Enka Village Community Information

Minutes from April 7 community meeting

2011-07-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

ENKA VILLAGE COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES
APRIL 7, 2011
The meeting opened at 7:10pm at the Enka Library. All streets but
One was represented.
1. Resignations (all resignations effective May 15, 2011): Todd Lewis is resigning as president of the Commission. Hillary Cole is resigning as Treasurer of the Commission. Heather Jamison Jones is resigning as Secretary of the Commission. Robin Silver is resigning as Beautification Chair. The commissioners feel it would be good to allow more people to participate in their commission and would like for the positions to be filled with someone new every year to encourage more community involvement.
2. Current Budget Issues: $1,120.11 received in dues as of April 7, 2011, average yearly expense is $1,950.00, leaving the community $830.00 short for the yearly expense. The bank account has $2,034.27 on deposit, and $2,792.35 in a CD for a total of $4,826.62 in the accounts. **Just a friendly reminder to those who have not mailed their payment in to please do so**
3. Election of Commissioners: Ballots are due by May 15th, and the ballots will be included with a copy of the last meeting minutes.
4. Assessments: An accounting of assessments received-. As of the meeting 43 homes of 99 had paid their dues. All property owners are legally liable for the expenses that Enka Village incurs every year. These expenses are everything from the cost of the neighborhood storm water cost from the city, to the insurance on the park in the event of an accident. If something happened to someone on park property and the community was sued it would place a lien against every property that is part of Enka Village. If we do not keep the park mowed the City can fine the community as a whole-and each property owner would be involved, and the same with the storm water expense. Thank you to those who paid more than their dues to help ensure our community is kept beautiful, safe, and enjoyable for everyone!
5. The Park Property: The Park property was discussed and some suggestions were made as to how we could turn that property over to the City or County. One community member will check with the city real estate person to see if the city is in a position yet to take the Park. Another person will check with the county to see if it would be willing to take the Park as part of their green space. If neither the city nor county will do so, our third option is to see if the developer’s of the project at the Enka Plant will take the property as part of their greenway plans.
6. Community Clean-up Update: Ten community residents joined together on Saturday April 9th, 2011 for another community clean-up event and picnic lunch. They cleaned up the park and laid the leftover brick from the sign project around the sign’s planting bed. They also cleaned up trash in the right-of-way throughout the neighborhood and worked on thinning out the overgrown weeds and picked up trash at the top of Orchard, Pine and Oak Streets. The City will be picking up that debris and trash in the next week or so. Thank you to all of you who came to help keep our community clean and safe for everyone’s enjoyment! Note: The City will be placing an “Adopt-a-Street sign along Orchard Street. The commission has officially adopted the entire community for the Adopt-a-Street clean-up program but the City would only let us put one sign in the neighborhood, and since Orchard has the most residents it was decided to place it there. The Meeting concluded at 8:15pm.

enkavillagecommission@gmail.com

Minutes from 1-6-11 Enka Village Community Meeting

2011-02-04T14:37:00.000-08:00

Submitted by The Enka Village Commission:

Enka Village Community Meeting Minutes
Thursday January 6, 2011
Enka Library
There were 13 community members present at the meeting.

