By Lewis Rothlein
Last May, a drunk driver destroyed our less-than-a-year-old bus shelter on the southeast corner of Montford and Cullowee. The shelter featured a large panel filled with images and words about Montford’s past. On one side was a slice of the history of African Americans in our neighborhood, and on the other, pictures and descriptions of former Montford houses that were lost to fires or demolition.
I had many conversations with fellow Montford residents who bemoaned the loss of the bus shelter, who felt that it brought something special to the neighborhood, and, with the similar shelter across the street, added personality to Montford. When they heard that the City of Asheville would not contribute to the rebuilding of the bus stop, giving the feeling that it was gone for good, there were many who shook their heads and said, “What a shame!”
But the city did okay rebuilding the shelter if funds could be raised elsewhere. I found out through the people who created and built the shelter that they would be willing to do it again, and I received support from the Montford Neighborhood Association for a rebuild. All the pieces are in place, then, for the bus stop to be redone—except for the money. I am hoping that our neighborhood will find a rebuild worth contributing to!
On February 1, an initiative to fund the bus stop rebuild was begun in several ways:
- A GoFundMe campaign called “Rebuild Montford Bus Stop!” If you wish to contribute toward a rebuild of the bus stop, go to gofundme.com, then click the “search” button on the upper left, and fill in “Montford Bus Stop” Or even easier, just click on this link:
www.gofundme.com/rebuild-montford-bus-stop - The Montford Neighborhood Association will also begin taking checks earmarked for the bus shelter. If you wish to write a check instead of giving through the Go Fund Me, make it out to Montford Neighborhood Association, indicate it is for the bus shelter, and mail it to The Montford Neighborhood Association, P.O. Box 7181, Asheville, NC 28802.
- Chiesa, Montford’s Italian restaurant, is naming the bus shelter as the recipient of its Community Collection Box for February. It is a tradition in the restaurant to collect donations for worthy charities in its box, and owner Newton Clark has generously offered to match the donations up to $1,000! Thus, at Chiesa, your donations in February will be doubled. Try to get there during February!
- Little Jumbo, the Montford bar/restaurant, has designated Tuesday, February 19, as Bus Shelter night. It will donate 10% of total sales that evening to the bus stop rebuild. Mark your calendar, please!
How much money do we need? The shelter will cost $14,000 to be rebuilt from scratch and installed. There are two cost-ameliorating possibilities we are hoping for, an applied-for grant for up to $5,000, and a contribution of $2,400 from an organization in the process of deciding. Furthermore, Nine Mile Restaurant has committed to a generous donation. And we’re going after other possibilities as well.
We hope the Montford community—residents and businesses—will come through, for its part. If you would like to see the shelter once again grace our neighborhood, please contribute. All donations are tax deductible. No donation is too small, and none are too big! Every donation will help. Let’s get this thing done. Please give! And thank you in advance!
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