Town of Lake Lure Departmental Reports - April 2025

The following are highlights from the April Department Head reports. Full department reports are available upon request.

Public Services

Routine maintenance has been completed throughout the month, such as, but not limited to, Meter Reading, Meter Installs, Water Leaks, Locates, Bulk Trash Pickup, Work Orders, Facility Maintenance, Wastewater Samples, and Dam, Wastewater Treatment Plant and Hydro Plant Maintenance.

• In addition, public services have assisted in a number of storm recovery tasks. Top three accomplishments/project updates:
  • Continued to oversee the West End Sewer Project to restore utility services to customers still without sewer on the west end of the Town. Morgan Corporation is the contractor assisting the Town with this project.
  • Successfully commissioned the lift station that was decimated by Tropical Helene.
  • Assisted FEMA with site inspections for the wastewater treatment plant, hydroelectric plant, lift station, and multiple roads. Also worked with the Town’s disaster recovery firm (ICF) with preparing public assistance applications.

Community Development

Director Williams reports that the department continues permitting operations and they are working to assist residents with permitting and questions related to rebuilding and repairs.

• The Department also led discussions at Zoning & Planning Board and BOA/LSAB meetings.
• Top three accomplishments/project updates:
  • Continued working with property owners of Helene-affected properties for Federal cleanup assistance, understanding and working through floodplain regulations, and permitting issues. Finished up initial Town inventory of property owners who had major lake structure damages and accepted condemnation to qualify them for inclusion in FEMA program to have those structures demolished and removed. Submitted those through FEMA.  
  • Still working with Tillman Construction Company on their permitting for a cell tower to service Lake Lure. Site has been relocated on the same property, between the river and Boys Camp Road, due to the damage to the shoreline. Due to the slight relocation all permitting; including Town, State and Federal are being reconsidered. There still appears to be no issues to limit the process being completed by July of this year.
  • Adapted their office to incorporate the United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) representatives recruiting and processing applications for the Personal Property Debris Removal program. This allowed us to be able to interact with public coming in for that no-cost program on general communication and Town assistance. It was good opportunity for the department, the USACE and the community.

Fire / Emergency Management

The department responded to 19 fire/medical/rescue calls throughout the month.

• Firefighters also completed 200 hours of raining this month.
• Partial list of accomplishments:
  • Held a safety meeting at the Lake Lure Classical Academy.
  • The consolidation of resources with Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department was initiated as the Lake Lure Department began manning the station with full-time staff 24 hours a day.
  • Assisted with FEMA recovery efforts including site inspections and meetings to discuss public assistance.

Police Department

The department is handling regular operations and assisting with storm recovery.

• The Department has been monitoring roadway activity as traffic increases and large machinery moves through the Town.
• Top three accomplishments/project updates:
  • Officer Kortney Burrell continues to work on a case that involved a local elder citizen being scammed for over $200,000. This case is being worked with great attention as scamming of the elderly is one of the largest number of crimes that occur in the United States.
  • Officer Burrell, whose vehicle was destroyed during the 2024 flood, has been driving a truck that came from another department with the Town of Lake Lure. Her truck is finally getting marked and prepared for police road duty. The Town is grateful that Officer Burrell knew how to act quickly during the storm and get to safety.
  • Sergeant Umphlett is busy working on a case that involved the charge of ‘Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill Inflicting Serious Bodily Injury’. This is from an incident that occurred in Lake Lure this past August.

Parks, Recreation & Lake

The Parks, Recreation, and Lake Department has been focusing heavily on restoration of the lake, parks, and trails damaged by Hurricane Helene.

• The Department is also taking the lead on consistent completion of water sampling to ensure environmental health of the lake.
• Top three accomplishments/project updates:
  • Utilized a total of 247 volunteer hours, valued at $8,272.03 ($33.49/hr.)
  • Reconnected 68 non-motorized vessels that were lost during the hurricane with their owners.
  • Planned reroutes for Buffalo Creek Park and Weed Patch Mountain which were both damages by Helene.

Finance Department

The finance department is handling day-to-day financial operations, assisting ICF and FEMA with obtaining additional funding related to Hurricane Helene, and budget preparation for the next fiscal year is currently underway.

