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Election Updates
Early voting in Buncombe County has ended in record turnout with just over 116,000 voters casting their ballot, surpassing 2020 early voting numbers by 10,000 voters.
Tuesday is Election Day for the 2024 Presidential Election. Polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and anyone in line by 7:30 p.m. will be able to vote.
What to bring: Registered voters must bring their photo ID and go to their assigned voting location. If residents don’t have a photo ID, they can vote provisionally.
Where: Due to storm damage or use for emergency operations, 17 of 80 Election Day voting locations have temporarily changed. They are either combined with a nearby location or at a new location. Last Monday, Election Services sent cards with those changes. They are also at the Buncombe County elections website. Please note: for all voters with location changes, if they show up at their old precinct, there will be a sign telling them where the new location is.
Absentee by mail voters will need to return their ballot by Tuesday, Nov. 5 by 7:30 p.m. Unless it is overnighted, it’s too late to put the ballot in the mail so bring it to the office at 59 Woodfin Place, Asheville, not to a polling location. On election night, preliminary results will be released on the Buncombe County website beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Water Restoration Updates
The second round of in-reservoir treatment at the North Fork Reservoir to reduce turbidity levels made progress over the weekend with the turbidity level below 19 as of this morning.
As a back-up option, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun an alternative project to treat the water at the North Fork Reservoir. The project includes mobile treatment units and has a slated completion date of early December. This project will be occurring concurrently with the current in-reservoir treatment as a second, backup option.
Solid Waste Updates
Waste Pro will operate normal routes for household trash and recycling this week.
Residents should use the transfer station at 190 Hominy Creek Road in Asheville or the landfill at 85 Panther Branch Road in Alexander for additional household bagged trash.
On Wednesday, WastePro will operate normal routes for household trash and recycling in accessible locations in Swannanoa and will have a truck at Hearts with Hands, 850 Warren Wilson Road, Asheville, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for household bagged trash drop-off only.
Storm Debris Collection
The lengthy debris collection continues with more than 50,000 cubic yards collected already in Buncombe County. The landfill has seen a 300% increase in use, so residents are urged place debris at the right of way for the contractors to collect and process at appropriate locations that divert debris from the landfill, which has limited capacity.
In Asheville, 19 debris trucks are running, and in the County, 34 grapple trucks are running prioritizing Swannanoa, Julian Shoals and Lower Brush Creek in the southern part of the county, Black Mountain, and Barnardsville.
Community Care Stations
Community Care Stations are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with showers, laundry, and more. All Community Care Stations now have ADA accessible showers and bathrooms, and laundry drop off and pickup is available at the Swannanoa Ingles. The A.C. Reynolds High School Care Station will close at 7 p.m. tomorrow and move to the Fairview Ingles at 225 Charlotte Highway with no interruption in service. The other locations are:
- A.C. Reynolds High School (closing at 7 p.m. tomorrow)
- At Home Store parking lot
- Big Lots/Innsbrook mall
- Buncombe County Sports Park
- Bethel United Methodist
- Swannanoa Ingles
- Owen Pool
- Morgan Hill Baptist Church
Buncombe County registered nurses and the Mobile Team are offering free Tdap, COVID, Flu and Hep A vaccines at the following Community Care Sites:
- Swannanoa Ingles: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12-6 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Buncombe County Sports Park: Wednesdays and Fridays 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Big Lots/Innsbruck Mall: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 12-6 p.m.
Water and Food Distribution Sites
Water and meals ready to eat are available at distribution sites daily at:
- Sky Lanes Bowling Alley
- Black Mountain Ingles
- Swannanoa Ingles
- Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center
- Pack Square Park
- Buncombe County Sports Park
- Fairview Ingles
The One Buncombe Call Center at 828-250-6100 is ready to answer any calls with Hurricane Helene questions Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
County and City Parks
Bent Creek River Park will reopen today at 1 p.m. While the park will be accessible, please avoid using the river. Other County parks currently open include:
- Buncombe County Sports Park - 7 a.m.-7 p.m. (Please note that this park has limited access. Open portions of the park include the dog park, community garden, disc golf course, fields 1, 2, 8 and 9, and the playground area. Additional areas of the park remain closed as we serve the community with a with a water distribution site and as a community care station with showers and laundry facilities for residents. There will be no shelter reservations at this time.
