Town Council Special Meeting Summary - October 24, 2024 at 5:00 PM.

The Lake Lure Town Council held a Special Meeting on Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 5:00 PM.

This meeting was held at the Lake Lure Inn Dining Room at 2771 Memorial Highway, Lake Lure, NC 28746.

The meeting was open to the public and there were over 100 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 Pro Tem Dave DiOrio called the meeting to order.

II. Agenda Adoption

The meeting agenda was approved.

III. Storm Recovery Updates

Fire Chief/Emergency Management Coordinator Dustin Waycaster advised that the Town had transitioned into the recovery phase and that we remained in a State of Recovery.  He advised that the focus at this time was removing hazardous debris from Town and the lake.  He added that tremendous progress had been made.

Parks, Recreation, and Lake Director Dana Bradley advised that her role is coordinating crews and contractors who were removing hazardous debris from the lake.  She estimated they had removed about 30% of the large debris mass in the main channel near Morse Park.  She also advised that they had removed 20-30 boats from the marina and about 15 from the lake.  She explained that the Town Parks were closed at this time for clearing and assessment.

Town Manager Olivia Stewman advised that the Town was applying for a DEQ Loan and working closely with FEMA  to submit a Disaster Mitigation Grant.  She acknowledge the work of the Town Staff including those who worked behind the scenes like Finance, Administration, and Communications.

FEMA Intergovernmental Affairs Specialist Natalia Santana-Pollard advised that a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center had been established at the Mountains Branch Library.  The Center will be open 7 days a week from 8AM - 7PM. She advised the following deadlines:

• Applications for Serious Needs Assistance (colloquially known as the $750 FEMA provides) are due October 27, 2024. 
• The application period for all other Individual Assistance Programs aren’t due until November 27, 2024.
• She shared some of the data related to FEMA support following Hurricane Helene.  The following data is from the FEMA Fact Sheet dated 10/20/24.

Mayor Pro Tem DiOrio noted that the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) out of Wilmington, NC had awarded a contract to support debris and silt/sedimentation removal from the lake. He advised that they will have a 160 day period of performance to do their work. He estimated that approximately 350K cubic yards of debris was in the debris field. He explained that the contract calls for silt/sedimentation removal after the debris is removed.  This is what we think of as dredging but the terms used in the contract call for silt/sedimentation removal.  He explained that the Town is keeping the lake and the current level 5 feet below full pond to reduce the chances of the debris breaking apart and heading toward the dam. 

Mayor Pro Tem DiOrio also advised that another priority for the Town was repairing the bridge on Boys Camp Road. He advised that the Town had added support to the temporary ford that allowed passage across the river.  This will allow larger vehicles to pass until a more permanent bridge is built. 

He advised that there was a lot of work going on at the dam to support the left abutment where water caused erosion. He added that the dam held up beautifully during the storm and did exactly what it was designed to do. Morgan Corporation is completing the work on the left abutment and will then add supports to the right abutment.  He explained that the road was blocked while this work was taking place but emergency vehicles could get through if necessary.  He stated that he hoped the road and the bridge would be open for traffic in about a week once new guard rails were added on Buffalo Shoals Road.

He explained that the Waste Water Treatment Plant sustained quite a lot of damage and the plan was to build a new one that was out of the flood zone. 

Mayor Pro Tem DiOrio noted that Lake Lure had sustained an environmental impact that required that no one go on the lake unless they are an authorized contractor.  This will allow contractors to expedite the removal of all hazardous material. He shared that the Fragco was helping with the mission and we hoped to be getting a lot of additional equipment once the ACOE contract was underway. 

Mayor Pro Tem DiOrio announced that the Town had been assigned an inter-regional expert who is helping to coordinate all the various agencies helping Lake Lure.  

VI. Public Comment

1) Darren Blum (206 Yacht Island Dr.): Offered assistance to expedite progress.  He expressed concerns regarding toxins from the silt and debris in the air and the water. Council thanked Mr. Blum for his input and offers of assistance.

