Emotions flared at the Buncombe County Board of Commissioner’s Oct. 21 meeting during a discussion about the extra hours the Register of Deeds office stayed open on Oct. 10 in anticipation of Judge Max Cogburn Jr.’s ruling against the ban on same-sex marriage in North Carolina. The office stayed open until 7 p.m., two hours past […]
Author: Cameron Huntley
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Later today: Commissioners deliberate on funding for YMCA, Mountain Mobility
County commissioners will convene today, Oct. 21, to consider two financial decisions related to county and city institutions. The first concerns the Buncombe County Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Western North Carolina, which is seeking financial assistance for various upgrades and improvement projects, by way of Wisconsin: The organization is seeking the proceeds of […]
Council approves new innovation districts
Today, Oct. 14, Asheville City Council approved the creation of three municipal service districts (MSD) as a way to finance redevelopment and infrastructural improvements. The three MSDs — what city officials are calling “innovation districts” — will be in the River Arts District, the South Slope Extension and Charlotte Street Corridor. “The areas that have been selected have the opportunity […]
Holding on: Local child services weather funding cuts
Every nonprofit director has a horror story about the perils of relying on outside funding. “It’s a house of cards,” says Jim Barrett, executive director of Pisgah Legal Services. “Stressful,” says John Lauterbach, executive director of Caring for Children. “It’s competitive every year.” “I’ve done WIC for 28 years now,” adds Georganna Cogburn, nutrition program […]
Council preview: Innovation districts, Greymont Village continuation on Oct. 14 agenda
Asheville City Council will convene Tuesday, Oct. 14, to discuss the “innovation districts” mentioned by Mayor Esther Manheimer in her Sept. 30 State of the City address, as well as attempt to settle a proposed rezoning on Sardis Road that Council members punted from their Sept. 4 meeting. Council also held an information session on innovation districts […]
High-flying history: Restored World War II bomber comes to town
You’re 18 or 19 years old, and you’ve volunteered or been drafted after the United States’ entry into World War II. You’re assigned to a B-17 for bombing runs, along with nine other crewmen. There’s a good chance it’s night, a good chance that, once airborne, you hear nothing but the roar of the four […]
Bothwell questions APD surveillance; Council approves 56 S. Lexington incentive
Asheville Council members extended a graffiti-cleanup initiative and approved $250,000 to fund burying power cables for a residential/commercial project on S. Lexington Avenue. Council member Cecil Bothwell was the lone “nay” vote on both items and also said he was “totally ticked” about the Police Department’s filming of protests and protesters.
Cutting costs: Retirement incentive shuffles county budget, staff
A list requested by Mountain Xpress shows 125 employees taking an early-retirement incentive at Buncombe County.
MED Week’s entrepreneur of the year: Hector Romero
Hector Romero sees his life in Asheville as no accident. “God had it in my path that we should come to Asheville,” he says. “My wife and I loved Asheville, and so we set our eyes here.” But his journey to the Paris of the South was neither quick nor easy. Romero, who won the […]
Commissioners approve zoning plan, Wicked Weed incentives
Buncombe County’s Board of Commissioners adopted an economic incentive for Wicked Weed Brewing. They also adopted a zoning plan for land that had been in Weaverville’s extra-territorial jurisdiction.
Buncombe Commissioners to consider Wicked Weed incentives, Weaverville zoning
Buncombe County Commissioners will seek public feedback on two issues tomorrow night, Sept. 16: one involving an economic incentive deal to Wicked Weed Brewing and the other regarding Weaverville zoning.
MED Week update: Social and economic improvement, one block at a time
Stephanie Swepson-Twitty, president and CEO of Eagle Market Street Development Corporation, was a 30-year veteran of “banking, finance and retail” when she switched gears and went to work for the nonprofit she now directs as an AmeriCorps intern. “I served them two years as an intern,” she said. “And then one thing led to another, […]
MED Week: Better than an Oscar
One thing is for certain: If you want to hold an awards ceremony with some class, hold it at the Homewood Center in Montford. Over 50 people gathered in the elegant castle-like edifice on Sept. 11 for the Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Recognition Reception; the MED board handed out several awards for excellence in minority business […]
Minority Enterprise Development Week: Meet Your Lender!
Minority Enterprise Development Week, in its 31st year in Asheville, kicked off its third day of events Sept. 10 with what could be called “lender speed dating.” MED Week organizers dub the event “Meet Your Lender,” and it took place on the third floor of the Self-Help Credit Union on Wall Street in downtown Asheville. […]
Council, developer butt heads over rent rates in rezoning proposal
Contention sprung from unexpected corners at the Asheville City Council meeting on Sept. 9, as Council members and a land developer stared each other down on rental rates and safety commitments for a proposed residential development on Sardis Road. Complicating the debate was the fact that about half the development falls within the city limits. The applicant — Winston-Salem Industries […]
Buncombe commissioners approve $1.3 million for Enka/Candler sports complex
After an hour-long discussion and seven stipulations, Buncombe County commissioners approved donating $1.3 million to help fund a new sports complex in Enka-Candler — although one commissioner described the proposal as a “little outside the norm.”
Preview: Buncombe County commissioners meet Sept. 2
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will meet Tuesday, Sept. 2, with a very light agenda planned. The two main items before the Board are a road-closing petition and public hearing, and, in “New Business,” a “Commitment of Spec Building Proceedings.” The first item references Oak Street in Upper Hominy Valley. It’s an unopened road — mapped but never constructed […]
Statehouse candidates debate: Ramsey vs. Ager
There wasn’t much tension between Nathan Ramsey and John Ager at the Council of Independent Business Owners’s early-morning debate, Friday, Aug. 29 perhaps because of a personal history. “John’s my neighbor,” said Ramsey. “I’ve known John since I was probably about two years old.” Not only are the two candidates personal acquaintances, both grew up in the […]
Buncombe Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger takes the heat for snow days
It’s been a hard few months for Buncombe County Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger. His office remains under intense scrutiny following the news that Reisinger, an elected official, closed the Deeds office in February during inclement weather and a governor-declared State of Emergency. No other Buncombe County department closed at the time. Buncombe officials later responded to the apparent […]
Commissioners approve Pack Place funds
After an hour and a half of deliberation, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved funding for Pack Place for the new fiscal year, 2014-2015, though many questions linger. “From the beginning, every nickel of county money was to support the nonprofits [in Pack Place],” said Board Chair David Gantt. “We want to make sure these institutions […]
Preview: Buncombe commissioners study Pack Place lease and more
The Buncombe County Commissioners will convene Tuesday, Aug. 19, with three key issues on the agenda: gathering more information on the city of Asheville’s lease for Pack Place nonprofits, a zoning-ordinance change for planned unit developments (PUDs) and a loan that will help the Fairview Volunteer Fire Department.