Spring Newsletter! - Friends of Connect Buncombe

Spring 2015
The Connector
Your Input is Needed!
Friends of Connect Buncombe is collaborating
with other Buncombe County greenway groups to
explore strategies for a marketing and branding
initiative, and we need your input.
Please join us for a casual discussion in focus
group format about how we can share our
message and develop a community approach to
advocating for a connected system of greenways
through-out Buncombe County. In an effort to develop a messaging, marketing,
and advocacy strategy for a countywide system
of trails and greenways in Buncombe County, we
are seeking community participation on a
geographic basis by hosting a series of
roundtable meetings. We are asking for your
participation on one of the following dates: In addition Geographic Roundtables, we will
also be hosting Thematic
Roundtables, focusing on the following
themes: schools/universities, elected officials,
healthy living, user groups, developers,
businesses, historical/cultural, and tourism
during the between July 20 and 23rd. If you would like to participate in one of the
following thematic roundtable meetings, save
the following dates:
North Buncombe Tues. June 23rd, 10 -11 a.m.
Weaverville Town Hall,
30 South Main Street, Weaverville
East Buncombe Tues., June 23, 2-3 p.m.
Black Mountain Library,
105 N. Daugherty Street, Black Mountain
West Buncombe Wed., June 24, 2-3 p.m.
Enka/Candler Library,
1404 Sandhill Road, Asheville
South Buncombe Wed., June 24, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
South Buncombe Library,
260 Overlook Road, Asheville Central Thursday, June 25, 10 a.m.
Lord Auditorium, Pack Library,
Haywood Road
User Groups Monday, July 20, 3-4 p.m.
Lord Auditorium, Pack Library, Haywood Road
Cultural/Heritage Monday, July 20, 2-4 p.m.
Lord Auditorium, Pack Library, Haywood Road
If you have expertise in other areas and are
interested in participating, please contact Ann
Babcock at annhbabcock@gmail.com.
You're invited!
To a Friends of Connect Buncombe Informal Dinner Social
with guest speaker, Sig Hutchinson
on Friday, June 19th at 6:30
We're having an informal Friday night potluck social with guest speaker, Sig Hutchinson. You and
your family are invited! Please join us on Friday, June 19th at 6:30 p.m. for a fun, informal Friends
of Connect Buncombe gathering at Suzanne Molloy and Terry Albrecht's house. Libations and
dessert will be provided. Bring a potluck dish or hors d'oeuvres. Please click
on the "I'm Coming" button below if you can make it. We'd like to thank our board, collaborative partners, and supporters of
Friends of Connect Buncombe. Let's get together for some fun and
inspiration! Sig Hutchinson will speak at 7:45 p.m.
Sig has been a driving force behind the creation of more than 180 miles of
interconnected greenways as former President of the Triangle Greenway Council. Sig has been
honored as "Tarheel of the Week" by the News and Observer, "Volunteer of the Year" by Wake
County. "Green Advocate of the Year" by the Triangle Business Journal, "Top 50 Entrepreneurs in the
Triangle" by Business Leader Magazine, a "Goodman Award" by Leadership Triangle, the "Citizen's
Award" by the NC Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, "Leadership Award" by
WakeUP Wake County, and the A.E. Finley Distinguished Service Award by the Greater Raleigh
Chamber of Commerce. Click “I’m Coming” below if you can make it.
I'm Coming!
If you have any questions contact Suzanne Molloy
at 828-216-3290 or
suzannemolloy@charter.net.
We will have some extra hands on board to help
take care of little ones.
Directions to 18 Ozark Spring Lane in Haw
Creek. Take 70 East from I-240. At first stop
light, take left into Haw Creek and immediate
right onto New Haw Creek Rd. Go approx. 1.3
miles and turn right onto Bell Rd (by ballfields,
go 1/4 mile and turn right onto Ozark Spring
Lane. We are at top of cul de sac with red
windows. My kids will be helping people
FoCB Volunteers Raise
Money
Friends of Connect Buncombe provided
volunteers for the first race in the Race to the
Taps series of road races. The race was held on
Saturday, April 25th at Highlands Brewing
Company. FoCB had their new display ready for
this event and it was a beautiful sight to see. In
From our President
As we move into the summer months, our attention
turns to enjoying the outdoors and recreating with
friends and family. And what a wonderful setting we
have here in western North Carolina to hike, bike
and contemplate Mother Nature. Studies show
that, the closer a park or recreation area is to one’s
home, the more likely one is to get outside to
exercise.
