Calendar of Events

Are you looking for a great way to get involved with your community and make a difference? Boards, committees, and commission members aid the governing process by keeping Buncombe County in touch with the ideas and attitudes of our community. They help provide direction for the allocation of funds, the provision of human services, protection of residents, property, and our natural resources.

Public input is vitally important to the success of our County, and right now Buncombe County has vacancies on a number of boards and commissions. Learn more about vacancies, deadlines to apply, and the application process at buncombecounty.org/transparency.

Featured board vacancies

Buncombe County Board of Adjustment

One position is available. This Board interprets zoning maps; hears and decides appeals from any order or decision of the Zoning Administrator; grants Conditional Use Permits and Planned Unit Development Permits; authorizes variances in requirements of the zoning, junkyard, and off-premise sign ordinances. They meet the second Wednesday of each month from noon-2 p.m. Applications are due by July 23.

Apply online or download a paper application.

Home and Community Care Block Grant Advisory Committee (HCCBG Advisory Committee)

HCCBG Advisory Committee serves as an advisory body to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners made up of appointed community members who meet on a monthly basis to:

• Review funding applications and provide County Commissioners with funding recommendations for aging services;
• Review quarterly reports and monitoring reports regarding the delivery of services from the funded agencies;
• Consider and discuss new ways to improve/expand on aging services;
• Review aging plan and provide input; and
• Advocate for aging services on the local, state, and national levels.

This Board has five vacancies, and the application process will stay open until all positions are filled. Apply online or download a paper application.

Governor Roy Cooper announced the $4 Million Summer Cash and College Tuition drawings to incentivize individuals to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations and to thank those who have already done so. This announcement means that four vaccinated North Carolinians 18 and older will win $1 million each and four North Carolinians ages 12 to 17 will win tuition for post-secondary education. Executive Order 219, which has concurrence from the North Carolina Council of State, authorizes the drawings. North Carolinians 18 and over who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will be automatically entered into four drawings for a chance to win a $1 million cash prize. Youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be automatically entered into four drawings to win $125,000 towards post-secondary education. The $125,000 can be used at any post-secondary institution and is awarded in the form of a NC 529 account. North Carolina joins other states that announced million-dollar drawings to promote vaccinations. Ohio, the first state to launch such a program, reported a 28 percent increase in vaccinations among those 16 and older in the first two weeks following the announcement. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 44% of the total population has received at least one dose of the vaccine and 41% of the population is fully vaccinated.

Buncombe County is a caring community in harmony with its environment where citizens succeed, thrive, and realize their potential. Our mission is to promote a healthy, safe, well-educated, and thriving community with a sustainable quality of life; to provide effective and efficient government our citizens can trust; and to deliver needed service through a responsive workforce committed to excellence, integrity, and teamwork.

Job Title:  Elections Technical Specialist

This position is part of a team managing physical election equipment and associated software. Primary responsibilities include preventative maintenance of voting machines, logic and accuracy testing, supply management, leading the mock election process, preparing laptops for voting locations, security monitoring, and in-house technology troubleshooting.

The ideal candidate will have excellent communication and organizational skills as this position requires significant coordination with outside departments and vendors. Responsibilities include budgeting and leading a team of personnel during elections to support voting locations. Overtime, including some weekends, is required during election periods. Warehouse management experience and IT experience preferred.

Purpose of the position:

The primary purpose of this position is to provide specialized technical work supporting election-specific systems related to voting equipment, elections software, audits, and precinct compliance.

Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience (required at time of hire):

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT, or related field and two (2) years of experience in information systems, elections administration, or other related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Additional Training and Experience: NC Elections Technical Specialist Certification, Certified Elections Registration Administrator (CERA), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Certification, Notary Public certification, preferred.

