Enka Village Community Information

New Enka Village Web site

2008-05-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Brian Cook, an Enka Village resident and architect, has put together a Web site on Enka Village: www.historicenkavillage.com. This site will feature information on Enka Village history and architecture and will include more detail and more searchable features than those offered on this blog. This blog will continue to serve as a way of communicating within the neighborhood, with a link available through the new Web site. Take a look, and please contact Brian Cook if you have any stories, information, or pictures that you'd like to add!

coming soon...

2008-05-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

Look for minutes from the May 15 Enka Village community meeting, along with ballots for the 2008-2009 Enka Village Commission election in the coming weeks!

tree planting on Orchard Street

2008-05-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

When the city removed some dead and dying trees on Orchard Street several years ago, some large gaps were left in the formerly tree-lined street. The city replaced a few, but it did not have the budget to replace them all. Quality Forward, a local environmental and beautification organization, agreed to replant throughout Orchard Street at a very low cost to us. The planting was initially delayed by last year's drought, but the first round of planting went forward a few weeks ago. There's another round planned for later in the season. Take a walk by Orchard Street to enjoy the new foliage!

Reminder: Enka Village Community Meeting This Thursday

2008-05-13T04:46:00.000-07:00

All Enka Village residents are welcome at this meeting, taking place this Thursday, May 15, at 7 p.m. at Enka Baptist Church. Topics of discussion will include electing new commission members, summer lawn care for the park, updates on postal service, and a new order of Enka Village license plates.

Reminder: Dumpsters available Saturday

2008-05-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

Glenn Satterfield has reserved two dumpsters for neighborhood use for this Saturday, May 10, as indicated in the flyer that went out last month. Because of limited funds, he only reserved dumpsters to be located within the main Enka Park area, but Hillcrest and Lake residents are also welcome to bring items.

Upcoming Events

2008-04-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the calendar of events in the right margin. We have a busy month coming up! Here are the highlights:

May 3: Community Yard Sale
May 10: Dumpsters for Enka Village Use
May 15: Enka Village Community Meeting

Also--we are now recruiting new officers for the Enka Village Commission. As an officer, you'll help oversee community projects and have a direct hand in making decisions with the neighborhood. If you're interested, please contact Glenn Satterfield (665-0980 or gasatterfield@charter.net) by May 5.

Mailbox Thank-You!

2008-03-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

A special thank-you to Anthony Devore and Bruce Fleming for their time installing mailboxes for several neighbors in need of assistance. If you see them around the neighborhood, let them know you appreciate their help!

Also--some folks have asked about where to get those white, oval-shaped mailbox house numbers that have been popping up on the mailboxes on Oak Street. Those are available at Lowe's in the mailbox section. They're called Reflective Plaques, they are in the section with mailbox accessories, and they're about $16. They have a good stock of them at the Arden Lowe's, and the Smoky Park Lowe's will be restocking some this week.

Final Details on Home Postal Delivery

2008-03-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

• The Candler post office will include us as part of their route starting on March 31, 2008, so you can start giving your physical address as your mailing address starting at that time (assuming you wish to do so and have installed a mailbox). You can pick up change of address forms at any post office or online.

• Before you dig the post for your mailbox, be sure to call NC’s Call Before You Dig line, which is 1-800-632-4949. Those folks need 48 hours’ notice to come out and mark electrical and other underground lines. (When I called, they had our old address—Pine instead of Enka Pine—so keep that in mind when you call.)

• The mailboxes must be placed on the side of the street where there is no parking. If you live on the parking side of the street, you will need to coordinate with your neighbor across the street to find the most mutually agreeable location for your mailbox.

• The post office prefers that the mailboxes be placed near your driveway or walkway, so it’s clear which house goes with which box. If you are across the street from your box, place it directly across from your front walk, if possible.

• When placing your mailbox, there should be 36-42 inches from the ground to the base of mailbox. The mailbox should not obstruct traffic but should be close enough to the curb that the driver can easily reach it. The post office representative said that the box at 2 Enka Oak Street was perfectly placed, so take a look at that as a model.

• The house number must be on the front or side of the mailbox or post where the driver will be approaching.

Thank you!
Enka Village Commission

Update on Mailboxes

2008-03-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you who ordered mailboxes through the bulk order:

--They will be available for pickup at 3 Enka Pine Street starting this weekend. Please call Amber Cook 665-1914 to arrange a pickup.

