On July 3, eight volunteers made significant progress on the current project. We’ll be headed back July 10 to finish the job. Here’s a photo of City Council member Gordon Smith swinging a shovel.
Photo courtesy of Bill Rhodes, a two-time volunteer on this job.
(Photo by Bill Rhodes, one of the volunteers.)
Seven of us took a whack at the sidewalk along Patton Ave, to the Hillcrest pedestrian bridge and the stairway to Chicken Hill. We made considerable progress, but there’s more to do. We hope to finish on July 3, if enough volunteers show up.
Today we cleared a totally obstructed and overgrown lot on Starnes Ave. in Montford. Dirt had washed down over the beautiful brick sidewalk for decades and weeds, even substantial small trees, had invaded. Four volunteers worked from 8:30 a.m to 12:30 p.m. to dig out weeds, dirt, trash and trees from the historic sidewalk. Because the cut-off trees represent a walking hazard, I’ll be going back later today with a reciprocating saw to cut off the tree stumps.
A few Montford residents (and several other Asheville folks) participated in the first Z-Link sidewalk recovery project on Saturday, April 24. We cleaned and cleared sidewalks adjacent to Hummingbird Park, on Cumberland and cleaned Starnes down to Flint. We filled three dozen blue bags with organic debris and collected a small quantity of trash. 
Some of Asheville’s neighborhoods have wonderful sidewalks. Older areas, developed in the heyday of Asheville’s trolley system, were designed with walkers in mind. In the new era of raised environmental awareness, a national childhood asthma epidemic and expensive gasoline, more and more of us are rethinking our local travel options. Walking and biking are obvious choices.
A common problem with older sidewalks is that poor maintenance has resulted in accumulation of dirt and debris, followed by weeds and exacerbated by the encroachment of shrubs. The City sidewalk ordinance requires that property owners keep public sidewalks across their property clear, but enforcement is a low priority and there are some folks who are physically unable to perform the work. Then too, vacant lots often go untended for years. There are many places where perfectly good walks extend for blocks, only to be obstructed in one short section, rendering them impassable for wheel chairs, baby strollers or those with ambulatory disabilities.
Join Z-Link actions in your neighborhood or start your own! We’ll be posting a calendar under “Upcoming Events” on this site as they are scheduled.
