e-Focus Monthly Newsletter

Town of Weaverville

Latest News

Introducing the Town's New Fire Chief

The Town of Weaverville would like to welcome Scottie Harris as Weaverville’s new Fire Chief.

He will begin as Chief on October 10.

Prior to coming to Weaverville, Chief Harris has served Northern Wake Fire Department and the Town of Black Mountain. Chief Harris has served in fire and emergency services for 30 years, with the last 18 years in senior management roles in municipal, county, and combined fire departments, as well as serving 8 years in contract fire services at U.S. Army installations in the Middle East and U.S. Navy support facilities in Diego Garcia.

Chief Harris earned a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Waldorf University, a Bachelor’s degree in Fire Administration and Associate’s degree in Fire Services from Columbia Southern University, and has an extensive resume of fire and emergency services certifications.

The Town Manager wishes to thank the Weaverville Fire Department team for their consistent dedication to providing excellent services to the Town’s residents, as well as those of the entire North Buncombe District. She also extends her gratitude to Interim Chief Ron Davis (also Police Chief) for his leadership during the recruitment process for the chief position.

Introducing the Town's Clerk & Communications Coordinator

Join us in welcoming our new Deputy Town Clerk and Communications Coordinator, Grace Keith. Grace is a recent graduate of Warren Wilson College and comes to Weaverville after serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA for the non-profit organization Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA).

Grace will be preforming duties as set out in N.C. General Statues for municipal clerks, including maintenance of municipal ordinances and documents, taking official minutes at Town Council meetings, preparing and submitting legal notices and advertisements, administration of official oaths, etc. She will also be responsible for communication outreach responsibilities including: maintaining the towns website, creating the

e-newsletter, and managing the Town’s social media accounts. You can contact Grace by email at [email protected]

New Garbage Toters Required by Town

In order to provide for safer and more efficient garbage pick-up the Town of Weaverville will be changing to an automated side-loading garbage truck in the coming months. This change in operations will require all garbage customers to use a Town-approved garbage toter. These toters have been available for purchase through the Town for several years and many customers are currently using them.

If you do not currently have a Town-approved toter in use, one will be delivered to you beginning in October. This delivery is a large undertaking and will take several months to complete, but all toters will be delivered prior to the end of December 2022.

The one-time cost of each toter is $55 and that amount will be added to your water bill in January 2023. If you would prefer to be put on a payment plan providing for 5 monthly payments of $11, please contact the Town immediately at 828-645-7116 and those arrangements will be made. Residents that are not Town water customers will be billed directly. Questions concerning the toters should be directed to the Public Works Department at 828-645-0606 or [email protected]; billing questions should be directed to Town Hall at 828-645-7116 or [email protected].

Interested in Making Extra Money?

The Town is looking for someone to record and run the Zoom room for Town Council's two monthly evening meetings. This person would be working as an independent contractor and not as a regular employee for the Town.

The meetings begin at 6:00 p.m. on the 4th Monday monthly and 3rd Tuesday monthly (with a couple of exceptions).

Potential to make at least $150 per meeting.

Please contact the town manager, Selena Coffey, at [email protected], for more information or to submit a letter of interest. Experience using Zoom preferred.

A Message from the Weaverville Fire Department

Fall is in the air, and needless to say so is hurricane season. Since we live in relatively safe and beautiful area, it’s easy to let our guard down when it comes to inclement weather. Please consider taking a little time, and some simple steps to strengthen your home. It will bring you some peace of mind and your loved ones will thank you!

We’re also entering wildland fire season. Are you, “Firewise” tips can be found by following the link below.

NFPA - Preparing homes for wildfire

If you have a question about making your house safer, please send us an email. Or you can call the Fire Department at (828) 645-3500. Our Fire Marshal Kile Davis will be happy to return your call.

A Message from Weaverville's Police Department

Halloween will be here before you know it. Even though our town does NOT sponsor any events during this candy engulfing time, the streets will be filled on Halloween evening with hundreds of sweet toothed trick or treaters! Our busiest times are around 5:30pm to 9:30pm. To help make sure everyone in town stays safe this Halloween, here are some simple safety tips we can all follow.

