It is our hope that the many accomplishments that Black people have made, and continue to make in this country, are celebrated every day of the year as Black history IS American History. Beyond that, we challenge everyone to consider, not just the momentous, exceptional, or singular figures but to truly celebrate Blackness. Visit our blog post designed with our partners at Read2Suceed that includes a children’s reading list of both historic characters and Black characters to add to your child’s library.

1. Bricks-And-Mortar

2. Public Education

3. Planning, Survey and Designation

Are you looking for a great way to get involved with your community and make a difference? Board, committee, 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 & Commission vacancies

Justice Resource Advisory Council: Leveraging best practices to increase system efficiency, promote public safety & community wellness.

Are you interested in the inner workings of Buncombe County’s criminal justice system? The Justice Resource Advisory Council (JRAC) is seeking one at-large community member.

JRAC is a collaborative initiative and advisory body with leadership from Buncombe County and representatives from the criminal justice and court system focusing on systemic planning and coordination for crucial needs in the criminal justice system. JRAC examines potential improvements to the system, sets priorities, makes recommendations, and guides their implementation. Top priorities are:

• Jail population reduction
• Diverting individuals with mental illness and substance abuse into treatment
• Increasing court efficiency
• Data integration
• Community engagement
• Addressing racial and ethnic disparities
• Juvenile justice
• Re-entry support

The JRAC meets the first Friday of February, April, June, August, October, and December at 12:30 p.m. at 200 College Street Ground Floor, unless otherwise announced.  Apply online here.

Current Buncombe County Boards & Commissions vacancies

• Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee: 1 vacancy, Deadline Jan. 11, 2022
• Agricultural Advisory Board: 1 vacancy, Until filled
• Justice Resource Advisory Council: 1 vacancy (community member at-large) Until filled
• Homeless Initiative:  1 vacancy; Until filled
• Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC):  1 vacancy (1 person under the age of 21 years or a member of the public representing the interests of families of youth at-risk of justice involvement); 1 vacancy (member of faith community); 1 vacancy (community member at-large); 1 vacancy (representative of Parks & Recreation) Until filled
• Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee: Ongoing need
• Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee: Ongoing need

Asheville Gallery of Art’s February show, “Time for Renewal” will feature works by three new gallery members: Kathy Goodson, Margie Kluska, and Johnnie Stanfield. The show will run February 1-28 during gallery hours, 11am-6pm. An event to meet the artists will be held at the gallery on First Friday, February 4, from 5-8pm at 82 Patton Avenue.

This show represents a seasonal reset. What is to come will be better. We have had our time to pause, and now it is time to refresh. For the earth, this is Spring, a time for new growth. In February, the light begins to change, and shadows shift. Underlying it all is the promise of our renewal.

Kathy Goodson
Color is one of Kathy’s visual languages. She captures the drama of her botanical flowers and leaves so they appear to leap off the painting…a visual feast in silk and dye or encaustic. The thrill of creating something unexpected is an elixir to her, with reds and fuchsia being her favorites. When creating an abstract, she begins by thinking about color, then a story begins to grow, which leads to a visual symbol or image, loaded with meaning related to the story. All of this happens before she puts the first brush stroke on the silk or
the wood. Her process is interactive, and she lets the painting create, then lead her.
“Color captivates me especially when winter begins to change into spring. The Lenten Rose is the first to emerge in late winter, with subtle and muted colors…unlike the later flowers of spring and summer.”

Margie Kluska
Margie has been drawing since she was a child. She enjoys studying the works of the classical artists and Hudson River School painters, and she has only recently taken up oil painting. Her inspiration is taken from nature, landscapes, wildlife, and flora. Living surrounded by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains has inspired her to paint views that take one’s breath away. Distant mountain ranges, glorious sunsets, soaring hawks, and ever-changing weather patterns offer her extensive references which she captures on canvas. Her style, “loose realism”, captures the reality of each scene with a slight bent towards Impressionism.
“Light affects our moods. Whether it’s a sunrise, sunset, or storm clouds parting to expose a blue sky, our moods are instantly transformed.”

Johnnie Stanfield
An award-winning artist, Johnnie is known for her colorful, vivid watercolor and acrylic paintings of horses, fishing lure studies, and local landscapes. She is inspired by the emotion created when she sees an object or something in nature that recalls a past memory. She is then compelled to paint it, to convey and share that feeling with the viewer. Johnnie will paint a subject in watercolor to give it a softer feel so the viewer can devote their own emotion to the painting or add to the emotion she has created. If it is detailed, she will usually use acrylic or oil. Her paintings hang in private collections throughout the Southeast.
”Sheltering in Place” was inspired by my cat, during the shelter in place mandate in Spring, 2020. Like all of us, we waited for the sunshine, to renew our spirit and celebrate its warmth, while wondering when we could go back out into the world and resume our life as usual.”