--If you need assistance installing your mailbox, we will be gathering a crew to help either next week or weekend and will be in touch.

For any of you interested in home mail service:

--Before you install your mailbox, you'll need to call the state's Call Before You Dig line, which is 1-800-632-4949. You must place the call 2 business days before you start digging. These folks will send someone out to mark gas, sewer, power, and cable lines to make sure you don't hit anything when you dig. When I called, they still had the old address (Pine instead of Enka Pine), so you may want to use that name when you call.

--I am meeting the head of the Candler post office here next week, and she'll do a final processing of our roads into one of their routes. We should be able to start getting delivery the following week, but we'll send out a message with the official start date.

Thanks!
Amber

Information About Home Postal Delivery

2008-02-19T11:52:00.001-08:00

Flyers were distributed to homes on Crescent, Oak, Pine, and Orchard this weekend. Here's the text of the flyers:

For those of you considering home postal delivery, see below for some guidelines. If you prefer to maintain your post office box, you can disregard the instructions below.

• We have to use curbside mailboxes; new postal routes no longer accept mailboxes attached to the house.

• The mailboxes must be placed on the side of the street where there is no parking. If you live on the parking side of the street, you will need to coordinate with your neighbor across the street to find the most mutually agreeable location for your mailbox. If multiple mailboxes will be placed in one spot, neighbors should group their mailboxes close together for a neater appearance and easier access for the delivery person.

• If you choose to use a mailbox with a lock, it must have a slot large enough to accommodate your daily mail volume. The locking mailbox available for bulk order meets this description for most customers.

• When placing your mailbox, there should be 36-42 inches from the ground to the base of mailbox. If you need assistance installing your mailbox or post, please indicate this on the form on the back of this page.

• The mailbox should not obstruct traffic but should be close enough to the curb that the driver can easily reach it.

• The house number must be on the front of the mailbox or on the side of the box or post where the driver will be approaching.

• If you receive packages, they will be brought to the door. If no one is home, packages will be held for pick-up at the Candler post office. The Candler post office is our post office branch for home delivery because the Enka post office does not offer home delivery.

• You can pick up change of address forms at any post office or online.

• Postal delivery will be available once the new street signs are installed and the Candler post office comes to the neighborhood to make plans for the new route. Please wait to make changes to your mailing address until the post office has completed this process. (The Enka Village Commission will provide notice of when this process is complete.)

Clarification on Postal Delivery/Change of Physical Address

2008-02-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some frequently asked questions about the changes coming in our mail service and physical addresses.

I got a notice that my street address is changing. Why does it say "Candler"?

For 911/safety purposes, the City of Asheville needed to alter our street names to eliminate the problem of duplication that currently existed. Physical addresses are linked to postal delivery routes, and since the Enka post office does not offer delivery, our closest option was Candler.

Do I have to use this new address for my mail delivery?

No. If you would like to continue receiving all of your mail through the Enka post office, using your current post office box address, that is perfectly OK. Because of the altered street names and reevaluation of our streets by the postal service, we now have the option of placing a mailbox at our curb to receive delivery. If you choose home delivery, you will use the new address given to you on the letter you received from the City of Asheville as your new mailing address. If you elect to keep your P.O. box instead, your mailing address will not change. The Enka Village Commission pursued home postal delivery at the request of many Enka Village residents, who prefer the convenience of home delivery and wished to avoid the fee involved in a post office box. Residents wishing to keep their post office box for all or part of their mail delivery may certainly do so.

When will home delivery postal service be available?

The new street signs are scheduled to be installed on 2/13, and then the Candler post office will need a few weeks to add us into their system and establish us as part of their route. You may begin putting up a mailbox whenever you like, but you should wait until we get a final go-ahead from them before you start giving out your new mailing address.

