Lake Lure Town Council Meeting Summary - December 10, 2024

The Town of Lake Lure held the Regular Town Council Meeting on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 - 5:00 PM. 

• The meeting was held in Roosevelt Hall at the Lake Lure Inn. 

• The public was invited to attend. 

• There were approximately 50 in attendance.   

• The following is a summary of the meeting for those who could not attend.

• Note that these are not formal minutes which will be included in the following month's meeting packet. 

I. Call to Order

Mayor Pritchett called the meeting to order.

II. Agenda Adoption

The agenda was adopted as presented.

III. Mayor's Communications

Mayor Pritchett thanked everyone for their support with the recovery, including the community, neighbors, staff, FEMA, contractors

IV. Town Manager's Communications

• Town Manager Olivia Stewman noted that Town leadership was working closely with FEMA and held a recovery scoping meeting which marks the 120-day period the Town has to submit mitigation needs.  
• The Town hopes to receive some expedited funding for emergency expenses incurred immediately following Hurricane Helene.
• The Town and Finance Director Steve Ford are looking for options to enhance cash flow including loans.
• One option is a Community Disaster Load through FEMA which is based on projected expenses. 
• She gave a reminder that Utility Bills will resume in January 2025. 
• The Town is working with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and have asked for a contract for silt/sedimentation removal. 
• The Town will be developing a scope of work for this project which is similar to what we thinking of as dredging but the USACE does not use that term. 
• Ms. Stewman reported that Attorney General Josh Stein has named Mayor Pritchett as a recipient of the Dogwood award which will be presented this week. 

V. Council Liaison Reports

• The ABC Board did not meet but will resume meetings next Monday in the Arcade Building Conference Room.
• The Zoning and Planning Board did not meet but will meet next week in the Arcade Building Conference Room. 
• It was noted that one person is rolling off the Board and Town Council will discuss new applicants in the coming weeks.
• The Board of Adjustments met this month and it was noted that the Town was back on track with permitting and Community Development is open for business. 
• The Lake Advisory Board will resume meetings beginning January 6, 2025.
• The Parks and Recreation Board has not met but will meet in the new year.  The dates of the next meeting is to be determined.
• The new Vacation Rental Board will begin meeting in the new year.  The dates of the next meeting is to be determined.

VI. Oaths of Office

Assistant Town Clerk Rick Carpenter swore in each of the following Town Council Members: 

A. Mayor Carol C. Pritchett
B. Commissioner David DiOrio
C. Commissioner Patrick Bryant

VII. Consent Agenda

A. Approval of Meeting Minutes from September, October, and November -  Revised

The minutes will be reviewed and approved at a later date. 

VIII. New Business

A. Adoption of the 2025 Town Council Meeting Schedule: Approved

B. Council Liaison Appointments: Town Council voted that all Council Liaison assignments will remain the same.

C. Appointment of Mayor Pro Tem: Town Council voted to approve Dave DiOrio as Mayor Pro Tem.

D. Storm Recovery Updates

• Fire Chief Dustin Waycaster advised that the Town remained in a State of Emergency.
  • He is working with Community Development on Lake Structure damage assessments.
  • He advised that the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) just completed a site inspection of all storage sites.  They were very pleased with their findings.
  • He is working with the Parks, Recreation, and Lake Department on getting contractors on the lake to assist with property assessments.
  • Contractors must be approved before they can get on the lake. 
  • Water sampling is ongoing but the findings have been better than anticipated.  All results are posted on the website.
  • Air quality testing 
  • He advised that we had a clearer path to Proctor Road landslide repairs and how to apply for assistance.
  • The temporary bridge on Boys Camp Road was installed and is working well.  He is working to enhance visibility in the area. 
• Public Services Director Dean Lindsey provided the following updates:
  • The lift station repairs below the dam are going well everything is mechanically connected.
  • He advised that they are running on portable pumps now. 
  • The Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) is operational and work is being done to ensure the plant is 100% effective. 
  • He is monitoring the Firefly Cover Bridge closely during the storms to be sure there are no issues.
  • The West-end Sewer System project is ready to proceed as soon as the Town obtains the easements.  He cannot proceed until these are obtained. 
  • He noted that three manholes on West-end of town were destroyed and this is impacting about 30 residents.
  • Contractors are working to connect one end to the other across the river.  
  • He is also working on the jet flow valve project for the reservoir drain at the dam. An actuator was broken and is being repaired which is causing a slight delay.  D 
• Parks, Recreation and Lake Director Dana Bradley provided the following updates:
  • She is continuing to take water samples and she noted that the results have been amazingly good.  All came back negative.
  • She will continue to test for various concerns but so far, the only outlier is turbidity (cloudy water).  She noted that the river water was coming in clean. 
  • She reported that 227 motorized boats have been removed from the lake thus far. 
  • They have recovered 93 non-motorized boats and 15 have been returned to the owners. 
  • She encouraged people to send a picture of their non-motorized boats if they did not have a previous permit number. 
• Police Officer Tyler Dills reported the following:
  • The department has increased patrols with a focus on tourists and monitoring unoccupied homes. 
  • They are preparing for the event in Chimney Rock on Saturday. 
  • They are planning to put in a check-point on Saturday.
  • There will be shuttles from the beach area into Chimney Rock for attendees. 
  • City Serve and Spokes of Hope are holding this event to raise funds.  There will be a tree lighting on Friday night. 
  • On Saturday there will be food and entertainers from 10-5 at the Lake Lure Inn. 
  • There will be a service on Sunday at 10 at the Chimney Rock Baptist Church to raise money. 
  • Morse Park remains closed and the Flowering Bridge is closed as well. 
  • Cars will not be allowed in Chimney Rock and a request was made to stop 
  • Smokey Mountain Cowboy is open and Fae Nectar is open so we want people to be able to get to their businesses. 
  • Parking will be at the Beach or at the Arcade Building.  
• Community Development Director Mike Williams provided the following updates: 
  • He reiterated that his department was open and in business for permitting including building and repair permits.
  • He noted that he was assessing lake structures that were damaged. 
  • They are looking at seawalls and allowing contract work on these but no cement work can take place right now as lake levels are uncertain due to the debris removal process. 
  • He noted that approved commercial contractors with permits can carry materials out to job sites and can work on projects as long as they do not involve concrete. 
• Communications Director Laura Krejci provided the following comments: 
  • She thanked everyone who came out to support the Town Tree Lighting and the choral concert by Lake Lure Classical Academy Students.  It was a heartwarming event.
  • She advised that weekly storm recovery updates were being posted in Town News and on Facebook. 
  • She encouraged those with questions or recommendations to send these to her. 
• Finance Director Steve Ford noted the following: 
  • He advised that the Town was pursuing a bridge loan for $3 million.  The loan would be due 2030.  The funds would be used for the emergency repairs made to the water system. 
  • This funding would be in addition to a $5 million loan from FEMA.
  • He stated that the Town was in a good cash position flow now because all department heads have been very proactive in reviewing their budgets and cutting their expenses to make up for the reduce revenues and increased expenses resulting from the hurricane. 
• Mayor Pritchett gave special thanks to Olivia Stewman for her service as Town Manager.

