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From YouTube: Buncombe Bulletin (Episode 1 - Spring/Summer 2021)
Description
Buncombe Bulletin - Local. News. Now.
This episodes topics include:
• Health and Human Services Prevents Child Abuse and Neglect
• Local State of our Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Solarize AVL - Inexpensive Solar Panels for Individuals/Businesses
• Community Paramedicine: A New 911 for Buncombe County
• Recreation Services Update
• New East Asheville Library is Opening
• Local Students Work to Clean Up our Local Waterways
• Buncombe County's new Racial Equity Plan
• Secure Your Load: Preventing Littering and Fines
Learn more about these programs and all of the great initiatives from Buncombe County Government at buncombecounty.org
A
On
this
episode
of
buncombe
bulletin,
we
have
a
lot
to
cover
and
just
a
couple
minutes
for
each
report.
Most
of
these
stories
have
a
longer
interview
if
you're
interested
visit,
buncombe
county's
youtube
page
youtube.com,
bcgov
tv
for
more
in-depth
reporting
on
each
topic.
Otherwise,
let's
get
started.
B
B
If
there
has
been,
then
we
have
to,
of
course
take
certain
steps
to
protect
that
child
or
the
children
that
might
be
in
the
home
at
the
time.
If
we
find
that
there
has
not
been
but
the
family
needs
support,
then
we
want
to
offer
those
services
from
the
very
beginning
from
our
initial
contact
with
the
family.
The
most
important
part
I
feel
in
terms
of
supporting
children
and
families
in
the
community.
Is
that
we're
all
in
this
together?
B
No
matter
your
race,
your
ethnicity,
no
matter
your
sexual
orientation,
your
political
identification.
It
is
important
that
we
support
the
children
in
our
community
together,
every
single
child
deserves
to
be
safe.
Children
who
are
most
successful,
have
people
who
care
about
them.
So,
of
course
that
happens.
We
want
that
to
happen
in
the
immediate
family.
B
C
Yeah
so
I
like
to
tell
our
patients
that
stds
in
buncombe
county
are
like
anywhere
else
in
the
country,
like
all
the
big
cities.
So
if
you
think
in
atlanta
new
york,
san
francisco,
we've
got
it
all
right
here
in
the
asheville
area.
A
lot
of
that's
because
of
our
social
media
and
our
sexual
networks
have
changed
over
the
last
decade
or
so
with
the
dating
apps.
C
If
they're
used
for
casual
hookups,
then
when
people
come
through
town
on
their
way
to
trips
or
just
to
vacation,
they
might
have
connections
with
people
that
are
unprotected
in
the
community
and
then
those
infections
spread.
We
have
seen
a
really
significant
increase
in
the
last
decade
of
syphilis
cases,
and
particularly
in
the
last
five
years
year
over
year
over
year,
we're
seeing
increases
in
syphilis
infections.
This
is
really
important
for
a
couple
reasons.
One
is
pregnant
women
we're
starting
to
see
congenital
syphilis.
C
We
went
through
a
time
period
in
our
country,
where
we
had
essentially
no
congenital
syphilis,
but
then
over
the
last
decade,
it's
risen
year
after
year
after
year
and
last
year
was
no
different,
so
chlamydia
and
gonorrhea
are
often
asymptomatic,
so
a
person
doesn't
know
they're
infected
when
they
have
it
in
their
throat
or
in
their
rectum,
and
even
a
lot
of
women.
Don't
have
chlamydia
or
gonorrhea
symptoms
and
men
as
well
when
they
have
genital
infections.
C
So
I
think
the
the
trick
too
is
that
understanding
that,
yes,
some
of
the
things
we
have
are
treatable,
but
a
lot
of
them
aren't,
and
this
sense
that
oh,
if
I
get
it,
we
can
treat
it.
That
is
true
to
some
extent,
but
actually
our
viral
infections
are
the
ones
that
are
most
likely
to
be
life-limiting
or
life-threatening,
and
we
don't
have
a
way
to
treat
most
of
those
and
we
certainly
can't
cure
them.
I
think
it's
really
important
to
think
about
the
ways
we
can
prevent
sexually
transmitted
infections.
C
Generally
speaking,
humans
are
sexual
and
they're
going
to
have
sex
and
young
people
have
a
lot
of
energy
and
so
they're,
probably
going
to
have
more
sex
and
having
new
partners
using
dating
apps
to
find
new
people
in
their
lives.
So
prevention
is
really
important.
We
have
barrier
methods,
barrier
methods
are
really
important.
