Pritchard Park, which is little more than an extended traffic island, has traditionally been a central location where the homeless of Asheville could hang out when the mission doors shut for the daylight hours. A few vagrants have given the homeless a bad name by aggressively panhandling in and near the park. Others offend tourists by eliminating bodily waste on the marginally-cultivated streetscape. After holding a public forum on what to do with the homeless of Pritchard Park, a park ranger was assigned to oversee the traffic island. City council also appointed a committee to make recommendations for programming in the park. Concerned citizens Kitty Love and Adam Pittman enthusiastically assumed a leadership role. Following public surveys and studies of best practices, the two recommended that council contribute $10,000 to a public/private partnership for funding a variety of lunchtime cultural events. It was believed the programming would put more eyes on the park to displace the homeless. Members of council were excited about the entertainment prospects, but demonstrated increased determination to hold the line on taxes this year. Brownie Newman suggested providing only $7500. Mayor Terry Bellamy requested an itemized budget from the group before any decisions be made. Dr. Carl Mumpower thought the whole affair represented a funky role for government. Council ended up voting for Bellamy’s request.