Meeting called to order at 7:05 by the Enka Village Commission President
First order of business:
1. Introduction of all the meeting attendees who provided their names and addresses.
Each street in the neighborhood was represented with the exception of Lake Drive.
Second order of business:
1. Review of meeting minutes from the previous meeting:
A. Enka Village Commission President:
a. Reported on the presentation done by Martin Lewis from Lewis and
Associates regarding the proposed development located at the old Enka
Mill and also reported on
b. Reported on the request from the previous meeting that community
design guidelines or covenants are needed.
B. Enka Village Beautification Commissioner:
a. Reported on the Community Clean-up and community picnic which
were held during October of 2010. About 20 people turned out to help
clean up Mountain View Road. 3 bags of glass bottles to be recycled
were collected and 4 bags of other various trash were collected. 3
huge piles of fallen leaves plus raked leaves that neighbors have
dumped in the area were put into piles and the City came and
vacuumed them up. The Commission also called Progress Energy to
come fix a broken street light located on that street. The picnic
afterwards was also a success. Thank you to all who came out to help
make our neighborhood cleaner and safer for all who live here! We
appreciate your hard work and dedication!
b. Please make your request for any other areas of the community
(including private residences whose owner’s might need assistance
maintaining their property) that need to be cleaned up for our next
Community Clean-up scheduled for April 9, 2011.
c. There is also a Fall Community Clean-Up on October 8, 2011 so
please put it on your calendars!
d. There was a question from a community member meeting attendee
regarding the sink hole in the park that is currently surrounded by
chicken wire. This hole is an abandoned stormwater culvert that caved
in years ago. If anyone has any affordable design ideas or more
knowledge about this in regards to making it safer (fence around it,
etc.) please let the commission know.
C. Enka Village Commission Treasurer reported on the current financial situation
of the Community:
a. In September 2010 a total of $160.80 was spent ($40.80 on Progress
Energy Bill for Hillcrest Street lights, $50 for a meeting space fee, $70
for park mowing)
b. In October 2010 a total of $169.32 was spent ($40.22 on Progress
Energy Bill for Hillcrest Street lights, $59.10 for community picnic,
$70 for park mowing)
c. In November a total of $37.81 was spent ($37.81 on Progress Energy
Bill for Hillcrest Street lights)
d. In December a total of $52.38 was spent ($38.34 on Progress Energy
Bill for Hillcrest Street lights, $14.04 for stormwater fees)
e. There is currently $1,684.16 in the Community bank account
f. There is currently $2,792.35 in the Community CD
g. There is currently a total of $4,476.51 in community assets (the bank
account and the CD added together).
h. There is currently only enough money in the community account to
cover monthly community costs for another 4 or 5 months until the
money in the account is completely depleted.
Third order of business:
1. Assessments
a. There have been no community assessments for 3 years, which has led the
depletion of the community bank account.
b. Village assessments notices will be mailed to all homeowners by
March 1st.
c. All assessments should be returned by March 31st to PO Box 2 Enka
NC 28728
d. The original deed, which has never been legally altered, will be
followed in regards to how much each owner legally owes in assessments.
If anyone is able to give more than this amount it will be greatly
appreciate by all as the community actually needs around $40 a household
in order to cover this year’s financial obligations. This payment will only
be used to pay for the legal and financial obligations of the community.
e. What assessments are used for:
i. Park- Mowing, insurance, stormwater
ii. Street lights on Hillcrest
iii. PO Box to receive taxes, bills, City notices, and community
communication
iv. Taxes (The stormwater tax is for the neighborhood’s public
impervious surface)
v. Other uses in the past have been in regards to keeping property
values at the same or increased levels and also community safety,
aesthetics, and cleanliness.
f. “Is insurance on the park necessary” was a valid question asked by a
community member present at the meeting. The answer according to a
legal opinion is; “Yes”. The reason is this; “Would we as a community
want to run the risk of someone suing us and the community having to pay
legal fees to fight the allegation?”
g. There was a motion to implement assessments for the Spring of 2011 in
order to be able to pay the legal obligatory fees and bills of the
community. There was a second to the motion. All community members
in attendance voted “YES” 13 YES. 0 NO.

The 2011 meeting schedule for the Community Meetings located at the
Enka Library at 7:00 is as follows:
April 7th (This is the meeting where a NEW COMMISSION will be voted in, please
try to attend)
July 7th
October 6th

The current Enka Village Commission’s goals are to keep our community A
Safe and Clean neighborhood for each and every resident’s enjoyment
while at the same time maintaining our property values and meeting our
legal obligations.

Proposed Enka Center

2010-09-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to some preliminary plans for the Enka Center proposed for the former Enka Plant site: http://lewisrealestatenc.com/index.php?id=enka-center

BASF Reunion

2010-07-13T05:58:00.001-07:00

BASF reunion for former employees on Saturday, July 17,2010, at 4:30 PM. Reunion will be held at Enka Union Hall--Sardis Road.

