http://www.mountainx.com/news/ en webmaster@mountainx.com Copyright 2013 2013-05-15T20:59:22+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/asheville_city_council_tentatively_endorses_budget_plan_uncertainties_remai http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/asheville_city_council_tentatively_endorses_budget_plan_uncertainties_remai#When:17:10:33Z While noting that much of its fate remains in the hands of the state legislature, at a special meeting this morning Asheville City Council gave staff the go-ahead to start drafting a budget based on a plan that assumes the city and county may consolidate their parks and recreation operations by January. The plan also includes a 1 cent per $100 property tax increase — from 42 cents to 43 cents — to maintain the same level of revenue. While decreases in local revenue due to a state overhaul aren’t as dire as originally predicted, city staff still anticipate a $1 million loss. A parks and recreation authority would save the city $5 million. The plan also calls for increased infrastructure spending beginning in the summer of 2014, either using those savings or a 3 cents per $100 tax increase. “There’s a lot st…... 2013-05-17T17:10:33+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/public_pools_set_to_open_soon http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/public_pools_set_to_open_soon#When:12:52:24Z As the weather heats up, soon there will be more options to cool down. The city of Asheville and Buncombe County will open public pools on Memorial Day weekend. In addition to open swimming, a variety of lessons, games and exercise classes are available. With tough budget decisions ahead, there’s been talk among Asheville officials that some pools would have to be shut down to save costs. But as the June 30 deadline to finalize the budget draws near, it looks like city pools will be open for the summer. See details on the city and county pools’ locations, operating hours, and other information below, via local government websites. City of Asheville Swimming Pools Three outdoor pools are open June through mid-August and offer relief from the heat at Recreation Park, Malvern Hills Park and Walton Street Park. A variety of swim lessons, water games and exercise classes are available. Pools are locate…... 2013-05-17T12:52:24+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/msd_board_approves_budget_readies_for_legal_battle http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/msd_board_approves_budget_readies_for_legal_battle#When:04:24:35Z Passing a new budget resolution and agreeing to hire additional legal counsel were the two top items at Wednesday’s meeting of the board of the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County. The preliminary budget for the public agency, totaling roughly $40 million, must be presented in advance to the Local Government Commission of North Carolina. The final 2013-2014 budget approval will take place at the board’s June meeting. The numbers reflect a $16.7 million capital improvement investment in line with the agency’s business plan, and a 2.5 percent rate increase for domestic users — also in line with the agency’s forecasts. “The methodology that MSD uses,” explains Tom Hartye, general manager, “ is not to do erratic rate increases, but to do small, incremental ones.” The 15-year business plan for year…... 2013-05-16T04:24:35+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/locals_advocate_for_public_education_disagree_with_pending_state_legislatio http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/locals_advocate_for_public_education_disagree_with_pending_state_legislatio#When:21:44:29Z As dozens of young children played in downtown Asheville’s interactive water fountain, more than 50 adults criticized state legislation they say could jeopardize the future of educators, North Carolinians and the lives of the children playing in the nearby fountain. “The folks running state government in Raleigh now, when they talk about public education,  they talk about cuts, slash, burn and end — not about what we can do to make a difference. Make no mistake, our dedication to public education is on a downward spiral,” says Bob Etheridge, a former congressman, legislator and state superintendent of public instruction. Etheridge has been sharing this message across North Carolina as part of a statewide tour for the grassroots group, Public Schools First NC. (The Asheville event was the fifth stop.) “The problem is more than money. To be frank with you, it’s about the quality of the bad ideas coming o…... 2013-05-15T21:44:29+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513getting-to-the-roots http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513getting-to-the-roots#When:19:59:22Z As far as fresh produce is concerned, Cera McGinn and Mallory McCoy want to see more people living hand to mouth — putting the seed in the ground and nurturing it until the last bite has been taken. The pair are co-owners of Ramble and Root, a consulting and installation service for do-it-yourself, organic vegetable landscaping. The duo recently wrote, illustrated and published a book, Reviving Homegrown, as a beginner’s guide to organic vegetable gardening (complete with an optional gardening kit). “In our grandparents’ generation everyone had a garden — that’s how you sustained yourself,” says McGuinn. “Why not do that now to provide for you and your family?” “Our grandparents and great-grandparents — that’s not that many generations ago,” McCoy interjects. “For [home gardening] to be be lost in a 60-year span is outrageous.” As part of the…... 