City of Asheville seeks members for Civic Center Commission, Haywood Street Advisory Team

Press release:

Be a Local Leader

The City of Asheville has various openings on various committees.  Have you ever wanted to make a difference?  Have you wondered, “Can the City benefit from my experience and knowledge?”  Do you want to have a voice in the City’s growth and future?  Do you want to be a part of the body that is responsible for making decisions regarding policy, service and education?  If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then it’s time to take that initial step forward and put your perspective, leadership and knowledge to task by serving on one of the many committees we have to offer.

The boards listed below currently have vacancies.  The deadline for receiving applications for these openings is Wednesday, May 4 at 5 p.m.

Please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 259-5601 or by e-mail at mburleson@ashevillenc.gov for an application form.

CIVIC CENTER COMMISSION – Some duties of the Commission include (1) reviewing and making recommendations on programming goals and objectives for each venue in the Civic Center; (2) establishing a method for handling of customer service complaints; (3) developing and making recommendations regarding long range plans for the Civic Center; (4) reviewing and making recommendations on proposals for changes in the fees and charges for use of Civic Center facilities; (5) encouraging promotion of sports, recreation, entertainment and cultural events and activities, and to facilitate the use of the services and facilities of the Civic Center; and (6) performing other such tasks and functions as the City Council may direct.

HAYWOOD STREET ADVISORY TEAM –  The City of Asheville will be undertaking a community visioning process for city-owned properties at 68-76 Haywood Street and 33-37 Page Avenue in downtown Asheville.  The city has retained the Asheville Design Center (ADC) for this effort, who will work with city staff to facilitate the community visioning process.  The outcomes will be designed to inform future actions on the subject sites and surrounding rights-of-way (the “Study Area”), which may include a future design competition and/or a Request for Qualifications/Proposals.  The project’s scope will include strategic planning and coordination with an Advisory Team, key stakeholders, as well as the broadest community interests who express a desire to participate in an open, democratic “town hall” process of consensus building.  Engagement with local stakeholders and property owners will inform a long-term vision for the properties, while also serving to identify opportunities for temporary installations to enliven the space now and suggest appropriate permanent uses on the site over time.

The city envisions that the final deliverable of this project will include a full exploration of site constraints and opportunities and publicly-informed expectations, priorities and considerations for the Study Area. The document will be a culmination of community ideas and strategic planning for the Study Area that will help to inform future actions, rather than determine a definitive design for the Study Area.

Scope of the Haywood Street Advisory Team:  ADC will work with city staff to form an Advisory Team for the public visioning process and implementation plan. The Advisory Team will have representation, at minimum, from the following organizations (in no particular order), plus three at-large members:

• City of Asheville Recreation Board;
• Asheville Downtown Commission;
• Historic Resources Commission of Asheville & Buncombe County (HRC);
• Public Art and Cultural Commission (PACC);
• Buncombe County liaison;
• Asheville Downtown Association;
• The Basilica of St. Lawrence;
• Friends of St. Lawrence Green;
• Grove Arcade;
• Battery Park Hotel/Vanderbilt Apartments representative(s);
• Downtown Asheville Residential Neighbors (DARN);
• Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce;
• U.S. Cellular Center; and,
• Asheville Buskers Collective.

The Advisory Team will be involved throughout the community visioning process. The scope of the Advisory Team includes, at a minimum, the following tasks:

• Kick-off meeting with ADC and city staff on the project
• Review of site analyses of the Study Area, as submitted by ADC
• Workshop with the Advisory Team to explore creative ideas for implementation and  management of vibrant civic spaces
• A follow-up session with the Advisory Team to explore techniques and best practices for the public visioning workshops
• Input and attendance from the Advisory Team regarding two public workshops
• Follow-up presentation from ADC to Advisory Team to report on the input received from the workshops
• Review of final documentation, as submitted by ADC, that will include a full exploration of site constraints and opportunities and publicly-informed expectations, priorities and considerations for the Study Area, including presentation of the draft visioning document to the Advisory Team by ADC

Additional responses to the questions below MUST BE included with each application:

1. What relationship, if any, do you have with any of the other Haywood Street Advisory Team groups?
2. What do you want the Advisory Team to achieve for this project?
3. Please describe your experience with conducting or participating in a community visioning process, master plan or other related project.  What was the outcome?
4. As a member of the Advisory Team it is expected that you will be fair and impartial during the community visioning process.  Please indicate whether or not you have any conflicts with this statement.