Montreat News Archive

Greetings friends,   I hope you stayed dry during Hurricane/Tropical Storm Michael. I was looking over the summary from last month’s Council meeting and noted there was a lot of discussion about the upcoming Hurricane Florence. In less than a month, we’ve had two hurricanes, and three since May. We will dry out some day.…

On Friday, October 12, 2018, Calvin Trail will be closed for repairs near the intersection with Greybeard Road. Both lanes of Calvin Trail will be closed from 12 PM to 5 PM.

The 10/11/18 Town Commission agenda packet is updated. Find the corrected packet by clicking here.

Don’t Miss the Town Hall Design Public Input Session Monday, October 15, 4:30pm in the Walkup Building   The opportunity is coming soon to offer your ideas for the design of the new Town Hall. Come next Monday to help shape the look of the Town Hall. Here’s how you can prepare and participate:  …

Congratulations and Thank You to our Police Officers Recently, two of our Montreat Reserve Police Officers and one regular Officer received Meritorious Service Awards. Mayor Helms and Mayor Pro Tem Otto were present during the special ceremony. Reserve Officers William “Mac” McClintock and Ed Teeters, and Patrol Officer Lee Blevins were recognized and given appreciation…

An Announcement You’ve Been Waiting For about the Town Hall! Last month, we said there would be a Town Hall Design Public Input Session in the fall. Save the date: Monday, October 15, at 4:30 in the Walkup Building.   Come and offer your thoughts about what the new Town Hall should look like. This…

Join us on Thursday, October 11th, at 7:00 p.m. for the regular meeting of the Town Commission. The meeting will be held in the Walkup Building. The Public Forum begins at 6:30 p.m. You may find the fill agenda packet by clicking here. 

The Montreat Water Department and the Black Mountain Fire Department are finalizing testing of fire hydrants today. Today’s testing will be all over town, beginning in the areas of Shenandoah and Covenant Lane. This stirs up naturally occurring iron in the lines and may cause brown water at your taps. After the Fire Department tests…

9/20/18 Update: The file transmittal system has been resolved. The draft is scheduled to post Thursday, 9/20/18.     Please be advised that if you are signed up to have water bills automatically draft from your account your bill for September may seem high.   What Happened? August bill drafts failed to post to the bank,…

Curbside Garbage Pickup Postponed to Tuesday, 9/18/18 Due to debris cleanup resulting from Hurricane Florence, today’s regularly scheduled curbside pickup is postponed to tomorrow, 9/18/2018. We apologize for any inconvenience. Pay-as-You-Throw drop off is open at the Town offices from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm today.

Greetings fellow Montreaters,   It was a rainy evening and folks were probably preparing for the upcoming Florence storm, but hearty souls came out for the Council meeting. We’re grateful for the support of everyone.   Here are the highlights of the meeting: Public Forum questions/comments included: After a question about the upcoming hurricane, Alex…

The Agenda Packet for 9/13/2018 has been updated and can be found on the Open Government Page, or by clicking here.

In preparation for heavy rains with the potential for flooding, mudslides, and infrastructure damage predicted to occur in Montreat Mayor Tim Helms has issued a State of Emergency. Despite its southern trajectory, Hurricane Florence poses a threat of conditions that may cause widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property. The Mayor has…

EMERGENCY ALERT TEST AT MONTREAT COLLEGE   Morning of Thursday, September 13, 2018 In an effort to strengthen its emergency preparedness, Montreat College will be testing their emergency alert system this morning (9/13). This system includes an audible alarm that may be heard in areas near campus. There will be a minimum of two audible…

Official population estimates are in and Montreat is steadily growing. See the letter from the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management by clicking the image below.

