Montreat Minute 2/21/25
Town Hall Re-Opening Celebration Tuesday, February 25
After nearly five months of being out of commission, the Town Hall is now open after the Hurricane Helene disaster. And it’s time to celebrate. Come to a re-opening celebration open house on Tuesday, February 25th, from 4:00 to 6:00pm.
Mayor Tim Helms will offer remarks and, along with Town Manager Savannah Parrish, will answer questions at approximately 4:45. Meet friends and neighbors and have a bite to eat. See you there!
Lake Susan Update
A completely full Lake Susan pictured last week, Feb. 13, after the 3” rainstorm. Note
water flow from Flat Creek coming under all three bays of the foot bridge.
Many have been watching the progress of the Lake Susan dredging with great interest, seeing odd and elaborate equipment moving about the lake bottom. With the work nearing completion, here is an update after the August 16th, 2024, Montreat Minute story on the same subject.
Although work was supposed to begin in late summer 2024, it was delayed due to a permitting issue. Then came Hurricane Helene. Originally, engineers estimated that 6,500 cubic yards of silt and other material would need to be dredged out. In reality, due to the hurricane’s effect, more than 25,000 cubic yards of material was removed—four times what was expected.
Dredging began in the fall and was largely complete by the end of December. During the process, significant issues were discovered. Although original plans called for re-routing the incoming creek at the foot bridge to its original historical path, Helene did considerable damage to that portion of the creek, requiring significantly more work to be done. Additionally, retaining wall issues were found on the side near the Left Bank. Work began on the rebuilding of the retaining wall in January, but it has been too cold for mortar to set. Thus the delay in refilling the lake.
However, during last week’s 3” rainstorm, the lake filled up! (Yes, there was that much rain!) The design of the dam includes the dam (which is what we see and is actually called a spillway) and two bypass valves that are used to regulate water levels and release water by the Moore Center. Despite the two bypass valves being open during/after the rainstorm, the volume of rain caused water to pass over the top of the spillway. Since then, the water volume entering the lake has decreased and the water level in the lake has been lowered to prepare for the final step of repairing the retaining wall.
After all the work, what is new and different?
- The entire lake has been dredged for the first time in approximately 25 years, improving the recreational and aesthetic value of the lake and providing a better habitat for fish and natural vegetation
- Flat Creek has been redirected entering the lake and now flows through all three bays of the footbridge
- A semi-circular “dam” has been built in the lake near the footbridge to capture incoming silt and sediment. The dam will be cleaned out on a regular basis to alleviate the need for significant dredging of the entire lake in the future. The dam will be 12-18” below the water surface and will not be seen.
- A wetlands shelf has been created on the college side of the lake, which includes an 8-12” shelf and several islands, all to be planted with submerged aquatic vegetation
- New accessible permanent floating docks will be installed for paddle boats and canoes
With the near completion of the lake project, MRA Vice President of Development and coordinator of the project, Seth Hagler, sees a “silver lining” in everything that has happened involving the lake. “We’re not just repairing damage,” Seth commented. “We are using this time as an opportunity for investment, making facilities more accessible to everyone and more sustainable for future disasters and average wear and tear. Things will last longer and allow people to enjoy them longer.” We are grateful to MRA for this significant investment in the future of our Town.
Montreat Police Department Receives Gift
The Montreat Police Department was recently notified that we will be the recipient of a police patrol vehicle from the town of Sunset Beach, North Carolina. Sunset Beach Police Chief, Kenneth Klamar, contacted MPD Chief, Jeff Eaton, to make the generous offer.
Chief Klamar knew of the Hurricane Helene destruction in our area and stated they would like to help in some way in our recovery efforts. As it turns out, one of our patrol vehicles experienced severe water damage and is essentially unusable. Sunset Beach is donating a 2017 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor, which matches the make and model of other MPD vehicles in our fleet.
The Town and Police Department are extremely grateful to Sunset Beach for this special and generous gift.
Updates and Reminders
- The Town recently posted a Request for Qualifications for Hurricane Helene Disaster Recovery Engineering and Mitigation Services to aid the Town in recovery. For details on the RFQ, click HERE.
- 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 you would like to be added to the list, CLICK HERE.
Questions or Comments?
Do you have Town-related questions or comments to offer? If so, please send them to Angela Murphy at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible.