ASHEVILLE - The walkway connecting the former Civic Center parking deck to Haywood Street will now only be open during Pack Memorial Library's business hours, according to notices posted by Buncombe County.

The change is "in the interest of public safety," the notice said. "Following multiple instances of library staff coming in to trash and disarray, as well as vandalism, the safety and security of the public and our library employees is at the heart of the decision."

Security concerns about library walkway

Buncombe County owns the walkway, which also serves as the entrance to Pack Memorial Library, while the parking deck is city property. Commonly referred to as the Civic Center parking deck, its formal name is the Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville Garage.

Historically, the walkway has been open unpredictably — there was an understanding that the city's garage security team would lock up after traffic subsided, Buncombe County spokeswoman Kassi Day told the Citizen Times, but it was sometimes left open overnight.

In daytime hours as well as after library closing, the walkway has become a popular place for people experiencing homelessness to gather, find shelter from the elements and sleep.

APD officers have increased checks in the pedestrian walkway, parking deck and Haywood Street area following reports of "increased suspicious persons and possible drug sales/use," according to APD spokeswoman Christina Hallingse.

"We have experienced assaults, drug use, vandalism, and other problem behaviors in those spaces," Buncombe County spokeswoman Kassi Day told the Citizen Times.

Homeward Bound station in Pack Memorial Library

Homeward Bound, a local non-profit dedicated to ending homelessness, has a library outreach case manager stationed in Pack Memorial Library as part of a collaboration with Buncombe County "in order to work with our clients accessing services there," according to the organization's homeless services director Nicole Brown.

Since the library outreach case manager started in September, she "has been able to connect 11 clients who regularly access the library with housing," Brown said.

Homeward Bound is "reaching out" to relevant parties to learn more about what concerns inspired the change in hours and how it will affect their clients, she said.

"We need more affordable housing in our community...so folks living outside no longer need access to public space in order to be inside," Brown said.

New hours, possible accessibility issues

Moving forward, the walkway will be unlocked during library operating hours — 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m Saturday.

People using the parking deck outside those hours will need to use one of three alternative pedestrian exits, according to County notices. The level four exit opens onto Vanderbilt Place, level two to Walnut Street and level one to Rankin Avenue.

The move does limit one of the more wheelchair-accessible entry points into the garage. The first floor Rankin Avenue exit requires a parking attendant or after-hours 'video call assistant' to manually lift the arm of the barrier gate at the entrance so wheelchair users can enter or exit.

Assistant city manager Cathy Ball said the deck is still compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act through the Rankin and Vanderbilt Place exits.

However, Ball explained the city is also "working to ensure that everyone using the parking garage also has access to Haywood Street through the Pack Library hallway."

During the Southern Conference Basketball tournament this weekend, the walkway will be open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., she added.

Elizabeth Anne Brown is the trending news reporter for the Citizen Times. Reach her at eabrown@citizentimes.com, or follow her on Twitter @eabrown18.

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