F. Resolution No. 24-12-10 for NC Division of Water Infrastructure Hurricane

The Helene Emergency Funding Loan was approved

IX. Public Comment:

The public was invited to speak. Comments may also be submitted in writing to the Deputy Town Clerk, rcarpenter@townoflakelure.com, at least one hour prior to the meeting. Answers to questions noted below were supplemented based on Storm Recovery Updates posted on the website.

1. Debbie Warren, 138 Yacht Island Drive, Lake Lure: 

Question: She noted that her boat house was empty and there were 144 steps from the boat house to the road.  She asked if she would need to keep taking stuff off the deck or if the contractors on the lake would help with this.  

Answer: Contractors are continuing to work to remove debris from the shoreline.  They will remove shoreline debris in the water and up to 5 feet above full pond.  Crews are making their way around the lake and may make additional passes to certain areas to get all of the debris.

Statement: She added a public service announcement about a business that totally cleaned her boat house and did a great job.  Contact her for information if you are interested in their contact information.  

2.  Pat Buede, Memorial Highway, Lake Lure: 

Statement: Great job, thank you for all the work! 

Note: She noted that she had recently viewed some videos that showed the changing geography of the area which she thought could be helpful to the Town. 

Recommendation: The Town should pursue adding an additional tax for a set amount of time to assist with recovery expenses and lake restoration. 

3. Charlie Ellis, Lake Lure

Question:  How long will the lake remain at the current level?  If the lake was raised, more people could get their boats out.  

Answer: The lake level is being determined by contractors who are tasked with lake debris removal within a 160 day period. If/when the lake level is going to change, this information will be posted in Town News on the website.

Question: What are the plans for debris removal from shoreline? 

Contractors are continuing to work to remove debris from the lake and the shoreline.  They will remove shoreline debris in the water and up to 5 feet above full pond.  Crews are making their way around the lake and may make additional passes to certain areas to get all of the debris.

Question: What are plans for dredging?

Answer: The next phase of work through the USACE will be for silt and sedimentation removal from the lake. You may think of this as dredging, but the terminology used by USACE is silt/sedimentation removal.  We look forward to this stage of the recovery process and will post updates as new information becomes available.  

Question: What are the plans for the sewer collection system?

Answer: The Town has applied for funding assistance for the sewer system.  Plans are uncertain at this time as we await funding.  

Question: What are the plans for Town Hall? 

Answer: It is uncertain at this time.  The Town has applied for funding assistance for damages to Town Hall and plans cannot be determined until the outcome of this request are known.

Question: What are the expectations for recreational use of the lake in 2025? 

Answer: It is uncertain at this time.  Debris removal and silt/sediment removal are ongoing and the timing of these projects will impact this decision.  Additionally, funding for Town infrastructure projects could impact the timing of reopening the lake.  The storm recovery process is complex and multi-faceted and it is too soon to try to determine a timeline at this juncture. 

Question: What are the plans for reconstruction of the marina? 

Answer: It is uncertain at this time.  The Town has applied for funding assistance for damages and plans cannot be determined until the outcome of this request are known.

Question: What are the plans to reestablish Morse Park?   

Answer: It is uncertain at this time.  Currently, AshBritt Environment is in the process of removing the debris and silt from Morse Park. Once this work is complete, the Town will be working on the Morse Park Master Plan with a goal to return the park to its former beauty for recreational use and enjoyment.  The timeline for this work is uncertain due to the ongoing restoration efforts and pending funding requests. 

X. Closed Session:

In accordance with G.S. 143-318.11(a) (3) for attorney-client privilege or legal claims

XI. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned and attendees were given a plate of holiday goodies to take with them.