2013-05-15T19:59:22+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/strive_not_to_drive_bike_tour_highlights_multimodal_infrastructure http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/strive_not_to_drive_bike_tour_highlights_multimodal_infrastructure#When:15:35:55Z Photos by Max Cooper Cycling advocates guided local elected officials on a bicycle tour of Asheville, highlighting recent infrastructure improvements and encouraging progress to continue. The May 13 ride was part of the Strive Not to Drive campaign to promote multimodal transportation, which continues with events throughout the week. Participating officials included Mayor Terry Bellamy; city council members Gordon Smith, Cecil Bothwell, and Esther Manheimer; Buncombe County commissioners Brownie Newman and David Gantt; Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger; and city manager Gary Jackson. Despite facing a severe budget crunch this year, Jackson told participants the city will continue to try to fund construction of infrastructure such as bike lanes and greenways. “We’re going to fight like hell to get more in this year’s [budgetar…... 2013-05-15T15:35:55+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/council_announces_delay_in_water_system_takeover_passes_energy_financing http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/council_announces_delay_in_water_system_takeover_passes_energy_financing#When:23:46:22Z Tonight, at a relatively brief meeting, Asheville City Council: • Heard from city staff that a judge in Wake County has granted the city a temporary restraining order against a new state law that would forcibly transfer the water system to a new authority and the Metropolitan Sewerage District. Council approved a lawsuit last week, asserting that the legislation is unconstitutional. The order lasts for ten days while the city’s lawyers seek a more lasting injunction as they pursue their legal case. If the order wasn’t approved, the city would have had to transfer the system tomorrow, May 15. • Approved 6-0 a $1.1 million from TD Bank for ener…... 2013-05-14T23:46:22+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/x_marks_the_spot_commissioners_approve_incentive_deal_to_mystery_company http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/x_marks_the_spot_commissioners_approve_incentive_deal_to_mystery_company#When:23:02:27Z Photo by Caitlin Byrd Buncombe County commissioners unanimously approved offering an undisclosed company $18.38 million in economic incentives May 14. The county agreed to spend $15.7 million on land acquisition and facility construction, and give the mystery company an additional $2.68 million in cash grants. In exchange, the company — referred to as “Project X” in documents and discussions — would invest about $126.67 million into the local facility and create 52 new jobs, paying an average wage of $40,000 per year. In addition, the company would agree to continue employing an unknown number of current local workers; the “total amount of jobs impacted would be more than 760 positions,” according to the resolutions passed by commissioners. One of the resolutions also states that Project X informed the county that if it doesn’t provide the requested incentives, it wouldn’t make the propose…... 2013-05-14T23:02:27+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/local_environmental_controls_likely_to_be_whittled_down_by_regulatory_refor http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/local_environmental_controls_likely_to_be_whittled_down_by_regulatory_refor#When:21:07:58Z It’s nine pages long with the short title “Regulatory Reform Act of 2013.” But given its contents, Rich Ducker of the UNC School of Government calls Senate Bill 612  “a real Christmas tree of a bill – all sorts of things hung on it.” “I guess the name of the bill gives a decent hint of what the framers had in mind who developed the bill,” says Ducker, who is an associate professor of public law and government. “It tends to focus on environmental regulation, but there are probably 10 to 15 different topics.” The biggest issue, however – and one Ducker thinks may be a “sleeper issue to some people”—is language that appears to hold that local ordinances cannot be any…... 2013-05-14T21:07:58+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/live_updates_from_the_may_14_meetings_of_the_buncombe_commissioners_and_ash http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/live_updates_from_the_may_14_meetings_of_the_buncombe_commissioners_and_ash#When:20:06:59Z It’s a busy evening in local government, with meetings of both the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and Asheville City Council. Commissioners meet at 4:30 p.m. to consider a big economic incentive deal to an undisclosed company. Asheville City Council meets at 5 p.m. to discuss financing green energy improvements and establishing a multimodal transportation commission. See live updates from the meetings below via Twitter using the hashtag, #avlgov h2> Real Time #avlgov Coverage on Twitter 2013-05-14T20:06:59+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/photos_ashe_memorial_rededication http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/photos_ashe_memorial_rededication#When:19:36:46Z A memorial in Pack Square Park honoring Samuel Ashe, for whom Asheville was named, was rededicated this morning by the Edward Buncombe Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. A North Carolina governor, Ashe became Asheville’s namesake in 1797. The ceremony featured the DAR color guard, complete with piccolo and snare accompaniment, and a speech by Mayor Terry Bellamy, who remarked that she was glad not to be mayor of “Morristown,” the name by which Asheville was previously known. 