Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies, and the real answers:
Question: One of the issues/concerns that I know many are questioning is why the City of Asheville is not addressing the growing need for pickleball courts. Recently, the city resurfaced the courts (for both tennis and pickleball) as all are shared. So, in effect there are no dedicated courts being planned or developed for the growing number of players in the county. Not to mention, they took away our portable nets, so now we rely on bringing our own. What happened to those, and why were we given no notice? Where are they? And why are we needing to go play inside or to private clubs to play pickleball exclusively? The growth and enthusiasm for the sport is nationwide and Asheville is not keeping up. Maybe you could help uncover their excuses and see what funds are being appropriated with our taxes for a sport that is in demand and growing!
My answer: Ah, it’s refreshing to hear from this bashful group that so often flies under the radar around here.
Real answer: As a pickleballer myself — or at least one who hopes to get back to it after overdoing it and tweaking my knee — I totally get what the reader is saying. The sport is crazy fun and popular, and Asheville doesn’t have dedicated courts.
I also heard from several people about the removal of the rollaway nets the city had put on multiple courts, which were popular with players. So let’s start there.
City spokesperson Kim Miller said the city did dual-line all public tennis courts in 2023 to include pickleball lines.
“Rollaway pickleball nets were selected based on input from the pickleball community and made available at select courts,” Miller said. “Previously, six courts were lined for both sports (12 pickleball courts) and players brought their own pickleball nets. Unfortunately, the weight of the championship-quality nets has caused surface damage to courts.”
I witnessed this myself — the wheels would slightly sink into the court surface, leaving little divots. Not good.
Christo Bubenik, program and operations manager in communications with Parks & Recreation, explained why this happened.
“Asheville Parks & Recreation’s courts have an asphalt base that can soften on warmer days in the spring, summer, and fall,’ Bubenik said via email. “The rollaway nets often remained for hours in the same position during popular play times or sat overnight when they were not rolled off courts to the fenceline, resulting in damage. This includes damage at recently resurfaced courts in Malvern Hills and Murphy-Oakley parks.”
The city tried to figure out a fix.
“After exhausting options with the rollaway nets’ manufacturer to mitigate the damage, the pickleball nets will be relocated as the department explores alternatives,” Bubenik said, adding that the department’s athletics team “is researching options to provide championship-quality rollaway nets with a lighter footprint.”
Bubenik noted that pickleballers can check out portable pickleball nets for up to seven days at no charge. Nets are available at Recreation Park (828-545-1644), Stephens-Lee Community Center (828-350-2058), and Tempie Avery Montford Community Center (828-253-3714). Call ahead to reserve them.
Regarding notification that the nets would be removed, Bubenik said Parks & Rec “posted signs at courts, added messaging to the City of Asheville’s website, and worked with the Asheville Pickleball Association to amplify the information to local picklers last week.
“Similar to closing a section of greenway during a flood event or relocating programs when a community center’s electricity goes off, our team had to act quickly to ensure minimal damage,” Bubenik said. “We are working quickly to find replacement nets.”
Adding dedicated pickleball courts in Asheville and Buncombe has been a hot topic for a couple of years. I’ll note that the Town of Fletcher opened dedicated courts last year, and they’re pretty fantastic.
Bubenik said Asheville Parks & Rec has been working with the pickleball community and recognizes how much it’s growing. In 2022, the two groups agreed on the plan to dual-line courts and to create a citywide shared-use schedule, he said.
“Asheville Parks & Recreation has been actively working with the community for nearly a year to create Recreate Asheville, a valuable 10-year strategic action plan to guide investments in parks, community centers, pools, and recreational facilities,” Bubenik said. “This plan will identify which areas need the most work, which projects will be the most beneficial, and a strategy to keep Asheville’s parks and recreation system in great shape for the community.”
The department will share the drafted plan in mid-June and present a final plan to City Council this summer, Bubenik said.
“Pickleball and tennis courts ranked as ‘high priority needs’ from the community needs assessment phase…,” he said, noting it included online and mailed surveys, workshops, focus groups, and other events. “The community will again make a choice during the upcoming fall elections whether to issue general obligation bonds to fund projects identified in the Recreate Asheville plan.”
