The River District and environs in Asheville are getting souped up. HUD just gave the local housing authority $4 million to renovate what used to be the community center. The mayor and others have hopes of converting it into a regional center for the performing arts. (I’ve always had a hard time imagining people jetting in from Paris to watch the neighborhood kids do a rap on recycling.) Anyway, the HUD funds are to be used to “turn the center into a community education and green jobs training facility.”
Somewhat more controversial, at least as far as the intentions of the local daily go, is $250,000 the city is allocating from unused balances from completed capital projects toward creating a bicycle climbing lane on Clingman Avenue. Even cycling enthusiasts think the amount is over the top.
Thirdly, but not necessarily finally, is the Federal Department of Transportation TIGER II Planning Grant in the amount of $1,020,000, previously mentioned on this blog, for a lot of pre-planning exercises in the area.