2013-05-14T19:36:46+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513back-to-the-future http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513back-to-the-future#When:18:00:59Z As Asheville geared up to file a lawsuit against state legislation that transfers the city's water system to the Metropolitan Sewage District, Buncombe County officials released documents showing a series of offers made to the city years ago. The rejected proposals offered to compensate the city in various ways for transferring the system to a new independent authority — and now some of those discarded ideas have resurfaced. On May 7, Gov. Pat McCrory opted to let House Bill 488 become law without his signature. The legislation mandates a transfer of the city's water system to MSD, effective May 15, and provides no remuneration at all. According to a summary released to Xpress, from July 2004 through Aug. 2006, Buncombe officials made 11 specific proposals during negotiations to avert the demise of the Regional Water Authority of Asheville, Buncombe and Henderson. Some would've resulted in MSD taking control of the water syste…... 2013-05-14T18:00:59+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513the-citys-going-to-court http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513the-citys-going-to-court#When:18:00:58Z A state-mandated transfer of the Asheville water system will be tested in court. At a special May 7 meeting, Asheville City Council members voted unanimously to sue the state of North Carolina over House Bill 488, legislation that gives control of the system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County. The stage is set: The bill passed both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly, and on May 9, Gov. Pat McCrory chose to neither veto or sign it, which means it becomes law. The governor cited “complicated intergovernmental issues” that the courts must resolve. Asheville has “very little time to address the issues [HB 488] raises,” City Attorney Bob Oast told Council members on May 7. Council’s resolution authorizes him to file the lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court, challenging HB 488’s validity and seeking to have it overturned. Oast cited “a number of legal, constitutional, and p…... 2013-05-14T18:00:58+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513wheres-that-stuff-come-from http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513wheres-that-stuff-come-from#When:18:00:57Z After millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled into the French Broad River last week, RiverLink, a nonprofit supporting the river’s economic and environmental revitalization, saw an educational opportunity. “If people are going to be concerned with how wastewater is managed, then it would be helpful to understand the process that actually goes along with it,” says RiverLink Education Coordinator Nikki Bauman. To facilitate a deeper community understanding of the urban water cycle and related processes, the nonprofit will host a tour of Asheville's wastewater treatment plant with the Metropolitan Sewerage District (MSD) of Buncombe County. The tour, scheduled for Tuesday, June 4, at 10 a.m., is open to the public and children ages 11 and older. The approximately 1.5-hour tour is limited to 20 people. The urban water cycle, Bauman explains, is a three-step process: water from the drinking water reservoir is treated, then f…... 2013-05-14T18:00:57+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513after-spill-msd-investigating-contractor http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513after-spill-msd-investigating-contractor#When:18:00:56Z On April 30, a malfunctioning pump spewed millions of gallons of raw sewage into the French Broad River. While the problem was repaired the same day, Metropolitan Sewerage District General Manager Tom Hartye tells Xpress it never should have happened in the first place. The contractor, Statesville-based Gilbert Engineering & Construction, failed to follow a contingency plan, he says. “There was a fail-safe plan discussed at the pre-construction conference with the contractor. He did not follow it. We're investigating why,” Hartye says. The spill “wouldn't have happened if he'd followed the plan.” He says that MSD crews went around to areas affected by the spill, removed contaminated soil, added lime and covered it with straw and mulch. “Since the spill, we did a battery of tests along the river,” Hartye says. “The river got back to normal somewhere between Wednesday afternoon [May 1] and…... 