Question: It’s that time of year again. As I drive around I see princess trees, aka Paulownia, blooming all over the place, including up on the Parkway. I’ve seen Chinese wisteria in several places. And I know for the next six to seven months I will be despairing each time I go to the south Asheville Lowe’s and see the vast number of nandina bushes planted in that parking lot, nandina that will be full of berries to spread themselves around our area in the fall. I see a lot of people talking about kudzu but hear only a little talk about other invasive species around here. Someone told me Hendersonville’s Tree Board opted to participate in the state’s Bradford (or Callery) pear tree bounty this year, but I’ve not seen anything in the way of letting people know that. But to my question — are there any ongoing efforts to remove invasive plants when possible and to encourage landowners to do likewise? And are there any efforts to discourage people from planting invasive plants which, sadly, too many places sell? And especially, can’t we forbid commercial development from landscaping parking lots (or green spaces) with plants that have been deemed invasive in our area? It would be wonderful to see those ugly nandina bushes gone outside Lowe’s and some trees planted instead!
My answer: I’m not going to lie — this spring my wife and I have been admiring all the trees we’ve seen with gorgeous lavender-colored blooms on them. Now I know they’re princess trees and kind of evil. Bubble popped.
Real answer: City of Asheville Urban Forester Keith Aitken said via email that efforts are underway to address invasive species, with multiple groups involved.
“Invasive plants, whether we like them or not, are here to stay, but the city is currently developing the Urban Forest Master Plan designed to help staff and residents develop strategies to combat invasive species over the next 20-30 years,” Aitken said.
He said a city ordinance does forbid commercial developments from planting invasive trees, shrubs, and grasses, “but we have had no formal plan or strategy to address outbreaks on public land in the city limits.”
The city also has a new Recommended Species list that includes a “Banned Invasive Species” tab with more than 600 species.
“Although many of the species listed do not occur here now, there is the potential, so we included all plants from several U.S. Forest Service lists,” Aitken said.
The city is also working with several community partners to combat invasive species, including
EcoForesters, a local forestry nonprofit that educates the public and landowners about the impacts of non-native invasive species.
Aitken pointed out that native plants are important because they host more native insects, which act as a food source for many birds. The local nonprofit MountainTrue has “long advocated for the promotion of native plants,” Aitken said, noting they also have “a great plant list to help landowners make wise choices.”
Another group called Kudzu Culture “envisions a world where a widespread culture of kudzu use and reverence balances kudzu in native ecosystems of the Southeast while providing major material and economic benefits for communities amidst a rapidly changing world,” Aitken said.
On kudzu, homeowners can “consider goats, agricultural vinegar, fire (with the right team), implements of destruction (brush hooks), and good old suffocation to control small to medium size patches,” Aitken said.
“Finally, there is nothing better than the tools at the end of your arms for cutting and pulling,” Aitken said. “Stick with it — plan on several seasons of cutting and pulling to eliminate plants. Keep it from making food, photosynthesizing, by stripping the leaves and disturbing the roots and keep after it.”
Alison Arnold of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Buncombe County specializes in agriculture and home horticulture, and she says the group hears from a lot of people concerned about controlling invasive species in their yards and gardens.
“Unfortunately we hear stories where a neighbor planted something, like bamboo, that is now growing across the property line and into their property,” Arnold said via email. “The issue is also complicated when there are plants still available in nurseries and garden centers that are listed as invasive.”
Cooperative Extension uses the North Carolina Native Plant Society invasive species list as a quick reference. Another good source is the Cooperative Extension’s page about invasive species.
Here’s a not-so-fun fact from that page: “Invasive plants are present on one out of every 10 southern forest acres, a staggering 19 million acres. Invasive plants are likely to double their extent in the next 50 years as the climate becomes more variable.”
Of course, the best strategy here is to not plant these species to begin with, and remove them when you can. Cooperative Extension’s page also notes you can report invasive plant infestations to your local land management agency or one of the following agencies:
- EDDMapS — The Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System.
- NC Exotic Pest Plant Council
- The National Invasive Species Council
As far as those “princess trees,” they are all over the place. On a recent trip to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, my wife and I spotted them there and pretty much all down Interstate 81 in Virginia and I-26 in Tennessee and North Carolina.
The North Carolina Forest Service has a pretty fascinating page about them.
“Native to eastern Asia, Paulownia tomentosa has been widely planted for horticultural purposes in North America from Montreal to Florida and west to Missouri and Texas,” the page states, noting it’s moderately cold-hardy so it’s spread primarily in the East and South. “In North Carolina it poses a particular problem in the foothill and mountain regions.”
It’s capable of flowering within 8 to 10 years, and a mature tree can produce millions of seeds.
“The seeds are small and winged, dispersing easily in the wind,” the site states. “This aggressive tree grows rapidly (up to 15 feet per year) in all types of disturbed habitats.”
The page notes you can just pull up small trees, and it describes a chemical solution that’s effective in controlling them.
Going out and removing trees in wild areas is a tough, expensive task, so the best solution is to not plant them in the first place!
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/donate.
