Buncombe County eGov Weekly eZine - Vol. 5   Issue 44
November 2 - 9, 2009

Buncombe County Government is always striving to make things easier for our citizens. In the fall/winter edition of Buncombe Life we have included tons of information about our county services that can make your life easier.

Find out where your tax dollars go, who to call about a junk car or a barking dog. Need a septic or well permit? We now have a "one-stop shop" – find out all about it! To burn or not to burn? We have the answer. We invite you to explore the fall/winter edition of Buncombe Life – available in all County offices including branch libraries. You may also view it online at buncombecounty.org/buncombelife.

If you'd like to receive a copy of Buncombe Life by mail, call 250-4118 or e-mail stacey.keith@buncombecounty.org.

Are you thinking of renovating your kitchen or just updating a few appliances? If so, you may want to take advantage of the sales tax holiday for certain Energy Star qualified products coming November 6 - 8, 2009.

According to the Department of Revenue, an Energy Star qualified product is a product that meets the energy efficient guidelines set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Energy and is authorized to carry the Energy Star label. Clothes washers, freezers, refrigerators, central air conditioners, room air conditioners, air-source heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, and programmable thermostats will be exempt from State and local sales and use tax when purchased during the sale tax holiday period. There is no threshold, as is the case with items sold during the August sales tax holiday for clothing, school supplies, computers, etc."

For more information, see:

Energy Star Qualified Products Sales Tax Holiday

For more information on federal tax credits for Energy Star appliances, see:

Tax Credits for Consumers

The Asheville Regional Housing Consortium will hold a public hearing on the issue of Affordable Housing in Buncombe County, on Thursday, November 5, 2009. All members of the community concerned with affordable housing issues are invited to attend this meeting and express their views about the housing needs and possible solutions in Buncombe County.

The Consortium, through the City of Asheville Community Development Division, competitively distributes federal HOME Investment Partnership Act funding for affordable housing in a four county region, including Buncombe County. Last year, $1.4 million of federal home funds were granted to the Consortium and distributed for projects such as new affordable rental housing development, housing rehabilitation, and down payment assistance for first time homebuyers.

The Consortium is now in the process of developing the Consolidated Plan for 2010 - 2015. This Plan will guide funding priorities for the Consortium for the next five years.

The evening public meeting will start at 7 p.m. and will be held at 199 College Street in downtown Asheville.

No reservations are required but please contact Roberta Greenspan at (828) 259-5560, or email rgreenspan@ashevillenc.gov if you have questions, or have special needs, such as for a hearing interpreter.

Children who age out of foster care without being adopted have a very high chance of ending up homeless or in the prison system within a year after leaving the foster care system. Why? Because children need caring, stable adults in their lives to support them in making a healthy transition to adulthood! Come learn how you can change a child’s life forever.

This year’s Foster/Adopt Fall Festival will be held at the Coleman Place – which is on the 3rd floor of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce – on Saturday, November 14 from 2 - 5 p.m. The event is hosted by the Buncombe County Department of Social Services and WNC foster care agencies. Sponsors include: Volvo, Printville, and Mountain to Sea Aquatics.

This fun, free event focuses on increasing community awareness of all the multitude of ways in which people can help kids – including foster care, adoption, therapeutic respite, mentoring, sponsoring, etc. Anyone who wants to work for or with children is bound to have a good time!

There is a strong emphasis on finding foster and adoptive homes. But by inviting both the general public and the participating agencies to interact, network, and learn from each other, we hope that there will be an overall increase in understanding of how we can all help children – whether it’s through adoption, fostering, supporting, or our choice of careers. It is through this sort of community collaboration that the children have the best hope of finding themselves supported by loving and understanding foster/adoptive homes and by quality services.

Popular sections of the Foster/Adopt Fall Festival include:

1. The main General Information area – where agencies from across WNC will set up tables and provide information about becoming a foster or adoptive parent.
2. An area of Child-Specific Recruitment – where people can learn more about the children who currently need adoptive homes. This area will feature the children’s photos, their profiles… and their social workers will also be in attendance to speak with families directly.
3. An opportunity to Talk to a Family Right Here – a popular section that is staffed by foster and adoptive parents so that people can talk to a family about what the experience is like.
4. And, of course, a fun Kids' Area – complete with arts & crafts, face painting, music, light snacks, and more.

