Montreat Minute March 14,2025
Hello Montreaters,
We had a full house tonight and were encouraged by the interest of our fellow Montreaters. My summary follows below but remember that 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
- Kat Achtemeier expressed concerns about the request to close and remove a portion of Virginia Road across from her own home. Her concerns included issues related to the width of the road changing and infringing on her property; water, sewer, and stormwater being affected on Virginia Road; and vacating the space would restrict future development, particularly on the “S” curve by Alabama Terrace.
- Nancy Midgette, Firewise Chair, expressed appreciation to the Black Mountain Fire Chief speaking tonight about fire concerns post-Helene. She offered help to Montreaters in evaluating the defensible space around homes and read a letter from 1897 expressing concern for wildfires even back then. She also urged everyone to count their hours of work dedicated to clearing fuel sources and report them to her for Firewise certification.
To read the full meeting summary, CLICK HERE
Hurricane Helene Council Meeting Update
Last Friday, the Town Council had a called meeting to receive reports about Hurricane Helene damage, proposed lists of projects, priorities, FEMA expectations, and general discussion about how to move forward. Here are highlights from that discussion:
- We are estimating total rebuilding costs at between $12 and $15 million
- The Town has spent approximately $800,000 on rebuilding and repairs
- Staff have identified 82 unique projects needing repairs
- We are hopeful for 100% reimbursement from FEMA and NC Emergency Management
- However, Montreat must complete and pay for the repairs before FEMA will reimburse the Town
- Our biggest problem currently is cash flow- paying for projects then awaiting reimbursement
- The Town has hired a disaster recovery consultant, Withers-Ravenel, to help negotiate through the process
- The consultant’s expenses are reimbursable by FEMA
- We are in the process of prioritizing projects, some to be completed by contractors and others to be done by our Public Works staff
- Bridge and culvert repairs and selected street paving are major priorities, but we must address major erosion/landslide projects before they get worse
We ask for your patience, please, as we work through the complicated details and financial implications of recovery.
Meet Tim Bradley, Montreat’s Police Captain
We regularly profile a Montreat Town staff member or Town Council member. This month we are featuring Tim Bradley, Captain of the Montreat Police Department.
Tim Bradley has been a familiar face around Montreat since last summer when he began working as Montreat’s Interim Police Chief. Although well qualified, he was not interested in the full-time position of Chief of Police, but agreed to fill in until the Town found a full-time Chief. He very ably filled that position until our current Chief, Jeff Eaton, began work on September 3, 2024, and Tim assumed the role of MPD Police Captain, a part-time position for which he is extremely well qualified.
Tim was born in Asheville and raised in the Bee Tree area of Swannanoa. He graduated from Owen High, where he was a standout defensive end on the football field. After graduating, he enrolled in the criminal justice program at AB Tech. Tim developed an interest in law enforcement when he was in his teens, with a goal of working for the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department. His dream was realized after graduating from AB Tech when he started with the Sheriff’s Department as a 911 dispatcher. Despite his 30 year career in dangerous positions within the Department, Tim says “that was the most stressful two years of my career.” Ironically, Tim’s wife, Carmen, is the current 911 Operations Manager for Law Enforcement in Buncombe County.
Tim’s advancement within the Sheriff’s Department included increasing responsibilities from patrol officer to the Special Victims Unit. In between, he served as a Field Training Officer, training 70 deputies during that time. He was a member of the SWAT team for 20 years as well as an instructor for the Basic Law Enforcement Training program. From there, he became a Criminal Investigations Detective, which as he says, “really ramped up my experience!” His detective work continued when he was assigned to the Field Investigations Unit, where he worked primarily in forensics at crime scenes. His final assignment was in the Special Victims Unit handling sexual assault cases, domestic violence, child abuse, and other equally challenging crimes. During his career, Tim worked on more than 1,500 cases. He and Chief Eaton worked together for many years at the Sheriff’s Department, thus their strong working relationship now.
After six months of retirement, he was ready for something else. He heard about the Montreat Interim Chief position, and was promptly hired by Town Manager, Savannah Parrish.
When not “policing”, Tim and Carmen enjoy being with their three adult children and three grandchildren, all in the Swannanoa area. They enjoy touring all over the USA in their RV. When not working or traveling, Tim and Carmen are dedicated to physical training including weightlifting and cardio (Tim’s high school hero was Arnold Schwarzenegger!). Additionally, Tim loves science fiction and miniature model building.
On his nine months of experience in Montreat, Tim commented, “This job was a blessing from God. This is a bubble of life. Montreaters love their law enforcement. I’ve never seen this type of coming together in a community.” Asked if he missed the action of the Sheriff’s Department, Tim quipped, “I absolutely 100% enjoy it here. If I had known it was so great, I would have spent my whole career here!”
We are extremely fortunate to have Tim in the MPD. The team of Jeff and Tim bring incredibly deep and valuable experience to Montreat, and we are thankful for that. Make sure to introduce yourself next time you see Tim.
Cottagers Membership Voting Procedure Review Committee Meeting March 20
The second Montreat Cottagers Membership Voting Procedure Review Committee meeting will be held next Thursday, March 20th at 2:00 pm in the Montreat Town Hall Community Room. The purpose of the meeting is to carefully listen to the concerns members and friends of the organization have concerning the voting procedures provided for in the organization’s bylaws. The committee will study and consider the concerns that are expressed and report its findings to the board of directors. The report will include any recommended revisions to the bylaw’s membership voting and related provisions. All are invited to attend.
The meeting will be live streamed. The link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83003763432.
Members may also provide written comments to the Committee before or after the meetings. Comments should be addressed to the Committee at P.O. Box 111, Montreat, NC 28757. If requested by the sender, written comments received before the meetings will be read aloud or summarized at one of the meetings.
Cottager Directories Still Available
There is still a supply of 2024 Montreat Cottager Directories for sale. They can be purchased from Town Clerk, Angie Murphy, at the Town Hall. Directories are $25 in person (cash or check only) or $35 if mailed to you. If you have questions, contact Laurie Morgan at [email protected].
- The March Board of Adjustment meeting is cancelled due to no business coming before the Board
- 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, CLICK HERE.
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 great weekend!