We have been advocating for county greenway
development for over a year. In order to get out our
message about the importance of walking and
biking trails to a healthier lifestyle, we have
participated in community events such as Race to
the Taps and the pre-opening charity event (Open
Doors, Open Hearts) for Asheville Outlets. We
recently invited a number of elected officials and
community leaders to ride the Swamp Rabbit Trail in
Greenville, SC and see first hand the positive
economic impact it has had on that area.
addition to reaching many people through our
display, we raised $1000 dollars for the
organization by providing volunteers. Our
volunteers included Dave Charlton, Suzanne
Molloy, Marcia Bromberg, Linda Giltz, Katherine
Cross, Dwayne Stutzman, Sara Davis, Mel
Scholl, Ann Babcock, Claudia Nix, Julie White,
Scott Hinkle, Terry Albrecht, Sylvia Kark, Karen
Rabideau, Nancy Waldrop, Janet McAfee, Lisa
Hudgins, and Wayne Stanko. Many thanks go to
all who made this a successful event for Friends
of Connect Buncombe!
We were also invited to participate in the Open
Doors / Open Hearts Charity night event the
day before the official opening of the new outlet
mall. Each participating charity (there were 20
in all) received the $20.00 entry fee designated
by the attendee. FoCB volunteers helped staff
the registration tables and we had an
information table in the outdoor mall on
Saturday. Volunteers included Marcia
Bromberg, Robbie Sweetzer, Mel Scholl, Susan
Molloy, Claudia Nix, Julie White and Ann
Babcock. As we move forward with developing grassroots
support, our group of collaborative greenway
partners saw the need for a unified message and
image that succinctly describes goals and
identification of the future greenway system.
Therefore, in partnership with the other greenway
related organizations, we are embarking on a
Marketing and Branding initiative. We will be inviting
participation in focus groups related to specific
geographic areas and specific themes (tourism,
culture, economic development, elected officials,
healthy living, etc.). See Newsletter.
We are also launching a membership/sponsorship
drive this month. With a larger number of active
members we will be in a better position to spread
the “greenway” word and also provide a basis for
event volunteers. At the same time, we will be
asking local businesses to join as sponsors and
provide a financial foundation for operational costs,
including a possible Executive Director position.
All of these activities take volunteer time and
funding and we are most grateful for both. Your
support and on-going involvement is essential to
seeing the actual implementation of the County
Master Plan for Greenways and Trails!
Ann Babcock, President
Our Trip to the Swamp Rabbit Trail
Friends of Connect Buncombe organized a bike trip on South Carolina's Swamp Rabbit Trail on
Thursday, May 7. We contacted every elected Buncombe County official and a few business
groups. We welcomed eight such guests who joined eight FoCB board members for a ten mile ride
from Travelers Rest to Greenville. Mayor Wayne McCall of Travelers Rest spoke to the group about
the positive changes the SRT absolutely has made to his town. In Greenville at the Liberty Bridge
pedestrian connection to the SRT, Ed Kinney with Greenville City and Ty Houck from Greenville
County Parks and Recreation spoke of the economic impacts of the SRT followed by Q&A time. We
didn’t have many elected officials on the trip but got some good press coverage as Josh Awtry, ACTimes editor was along on the trip. One of the best things about the trip was that Nathan Ramsey,
former NC House of
Representative, and his wife
Robin, US Senator Richard Burr's
current Buncombe County field
representative, were in
attendance. The last time Robin
was on a bike was when she was
9 years old. They both had such
fun that they are determined to go
purchase bikes, now. We hope to
have this type of event another
time in the future.
We are very grateful for Black
Mountain-based Velo Girl Rides
(http://velogirlrides.com), Jen and
David Billstrom, for their
assistance as SAG and shuttle
service for the participants.
Guests attending...
Josh Awtry, Asheville Citizen-Times VP/Exec Editor
Leah Cooper, Sierra Nevada
Josh Holmes, Holmes Surveying and board member CIBO
Marc Hunt, Asheville City Council Vice Mayor
Jordan Penley, daughter of Weaverville Vice Mayor John Penley
Nathan Ramsey, former NC State Representative
Robin Ramsey, USSenator Richard Burr Buncombe County field representative
Paul Black, FBR MPO
Robbie Sweetzer
Josh Awtry, editor of the Citizen-Times wrote a nice editorial following the trip to South
Carolina. To read the full article follow this link:
Swamp Rabbit Article
First Project or I-26
Greenway
There was an incredible turn out at the public
meeting hosted by NC DOT on March 23 at the NC
Arboretum. This meeting was for individuals to
comment on the proposed greenway along the I-26
corridor. There were around 300 people who
attended and the board of Friends of Connect
Buncombe (FOCB) thanks all of you who gave your
opinions and suggestions.