Essential Functions of the position:

• Provide technical expertise related to voting system hardware and software.
• Serve as a technical resource to staff to include assessing technology needs; recommending appropriate equipment; and ensuring they are trained on the proper use of the most current voting equipment and elections hardware and software.
• Perform non-technical activities to include auditing election returns; reviewing precinct surveys to ensure compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards; deploying resources at voting sites; and reviewing voting sites and identifying issues.
• Fulfill all public data requests for voter registration reports, voter history reports, voter statistics, and maps.
• Manage election preparation team members and election data.
• Coordinates staging, loading, delivery and pickup of voting equipment with moving company, election staff, IT staff, chief judges, and polling place contacts.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Abilities:

• Strong understanding of computer networking, and adept in learning new software.
• Demonstrated data processing, analysis and presentation skills.
• Comfortable installing, operating and maintaining voting equipment including tabulators, printers, and laptop computers.
• Knowledge of spatial information and software related to mapping, addressing, and geographic information systems (GIS).
• Ability to learn and apply North Carolina voting law; able to adjust rapidly to changes in laws and State directives.
• Strong customer service skills and ability to communicate effectively through telephone conversation; able to exhibit sound judgement and decision making under pressure.
• Strong ability to train others and manage teams with a positive attitude. Able to work in teams while maintaining self-direction.
• Must be organized and have excellent time management skills; competent in budgeting.
• Ability to learn basics of voter registration, absentee voting, provisional voting, election auditing, training and campaign finance.

This position will be posted until filled. An initial review of applications will begin on July 30, 2021. This posting may close without notice.

Department: Election Services
Location: Asheville, NC
Job Posting End Date: August 31, 2021
Salary Range: $22.50 – $29.81

Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee’s unique experiences, opinions, and perspective.

It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, age, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. In addition the Agency expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.

Applicants for employment are invited to participate in the affirmative action program by reporting their status as a protected veteran or other minority. In extending this invitation, we advise you that: (a) workers (applicants) are under no obligation to respond but may do so in the future if they choose; (b) responses will remain confidential within the human resource department; and (c) responses will be used only for the necessary information to include in our affirmative action program. We are a company that values diversity. We actively encourage women, minorities, veterans and disabled employees to apply. Refusal to provide this information will have no bearing on your application and will not subject you to any adverse treatment.

We’re excited and grateful to our partners at Wicked Weed Brewing and ENO Hammocks for teaming up in a new collaboration that looks great while giving back! With each #Appalachia hammock purchased, a portion of proceeds benefits SAHC and helps create trails on our Robinson Rough Preserve – which you can enjoy first-hand when staying at the Firefly Cabin!

NOMINATIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE

2021 THOMAS WOLFE MEMORIAL LITERARY AWARD

The Western North Carolina Historical Association is now accepting nominations for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. Originated by the Louis Lipinsky family and now supported by Michael Sartisky, PhD, the Award is a partnership between WNCHA and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Advisory Committee. It has been presented by WNCHA since 1955. The award comes with a $2,500 cash prize.

The deadline for submission of nominated works is July 31, 2021. Anyone with knowledge of an author who meets the qualification criteria may nominate the author for the award. To be considered, an entry must be a published work of fiction, nonfiction, drama or poetry and meet the following criteria:

1. It must be a first edition work; revised editions of published works will not be considered for the Award.
2. The publication date must be between July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021.
3. The author must be a native of western North Carolina or a resident of western North Carolina for at least twelve months prior to the closing date for the Award.
4. An author may also qualify if the work submitted has a focus on or setting in western North Carolina.

Western North Carolina includes the Qualla Boundary and the following 25 counties: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey.

The Award Panel this year consists of: Catherine Frank, Chair, Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville; Dee James, retired Director of the First-Year Writing Program at UNC Asheville; Tom Muir, Historic Site Manager, Thomas Wolfe Memorial; Gordon McKinney, PhD, former president, Appalachian Studies Association; Terry Roberts, PhD, Director, National Paideia Center; Jim Stokely, President, Wilma Dykeman Legacy.

Nomination letters must specify the following eligibility criteria:

1. date of publication
2. birthplace or residence of author
3. setting of work

Nominators should submit a cover letter along with three copies of the work postmarked no later than July 31, 2021 to:

Wolfe Award Committee

℅ Anne Chesky Smith

WNC Historical Association

283 Victoria Road

Asheville, NC  28801

An awards ceremony and reception, in honor of the finalists and 2021 Award recipient, will be held in early December 2021.