We've
got
the
male
condom,
which
is
the
one
everybody
thinks
about.
We
have
female
condoms,
so
a
woman
can
take
charge.
C
If
her
partner
doesn't
want
to
use
a
condom,
she
could
use
a
female
condom
and
then
we
have
dental
dams,
which
is
a
covering
over
for
having
oral
sex
to
protect
it's
a
barrier
method
for
that.
So
there
are
preventive
methods
using
barriers.
There
is
something
called
prep,
pre-exposure
prophylaxis
and
that's
a
medicine.
Someone
can
take
every
day
and
it
prevents
them
from
getting
hiv
if
they
encounter
someone.
C
That's
hiv
positive,
that's
a
really
good
method
for
folks
that
are
having
high
risk
partners
or
if
their
patterns
of
sex
are
high
risk,
then
it's
a
great
way
to
protect
from
hiv.
It's
not
going
to
keep
you
from
getting
gonorrhea
or
chlamydia.
The
good
news
is
generally,
we
can
treat
those
with
antibiotics,
although
we're
starting
to
see
some
drug
resistance
in
gonorrhea
in
the
country.
D
You
will
work
with
one
of
our
selected
installers
to
have
a
really
streamlined
installation
and
customer
experience.
The
panels
that
we've
chosen
are
extremely
high
quality
with
good,
warranties
and
workmanship,
and
we're
just
really
excited
to
open
this
up
for
a
limited
time
to
encourage
as
many
people
as
possible
to
sign
up
yeah
the
more
people
who
sign
up
the
more
people,
the
more
that
people
will
save.
So,
for
example,
if
you
know
15
people
sign
up,
you
unlock
tier
1
of
pricing,
which
is
a
certain
level.
D
E
Thing
I
like
about
this
program:
is
it
not
only
is
good
for
the
environment
by
giving
more
people
the
opportunity
to
get
solar
in
their
house,
but
also
a
way
to
do
it,
so
it's
more
affordable.
Many
people
are
probably
sitting
here.
Well,
I'd
like
to
have
solar
in
my
house,
but
I
don't
know
if
I
can
afford
it.
I
don't
know
about
the
financing
options
and
I'm
getting
all
these
calls
occasionally
from
people
I've
never
heard
of
before,
and
so
we
wanted
to
put
together
a
program
that
people
can
trust.
E
That's
supported
by
asphalt,
organizations
like
the
sierra
club
and-
and
I
think
11
other
organizations
and
it's
going
to
make
it
affordable
for
people
that
otherwise
might
not
have
to
so.
We're
really
excited
about
this,
and
we
want
to
see
everybody
in
asheville
and
buncombe
county
sign
up
for
this.
F
F
G
D
A
Community,
we
all
understand
how
9-1-1
works
if
you're
having
an
emergency
situation
if
you're
injured
or
if
you
see
someone
in
trouble,
you
call
9-1-1
fire.
Ems
and
law
enforcement
are
dispatched
and
arrive
as
quickly
as
possible
to
offer
aid.
However,
in
some
situations,
the
emergency
aid
needed
involves
more
long-term
assistance.
H
A
J
Paramedic
is
staffed,
24
7
and
that
paramedic
is
able
to
co-respond
with
9-1-1
in
real
time
and
meet
the
patient
and
ems
on
scene.
We
then
have
the
go
ahead
to
have
our
peer
support
person,
contact
that
patient
within
72
hours
to
see
where
the
patient
is
at
if
they
want
help
and
if
they
do
want
help
to
plug
them
into
resources,
they
may
not
have
access
to
these.
A
K
The
community
paramedic
program
initially
is
focused
around
opioid
response,
responding
to
individuals
who
are
overdosed
on
opioids
or
suffering
from
substance
abuse
disorder
and
providing
those
connections
to
resources
in
a
timely
manner
within
72
hours.
As
we
continue
to
grow
this
program
out,
we
want
to
expand
into
mental
health.
Chronic
homelessness
under
fed
to
reach.
Those
needs
is
also
often
the
crossover
with
the
substance
abuse
disorder
in
those
those
populations.
L
First,
the
playground
at
the
east
asheville
library
branch
is
going
to
be
opening
in
the
next
couple
of
weeks.
It's
going
to
be
a
national
demonstration
site,
thanks
to
a
grant
that
we
were
able
to
secure
through
game
time
and
cunningham
recreation.
It's
got
things
that
support
the
whole
community,
the
whole
child
and
the
whole
environment.