minutes from 6/3/2010 community meeting

2010-06-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

Enka Village Quarterly Meeting
Minutes 06/03/10

-Todd Lewis opened the meeting.
-There were 20 present.
-Todd noted that Tiffany and Andre had resigned. Hillary Cole will be our new Treasurer and the checking account has been signed over at Bank of America. Heather Jamison Jones will be the new Secretary. Robin Silver will be head of Beautification. Todd Lewis will be Chairman. Brian Cook has been acting as consultant to assist the new commission in their transition.
-It was noted that the role of the Enka Village Commission has changed in that the City of Asheville took over some of the duties the Commission once performed when most of the community was annexed. The role of the Commission is now focused primarily on making our community better, as well as maintaining the remaining financial responsibilities. Heather stated that this community was built for those working at the Enka Plant, and everyone knew everyone and worked together as a whole, knew who their neighbors were, assisted and helped each other . This is the essence of Enka Village that we would like to be restored-what makes Enka Village such a special and unique place to live.
-A few items of previous business were revisited such as the CD being split and portion of it was placed into the checking account. The current continuing expenses were estimated such as park maintenance, park and sign insurance, continued power expense for remaining street lights and roads/sidewalks in section of community not annexed, storm water bill, checking, post office box, administrative expenses such as stamps, envelopes, etc… These were estimated to be roughly $1600 per year.
-Robin Silver opened discussion regarding community events. The commission would like to take on a more positive role in the community focusing on neighborhood events and bringing together neighbors so they can get to know each other better, and strengthen our pride in our community.
-The Commissioners are putting together a community event during the summer such as a block party or cookout. The Enka Village fund would provide the meats for the cookout and the community could provide the sides/drinks. It was discussed whether we should have this in the park or on the back road-possibly closing it off.
-We now have a Facebook page that will act as a type of bulletin board for everyone. This will provide a place for us to share news, photos, and questions. It will be a great place for us to place information we want to share (something for sale, something needed, ideas, etc…) You can locate this page by searching Historic Enka Village. The current blog and web page will be linked to the Facebook page. Please note that there is another page someone in another state has created, so please make sure to locate the correct page.
-We have an email address now. EnkaVillageCommission@gmail.com This email will be checked regularly by the commissioners. If you have questions, information, or anything that needs to get to the commissioners, this will be the best way. Please share this with your neighbors, and a list of emails were collected at the meeting. If you would like to be contacted via email please send an email.
-Todd noted that we will be looking for a new place to have our quarterly meetings. We may not be able to continue to have our meetings at Enka Baptist Church, and we would like to thank Marjorie Kirkpatrick for making it possible for us to have been able to meet at the church in the past. We all are very thankful for all that she has graciously done for the community.
-Previous business regarding assessments:
-Assessments were placed on hold previously, and will continue to be on hold for 2010. There are enough funds in the checking account from the CD to cover the current costs for the year, but this cannot continue indefinitely.
-It had been voted on previously to give the park to the City of Asheville. The City did not have the funds to accept the park and the expense, and declined acceptance of the park, so this will not occur at this time, but may be revisited in the future when the economy is in a better place. Until such time the community will continue to carry that expense.
-The Commissioners addressed the situation regarding previous assessments that had not been paid/were past due. It was voted to erase any and all past due assessments so that everyone could start with a zero balance. There will be a letter issued to all property owners stating this information for their records. This will hopefully help everyone during these difficult economic times, as well as assist in the more positive outlook of the community.
-Hillary Cole noted that the storm water bill had arrived, and the question was asked why we couldn’t get the city to fill in the sink hole in the park that was created from the old storm drain system. The answer was not known, but Robin Silver is trying to get a load of dirt to fill in that hole and have it no longer be an issue. It was asked if anyone could assist with this, or knew of anyone who could bring some fill dirt for no cost.
-Todd addressed that we will have a vote in the few months regarding our assessments for 2011. We have to options to present:
-Option 1: Each property owner pays a flat $25 per year.
-Option 2: We revert back to the original deeds regarding assessments where it is a certain amount per linear foot of road frontage with an increase in the amount charged per linear foot to $0.50 with a maximum cap of $35.00
-It was noted that Option 2 was fairly antiquated since it was designed to address the sidewalk and road maintenance issue. This is not an issue so much anymore with the majority of the community being in the city.
-The question was asked regarding the flat fee of $25.00 and whether this will be assessed per property/lot or per owner. There are some property owners who have one dwelling but multiple lots and it doesn’t seem fair to charge per parcel in this situation. In those cases it would be fairer to charge per dwelling WHEN the additional lots are being used as a continuance of the property with the dwelling. This will also protect the situation where a lot may be built upon in the future and thus create a new dwelling/residence. This lot would not be exempt from the yearly assessments. This will have all property owners be responsible for the assistance in the upkeep of the financial responsibilities of Enka Village. (i.e. lot owners who simply own a lot or lots, but do not necessarily live here)
-It was discussed whether or not the community could vote to add to the current property restrictions to add in basic community standards such as no untagged vehicles, neat and clean yard/properties free from excessive trash or junk, etc… These are typical in neighborhood restrictions in this day and time. This is something that was brought up for discussion by concerned members of the community and the commissioners asked for anyone to share thoughts or ideas regarding this issue. Many people feel the restrictions need to be updated to help protect property value and to create a safer, cleaner, and more pleasant neighborhood. One concern would be the cost involved regarding attorney fees to have this written and recorded. It was left open to discussion.
-Todd suggested a possible community clean up day. Suggestions would be to help neighbors who may need assistance with certain items (such as weed eating, mowing, gutters, weeding, etc…) Heather suggested working with community groups who may be looking for projects to assist with. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and local civic groups are always open to community activities in order to earn badges and such. It was asked if anyone had any connections with local groups, and also if anyone knew of neighbors in our community who need any assistance with something, to please let the commissioners know.
-Due to time constraints with our meeting room, the meeting was closed.

new e-mail address for Enka Village Commission

2010-06-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

Enkavillagecommission@gmail.com is the new Enka Village Commission e-mail address, so please feel free to e-mail the Commission with any questions, concerns, or suggestions you might have. We are looking forward to getting to know you all better and working on strengthening our neighborhood into even more of a community!

Thank you all so much for your support in attending the community meeting last month; we will keep you updated on when and what the community summer event will be.

Sincerely,

The 2010 Enka Village Commission

Minutes from 2/18 Commission Meeting

2010-02-25T16:24:00.000-08:00

Enka Village Commission Meeting Minutes February 18, 2010

1. Resignations: Tiffany Salido is resigning as president of the board effective 2/19/2010. Andre Fisher resigned as treasurer effective 2/1/2010. Robin Silver has agreed to continue on board as beautification chair.

