Asheville, North Carolina
EXPLORE FAITH. EMBRACE COMMUNITY. MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
60 Church Street, Asheville, NC 28801 | info@trinityasheville.org | Tel: 828-253-9361
TRINITY CHURCH
ANNUAL REPORT - 2025
BUILDINGS & GROUNDS
SERVICE GROUPS
Facilities
Our Direction
In 2025, the Facilities Team transitioned from reacting to the damage caused by Helene to the goal of managing our physical assets in a way that integrates day-to-day maintenance and repairs with long-term planning for future needs. We are being called to simultaneously look at the urgent tasks at hand and look forward to Trinity’s future. Below are the efforts started and/or completed during the 2025 calendar year.
Day-to-Day Maintenance and repairs completed in 2025
Roofs, Gutters and Downspouts: The contract with our roofing contractor has now been in place for over two years. After the effects of Helene were assessed, a decision was made to replace the gutter along the east side of Tuton Hall and the gutters on the east and north sides of the Herb Garden. This was accomplished in 2025.
Stormwater Drains: Due to leakage in the Bell Tower wall as well as reverse flow from the street into the drain a decision was made to create a better path for removal of stormwater. This effort was begun and completed in 2025. As part of this effort, two grate drains were cut across the Aston St. sidewalk providing much better stormwater drainage for two thirds to three quarters of the north roof of the Nave. This is a significant improvement. Due to damage from Helene, the church has applied for assistance to repair/replace underground stormwater pipes in the Redwood Garden and the east side of Tuton
Hall. Beyond these two areas, there are some problems associated with drainage on the south side of the campus. The goal is to address these remaining issues in 2026.
Safety and Security: The church has begun a movement toward electronic control of most exterior doors in the church campus. To date, the electronic locking system has been installed on six doors. One additional door should be completed before the end of the year. This system allows for significantly enhanced management and control of access and security for the church campus. Not only can access be granted remotely, all access is now tracked through the system. The system also enables remote locking.
HVAC: The air conditioning unit that services the APSE failed in 2024 and was replaced in 2025.
Accessibility: The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant door was installed and is operational. The door allows wheel chair access on ground level. This allows individuals access to the elevator without traversing a ramp. The only area of the church campus that is not accessible by wheel chair is Godly Play. This door also is part of the electronic locking system. All doors that received electronic locks were also rehung, and emergency exit devices were installed bringing them up to code.
Windows: There are several specialty windows (non-stained glass) that need repair in the undercroft and the Bell Tower. It is hoped that some of these can be repaired in 2025.
Work on Long-Term Campus Sustainability in 2024
Facilities Archives: large trove of blueprints and facilities drawings have been provided to the NC Room of Pack Memorial Library where they are now being archivally maintained. They are available to the church for review as needed. They will all eventually be digitized which will simplify access. During the exchange, we found that they had additional documentation on the church which may be helpful in the future.
Initial 2026 Priorities (Plans and budgets in the works)
Stormwater: The Committee will finalize estimates for any stormwater efforts once FEMA makes final decisions on the church’s requested remediation. During the modification of the Bell Tower drainage system, additional leakage around a large joint at the top of the tower was identified. The Committee halted the replastering on the north Bell Tower wall facing Aston St (approved as part of the Bell Tower drainage system project) until this is accomplished.
Safety, Security and Accessibility: Upgrades to the Redwood Garden exit door and the exit door into the Herb Garden will be accomplished in 2026 if not accomplished before the end of 2025.
Windows: It is anticipated that the church can begin repairing a few specialty windows each year over the next several years to address identified issues.
Doors: An effort to identify options for the double doors entering Tuton Hall hallway from the Memorial Garden should be completed in 2026. It is anticipated that a decision on a path forward can be made in 2026.
What’s Next?
2025 has seen significant improvements, renovations and upgrades to the facilities. The focus in 2026 will be to continue to address required maintenance and make repairs and improvements to our stormwater drainage.
This year’s team includes Jeff Cook, Mike Smith, Adrian Vassallo, Craig Weeks, Tom Williams, and Richard Wrightson. Scott White also actively participates.
As a reminder; every dollar of deferred maintenance will likely cost us four dollars in the future.
Respectively submitted,
Cole Hedden
Creation Care
In its third year, and chaired by Monte Gaillard, the Creation Care and Grounds committee took responsibility for all major upkeep and decisions related to Trinity’s land (with great leadership from Jeff Cook in clearing Helene debris) and brought a number of well-regarded speakers to campus.
Meeting about six times per year, the group’s mission is
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To foster a greater awareness and appreciation of all of God’s creation and its sacredness, so that we experience the love of God; and to allow love to move us to gratitude and to action on behalf of the more-than-human world.
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To create, nurture, and maintain the landscape surrounding Trinity Church, Asheville, North Carolina, with an acute sense of the genius loci (the spirit of the place) and for the betterment of the natural world.
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To set an example at Trinity that inspires and enables others to reconsider their own landscapes and lives.
The committee met regularly in the fall, and enjoyed presentations from the composters at the Biltmore Estate and Casi Lohmeyer, the Buncombe County Recycling Coordinator.
In the spring, we hosted a major speaker series in conjunction with the French Broad River Gardening Club and the McCullough Institute of UNCA, and had hundreds of attendees at:
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Katheen Biggins of C-Change presented "Building a Better Tomorrow: Understanding extremes of the changing climate to better protect our community" on April 8
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Margaret Renkl and Katherine Hayhoe on April 29
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Jeff Chu on May 20
We continued to compost and to increase our use of compostable goods rather than single-use plastics. Thanks to Julia Williams, we also started using local farm eggs for our Sunday breakfasts and have made a plan to use local meat at our next Music Revue and Steak Night. Thanks to Lee Seabrook, we continued to be a CSA pick-up site for Olivette Farms, and fifteen or twenty Trinity families participated.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Peterson and Monte Gaillard
Trinity Art Guild
The Trinity Art Guild’s main focus is to find ways to raise funds for Camp Henry Scholarships which are administered by our youth director at Trinity.
In 2025, we are planning an Art Fair for next year to raise this money. It will be in Tuton Hall on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Trinity artists will be given the opportunity to sign up first and area artists will be allowed to sign up later if spaces remain.
The Art Guild also plans to sell merchandise at their Christmas Market for the three Sundays prior to Christmas. Our guild currently has 16 members and we meet as needed and welcome new members.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Swann and Sally Cochran, Co-Chairs
Lake Logan Volunteers
Lake Logan is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina. There is a Retreat Center open year-round, Camp Henry summer camp for children, youth, and families, and an Outdoor School offering year-round outdoor education.
Thursday Volunteers assist in a variety of much-needed work. All skill-sets are truly welcome. In addition, Lake Logan hosts two Volunteer Weekends each year, in the spring and the fall. Countless members of Trinity come out weekly or whenever their schedules allow. We are so grateful for each one of you!
Respectively submitted,
Carlyn Pheil and Fred Fairhead, Coordinators