Vintage Enka Picture: Enka Plant Under Construction ca. 1928

2008-02-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

Minutes: 1-31-08 Enka Village Community Meeting

2008-02-03T07:39:00.000-08:00

Enka Park Commission
Homeowners Meeting
Enka Baptist Church, 7 p.m.
January 31, 2008

Board Members Present:
Glenn Satterfield, President
Jo McGill, Treasurer
Amber and Brian Cook, Beautification
Anthony Devore, Streets & Lights

Guest Speaker, Abby Moore, Emergency Address Coordinator for the City of Asheville:
Abby spoke about needed adjustments to be made to Enka Village street names as part of a move to eliminate duplicate street names in Asheville, Enka, and Candler. Because we are pursuing postal service, the timing was good for this adjustment, which will facilitate mail delivery and 911 service. Abby circulated a list of street names throughout the Asheville area, noting that there are 13 Oaks, 12 Orchards, 9 Pines, and 6 Crescents in the area. Because of the confusion that this could (and has) caused, her department needs to distinguish our street names from the others around us. At the previous meeting and through other input from Enka Village neighbors, it was decided that the most agreeable solution was to place the word “Enka” in front of each street name. The mailing address, and the name that will appear on our street signs, will be Enka Oak, Enka Crescent, Enka Pine, or Enka Orchard. Several Hillcrest residents requested to be part of this change as well, and Abby will contact her colleague in the county to facilitate this request. Glenn asked if anyone had other alternatives or objected to the street name adjustment, and with no objections, he asked Abby to move forward with this process. Abby will provide residents with further information and assistance with incorporating this change in areas like mortgage statements and driver’s licenses. Abby left her card with her contact information for anyone with questions. Her phone number is 828-251-4004 and e-mail is amoore2@ashevillenc.gov

Home Postal Delivery;
Once the street signs have been replaced to reflect the addition of “Enka” to our names, we will be able to proceed with pursuing postal delivery to our homes. The delivering post office will be Candler, which is the closest post office that offers delivery. Amber Cook will be compiling information from the post office for those who are interested in pursuing this service. (Those choosing to keep their post office boxes may do so; a home mailbox is an option rather than a requirement.) This information will include placement of the boxes, height, and other options. Daryl Hawkins has a contact with Lowe’s who is willing to provide a discount on mailboxes if we have a bulk order, so we will be distributing information about those as well. The intention is to have boxes that match each other as much as possible, but we will try to offer at least one low-cost option and one option for a mailbox with a lock. Anthony Devore will be heading up a group of volunteers who can assist those who need help digging a hole for the post for their mailbox. Several residents expressed concern about placement of the boxes in coordination with neighbors (since the boxes can only be placed on one side of the street). Neighbors will be encouraged to work with each other to find the best spot for each mailbox. One homeowner also suggested that we check with Bellsouth to find out any restrictions about placement of mailboxes in relation to telephone poles, and Amber will look into that as well.

Biltmore Lake Sewer line: Glenn gave an update on the construction being done behind the Orchard Street alley. Biltmore Lake is installing a sewer line 20 feet underground, and has recently cleared a wide patch of land so that they can their equipment can access the area for the installation. Glenn called with a concern about the number of trees that had been knocked down, and they have committed to helping with some replanting once the project is complete.

Spring Clean-Up: On May 3, we will have a neighborhood yard sale again, and on the following weekend (May 10), we will be ordering two dumpsters for neighborhood use. These dumpsters will both be placed on the Enka Park side of the neighborhood, but Glenn and others have volunteered to assist any Hillcrest or Lake residents who would like to move items to the dumpsters.

Tree planting: The trees slated for planting on Orchard Street are on hold due to the drought. When planting conditions improve, volunteers from Quality Forward will be coming to assist with this planting.

Sand Hill Road Expansion: This project is on hold indefinitely; the bids that came in to DOT were way over budget, so the construction to expand Sand Hill near the park will not be happening in the near future.

Hillcrest School Bus Bench: Glenn researched the idea of a bench for the end of Hillcrest (to be used as a bus stop for children on the street), but the DOT has not approved the plan. Because it needs to sit in the city right of way rather than on someone’s property, the city had to approve the placement of any object in that area. Glenn is still in contact with the folks from DOT in hopes that an exception can be made, but without their approval, we won’t be able to take on the project without risking liability.

Assessments: The 2008 assessments will be sent out within the next two weeks. Anyone who’d like to help with assembling the mailing (placing stamps, etc.) can meet at Jo McGill’s house (2 Hillcrest) this Sunday, February 3, at 2:00.

Main Street at Enka Village Community Meeting: A representative from the FIRC Group stopped by our meeting with an announcement about a community meeting on Wednesday, February 6. The FIRC Group is the developer for Main Street at Enka Village, which is the shopping/office/residential complex that will be built at the corner of Sand Hill Road and Smoky Park Highway (across from A-B Tech). At the meeting, the developers will be sharing information about their plans and looking for input from the community. The meeting will be held at A-B Tech's Enka Campus in the Haynes Building, Room 200 at 7:00 p.m, on February 6.

