Mayor’s Meeting Summary 12/12/24

Mayor’s Summary of the December 12, 2024 Town Council Meeting

Hello Montreaters-

On this cold December evening, we were delighted to see about a dozen residents and friends in attendance.

My summary follows below, but the official minutes will be in next month’s agenda packet. Of course, you can view tonight’s meeting recording by CLICKING HERE.

Public Forum

• Seth Hagler, an MRA VP, shared a status update on the Lake Susan dredging progress. He said there were three phases of the project— primary dredging,  wetlands development, and streambed restoration. The first phase has been completed and the contractor is working on the wetlands phase. Seth commented that the enormity of the project has increased significantly since the hurricane. Initial pre-hurricane estimates of the amount of mud and silt to be removed was 6,500 cubic yards. But after the hurricane, the actual amount removed has nearly quadrupled to 25,000 cubic yards.
        The wetlands development will create an 8-12’ shelf on the college side of the lake that will facilitate wildlife and native vegetation growth.
        Finally, the streambed restoration, which has not yet been started, will help re-route Flat Creek just above the walking bridge on the Left Bank. The storm “moved” the stream further south, much closer to the gymnasium. Plans are to take it back to its historic location so the middle of the creek will be centered in the middle arch of the walking bridge.
        Seth is pleased with the progress, especially given the number of obstacles they have encountered and expects the lake to be filling up soon.
        Seth also said MRA is looking forward to hosting the College Conference right after Christmas. They feel blessed to have recovered in time to be able to have the conference.
  
  
• Tom Frist asked about the small bridge that was destroyed between the back of Anderson Auditorium and the college parking lot. Tanner Pickett, another MRA VP, commented that in typical “old Montreat” record keeping style, no one is sure who the bridge belongs to– MRA or the college. But they are working on determining ownership.
        Tom then asked where all the fill coming out of the lake is being dumped. Seth answered that the contractor found a developer who is helping rebuild Swannanoa and agreed to take all the fill to substitute what was washed out in the storm, saving MRA transportation time and cost.
        Tom’s last question was can contractors park their trailers temporarily by the gate when they bring equipment/supplies. Tanner said yes but they should first check in with the MRA main office to confirm availability.
  
  

Council Meeting

• I opened the meeting wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and thanking them for attending. I reiterated that recovery is slow from the hurricane and asked everyone to continue to be patient. Staff is working hard to bring us back to normal.
• Town Manager Savannah Parrish thanked MRA for the use of their facilities while the Town Hall is undergoing repairs. Town Hall repairs will begin next week, but we’re not sure when we will be back into the building.
  
  

Public Comments –

• Tom Frist thanked the Town Council and offered gratitude for the work the Council does day in and day out. He also thanked all the volunteers who serve on advisory boards, councils and commissions.
• Jean Norris, representing the Montreat Landcare Committee, asked that the Town, MRA, and College please keep in mind that when doing repairs and restoration to infrastructure in Montreat, such as walkways and bridges, that appropriate ADA standards be incorporated in the rebuilding.

Old Business

• A Public Hearing was held for comments regarding text amendments to town ordinances due to new state statutes passed by the NC General Assembly. There were no comments
• The Council discussed the text amendments and approved the ordinance revisions as presented.

New Business:

• The Council certified the November election results submitted by the Buncombe County Board of Elections.
  
  
• Town Clerk Angela Murphy conducted the Oaths of Office for me as mayor and Kitty Fouche and Jane Alexander as Commissioners. Commissioner Dasher will be sworn in at the January meeting.
• The Council elected Commissioner Fouche as Moyor Pro-Tempore and the Oath of Office was conducted.
• We discussed the RFP responses from two firms to help us with administration and negotiating through the process of assistance from governmental and private entities for Hurricane Helene rebuilding. After discussion, we agreed to set up a small committee of Savannah and Commissioners Blake and Widmer to interview the two firms, decide on which to engage, and authorized Savannah to contract with the favored vendor. We will do this quickly.
• We also discussed advisory board terms and term limits and referred the issue to town attorney, Brandon Freeman, to research legalities given state statutes. He will report back next month.
• Finally, the Council approved the Easement and Maintenance Agreement Amendment for resident Gary Higgins on Harmony Road.
  
  

Commissioner Communications:

• Commissioner Fouche reciprocated Tom Frist’s remarks saying how much we appreciate residents and friends coming to the meetings and the encouragement they provide us.
• Commissioner Blake then praised the work of the Town staff, especially during this difficult time post-hurricane. They are working under extremely difficult circumstances and we appreciate their work and sacrifices.
• Commissioner Widmer commented about the special gate lighting celebration last Friday with refreshments, music and lots of children. The highlight was the “countdown” by the kids and me and my flipping the switch to turn on the lights. He said there have been technical difficulties in the last few days, but they will be fixed and the gate will shine again soon.
• Commissioner Alexander praised the work of the Planning & Zoning Commission, who met yesterday to review the text amendments we acted on earlier. She appreciates their involvement.
• In a final comment, I asked Commissioners to review their current assignments on advisory boards and other organizations and asked them to tell me if they want to continue their roles.

We then entered into Closed Session to deal with a personnel matter.

I hope you know how much we appreciate your support and encouragement in the work we do. We are honored to serve you.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please write me at [email protected] or call me at 828/669-3852.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Mayor Tim Helms on behalf of the Town Council