Residents urged to limit travel

The city reported at 6 a.m. on Sun., Jan. 31, 2010, the following update: "Public works crews continued plowing, sanding and salting roads through the night. Primary roads are passable and crews are now focusing on secondary and neighborhood streets within the city. Roadways are expected to be icy with temperatures forecasted below freezing for most of the day. Residents are urged to limit travel and use caution when traveling is necessary."

Heavy snow blankets Asheville area
Buses stopped but to resume at noon on Sat.,
Willie Nelson concert postponed

The National Weather Service now predicts 10 to 14 inches of heavy snow mixed with ice pellets from mid-afternoon on Fri., Jan. 29, 2010, through Sat. evening and ending at approximately 11 p.m. The City of Asheville stopped all bus service beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Consequently, no buses ran Friday evening. However, routes will run beginning on Saturday morning based on road conditions. Updates on transit service will be made available. Visit www.ashevilletransit.com or call 828-253-5691 for transit information. For current weather reports, Click Here>

Follows are official reports as to how the city says it will respond to the area's second major snowstorm:

1. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER: The City of Asheville began operating its Emergency Operations Center at 4 p.m. on Friday by bringing fire, police and public works personnel under one roof to respond to the storm.
 
2. PARKING: Downtown parking will be free in all city garages through 10 a.m. Monday morning. Citizens are being asked to park in city parking garages so trucks can completely plow streets. Doing so will also help residents and businesses keep the sidewalks in front of their homes and stores free of snow. Furthermore, removing cars from on-street parking allows trucks to safely navigate roadways with room to completely remove the snow.  

3. FRIDAY CLOSURES: The following facilities and activities operated by the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts (PRCA) department are closed or cancelled: WNC Nature Center, Food Lion Skate Park, Asheville Municipal Golf Course, all community centers, all senior centers, and the ski trip to Cataloochee Ski Area.

4. SATURDAY CLOSURES: The following facilities and activities operated by the PRCA department will be closed, Sat., Jan. 30: Youth Basketball at Asheville Middle School, Adaptive Bowling at Star Lanes, WNC Nature Center, Food Lion Skate Park, Asheville Municipal Golf Course, all community centers, and all senior centers.

5. POWER OUTAGES: To report power outages, call Progress Energy at 1-800-419-6356. For more information about what to do if you lose power, go online to:
www.progress-energy.com/aboutenergy/stormcentral/outage/index.asp.

6. EMERGENCY CALLS: In the event of an emergency, citizens are urged to call 9-1-1. Citizens who are in need of prescription medications or medical supplies and services, but are unable to leave their homes due to hazardous roadway conditions, may call 828-252-1110 for assistance.

7. FALLEN TREES, WATER PROBLEMS, TRASH: City residents may call 828-251-1122 to report downed trees, water problems or questions about sanitation pickup.

8. WEATHER & CITY SERVICE UPDATES: Updates about weather conditions and city services can be found at www.ashevillenc.gov and www.facebook.com/cityofasheville.

9. ROAD CONDITION REPORTS: The Asheville Fire Department will share information about roadway conditions and other emergency notifications at www.twitter.com/ashevillefd.

10. WILLIE NELSON CONCERT: The show scheduled for Sat., Jan. 30, 2010, at the Asheville Civic Center will be postponed due to the snow. Hold on to your tickets. They will be honored at the rescheduled show. Refunds are available from the original point of purchase. More details at www.ashevilleciviccenter.com. 
 

Asheville housing prices 22% overvalued, says study
CNNmoney.com reported a study of America's most overvalued and undervalued housing markets. Of 330 metro areas included in the nationwide study, Asheville is in the top 10 of most overvalued, according to IHS Global Insight/PNC Financial Services. | For CNNmoney.com article, Click Here> | For IHS Global Insight's complete study, Click Here>