We hope that this will be a way for people interested in adoption to learn more, have their questions answered, and possibly even learn about a child who belongs in their lives.

We hope that you can stop by! Please call or email anytime for more information:

Erica Jourdan
Recruitment Specialist, Buncombe County DSS
828-775-2404
erica.jourdan@buncombecounty.org

The 2009 Smoky Mountain Christmas extravaganza at Dollywood promises to be the most musical and magical to date. The shows are abundant and lavishly staged. From heartwarming to hilarious, Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas productions are sure to have something for everyone. Over 4 million brightly colored lights illuminate the park, resulting in a breathtaking display guaranteed to delight visitors, young and old. Admission to Dollywood includes all shows and rides.

Join us to for this wonderful trip! The Adventure Van will departing from the Parks, Greenways and Recreation Administrative office located at 59 Woodfin Place at 9 a.m. on November 12. The cost for the trip is $68 and includes transportation and admission tickets to Dollywood. Meals are Dutch Treat.

To register for this trip, please call Grace Young at 250-4265 or email her at grace.young@buncombecounty.org by Thursday, November 5.

Thursday, November 12 – 7 p.m.
Swannanoa Library
101 West Charleston Street
250-6486

Come to a free screening of the cult classic Thunder Road which was filmed in Asheville and the surrounding area. Original cast member, actress Betsy Holt, will discuss her experiences during the production of the film. Ms. Holt played the wife of Troy Barrett, Treasury Agent (played by Gene Barry) in the 1958 film.

The film will be shown at the Bee Tree Fire Station at 510 Bee Tree Road in Swannanoa. Free popcorn! Sponsored by the Swannanoa Friends of the Library and the Friends of Buncombe County Libraries. For more information, call 250-6486.

The Asheville Humane Society needs paper towels! No - they're not using them just to clean up after messy lunches, they're using them to keep the environment at the shelter clean and safe for the animals.

Paper towels are used to sterilize the medical exam table after treating an animal so that the next pup on the table has less of a chance for catching a bug. They are also in the animal play areas - you never know when Fido can't quite make it to the lawn and leaves the caretaker a "special" gift! Yikes! Paper towels are disposable, which is key to keeping germs away, messes out of reach of roaming paws and noses, and the hands clean of the people who are caring for the babies in the shelter.

Please consider buying some paper towels for the animals at AHS the next time you run to the market. You can drop them off directly at the shelter located at 72 Lee's Creek Road or at the Administration Offices located at 55 Shiloh Road! You'll get a smile and a thank-you in return!

PS: The animals love to play with the paper towel core when the roll is empty, a special treat!

What else does AHS need?

Saturday, November 7 – 11 a.m.
East Asheville Library
902 Tunnel Road
250-4738

Join us at the East Asheville Public Library for games, crafts, and family fun at the second annual Family Harvest Festival.

Help us kick off our food drive for Manna Food Bank by bringing a canned or boxed food item. Bring a pumpkin to enter in our pumpkin beauty contest!

Free for all ages. Call (828) 250-4738 for more information.

This week we are featuring some animals available for adoption from FurEver Friends. Please consider making one of these animals your "FurEver" friend by giving it a loving home.

Bonnie  Breed: Domestic Short Hair - gray and white, Tabby - Grey Sex: Female Age: Adult I'm gentle and affectionate. I love my foster dad, but there are just too many other cats here at the shelter!!! I can hardly hear myself purr. I tolerate other cats, but I'd really love a home with a single person, or nice retired couple where I could be the only animal companion.

	Bits Breed: Domestic Short Hair - Black [Mix] Sex: Male Age: Young I love it when you stroke my beautiful black, silky fur. I will love you for life if you will just give me a chance.

Midnight Breed: Domestic Short Hair-black, Siamese [Mix] Sex: Female Age: Adult I'm sweet, loving and playful, but I can't seem to find a home. Could you be the one to love me?