2. Treasury report: $446.19 in general account. $5,580.50 in CD.

3. Current Budget issues
a. Insurance on the park/sign. Current rate:$515/yr
We discussed the current plan and the options of dropping insurance altogether or reducing the coverage to just the liability on the park. The policy is valid through March. Those households in attendance voted 8 to 2 in favor of keeping the current coverage. However, we recommend the new board examine the options and different insurers for the following year.
b. Mowing park. $30 biweekly during summer (8-12 times/year)
c. Hillcrest Lights CD.
The CD was previously allotted to cover Hillcrest lights. However, due to the budget shortage, it was voted unanimously (10 households) to put half of the CD into the general account.
d. Assessments
Assessments have not been collected for the previous two years. It was agreed to resume assessment collection.

4. Election and/or reorganization of the board.
It was proposed that we return to the original method of selecting board members as laid out in each of the homeowners deeds. You will find a ballot and full explanation also included with these minutes. Please return ballot by March 31.

Brian Cook and the Coles agreed to coordinate the mailing of the assessments and the ballots.

5. Concern was expressed that residents do not know what the Enka Village Commission is. A full explanation is included in your deed. Briefly, the commission is a rotating group of homeowners who oversee the concerns of the community. Currently, budget issues dominate the agenda, but neighborhood functions and beautification can and have been included in commission works. All homeowners are welcome and encouraged to participate in the quarterly meetings.

We have lost 2 of the 4 signs indicating when the meetings are being held. It is recommended the new board purchase new signs so that all residents can be adequately notified.

enka village community meeting tonight (2/18)

2010-02-18T07:59:00.000-08:00

There will be a community meeting tonight at 7:00 at Enka Baptist Church. Topics will be assessment of Commission finances and the need to elect new Commission members.

American Enka/BASF Reunion

2009-07-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

From Asheville Citizen-Times:

American Enka/BASF reunion
Reunion for all former employees. Bring a dish to share.

When:
Saturday, July 11, 2009

4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Where:
Enka Union Hall--Sardis Road
Asheville, NC 28806

Phone: 667-5184

minutes from 2-26-09 community meeting

2009-04-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

From Commissioner Tiffany Salido:

ENKA VILLAGE
HOMEOWNER’S ASSOCIATION
February 26, 2009 minutes

1. Park Donation: City of Asheville declines our donation because of economic downturn.

2. Election/Nomination of new 2009/2010 Commission members. No nominations or volunteers were put forth. We allowed until the end of March for any prospects.

3. Plan for the Spring Enka Village Yard Sale to coordinate with the Biltmore Lake Yard Sale , scheduled for May 30th . This will increase shopping traffic.

4. Tulip Planting a success! Bulbs planted in from of the Enka Village Sign last fall bloomed beautifully this spring. We will all enjoy these for many years to come.

5. Neighborhood warning: There are 2 men in their early 20s in a white pick-up with a white freezer in back of truck soliciting meat sales. Their names are Zack Harkins and T.J. Cormeir, and they sell for Empire Foods. They claim to be local guys who can name many of your neighbors as references. They have scammed some of our neighbors by not being truthful concerning their product or guarantees.

6. Treasurer’s Report: We currently have $1416.51 in general funds and $5538.80 in a CD.

********************A huge Thank You to Emily Sutton Dezio for all of her service to our community. She is stepping down from her 5 year tenure as Enka Park Commission Secretary to concentrate on her new, beautiful daughter Vinetta Rosa Dezio, born April 16th. Congratulations Emily!********************************

2009/2010 Commission: No volunteers or nominations were submitted, and all solicitations were declined. This leaves the current board in the position of having no one to pass on responsibility. Therefore, the current members have agreed to continue to carry out the necessary functions of the board – maintaining the park and lights and collecting the homeowners dues to continue those functions. At this time, we will not hold any more community meetings or coordinate community activities. However, if you desire to volunteer, now or at any point in the future, please contact Tiffany and you may serve in whatever capacity you choose. When the economy recovers, we plan to talk to the city again and pursue donating the park.

Tiffany Salido, Commissioner (423-5390)
Andre Fisher, Treasurer
Robin Silver, Beautification

call for nominations

2009-03-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

From Secretary Emily Dezio:

We need homeowner support for the 2009/2010 Commission. At this time, no one has been nominated or agreed to be on the commission for next year.

Please let me know if you, or anyone you can think of in our community would be a good fit for the following positions:

Commissioner
Treasurer
Beautification
Secretary
Streets and Lights* (2008/2009 seat was vacant)

enka mill demolition

2009-02-26T08:07:00.001-08:00

See today's article about plans for the Enka Mill site:

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090226/NEWS01/902260330

Community Meeting

2009-02-23T14:29:00.000-08:00

There will be an Enka Village community meeting on Thursday, February 26, at 7:00 p.m. at Enka Baptist Church.

Enka Village Talent: The Sons of Ralph

2008-11-10T18:32:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the Mountain Xpress readers' choice for best local band lives in Enka Village? Enka Pine Street is home to Ralph Lewis, a legendary bluegrass/old-time musician, who plays throughout the region with his two sons. Be sure to catch a show and support our local talent! See their Web site for a performance calendar and more information: http://www.sonsofralph.com/

Halloween in Enka Village

2008-10-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

For those of you new to the neighborhood, you may not yet be aware that Halloween is a busy evening in Enka Village! We get many, many trick-or-treaters from around the Enka and Candler area. If you plan to participate, be sure to stock up on lots of candy. If possible, you may also want to park your car in your alley rather than on the street, as traffic jams are common during trick-or-treating hours.

