Buncombe County Updates Oct. 28

Press release from Buncombe County:

Buncombe County Courthouse Updates, Turbidity Curtains Installed, and Community Remembrance 

Community Care Stations, providing showers, laundry, and more, will continue to operate in their current locations. Some adjustments are taking place at the Community Care Station at the Swannanoa Ingles as equipment gets switched out. While disruption in services is not anticipated, those looking to use the community care station in Swannanoa on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning may want to go to the Owen Pool site.

Community Care Stations:

• A.C. Reynolds High School (ADA showers and bathrooms)
• At Home Store parking lot (ADA showers and bathrooms)
• Buncombe County Sports Park (ADA showers and bathrooms)
• Bethel United Methodist (ADA showers and bathrooms)
• Swannanoa Ingles (ADA showers and porta john toilets)
• Owen Pool (ADA showers and bathrooms)
• Morgan Hill Baptist Church (ADA showers and bathrooms)
• Innsbruck Mall/Tunnel Road 85 Tunnel Road (toilets and showers)

Buncombe County registered nurses and the Mobile Team are offering free Tdap, COVID, Flu and Hep A vaccines at Community Care Sites:

• Swannanoa Ingles: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Buncombe County Sports Park: Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Big Lots: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m.

The One Buncombe Call Center at 828-250-6100 is ready to answer any calls with Hurricane Helene questions. Starting this Wednesday, the One Buncombe Call Center will be open everyday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Water and Food Distribution Sites
Water and meals ready to eat are available at distribution sites open everyday at:

• Sky Lanes Bowling Alley
• Black Mountain Ingles
• Swannanoa Ingles
• Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center
• Pack Square Park
• Buncombe County Sports Park
• Fairview Ingles

Early Voting Locations
This is the last week to go out and vote at any early voting location. Early voting is open everyday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m.

The locations are:

• Black Mountain Library
• East Asheville Library
• Enka-Candler Library
  Fairview Library
• Leicester Community Center
• South Buncombe Library
• UNCA Health & Counseling Center (new location)
• Weaverville Community Center
• Dr. Wesley Grant Southside Center
• West Asheville Library

Trash and Recycling Pickup
Today and Tuesday WastePro will operate normal routes for household trash and recycling. Residents should utilize the transfer station or landfill if WastePro is unable to access them, however they have been successful at reaching most of Monday and Tuesday routes.

Water Restoration Updates
Today, turbidity curtains are being installed at the North Fork Water Reservoir that will allow crews to treat water turbidity in sections. Once these are installed, dosing of aluminum sulfate and caustic soda to treat the water will begin. The turbidity level as of yesterday afternoon was 23.3, down from 26 last week. If everything goes well this week with the second round of in-reservoir treatment, the turbidity levels should drop more. Water crews are aiming for 1.2-2 NTUs (Nephelometric Turbidity unit) to begin normal treatment and filtration process to put potable water back into the system.

Building Damage Assessment
City of Asheville staff have completed phase 2 of the building damage assessments related to Hurricane Helene storm damage.

• 908 structures have passed inspection and are safe (green tag)
• 409 structures have damaged areas of the building that should be avoided but the building is occupiable (yellow tag)
• 182 structures are unsafe to occupy (red tag)

 

In flood zone areas, red and yellow tagged buildings may be substantially damaged which means the cost to repair the building exceeds 50% of the value of the structure. These buildings will have to comply with current city ordinances and FEMA requirements. Work to diminish storm-related damage may take place and the value of that work will be included in the total repair value which will add up to the 50%.

The public works stormwater flood team can assist with questions about substantially damaged structures and can be reached at 828-259-5670. Permits for storm-related repairs are required in many instances and can be found at develop.ashevillenc.gov.

FEMA
As of this morning, over 47,000 applications have been approved in Buncombe County which includes more than $66 million paid directly to survivors. A new Disaster Recovery Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) is now open at Cane Creek Pool at 590 Lower Bush Creek Road in Fairview. This location is open everyday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. A mobile disaster recovery center is at the Buncombe County Sports Park at 58 Apac Drive in Asheville open through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The best way to register is at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.

