Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:

Question: As your photo in a recent story shows, Novant has already been working on the Gold’s Gym property. So, will they be allowed to continue work on the facility and just not offer those imaging services, or do they need to abandon their project there?

My answer: Right now, the building looks like an X-ray. Its skeleton looks pretty cool, actually.

Real answer: My colleague Andrew R. Jones wrote about Novant Health on April 26, explaining that the North Carolina health department denied Novant’s bid to build a South Asheville diagnostic center at the former Gold’s Gym, saying that it would have duplicated services in the region.

But as the reader noted, plenty of work is ongoing onsite.

Dr. CJ Atkinson, deputy chief physician executive for Novant Health, said the company does still have plenty of plans for the building.

“Construction continues at 1815 Hendersonville Road in Asheville, as the building will eventually house Novant Health specialty medical clinics, including plastic surgery, oncology and women’s health services, in partnership with local, trusted physicians,” Atkinson said via email. “We anticipate construction will be completed in the spring of 2026.”

Novant will share more details as completion nears.

“In the meantime, our conversations continue with local physicians about needed services in the region and how Novant Health can support those needs and enable better access to care for residents of western North Carolina,” Atkinson said. “We remain steadfast in our dedication to the region, and we plan to apply for additional acute care beds later this year in accordance with (the) number identified by the State Medical Facilities Plan.”

The former Gold’s Gym building, once considered for a possible Trader Joe’s supermarket south location, has been gutted to the studs. The 3.5-acre property was built in 1994, and the 38,460-square-foot building was a BI-LO grocery store before Gold’s Gym came in.

It has a total appraised value of $3.9 million and is owned by Pulliam Developers LLC, according to Buncombe County property records. President and CEO Rusty Pulliam said he’s not concerned by the state denial, as Novant is moving forward with the other plans for the building.

Question: The Craven Street bridge was reopened some time ago, but the traffic light at the east end is still not working, or wasn’t the last few times we went that way. It’s a very busy intersection, especially after classes let out at A-B Tech. And too few motorists seem to know or care about the law that says when a traffic light is out or blinking red in all directions, it’s to be treated as a four-way stop. Some jerk barreled right through the other day as I was preparing to turn left.

My answer: Nothing is more confusing to the American driver than the four-way stop. OK, maybe learning how to use your turn signals, but four-way stops are a close second.

Real answer: This is a City of Asheville intersection, so spokesperson Kim Miller took this one on.

“The permanent repair of the traffic signal and pedestrian features will be part of a larger project,” Miller told me via email. “A shorter-term temporary project is in the works to get the vehicular traffic signal operational. Once the necessary electrical components are obtained, the city will schedule installation. Our goal is to get the temporary fix in place in early summer.”

The city has caught on that folks are not stopping as the four-way stop signs, and the law, require.

“Due to observations of drivers not treating the intersection as an all-way stop, the city installed stop signs on all four legs of the intersection,” Miller said.

I’ve written about the seemingly unsolvable riddle of the four-way stop before, but let’s review what North Carolina General Statute 20-155 says:

“When two vehicles approach or enter an intersection from different highways at approximately the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield the right-of-way to the vehicle on the right.”

And…

“The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left within an intersection or into an alley, private road, or driveway shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is within the intersection or so close as to constitute an immediate hazard.”

Also, please remember to yield the right of way to a pedestrian!

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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/support-our-publication/.

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