Buncombe commissioners approve Woodfin Greenway, park, Whitewater Wave funding
ASHEVILLE – Buncombe County moved much-anticipated Woodfin outdoor adventure plans closer to completion with a vote at the Oct. 17 Board of Commissioners meeting. The elected officials also discussed how county staffers will evaluate specific Open Space Bond projects, a study on merging Asheville City and Buncombe County school districts, proposed changes to the county's procurement policy ― including how gift cards are used ― and more.
Budget amendments
Commissioners unanimously added $18.9 million in funding to the Woodfin Greenway, Silverline Park, Riverside Park and the Whitewater Wave, a multi-step initiative to build and expand parks along the French Broad River as well as create additional recreational activities in Woodfin. These projects are slated to be ready for public use by 2026.
The county itself only contributed slightly less than $1.3 million to the project through a general obligation bond so it could receive a contribution from the federal government. Commissioners redirected and allocated remaining funding from the Tourism Development Authority, Federal Highway Administration and North Carolina Transportation Department.
Commissioners also unanimously appropriated $3.8 million in American Rescue Plan and state grants to restore and realign Dillingham Creek, a small waterway in Barnardsville, to protect against erosion, allow sediment to flow and guard surrounding properties during storms.
Finally, commissioners unanimously approved carrying forward $722,480 in unused funds from the fiscal year 2023 budget’s general and solid waste enterprise funds to the 2024 fiscal year. The money went unused due to shipping and vendor delays.
Open space bond criteria
Buncombe County voters approved a $30 million open space bond in November 2022 dedicated to land conservation, greenway construction and developing passive recreation lands. These are outdoor spaces where recreation activities place minimal stress on the space’s resources, without disrupting the natural environment.
During the Oct. 17 meeting, commissioners unanimously approved criteria to evaluate these projects with the following weights:
Conservation and Environmental Impact (20%)
Feasibility (20%)
Accessibility (15%)
Equity (15%)
Long-Term Management and Maintenance (10%)
Costs and Leveraged Funding (10%)
Alignment with County Plan/Needs/Opportunity/Priority (5%)
Safety (5%)
"These are scored on a scale, meaning that a project that better meets one of these (criteria) will have a higher score," Buncombe County Open Space Bond Manager Jill Carter told the board.
Qualifying projects must each have a timeline, a Buncombe County location and long-term management and maintenance plan.
The Woodfin Greenway and Enka Heritage Trail Greenway, which begins near Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Enka Campus and terminates near Buncombe County Sports Park, were the first two projects to utilize funding from the Open Space Bond.
School consolidation study
The North Carolina General Assembly required that Asheville City and Buncombe County school systems study the feasibility of a merger. County commissioners accepted the role of managing this feasibility study in a unanimous vote. The mandate from the state was unfunded. County staff will solicit a firm to complete the study. Commissioners would identify funding after they select the firm, which would happen around March 2024, according to a timeline presented to the board.
“I think if this process is done correctly, through a consensus building opportunity and looking at the way we’re recommending pulling people together to serve, I’m really excited that we’re actually going to lead this process,” Commissioner Amanda Edwards said.
Commissioner Parker Sloan said he was skeptical that the study provided a consensus building opportunity because recommendations that come from the study may not ultimately be followed by Raleigh legislators.
“I guess I’m going to play the pessimist for a moment,” he said, following Edwards’ self-admittedly optimistic perspective.
Buncombe County and Asheville City Board of Education districts must report findings and recommendations of the study to the general assembly by February 2025.
Property appraisal appeal updates
Members of the Board of Equalization and Review, tasked with reviewing appeals related to the county’s property tax assessment, presented its findings to commissioners.
In the 2022 session, the board reviewed 36 appeals, denying 10 appeals.
Meetings for the 2023 session will begin Oct. 18. The board has received 85 applications.
Updating procurement policy
During the briefing before the meeting, county staff presented updates to the procurement manual, first adopted by the board in November 2018.
Among the proposed changes were policy tweaks and consolidations around gift cards, contracts, meals and meetings. These updates emphasize appropriateness and cost effectiveness around meal purchases and gift card usage. Staff also presented the policy around reviewing policy, which they termed the “multi-phased policy review process.”
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This policy update comes in the wake of a settlement commissioners announced with disgraced former County Manager Wanda Greene, who was implicated in a widespread kickback and bribery scheme. Greene’s assistant bought $52,400 of gift cards using a county-funded credit card as early as 2012 — emails and memos showed that Greene directed her assistant to make the purchases.
Greene pleaded guilty in 2019 to two counts of federal program fraud, one count of making and subscribing a federal tax return and one count of receipt of kickbacks and bribes. She was sentenced to seven years in prison and was released Jan. 10.
Mitchell Black covers Buncombe County and health care for the Citizen Times. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @MitchABlack. Please help support local journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe County commissioners approve Woodfin Whitewater Wave funding
