The possibility of a city-county school systems merger, a crime report from the Sheriff, and nearly $19 million in funding for a park in Woodfin, were all on the table at last night’s Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting.
How feasible is a school merger?
Commissioners voted unanimously to get the ball rolling on a School Consolidation Feasibility Study. Admittedly, their hands were a bit tied in the matter, as a result of the NC General Assembly’s passage of House Bill 142 which required Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools to commission a study about the feasibility of a merger between the two school systems. The measure also required officials to present the feasibility study findings, along with a recommendation to the General Assembly once a study is completed.
The county, which will take the lead on the study, says it will issue a Request for Proposals in November, with the goal of approving a firm to lead the study by March 2024 and sharing results with the General Assembly no later than February 2025.
While every commissioner voted for the study, there was a mix of confusion, optimism, and pessimism about the project.
Chairman Brownie Newman wondered aloud if the city and county are allowed to offer differing recommendations. Rachael Sawyer Nygaard, the county’s strategic partnerships director, replied that the legal team would need to double check.
Commissioner Amanda Edwards professed hopefulness about the process, while commissioner Parker Sloan expressed pessimism about the process.
“I think we have good intentions. I think this presentation is put together fairly with good intentions behind it, but the people who have mandated us do this, without asking anyone, couldn’t care less what any of us think, or what any of our constituents think. They just did this because they can,” he said.
Newman maintained that there is support among Buncombe County legislators to “at least explore the question” and that the county will be following the study with interest.
Woodfin “waves” hello to more funding
The Woodfin Greenway and Blueway Project, an ambitious development along the French Broad River that includes two parks, a whitewater wave, and a greenway system, received an additional $13.8 million in government funding, for a total of nearly $19 million.
The breakdown of the funding is as follows:
- $5.8 million from TDA Tourism Product Development Fund
- $11.7 million from Federal Highway Administration Surface Transportation Block grant
- $1.2 million from the county’s Open Space Bond Projects Fund
Sheriff says crime has decreased
In a presentation to the commission, Buncombe County Sheriff Quintin Miller reported crime decreased by 15% over the last year. The data was based on eight crime categories, including murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
Miller credited a handful of strategies for this crime reduction, including prioritizing high level crime and repeat offenders, dismantling theft rings, and implementing a medication-assisted drug treatment program at the county jail.
Other tidbits
- Dillingham Creek will receive $3.7 million in state grants. The money will help protect the creek against erosion and provide more resiliency to surrounding areas during storms.
- The county approved a $363,470 contract with MacMillan Pazdan Smith for the renovation of the 100-year-old Asheville High School auditorium.
Every first and third Tuesday, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meets at 200 College Street, Room 326 in downtown Asheville beginning at 5:00 p.m. See the full recording of the October 17 meeting.