The first project for FOCB was to connect
Hominy Creek put-in park to the Farmer’s Market,
Bent Creek Neighborhood, Recreational Area and
the NC Arboretum for a continuous greenway. We
talked with Buncombe County government about
applying for one of the Metropolitan Planning
Organization’s (MPO) transportation grants for a
feasibility study for this greenway. They agreed to
apply and the project was accepted for the upcoming fiscal year. When we started sharing this
idea with folks it was suggested that we should look
at including the I-26 corridor to Long Shoals Road
since NCDOT was in process of widening this
section of roadway. Local Representative at the time,
Nathan Ramsey, began talking with NC DOT and
helped us get funding from DOT to assist with the
section along the I-26 corridor. DOT then agreed to fast track this section’s
feasibility study so it could be on line with the
I-26 widening. This is why that section is moving
forward so quickly and before the Farmer’s
Market section. The County then modified the
original grant request which was accepted by the
MPO. The feasibility study for this section is still
on track to begin after funding is released July of
2015.
We are still waiting for the final report
from the consultants on the I-26 feasibility plan. We will have a better idea of suggested routing
when we get the report. It is most likely that the
greenway will follow along some part of the west
side of I-26 and the French Broad River. It is
most likely that it will take combinations of each
of the four suggested routes and that it will
connect to the Asheville Outlet Mall. In the
future we will need further grants to develop
construction and to purchase right of way,
however any section that is adjacent the
highway the DOT will purchase right of way and
grade it when they begin doing that for the
highway. We will keep you posted as we learn
more.
Claudia Nix
We are excited to launch Friends of Connect Buncombe’s Membership Program. Join us in our
mission to encourage and support the implementation of the Greenways and Trails Master Plan and
construction of greenways throughout the County through public awareness, community education,
and fundraising activities. Together, we can realize this vision. We cannot do it without you!
Benefits of Membership/Sponsorship
Membership includes a GREENWAYS PLEASE bumper sticker, e-invites and updates on greenway
events, annual meeting/event, volunteer opportunities, and a yearly subscription to our E-newsletter.
You have the choice of joining and paying online, with your credit card, or downloading an application
and mailing it in with your check. For more information follow this link:
Join Us Today!
New Group,
Connect Enka,
Forms
A new greenways advocacy
group, Connect Enka, has
formed in Enka-Candler with
the intention to work in close
collaboration with Friends of
Connect Buncombe. The
mission of the group is “to
connect the communities surrounding EnkaCandler through safe, accessible bike and
pedestrian routes to neighboring schools,
businesses, and parks, and to connect with other
active transportation corridors in Asheville and
Buncombe County.” Two miles of the Hominy
Creek Greenway Corridor travel along Hominy
Creek on the site and one mile of this greenway
has already been funded. Once complete, this
corridor will connect to the City of Asheville along
Sand Hill road and also provide access to the
Arboretum and West Asheville along the Brevard
Road Corridor. The area is undergoing rapid
redevelopment with the construction of the New
Belgium Brewing Distribution Center,
the new Enka Intermediate School, a baseball
and softball sports park, and a new Ingles
Grocery Store.
Co-founders Garrett Artz and Emily Sutton
Dezio have assembled a large group of local
supporters to advocate for the Greenways.
American Enka originally built the factory site, the
mills town and Enka Lake with the intention to
make the gardens and greenspace “the lungs of
the factory.” The new group hopes that the new
greenways will be the lungs of the greater EnkaCandler area and make the community stronger
and healthier by making active transportation
options readily available.
Garrett Artz
FoCB Supports Black Mountain
Greenways Fundraising Campaign
The Black Mountain Greenway Commission recently
completed a successful fundraising campaign due in
large part to the help of Friends of Connect
Buncombe. The money is being used to continue
design work and negotiations with Norfolk Southern
to determine the best way to go under the railroad in
Black Mountain. This will be a part of the Riverwalk
Greenway which is a portion of the Buncombe
County Greenways Master Plan. It will provide a
major connection for pedestrians and cyclists
through town.
FoCB donated $2000 to the cause and
promoted the campaign on their website. The Blue
Ridge Bicycle Club offered to match up to $4000
dollars in donations and the initial donation by FoCB
got the campaign off to a good start. The willingness
of these two organizations to step up and help
allowed us to continue work on this important
project. The town of Black Mountain has a grant to
work on this segment of trail. However, that
money is not available until October and the
town did not want work to halt until then. They
approached the Greenway Commission for
help. Once I had the offer from the bike club and
the donation from FoCB in hand and a verbal
promise that the Greenway Commission would
provide the needed money, the town agreed to
continue the work. We have had several
meetings with our consultants already.
By having the summer to work with the
railroad we hope to be ready this fall to begin
other key parts of this project. The support that
FoCB gave has made it possible to continue
work. It has also shown the Black Mountain
Board of Aldermen and town staff that the
community is indeed behind the development of
greenways in our area. Thanks to each and
every one of you who donated.
Julie White