ASHEVILLE, NC – The city of Asheville will make improvements to Kimberly Avenue over the next few months. Contract work on preliminary road repair began this week. Repair work is necessary before milling, resurfacing and restriping can be completed. Repair work is expected to continue through mid-April. Weather permitting, the majority of the work is estimated to be completed by mid-May.
The Kimberly Avenue project also includes the addition of a bicycle-climbing lane on the golf course side of the street. The bicycle lane is being installed in accordance with the city’s Comprehensive Bicycle Plan. Bicycles and motor vehicles will share the southbound lane as called for in the plan.
Parking in the area between Country Club Road and the intersection with Gracelyn Road and Griffing Boulevard will be changed as a result of the project. On-street parking will no longer be allowed on the east side of the street between Country Club Road and the intersection with Gracelyn Road and Griffing Boulevard; it will be allowed on the west side. Parking between Evelyn Place and Country Club Road will not be affected.
Periodic land or road closures will be necessary. Access will be maintained for emergency vehicles, residents and pedestrians. When one lane is closed, flaggers will direct traffic through the closure. When the road is closed, traffic will be detoured.
The project requires the Monday-Friday Dial-a-ride portion of Asheville Transit Route #5 to be closed March 15 through April 16. Saturday Dial-a-ride service along Kimberly Road will be provided throughout the project. Dial-a-ride requests for Asheville Transit require a rider to call 828-253-5691 at least one hour ahead of requested service.
This is one of several transportation infrastructure projects in Asheville funded by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The funding was awarded by the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization in a competitive process and is administered through the North Carolina Department of Transportation. If you have comments, concerns or questions about this project or about other ARRA-funded transportation projects, please contact Barb Mee at 232-4540 or bmee@ashevillenc.gov.
You can learn more about other ARRA-funded projects in which the city is involved by visiting www.ashevillenc.gov, calling ARRA project manager Brenda Mills at 259-8050, or emailing Ms. Mills at bmills@ashevillenc.gov.
ASHEVILLE, NC – Can you imagine Asheville with 15-minute transit service on major corridors, where your kids could independently visit their friends? Do you want to bike or walk on a Greenway to work each day? Do you need sidewalks to connect your neighborhood with local businesses?
Envisioning a Low Carbon Transportation Future is the topic of the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute’s next Green Monday, March 22, 2010, from 3:00-5:00 p.m., in the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce second floor conference room. Admission is free and open to the public.
Our current transportation infrastructure occupies the largest portion of land, is the single highest federal spending infusion into Asheville, and has resulted in the highest sources of carbon emissions in Buncombe County. Is it possible to use pedestrian walkways, bicycles, vanpooling, carpooling, telecommuting, and flex-work schedules as a means to reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion? How do we pay for it all?
Moderator Yuri Koslen, Transportation Planner for the City of Asheville, and panelists Mike Sule from Asheville on Bikes and Get There Asheville; Hanna Raskin from the Asheville Transit Commission; Bruce Emery, Transportation Planner with the Asheville Design Center; and Heather Strassberger, Transportation Regional Planner for Land of Sky and the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization will explore these options and more. Please join us next Monday and add your voice to the conversation!
Green Mondays provide experts, regional leaders, citizens, and students with an open forum for understanding and advancing possible pathways to sustainability. Through its Green Monday series, the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute intends to share information, solicit new ideas, and develop consensus in pursuit of sustainable community and economic development. Green Mondays are sponsored in part by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and Progress Energy.
The mission of the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute is to drive knowledge into action, solving societal problems today and for generations to come by harnessing world-class environmental, economic, and energy research to collaborations among researchers, educators, entrepreneurs, government officials and community activists.
For more information, please contact Janna Zonder at jzonder@blueridgesustainability.org or 828-505-3547. Or visit our website at www.blueridgesustainability.org.
ASHEVILLE, NC – Billy Jonas will play a benefit concert for the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) on March 21. The concert will be held at the Orange Peel, with doors opening at 2:30p.m. and the perfomance beginning at 3:00p.m.
