By JIM GENARO

WOODFIN ó The Woodfin Board of Aldermen got its first look at the beginnings of a consolidated master plan for the town on Aug. 21.

Gerald Green, an urban planner who has previously worked with both Asheville and Brevard, discussed the initial phases of the plan with the aldermen.

Green, who said he has been working on the plan for about six weeks, told the aldermen it was an important step for Woodfin as the town grows.

ìAll of you are aware of the changes that are occuringî in Woodfin, he said. ìWith this growth comes some changes and opportunities.î

Green said that the guiding principles in drafting a comprehensive plan include maintaining Woodfinís ìsmall-town quality of life,î providing adequate services and keeping taxes low.

The intention of developing a plan is to lay out specific, though non-binding, guidelines about how the town should develop, he said.

Though the draft presented to the aldermen was very preliminary, Green noted that ìthe plan itself will not just be text ó there will be lots of maps.î

Some important aspects of the plan will be parks, greenways and recreational facilities, he noted. These, he said, are part of Woodfinís goal of ìbecoming known as a health and wellness community.î

Town Administrator Jason Young concurred, saying that ìone of our biggest impediments is lack of pedestrian access.î

Furthermore, Young said, he hopes to promote smart and environmentally responsible growth, ìmoving toward third-party certification of sustainability.î

In other action, the board:

ï Elected a new alderman to fill a vacancy left by one of its members.

The board appointed Don Hensley to fill the vacancy left by David Clark, who recently sold his home and moved outside of Woodfin, making him ineligible to serve as an alderman.

Prior to the vote, Hensley told the aldermen, ìI think youve done a spledid job of growing the town of Woodfin and Iíd be honored to join you.î

ï Considered a proposal by Bingo Bulletin to rent space at the townís community center for weekly bingo games.

Bingo Bulletinís owners had proposed an arrangement whereby they would hold bingo games one night a week in exchange for $250 rent to be paid to the town, plus an additional $200 weekly that would be donated to the town or to another charity.

However, some aldermen questioned whether bingo was an appropriate use of public facilities.

ìAre we really sure that the Woodfin community wants bingo there?î Alderman Debbie Giezentanner asked.

Though he board did not take direct action on the proposal, it did ask Young and Mayor Pro-tem Geneva Maney to look into the matter further.

Accepting the assignment, Maney said, ìMy personal opinion is that we donít fool with bingo.î But she added that she would be willing to investigate the request further.

ìItís not about me, itís about the will of the board,î Maney said.

ï Swore in Allan Taylor as a Woodfin Police officer. In introducing Taylor, Chief Brett Holloman noted that Taylor has worked in law enforcement since 1994.

The board also welcomed Officer Johnathon Ammons, who previously had served with the Weaverville Police Department.

ï Unanimously appointed Christine Quinn to the townís Alcoholic Beverage Commission.