Hillcrest Street will be using a blockade at the end of the street to prevent the usual chaos caused by auto traffic during the evening of Halloween as well. Pedestrian traffic, of course, will be welcome!

Happy Halloween!

Park Beautification Day

2008-10-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks goes to our volunteers who beautified the park on Saturday: Tiffany Salido, Robin Silver, Emily Dezio, and new residents Katherine, Rosalee, and Shephard of 37 Enka Orchard!! John Young and pup also stopped by and offered to donate and plant a new tree in the coming weeks. We pulled weeds, laid ground fabric, re-mulched, dug up the dead tree, and planted spring bulbs under the sign. Take a look on your next neighborhood walk!

Minutes from 10-16 Meeting

2008-10-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Enka Village Community Meeting October 16, 2008
Minutes Submitted by Emily Sutton Dezio

A word from the board: We want to thank all the homeowners for their concern and support for our assessment change vote. We realize this is not a traditional format for a vote, and that may cause some concern. However, the homeowners attending the August 28th meeting voted to bridge the reality of low homeowner participation with the mandate to have a majority of homeowners approve any change. Prior to the August 28th meeting, homeowners were given written notice that assessment changes were to be discussed. During the meeting, the homeowners arrived at a $25 flat rate through discussion and examination of our current income and expenses and approved this as Option 1. (The August 28, 2008 minutes reflect that 26 HOUSEHOLDS WERE REPRESENTED; 14 households voted to approve and 12 households voted against this. No household was double-counted). To further incorporate community desires, the homeowners attending the August 28th meeting voted and approved to assign a failure to vote as a vote for Option 1. We have notified homeowners of their options and have provided proxy voting for those unable to attend this meeting. As a board we are simply attempting to facilitate a sustainable solution to our budgeting requirements and will gain no personal benefit from whatever outcome the community votes on.

If you have deep concerns as to the validity of the vote, we welcome you to have our ballot system reviewed by your lawyer within the next two weeks. Unless a legal petition is filed by October 31, the board will proceed with enacting OPTION 2. We are setting this limit to allow each homeowner a chance to challenge to vote if so desired, but also to allow us to move forward with the changes if unchallenged. We will be implementing your choice before the upcoming assessments, due in February 2009.

We want to recognize the overwhelming participation in this vote and thank the community members for “getting out the vote.”

1. Vote on assessment change: OFFICIAL VOTE WAS FOR OPTION 2.

a. 52 VOTES (PAPER VOTES) FOR OPTION 2: Donate the Park to City of Asheville, Spend Down assessments on beautification projects; no further assessments.
b. 12 VOTES (PAPER VOTES) FOR OPTION 1: Raise assessments to FLAT rate of $25 per household per year
c. 5 VOTES FOR OPTION 3: Ignore the expense vs. income problem. And deal with the deficit when it occurs. We estimate as early 4 years without any unforeseen expenses, circumstances or otherwise.
d. 32 HOUSEHOLDS DID NOT VOTE
e. Even though there was a majority vote for Option 2, a motion was made and seconded to re-vote on the issue of whether households who “failed to vote” should be counted for option 1. With 15 households represented, 12 voted to strike that and 3 voted that the August 28, 2008 approval should stand.

2. Our next step will be to initiate discussions with the City about donating the Park to the City of Asheville. Assuming they accept the responsibility of the Park; Mike Lloyd volunteered to assist the Board in drawing up the necessary documents. Our deed of ownership of the Park requires that it remain a Park forever. Our donation, if accepted, will contain language to maintain the Park as a park.

3. Treasurer’s report – Andre Fisher
CD $5,501.52 and Checking Balance: $2,168.93

4. Come make our park more beautiful! Mulching and Spring bulb planting on Saturday, October 25th from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. We will be planting bulbs around the sign, mulching our plants and replacing a dead tree. Free handful of bulbs for all who volunteer! Plant them around your mailbox at home to spread the cheer throughout the neighborhood! Call Emily Dezio at 242-6754 for more information.

5. Halloween set-up on Enka Hillcrest Street. Proposal accepted and passed to place physical barriers to block vehicles on Hillcrest to allow trick-or-treaters on foot while eliminating the hazardous traffic.

6. Leaf pick-up day for city vacuum is during the two weeks following November 3, 2008 and two weeks following January 5, 2008. Please rake your leaves to the curb, but do not block any drains. You can find more information online at the City of Asheville’s website. http://asheville.nc.us/residents/public_services/sanitation.

Let’s keep our new fall tradition alive by helping neighbors who are unable to rake their leaves.

7. If you're interested in buying an Enka Village license plate, contact Amber Cook at 665-1914 or ambercook714@yahoo.com. They're ready, so you can take one with you tonight! They're $12 each (payable to Enka Village Commission). Proceeds go toward beautification projects.