• The department also assisted department heads and other staff with understanding financial and personnel policies.
• Top accomplishments/project updates:
  • Revenues and Expenditures Reports are provided as separate attachments to supplement this summary. Property Tax Revenue, state shared revenue, and land use continue to track as projected with adjusted estimates in light of the change in operations and collections. The other revenue sources are being analyzed in conjunction with revenue replacement possibilities that have been offered through FEMA and most currently by the NC Treasurer.
  • The Town’s financial position with an unreconciled bank balance of approximately $9,800,000 for all funds other than special revenue funds (the Dam Fund) which still holds a balance of $8,300,000.00. As prior reports have emphasized, State revenue replacement loan proceeds, FEMA reimbursements, and ARPA reimbursements will greatly enhance the Town’s position.
  • FY 24 audit planning, implementation, and initial steps have begun. The contracted audit firm has place the Town’s audit on an expedited pace in order for the Town to be on schedule with future audits. Insurance changes have been verified and bids have been accepted. No significant changes to cost structure is expected.
  • Other contracts such as sanitation, banking, and investment are still in the process of receiving bids in order to evaluate cost savings and establish extended service terms,
  • As already been reported, cash flow loans, FEMA reimbursement, and other available funding has been received to restore funding levels for the Town and to allow the General Fund budget to maintain projected funding levels. Other revenues opportunities with FEMA and State DEQ is still being negotiated.

Communications

Communications Director Krejci continues her community outreach which is greater than every due to ongoing recovery events.

• Director Krejci has posted various articles and town news on the website, on Facebook, and via hyperlink.
• Director Krejci also continues working on FEMA and other agencies grant funding and oversees events coordination.
• Top Highlights:
  • Coordinated Ashville Citizens Times Interviews with excellent articles on 4/2/25.
  • Planned and coordinated Advisory Board Luncheon 4/3/25.
  • Planned and coordinated the Community Easter Egg Hunt with Lake Lure Classical Academy and United Cajun Navy with Press covering the event on 4/12/25.
  • Planned and coordinated the Business Owners meeting with Bizworks and SBA
  • Planning and coordinating the Morse Park Ribbon Cutting and Arbor Day Program with about 100 attendees and multiple news carriers on 4/25/25.
  • Coordinated the Rutherford County Tourism Development Board film shoot 4/30/25.
  • Coordinated Fox News Coverage of the Storm Recovery Process 4/30/25.
  • Managed the ever growing social media with significantly increased feedback, mostly positive. Followers have increased by 74% in the past year.
  • Kept the public informed through the weekly storm recovery updates. Weekly updates are posted on the Town website and Facebook and generally reach over 10,000.
  • Answered continuous inquiries from the public online, via email, and phone calls.

Manager / Clerk / Admin Summary

April was a busy month including an array of staff, council, and board meetings and ever-changing day-to-day operations.

• Highlights:
  • Held various meetings with FEMA, the Army Corp of Engineers, and other agencies to plan next steps in storm recovery and to identify funding sources.
  • Worked closely with ICF, the disaster recovery firm, to obtain funding and plan for long term recovery success through FEMA public assistance, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, and other funding sources.
  • Five projects have now been obligated. Checks were received for two of the projects amounting to $1,616,372.50.
  • The three additional projects that have been obligated thus far amount to $1,608,192.
  • Many other projects are nearing obligation status.
  • Assisted FEMA and other Town staff with site inspections for the police boat house, beach gate house, beach change building, hydroelectric plant, marina and fueling station.
  • Additional site inspections are being scheduled for the month of May.
  • Began working with Odom Engineering to create a bidding package for the extension of Lago Vista Road to connect and restore access to Chimney Rock State Park.
  • Participated in weekly storm recovery meetings with Town Council.
  • Attended a budget meeting through the Western North Carolina Manager’s Association.
  • Joined the International City Management Association and the North Carolina City and County Manager’s Association.
  • Submitted a request to North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) for at least a 30 day extension to the FEMA damage inventory submittal deadline on May 8th . The May 8th deadline is only to submit damages, not a deadline for all documentation to be submitted. NCEM has not yet responded to the request.