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Daniel comes to Asheville from Bethesda, Md., and brings more than 20 years of experience in planning to her position. Daniel most recently served as the North Bethesda planning director for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), an agency responsible for land use planning and parks and recreation services in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. The organization serves more than 900,000 residents just north of Washington, D.C.

As a planning director with M-NCPPC, Daniel has been responsible for supervising updates to three area master plans that incorporate mixed-use, transit-oriented zoning. She recently completed work on hybrid form-based zoning for use in urban areas, and she has been responsible for planning efforts that allow for market flexibility as well as improved standards for design and public spaces while encouraging the growth and retention of local businesses.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to lead the planning efforts in a dynamic community like Asheville," said Daniel. "I have long appreciated Asheville's beauty, its residents and its unique character, and I'm looking forward to working with the citizens in the community."

Look for opportunities to meet Daniel during her first several weeks in the job.

The Community Relations Council is accepting nominations from citizens in the officer's patrol area, community organizations, neighborhoods, and students and staff from Asheville City and Buncombe County Schools.  The nominations will be reviewed by volunteers of the Community Relations Committee.  Nomination forms are available on the Web sites of the City of Asheville (www.ashevillenc.gov) and Buncombe County (www.buncombecounty.org) and at the Community Relations Council offices.  Nominations should be sent to: ABCRC, 50 S. French Broad Ave., Suite 214, Asheville, NC 28801.  The deadline for nominations is July 18, 2008.

2006 award recipients were APD Officers Quentin Miller and William Wilke and Buncombe County Sheriff's Deputy Mike Davis.  APD Officers Faye Harper and Allen Dunlap and Deputy Steve Oxner were the recipients for 2007.  This year's winners will be recognized at the National Night Out Rally on August 5 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Oakley Park on Fairview Road.  For more information about the awards, please contact the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council at (828) 252-4713.

 CAYLA is an integral part of the City's ‘Grow Our Own' initiative, as envisioned by Mayor Terry Bellamy and City Council. The City is committed to giving Asheville's young people the opportunity to stay and work in Asheville, as well as to have valuable work experiences that will advance their future careers wherever they go. The program is a partnership with the Asheville City Schools Foundation and is supported in part by Buncombe County and Carolina First.

CAYLA recruits, trains and places 20 local high school students at meaningful summer jobs with the City and with participating agencies.  During these internships, CAYLA students work up to 30 hours per week and attend weekly day-long workshops on topics such as financial literacy, leadership, community service and college preparation. CAYLA engages students throughout the school year by offering career-focused enrichment activities and individualized academic support. In hopes of broadening students' horizons and aspirations, local professionals are invited to the high school to speak to the students about their careers (and specifically, how college and academics contributed to their achievements).

In addition, regular service projects foster a sense of unity among the students and connect them to the larger community. Last year, the inaugural class of CAYLA completed more than 425 hours of community service.

Students successfully completing the program are awarded a $2,000 scholarship from the City of Asheville for continuing education.  Last year's participating seniors were awarded a total of $96,000 in scholarships from the City and other organizations.  All nine seniors were accepted to college. 

If you are interested in learning more about the CAYLA program or would like to offer your support as a sponsor of the program or provide an intern opportunity, contact Erika Germer at 271-6116 or egermer@ashevillenc.gov.

Tuesday, August 5:  Time to start planning your neighborhood event for National Night Out.  If you have an event in the works, please contact Marsha Stickford at 259-5506 or mstickford@ashevillenc.gov for a Neighborhood Event Registration form.  We want to keep a record and celebrate our community's support for crime prevention.  A Kick-Off Rally is planned for that evening at 5:30 with food and the announcement of the Law Enforcement Community Service Award.  (Please see earlier article for how to make a nomination).

CITIZENS-POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE - The responsibilities of the Committee include serving as liaison between the police and community over concern; to mediate problems or conflicts; to serve as an advocate for programs, ideas, and methods to improve the relationship between the police and the community; and to disseminate information to the community and to the government officials in Asheville.

