A small group of HCCA volunteers cleared a path to connect the new Masters Park parking lot and the park trail head on Maple Drive. The new 90 foot path is lined with stones and logs, and required transplanting two species of orchids away from the path. This path provides a safe passage for hikers, who can now avoid walking on Maple Drive.

The City of Asheville will complete a footbridge over a small culvert to enable hikers to avoid a mud pit after a heavy rain. HCCA is working with the City to provide new signage and a kiosk.

The City of Asheville is considering instituting a ban on single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam takeout containers. The City has published a plastic reduction survey and invited all community members to provide feedback before the April 30 deadline. HCCA supports this ban and encourages residents to take this short survey to help inform next steps and recommended actions. 

Please use this opportunity to make your voice heard by completing the survey at https://publicinput.com/a7556. Background information is available at https://www.ashevillenc.gov/projects/single-use-plastic-reduction/. 

HCCA hosted a special program last October that covered this topic and other important environmental issues related to protecting Haw Creek’s watershed. Anna Alsobrook, Watershed Outreach Coordinator at MountainTrue, discussed this proposed single-use plastic ban.

Water quality testing concludes that microplastic pollution is widespread throughout the French Broad River Basin and other WNC waterways. MountainTrue is working to stop plastic pollution at its source and implement a single-use plastic ban in Buncombe County. We can and should enact legislation at the local level to limit single-use plastics before they end up as litter and microplastic pollution in our rivers, lakes, and streams.

This plastic reduction survey is an important step in getting a plastic bag and Styrofoam take-out container ban through the City Council.

Long-time Haw Creek resident Bernard Arghiere was recognized for his tireless work and leadership on the Masters Park parking lot project. He received the “Dogged Determination” award at the Haw Creek Community Association's annual meeting on March 14, before an audience of 80+ residents.

Bernie’s love for Masters Park inspired his work on the parking lot, which has spots for 8 vehicles, including one handicapped spot. This off-road parking lot will provide safe vehicle parking and help prevent erosion of the shoulder on Maple Drive in front of the park.

The parking lot will eventually have a kiosk and new signage, along with a path to directly connect the parking lot to the trail head. 

In addition, several years ago Bernie prepared a gallery of over 210 different species of wildflower images. The flowers were located and identified along the short stretch of Maple Drive near Masters Park, along the park trail itself, and along the short walk, on the connecting Mountains-to-Sea Trail, to the Haw Creek valley overlook rock and its surroundings. HCCA is currently working to include this wildflower gallery in our new website on the Haw Creek Valley Parks and Recreation page.

The March 14, 2023 annual meeting and board election of the Haw Creek Community Association had strong attendance with over 80 residents participating. Guests Kristina Israel, Community Engagement Manager, and Meredith Friedman, Neighborhood Service Specialist, spoke about their roles connecting the City of Asheville to local communities like ours.

Meeting highlights included honoring Bernard Arghiere with the “Dogged Determination” award for his work and leadership on the Masters Park parking lot; electing four new volunteers (Bruce Black, Shelley McKechnie, Liz Polfus, and Storms Reback) to the board of directors; and initiating a community discussion on the upcoming sale of the 26-acre property on New Haw Creek Road.

For those unable to attend, meeting minutes will be available after March 22: https://hawcreekavl.com/Board-Meeting-Minutes.

The Masters Park new off-road parking lot is now open, providing safe vehicle parking off Maple Drive. Thank you to the 80+ residents who contributed more than $85k to fund the project and special thanks to Bernard Arghiere for leading the effort. Masters Park provides an easy hiking trail that leads to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

We are currently working on creating a path to directly connect the parking lot to the trail head and adding new signage and a kiosk.

Read all the latest news about Haw Creek—including the changing ownership of a 26-acre landmark property—in this edition of the HCCA newsletter. This issue also has updates on the Masters Park parking lot, the sidewalk extension on New Haw Creek Road, the Beverly Road pedestrian bridge, and the adopt-a-storm drain program in Haw Creek.

The newsletter was mailed to all residents on February 21 as part of HCCA’s community outreach efforts. The issue is available online at https://www.hawcreekavl.com/newsletter.

The longest community development project in Haw Creek history–a new 4,000 foot sidewalk on New Haw Creek Road–has yet to break ground. Approved by Asheville voters as part of a 2016 bond referendum, the New Haw Creek Road sidewalk will run between Beverly and Bell roads–connecting two schools, the ballfields and pool, our commercial district, plus Haw Creek Park, the library and Tunnel Road–enabling residents to walk safely between these destinations.

We asked Jade Dundas, Capital Projects Director with the City of Asheville, for a project update and received the following response:

“We are presently in the process of acquiring right of way in order to construct this project. Work continues with our design consultant to finish up the design and submit the plans for final DOT review. Considering the remaining steps in design, we anticipate that the project will be bid by May of 2023….The project will begin soon after bidding and awarding next May. Construction is expected to take one year and the project will be completed by June 2024.”

The City recognizes that this is something the community has been anxiously anticipating and they’re requesting our patience. We will continue to follow up and report any new developments on this long-awaited project.

After delays earlier this year, work has restarted on the new off-road parking lot for Masters Park. When completed, there will be a new kiosk, signage and, most importantly, a place for vehicle parking off Maple Drive.

The contractor is waiting for a dry forecast before pouring the concrete entry apron, handicapped parking spot and the bike rack spot. After the concrete sets, he will finish grading the parking lot with gravel. This will be followed by installation of concrete bumper for the parking spaces.

The hope is the parking lot will be finished as soon as weather permits with the kiosk and other improvements completed in 2023.

We’ll keep you posted.

Pollution from storm water runoff is the biggest threat to clean water in urban streams. Storm drains get clogged with debris, litter, leaves and grass clippings and all of that pollutes our Haw Creek watershed, which affects our everyday water quality.

Before the next heavy rain comes down, take a look at the closest storm drain in your neighborhood and think about adopting it! Checking the drain in between rain events and keeping it clear of litter and debris will help improve water quality and prevent street flooding.

Renee Fortner, Watershed Resources Manager at RiverLink, shared details on the recent addition of Haw Creek to the city-wide Adopt-A-Storm Drain program at an event hosted by the Haw Creek Community Association on October 20, 2022. Her presentation is available here.

Please contact sandra@riverlink.org or waterresources@riverlink.org to get more information about adopting your own storm drain and helping protect our local watershed.

How well do you know Haw Creek's history? Do you know where the former air strip landing site was located in Haw Creek? Do you know where the Prohibition-era speakeasy was located? Do you know why Forster Sondley selected the Haw Creek valley as the home for his 400-acre estate? Do you know which valley home was built by prisoners for the warden who went on to reside there? Do you know where a former school principal built a replica one-room schoolhouse on his own property? 

These are just some of the historical facts revealed by Haw Creek resident and historian Rick Fornoff, in a special program that followed a public meeting of the board of directors of the Haw Creek Community Association on November 10, 2022.

This program was such a success we plan to hold it again in 2023.