- Cane Creek Playground - Daylight hours only
- Corcoran Paige River Park - Daylight hours only
- Glen Bridge River Park - Daylight hours only
- Hominy Valley Park - Daylight hours only
- North Buncombe Fields - Daylight hours only
Do not enter closed parks: Lake Julian, Owen Park Karpen soccer fields, the Ledges, Alexander, and Walnut River Park.
All City of Asheville Parks and Recreation Community Centers will reopen on Wednesday, Nov. 6. This means buildings and the outdoor spaces surrounding them including playgrounds, picnic areas, sports fields, and plazas will also be open. Most regularly scheduled programs and events at community centers are on hold.
More than half of the parks within the City of Asheville’s system are now open. Closed parks are not safe, and only authorized staff are allowed to enter. More information on parks and programming can be found at www.ashevillenc.gov/parks.
Thanksgiving Meal Distribution
Eblen Charities is doing a Thanksgiving meal distribution on Nov. 27, and 800 families can sign up to receive a turkey and a box of sides in a drive-through format. Register at eblencharities.org. Eblen Charities will also post sign-ups for the annual St. Nicholas Toy Store where parents and guardians can sign up for free for new and unwrapped toys, books, etc. for holiday gifts.
Financial Assistance
The Tzu Chi Foundation, a partner of the American Red Cross, is providing emergency financial assistance in the form of debit cards to households in Buncombe County that were destroyed or severely damaged by Hurricane Helene. Residents whose primary homes were impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply by Nov. 8 at this website.
FEMA
FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRCs) are open daily at Cane Creek Pool at 590 Lower Brush Creek Rd., Fairview from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
In addition to fixed DRCs, mobile DRCs will continue to operate at:
- Swannanoa Fire Rescue - Bee Tree Fire Sub Station: 510 Bee Tree Rd., Swannanoa. Open: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 2-5 and Nov. 11-14
- Buncombe County Sports Park (Parking Lot): 58 Apac Dr., Asheville. Open: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 6-9 and Nov. 15-18.
In Buncombe County, FEMA has approved more than 49,000 households who have received a total of $71 million.
Blue Ridge Parkway
National Park Service crews have been working hard to continue damage assessments and reopen sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway as possible.
In the Buncombe County area, the Parkway recently reopened the following sections:
- From Milepost 405.5 at Elk Pasture Gap – NC 151, near Mount Pisgah, south to Milepost 420.2 (Forest Service Road 816 at Black Balsam).
- This includes access to the Mount Pisgah and Graveyard Fields/Looking Glass Rock area trails. The Devil’s Courthouse area is closed due to significant road damage on the Parkway. This closure includes bicycle or pedestrian use.
In addition, last week the Parkway reopened Milepost 423.2 at Beach Gap - State Route 215 south to the Great Smoky Mountains at Milepost 469.1 including the Waterrock Knob Visitor center and nearby trails.
The National Park Service is targeting opening a section of the Asheville corridor later this week allowing access onto and off of the Parkway from the following roads:
- HWY 70 (Tunnel Road)
- HWY 74
- HWY 25 (Hendersonville Road)
- HWY 191 (Brevard Road)
After the Asheville corridor Parkway reopens, additional visitor services will begin to be restored including the main park Visitor Center and the Folk Art Center.
Many closed areas remain unsafe due to hidden hazards, such as weakened portions of the roadway, snags, hazard trees, and unstable slopes. Unauthorized use also hinders work crews. The Park Service is working to ensure that areas can reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, but no volunteer work is authorized in either open or closed areas at this time.
Tomorrow, Buncombe County will not host a community briefing as the County will have several live briefings on its Facebook page during election day with voter counts. The next community briefing will be on Wednesday.