Green 0 Elementary students Page 5N 1 study Egypt during the year-round school's break aLelg dm Fourth- 1 graders solve problems th 1 wi their inventions 4 1 Page 5N 1 tl 1 11' i NotihRoleighNewscorn i I i 1 Working vac i Elementary 1 study Egypt i year-round I i Whatchamcn 1 graders solv 1 with their inl 1 1 i 4 1 0 1 lic a ir la tovi 0 lir 1 '-'-'1' rm 1 11 4" tivq1 N6 1 4r'-at t-: A' 1 al 416 i ti Road construction 3N New businesses 4N Recreation calendar 6N Public meetings 9N Zoning requests 9N Police log 9N Restaurant inspections 9N Help wanted: Businesses can't seem to find workers Page 4N I I 41-7 1 -Tr 411 a A Floyd leads FEMA to set up shop in area Nearly 1000 federal relief workers will be based out of a North Raleigh shopping center for the next six months as hurricane cleanup goes on Nearly 100C workers will a North Rale center for till as hurricane Aim -4 1-1 I at A SI 1 A100 lat "'kV) ti Kim Whichard the property manager for Ashton Square said the arrangement has worked out well for both sides "It's always good to turn a vacant building into an operation center as large as this one" she said "And at the same time we feel as if we are doing our part to help the disaster victims in the state" Whichard said that instead of charging Ashton's normal fee of $1275 per square foot the center is leasing the space for $750 FEMA signed a six-month lease Sept 19 "When we leave it will look like we tables the computers to the phone lines and the air conditioning" said Wayne Randle chief of the DFO's development and logistics department "We don't have a lot of time so we find what we need and get to work" Jay Eaker a North Raleigh native and a worker with the DEO public relations section said that Raleigh is a good site for the disaster office because of its centralized location "There are 66 counties that have been declared disaster areas in the state and by being in Raleigh we are directly in the middle" Eaker said "We can pre much drive the same distance in either direction" Looking for a large open space to set up its Disaster Field Office the Federal Emergency Management Agency hit CLI HERE pay dirt when To find it found the out about Ashton FEMNs dis- Square site aster-aid Within 70 services hours FEMA see the workers con-agency's verted 60000 Web site at square feet of www fema gov empty retail space into a working area for about 1000 disaster employees "We supply everything from the BY DEMORRIS LEE STAFF WRITER RALEIGH A month ago North Raleigh's Ashton Square vw as a sleepy shopping complex anchored by Burlington Coat Factory On a normal shopping day there would be a few cars scattered in the huge parking lot But that all changed a few days after Hurricane Floyd BY DE Si RALEIGH A Raleigh's As sleepy shoppir by Burlington normal shopp be a few cars parking lot But that all after Hurrican From left Scott Bell John Goodman and Gary Tuttle monitor local and national newscasts from the Ashton Square office STAFF PHOTO BY KEITH GREENE SEE FEMA PAGE 1 ON HISTORIC HOUSE TO MOVE JUST DOWN THE ROAD 111011011U IllU16 I ki ITIV V16 J1JJ I 11111111 I i 16 11 rILI Candidates try to break from pack Focus falls on growth traffic Cand try to frou Focus growt1 Club says it is 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results BY DEMORRIS LEE STAFF WRITER RALEIGH After last week's municipal elections the field of candidates has decreased but the rhetoric is rising as the remaining con -4-- tenders try to Ag differentiate --) themselves from one A I I another as -N they head to November's rtmolf The hopefuls for mayor an at Coble large City Council seat I I and the District seat are working hard i to woo voters in constantly changing 1 'I North wo pa I I Rai eigh II) a de "North North Raleigh has Faniut been flexing it's political muscle in the last few elections" said Mayor Tom Fetzer who is not seeking re-election after having held the office since 1993 "Because it's the fastest-growing area in the city that's where a lot of new voters are showing up" Two candidates are in the Nov 2 runoff to replace Fbtzer --City BY DED SW RALEIGH municipal ele has rhetoric is risi 0- '''') -OF' Coble I L' i k7-- I It vA 5 Fanjet muscle in the said Mayor not seeking re ing held the "Because it's ing area in thi a lot of new up" 'fwo candid 2 runoff to rer Where the birthplace of Stanhope Pullen now sits is the proposed location for a new Wake Med medical complex STAFF PHOTO BY KEITH GREENE on a new site There's no place like home Raleigh's most prominent businessmen Stanhope Pullen who was born on the property in 1832 Pullen who inherited money from a relative was a successful businessman with a philanthropic heart He is best known for his donation of land for Pullen Park Bordering NC State University the park is one of the city's most popular recreation spots Pullen also helped area col The home sits on a 17-acre tract of land in the heart of North Raleigh's development boom Wake Med purchased the land for $5 million but the two-story white house was not included with the purchase It belongs to the nonprofit Alma Wynne Edgerton Memorial Foundation The organization was founded by the late NE Edgerton who started the Raleigh Bonded Warehouse Inc said David Dahl a lawyer with Raleigh's Manning Fulton and Skinner law firm which represents the owners It