Cost is $10 for kids age 2 and up, and $15 for adults. Call the Peel at 828-225-5851 for more information.
Renee Owen at Rainbow Mountain School, organizer of the concert, says of Jonas, “Seeing Billy Jonas perform live is not so much a concert as it is an experience. Known primarily as a percussionist, Jonas is much, much more. His singalongs and music–much of it made on found-object instruments–bring smiles to faces aged 2 to 80. A Billy Jonas performance combines singalongs, bangalongs, and whisperalongs. Improvised songs featuring audience participation are a mainstay.”
ASHEVILLE, NC – The Asheville Art Museum invites you to a screening of True Stories on Saturday and Sunday, April 3 and 4, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. each day. This film screening is free with Museum Membership or admission.
True Stories is a cult-classic starring David Byrne with music by the Talking Heads. This film portrays a gallery of eccentric personalities including the “laziest woman in the world” with her array of time-saving gadgets and a man with a “Wife Wanted” sign on his front lawn, all residents of the fictional town of Virgil, Texas.
The film’s notable cast includes John Goodman, Swoosie Kurtz and Spaulding Gray. Writer and director David Byrne said, “When I see a place for the first time, I notice everything — the color of the paper, the sky, the way people walk, doorknobs, every detail,” he says. This film might alter your own impressions for a time as well.
This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition Limners to Facebook: Portraiture from the 19th to the 21st Century.
ASHEVILLE, NC – Earning a college degree was a dream that didn’t seem likely for Yelena Litvinchuk. A native of the Ukraine who grew up in Russia, she struggled to simply find food.
“In order to get a good education in Russia, you need to have a lot of money, which my family never had. In the United States, you can be a hardworking, honest employee and make a good living. In Russia, you can scarcely make a living if you work honestly and pay all taxes,” said Yelena, an A-B Tech Associate in Science degree student.
Yelena spoke about her childhood in Russia under Communist Party rule at the A-B Tech Foundation Scholarship luncheon March 11. She is a recipient of the Adelaide Key Scholarship.
Yelena said her parents were not allowed to continue their education after high school because they did not belong to the Communist Party. “I remember those days, when we prayed for food and would find several rubles on the street, which helped us to buy bread,” she said.
Even though law changed and Yelena was allowed to attend college, money was still an obstacle. “As far as education is concerned, neither financial aid nor a loan system is available,” she said. Believing she would never go to college, Yelena found everything changed when she had the opportunity to move to the United States.
As soon as she arrived, she started work in a factory and found A-B Tech. Having an interest in the medical field, she enrolled in the Surgical Technology program in 2003. “I will confess it was very challenging for me with my poor English to get through the program. Almost every night, I read my books with a dictionary till early morning. Sometimes, I just sat and cried with a book in my hands,” she said.
Yelena’s perseverance paid off. She graduated with her diploma in August 2004, and landed a job in her field at a local hospital. “I enjoyed working in the operating room and helping other people, but I wanted to expand my limited medical knowledge,” she said.
Yelena decided to come back to A-B Tech to complete an associate’s degree, then transfer to earn a bachelor’s degree and prepare herself for pharmacy school.
“You help us to find our career path and a place in this big world. I hope that one day we will be able to help someone else in our turn,” she said as she thanked Adelaide Key, a community volunteer, philanthropist and former member of the A-B Tech Foundation Board of Directors, for her scholarship.
Foundation Board Chair Nancy Miller announced the following new endowments and scholarships at A-B Tech: an anonymous gift of $30,000 to endow Dental scholarships; the Bill and Alice Hart Endowment Scholarship; the Jennifer and Jason Hill Annual Scholarship; the Mike and Martha Cochran Memorial Scholarship and the Yesterday’s Tree Endowment.
ASHEVILLE, NC – Gorgeous blooms are in full glory as thousands of tulips welcome springtime during Biltmore’s 25th annual Festival of Flowers, April 3 – May 16, 2010. The estate-wide event celebrates the beauty of George Vanderbilt’s 8,000-acre property and its original design by Frederick Law Olmsted, father of American landscape architecture. Biltmore’s gardens, Olmsted’s final and most grand project, are in their 120th year, and are becoming more beautiful as time passes. For the first time, a cell phone audio tour of the gardens offering historical facts as well as more detailed information about plant varieties will also be available.