All of these cats have been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and tested for FIV and FeLV and they are already house trained. If you are interested in adopting one of these pets, or would like to look at any of the other wonderful animals that need homes, FurEver Friends conducts a weekly adoption event every Sunday at the SuperPetz store located at 825 Brevard Road in Asheville (across from the Biltmore Square Mall) between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The volunteers can't transport all of animals to the adoption event every week, so if you would like to meet one, or you are looking for a certain kind, age, etc., call or email ahead to make sure that it will be there:  (828)-670-6723 / fureverfriends@att.net. Alternately, animals may be seen by special appointment as time and scheduling permit.

Visit the FurEver Friends website to see more animals available for adoption.

Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 pepper
• 3/4 cup water 
• 16 oz bag cornbread cubes

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and celery over medium heat until tender, about 6 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in cornbread bread cubes, milk, water and eggs.
4. Place the stuffing in a buttered casserole dish and bake at 325°F for 30 to 35 minutes.
   

Please select the “Recipe of the Week” icon in the sidebar of the eZine if you are interested in entering the contest. If your recipe is selected you will receive a prize!

• Candlelight Reflections - Honoring Those with Alzheimer's
  

  Light a candle on November 5 to remember someone with Alzheimer's. November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregiver Month. The Land-of-Sky Regional Council, Area Agency on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association, Western Carolina Chapter invite caregivers to attend a Candlelight Reflections program on November 5, 2009.

  Caregivers across North Carolina will light candles on this day to honor, hope and remember their living or deceased loved ones. A short program including music, poetry and sharing will follow.

  Candlelight Reflection programs are free, open to all and will be held at two locations in Asheville on Thursday, November 5: 

  • 2:30 p.m. -- Senior Opportunity Center at 36 Grove Street
  • 6:00 p.m. -- Mission Health Systems, St. Joseph’s Chapel at 428 Biltmore Avenue

  Please contact Land-of-Sky Regional Council at 251-6622 or Alzheimer’s Association Western Carolina Chapter at 254-7363 for more information.

• Heathers for the Garden - November 10
  

  The next program in Cooperative Extension's Gardening in the Mountain Series is Heathers for the Garden. The program will be presented by Extension
  Master Gardeners at the NC Arboretum on November 10 at 10:00 a.m. 

  On Tuesdays admission to the Arboretum is free, and no registration required for the class. For more information, call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522.

• Did You Know That November is National Adoption Month?
  

  The 2009 National Adoption Month website from Child Welfare Information Gateway is now live. The website provides resources to assist professionals and families in planning activities for November which is National Adoption Month. The goal is to raise awareness about the need for adoptive parents for children and youth in foster care. The website features National Adoption Month highlights, proclamations and an activities calendar, and includes links to many AdoptUsKids and Child Welfare Information Gateway materials.

  The National Adoption Day is November 21, 2009. Please see the website for more information: 
  
  More information about adoption in Buncombe County:

  • Children and Families/Adoptions 
  • DSS Adoption Services brochure (PDF)

• Learn to Decorate a Wreath for Your Front Door
  

  Have you always wanted to create your on wreath, but just needed a little guidance? Here is your chance.

  For only $5, you can attend this program on November 5 from 10 a.m. - noon. Just bring a wreath 12, 16, 18 inches or larger -- it can be straw, grape vine, fake evergreen, etc.

  Select a theme for your wreath such as autumn or Christmas. You will need at least 3 feet of ribbon, more if you would like a larger bow or if you want a long streamer. A complete list of materials will be mailed out to you once you have registered. It is a good idea to bring more items than you think you may need.

  Class will be held at the Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Center. Register by calling 255-5522.

• Commissioners to Meet November 3
  

  The Commissioners will have a regular meeting on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 in the Commissioners Commission Chambers, 30 Valley Street in downtown Asheville. The meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m., with general public comment at the end of the meeting during the designated public comment period.

  November 3, 2009 Agenda

  For more information, contact the Clerk to the Board at 250-4105 or e-mail her at kathy.hughes@buncombecounty.org.