Board members:
Tiffany Salido, President 14 Enka Hillcrest 423-5390
Emily Sutton Dezio, Secretary 6 Enka Oak 242-6754
Robin Silver, Beautification 11 Enka Oak
Andre Fisher, Treasurer 19 Enka Orchard

Look for minutes, details, and updates on our website http://enkavillage.blogspot.com/
(Maintained by Amber Cook –Thanks!)

Topic for next meeting (as suggested by a resident at the 10/16 meeting): Possibility of making Enka Park streets one-way

Results of Assessment Change Vote

2008-10-17T06:28:00.000-07:00

From the Commission:

The vote tally as of 10/16:

12 votes for option 1

52 votes for option 2

5 votes for option 3

The names and addresses of these votes were verified last night to ensure no double-voting within a household. Because the votes for option 2 represent a majority of the households, option 2 has officially won the vote. The Commission will continue to accept votes through October 31st, but mathematically, those votes cannot change the outcome.

Full minutes of the 10/16 meeting will be available soon!

Meeting Minutes: August 28, 2008

2008-09-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

Enka Village Commission Meeting Minutes August 28, 2008
26 Homeowners in attendance

1. Introduction of new board members

Tiffany Salido, President 14 Enka Hillcrest
Emily Sutton Dezio, Secretary 6 Enka Oak
Robin Silver, Beautification 11 Enka Oak
Andre Fisher, Treasurer 19 Enka Orchard

Treasurer’s Report: CD $5,501.52 and Checking Balance: $2,153.10

2. If you're interested in buying an Enka Village license plate, contact Amber Cook at 665-1914 or ambercook714@yahoo.com. They're ready, so you can take one with you when you're ready! They're $12 each (payable to Enka Village Commission). Proceeds go toward beautification projects.

3. Old Enka bus stop – there was discussion about whether we could save the bus stop – but the costs outweigh anyone’s particular interests and the work/costs involved. The Construction Company, Taylor & Murphy, advised that it would not be demolished until Spring 2009. At that time, they can assist the Commission in recovering bricks for homeowners who would like a memorial keep-sake.

4. Community Picnic: Please consider ideas for community gatherings or picnics in the park; or street parties for our next meeting. We are seeking volunteers to organize!

5. Assessment Discussion: Because of the annual expenses (rental fees for PO Box, Maintaining Insurance for Park, Mowing for Park, Hillcrest Streets and Lights etc) the Commission can no longer operate under the assessments at $0.15 per road footage per household. The annual expenses outweigh our annual income. There was an extensive discussion analyzing what expenses we have – including whether or not we actually and in fact own the park, thereby making it necessary to pay for mowing and insurance. Enka Park Commission actually owns the Park. Reference Deed Book 806/Page 231 of Buncombe County Register of Deeds office.

The requirement to pay assessments is derives from the covenants which were adopted when each and every household was first sold to the community members. Failure to pay assessments gives the Commission authority to collect the fees owed by lien against the property. The restrictive covenants run with the land and attach to the house. Should you have any questions about your individual homeowner’s rights, please contact an attorney for a complete and thorough title examination.

We discussed three options for dealing with the dilemma of not having enough annual income to cover the annual expenses:

• Option 1: Raise assessments to a flat rate of $25 per household per year and continue business as usual

• Option 2: Donate Enka Park to the City of Asheville and eliminate assessments; Use the remaining funds on beautification of the neighborhood and an amount would be reserved for Hillcrest Lights

• Option 3: Ignore the expense vs. income problem. And deal with the deficit when it occurs. We estimate as early 4 years without any unforeseen expenses, circumstances or otherwise.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!!

Vote will be conducted at the October 16th Community Meeting.

Vote may be made by proxy if you unable to attend meeting. To vote by proxy, Seal your vote in an envelope and mail to PO Box 2 Enka, NC 28728, or hand deliver to a board member. You can also appear at the October 16th community meeting at Enka Baptist Church at 7 p.m.

PLEASE BE ON NOTICE:

Our restrictive covenants, which are recorded in the Buncombe County Register of Deeds Office, require that there be a majority vote (at least 51 households) before any change to restrictive covenants. Raising the assessments to a FLAT RATE is a change to the covenants. In the event OPTION ONE passes, we will re-record the new covenants in the Buncombe County Registrar’s office. Accordingly, the homeowners in attendance of the August 28, 2008 meeting voted by majority vote that: Failure to participate or, in other words, failure to vote will be considered an automatic vote for Option 1.

ONLY ONE VOTE PER HOUSEHOLD.

___________________________________________________________________________

HOUSEHOLD NAME: ___________________________________________________________

HOUSEHOLD PHYSICAL ADDRESS: _____________________________________________

VOTE:

______ OPTION ONE: Raise assessments to FLAT rate of $25 per household per year
(FAILURE TO VOTE IS AN AUTOMATIC VOTE FOR THIS OPTION)

______ OPTION TWO: Donate the Park to City of Asheville, Spend Down assessments on beautification projects; no further assessments.

______ OPTION THREE: Option 3: Ignore the expense vs. income problem. And deal with the deficit when it occurs. We estimate as early 4 years without any unforeseen expenses, circumstances or otherwise.