The 25th anniversary celebration of Festival of Flowers coincides with the grand opening of Antler Hill Village. This pedestrian-friendly venue will be open to guests as part of daily admission to Biltmore and expands current offerings to include a new exhibition space, village green with live entertainment, dining, shopping and a new outdoor adventure center. Biltmore Winery, located in the village area, will also be celebrating its 25th anniversary and will be offering a newly-designed tour and tasting room. Antler Hill Village will be open to guests during Festival of Flowers and a grand opening celebration is planned for May 20 – 23, 2010.
Floral decor this year will focus on the iris, fleur de lis and color silver, all symbolic of the 25th anniversary. Tulips – over 100,000 of them – will mark the beginning of the festival greeting visitors at Biltmore’s main entrance and continuing to the stunning colors in the Walled Garden. Guests won’t want to miss the vibrant colors in the 20-acre azalea garden and cascades of native and exotic blooms in the natural gardens and along walking trails.
The entrance vestibule at Biltmore House will feature a fresh flower carpet design, and in the Entry Hall, six woven commemorative banners will hang, all designed and woven by local company Manual Woodworkers & Weavers. French influences with designs in blues, purples, soft yellow, soft greens, pink, burgundy and red will grace floral arrangements in Biltmore House.
In honor of the winery’s 25th anniversary, the conservatory display will take inspiration from Biltmore’s wines with elaborate container gardens planted with beautiful colors and scents to represent selections. During the last half of the festival, the Walled Garden’s pattern beds will feature a fleur de lis design.
With so much to celebrate, festivities across the estate will include music, tips from Biltmore gardeners and innovative displays. Biltmore Winery will host live music, wine tastings, seminars and children’s activities. Seasonal Festival of Flowers wines are crafted each year to mark the occasion. In addition, Biltmore’s restaurants will feature special silver anniversary menus, drinks and desserts.
In addition to Biltmore House and Gardens, estate admission includes entry to Biltmore Winery, Antler Hill Village, specialty gift shops and restaurants. Spring is the perfect time to take advantage of Biltmore’s unique surroundings by taking part in the Explore Biltmore program. Outdoor activities include hiking, biking, rafting, kayaking, horseback riding, carriage rides, Segway tours, a sporting clays program and a Land Rover Driving School. Guests looking for accommodations will enjoy the four-star Inn on Biltmore Estate, which provides a variety of packages. For more information or reservations, contact Biltmore at 877.BILTMORE or visit www.biltmore.com.
ASHEVILLE, NC – UNC Asheville’s 2009-2010 Writers at Home Series continues with readings by UNC Asheville student authors at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 21, at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St., downtown Asheville. Winners of UNC Asheville’s writing scholarships, including Amanda Gardner, Sally Parrish, Daniel Resner and Beth Sarno, will read from their work. The event is free and open to the public.
Gardner is a creative writing major. She writes narrative non-fiction, often about her experiences as a professional apple picker and long distance backpacker. She received the Comfort Scholarship for Excellence in Creative Writing in 2009.
Parrish, a creative writing major, predominately writes poetry. She is a recipient of the Topp & Grillot Poetry Scholarship. Parrish will graduate in December, and plans to attend graduate school for creative writing.
Resner, a recipient of the Comfort Scholarship for Excellence in Creative Writing, is a junior literature major. He is the chief editor of the UNC Asheville creative arts magazine “Metabolism,” and the co-president of the university’s literature club. He writes poems, stories and plays.
Sarno graduated in December 2009 with distinction in psychology and plans to attend graduate school in the fall. She received the Topp & Grillot Poetry Scholarship in 2009.
The Writers at Home Series is sponsored by UNC Asheville’s Great Smokies Writing Program. For more information, call the program at 828/232-5122.