2) Anthony Stafford (320 Holmstead Dr.): Asked for consideration for the timing of work on the Boys Camp Rd. bridge to allow for families to get their children to school.  Council confirmed this would be taken into consideration as well as the timing for people coming and going to work.

3) Joy Ciocca (136 Firefly Cove): Asked that directional cones be added to the Boys Camp Rd. ford to assist drivers that were unsure where to go. Staff confirmed that this would be done.  She also raised a concern about using water that had not been tested to remove silt from the roads.  Staff advised that they had consulted DEQ and EPA about water testing and this information will be posted once the tests are complete.

4) AL Joyner (160 Chapel Point Rd.): Thanked everyone for their work.  He asked about the timing on the repairs on the sewer system.  Staff advised that they hoped the repairs were made within a week. He asked about dredging which was noted earlier with the discussion of removing silt/sedimentation once the debris was removed.  The ACOE does not use the term dredging for this process though it is very similar.

5) Steve Milito (1412 Proctor Rd.)  Asked about debris removal on private roads. He also discussed the landslide that occurred on Proctor Rd. Debris placed by the right of way will be removed by the Town.  The county is also starting to assist with debris removal.  

6) Paul Brock (Lured Market) He thanked the Town for all his efforts and everyone thanked him for all he had done to help provide internet and meals for people in town.  He advised about some of the work that was taking place with the roads in Bat Cave and Chimney Rock.

7) Chuck Stock (Mark Twain Dr.)  Noted that his shoreline was now about 35 feet out into the lake once it was back at full pond. This will impact his boat house in the future. Council noted that the entire lake had changed as a result of the storm and we would have to look at these issues once the debris and silt/sedimentation is removed. 

8) Jamie Wood (Lake Lure Village Resort) Asked about the debris sites and Council advised that they were currently located at Morse Park and the Green Space. Council advised that the sites had been permitted by DEQ. There was a discussion about silt removal and the potential of depositing this back in Bat Cave once it is confirmed it is not toxic as they have lost so much. 

9) Michael Yelton (193 Sunset Lane) Asked about the process for permitting commercial boats.  Council and staff confirmed he would remain on the list when these permits were approved in the future.

10) Michael Lewis (White Pine) Offered assistance seeing what was underneath the surface of the lake using his sonar equipment.  Council thanked him but advised that the NC Department of Fish and Wildlife had been here assisting with the search and rescue efforts and they had this type of equipment. 

11) Jennifer Gibson (Youngs Mountain) Advised that she had dozens of trees down on her property and needed assistance with them.  She expressed concern for a fire once the wood dried out. The Baptists on Mission group was mentioned as a potential source of assistance.   

12) Mark Russo (115 Sugarbush Point) Asked about the timing for the temporary bridge on Boys Camp Rd.  Council explained that we were waiting to hear back on an easement before we could move forward.  The various bridge options were discussed and more information will be shared on this when a definitive plan is finalized.  He also asked if a structural assessment had been conducted on the Memorial Highway Bridge. Council confirmed that DOT had assessed the bridge as they had approved all the heavy equipment on the bridge following the storm.  The town will ask them for documentation on this. 

13) Annie Dance (Reporter) Inquired about the number of missing persons as well as wildlife recovery. Chief Waycaster confirmed that there were currently no missing persons in Rutherford County.  There was a discussion regarding wildlife recovery.  

Holly Jensen (Boys Camp Rd.) Discussed the lagoon behind her home, a utilities easement, and the fact that silt had been moved onto private property following the storm. She also recommended that a new location be identified for the new cell tower that is planned for the Boys Camp Rd. area.  Council advised that the plan for the cell tower was to move forward.  

General discussion and questions: 

Location of the Police Department and Town Hall Staff: Council advised that Town Hall including the Police Department was flooded.  This building will be added as a mitigation item and it will be cleaned and assessed for future use.  It is hoped that we can move forward with a combined Public Safety Building for the Fire Department and the Police Department. In the meantime, the Police Department is working out of the Parks, Recreation, and Lake Department and other town staff are working in various Town Offices.

Town Curfew: The Town curfew was lifted.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned.