Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods
Helping Neighborhoods become Better Places for all People
CAN MEETING
2nd Monday each month, 7:00pm-9:00pm at the Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd., behind the Fire Station and below the Library. Open to the public. Bring your issues, ideas, and energy.
1. Educate and inform the community about matters that concern Asheville area neighborhoods;
2. Provide a means for Asheville area neighborhood organizations and groups to share information; and
3. Provide technical assistance to neighborhood groups and individuals that are interested in participating in community affairs
RESOLUTIONS: None
#
Allotted
(Actual)
Topic
Presenter
1
5 min
(5 min)
Accepted August 11 Meeting Minutes by unanimous consent
Treasurer's Report ($4096 balance)
Marianna Bailey
2
10-15 min
Introductions - your name, neighborhood and quickly state any Issue / Success to share. Bill and Marianna Bailey
Tom Rightmyer (Weirbridge)
Robert Zeiber – 569 homeowner in association; trying to increase number of people directly active in organization.
Bernie (Haw Creek)
Grace Curry (GrovePark / SunsetMountain) Jerry Sternberg trying to stop traffic calming.Having a picnic on the 19th of October.
Betty Jackson (Beverly Hills)
Judy Williamson (Shiloh) participated in school drive.Saturday Sept 27nd concert from accapella group from Zambia.Concert from 3 pm in Community Center.Planning Fall festival
Kenilworth
Debbie applewhite (Beverly Hills)N’hood picnic last Saturday.Got kid arrested breaking into car
Parkwood Forest Board meeting and picnic on 27th
Mike Lewis
Marsha Stickford
Joe Minicozzi
Round the Table
3
10-15 min
Neighborhood Spotlight:Haw Creek - see story below.
Chris Pelly
4
10 min
UDO Amendment - Outdoor Lighting: Bernard reviewed the proposed UDO amendment for outdoor lighting and requested CAN support during P&Z and Council deliberation.P&Z will discuss in October and will hopefully come before Council in November.Bernard helped initiate a community focus group to create the proposed UDO amendment which met for 8 months including City Planning Dept., Progress Energy, Public Works, Enforcement, Police Safety group, designers, light specialists etc.See Outdoor Lighting Ordinance for summary of issues.
Bernard Arghiere
5
20-30 min
Organizing and Registering Neighborhoods: Led discussion of registering n'hoods with the city including the benefits to neighborhoods, the City and CAN.The following was discussed:
Registered n’hoods are linked to the City GIS map and database.
Current city Excel list of 75 n'hoods improves communication including notice of city events happening in n'hood.
Currently about 1/3rd don’t have boundaries defined.
Lots of missing holes as far as bylaws.
Consider whether how to encourage yearly updates of information.
Some groups do not want to write bylaws or have meetings.They are networked but just want to keep it low key.West Asheville links is good example.
Quandary over how to contact n'hoods or at what point decide that they are defunct.
Other community use the models of static n’hood boundaries.Have incentives tied to it including grant processes, do n’hood plans in every n’hood.RoanokeVA is a good example.
Piloting N’hood plan with South French Broad n’hood.
Training cross departmental staff to facilitate using Participatory Design Module.
Incentive example is BiltmorePark where with working as a organization with the Recreation Dept, Street Dept etc. have gotten city help in relation to their street party including reduction in fee for street barriers.
Other possible incentives include city supported organization mailings and community centers.
Marsha Stickford
6
5-10 min
Green Jobs Now! National Day of Action:Announced event (which was reportedly a huge success with over 200 people in attendance and impressive input by the students in the program) at PisgahViewCommunityPeaceGarden on Saturday, September 27th.As a pilot program and it is imperative to get community support so that it can continue.
Green Jobs Now! (GO) is an exciting new program in Asheville which serves underserved youth to prepare them to do green jobs.The program is 9 months and is targeted to youth 16 and older (currently have 8 eager participants).Its focus is toward helping create a Green economy to solve environmental issues and address poverty.1st semester is soft skills.2nd semester do apprenticeship and earn living wage.Funded through Clean Air community trust, Green building council etc. and associated with A-B Tech.The students will receive a certificate at end of program.Additionally the program will include mentoring for GED completion.