The Association presented the first Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award to Wilma Dykeman in 1955 for The French Broad. The Award has continued to be funded, in part, by Mrs. E. Frank Edwin, a member of the Lipinsky family and for the last three years by WNCHA, and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Advisory Board, both with support from Michael Sartisky, PhD. Other recipients of this prestigious Award include Robert Morgan, Gail Godwin, John Ehle, Robert Brunk, Michael McFee, Lee Smith, Ron Rash, Wayne Caldwell, and Terry Roberts. Sandra Muse Isaacs was the recipient of the 2020 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award for her book: Eastern Cherokee Stories: A Living Oral Tradition and Its Cultural Continuance.

The construction of the Mountain Division of the Western North Carolina Railroad is widely considered one of the greatest human accomplishments in regards to both engineering and construction ever undertaken at the time it occurred. The project took place over a period of several years in the late 1800s. Many people are aware that the railroad provided the first dependable access to and from much of Western North Carolina for the rest of the state as well as much of the nation. Many also know the names of some of those who were instrumental in seeing through the completion of this ambitious project. Names such as Colonel Alexander Boyd Andrews, of Andrews’ Geyser fame. However, what most people are unaware of is that at least 95% of the labor which built the railroad across the Blue Ridge Escarpment was completed by inmates from the North Carolina State Penitentiary… and approximately 98% of those inmates were African American men… the majority of whom were unjustly imprisoned…

This project was created to share the true story behind this human endeavor and to honor the memory of those who labored and those who died here.

Western North Carolina has a rich assortment of county historical societies, archives, and museums. The Western North Carolina Historical Association seeks to help researchers, historians, genealogists, and the general public take full advantage of these resources.

Summer is coming and that means fans! We will begin distributing fans to those who are in need very soon. Each fan is purchased at a cost of around $20. If you would like to help cover the cost of a fan to keep someone cool this summer, please visit our website to make a donation or mail a donation to Eblen Charities, 50 Westgate Parkway, Asheville NC 28806

Get ready to go wild at the library for our annual Summer Learning Program. Join us for Tails & Tales – an exploration of wildlife and fantastical folktales. We’ll have an activity sheet with lots of fun adventures for all ages. You can pick up a sheet at any library starting June 1, or download it HERE. Check our calendar to find our most up to date list of programs all summer long.

The 2021 Summer Learning Program is open to young people, preschool through teen, with books and activities for every age. All library programs are free and open to children of all abilities. Come in and see what the library has for you!

Are you looking for a great way to get involved with your community and make a difference? Boards, committees, and commission members aid the governing process by keeping Buncombe County in touch with the ideas and attitudes of our community. They help provide direction for the allocation of funds, the provision of human services, protection of residents, property, and our natural resources.

Public input is vitally important to the success of our County, and right now Buncombe County has vacancies on a number of boards and commissions. Learn more about vacancies, deadlines to apply, and the application process at buncombecounty.org/transparency.

Featured board vacancies

Buncombe County Board of Adjustment

One position is available. This Board interprets zoning maps; hears and decides appeals from any order or decision of the Zoning Administrator; grants Conditional Use Permits and Planned Unit Development Permits; authorizes variances in requirements of the zoning, junkyard, and off-premise sign ordinances. They meet the second Wednesday of each month from noon-2 p.m. Applications are due by July 23.

Apply online or download a paper application.

Home and Community Care Block Grant Advisory Committee (HCCBG Advisory Committee)

HCCBG Advisory Committee serves as an advisory body to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners made up of appointed community members who meet on a monthly basis to:

• Review funding applications and provide County Commissioners with funding recommendations for aging services;
• Review quarterly reports and monitoring reports regarding the delivery of services from the funded agencies;
• Consider and discuss new ways to improve/expand on aging services;
• Review aging plan and provide input; and
• Advocate for aging services on the local, state, and national levels.

This Board has five vacancies, and the application process will stay open until all positions are filled. Apply online or download a paper application.

Governor Roy Cooper announced the $4 Million Summer Cash and College Tuition drawings to incentivize individuals to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations and to thank those who have already done so. This announcement means that four vaccinated North Carolinians 18 and older will win $1 million each and four North Carolinians ages 12 to 17 will win tuition for post-secondary education. Executive Order 219, which has concurrence from the North Carolina Council of State, authorizes the drawings. North Carolinians 18 and over who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will be automatically entered into four drawings for a chance to win a $1 million cash prize. Youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be automatically entered into four drawings to win $125,000 towards post-secondary education. The $125,000 can be used at any post-secondary institution and is awarded in the form of a NC 529 account. North Carolina joins other states that announced million-dollar drawings to promote vaccinations. Ohio, the first state to launch such a program, reported a 28 percent increase in vaccinations among those 16 and older in the first two weeks following the announcement. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 44% of the total population has received at least one dose of the vaccine and 41% of the population is fully vaccinated.

