Water Services employee steps up for children’s charities

Last Friday, Brandon Buckner, the City of Asheville’s Meter Services Superintendent sat down before his peers (and a dubious looking set of pruning shears) and donated his hair to Locks of Love, the nonprofit that creates hair pieces for children who have lost their hair due to medical procedures, including treatments for cancer. “There was [...]

You spot it, we fix it: City of Asheville launches Asheville App

The City of Asheville is excited to announce the launch of the Asheville App, 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. “This is the kind of technology that [...]

City of Asheville offers email billing

Want to cut out one more envelope from your bill basket? Sign up for emailed billing by the City of Asheville Customer Service Division and get your combined services statement sent directly to your inbox. Since the beginning of September, Customer Services staff have been stuffing notices into combined services statements, which include billing for water, [...]

Development Services builds on positive customer feedback

ASHEVILLE – The Development Services Center is continuing its emphasis on providing excellent customer service by seeking regular feedback from the people it serves. Staff recently issued an online customer service survey to gauge their performance. The goal is to keep doing what customers say is working and to improve in areas that customers felt were [...]

Local middle school students tour City of Asheville Water Treatment Plant

City of Asheville staff conducted tours of the North Fork Water Treatment Plant in Black Mountain for the Owen Middle School 7th grade class field trip on June 8.  Around 130 students toured the plant through an education and outreach program conducted in partnership with RiverLink, a regional nonprofit spearheading the economic and environmental revitalization [...]

Asheville Fire Department leads trench training

Asheville’s firefighters have already trained in high places, including hanging out around the Civic Center rafters. This week, they were down in the trenches. Wednesday found the Asheville Fire Department conducting trench training at Mountainside Park near Asheville’s Memorial Stadium. In a trench freshly dug by the City of Asheville Water Maintenance division (and [...]

Stay safe during winter storms

Already this winter, multiple snowstorms have hit Asheville and Western North Carolina, and the City’s Public Works Department has been hard at work to keep roads passable and clear, while the Asheville Police and Fire Departments continue to keep people safe. The City of Asheville is urging the public to remain safe and cautious throughout inclement [...]

City of Asheville’s technology roll out increases efficiency across departments

In an organization of more than 1,000 people, speedy and accurate information flow means not only increased efficiency but also real dollars. That’s an underlying theme that emerges when City of Asheville employees talk about the recently launched technology upgrade that provides not only swifter access to data but also easier communication between city departments [...]

New Oakley Police Resource Center opens in East Asheville

The Asheville Police Department’s recently opened Oakley Resource Center is the result of a series of partnerships and collaborations, all of which, says APD Chief William Hogan, were critical to the project’s success. The 2,500 square-foot facility provides a satellite station for the APD’s Baker District, which serves north and east Asheville, and officially opened with [...]

City of Asheville takes stock of water supplies in dry weather

Despite the recent spell of dry, hot weather throughout the state, the City of Asheville’s water supply remains in good shape and is able to meet the demands of water customers, reports Water Services Director Steve Shoaf. Last week, the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council (www.ncdrought.org) issued a drought advisory for the state of [...]

One-stop Development Services shop brings permitting under one roof

As anyone who works in the development industry, or for that matter, has tried to expand on an existing home can tell you, running the gauntlet of required permits in any city can be a long and complicated process. The City of Asheville’s Development Services Center at 161 South Charlotte represents an initiative across city [...]