As the year draws to a close, we reflect on a period of remarkable resilience and recovery. Following devastation from Tropical Storm Helene, our city faced unprecedented challenges. Yet I am incredibly proud of how we responded as we look back at the past months. While we successfully returned to a full slate of programs and opened nearly all our parks, our primary focus has been laying the groundwork to build a more resilient and equitable park system for the future.
Recovery & Restoration
We began the year with a clear goal: welcoming our community back into our shared spaces with a full rotation of programs and events, some with creative adaptations. From the PARKS Activity Card Challenge to the major milestone of phased reopening of the French Broad Riverfront in time for Memorial Day, seeing you enjoy these spaces again has been our greatest motivation.
The cleanup effort has been one of the largest undertakings in our city’s history. Over 1.29 million cubic yards of debris in major waterways and over one million cubic yards from rights-of-way has been removed in Asheville and Buncombe County. This monumental effort allowed us to reopen cherished spaces like Richmond Hill Park and Riverside Cemetery.
Today, all parks and greenways are open (some partially) with the exception of the most heavily impacted riverfront properties. To bridge the gap while we rebuild, we have:
- Opened a temporary dog park in Riverbend Park
- Prepared to open a temporary skate rink
- Hopeful to share exciting news regarding sand volleyball courts
Note: These are not merely short-term “pop-ups,” but robust interim facilities designed to serve you until permanent replacements are constructed.
The City of Asheville’s Temporary Activation Program (TAP) was launched to facilitate quick-action, community-led recovery initiatives on public properties impacted by Helene, supporting clean-up, public art, and temporary wayfinding installations. We have also started a biochar pilot project, demonstrating our commitment to sustainable and innovative approaches in park management.
Community & Connections
Our parks and community centers are about people and 2025 highlighted the strength of our neighbors.
- Emergency Response: The Crump Shiloh Center team was recognized by City Council for their quick, efficient response to a critical incident, proving our staff is always ready to serve
- Food Justice: Our partnership with Southside Community Farm brought an indoor fridge, outdoor pantry, and BIPOC Farmers Market to Grant Southside Center
- Aquatics: Despite the Helene-related loss of Recreation Park’s pool, the Grant Southside Center pool hosted an impressive 10,735 swimmers this season, demonstrating the critical need for public aquatic facilities
- Specialized Newsletters: Recognizing your inbox is your homepage, we launched separate newsletters focused on programs for kids and teens, older adults, and outdoors
We were also proud to see the Recreate Asheville 10-year plan honored with a prestigious planning award, as well as our Go! (Guiding Others) youth mentoring program highlighted as a national model by the National Recreation and Park Association.
Capital Projects: Building for 2026 and Beyond
We are moving forward aggressively with community investments funded by the parks & recreation general obligation (GO) bond which will fundamentally improve our park system. The scale of storm damage to the city’s parks system – over $25 million – requires a phased approach in partnership with federal funding, but our vision remains ambitious.
Completed Projects
- Roger Farmer Park court improvements
- New playgrounds at Burton Street and Stephens-Lee community centers
- Memorial Stadium renovations
In Progress
- Weaver Park: Playground and ballfield improvements
- Walton Street Park: Repurposing and revitalizing the historic pool area (GO bond project)
- Malvern Hills Park: Designing a modern, code-compliant aquatic facility (GO bond project)
- Greenways: Design is underway for the Reed Creek Greenway extension and Nasty Branch Greenway, and a traffic pattern change is coming to create safer connections through the Greenway Connector project
Looking Ahead
Community visioning begins soon for modernization improvements to Crump Shiloh Center and a new pickleball complex
As we look ahead to 2026, the combined efforts of the Helene recovery rebuild and the strategic investments from the GO bond promise a stronger, more accessible, more resilient parks and recreation system for all of Asheville.
Want to share your ideas with me? Sign up for the next Park Bench Chats event on February 23 at Weaver Park.
Recreationally,
D. Tyrell McGirt, MPA, CPRP, AFO
Asheville Parks & Recreation Director