Long-time Enka Village resident Annie Levi passes away

2008-01-31T17:54:00.000-08:00

Here is the obituary that appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times today:

Annie N. Levi
Enka - Annie Ray Nicholson Levi, formerly of 17 Oak St., died Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008 at the John F. Keever Jr. Solace Center.

A native of Brevard, she had resided in Asheville most of her life. She was a member of Enka Baptist Church and had retired from American Enka Corporation. She was the daughter of the late Henry Pearson and Ida Eola Shipman Nicholson and the wife of the late Ansel Millard Levi.

Surviving are her son, Michael A. Levi and wife, Susan, of Centreville, Va.; granddaughter, Kimberly Levi of Alexandria, Va.; and several nieces and nephews.

The graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Calvary Churchyard in Fletcher, with the Rev. Bill Pfister officiating.

The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Anders-Rice Funeral Home.

To sign Mrs. Levi's guest book on-line, please go to Memorials at www.andersrice.com

Main Street at Enka Village--Community Meeting

2008-01-31T17:04:00.001-08:00

A representative from the FIRC Group stopped by our meeting on 1/31 with an announcement about a community meeting on Wednesday, February 6. The FIRC Group is the developer for Main Street at Enka Village, which is the shopping/office/residential complex that will be built at the corner of Sand Hill Road and Smoky Park Highway (across from A-B Tech). At the meeting, the developers will be sharing information about their plans and looking for input from the community. It would be great to have a lot of Enka Village voices there!

The meeting will be held at A-B Tech's Enka Campus in the Haynes Building, Room 200 at 7:00 p.m.

Reminder: Enka Village meeting this Thursday, January 31

2008-01-27T19:21:00.001-08:00

7:00 p.m. at Enka Baptist Church. This is the rescheduled date from the meeting originally scheduled for January 17. We'll be discussing postal service and other issues of concern to our neighborhood. See you there!

Tonight's Community Meeting Cancelled

2008-01-17T12:52:00.001-08:00

Due to concerns about freezing conditions on the roads, tonight's meeting will be postponed by two weeks. We will now meet on Thursday, January 31 at 7 p.m. This will allow our scheduled speaker to join us and will prevent any unnecessary travel in dangerous conditions. Please spread the word to your neighbors!

Library Exhibit Features Enka Images

2008-01-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

If you're in the Enka branch of the public library soon, take a look at the exhibit in the meeting room. There are photographs of the early days in Hominy Valley, including a shot of Enka Village when it still had dirt roads!

Reminder: Enka Village Community Meeting January 17

2008-01-06T18:23:00.001-08:00

The next Enka Village meeting will be on Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at Enka Baptist Church. The main topic of discussion will be postal delivery, which is now in the works for the village! Asheville's emergency address coordinator will be on hand to discuss concerns related to our physical addresses, and we will also discuss mailbox placement and other issues.

Vintage Enka Postcard

2007-12-20T07:09:00.000-08:00

Brian Cook found this postcard online. It looks like there's only one smokestack in this picture. Does anyone know when the second one was added?

American Enka smokestacks to be taken down Tuesday Morning (12/18)

2007-12-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

Here's the article from the Citizen-Times:

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200771217029

Enka in the News: Demolition of the American Enka towers

2007-11-29T15:57:00.001-08:00

Take a look at this Asheville Citizen-Times article for an update on the plans to remove the smokestacks: http://www.CITIZEN-TIMES.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200771128121

Clean-Up Day

2007-11-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

The fall clean-up day was a success! Nine Enka Village residents spent the morning picking up litter in the park and raking leaves for neighbors in need. With your help, we identified six neighbors in need of help, including residents on Oak, Pine, and Orchard. It was a beautiful day to be outside, and even some little ones joined in!

Reminder: Fall Clean-Up Day This Saturday (11/10) at 9:00 a.m.

2007-11-06T09:39:00.001-08:00

Thanks for those of you who have expressed interest! We'll be helping out several Enka Village residents who need assistance with yard work, and we'll also do a general clean-up of the park and sidewalks. Come join us! Contact Amber Cook (ambercook714@yahoo.com) if you know ahead of time that you can be there, or just show up at Enka Park (by the new sign) at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Bring any rakes, leaf blowers, or other clean-up equipment you may have on hand. Trash bags will be provided for litter pick-up.

