LURE MINUTES OF THE' TOWN OF LAKE LURE REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, November 12, 2024 @ 5:00 pm m m m ablished Lake Lure Inn Agenda I. Call to Order Mayor Pritchett called the meeting to order at 5:02pm II. Agenda Adoption Commissioner Jim Proctor made a motion to amend the agenda and move item numberV before the Mayors Updates, Commissioner Scott Doster Seconded and the motion carried 4-0. III. Eagle Scout Presentation by Emerson Ansley Eagle Scout Emerson Ansley gave a poignant presentation about the impact that Hurricane Helene has had one him and the community. He advised that he wanted to do something for the community and he thought that adding a bench near the Little Lakeside Chapel would be meaningful.Town Council was supportive oft the idea but recommended that he first speak to the Pastor of the Chimney Rock Baptist Church to be sure he and his congregation were supportive. Assuming they were: in agreement, they suggested that he temporarily put the benches near the Green Space until the debris and silt removal process in the lake was completed. Mayor Carol C. Pritchett: Iv will like to thank you for what you are doing -Ihave grandsons that Were Commissioner Scott Doster: we are in recovery process, maybe the troop will allow you to Build the bench get your eagle scout, and then come back at some point and we will let you put it on there or Commissioner Jim Proctor: as ai former scout, and a long history of scouting we willl like to see you. here tol have aj permanent location, speak to the pastor and this council is behind what you. Commissioner Patrick Bryant: said that it was a great idea and thanked the scout. boys scouts and this is very dear to me. parks and rec: for a temporary location. IV. Mayors Updates Mayor Pritchett thanked everyone for being here, the town has come a long way = we are still in recovery process, this is the hardest part of this, we are moving forward with it we have a vision of what we want Lake Lure to look like, we are going to: restore it and it may look different, but we are all in this together we are all working towards the same goal. V. Town Manager Updates Thank you for coming tonight- - we have all of the department heads who will present, wea are We are going tol be working with ICF andIwill ask that they come up and speak to everyone: Mike Junell project manager for ICF will be here to help the town recover - his goal is to get Ms. Stewman stated that we are excited to be working with them, and FEMA will be FEMA: Mark Bartlett notedthe deadline for applying for individual assistant has been extended Army Corp of Engineers (Ashbritt) noted that they are continuing to do debris removal. It was asked that types of debris be sorted.They explained why the current dumpsite: is suitable. moving in the arcade bldg., we are making renovation to the bank space. the townback to normal, they are here tol help and guide. alongside them. to January 7,2025. VI. Consent Agenda Terminate Agreement with the Policy Group Commissioner Jim Proctor made a motion to accept the consent agenda as presented, Commissioner Dave DiOrio seconded and the motion carried 4-0. VII. New Business Commissioner. Patrick Bryant:Thanked all of our town staff, especially the fire department, Iknow they Fire Department Updates: Chief Dustin Waycaster advised that the' Town was not in the recovery phase of the disaster and that we were still under a State of Emergency. He advised that Fire Fighters were assisting in the' Town restoration as needed. Everyone thanked the first have been through al lot and they have worked so hard. responders for their exceptional performance during the storm. Parks and Recreation Department Updates: Director Dana Bradley advised that they had removed 110: boats from the Washburn Marina and all but about 25 boats from the Rumbling Bald Marina. She provided a summary oft the: recent water quality tests.The' Town of Lake Lure worked with Clear Water Lab to sample the water at the Broad River (above Lake Lure), at the debris field in the lake (just beyond Morse Park),int the center of Lake Lure, and at the Lake Lure Dam. The results are better than anticipated given the catastrophic hurricane on 9/27/24; however, the lake is closed to everyone except licensed contractors and' Town staff. Test results willl be repeated as recommended by the NCI Department of Environmental Quality. She noted that ifl boats were being washed near the shore, to be sure no detergents or chemicals flow into the lake. * The results are posted at the following link: ittps//www.townolakelure.com/communty/page/ake-lure-water-sample-rep.. Public' Works Department Updates: Dean Lindsey gave an overview oft the west-end project which is underway to restore sewer services to the 33 homes west ofTown Center due to the manholes that were damaged during the hurricane. He summarized the work that is underway on the water lines, the waste water treatment plant, the lift station, the pressure valve installation, and the hydro-electric plant. He advised that the Proctor Road landslide was being assessed by NC: DOT. He also explained that a temporary bridge was to be constructed on Boys Camp Road and that designs were being obtained for aj permanent bridge. * Since this meeting took place, a construction start date for the temporary bridge on Boys Camp Road was confirmed for 11/25/24- -1 11/26/24. Due to the new positioning of the temporary bridge, the ford will have to be: removed to install the new river crossing.There will be no vehicle access during the construction. The Fire Department will stage emergency vehicles beyond the bridge to provide support Awalking path will be set up for anyone needing to be able to leave the area during Firefighters will be available during specified time periods each morning and evening as Aj parking area is available at the field at Sheridan Lane and Boys Camp Road sO cars may be For assistance or coordination coming and going during construction please send an email tot the following address and we will work with you to support your needs if at all possible. Email Communications@townolakelure.com (Subject: Boys Camp Road as needed during the 481 hour timeframe. construction. needed to assist anyone needing to walk over the path. left for anyone needing tol leave during construction. Bridge Crossing) Eommunity Development: Director Mike Williams advised that he and his team were resuming their routine work with permitting and inspections. He also advised that the plans were proceeding for the cell tower in the Boys Camp Road area as originally planned.H He advised that new geotechnical assessments would be conducted and all information related to the cell tower Finance Department Updates: Director Steve Ford acknowledged the work of] his staffWendy Terry and Diane Duval. He reported that the' Town's revenue streams were impacted. He advised assessment. He stated that he should not have made any speculations regarding the insurance coverage. will be posted on the website. that he was working with the insurance company on the claims Police Department: Chief Humphries gave an overview of recent traffic enforcement efforts which revealed drugs and firearms, which officers were able to immediately address. He advised that they had received replacement vehicles from other agencies when Police vehicles were damaged by the storm. He advised that the flocks safety cameras were on hold at the present time. VIII. Public Comment 1. Kimberly Sayles: Mrs. Sayles expressed her concern that the State Park was closed and this dramatically impacted tourism in the area and therefore businesses like the Grafton Lodge that she and her husband own. She asked that the' Town look for ways to support local businesses. She also asked that the State Park come to present their plans moving forward. 