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[2:07]
Good morning. Welcome to this special
meeting of the Blowing Rock Town Council
[2:11]
on this August 28th, 2026.
I'm calling this meeting to order.
[2:17]
Uh we have a few council members out on
uh probably vacation.
[2:22]
Um
So, roll call. David.
[2:27]
» Here.
>> Wait.
[2:28]
» Doug.
>> Okay.
[2:30]
So, we have a quorum in attendance. If
you would, please stand for the Pledge
[2:34]
of Allegiance.
[2:38]
» I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America,
[2:44]
and to the republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible, with
[2:51]
liberty and justice for all.
[2:56]
» All righty.
E-FLAP grant MOA amendment Middle Fork
[3:02]
Greenway.
[3:07]
Alice.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Um I'd like to invite
[3:11]
uh Brian Johnson, our zoning enforcement
officer,
[3:15]
up uh to the podium. Uh I have received
communication earlier this week
[3:20]
requesting sign-off uh for Town Council
to approve um
[3:27]
a memorandum of agreement
[clears throat] and authorize me as the
[3:30]
town manager to execute necessary
documents to meet a September 2nd
[3:35]
deadline. Um hence the reason we needed
to call a special meeting for today, um
[3:41]
which concerns the E-FLAP grant. Um so,
I will have um Brian go through and
[3:48]
maybe give some background on that
project briefly and then answer any
[3:51]
questions.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Council.
[3:57]
Good Friday morning for a meeting,
right? Joey said he had to come out in
[4:00]
the suit today. He's like, "What?"
>> I'm happy to do it for you guys.
[4:04]
» [laughter]
[4:06]
» Uh
update and then
[4:09]
I've got a map here. I I didn't know if
some of the other council if everyone
[4:13]
was here that was as familiar as someone
or some of you are.
[4:18]
This has been going [clears throat] on
since 2016.
[4:22]
Um
but we're progressing very slowly. We we
[4:26]
we have nothing on the ground yet, as
you can see, and I know
[4:30]
Uh
we've got some things phased up, and
[4:33]
we're getting really really close.
Um
[4:36]
» [clears throat]
>> phase phase 1A and and 1C um
[4:41]
which is
Phase 1A is from our original trailhead
[4:46]
at um
at [clears throat] the shops
[4:50]
down to the 444 uh construction
[4:55]
site.
And phase 1
[4:59]
AC is from
um
[5:03]
basically from the Parkway
bridge down through Excuse me. I'm so
[5:08]
sorry.
From the Foley Center bridge
[5:12]
on down to where our jurisdiction ends.
So, if phase 1A
[5:17]
and 1C and B is still in progress now.
Um
[5:21]
» [clears throat]
>> we originally had broke out 1A
[5:24]
uh and 1C because of
the work and design we were having to go
[5:29]
through the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's
been a been a tough endeavor there. Um
[5:33]
So,
phase 1B is still in progress. 1A and 1C
[5:38]
we're really close to getting
to um
[5:42]
authorization for construction.
Um
[5:47]
but this
time lapse, number one, number two, the
[5:52]
the the design issues and and time with
the Blue Ridge Parkway has drove the
[5:57]
cost up significantly.
Um
[6:01]
mainly in the design aspect. Um so
[6:07]
end of last year,
um the state had reached out to us that
[6:11]
they had a surplus of
E-flat monies. Um
[6:15]
just because
there weren't a lot of applications to
[6:18]
fill the whole uh $10 million grant that
was that was offered.
[6:23]
So they reached out, we've got extra
money. We had originally
[6:27]
when they was kind of identifying, "Hey,
you know, we're realizing we're going to
[6:31]
be short on some monies here."
Um
[6:34]
because this took so long. So
we had requested a million bucks out of
[6:38]
that. They awarded us 400,000.
And this was back late last year. We
[6:44]
just Well, we've been we've been working
with them, "What's the status? What's
[6:48]
the status?" through um
through spring and up till till summer.
[6:52]
Then all of a sudden, you know, a few
weeks ago, here we are, "You're approved
[6:56]
for it."
Uh so that's our request today. Um
[6:59]
is to get the memorandum memorandum of
agreement revised and and accept this
[7:04]
400,000, which will help towards phase
1A and 1C.
[7:09]
Um
by getting this approved and getting the
[7:12]
funds there,
we're anticipating
[7:16]
getting approval from DOT
to go to construction and go to bid. Um
[7:20]
hopefully with within this month. Um
this has been a long endeavor. It's been
[7:26]
a tough process
with some of the property owners of the
[7:30]
Blue Ridge Parkway. It's just it's just
their process. It's it's part of the
[7:34]
part of the beast there.
Uh phase 1B, we're still
[7:38]
working on that, working in in
identifying the route and making sure we
[7:42]
can get to construction there to work.