For further information about this show, please contact the Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796, visit the gallery’s website at www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com, or go to the gallery’s Facebook page.

Thanks for Supporting Asheville Outlets’ Virtual Food Drive for MANNA FoodBank

We’re looking for a team of dedicated volunteers to commit to monthly service days at the site of the future Karen Cragnolin Park. Volunteers will work outside at a safe social distance to remove invasive species. We will be working in groups of 15 or less and wearing masks to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

If you are interested in helping please fill out this survey (link below) so we can determine the best day and time to offer this monthly day of service.

Karen Cragnolin Park Update: We are delighted to report that the remediation of Karen Cragnolin Park (KCP) – named in honor of our visionary founder – is complete, and that we are initiating the first phase of the project by constructing the park’s greenway and an accompanying landscaped corridor. This will activate and connect the park (to the two adjacent greenways) and continue the journey of bringing the park fully online. Our goal with this phase is to create a beautiful aesthetic corridor with carefully selected plantings and design elements accompanied by educational, cultural and historical signage for people to experience as they move through the park. This phase is projected to cost approximately $1 million and will be achieved through individual donors and institutional and grant funding. Construction will begin when funding commitments are secured. To learn more about supporting our efforts please contact me at [email protected].

As background, the 5.3 acre site was formerly home to the EDACO junkyard for over 50 years. Located adjacent to the French Broad River and bounded by Amboy Road, the car crushing operation contaminated the land and water with oil, gas, grease and antifreeze. RiverLink worked with experts to implement an extensive soil remediation process to restore the land.

Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architecture’s vision for KCP is bold and transformative. Upon full completion, KCP will serve as one of the missing links in the larger open space and greenway system, connecting Carrier Park to French Broad River Park. KCP will offer a contemplative and rejuvenating space that honors the natural and cultural history of the site while providing access to the water’s edge. The park will also stabilize riparian edges, collect and slow stormwater, and promote a wide range of habitats. The completed project will embrace the concept of a “living laboratory” – an outdoor classroom that makes the dynamic riparian and ecological processes visible. An educational, stimulating, and enjoyable park experience will cultivate a community invested in the long-term stewardship of the river and the park system for generations to come. Please see our website for the Master Plan and complete vision.

Buy one of these murals for yourself or to donate to a local organization (make sure you check with them first), and keep the good work going! All proceeds from this auction will be split evenly between The Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County’s COPE Program and the Asheville Area Arts Council’s Arts Build Community Grant. Auction ends February 28.

GEORGE FLOYD

Auction, Faces, Lexington Ave, Names

BLACK POWER MATTERS

Black Lives Matter, Lexington Ave

END THE WAR ON BLACK PEOPLE

Lexington Ave

BLACK LIVES

Black Lives Matter, Lexington Ave

FISTS

Fist, Lexington Ave

DEFUND POLICE

Defend Black Lives, Lexington Ave

SAY THEIR NAMES

Lexington Ave, Names

JERRY WILLIAMS & AHMAUD ARBERY

Auction, Black Lives Matter, Faces, Fist, Lexington Ave

#BlackHerstoryMonth is this month!  The perspectives of #BlackFeminists have consistently transformed the fights for gender equity and racial justice to ensure we can continue to build a world of equity, justice, and freedom for all. That’s why, all month, we’re celebrating Black feminism and centering the work of powerful Black sheroes past and present doing the critical intersectional work to #EliminateRacism and #EmpowerWomen. Follow along on Facebook and Instagram all month long as we center the unsung legacy of Black feminism: from Jane Crow to Intersectionality.

In February, we honor and recognize Black Legacy Month at Buncombe County Public Libraries. We will be celebrating throughout February through several online events, staff-curated booklists, and a collection of online resources and exhibits.

Virtual book clubs will discuss On Girlhood by Glory Edim and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. You can register for either book club on the library calendar.

When you visit your library, look for special Black Legacy Month displays and book selections.

Below, you will find our Librarians’ reading list highlighting Black authors that include selections for all ages.

We look forward to seeing you at the library!