So
it's
going
to
be
a
great
space
for
multi-generational
experiences
to
happen,
as
well
as
lots
of
sensory
cool
things
that
you
wouldn't
find
on
normal
playgrounds.
That
will
be
changed
out
from
time
to
time.
L
A
national
demonstration
site
means
that
all
the
research
that's
coming
out
of
the
play
core
academy
is
going
to
be
implemented
into
the
site
that
we
have
here.
That
means
that
it
will
support
the
whole
child
in
the
whole
environment.
It'll
have
items
that
are
traditional
to
a
playground
such
as
swings
and
slides
and
climbing
things,
but
then
also
some
cool
sensory
stuff
that
will
support
children
with
intellectual
disabilities,
those
who
are
on
the
autism
spectrum
and
spinning
things
and
just
really
cool
stuff.
L
I
think
it's
actually
going
to
be
the
best
playground
that
we
have
in
our
system
and
another
exciting
project
that
we
have
that's
actually
in
the
planning
stages.
At
this
point
is
a
dog
park.
That's
going
to
be
placed
out
of
bunkin
county
sports
park
near
sandhill,
community
garden
and
sandhill
community
orchard.
It's
going
to
have
spaces
for
both
small
dogs
and
large
dogs.
We
do
have
some
dedicated
funding
from
buncombe
county,
but
we're
going
to
be
competing
for
the
petsmart
bark
for
your
park.
L
Grant
for
that
we're
going
to
need
a
lot
of
community
support.
So
if
you
think
that
there
should
be
a
dog
park
in
west
asheville,
inca
candler
area
out
of
bunking
county
sports
park
be
sure
to
head
to
our
website.
Bunkincounty.Org
parks
find
out
information
on
how
you
can
help
support
this
awesome
project
that
will
be
going
on
there.
That
will
be
a
real
real
win
for
our
community.
L
If
you'd
like
to
stay
up
to
date
on
these
projects
or
find
out
more
ways
that
you
can
connect
to
the
outdoors
to
open
spaces
here
in
buncombe,
county
and
recreation
experiences
visit
our
website,
which
is
buncombecounty.org
parks,
sign
up
for
our
newsletter,
which
comes
out
once
a
month
or
visit
us
on
facebook
or
instagram.
We
love
to
hear
feedback
and
we
love
to
have
that
conversation
going
on
with
the
members
of
our
community
so
that
we
know
how
we
can
best
serve
you
through
parks
and
recreation
experiences.
M
M
Libraries
are
really
unique
in
our
society,
they're
a
place
where
everyone
can
come
interact
with
one
another
have
access
to
resources.
It's
it's
really
important
to
have
that,
because
there
just
aren't
examples
of
that.
You
know
outside
of
the
library
where
you
have
this.
It's
almost
like
the
community
town
square
has
evolved
to
become
the
library.
You
know,
people.
M
Libraries
are
have
evolved
quite
a
bit
over
time
and
one
of
the
things
that
is
is
common
that
you
see
now
in
libraries
across
the
country.
Are
these
active
learning
spaces
such
as
the
artist
space
that
I
mentioned?
This
will
be
the
first
instance
of
that
for
our
system.
So
that's
something!
I'm
really
excited
about.
It's
a
showcase
for
what's
possible
in
our
library
system,
and
I
think
people
are
really
going
to
be
impressed
by
the
space.
It's
it's
wonderful,
it's
attractive.
P
Q
Team
leader,
I'm
very
excited
to
announce
the
service
learning
project.
Students
at
nesbit
will
host
the
first
student-led
vwin
stream
monitoring
volunteer
water
information
network,
which
is
a
group
of
students
who
will
monitor
surface
water.
Specifically,
students
will
perform
monthly
sampling
to
monitor
stream
health.
The.
R
Goal
of
the
project
is
to
install
a
storm
water,
wetland
and
outdoor
environmental
learning
center
storm
water.
Wetlands
are
constructed
wetland
systems
designed
to
combine
the
natural
functions
of
wetlands
to
help
remove
pollutants
from
storm
water.
Martin
nesmet
discovery
academy
is
a
top-ranked
stem
school
of
distinction.
Expanding
the
grounds
to
include
the
outdoor
classroom
and
nature
trail
with
tree
identification
would
allow
students
land
resources
to
create
their
own
independent
research
projects
related
to
environmental
engineering.
Having.
S
T
Martin
nesbitt
discovery
academy
was
constructed
on
a
site
that
was
formerly
an
electronics
manufacturing
plant,
which
is
reflected
in
our
preliminary
soil
samples
and
water.