Look for minutes, details, and updates on our website http://enkavillage.blogspot.com/
(Maintained by Amber Cook –Thanks!)

Enka Village Community Meeting August 21, 7:00 p.m. at Enka Baptist Church

2008-08-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

The new commissioners will introduce themselves, and topics will include assessments for 2008-2009 and the idea of saving the Sand Hill Road bus stop from demolition.

New Commission in Place

2008-07-20T13:05:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the 2008-2009 Enka Village Commission! These folks will be taking over the reins effectively immediately:

Tiffany Salido, President
Andre Fisher, Treasurer
Emily Sutton Dezio, Secretary
Robin Silver, Beautification

Thanks to Glenn Satterfield, Jo McGill, Amber and Brian Cook, Anthony Devore, and Emily Sutton Dezio for the hard work over the last year! Here are the year's highlights:

--Seeing through the completion and unveiling of the new Enka Village Park sign
--Holding a community yard sale
--Advocating for and getting home postal delivery for the village
--Organizing a bulk order for new mailboxes
--Organizing a clean-up day to help residents in need with yard work
--Ordering dumpsters for neighborhood use
--Overseeing the planting of trees on Orchard Street
--Creating an Enka Village blog and Web site
--Landscaping and maintaining the park

We're excited to see what the new commission has in store!

The License Plates Are In!

2008-06-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

If you're interested in buying an Enka Village license plate, contact Amber Cook at 665-1914 or ambercook714@yahoo.com. They're ready, so you can take one with you when you're ready! They're $12 each (payable to Enka Village Commission).

May 15 EV Community Meeting Minutes

2008-06-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Enka Park Commission
FULL HOMEOWNERS Meeting
May 15, 2008
Enka Baptist Church
Elections of Board Members: Glenn Satterfield, Brian & Amber Cook, Jo McGill and Anthony Devore are stepping down from their respective positions for the next commission. Nominations for the 2008/2009 Commission are as follows:

Tiffany Salido, President
Andre Fisher, Treasurer
Robin Silver, Beautification
Emily Dezio, Secretary
____________________________, Preservation

Ballots will be enclosed with mailed minutes to vote for the 2008/2009 Commission, to be returned to PO BOX 2, Enka NC 28728 no later than June 30, 2008. The persons named on the ballots are persons who were nominated and accepted the nomination.

Mowing of Park: We have secured lawn mowing for the summer 2008 season at a monthly cost of $90 per month. It will be mowed 3 times per month.

Dumpsters: Another huge success! Happy Spring Cleaning!

Quality Forward Planting: We have paid for the new trees for Orchard Street. We have used volunteer labor for planting. They have planted ½ of the trees. More to come!! Please take a drive down Orchard and check out the new trees.

Treasurer’s Report: Balance of $2,848 in checking; a c.d. totaling $5,406.56. The total cash available: $8,354.56 The annual assessments do not cover our annual bills, but were directed to be reduced after the Commission satisfied the sewer problems. The 2008/2009 Commission will have to review the annual bills to determine what adjustments need to be made.

License Tags: The tags are back by popular demand!! Get your Enka Village License Tag for $12.00. You can order them by emailing Amber Cook at ambercook714@yahoo.com, or by calling the Cook residence at 828-665-1914. Your contribution will be directly spent on the neighborhood beautification.

Website: Brian and Amber Cook have started a new website (rather than a blog) for Enka Village News, Updates, License plate ordering. www.historicenkavillage.com. This became necessary when we discovered that the development building Main Streets at Enka Village had secured all domains using “enkavillage”.

Mail Update: Mail service is now accessible for all of Enka Village since March 1, 2008. We are now on the National Database – such as mapquest, yahoo mapping etc. The Post Office recognizes our new signs.

If you missed the dumpsters last month…

2008-05-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

The City of Asheville will collect large items and appliances for the part of the Village that’s located in the city. Because of the availability and low cost (or in most cases, no cost) of this service, we may discontinue the practice of ordering dumpsters privately for the neighborhood. (Hillcrest and Lake residents, please contact the Enka Village Commission for options for disposal of your large items.)

Here’s the information from the City’s Web site:
Appliances
The City of Asheville collects appliances such as stoves, ovens, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, trash compactors and hot water heaters for a fee of $5 per item, which is assessed on a resident’s water bill. Call (828) 251-1122 to schedule appliance collection.
Bulky Item Collection
The City of Asheville will collect chairs, beds, mattresses and springs, sofas and other bulky items on request. To request collection of these items, call (828) 251-1122. Once you schedule collection, place the item(s) at your curb by 7 a.m. on the scheduled collection day. Item(s) will be picked up within 7 working days.

Large Collections (moving in or out of a home)
The City of Asheville will collect large amounts of trash, such as from a move into or out of a home, ONE TIME ONLY. Call (828) 251-1122 to schedule.

Carpet Disposal
When disposing of carpet, roll and tie with string or twine (not wire) in 4 foot rolls and place at the curb. Call (828) 251-1122 to schedule collection.

