City of Asheville to host virtual Memorial Day ceremony

Press release from City of Asheville: 

City of Asheville government will be closed May 25 for Memorial Day. City facilities remain closed to the public at this time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though some parks have reopened.

During this public health emergency, City employees have continued their work, some in the field, such as in sanitation, water, transit, fire and police, while others, such as in finance, human resources and community development, have worked remotely.

Virtual Memorial Day ceremony

This year’s Asheville-Buncombe Memorial Day Ceremony will be held as a virtual ceremony, because of the need for physical distance with the State of Emergency posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The keynote speaker will be Anne Adkins, a Gold Star Mother who lost her son Matthew during his active duty in Iraq.

The ceremony, planned in concert with the Buncombe County Veterans Council, will be streamed live from Asheville City Hall. Tune into the City of Asheville’s YouTube channel at 11 a.m. Memorial Day, May 25, to view the ceremony live in real time. The City of Asheville and Buncombe County encourage all residents to tune in to this virtual Memorial Day Ceremony in remembrance of the fallen, those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Find more information at this link.

ART bus service

City of Asheville ART bus service routes and facilities will operate on a reduced holiday schedule May 25. This is one of six holidays throughout the calendar year that ART runs on a holiday bus schedule. The holiday schedule is the same as a Sunday schedule the bus routes follow.

Please keep in mind that COVID-19 service impacts will still include:

No service for Route 170.
·         No service for Route S6.
·         WE1 trips going eastbound towards Asheville Mall that depart on the hour will continue to not run.
There is a 10-person maximum per bus and bus service remains fare free. Also, riders are now required to get on and off the bus using the rear door only, unless a rider needs to use the front-door wheelchair ramp or have the bus lowered to ease boarding.  This is an additional measure to increase physical distancing between drivers and riders. For more information, visit the ART service alerts webpage.

Sanitation collection

Sanitation will be closed on Memorial Day.  There will be no trash, recycling, or brush collection. Sanitation collections will operate Tuesday through Friday instead. The collection day for all customers will be one day later than normal this week.

Parks

All community and recreation centers will be closed, including the WNC Nature Center.
A limited number of courts at Aston Park Tennis Center will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The clubhouse, including restrooms and the pro shop, will be closed.

All parks will be open normal operating hours; however all playgrounds will be closed.  All buildings located in parks, including restrooms, will be closed.

Ready Team Call Center

The joint City-County Ready Team Call Center will be open on Memorial Day. You can reach the Ready Team call center at 828-419-0095 or by emailing ready@buncombecounty.org. Call center hours are 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville will be closed May 25.

Water Resources staff will be available for water-related emergencies 24 hours a day during the holiday. Customers can call the customer service line at 828-251-1122 to report water related emergencies, leaks, breaks and no water calls.

All public safety services, including police, fire and emergency response, will operate according to normal schedule – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.