CIVIL SERVICE BOARD - The Board works with the Human Resources Department to resolve employee grievances on an as-needed basis, as well as meets periodically to discuss personnel administration issues.

PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION - The Commission is an advisory board to City Council and shall (1) review all new text for proposed amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), and proposals to zone or change the zoning of all property regulated under the UDO and to make recommendations to City Council for final action thereon; (2) perform studies and surveys of the present conditions and probable future development of the City and its environs, including, but not limited to, studies and surveys of land uses, population, traffic, parking, and redevelopment needs; (3) formulate and recommend to City Council the adoption or amendment of a comprehensive plan and other plans, as necessary, for the City and its environs ; (4) review the terms of the UDO from time to time, as it deems appropriate, and to recommend to City Council any changes that the Commission considers necessary to regulate properly the development and use of land, buildings and structures; (5) review applications for planned unit development designation and the preliminary plans for such planned unit developments and to make recommendations to City Council for final action thereon; and (6) review and decide on approval of all proposed preliminary plats of major subdivisions.

RIVER DISTRICT DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE - The Committee shall (1) promote Asheville's riverfront as a vital economic development area for Asheville and WNC; and (2) review and make comment on major work projects within the River District in accordance with the River District Design Review Guidelines.

"These are not bicycle-only lanes, but a reminder to motorists and bicyclists that they share the road," said Ken Putnam, Asheville's assistant director of transportation and engineering.  "The sharrows encourage bicyclists to ride with the flow of traffic and away from parked cars.  They have been shown to increase bicyclist and motorist compliance with traffic laws."   

Other bicycle infrastructure projects currently planned are bicycle lanes on the uphill side of the street on Lexington Avenue, and rental bicycle lockers downtown.  These projects, along with others in the comprehensive plan, will create a connected network of bicycle facilities in Asheville.  

The City of Asheville and the Asheville Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force have a bicycle commuter guide available by contacting the city at (828) 232-4564.  The task force has bicycling basics classes available.   The task force has a Web site, www.abptaskforce.org, which includes meeting and contact information.

Asheville Police Department's Junior Police Academy: The Asheville Police Department's Junior Police Academy will be offered to teens age 13-17 from July 14-18. Classes will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.  The program is free for all who attend.

The program is designed to teach teenagers more about the department's operations. Teens who participate will gain an appreciation for the problems and challenges that law enforcement officials face and also have an opportunity to learn more about career opportunities with our department. 

Applicants will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.  For more information or to obtain an application, call the Crime Prevention Unit at 259-5834. 

Asheville citizen survey begins. The City of Asheville wants to hear from residents! A mail survey of Asheville residents will be conducted this month. Pre-notification postcards have been sent asking randomly selected city residents to participate. The surveys themselves will be mailed over the following two weeks to the same residents.

"We're pleased to have this way to hear from people who may not be able to participate in community forums and other meetings," said City Manager Gary Jackson. "I encourage residents who receive the survey to take a few minutes to fill it out. Their input will be important to the city as we try to measure successes and identify opportunities to improve." The survey results, expected in late summer, will be used to set performance standards and benchmarks, look at trends over time, and compare Asheville's results to other communities.

City Council this spring approved funding for the city's first broad survey in the last 10 years. The survey was customized for Asheville and will be conducted by National Research Center. It includes questions about characteristics of the community, quality of city services, and support for city programs and infrastructure improvements.

Pledge to recycle for Asheville Tourists tickets:  The City of Asheville, the North CarolinaDivision of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance, and the Asheville Touristshave teamed together to reward citizens who recycle with tickets to an Asheville Tourists game. Be one of the first to sign a recycling pledge, and you can win a pair of tickets to an Asheville Tourists game.  There is a limited supply of tickets, so fill out the pledge form and send it in now.

The recycling pledge form can be found at www.ashevillenc.gov/sanitation and can be sent electronically to sanitation@ashevillenc.gov. 

To join the City's residential recycling program or if you have additional recycling questions, contact Curbside Management at 252-2532.

City of Asheville • PO Box 7148 • Asheville, NC 28802

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