Back by Popular Demand: Enka Village License Plates

2008-05-30T10:28:00.001-07:00

We’ll be placing a second order of license plates in the coming weeks. If you’re interested in ordering a plate, contact Amber Cook at 665-1914 or ambercook714@yahoo.com. Plates are $12 each, and proceeds will go toward beautification projects for the neighborhood.

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.

Fall Clean-Up Day: Saturday, November 10

2007-10-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

Enka Village will have a neighborhood clean-up day on Saturday, November 10, time TBA. We will be raking leaves and doing other clean-up activities to help spruce up the neighborhood! You can participate in two ways:

1. Let us know if you or a neighbor are physically unable to rake your leaves and could use some help from able-bodied neighbors. We will be helping our elderly or disabled neighbors on this day, and we need help gathering names of those who could use the assistance!

2. Sign up to help out with the raking. This clean-up day is designed to coincide with the city's loose leaf collection day (Monday, November 12), so we will not have to bag the leaves. We'll just be raking them to the curb, so the job should be much quicker! It's a great way to get to know your neighbors and get some fresh air!

If you'd like to help, please contact Amber Cook via e-mail (ambercook714@yahoo.com) or phone (665-1914).

Enka Village Community Meeting October 25

2007-10-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

Residents of the Enka Village community will meet on Thursday, October 25, at 7:00 at Enka Baptist Church. Topics will include updates on ongoing projects, discussion of Enka Park landscape options, discussion of possible bus stop bench on Hillcrest, brainstorming about a fall clean-up day, and updates on postal service. If there are issues you would like to add to the agenda, e-mail them to Emily Dezio. See you there!

Enka Park TLC

2007-10-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

We want to extend a special thank-you to Glenn Satterfield, who has been keeping Enka Park mowed all summer. It's a hot job with no pay, and he's kept the park looking great! If you see him, be sure to thank him for the hard work!

Also, the plants and trees that went in with the new sign are still alive, despite the heat and drought. They've been surviving through the hard work of folks who've been willing to head down to the park with buckets and coolers of water over the summer. We currently have a rotation of Enka Village residents who have volunteered to continue watering, but we could always use more neighbors to share the task! Our goal is to keep these plants watered until we start seeing more rain or until the heat eases off. These are hardy plants that won't require much maintenance once they get a good start, so this should be a short-term chore! If you can take a shift or two, please contact Amber Cook at ambercook714@yahoo.com.

Library Celebration

2007-09-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

The Enka-Candler Public Library is marking its 10th anniversary with a celebration this Tuesday night (September 18) starting at 6:15 p.m. See this link for more information: http://main.nc.us/calendar/events/1187831627.html

Pictures From the Enka Village Sign Unveiling

2007-08-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from the unveiling of the sign a few weeks ago. If you have any of your own to add, please send them in!

Enka Village License Plates

2007-08-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

You may have seen these license plates on your neighbors' cars over the past several months. The first batch of 100 (produced as a fundraiser for the Enka Village sign) sold out quickly! If you'd like to be on the list for a future order of the plates, please contact Amber Cook at ambercook714@yahoo.com.

Call for Volunteers

2007-08-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

Interested in pitching in on new or ongoing Enka Village projects? We can always use help! There are all kinds of jobs, from helping care for the park to heading up or volunteering for clean-up days or a welcoming committee. If there's something you'd like to do (or if you'd like to be on a list of volunteers we can call on when something comes up), please contact one of the Commission members (see list on right), or e-mail us. It's a great way to get to know your neighbors, and we'd love to have you on board!

Thank You

2007-08-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

Many, many members of the Enka Village community pitched in to help with the new sign. There were countless details to deal with, including fundraising, digging holes for concrete footings and plants, bringing food to our A-B Tech crew, and hauling water to the site for cement mixing and plant watering. We'd especially like to thank these folks for their help:

John Young
The Browning family
Bill and Jeanene Hawkins
The Cook family
Valerie Panton
John Wesley Cole
Tony and Emily Dezio
The Satterfield family
Daryl Hawkins
Dean Lancaster
Jo McGill
The Devore family

We also want to thank the students of Mark Bloomfield's A-B Tech masonry class, who volunteered their time, even after the school year ended, to see the construction of the brick pillars through to completion. Glenn Satterfield and Brian Cook attended the class graduation and presented the group with certificates of appreciation. These students are:

Matthew Dosio
Ben Hall
Vera Hall
James Russell
Rick Sharpe
Robert Walker

Weekend of August 4

2007-08-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a busy one in Enka Village! Several dozen households participated in the community yard sale Saturday morning. At 1:00 that day, a crowd of current and former residents attended the unveiling of the new Enka Village sign. In attendance were several of the A-B Tech students involved in the construction of the brick pillars, as well as Enka Village's very first resident, Betty Brookshire. We are all excited to have this permanent reminder of our community's presence and history! We will post pictures from the event soon.

On Sunday morning, the Asheville Citizen-Times front page featured a picture of resident Tom Lovingood. The accompanying article was about local mill villages and company towns, and Enka Village was listed as the best preserved of these areas. George Lancaster is also interviewed in the article, which you can find here: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770804043.