COVID-19 has led to local youth sports leagues canceling spring and summer schedules due to physical distancing and mass gathering limitations. Buncombe County’s Independence Day celebration at Lake Julian Park has also been scrapped this year under the same guidance. All other local municipalities have also canceled or rescheduled their annual Independence Day festivals.

Coronavirus in North Carolina: Daily status updates

As we ease into the Stay Home, Stay Safe Phase 2, Buncombe County Public Health has provided public health messaging and guidance for industry and local businesses to use in their operations. Please click the links below to download printable files.

For more information, Buncombe County and the City of Asheville are operating the Ready Team call center. The Ready Team can assist with business and general questions about COVID-19 and Buncombe County’s Stay Safe, Stay Home Order. To ensure that there are options for Spanish, Russian, and multiple other languages, the Ready Team is working with United Way’s call center. The Ready Team call center operates Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Call (828) 419-0095 or email [email protected].

The Asheville Downtown Association, Asheville Grown Business Alliance and Asheville Independent Restaurant Association have teamed up to release a COVID-19 Downtown Business Census. The results from the survey will be instrumental in helping us prioritize business needs as we move into Phase Two of reopening.   The survey only takes about 10 minutes to complete and we need your responses quickly so that we can address needs immediately. We’re asking that you complete the survey by Friday, May 29. We understand that answers may change with time. Please answer to the best of your capabilities and for your present situation.   Please click here to access the survey.

Care for Corona is a grassroots support system comprised of psychotherapists and healing practitioners who offer short term free virtual counseling and healing sessions for Western North Carolina medical personnel and psychotherapists who are on the front lines of the Corona Virus Pandemic.

How to Work from Home Efficiently with Kids
http://wfmdepot.com/how-to-work-from-home-efficiently-with-kids/

• Parks and Recreation Indoor Facilities are Closed until further notice.
• Park Playgrounds are Closed until further notice.
• Park Restrooms will reopen on Friday May 8th at 5:00pm.
• Outdoor Tennis and Pickleball Courts will reopen on Friday May 8th at 5:00pm.
  • If you are waiting to use a court please wait outside of the fence or in your vehicle.
  • If others are waiting to use a court please keep your playing time to 60 minutes.
• Outdoor Parks remain Open.
• Fields and shelters are Open, however groups must kept to 25 people or less.  If you are waiting to use a field or shelter please do not wait in the immediate area; please wait outside of the field or shelter in an open area or in your vehicle.

If you choose to utilize Henderson County Parks please be respectful of other users, keep your group to 25 or less and provide others with appropriate social distancing.  PLEASE NOTE that the trails at Hickory Nut Gorge are controlled by Conserving Carolina and they have closed them until further notice.

It’s May 1st, and you know what that means! That’s right, a whole month of mindfulness aimed at reducing plastic usage in our lives. For years, Asheville GreenWorks has worked at #goingplasticfree, and this year will be no different. Starting Monday, May 4th, we’ll be releasing daily blog posts from our staff, members of the Plastic Reduction Task Force, and other zero waste advocates in Buncombe County. There will be repurposing and upcycling challenges, a special screening of The Story of Plastic, and a Trivia Night testing your knowledge of the topics we cover throughout the month. Daily posts can be found on our website, as well as on our Going Plastic Free Facebook Page. And, in case you miss a post, we will send out a weekly digest to keep you up to date on the week’s happenings. And we’re including a calendar in today’s newsletter to give you a sneak preview of the month’s events. Now, more than ever, we are challenged to find the fine balance between safety, cleanliness, and waste reduction. Thank you for your commitment to Asheville GreenWorks; we can’t wait to share another amazing Mind Your Plastic May with you.

North Carolina Arts Council NEA Stimulus Fund Grants ( Application Deadline May 29) These federal grants are designed to help arts organizations remain operational during the pandemic crisis with an emphasis on job protection and overhead costs such as facility mortgage or rental. It is anticipated that grant amounts will range from $1,500 to $7,500, depending upon organizational budget size

Last Monday, Arts NC and the North Carolina Arts Council shared a new reopening guide for the arts in NC. The purpose of this document is to provide recommendations for arts organizations as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and develop plans for reopening to the public. A webinar (recording above) was also held on Wednesday to go over the document and address questions.

Share Your Feedback on Possible Uses of Public Space The City of Asheville has been working on ways to alter public space usage to assist businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today they announced designated curbside pickup locations throughout downtown and along Haywood Road in West Asheville, as well as expanded uses of private space.   Initiatives being considered include expanded use of public space (sidewalks, on-street parking) and the creation of temporary shared spaces.   It’s vital that the City hear your feedback as downtown businesses on how these options may benefit or impact your operations. View more information here and share your thoughts by emailing [email protected].

The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce released a Smart Restart Toolkit with information on sanitizing and cleanliness best practices, how to’s on reopening safely and bringing employees back to the workplace, and information on basic operations. It’s divided by industry sector and includes links to professional organizations that can provide more details by type of business.

In response to COVID-19, grants between $5,000 and $20,000 are available to statewide or regional arts and cultural service organizations.

Important Dates & Deadlines

• Applications must be submitted on or before June 10, 2020.
• Applicants will be notified by email within three weeks of the deadline.
• Funded expenses must occur between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

The ‘Asheville Cares’ Stay Safe Pledge Supports the Safety of the Local Community

The upcoming Second Primary Election is on Tuesday, June 23. Buncombe County Election Services wants to make sure you have all the information you need. Below is information about Early Voting, absentee ballots, finding out if you’re registered, sample ballots, and more. If you have additional questions, contact Election Services at (828) 250-4200.