ASHEVILLE, NC – The Nature Center’s resident otter, Olive, now has a new companion! On Tuesday March 9th, a new male otter (yet to be named) was introduced into the Nature Center’s “Otter Falls” exhibit for the first time. After some quick sniffing, scratching and chattering, the two quickly took to running around the exhibit and in and out of the water, allowing the Center’s animal care staff to breathe a huge sign of relief. “It’s never easy to introduce a new animal into an exhibit” notes the Center’s animal curator Allison Ballentine. “Our staff has been watching the signs that the two were ready to be introduced and we needed to plan a time when a lot of staff was present to help with the introduction.”
The new male otter arrived in Asheville in mid February from the Pittsburgh Zoo. Before any introductions could occur though, he needed to spend a period of time in the Center’s animal health building, separated from other animals in the collection. This quarantine period is necessary to ensure that he is not carrying any kind of illness that could be introduced into the Center’s existing collection.
Once he received a clean bill of health from the animal care team, he was transported to the otter exhibit backup building where he could first meet Olive through a special “howdy” door. The door allowed the pair to see, hear and smell each other without being able to bite or injure one another. Once the animal care team saw signs that the two were not going to be aggressive, the decision was made to try the introduction. “We spent a great deal of time researching information from other zoos that have otters so we knew exactly what to look for” explains Ballentine. “Since we are a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), we can call on experts from around the country for advice. This sharing of information helps us avoid a lot of potential problems,” said Ballentine.
The two otters will now be on exhibit together most days.
ASHEVILLE, NC – The City of Asheville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department along with the Public Art Board and the Transit Commission will be hosting the unveiling of the Art on Transit busses on Sunday, March 28 at 1:00 p.m. in City/County Plaza.
Local artists Ray Noland, Naomi Johnson, and Nina Ruffini will each have their artwork appear on the busses as part of the City of Asheville’s “Art on Transit” Bus Graphics Program. The busses will remain wrapped for at least four months and up to one year and each of the busses will travel along each of the City’s 24 bus routes.
The artists were selected by a five-member jury who met in January and reviewed submittals by over thirty artists. The jury’s selections were approved unanimously by members of the City of Asheville Public Art Board at a special meeting on January 29, 2010.
For further information about contact Diane Ruggiero, Superintendent of Cultural Arts at 828-259-5815 or druggiero@ashevillenc.gov.
ASHEVILLE, NC – The Asheville real estate market offers several desirable traits for home buyers including in-town living, environmentally friendly homes, and a historic atmosphere. Asheville Realtor, Margaret Vestal, helps consumers buy, sell and better understand green homes in Asheville through her Web site, www.AtHomeInAsheville.com.
“There is a real trend of people wanting to be within walking distance to shopping and amenities,” said Vestal. “They want to live in the old-fashioned neighborhoods and really want to be a part of Asheville proper. People who are drawn to in-town living also tend to be more eco-conscious so the two elements go together quite naturally in the Asheville real estate market.”
Vestal makes it a point to help home buyers understand the different types of environmentally friendly home options available in and around Asheville.
“There are two kinds of environmentally conscious home buyers,” she said. “There are the folks who are concerned with making as small an impact on the planet as possible with their home. These buyers are looking for homes with an emphasis on smaller square footage and sustainable building, such as using bamboo floors. The other group looking for green homes in Asheville is primarily concerned with health issues. They might have sensitivities to chemicals, toxins, and off-gassing. They look for homes with as few volatile organic compounds as possible or older homes which are completely “off-gassed” by now, and homes featuring hard floors rather than carpeting.”
The Asheville real estate market features homes for sale that appeal to both types of environmentally conscious buyers, while still offering the charm of historic in-town living. AtHomeInAsheville.com helps prospective home buyers find their dream home while learning more about the area and the benefits of eco-friendly homes.
Vestal is associated with RE/MAX Advantage Realty and has earned her Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) designations in addition to the e-Pro designation and a North Carolina Broker’s license. She is one of the few ECO Environmental Consultants in the Asheville area, and has worked full-time in residential real estate sales since 2001. She specializes in environmentally friendly green homes, in-town homes and condos, and historic homes in Asheville.
