Join us for our General Meeting
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
10:00am Meet & Greet • 10:30am-Noon Program
Meeting held in the West Asheville Branch Library Program Room, 942 Haywood Road.
New businesses, prospective members and home-based businesses are welcome.
Topics of discussion:
- Tourism Engagement & Economic Impact for West Asheville
- Engaging with the City of Asheville via SimpliCity and The Asheville App
- “Watch for Me Campaign” for pedestrian/bicycle/vehicle safety
- On-street bicycle parking
- New bus shelter and West Asheville gateway refresh
- Update from New Belgium Brewing
- Shop West Asheville holiday promotions/events
Guest speakers from:
- Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
- City of Asheville
- Asheville on Bikes
- Asheville Design Center
- New Belgium Brewing
WABA General Meeting Agenda
• Tourism Engagement & Economic Impact for West Asheville
– Stephanie Brown, Executive Director, Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Engaging with the City of Asheville via SimpliCity and The Asheville App
– Scott Barnwell and Cameron Carlyle from the City’s Information Technology Department
• “Watch for Me Campaign” for Pedestrian/bicycle/vehicle Safety
– Barb Mee, Transportation Planner, City of Asheville
• On-street Bicycle Parking Update
– Matt Fusco, Asheville on Bikes Board Member and Mike Sule, Director, Asheville on Bikes
• New Bus Shelter and West Asheville Gateway Refresh
– Chris Joyell, Executive Director, Asheville Design Center
• New Belgium Brewing Update
– Susanne Hackett, Community Relations Specialist for New Belgium
• Shop West Asheville Holiday Promotions and Window Decorating Contest
Our Guests and Topics:
The Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) helps to create a base of customers and provides free marketing services. Executive Director Stephanie Brown will share an update on the ACVB’s marketing initiatives, including the new television campaign, and provide an overview on how you can plug-in to available promotional opportunities to benefit your business.
Scott Barnwell and Cameron Carlyle of the City’s Information Technology Department will be on hand to demonstrate and answer questions on the Asheville App and SimpliCity. SimpliCity is the city’s new search engine that was created to make it easier for citizens and employees to get real-time information they need about things like neighborhood crime, development, tax values, even trash and recycling pickup schedules. It replaces several separate search tools that were built on a technology at the end of its life and no longer supported by the vendor. The Asheville App is an easy-to-use online tool that allows users to notify the city about issues like water line leaks, potholes, or illegal dumping that need the city’s attention via smart phone or computer, then track the results.
Barb Mee, City of Asheville Transportation Planner, will present an overview of “Watch for Me”, an intensive public education campaign to improve the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorist that is paired with vigorous enforcement of street and sidewalk safety laws. The campaign, which will run through November, aims to educate users of streets and sidewalks about the rules and best practices that will help keep everyone on the road safer.
Asheville on Bikes Director Mike Sule joins us for an update on the On-street Bicycle Parking project in works for Haywood Road. Mike presented the concept of converting select street parking places to bicycle parking at our meeting last year. The idea met with enthusiastic response by businesses along Haywood Road. Asheville on Bikes has worked diligently with the City of Asheville and NCDOT to make on-street bike parking a reality. On-street bicycle parking will allow for 15+ bicycles to be safely parked in a space previously used by a single vehicle. This moves bicycles off narrow sidewalks allowing for clearer access for pedestrians while at the same time encouraging increased bicycle ridership. The first install will be in front of the Bledsoe Building and is slated for completion this fall.
Asheville Design Center (ADC) has been working closely with the City of Asheville, New Belgium Brewing, NCDOT and our community on the design of a bus shelter to be installed on the eastern side of Haywood Road near Craven Street and the entrance to the new greenway. The bus shelter will include panels celebrating the history of the old stockyard site which is now home to New Belgium Brewing and will include materials salvaged from the site. ADC’s Executive Director Chris Joyell will bring us up to speed on that project and how you can cast a vote for the final shelter design.
WABA has been in discussion with ADC, New Belgium Brewing and the City regarding construction of a companion bus shelter on the western side of Haywood Road, near the Welcome to West Asheville sign. WABA installed the welcome sign many years ago and has paid for mowing and general upkeep since installation. As a major gateway into our historic West Asheville business corridor, and the expected increase in traffic with New Belgium opening in 2016, it is time for a refresh of that area. WABA plans to update the sign, lighting and landscaping, working with the ADC and New Belgium on those items as well as the bus shelter and inclusion of historic panels focusing on commerce along Haywood Road. We’ll be asking for volunteers to join this important committee and will need your assistance in raising funds to make this happen.
New Belgium Brewing is on track for opening their Liquid Center (tasting room) in 2016. They are transforming the old stockyard site between Craven Street and the French Broad River into a modern brewing facility. WABA has been an active participant in the Leaders Roundtable group that New Belgium pulled together to ensure community communication throughout the development process. When the brewery opens West Asheville and the River Arts District will see a significant increase in visitors to the area. General Manager in Asheville, Jay Richardson and New Belgium Community Relations Specialist, Susanne Hackett will be joining us to give an update from the brewery.
Shop West Asheville (#shopwavl) and the Holiday Window Decorating Contest were great successes last year. We are looking for businesses that want to help make these iniatives even bigger through participation and assistance in organizing. Bring your ideas to the meeting and we’ll get the ball rolling for another successful, fun and festive holiday season in West Asheville.
Photo: Rendering of on-street bike parking. Courtesy of Asheville on Bikes.
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