2013-05-14T18:00:56+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513on-second-thought http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513on-second-thought#When:18:00:55Z In recent weeks, the Buncombe County commissioners had debated stringent standards that would have limited nonprofits’ ability to request county funding for years to come. In the end, however, the board merely fine-tuned the existing policy. At their May 7 meeting, the commissioners unanimously approved adding language requiring nonprofits that receive county funding to submit audited financial statements and Internal Revenue Service Form 990 to the county’s finance department annually. “In general, administrative costs of 12 percent will be used as a guideline; however, each application will be considered based on program need and community impact,” the policy now states. During the board’s April 13 budget retreat, Commissioner Joe Belcher had proposed making the 12 percent limit on administrative costs a prerequisite for county funding. He also sought to bar nonprofits’ annual funding requests from exceeding the i…... 2013-05-14T18:00:55+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513growing-in-unison http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513growing-in-unison#When:18:00:54Z On Crescent Street, just off of Charlotte Street, some local residents are reviving a form of agriculture, and trying to put food on the plate in the process. The Charlotte Got Crops community garden focuses on the Native American practice of “the three sisters,” growing squash, corn and beans together. Julian Dominic, an area resident, helped organize the group last September, partly as a project for his permaculture apprenticeship. “It's a place where we can all experiment, but also a place where people can get together, network and learn these practices,” he says. “In the fall, when everything needs to be processed, everyone gets together, telling stories, working with their hands, making corn meal, cooking tortillas. There's a bigger picture to it; it's not just an annual kale crop that you take home.” “It's maintaining a tradition,” participant Tom Llewellyn adds. An A…... 2013-05-14T18:00:54+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513if-i-had-a-hammer- http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513if-i-had-a-hammer-#When:18:00:53Z While setting up the new gardening initiative, Charlotte Got Crops, (see “Growing in Unison”), Julian Dominic and his fellow growers realized they were missing something. Tools. “You start this garden, and you have all these grand ideas, but what you really need are tools to get the job done,” he says. Dominic moved here from Philadelphia, where he relied on a tool library — an equipment collection shared by a community or neighborhood. His idea was simple: “Why don't we start a resource where not only us but other community projects, or other people, can access tools?” Dominic adds, “There are so many damn people in this city doing so many cool projects, but they're all using their own tools.” Often, these weekend builders or neighborhood farmers must buy equipment they will only need a handful of times, such as a tiller, chainsaw or trusty axe. A tool library allows members check out othe…... 2013-05-14T18:00:53+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513planned-parenthood-of-asheville-announces-acquisition-of-permanent-me http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513planned-parenthood-of-asheville-announces-acquisition-of-permanent-me#When:18:00:52Z After renting a Biltmore Avenue building for about 15 years, Planned Parenthood’s Asheville Health Center will begin providing sexual and reproductive health services in a permanent setting by the end of the year. Speaking to the nearly 100 people who paid $135 to attend the nonprofit’s May 9 fundraising event in downtown Asheville, Planned Parenthood’s interim CEO Bonnie Smith said, “After 35 years in Asheville, we have leased and we have rented, and we have moved from one facility to the other. Now, we will have the permanence and stability that comes from owning a health center.” After cheers and applause from the audience, she continued, “It will enable us to meet the challenges of health care reform and, most importantly, it will ensure that we will continue the Planned Parenthood promise for generations to come.” Though the exact location of the future health center has not yet been disclosed, Nina Ra…... 2013-05-14T18:00:52+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513riverlink-announces-200-unit-mixed-use-development-for-old-dave-steel http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/051513riverlink-announces-200-unit-mixed-use-development-for-old-dave-steel#When:18:00:49Z The River Arts District continues to grow: Local nonprofit RiverLink announced May 10 that a residential-retail complex will be built on the vacant Dave Steel Company site at Clingman Avenue and Roberts Street. Delphi Development of Asheville is under contract to purchase and develop the project, known as The RAD Lofts. The mixed-use development will consist of about 200 apartments, an internal parking garage, retail, restaurants and live-work units. The RAD Lofts conforms to the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay Plan, as well as the city's stated strategic goal to encourage more high density development within the city limits, according to RiverLink’s press release. Delphi Development has completed several Asheville