Walkers

Please know that NONE of our roads will be closed for Halloween so use sidewalks if at all possible.
If you find yourself in a very crowded area, please hold on tight to the little ones. It is easy to lose small children in crowds and in the dark.
Have a safety plan in place with your children in case you get separated. A cell phone can obviously help with this but so can pre-determined rally points and making sure your children know to reach to police if they get separated or lost.
Make sure costumes fit well so the little ones are not having trouble walking and tripping over the poorly fitted clothing.
Wear reflective strips or glow sticks on your costumes to be seen better by the motoring public.
Face painting is preferred over masks due to the poor visibility that goes along with wearing masks.
Make sure your little ghouls know who they are with and not to go anywhere with strangers.

Drivers

The streets will be filled with trick or treaters dressed in dark colors running with excitement, so be patient and drive so slow…. it’s scary!
Drive with your headlights on, even if it’s still light outside.
Residential areas will be congested with vehicles and foot traffic, please pay extra attention.

Your police department will have extra patrols throughout town. If you see anything unsafe or suspicious, please call us at (828) 250-6670 so an officer will be dispatched to your location. If we all work together, we can ensure that Halloween will be safe and fun everyone!

A Note from the Town of Weaverville Planning Department

As the November general election nears, Town Hall often experiences a volume of inquiries related to political signage. Political signs are temporary signs and the regulations of subsections (b) through (e) of North Carolina General Statute 136-32 apply to all political signs within all rights-of-way for roads owned and maintained by the state and town within the Town of Weaverville. The following is a link to the referenced statute should you wish to review.

(https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_136/gs_136-32.html)

Staff recognizes that these political signs, perhaps more specifically the volume of these signs, are considered unsightly and the members of public will often request their removal. However, the removal of these signs which have been properly placed carries a penalty of a Class 3 misdemeanour under North Carolina law. Political signs are eligible for removal 10 days after the election.

‘Tis the Leaf Season – Tips for Managing the Piles of Piles

Where should we place loose leaves for collection?

Option 1: Collect curbside in clear bags or piles

Loose leaves may be piled curbside from October 15th through December 15th and from March 1st through May 1st and will be picked up by the town’s leaf vacuum. They may also be placed in clear plastic bags for collection.

In both cases, keep the leaves out of the roads, sidewalks and drainage. Bicyclists and drivers risk accidents and injury because of leaves blocking traffic lanes. Leaves washed into storm drains can lead to clogging and flooding and add excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) to our waterways.

Option 2: Leave the leaves

Leaves provide food and shelter for butterflies, bees, beetles, moths and more over the winter season. Leave the leaves where they fall to support pollinators and biodiversity in your yard. A thin layer of leaves also protects and nourishes your lawn. Rake the rest around your trees, shrubs and beds for free mulch.

Mark your calendars

Community Town Hall

with Buncombe County Commissioner Terri Wells

Thursday, October 6th 3:30-4:30pm

Weaverville Community Center

60 Lakeshore Drive

Buncombe County Commissioner Terri Wells will share updates about the current county budget and policies, answer your questions, and learn about the issues most important to you. Commissioner Wells will be joined by Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder and Planning Director Nathan Pennington, who will provide a basic overview of county planning processes.

Weaverville Center for Creative & Healthy Living News

Happy Anniversary to all of us! It is hard to believe that we began programming one year ago today. Special thanks go out to our incredible volunteer instructors, group activity champions, actors, musicians, storytellers, and financial supporters who without their time and treasure, this past year’s programming never would have happened. Also, a special thanks goes out to Weaverville’s leadership, who had enough faith in what our Board of Directors have worked so hard to achieve that our Town Council bestowed a $5,000 grant to our not-for-profit organization. These funds will enable us to grow the breadth and scope of our programming in the new year. But before I move on, I would be remiss if I did not offer a special thanks to the great number of you who showed up to enjoy the myriad classes, activities, musical events, plays, and storytelling concerts that were staged at our beautiful new Community Center. It once again proves the point that it takes a village to make this work… and we are so fortunate to live in this wonderful village of Weaverville. Thank you all again for a fruitful first year of programming and participation. Our Board looks forward to organizing even more programs for you in our second year of operations.

Voting and the WCCHL Schedule Changes: Once again, the Registrar of Voters will occupy the (large) Albert Weaver Room at the Community Center to conduct voting activities beginning Monday, Oct 17th, and running through Tuesday, November 8th. This means the effected programming has been relocated to the Community Center’s Multipurpose Room or the Community Room at Town Hall. Please be in touch with your instructors/group champions to know the latest information about meeting locations. Each instructor/group champion can be reached via their email address located on the Monthly Schedule that we post as an attachment to this Blog on the Town’s E-Focus Newsletter, through our WCCHL direct email distribution list, our WCCHL Face Book page, and the printed copies located in the lobby of the Community Center.

