Montreat Minute 10/18/24
Montreat Minute for October 18, 2024
October 25th Special Town Council Meeting
The Town Council will be meeting next Friday, October 25th, at 10:00am in Convocation Hall of Assembly Inn for a Special Town Council Meeting. The purpose of the meeting will be to conduct essential Town business and discuss hurricane related issues. The agenda is available by CLICKING HERE. The meeting will not be live streamed, although it will be recorded and posted to the website. The regularly scheduled October meeting was cancelled due to Hurricane Helene.
Boiled Drinking Water Advisory Lifted for Parts of Town
The boiled drinking water advisory has been lifted for certain streets in Town, primarily on the south side of the creek. Water DOES NOT need to be boiled for homes on the following streets:
Appalachian Way Memphis Lane
Arkansas Trail Oklahoma Road
Calvin Trail Peace Lane
Chapman Road Providence Terrace
Covenant Way Salem Drive
Florida Terrace Suwanee Drive
Greybeard from W. Virginia up South Carolina Terrace
Kentucky from Arbor Lane up South Carolina Extension
Lookout from Chapman up Wyck Road
McGill Road
Water from the large storage tank on Harmony Lane is being tested at this time. We expect to have test results soon so we can lift the boiling ban for the remaining homes. In the meantime, for all homes on streets not listed above, the boiled drinking water advisory is still in place. Bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute before consuming. We will inform you as soon as we hear from the state.
Water Billing
October water billing will be postponed until the November billing cycle. This is being done to free up Public Works staff from reading meters to work on infrastructure repairs and to allow staff to return to work in the Town Hall to access resources for the water billing process.
Residents will receive one bill for October/November water usage in the usual November billing. There should be very little usage in October, so we don’t expect bills to be large. The November bills will include only one billing fee ($1.50) If you have any questions on water billing, please contact Town staff at 828/669-8002.
Bulk Pickup/Trash/Hurricane Debris
Bulk Pickup, originally scheduled for October 29th, will be postponed until a later date. At that time, we will be picking up items ruined in the hurricane as well as usual bulk pickup items. Watch the Montreat Minute for the new date.
Just a reminder that curbside trash pick up will resume on Monday, October 21. In the meantime, the Town Convenience Center is available for household trash and recyclable materials only.
Please DO NOT bring flood debris to the Convenience Center. If you have tree limbs, branches, and other organic debris, it may be left in the overflow parking lot at the top of Lookout and Oklahoma Roads, the former location of the stables.
Special Audit Committee Meeting Tentatively Scheduled October 24th
The Town’s Audit Committee will tentatively meet on Thursday, October 24th, at 10:00am in Convocation Hall pending receipt of the audit. The Town’s Auditors, Carter, P.C., were also affected by Hurricane Helene and are working hard to have the audit complete. Check the website for updates. The public is welcome to attend. The meeting will not be live streamed.
Early Voting Begins
Despite the devastating hurricane, early voting has begun in Buncombe County. It will continue every day until November 2nd. The two closest voting locations are the Black Mountain Library and the East Asheville Library at 3 Avon Road, Asheville. Voting hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm daily and 9:00am to 3:00pm on November 2nd. Four Montreat Town Council positions are up for election, including Mayor and three Commissioner seats.
Warm Clothing Needed
“I saw a man at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church last week sorting through bags of clothes. All of a sudden he smiled as he pulled a jacket out of a black trash bag and quickly tried it on. It fit, and he smiled even more. It moved me to tears thinking about what he went through.” As reported by a Montreater
Hurricane Helene had devastating effects on people’s homes and property, including losing their clothing. As we transition into cold weather, families are in need of warm clothing. The Black Mountain Yarn Shop, 104 East State Street in Black Mountain, has started a warm clothing drive for winter wear. Drop off gently used or new winter clothing at the Yarn Shop and help keep families affected by the hurricane warm.
Cancellations and Postponements
With the effects of Hurricane Helene, many meetings and activities have been cancelled or postponed. Here are what we are aware of:
- The Cottagers Special Voting Procedures Meetings, originally scheduled for October 24 and 29, have been postponed to a later date to be determined.
- The Presbyterian Heritage Center’s 2024 Distinguished Lecture on the Reformation, originally scheduled for October 25, has been cancelled for this year.
- Montreat Conference Center has cancelled all groups and activities at the conference center scheduled through October 27. For more about MRA and hurricane related information, visit their website by CLICKING HERE.
Updates and Other Reminders
- The next Town Meeting with hurricane restoration updates will be on Monday, October 21, at 9:00am in the Assembly Inn meeting room off the first floor registration lobby.
- Especially Important at this Time: Do you receive your own copy of the Montreat Minute or know someone who doesn’t? Sign up for the Sunshine List to receive the Montreat Minute and stay “in the know” about the Town’s happenings. CLICK HERE to sign up for the list!
- Do you receive Montreat Code Red alerts, an emergency communications system used a number of times during the hurricane? If not and you would like to be added to the list, email [email protected] and provide your name and phone number to be called in the event of an emergency.
Questions or Comments?
Do you have Town-related questions or comments to offer? If so, please send them to Angie Murphy at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Have a restful weekend!