Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
More of what’s going around, including some info about a proposed beer museum in Asheville:
-A beer museum may be on tap for Asheville. The Raleigh News & Observer reports that a woman named Kimberly Floyd has a vision for the North Carolina Craft Beer and Beverage Museum to be located in Asheville, and she’s started raising money (the first fundraiser last month raised $1,500 at Trophy Brewing Taproom in Raleigh) and established a nonprofit entity. The project has the backing of the Asheville Brewers Alliance, the story notes.
-Campaign finance reports for candidates running for Asheville City Council are coming in. You can track them at the Buncombe County Board of Elections website.
-Madison County potter Josh Copus is setting up a mobile brick factory in downtown Marshall this weekend to make and stamp bricks for a community art project. The project will be set up next to the former Madison County jail, a building that Copus and a group of investors purchased earlier this year. Here’s more about the Building Community Brick Project:
The community is invited to learn about brickmaking and inscribe their reflections in wet clay. Copus will fire the bricks at his kiln in Walnut and return them to the jail site, where they will become a permanent part of the structure.
-News obituary: Hunter Lamar Stubbs, a horticulturist known for his work on the beautiful garden of the former Richmond Hill Inn, died on July 16. He was 47. Stubbs’ designs were featured in Southern Living magazine. He taught at Haywood Community College and had his own landscape design business called The Creative Gardener. In 2006, Stubbs joined B.B. Barns as a partner, in charge of the landscape services, “where he worked to help make the world a more beautiful place, both by the gardens he created and constantly seeking ways to encourage and inspire those around him,” according to his obituary.
-Foothills Meats is opening a butcher bar and restaurant in Black Mountain, the Black Mountain News reports. It will be located in the former Red Radish location. Foothills is also in the process of opening a butcher bar and eatery on Haywood Road in West Asheville, in the former Bandito’s location.
-The city of Asheville is looking for residents’ input on a number of issues. Here’s a quick look:
–Input on how to spend money earmarked for affordable housing approved in a citywide $74 million bond referendum last year. In anticipation of bond funds being issued, City Council has allocated $10 million in direct project investment. The Housing and Community Development Committee has made recommendations for a breakdown of that $10 million, and it is seeking community input from 6-7 p.m. on Aug. 8 at the Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St.
–Input as part of the city of Asheville’s Disparity Study. “On this platform, we invite area residents and businesses to share insights related to working in the local marketplace,” the city says. “The goal of the disparity study is to help inform the City’s efforts to encourage the participation of minority, women, and small business enterprises in City contracting and procurement.” Go here to participate.
–Input on the Asheville Police Department as part of its accreditation process. As part of the on-site assessment, department employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 8 in the fourth-floor conference room of the Asheville Municipal Building, 100 Court Plaza, according to a press release. If a member of the public is unable to attend the public information session, but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, they are encouraged to call 828-259-5548 from 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 8.