Brittany Cusworth
7
10 min
CAN Congress:Progress Report
Mike Lewis
8
5 min
Compile list of CAN members serving on Boards.Received written list from Joe Minicozzi.Robert, Barbara, and Tom are on several boards including possibly Watershed and Stormwater Advisory committees but do not believe obtained full list.
James Judd
9
5-15 min
Technical Committee Update
I-26 project:
Please look at AshevilleDesignCenter website for supporting information and submit your comments to the DOT prior to the public comment deadline of Oct 24th.
Announced community meeting on Sept 16 with DOT concerning the I-26 project.
Announced a follow up meeting at the AshevilleDesignCenter on the 24th
Downtown Association trying to pull together a CountyCommissioner forum.Looking at Sept 25th for the forum.
Watershed, meeting to be held on Sept 11.Short answer is we will be polluting streams a little less vigorously.City has protested new flood plain maps.City will get new maps at end of month.Have got a reduction of 1 square mile.In some areas 30 feet will be alright in others it won’t work.Look for protection of how much buffers.Hardship areas.
Joe Minicozzi
Tom Rightmyer
10
Additional Agenda Items – None
Open to All
1:20 to 2:05
(1:55)
TOTAL minutes
Meetings are 2nd Monday of the Month
Check Outwww.AshevilleCAN.org
Neighborhood Spotlight - Haw Creek Community Association: From a presentation by Association President, Chris Pelly, at the September 2008 CAN meeting
Approximately 7,500 residents, or ten percent of the City of Asheville's population, live in this convenient neighborhood that was a rural farming area not too long ago. In the olden days it had its own stagecoach that transported residents to and from Asheville because it was fairly isolated from the city. That began to change in the late 1970's, when the cut was made through BeaucatcherMountain to provide easier access through the city. This action contributed to the increased development of the area that changed Haw Creek from a rural area to the fast growing community it has become, as evident by the current average of 1 new subdivision per year.
The Haw Creek Community Association was formed in 1984. It has been an active organization from the start and has made a real impact on the community and the quality of life for Haw Creek residents. The Association has achieved a great balance of reoccurring events and new projects, both of which involve a large group of residents yearly. Some of the ongoing efforts include a very professional looking newsletter and web site; a Memorial Day Bike Parade for younger residents -with a contest for the best decorated bike judged by local veterans; and a popular Annual Community Barbeque, where community members can gather and catch up with each other over great food from a community restaurant.
The Haw Creek Community Association has an outstanding record of successes with projects that address infrastructure and quality of life needs in the community. These projects demonstrate the leadership the Association has provided for building a strong future for the Haw Creek Community by actively enlisting community members and others in seeking ways to improve the community. One ongoing project has been the building of sidewalks to connect the community. This summer the completion of one segment of this project was celebrated in July, when Mayor Bellamy and other officials cut the ribbon for a quarter mile stretch of sidewalk along New Haw Creek Road. Another community-wide effort has been the project to create a park on 9 acres of land that connects to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Mountain to Sea Trail. This project started out around a resident's kitchen table two years ago and has drawn support from both the City and the County government. In addition, 125 Haw Creek families have made contributions to the project to which all the residents of Asheville and Buncombe County will have access since eventually the park will become a passive park within the City park system.
The Community Association works in other ways to address the issues that impact residents. It holds candidates' forums during city elections. It also takes action on residents' concerns by bringing the folks who can address and respond to community problems. An example of this role is the ongoing monitoring of local development and communication with appropriate city staff if and when problems occur. Another is the recent community meeting with Progress Energy to discuss the placement of a large regulator on a property on Haw Creek and potential additional sites for regulators.
At any given time, 35 to 40 Haw Creek community members are directly involved with the Association and its projects, a fact that demonstrates the ownership community members feel in the Haw Creek Community Association. For more information on the Association and the Haw Creek Neighborhood, please visit www.hawcreeknc.org/index.html