is unclear when the house was last lived in but it is obviously dilapidated The paint has begun to peel rolling and falling into the weeds that overgrow the foundation "It's certainly going to have some repair" Dahl said "The objective is to get the house in a condition to where it can be used for a public purpose" Likely built in several stages during the 19th century the house boasts ties to one of early BY DAWN WOTAPKA STAFF WRITER RALEIGH nearly 200 years of standing tall on its corner in North Raleigh the historic Pullen House is about to be moved to a new location The building at the corner of Durant and Falls of the Neuse roads since the early 1800s is scheduled to be moved about a quarter of a mile to the east on Durant Road by year's end allowing Wake Med room to build a proposed $26 million medical complex BY DEMORRIS LEE STAFF WRITER RALEIGH Exactly a year ago John Odom the city councilman representing northeast Raleigh said he would close the Plum Crazy nightclub the first chance he got Today Plum Crazy is gone but not forgotten It's been relaunched as the new club Yesterdays Owner Johnny Walters last month changed the name of the club which is at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and New Hope Church Road in Brentwood Square Since opening its doors in 1995 the club has been the party spot for the area's hip hop and RIM community Walters who has founded and owned 19 clubs in North Carolina including the Longbranch and The Ritz in Raleigh called the change a "communications move" "I wanted to distance myself from some of the stigma of Plum Crazy" he said But Odom said Walters is going to have to do more than change the name "Until he can stop the shooting of weapons in the parking lot and the charging down neighborhoods at 1 am with windows down and throwing out beer bottles my statement will remain the same" Odom said "That's going to have to be proven and that's going to take time You can't just say it then leave trash all over the parking lot" Residents across the street in the Brentwood community have long complained that Plum Crazy brought crime loud music and chaos to the area "Many of the residents don't like the loud noise at the club's closing" said Bruce Spader of the Brentwood Neighborhood Association "Walters has tried to work with us but it's hard to get past the loud music late at night" Walters said he wants Yesterdays to be a "theme" club that has a different music format on individual nights Latin country and western and college He also is putting the finishing touches on a separate section of the club that should open in November and will cater to the country and western crowd seven SEE PULLEN PAGE 7N SEE ELECTION PAGE 8N SEE ELEC1 Former mental hospital gets a high-tech lease on life For -Jand iNewt911--'91- S- I 1 ko i Vt 1 Newton I Technology Center 's- TAT'6rook i jand Rd i -9- i cl- i 'Newt Rd on -z 5- I iielwt'o7 ''18--19rest p' li' ii Technology e-tt "C''' I i Center s's-' 'kl'i mlqrook --i--- Rd 1 i '1 i7 ificilitt 0-' It' c-- i "I 1' 41))zzzz l'ir 0 '-E M14 mob The hospital was built in 1985 to house a Charter facility to help adolescent and adult drug and alcohol addicts recover Eleven years later Charter merged with the Holly Hill hospital Because Holly Hill already had a facility on Falstaff Road the Newton Road site was abandoned It sat vacant for a year and a half That's when developer Eric Tillett of the Tillett Development Co and Tom Bebee set out to refurbish the aging structure into well something "I'd like to say we were these great visionaries but we went through several durations to figure out what to do with it" Bebee said At first they targeted medical-related pro BY DAWN WOTAPKA STAFF WRITER RALEIGH Imagine trying to lease office space in a former mental hospital complete with patients' clothes and confidential charts scattered about That's the challenge York Properties faced in 1998 as it tried to pitch prospective clients a vision for the former Charter Northridge mental hospital on Newton Road York along with investors and architects dreamed of retrofitting the stone fortress into a high-technology office park North Raleigh's own Research Triangle Park At first there was little interest But after nearly two years and extensive renovations the space is leased and two additional buildings are planned RALEIGH I space in a fon with patients' scattered abE That's the in 1998 as it a vision for mental hospi York along dreamed of a high-tech Raleigh's Ow At first thE nearly two yE the space is I ings are plan The project renamed the Newton Technology Center is being hailed as a success Already Graydon Corp a software development company occupies about 10000 square feet When the new building is completed Graydon will move relinquishing its building to HAHT software Bob Gallagher HAHT's director of marketing said what the building was before is irrelevant he's happy to find a convenient location that offers room for the company to grow HAHT plans on leasing all of the building's 52000 square feet "I think the fact that it's full before it's even done being remodeled speaks to the fact that we were successful in helping people see it in a new way" said Ted Van Dyk designer with the NV City Design Group The Plows Observer SEE YESTEM1AYS PAGE 7N SEE OFFICE PAGE 1 ON 4 wdEmidOF I.