In coordination with the Towns of Montreat and Black Mountain, at 1:00 PM today the Mountain Retreat Association (M.R.A.)  opened a release valve on the dam at Lake Susan. The M.R.A.’s intent is to lower lake levels in advance of Hurricane Florence. Regulations allow preemptive releases of up to 12 inches a day, which should…

Your Town staff and leadership are preparing for the potential of Hurricane Florence tracking into Western North Carolina.  Hurricane Florence is predicted to make landfall somewhere near Wilmington on Thursday night. Though Montreat is more than 320 miles away, the slow moving storm could bring high winds, heavy rains, and flooding to the mountains. Montreat…

Council Meeting A reminder that the monthly Town Council Meeting will be this Thursday, September 13, in the Walkup building. The Public Forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. The Agenda Packet can be found here.   Addressing the Address Issue During the August Town Council meeting, Mayor Helms appointed Commissioner Alice Lentz to address…

Happy Labor Day Monday is Labor Day, which marks the unofficial start of Fall. Please note that the Town Offices will be closed Monday and will reopen Tuesday at 8:00am.   Trash Pick Up Two important notices about trash pick up: Due to Monday’s holiday, trash pick up is being rescheduled to Tuesday, Sept. 4…

REMINDER: Curbside trash and recycling pickup returns to a once-weekly schedule after Labor Day. At the end of the summer season curbside pickup is limited to Mondays. However, Due to the Labor Day holiday, next week trash and recycling pickup will be on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH. You may also bring trash to the Town Services building…

The Montreat Town Offices will be closed on Monday, September 3rd in observance of Labor Day. we will re-open at 8:00 AM on Tuesday the 4th. HAPPY LABOR DAY!

On Monday evening, August 27, the Town Council heard presentations and held Q&A with three finalist firms for the new Town Hall design and construction project. After the presentations and Q&A, the Council had a lively discussion of the firms and their capabilities.   In the end, the Council voted to begin contract negotiations with…

Congratulations to our own Town Clerk, Angie Murphy! After a long period of study, she recently received her designation as a Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC).  To earn the certification, Angie attended extensive education programs. The CMC designation also requires pertinent experience in a municipality. We’re proud of Angie’s achievement and are grateful to have her…

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Reminder: The Board of Commissioners will open Bids today for RFQ 2018-004: Town Hall Design-Build Project. This meeting is open to the public. All ionterested parties are invited to attend.   Where: The Walkup Building, 300 Community Circle, Montreat, NC 28757 When: 4:00 PM  

Original Post: The Black Mountain Fire Department is conducting annual testing of Montreat’s fire hydrants. The “scouring” requires the department to open two hydrants simultaneously, causing the water flow to dramatically increase. A byproduct is that normally settled iron in the system is stirred up causing brown water at the taps. Though unsightly, the water…

Mayor’s Summary of the August 9 Town Council Meeting   Greetings friends,   Our meeting started as a celebration with the “reveal” of the new logo and website. More about that in a bit. But, we did get a few things accomplished as well!   Here are the highlights of the meeting: Prior to the…

Join us on Thursday August 9th at 7:00 p.m. for the August Town Council Meeting. The meeting will be held in the Walkup Building. The Public Forum begins at 6:30 p.m. and the unveiling of the new Town Website and Logo will begin at 6:15 p.m. Come join us!

In partnership with the North Carolina Arboretum, the Parkway Foundation and Montreat College, the Montreat Landcare Committee has launched three new outdoor activity programs for children of all ages right in Montreat. Eco-Explore, Track Trail and Nature Backpacks were initiated earlier this month to bring fun and educational opportunities for children. Check out the Track…

As another service, the Town of Montreat provides both curbside and Pay-As-You-Throw trash services. The traditional curbside service provides trash pickup on Mondays and Fridays during the summer months, and on Fridays from September through May. Simply put out your trash at your curb during normal pick up times. The Pay-As-You-Throw program was started several…

We’ve been talking about it for several months, and we’re ready to unveil the new graphic identification for the Town and the new website. Come to the August 9 Town Council meeting to help celebrate this important step. We’ll have a special “unveiling” at 6:15pm prior to the Public Forum. Stay tuned for more information…

As a Town service, leaf and brush are picked up curbside every other Wednesday by town staff. Homeowners should place leaves in brown biodegradable paper bags. Limbs should not exceed six foot lengths and six inches in diameter. Please limit brush piles to approximately three cubic yards (about the size of a small pick up…