2. Holly Jensen: Ms. Jensen expressed concern regarding the proposed location oft the new cell 3. Russ Pitts: Mr. Pitts explained that Pangea provided broadband for Lake Lure and the hub for these services were in' Town Hall.' They have been supplying a generator to ensure the services continued and he hoped a temporary power pole could be added there. Dean Lindsey advised that power could be turned on in' Town Hall anytime though the building was still being assessed and 4. Steve Molito: Mr. Molito asked about the' Town's comprehensive plan. Town Council and' Town Manager Stewman advised that the' Town was already working on the comprehensive plan prior to the storm and this effort would continue with the Foothills Regional Commission. They will assist in the process and public meetings will be held and surveys will be conducted to obtain tower and asked to see all related assessments. cleaned. community input. 5. Dan Gorman: Mr. Gorman read the following statement. My name is Dan Gorman, 241 Washburn Rd and I'm a member oft the. Flowering Bridge Board. Asarelatively new resident, the Flowering Bridge has been my entry point to this wonderful community, andIam forever indebted to those people who have supported the vision all along.This includes many folks who are present this evening.lwanted to speak tonight to ensure that everyone knows we intend to continue to create beautiful gardens att thisl location and to continue to be aj prominent attraction in accordance with our mission statement. Our community has a special moment to choose how we respond to this disaster.Ibelieve that we can respond in a way that strengthens the gorge and continues toj provide beauty to: residents and visitors alike.Ibelieve that we can rebuild in such a way that the 2nd phase of the Flowering Understanding that our magical place could have never come to: fruition without the unique cooperation between the' Town and the Flowering Bridge, we want to assure both the town and public that we remain committed to continuing that partnership as we redevelop our Bridge is celebrated for: future generations, as always intended. "Gateway to Somewhere Beautiful." To be perfectly clear here is what we can commit to at this moment: 1. We will continue toj plant and maintain gardens at this site, for public enjoyment at a time 2. We will finish the construction of our. Education Center in order to "educate people about gardening and: its health and environmental benefits," in accordance with our mission. 3. We will tribute our original gardens,features, and historic bridge in a way that is fitting and meaningful for our organization, our community, and our supporters. 4. In symbiosis with the development plans of both Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, we hope to re-establish aj pedestrian bridge over the Rocky Broad River,recognizing that this may be al bit ofa a moonshot, with countless unknowns tol be conquered, but that we are committed toa a long term approach that provides value and beauty to our area and reconnects our when the' Town and Flowering Bridge deem it to be safe. communities. Here are the primary actions that we' 've taken as a group to date: 1. We've reviewed The' Thrasher Group's visual inspection: report that recommended the bridge is unsafe for use and should be closed immediately. We fully support' Town's decision to close the bridge and' Town has informed us that more permanent barriers are in the 2. We met on site this afternoon with David Odom of Odom Engineering to discuss considerations around the! bridge's possible demolition and ways to preserve pieces of the iconic architecture for reuse or repurposing. Town staff is aware we would like to preserve as many architectural details as possible while coordinating the details of 3. We've contacted multiple professionals and contractors, including a world class pedestrian bridge designer, in order to begin the process to: reconnect our communities by footpath as soon as possible, with appropriate tribute to our original 1925 4. We've had preliminary discussions on how we can continue our mission and beautify this site with the new challenges we: face. We fully intend to have beautiful spring flowers in our gardens, even if they won't have their full past glory,yet. works to mitigate the danger. storage and transport. bridge. Thank you to the' Town Council (present and past), Town Staff, and all of the residents and visitors over the years who have made our gardens possible. We want to reassure everyone that we have the grit and determination to see this through, to bounce back with a beautiful garden that will join two special communities for future generations, as always intended. 6. Laura Doster: Ms. Doster expressed how hard the' Town Council members were working,meeting every day, practically 24 hours a day with calls and texts. She advised that the Chamber had been somewhat on hold, but there were still three active board members. She advised that the Holiday Gala had been canceled. She announced that a 5013c was being formed to support 7. Barbara Searcy: Ms. Searcy said thank you for all the work that has been done. She stated that she 8. DavidWeizgurber: Mr. Weizgurber stated that he wanted to express a complaint that after the storm there was no internet in the area and he didn't know where to find information. He noted that at some point he located the Town Facebook page and saw information posted Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Businesses. was amazed by the work that was taking place. there. He added that as al lesson learned he hoped that if this ever happened again that information could be posted in town center. *] Note that' Town Storm Recovery' Updates were published on the' Town Website and Facebook page.The updates were printed and routinely placed in the Post Officee, at Ingles, at the FEMA Bus, and with the Christian Aid Ministry team that provided free meals. We are truly sorry that everyone was not aware of this information. IX. Adjournment Commissioner, Jim Proctor made ai motion to adjourn he meeting, Commissioner: Dave DiOrio seconded and the motion carried 4-0, the meeting ended at 6:25pm. ATTEST: Lwv PH Elba A.V Willette, Town Clerk Carol C. Pritchett, Mayor