Buncombe County is a caring community in harmony with its environment where citizens succeed, thrive, and realize their potential. Our mission is to promote a healthy, safe, well-educated, and thriving community with a sustainable quality of life; to provide effective and efficient government our citizens can trust; and to deliver needed service through a responsive workforce committed to excellence, integrity, and teamwork.

Job Title:  Elections Technical Specialist

This position is part of a team managing physical election equipment and associated software. Primary responsibilities include preventative maintenance of voting machines, logic and accuracy testing, supply management, leading the mock election process, preparing laptops for voting locations, security monitoring, and in-house technology troubleshooting.

The ideal candidate will have excellent communication and organizational skills as this position requires significant coordination with outside departments and vendors. Responsibilities include budgeting and leading a team of personnel during elections to support voting locations. Overtime, including some weekends, is required during election periods. Warehouse management experience and IT experience preferred.

Purpose of the position:

The primary purpose of this position is to provide specialized technical work supporting election-specific systems related to voting equipment, elections software, audits, and precinct compliance.

Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience (required at time of hire):

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT, or related field and two (2) years of experience in information systems, elections administration, or other related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Additional Training and Experience: NC Elections Technical Specialist Certification, Certified Elections Registration Administrator (CERA), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Certification, Notary Public certification, preferred.

Essential Functions of the position:

• Provide technical expertise related to voting system hardware and software.
• Serve as a technical resource to staff to include assessing technology needs; recommending appropriate equipment; and ensuring they are trained on the proper use of the most current voting equipment and elections hardware and software.
• Perform non-technical activities to include auditing election returns; reviewing precinct surveys to ensure compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards; deploying resources at voting sites; and reviewing voting sites and identifying issues.
• Fulfill all public data requests for voter registration reports, voter history reports, voter statistics, and maps.
• Manage election preparation team members and election data.
• Coordinates staging, loading, delivery and pickup of voting equipment with moving company, election staff, IT staff, chief judges, and polling place contacts.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Abilities:

• Strong understanding of computer networking, and adept in learning new software.
• Demonstrated data processing, analysis and presentation skills.
• Comfortable installing, operating and maintaining voting equipment including tabulators, printers, and laptop computers.
• Knowledge of spatial information and software related to mapping, addressing, and geographic information systems (GIS).
• Ability to learn and apply North Carolina voting law; able to adjust rapidly to changes in laws and State directives.
• Strong customer service skills and ability to communicate effectively through telephone conversation; able to exhibit sound judgement and decision making under pressure.
• Strong ability to train others and manage teams with a positive attitude. Able to work in teams while maintaining self-direction.
• Must be organized and have excellent time management skills; competent in budgeting.
• Ability to learn basics of voter registration, absentee voting, provisional voting, election auditing, training and campaign finance.

This position will be posted until filled. An initial review of applications will begin on July 30, 2021. This posting may close without notice.

Department: Election Services
Location: Asheville, NC
Job Posting End Date: August 31, 2021
Salary Range: $22.50 – $29.81

Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee’s unique experiences, opinions, and perspective.

It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, age, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. In addition the Agency expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.

Applicants for employment are invited to participate in the affirmative action program by reporting their status as a protected veteran or other minority. In extending this invitation, we advise you that: (a) workers (applicants) are under no obligation to respond but may do so in the future if they choose; (b) responses will remain confidential within the human resource department; and (c) responses will be used only for the necessary information to include in our affirmative action program. We are a company that values diversity. We actively encourage women, minorities, veterans and disabled employees to apply. Refusal to provide this information will have no bearing on your application and will not subject you to any adverse treatment.

We’re excited and grateful to our partners at Wicked Weed Brewing and ENO Hammocks for teaming up in a new collaboration that looks great while giving back! With each #Appalachia hammock purchased, a portion of proceeds benefits SAHC and helps create trails on our Robinson Rough Preserve – which you can enjoy first-hand when staying at the Firefly Cabin!

NOMINATIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE

2021 THOMAS WOLFE MEMORIAL LITERARY AWARD

The Western North Carolina Historical Association is now accepting nominations for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. Originated by the Louis Lipinsky family and now supported by Michael Sartisky, PhD, the Award is a partnership between WNCHA and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Advisory Committee. It has been presented by WNCHA since 1955. The award comes with a $2,500 cash prize.

The deadline for submission of nominated works is July 31, 2021. Anyone with knowledge of an author who meets the qualification criteria may nominate the author for the award. To be considered, an entry must be a published work of fiction, nonfiction, drama or poetry and meet the following criteria:

1. It must be a first edition work; revised editions of published works will not be considered for the Award.
2. The publication date must be between July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021.
3. The author must be a native of western North Carolina or a resident of western North Carolina for at least twelve months prior to the closing date for the Award.
4. An author may also qualify if the work submitted has a focus on or setting in western North Carolina.

Western North Carolina includes the Qualla Boundary and the following 25 counties: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey.

The Award Panel this year consists of: Catherine Frank, Chair, Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville; Dee James, retired Director of the First-Year Writing Program at UNC Asheville; Tom Muir, Historic Site Manager, Thomas Wolfe Memorial; Gordon McKinney, PhD, former president, Appalachian Studies Association; Terry Roberts, PhD, Director, National Paideia Center; Jim Stokely, President, Wilma Dykeman Legacy.

Nomination letters must specify the following eligibility criteria:

1. date of publication
2. birthplace or residence of author
3. setting of work

Nominators should submit a cover letter along with three copies of the work postmarked no later than July 31, 2021 to:

Wolfe Award Committee

℅ Anne Chesky Smith

WNC Historical Association

283 Victoria Road

Asheville, NC  28801

An awards ceremony and reception, in honor of the finalists and 2021 Award recipient, will be held in early December 2021.

The Association presented the first Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award to Wilma Dykeman in 1955 for The French Broad. The Award has continued to be funded, in part, by Mrs. E. Frank Edwin, a member of the Lipinsky family and for the last three years by WNCHA, and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Advisory Board, both with support from Michael Sartisky, PhD. Other recipients of this prestigious Award include Robert Morgan, Gail Godwin, John Ehle, Robert Brunk, Michael McFee, Lee Smith, Ron Rash, Wayne Caldwell, and Terry Roberts. Sandra Muse Isaacs was the recipient of the 2020 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award for her book: Eastern Cherokee Stories: A Living Oral Tradition and Its Cultural Continuance.

The construction of the Mountain Division of the Western North Carolina Railroad is widely considered one of the greatest human accomplishments in regards to both engineering and construction ever undertaken at the time it occurred. The project took place over a period of several years in the late 1800s. Many people are aware that the railroad provided the first dependable access to and from much of Western North Carolina for the rest of the state as well as much of the nation. Many also know the names of some of those who were instrumental in seeing through the completion of this ambitious project. Names such as Colonel Alexander Boyd Andrews, of Andrews’ Geyser fame. However, what most people are unaware of is that at least 95% of the labor which built the railroad across the Blue Ridge Escarpment was completed by inmates from the North Carolina State Penitentiary… and approximately 98% of those inmates were African American men… the majority of whom were unjustly imprisoned…

This project was created to share the true story behind this human endeavor and to honor the memory of those who labored and those who died here.

Western North Carolina has a rich assortment of county historical societies, archives, and museums. The Western North Carolina Historical Association seeks to help researchers, historians, genealogists, and the general public take full advantage of these resources.

Summer is coming and that means fans! We will begin distributing fans to those who are in need very soon. Each fan is purchased at a cost of around $20. If you would like to help cover the cost of a fan to keep someone cool this summer, please visit our website to make a donation or mail a donation to Eblen Charities, 50 Westgate Parkway, Asheville NC 28806

Get ready to go wild at the library for our annual Summer Learning Program. Join us for Tails & Tales – an exploration of wildlife and fantastical folktales. We’ll have an activity sheet with lots of fun adventures for all ages. You can pick up a sheet at any library starting June 1, or download it HERE. Check our calendar to find our most up to date list of programs all summer long.

The 2021 Summer Learning Program is open to young people, preschool through teen, with books and activities for every age. All library programs are free and open to children of all abilities. Come in and see what the library has for you!