What with the imminent start of the Town Hall, the Town of Montreat is seeking an individual to serve as Montreat’s Owner’s Representative. This position will serve as an advisor to Town leadership in the design and construction of the new Town Hall and will represent the Town and its interests in all interactions with…

Mayor’s Summary of the July 12 Town Council Meeting Greetings fellow Montreaters, Despite heavy rain and a somewhat unexciting agenda (lots of budget amendments), there was quite a turnout for the meeting. We’re grateful for the community support. Here are the highlights of the meeting: Public Forum questions/comments included: The Montreat “address” issue: no resolution yet but…

Please join your Town of Montreat Board of Commissioners on Thursday, July 12, 2018 at 7:00 p.m in the Walkup Building for the July Town Council Meeting. The Public Forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. The REVISED agenda packet can be found here with all the Budget Amendments.

There are an updated Addenda to the Town of Montreat’s RFQ: TOWN HALL DESIGN-BUILD PROJECT, PROJECT NUMBER 2018-004. Material changes are made in Addedum #2, and bidder questions are answere in Addendum #3. The original RFQ, issued on 6/6/208, has been revised in this current version. The purpose of the revisions in Addendum #2 is…

Montreat Has Grown!! The size of the Town grew last week, it really did! The property that we bought from MRA for the new Town Hall was not within Town limits, but in Black Mountain instead. Earlier this year the Town, along with Black Mountain, began the process of de-annexing the property from Black Mountain…

The Agenda can be found here. Supplemental documentation will follow. SPECIAL MEETING Thursday, June 28, 2018– 7:00 p.m. The Board of Commissioners of the Town of Montreat will hold a Special Meeting on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Services Office, 96 Rainbow Terrace, Black Mountain, NC.  The purpose of this meeting…

The Communications Advisory Committee will meet on Wednesday, June 27th at 4:00 p.m. at the home of Tom Widmer on 218 Tennessee Road. The Public is always welcome to attend.

Greetings friends, The June Council meeting combined social time with business. Here are the highlights of the meeting: The Town Council hosted a “Welcome to Summer” reception prior to the Public Forum. Tasty food was served as Montreaters, both permanent and seasonal, took time to catch up with one another and greet those arriving for the summer.…

Join your Town of Montreat Board of Commissioners for the June 14th Town Council Meeting. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Walkup Building. The Public Forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. The “Welcome Back to Montreat” Reception will start at 6:00 p.m.

At the March Town Commission meeting, the Commission voted to suspend separate agenda meetings in advance of the regular Town Commission meetings. Agendas will be published one week in advance of Town Commission meetings so the public and Commissioners will have time to study and seek information about specific items on the agenda. Such a…

Town of Montreat Update Much work has been accomplished by the Town Council and staff since the last report.  Here are some of the more notable actions: The Town recently closed on a lot purchased from MRA just outside the Montreat Gate for the site of the new Town Hall.  With the unanimous support of…

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Getting ready for Spring Plantings? The Town of Montreat has the leaf litter compost for you for FREE. Stop by the Town of Montreat Town Services Building from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. to pick up as much as you can haul off. Photo by Gabriel Jimenez on Unsplash

Check the “Bid Opportunites” page for for contracts with the Town. New projects will be posted there.

Please join us on Thursday, February 8th for the February Town Council Meeting which will begin at 7:00 p.m. The Meeting Packet can be found here. The Public Forum will begin at 6:30 p.m.

It was a great night in Montreat as we thanked our numerous volunteers for serving our Town. We also swore in new Commissioners Alice Lentz and Tom Widmer and swore in Kent Otto as Mayor Pro Tem.

Dear Friends and Neighbors, I want to update you on a number of matters pertaining to the Town Council. Reception: Thursday, December 14, 5:30-6:30PM to thank Mary Standaert and Ann Vinson for their service to the Town and to welcome Alice Lentz, Kent Otto, and Tom Widmer who will be sworn into office at the…