Black Legacy Month Reading List

Books for Families to Share

My Heart Flies Open by Omileye Achikeobi-Lewis

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

The Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist

Soul Food Sunday by Winsome Bingham

This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridges

Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes

Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Hubbard

Recognize! An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life Edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson

Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons

My Hair Is Magic by M.L. Marroquin

M is for Melanin by Tiffany Rose

Exquisite: the Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Buckingham Slade

Nina: a Story of Nina Simone by Traci N. Todd

Dream Street by Tricia Elam Walker

Chapter Books For Older Kids

Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist

Blended by Sharon Draper

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

New Kid by Jerry Craft

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood edited by Kwame Mbalia

Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Books for Teens

The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

March by John Lewis and Andrew Ayden

Revolution in Our Time: the Black Panther’s Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon

Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Powell

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi

Books for Adults

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet

The Yellow House by Sarah Broom

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown

You Are Your Best Thing edited by Tarana Burke

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Soul City: Race, Equality, and the Lost Dream of an American Utopia by Thomas Healy

All About Love by bell hooks

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

400 Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Disha Philyaw

How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Buncombe County has launched its 2043 Comprehensive Plan initiative and you can provide input. This plan will focus on the next 20-year period and will look at the relationships between land uses, infrastructure and key community services and amenities. A comprehensive plan is not limited to studying land use components – it can include other areas of focus such as safety, public health, affordability, multi-generational needs, equity, and more.

A successful comprehensive plan will guide growth and address community needs and priorities through a series of objectives, strategies and goals.

Learn more about the planning process here. You can also link directly to the public input page here.

This month, Explore Asheville is focusing on Black community leaders who honor and shine light on Asheville’s Black past while working to create a brighter future. Sourcing from local content creators, we’re sharing these individuals’ stories on our social channels and on ExploreAsheville.com, posting one new video each week during Black History/Black Legacy Month.

A look at amazing community leaders who honor and shine light on Asheville’s past while working to create a brighter future.

Our RiverRATS program teaches students all sorts of fun vocabulary about river ecology. These terms provide crucial information needed to protect and steward the river. This month’s crossword is going to quiz you on the vocabulary that we teach the kids in our stream table lessons! Let’s see how well you can do in our take on the game show, Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader!

The Asheville Downtown Association is now accepting applications for food vending at our 2022 events. These include Downtown After 5, the Independence Day Celebration and Asheville Oktoberfest.

Applications are due Friday, February 25 at 5pm.

• Restoration
• Rehabilitation
• Adaptive Re-use
• In-fill Construction in Historic and Traditional Neighborhoods
• Research, Publication and Education
• Stewardship
• Preservation

The 2022 appeal period is open now. During the year of the reappraisal, or any year of the reappraisal cycle, a taxpayer may appeal the appraised value of their property. No matter how thorough and fair a reappraisal may be, there are still instances when only the property owner has all the information necessary for an accurate appraisal. Informal appeals for 2022 can be filed anytime between Jan. 1-April 20, 2022. Additionally, anyone receiving a change of value notice after April 20, 2022 has thirty days from the date of the notice to file an appeal.

Step One: Starting an Informal Appeal

An informal appeal is the first step in the appeal process.  Buncombe County Property Assessment has created a new suite of online tools to help make the appeal process easier. A taxpayer may begin the informal appeal process now by clicking on this link taxappeal.buncombecounty.org.

According to NC General Statutes, the property owner has the burden of proving that the property under appeal is incorrectly valued. The amount of your tax bill or ability to pay the tax cannot be used as a valid reason for submitting an appeal. The value of your property has been developed from sales and cost data within your local area. If the you believe this value is incorrect, please provide our office with a valid reason(s) to adjust the assessment (i.e. recent appraisal within the last 2 years, comparable sales of similar homes in the neighborhood or surrounding area, photos of the dwelling to show repair/maintenance issues, etc.).

A property owner appealing the property value of the property should start the appeal process online, or contact our office at (828) 250-4940 to request an appeal form by mail. The appeal form must be returned and/or postmarked, including your supporting documentation, within 30 days of the date listed on the appeal form. The appeal should include information to support the property owner’s opinion of value. Our appraisal professionals are here to help you through the appeal process. For appraisal purposes, Buncombe County is divided into multiple geographical areas. You can find the contact information of the appraiser for your area on the notice of value letter received in the mail, or by calling our office at (828) 250-4940.

The health and safety of our community and employees is our priority, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, assessment staff is available via Live Chat, or you can schedule a phone conference or virtual appointment by calling (828) 250-4940. Your concerns and questions are important to us, and our team is committed to handling your appeal as quickly as possible.

Should a property owner have any additional questions or need help with a property appeal, please contact our office at (828) 250-4940 or email [email protected].