Fencing off an Asheville park to save it?

ASHEVILLE - A well-worn pocket of public space is at risk of being loved to death, some downtown advocates are saying. But the solution proposed — fencing off almost half of Pritchard Park — has alarmed some who say it will mean the exclusion of the homeless and other frequent park users.

The oddly-shaped 0.2-acre park is at the center of a buzzing downtown commercial sector, making the triangular slice of land a focal point for social events, from weekly drum circles to political protests.

But heavy use has made the park itself a topic of city debate over public access, litter and inappropriate public behavior.

Now some city officials and downtown advocates are saying one way to fix the park is to install a 40-inch-high decorative fence around areas getting trampled. That would protect trees and give planned plantings "a good chance to survive and thrive" where there is now largely compacted dirt, said landscape architect and city contractor Steven Lee Johnson.

At a Dec. 13 City Council meeting, Johnson and city Parks and Recreation officials presented upgrades costing up to $232,349. Along with fencing there would be new landscaping, an irrigation system, lighting and additional seating with more "hardscape" walking areas.

Council members declined to approve the plans saying they thought the fenced area, which would block almost 6,000 square feet of the park's nearly 13,000 square feet, was too big.

"It seems there is an element in the downtown community who want to exclude as many people as possible from Pritchard Park and this looks like a step toward doing that," Councilman Cecil Bothwell said.

Parks and recreation officials said they got positive reaction about the upgrades from downtown residential and business groups.

Council members say they want to hear recommendations from the city's Homelessness Initiative Advisory Committee before taking action. Meanwhile, an open house is planned for Jan. 12 at the boardroom of the Asheville Housing Authority at 165 S. French Broad Ave. The public can drop by from 3-5 p.m. to learn about the project and give suggestions.

Bus depot to drum circle

Two decades ago, the park was a grassy patch used mostly as a central bus depot. It was also a spot frequented by the homeless.

The construction of the bus station on Coxe Avenue freed up the space for a long-awaited revamp that came to fruition in 2001. An existing red maple was surrounded by an amphitheater, benches, plants, and permanent chess board tables. Large boulders sat at the edge of the amphitheater with a water feature tumbling over some of the rocks.

Within a year, a public drum circle became a regular event.

The city helped with programming for arts events and music. At night, silent movies were played to live musical accompaniment.

The park also served as a staging area for free food and meal giveaways by charitable groups.

Soon, the park's popularity started to wear on it. Complaints of litter and misbehavior caused the city to assign a park warden to monitor the site and enforce city rules.

A struggle to keep up

Business owners and downtown residents said the park needed more maintenance.

Mary Ann West said she and fellow downtown dweller Susan Griffin approached then-Mayor Terry Bellamy about funding.

"It was in rough shape," West said. "It looked like someone's bathroom. There were razor blades and Q-tips lying around."

Bellamy was enthusiastic, West said. But then the recession hit, and West said she knew they would have to lead the effort. She and Griffin formed Friends of Pritchard Park, a group that picked up garbage, tended to plants and raised money for other improvements, including $4,200 in low wrought iron fencing around a few small planted areas.

The situation improved, said West, who now lives north of downtown but still owns the Miles Building in the city center. But that didn't last, she said.

West said she's gotten to know many of the long-term homeless and that they are generally respectful of the park. Many aren't homeless anymore, she said, having found housing through local government programs.

She said trouble comes from many people new to the park who might be transient or unemployed.

"It's a lifestyle choice, not a homeless situation regarding the younger crowd at the park," she said. Among the problems are swearing, littering and inappropriate sexual behavior, she said.

Many areas that weren't paved have been pounded to dirt by heavy traffic. Others have complained about rats they see in the park at night.

A 2014 security report by police said the park was a "relatively safe-feeling place during daytime hours, but does have a high amount of calls for service."

Police recorded 435 calls for service from June to August of that year. Of those, 204 were for crime prevention, 22 were for civil disturbances, five were for panhandling and intoxicated subjects, and four were for fights in progress. Fifty-seven calls came when the park was closed at night.

A Supreme Court decision in 2015 made it unconstitutional to ban public sleeping. That meant the park warden could no longer forbid people from lying in parts of the park.

The case for public access

Homeless advocates say parks are some of the few places people without permanent homes can go.

Housing activists led a protest at the park in November, pointing to city data they said showed the homeless were disproportionately affected by enforcement of trespassing laws. More people are living on the streets now than 10 years ago, despite a joint city and Buncombe County decadelong plan to end homelessness.

"We don't want a city that criminalizes homelessness," the Rev. Amy Cantrell said at the protest.  "Some of us don't have anywhere to go."

Places such as Pritchard also serve as areas to exchange important, and potentially life-saving, information among people with few resources, said April Burgess-Johnson, chair of the Homelessness Initiative Advisory Committee.

People can tell each other about where to get food or medical help, or where to shelter from severe weather, she said.

Asheville is known as a welcoming place where people help those facing problems, she said. And people who are homeless here also tend to help each other.

"Having a venue, whether it is this one or another, where that can happen seems sensible," Burgess-Johnson said.

Beauty and trees

Johnson declined to comment about complaints about such things as inappropriate sexual behavior, saying she hadn't heard about them. The committee has not yet seen the park plans, she said.

She hopes a balance could be struck between preserving the park resources and "making sure the park is open and accessible to all members of our community," Burgess-Johnson said.

Police, as well as landscape and tree specialists, say the fencing and other measures are necessary to have a safe and green park.

Along with new lights, the fencing would prevent people from jaywalking and cutting through the park and would allow the warden to better monitor activities. The police security report recommended going further, possibly increasing the height of exterior park walls and installing gates to close the park at night.

Johnson, whose Sitework Studios has the city contract to upgrade the park, said there would be expanded areas for people to sit and walk, but that there is "a lot of soil there," and it makes sense to put in plants.

"In terms of the citizens of Asheville having a green park that has well taken care of landscaping that is in a shaded environment, you have to have perimeter edge control," he said.

City Tree Commission Chairman Mike Kenton said trees such as the maple were in real danger because of traffic on roots, which extend far beyond leaf canopies.

"The kind of abuse trees take in a city is exponential," he said. Along with pressure from feet, people sometimes climb trees, break off branches or carve in the bark, Kenton said.

"People would like to sit under a tree, but this is one of those situations where people can’t have it all," he said.

Council members acknowledged the fencing isn't a new idea and is used in many large cities. Mayor Esther Manheimer said heavy use was turning Pack Square Park outside City Hall into "dirt park."

But several of the elected officials balked at the size of the fenced area.

"A small park just got a lot smaller," said Councilman Brian Haynes.