Conductivity
tests
they're
both
extremely
high
in
metals,
to
help
improve
this
aquatic
plants
will
play
an
important
role.
They
do
not
only
absorb
carbon
dioxide
and
release
oxygen
into
the
water,
improving
the
aquatic
habitat,
but
they
also
absorb
nutrients
from
the
water
as
well.
This
reduction
in
nutrients
results
in
clear
water
and
less
algae
here.
U
At
nesbit
discovery
academy,
we
encourage
project
project-based
experiential
learning
through
the
envirothon
competition
in
our
new
water
monitoring
project.
Students
will
learn
first-hand
how
to
monitor
and
improve
their
local
water
systems,
which
will
make
positive
impacts
in
our
water
quality
for
neighboring
communities.
Q
Students
will
take
soil
and
water
samples,
monitor
the
water
quality
and
soil
health
of
the
project
before,
during
and
after
installation
seniors,
will
then
develop
research
projects
to
expand
monitoring
to
more
current
environmental
issues.
It's
a
great
project
with
both
environmental
and
student
learning
impacts.
H
It
was
a
perfect
combination
that
led
to
the
county's,
equity
and
inclusion
work
groups
creation.
It
started
with
the
current
administration,
which
is
relatively
new
county
manager.
Avril
pender
took
the
lead
in
march
of
2019,
with
sybil
tate,
and
I
joining
as
assistant
county
managers
in
july
of
2019..
H
We
started
planning
how
we
would
make
progress
first
internally
to
the
organization.
The
first
thing
we
did
was
set
out
to
create
the
buncombe
county,
equity
and
inclusion
work
group.
It
began
in
february
of
2020
for
a
dual
purpose:
one
to
implement
an
equity
action
plan
to
make
sure
our
processes
and
policies
were
equitable
and
to
establish
communication
with
our
residents,
especially
those
whose
voices
had
not
been
traditionally
included
in
the
county's
decision-making
processes.
H
The
racial
equity
action
plan
is
organized
in
a
way
that
clearly
defines
foundational
and
community-focused
areas
and
strategies.
The
foundational
strategies
are
intended
to
transform
our
internal
organization
through
policy
and
procedure,
review
a
comprehensive
equity
training,
curriculum
for
staff,
equitable
recruitment
policies
and
purchasing,
and
financial
and
budget
decision-making
practices.
The
goals
for
our
community
have
to
do
with
addressing
current
inequalities.
H
We've
been
getting
questions
about
the
role
of
this
plan
and
how
it
relates
to
the
announced
reparations
when
the
board
passed
its
resolution,
pledging
community
reparations
to
the
black
community.
It
specifically
directed
our
equity
and
inclusion
work
group
to
continue
prioritizing
racial
equity
in
the
buncombe
county,
strategic
plan
and
name
specific
urgent
priority
areas
to
focus
on
those
areas
are
included
in
the
draft
of
this
racial
equity
action
plan.
H
V
Up
until
covid,
we
had
a
partnership
with
the
correctional
facility
where
we
would
employ
inmate
labor
to
help
us
at
solid
waste,
pick
up
litter
on
an
almost
daily
basis.
Since
covid,
we
have
since
lost
that
partnership
due
to
safety
concerns
and
the
litter
as
residents
have
noticed,
has
gotten
noticeable.
V
So
we
created
the
secure
load
campaign
to
raise
awareness
for
everyone
who
is
traveling
with
their
waste
to
the
either
transfer
station
or
landfill
or
really
anywhere
within
the
county.
To
let
citizens
know
that
it's
the
law
to
secure
your
load,
that
it
will
really
help
our
environment
and
our
community
in
terms
of
reducing
litter.
V
What
we
mean
by
secure
your
load-
and
we
are
asking
residents
to
be
sort
of
load
warriors
cover
the
backs
of
your
trucks
cover
whatever
needs
to
be
secured,
that
you're
transporting
you
know
whether
that's
mulch,
whether
that
is
a
fridge,
whether
that's
just
miscellaneous
garbage
bags.
These
all
have
the
potential
to
escape.
V
There
is
a
north
carolina
general
statute
that
states
that
this
type
of
litter
is
can
be
fined
and
it
is
enforced
by
the
state,
and
we
want
to
make
people
aware
that
a
state
trooper
could
potentially
stop
your
vehicle
and
you
would
potentially
get
fined
for
this.
So
we
just
want
to
raise
awareness
of
this
issue,
keep
everyone
safe
and
keep
our
environment.