Programs to be relocated to the Community Room at Town Hall.

YOGA

Oct 17, Oct 19, Oct 24, Oct 26, Oct 31, Nov 2, Nov 7, Nov 9 (just in case voting equipment hasn’t been picked up yet)

TAI CHI

Oct 18, Oct 25, Nov 1, Nov 8 (CANCELLED DUE TO VOTING IN TOWN HALL)

LINE DANCE (both 10-11am and 6-7pm classes)

Oct 6, Oct 20, Oct 27, Nov 3

New Programs: You continue to identify your interests and we continue to find ways to add them to the schedule. Beginning in October, please note the following additions:

Genealogy Group: Group Champion is Carla Mitchell / [email protected] Meets first Tuesdays of the month, 5:30-6:30 PM, Multipurpose Room / Begins Tuesday, October 4th.

Women’s Group: Group Champion is Lisa Mateboer / [email protected] Focus will be social interaction through a series of directed discussions to enhance friendship and mutual respect. Meets the 3rd Thursday of the month, from 4:00-5:15 PM, beginning on Oct 20th in the Multipurpose Room.

Storytelling 101: Group Champion is Chuck Fink / [email protected] If you ever wanted to learn how to develop the skills to be a storyteller, Chuck will take you through a 4 week/8 hour class beginning in November. Chuck will be meeting on Thursdays, 4:30-6:30 PM in the Multipurpose Room. Dates are November 3rd, 10th, 17th, and December 1st. Each class builds on the next so being able to attend all 4 classes is key. If interested, please contact Chuck at the email address above.

Mountain Music Jam / Music on the Back Porch: Now that temperatures are cooling, we are once again bringing this program indoors into the Albert Weaver Room. Also due to voting and upcoming holidays we will have no events in October and only one event for November and December. Dates are scheduled for November 22nd, and December 13th. We invite all musicians to attend and share in this traditional musical jam. Listeners are always welcome… bring your family and friends.

Special Events: Mark your calendar for these upcoming events this Quarter. All special events will take place in the Albert Weaver Room at the Community Center. Dates and times are listed below. As always, these performances are conducted by volunteers so an “Appreciation Basket” will be available for any donations.

Storytelling Concert Friday, October 14th / 7:00-8:30 PM

Scary Stories for Halloween / Note: May not be suitable for children under 10.
Presented by Jill Tottman, Debbie Gurriere, Lulu Edmonds, & Sherry Lovett

Reader’s Theater Sunday, November 13th / 7:00-8:30 PM

Love Lost and What I Wore / Written by Nora & Delia Ephron
Produced by Dreamweavers Productions / Directed by Martin May
These romantic comedy monologues include women's relationships and their wardrobes, and at times the interaction of the two, using the female wardrobe as a time capsule of a woman's life.

Candlelight Stroll Friday, December 9th / Dusk to 9:00 PM

Once again, the Dry Ridge Museum and the WCCHL will collaborate with the Weaverville Business Association to bring musical and storytelling entertainment plus refreshments to the Albert Weaver room. Enjoy your stroll along Main Street then take the free round trip trolley between the Town Clock on Main Street and the Community Center. Bring the whole family.

Reader’s Theater Sunday, December 18th / 7:00-8:30 PM

Ancestral Voices by A. R. Gurney
Presented by The Artisan Players / Directed by Janice Vertucci Schreiber
Set in the 1940s, this bittersweet story, perceived through the eyes of young Eddie whose family is turned upside down when a divorce ensues. Simultaneously, the outside world is undergoing changes as we follow the family through the ensuing decades of war and social upheaval.

We look forward to seeing you soon at the Community Center taking part in these wonderful activities. Please remember that all events and classes are free of charge and led by our wonderful volunteers. As always, should you need further information, please reach out to us at: [email protected].

Respectfully,

Tom

Thomas M. Balestrieri

Board Chairperson

Weaverville Center for Creative & Healthy Living

26 Whitetail Drive

Weaverville, NC 28787

[email protected]

904.347.3312

www.facebook.com/WCCHL