We plan to work just through the morning, so it's only a few hours' commitment. See you there!

Minutes from October 25 Enka Village Community Meeting

2007-11-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

Enka Park Commission
Homeowners Meeting
Enka Baptist Church, 7 p.m.
October 25, 2007

Board Members Present: Glenn Satterfield, President
Jo McGill, Treasurer
Amber Cook, Beautification
Emily Sutton Dezio, Secretary

Postal Service: Hillcrest recently obtained postal delivery service. USPS advised that the remainder of the community qualified for postal delivery service however the Candler Branch would be directed to deliver the mail. There are other street names in Candler which conflict with the neighborhood names in Enka Village. In order to effectuate mail delivery and comply with 911 protocol regarding street names, the street names in our community may have to be altered. One homeowner suggested Enka Oak; Enka Pine; Enka Orchard; Enka Crescent. Another suggested Oak Avenue E.V. Pine Street E.V.; etc. Another suggested Oak Avenue at Enka Village; Pine Street at Enka Village etc; The commission will review the options presented by the USPS/911 protocol. There was also some discussion to require uniformity of mailboxes/posts. Finally, it is apparent that the USPS will require mailbox posts to be on the side of the street where the cars do not park. If postal service becomes a reality, neighbors would be encouraged to cluster their mailbox posts.

Fall Clean Up Day: Saturday November 10, 2007. Help an elderly or disabled neighbor clean up the leaves. If you know of an elderly or disabled neighbor who cannot rake his/her leaves, please let Amber Cook know by email ambercook714@yahoo.com; or by posting on our website at (http://enkavillage.blogspot.com). If you would like to volunteer to help an elderly or disabled neighbor, please sign up.

Loose Leaf Pick-up: For residents who live within the city limits: the City will send the loose leaf pick-up vacuum to our neighborhood on Monday November 12, 2007 and January 7, 2008. On those two occasions residents may rake their leaves to the sidewalk for loose leaf pick-up. Other than those two occasions, leaves must be bagged for pick-up.

Mowing the Park: In the mowing season for 2006 Enka Village spent $880 having the park mowed. In the mowing season for 2007 President/Commissioner Glenn Satterfield mowed the park and was reimbursed for $100 for gasoline and other expenses. The Beautification Committee will review the Park’s deed and discuss mowing options with the City of Asheville to ascertain whether the City should mow the park as part of its obligation relating to parks within city limits.

Sand Hill Road Expansion: DOT will begin the Sand Hill Road Expansion this winter. The road in the front of Orchard/Crescent will be expanded to three lanes. The bulk of the third lane will be from land on the BASF side. There are storm water drains underneath a fraction of Enka Park which have to be updated. The DOT will pay Enka Village a one time rental check for use of that land in the approximate amount of $750. In order to get to the drains, the DOT will be removing the green fence that protects the park from the road. The commission has entered into a contract for the removal, re-erecting and replacement (if necessary) of the fence during this project. The question presented to homeowners is whether the fence should be re-erected in front of the Enka Village Sign, behind it, or on either side of the sign. Homeowners voted that the sign should be re-erected on either side of the sign.

Hillcrest School Bus Bench: A homeowner requested that the Association place a bench within the right-of-way at the end of Hillcrest for children to use while they wait for the school bus. The bench costs would be between $44-$100 depending on the type of bench purchased. In discussions, Glenn Satterfield volunteered to do more research regarding whether the County would cover the expenses and whether the Enka Village liability insurance would need to be modified. More to come later.

Assessments: The 2008 assessments will be due on the first day of February 2008. In March 2007, and by referendum and due to the sewer issues finally being resolved, the assessments were reduced to follow the strict language of the covenants in your deed. The current commission is reviewing whether the assessments at $0.15/per square foot road frontage, actually and in fact, cover the basic, minimum expenses of the Commission. The basic annual expenses include: Progress Energy bill for Hillcrest/Lake; mowing the Park; liability insurance for the Park, and postage/office expenses etc. Ultimately whether to raise the assessments to cover minimum, basic expenses would only be accomplished by majority homeowner vote.

Orchard Street Tree Replacement: In March 2007 the Homeowners voted to spend $1,000 on tree replacement for our community. Valerie Panton has been working with non-profit agency Quality Forward to replace trees, which were removed by the City. The commission will contact the City Arborist to ascertain whether the City will be responsible for replacing the trees. More to come later.