Um I think at some point Wendy is
[7:47]
wanting to come back in and cuz it's
been so long again to give y'all an
[7:50]
update at some point uh of where we're
at, so. Um
[7:55]
that's [clears throat] the request to to
authorize Alice to move forward with
[7:58]
this memo- memorandum acceptance 400
towards the
[8:02]
um
phase 1A and 1C.
[8:05]
Questions if you got them. Questions,
Council?
[8:09]
» Um [clears throat] I just want to clear
one thing and
[8:14]
the
brief says that
[8:18]
the town is not putting up any funds for
this.
[8:21]
» That's correct.
>> But the MOA section [clears throat] F
[8:24]
says that we will cover any shortfalls.
So, if there are
[8:30]
future shortfalls or construction
overruns, that would have to come back
[8:35]
to us?
>> Yes, that would have to come back before
[8:38]
Council.
If any funds were to be expended.
[8:41]
» Okay.
[8:44]
» All the match is coming from
Blue Ridge Conservancy and their donors
[8:50]
and folks have committed funds there.
[8:57]
» The only thing you hope is you don't run
into any more snags because
[9:01]
it was like a million dollars 11 years
ago when we were going to be number one.
[9:06]
11 [clears throat] years later, look at
what the price tag is and we're still
[9:10]
not started.
>> And we are not 9 years later, 10 years
[9:13]
later.
>> I do have a quick question. That is Are
[9:17]
they working on that section down there
at Mystery Hill up to uh
[9:22]
Eho Road? Is that what they're doing
there with all that heavy equipment?
[9:26]
» That is part of the Conservancy. They're
I think it's a twofold there. They've
[9:31]
got a stream restoration project going
on.
[9:34]
And I think as part of that, they're
they're laying out the route as well.
[9:39]
Um I I don't know the whole scope and
where it ends and where but that's part
[9:43]
of
two two part project there, I think.
[9:47]
» Did they do any when they was doing the
restoration there behind the water
[9:51]
plant?
>> It's It's complete.
[9:54]
Um if you have I don't know what kind
>> Behind the water plant?
[9:57]
» Yeah, it's been
It's been two or three months. Just the
[10:01]
restoration.
>> Just restoration. They didn't do
[10:02]
anything with
>> Right. But they did all the rock and
[10:07]
» Oh, yeah.
They did it quickly.
[10:09]
» If you get a chance to go see it, it
looks looks really good down there.
[10:12]
» Okay.
>> Um bought us some time with the water
[10:15]
tank there.
>> We fixed our fence.
[10:19]
» It told us.
>> [clears throat]
[10:21]
» I don't know if I noticed the fence or
not.
[10:24]
» It's not hanging down. It was cut off
clean, but I don't know if it's been
[10:28]
enclosed yet.
But we we gained back
[10:32]
the land we lost there.
[10:36]
It's It's awesome job they did out
there.
[10:40]
» But
Thanks for Mar- Margaret has picked this
[10:43]
project up
and
[10:47]
done a lot of work. Um it it's a lot. It
It's a lot done with this grant number
[10:52]
one and number two it
Blue Springs Parkway has been tough and
[10:56]
it's like I said it's just a process.
We're getting there.
[10:59]
Um we're anticipating getting this to
bid with within the next few months and
[11:03]
hopefully wrapping up phase 1A and 1C
through through next year.
[11:08]
Um hopefully 1B shortly behind.
But again, I think Wendy's wanting to
[11:14]
um
give y'all update at some point just
[11:17]
because of the time lapse here. So.
>> Council, do we have a motion?
[11:22]
» Move.
>> I make a motion to approve the Alice Run
[11:28]
being able to
execute these agreements?
[11:32]
» Yes.
>> Second.
[11:37]
» How do you vote?
>> I.
[11:39]
» I.
>> I.
[11:40]
» Okay.
There you go.
[11:43]
» Thank you.
>> Thank you, everybody. We appreciate
[11:45]
» Thank you, Margaret.
>> Thank you, Alice.
[11:48]
Brian, Kevin.
>> Servatius.
[11:51]
» You think we'll
You know, by the time this gets to Foley
[11:55]
Center, they'll wheel us down from Foley
Center. They'll look at it.
[11:59]
» [laughter]
>> They've been talking about the trail for
[12:02]
you down the road.
>> [laughter]
[12:05]
» No brakes. No brakes.
>> We anticipate them coming back probably
[12:10]
at the October meeting for an update
where we'll have the agreements to
[12:13]
update with both Blue Ridge and NCDOT.
So, we we anticipate October time frame.
[12:23]
» Got a motion to adjourn.
[12:26]
» Move.
>> Second.
[12:27]
» Second.
>> Okay.
[12:29]
All right.