Buncombe County Parks and Recreation
The Buncombe County Sports Park has partially reopened between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. This opening includes the dog park, community garden, fields 1, 2, 8 and 9, and the playground area. The disc golf course and walking path remain closed due to tree damage and erosion issues. The only other open County parks are Hominy Valley Park and North Buncombe Fields.

Buncombe County Courthouse
The Buncombe County Courthouse is open for regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Criminal and civil district and superior administrative courts are operational. All jurors are excused through the end of October. Those with an attorney should reach out to them for information about their case.

 

For details on criminal cases, contact the District Attorney’s Office at 828-259-3410 or the Clerk’s Office at 828-259-3400. For civil superior court cases, all jury trials scheduled in October will be continued. Jury trials will resume November 1, 2024. Hearings on motions will be held as previously scheduled unless a new date is given by the Trial Court Administrator. For attorneys/parties in civil cases that have no access to the internet and wish to have their hearings conducted via Webex, a space will be made available in the Courthouse with a computer connection to conduct remote hearings via Webex. For questions regarding these or other issues, please contact Trial Court Coordinator, John Rogers, atjohn.d.rogers@nccourts.org or call 828-259-6479.

 

Reminder: Although the courts are open, individuals may wish to utilize the electronic filing option which is available on NCCourts.gov under eCourts. Filing deadlines have been extended to October 28. Filing deadlines will NOT be extended after Oct.28.

 

Our court partners also wanted us to warn our community about a sophisticated scam targeting residents in our area, claiming the victims failed to report to jury duty and there is a federal warrant for their arrest.

 

How it works:

• Scammers contact you by phone or email, claiming you failed to report for jury duty.
• They falsely state there’s a federal warrant for your arrest.
• To make it look legitimate, they may send a fake arrest warrant with real names of North Carolina federal law enforcement officers and prosecutors.
• They demand payment to “avoid jail time,” often requesting payment via a virtual currency machine or kiosk.
• Scammers may manipulate caller ID to make it seem like the call is from a courthouse or government agency.
• Victims are sometimes asked to bring a receipt to a law enforcement agency for “filing.”

 

Remember:

• Legitimate arrest warrants are never emailed or texted. They are served in person by law enforcement or court officials.
• No law enforcement agency will ever demand payment over the phone.
• Be cautious and skeptical of unsolicited calls asking for personal information or payment.
• Be wary of unsolicited phone calls, emails, or texts.
• Do not give money or personal information to anyone you don’t know.

 

If you receive such a call or email, hang up immediately and contact local authorities. If you believe you have been a victim of a jury duty scam or other fraudulent scheme, file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

Community Remembrance
The Town of Black Mountain invites the community to join together on Tuesday, October 29 at 6 p.m. in Town Square, 100 State St., for a Community Reflection and Remembrance Program to recognize and honor the grief and loss due to Hurricane Helene as a town, as a valley, as a region. The program will feature remarks from community leaders, readings, and music as we continue our journey of healing. A candlelight vigil will take place at the conclusion of the program. The program will be live streamed on the Town of Black Mountain’s official Facebook page at facebook.com/townofblackmountain for those who cannot attend in person.

City of Asheville Updates
Many city services have resumed. This includes the afterschool program for students who were previously enrolled, the Asheville Municipal Golf Course will reopen the back nine and the clubhouse today, and the Aston Park Tennis Center will reopen all 12 courts to the general public on Wednesday, October 30. All play will be free until the internet is restored at the park.

 

ART Transit Services: Yesterday, ART services resumed regular scheduled hours for most bus routes Monday through Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays and holidays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Buses are no longer offering flag stops; transit riders need to wait at a designated bus stop to board their bus. Service is free of charge until further notice. Shuttle service is still providing transportation between the WNC Ag Center and American Red Cross shelters. Visit ashevillenc.gov/transit for more information.

 

Leaf Collection: While City crews will not be collecting storm debris, city sanitation crews have begun collecting paper bagged leaves starting today. They ask everyone to consider waiting as long as they can to set out bags of leaves for collection. This will help crews move efficiently. Buncombe County does not do leaf pickup.