BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. — Members of the Buncombe County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board reviewed a draft annual report and sketched goals on Oct. 9 aimed at moving the body from a reporting role to a more proactive advisory role.

The board and staff focused on five priorities: appointing a chair and vice chair, reviewing and updating bylaws, advising on strategic capital investments, creating a community engagement and marketing action plan, and supporting implementation of the systemwide parks and recreation master plan.

Liz, recreation operations manager for Buncombe County Parks and Recreation, led the meeting and described the boards purpose as advising on "strategic investments, master plan implementation, community engagement, and partnerships to increase awareness, access, and quality of recreational opportunities for all residents." She told members, "we encourage community engagement at all levels, whether it's coming to these meetings or other community outreach events or parks and recreation events."

Board members said staff transitions and a period of limited activity had interrupted the advisory boards work over the past year. The group reported two current vacancies on the advisory board and a goal of filling at least one vacancy before the next meeting.

On capital investments, staff explained that projects above $100,000 are planned several years in advance. Board members suggested developing a 10-year internal timeline for greenways and other capital projects to identify bottlenecks, help prioritize projects and make clearer requests to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners for annual allocations.

Members discussed restarting subcommittees and passive recreation fund allocations and asked staff to clarify funding sources. Liz said those investments typically come from several "pots of money" including county budgeting cycles and grants; she also referenced grant opportunities tracked by staff.

Marketing and community engagement were emphasized as a practical next step. The board proposed a community engagement action plan that could include signage, tabling at events, QR codes at parks, biannual marketing/branding reviews, and a goal that advisory board members participate in at least one outreach or public engagement event per county district each year.

Several members urged clearer distinctions between city and county parks in outreach so residents know whether Buncombe County maintains specific sites. Members suggested low-cost tactics such as branded T-shirts for advisory members, QR-code surveys at events like the Pumpkin Peddler, and district-based outreach to solicit feedback on capital priorities and the master plan.

On the systemwide parks and recreation master plan, staff said the plan is expected to be finalized in the coming months and recommended the advisory board develop specific goals tied to the plan after it is published. Board members agreed that one near-term objective would be to identify feasibility- and design-stage funding needs (studies and designs) that currently limit the ability to pursue grants and construction.

The meeting closed with a motion to approve the annual report. Kevin Connerco moved to approve and Leslie Young seconded, but the group did not have enough members present to take a formal vote; Liz said the board will "vote via email" to finalize the report. The next regular meeting was set for Nov. 12.

The discussion left several items for follow-up: staff provision of clearer capital-project lists and funding breakdowns, a draft community engagement action plan for the board's review, a proposed timeline for recruiting members from underrepresented districts, and draft bylaw changes for consideration at a future meeting.