We invite you to come downtown and experience one or more temporary installations from the Art in the Heart program. Share your thoughts on the artwork by clicking on the second tab below. Art in the Heart is a temporary art program specifically designed to help stimulate conversations about themes like identity, community, inclusion, healing, unity, and resilience. It’s also a way to start conversations about how public spaces can, or don’t, help reflect or express a community’s past, present, and future.

You can find more background and information about the Pack Square Visioning Project here.

Asheville Asks: How do I get an issue addressed or find out about services in my neighborhood?

Our new Neighborhood Resources web page is a “one-stop-shop” resource to answer residents’ questions, from development projects to trash pick up. 

This webpage gives you quick access links to some of the most frequently requested community resources and information.

Residents have a variety of questions and opportunities to get involved, and having the answers and information all in one place empowers residents to stay informed and help the City make improvements that the community wants to see.

The Neighborhood Resources web page can be accessed at ashevillenc.gov/neighborhoodresources.

Did we miss something? Let us know how we can improve this page by contacting us at [email protected].

From 11/15 – 12/31, we’re offering a Holiday Special on our subscriptions! Get tickets at a discounted price, AND get a free ticket voucher for our next play, Native Gardens! Check our website on 11/15 to purchase this limited-time deal!

The Asheville Fire Department is conducting a survey this month to understand how residents like you feel about the services provided by the City of Asheville Fire Department.

It’s a quick 2 question survey which allows you to rate service and make suggestions as to how AFD can better serve the community.

Have thoughts?

Lace up your skates, hit the big ice, and enjoy the fun at Bon Secours Wellness Arena! The rink is open for all ages to practice skills, skate for fitness, or just enjoy skating while listening to music and socializing with family and friends.

Come see the Carl Sandburg Home be decorated for the holidays, tour the house to see the interior in its simple holiday style, and on three Saturdays in December, visitors can enjoy free demonstrations and craft making, including making a simple musical instrument, making and frosting gingerbread cookies and
making a birdseed ornament, Advance tickets recommended for home tour, Tickets at Recreation.gov, Tours at 11am, 1pm &
2pm and activities on Saturdays from 10am-1pm,

The Buncombe County Health Promotions Team requests feedback from residents to help inform strategies to improve our health priorities. Over the summer, Buncombe County’s latest Community Health Assessment was released. With the help of key informant surveys, community listening sessions, and existing data, the following health conditions were selected as a focus priority for the next three years: Birth Outcomes, Mental Health and Substance Misuse, and Chronic Conditions (Heart Disease and Diabetes).

We are now requesting community input to inform strategic planning for the upcoming Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The survey results will be used to determine how and what our community can do to address and improve Buncombe County’s health priorities. Let your voice be heard by taking the One Key Question Survey! All responses are anonymous.

We need participation from residents of Buncombe County to help us create a healthier community for everyone. Your response to the One Key Question Survey is essential to make Buncombe County a better place to call home.

So here’s the One Key Question:

What is the most important thing for you and your family’s health and well-being?

CLICK HERE TO ANSWER

Once you are finished answering our survey, spend a few minutes exploring the many functions of the page. You can track responses from other locals, read about our assessment process, and learn how we use your answers to create community change. Be sure to check the page regularly to stay current on our new surveys, meeting schedules, process updates, and more.

We’ve got so many reasons to give thanks! In each of our program areas, we see ordinary people taking heroic action to protect our home from the pressures of a changing climate.   This year-end, we’re highlighting stories that inspired us and sharing how we’re planting seeds to create a climate-resilient future for all of us.   With our native pollinators, more is more. The more habitat we plant, the more easily our native pollinators can find shelter and food, the more resilient they become to the challenges posed by pesticides and extreme heat—the more stable our entire food ecosystem becomes.

• Donate $25+ and get a day pass to the WNC Nature Center.
• Donate $50+ and get an animal sticker and a day pass.
• Donate $100+ and get an animal tracks necklace, animal sticker, and a day pass.
• Donate $250+ and get a a guided tour of the Nature Center with animal enrichment for two people, plus the necklace, sticker, and day pass. PLUS, you’ll be entered to win a chance to go on habitat with red pandas Leafa and Phoenix in 2023!

the City of Hendersonville will begin their fall bulk leaf collection service for City residents. Bulk leaf collection will continue throughout the fall season and conclude on December 30.

During bulk leaf collection, City residents should pile loose leaves as close to the street, curb, or sidewalk as possible without placing the leaves in the roadway or on the sidewalk. Leaves should not be bagged by City of Hendersonville residents.

Residents can help prevent safety hazards by keeping leaf piles out of the sidewalks. Obstructed sidewalks may force people to walk into the street and pose a danger for pedestrians and motorists. Keeping leaf piles out of the roadways and sidewalks also helps prevent debris from being washed into the storm drains which can cause flooding.

The bulk leaf collection process is separate from brush collection crews; therefore, residents will need to keep their brush and leaves in separate piles until bulk leaf collection has concluded at the end of the year. Leaf piles should be free of tree limbs or other objects that may damage collection equipment. Spring bulk leaf collection typically occurs during the month of March.

It is not necessary for the public to contact Public Works with leaf pick-up requests as this service is automatically provided to City residents. Leaf piles are picked up from homes every ten to fourteen days but, depending on the volume of leaves placed out for collection, the piles could be picked up sooner or later than that time frame.

If you’re behind on your water bill or afraid your water might get cut off, a new resource might be able to help you. On Jan. 4, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved more than $450,000 in federal funding for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). The initiative is aimed at preventing water disconnections and helping reconnect drinking and wastewater services.

The LIHWAP will be administered by Buncombe County-based Eblen Charities. The nonprofit will make payments directly to utilities on behalf of qualifying households. The program is slated to run through Sept. 30, 2023 or until funds are exhausted.

Eligibility requirements

Households that currently receive Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Work First services, or those that received Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) services from Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021, are automatically eligible to receive this benefit if their water services have been cut off or are in danger of being cut off.

For additional eligibility information or to apply, please contact Eblen Charities at (828) 255-3066.

Join us for a relaxing ride through quiet countryside on your way to small town life in western North Carolina on the Tuckasegee River Excursion. Departing from Bryson City, this 4 hour excursion travels 32 miles round-trip to Dillsboro and back to the Bryson City Depot. Pass by the famous movie set of The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford!

The Tuckasegee (tuck-uh-SEE-jee) River Excursion includes an 1 hour and 20 minute layover in the historic town of Dillsboro, where you’ll find more than 50 shops, restaurants, a brewery, and country inns. There is time to shop, snack, and visit the many unique shops before returning to Bryson City.