projects, including the Sawyer Motor Building Condominiums on Coxe Avenue and Eastwood Village in Reynolds. The company will utilize local artists for exteriors and common area finishes of the building and has hired Jeff Dalton and 2013-05-14T18:00:49+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/asheville_city_council_preview_going_green http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/asheville_city_council_preview_going_green#When:14:45:56Z At its meeting tonight, Asheville City Council takes a look at financing green energy improvements and establishing a multimodal transportation commission. The financing is $1.1 million from TD Bank for LED streetlights, a new boiler at the Stephens Lee Center, and new windows at Fire Station 7 in East Asheville. The debt payments will be paid off with savings from the reduced energy costs. Council will also vote on the creation of the multimodal commission, with members from a number of other c…... 2013-05-14T14:45:56+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/n.c._senate_bill_may_dissolve_advantagewest_citizen-times_reports http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/n.c._senate_bill_may_dissolve_advantagewest_citizen-times_reports#When:13:16:11Z Part of North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory’s plans to turn the Department of Commerce into a public-private partnership that would be run like a business, Senate Bill 127 would mandate the dissolution of regional organizations like AdvantageWest and strip it of state funding. It passed a second reading in the Senate Monday night, May 13, by a 31-17 vote. Earlier this spring, Gov. Pat McCrory announced plans to turn the North Carolina Department of commerce into a public-private partnership that would “run much as a public business would, with a board chaired by the governor and filled by a mix of government appointees and executives from the private sector,” WRAL reported on Apri…... 2013-05-14T13:16:11+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/buncombe_county_considering_big_incentives_for_project_x http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/buncombe_county_considering_big_incentives_for_project_x#When:20:55:50Z Buncombe County commissioners will hold a special May 14 meeting to consider offering a big economic incentive deal to an undisclosed company, called “Project X” in related documents. As part of the proposal, the county would spend roughly $15.7 million on land acquisition and facility construction, and give the mystery company an additional $2.68 million in cash grants. In exchange, Project X would invest about $126.67 million into the local facility and create 52 new jobs, paying an average wage of $40,000 per year. In addition, the company would agree to continue employing an unknown number of current local workers; the “total amount of jobs impacted would be more than 760 positions,” according to the county’s resolution. The resolution also states that Project X informed the county that if it doe…... 2013-05-13T20:55:50+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/asheville_cedes_beer_city_title_to_grand_rapids http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/asheville_cedes_beer_city_title_to_grand_rapids#When:17:26:05Z Photo by Max Cooper After a four year winning streak, Asheville lost its title of ‘Beer City USA’ to Grand Rapids, Mich., according to poll results released May 13. Conducted by craft beer guru Charlie Papazian, the unscientific online poll showed Grand Rapids winning decisively with 27,005 votes. Kalamazoo, Mich. came in second with 11,150 votes and Asheville placed third, with 10,075. Last year, Asheville tied Grand Rapids for first place. Since Asheville’s tie for first in 2009 with Portland, Ore. the title has helped attract national attention to the area for its thriving craft beer scene. The local industry continues to boom, with New Belgium and Sierra Nevada brewing companies in the process of building major production facilities and several smaller breweries slated to open in coming months. However, Asheville garnered significantly less votes in this year’s poll than it did in 2012. Here’s the list…... 2013-05-13T17:26:05+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/trying_to_find_a_place_to_live_in_asheville http://www.mountainx.com/news/2013/trying_to_find_a_place_to_live_in_asheville#When:14:35:01Z In discussions about housing in Asheville government officials, developers, neighborhood activists, and even non-profit representatives are often featured in the media, especially when a dispute over a particular proposed development comes to the fore. But amid all the argument about appropriate density, aesthetics, traffic there’s another group that’s hardly ever heard from: Ashevilleans who work within the city and are trying to find a place to live. That’s often challenging, especially with the rising cost of housing. Many of us have, or know, personal stories, but they rarely make it into the public eye. So let us know: Did you manage to find an affordable place? Were the landlords reasonable? What was the condition of the housing? Has the search become harder over the years? Did you ever have to stay with friends? Were you ever homeless due to the difficulty of finding a place? Leave personal experiences in the comments below or…... 2013-05-13T14:35:01+00:00