[2:07] Good morning. Welcome to this special

[2:09] meeting of the Blowing Rock Town Council

[2:11] on this August 28th, 2026.

[2:15] I'm calling this meeting to order.

[2:17] Uh we have a few council members out on

[2:20] uh probably vacation.

[2:22] Um

[2:24] So, roll call. David.

[2:27] » Here.

[2:27] » Wait.

[2:28] » Doug.

[2:29] » Okay.

[2:30] So, we have a quorum in attendance. If

[2:33] you would, please stand for the Pledge

[2:34] of Allegiance.

[2:38] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[2:41] United States of America,

[2:44] and to the republic for which it stands,

[2:47] one nation under God, indivisible, with

[2:51] liberty and justice for all.

[2:56] » All righty.

[2:58] E-FLAP grant MOA amendment Middle Fork

[3:02] Greenway.

[3:07] Alice.

[3:08] » Thank you, Mayor. Um I'd like to invite

[3:11] uh Brian Johnson, our zoning enforcement

[3:14] officer,

[3:15] up uh to the podium. Uh I have received

[3:18] communication earlier this week

[3:20] requesting sign-off uh for Town Council

[3:24] to approve um

[3:27] a memorandum of agreement

[3:28] [clears throat] and authorize me as the

[3:30] town manager to execute necessary

[3:32] documents to meet a September 2nd

[3:35] deadline. Um hence the reason we needed

[3:38] to call a special meeting for today, um

[3:41] which concerns the E-FLAP grant. Um so,

[3:45] I will have um Brian go through and

[3:48] maybe give some background on that

[3:49] project briefly and then answer any

[3:51] questions.

[3:54] » Thank you, Mayor. Council.

[3:57] Good Friday morning for a meeting,

[3:58] right? Joey said he had to come out in

[4:00] the suit today. He's like, "What?"

[4:02] » I'm happy to do it for you guys.

[4:04] » [laughter]

[4:06] » Uh

[4:07] update and then

[4:09] I've got a map here. I I didn't know if

[4:11] some of the other council if everyone

[4:13] was here that was as familiar as someone

[4:16] or some of you are.

[4:18] This has been going [clears throat] on

[4:19] since 2016.

[4:22] Um

[4:23] but we're progressing very slowly. We we

[4:26] we have nothing on the ground yet, as

[4:28] you can see, and I know

[4:30] Uh

[4:31] we've got some things phased up, and

[4:33] we're getting really really close.

[4:35] Um

[4:36] » [clears throat]

[4:37] » Phase phase 1A and and 1C um

[4:41] which is

[4:44] Phase 1A is from our original trailhead

[4:46] at um

[4:48] at [clears throat] the shops

[4:50] down to the 444 uh construction

[4:55] site.

[4:57] And phase 1

[4:59] AC is from

[5:01] um

[5:03] basically from the Parkway

[5:05] bridge down through Excuse me. I'm so

[5:08] sorry.

[5:09] From the Foley Center bridge

[5:12] on down to where our jurisdiction ends.

[5:14] So, if phase 1A

[5:17] and 1C and B is still in progress now.

[5:20] Um

[5:21] » [clears throat]

[5:22] » We originally had broke out 1A

[5:24] uh and 1C because of

[5:27] the work and design we were having to go

[5:29] through the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's

[5:30] been a been a tough endeavor there. Um

[5:33] So,

[5:34] phase 1B is still in progress. 1A and 1C

[5:38] we're really close to getting

[5:40] to um

[5:42] authorization for construction.

[5:45] Um

[5:47] but this

[5:48] time lapse, number one, number two, the

[5:52] the the design issues and and time with

[5:55] the Blue Ridge Parkway has drove the

[5:57] cost up significantly.

[5:59] Um

[6:01] mainly in the design aspect. Um so

[6:07] end of last year,

[6:09] um the state had reached out to us that

[6:11] they had a surplus of

[6:13] E-flat monies. Um

[6:15] just because

[6:17] there weren't a lot of applications to

[6:18] fill the whole uh $10 million grant that

[6:21] was that was offered.

[6:23] So they reached out, we've got extra

[6:25] money. We had originally

[6:27] when they was kind of identifying, "Hey,

[6:29] you know, we're realizing we're going to

[6:31] be short on some monies here."

[6:33] Um

[6:34] because this took so long. So

[6:36] we had requested a million bucks out of

[6:38] that. They awarded us 400,000.

[6:41] And this was back late last year. We

[6:44] just Well, we've been we've been working

[6:47] with them, "What's the status? What's

[6:48] the status?" through um

[6:50] through spring and up till till summer.

[6:52] Then all of a sudden, you know, a few

[6:53] weeks ago, here we are, "You're approved

[6:56] for it."

[6:57] Uh so that's our request today. Um

[6:59] is to get the memorandum memorandum of

[7:02] agreement revised and and accept this

[7:04] 400,000, which will help towards phase

[7:07] 1A and 1C.

[7:09] Um

[7:11] by getting this approved and getting the

[7:12] funds there,

[7:14] we're anticipating

[7:16] getting approval from DOT

[7:18] to go to construction and go to bid. Um

[7:20] hopefully with within this month. Um

[7:24] this has been a long endeavor. It's been

[7:26] a tough process

[7:28] with some of the property owners of the

[7:30] Blue Ridge Parkway. It's just it's just

[7:31] their process. It's it's part of the

[7:34] part of the beast there.

[7:35] Uh phase 1B, we're still

[7:38] working on that, working in in

[7:40] identifying the route and making sure we

[7:42] can get to construction there to work.

[7:45] Um I think at some point Wendy is

[7:47] wanting to come back in and cuz it's

[7:49] been so long again to give y'all an

[7:50] update at some point uh of where we're

[7:53] at, so. Um

[7:55] that's [clears throat] the request to to

[7:57] authorize Alice to move forward with

[7:58] this memo- memorandum acceptance 400

[8:01] towards the

[8:02] um

[8:03] phase 1A and 1C.

[8:05] Questions if you got them. Questions,

[8:07] Council?

[8:09] » Um [clears throat] I just want to clear

[8:11] one thing and

[8:14] the

[8:16] brief says that

[8:18] the town is not putting up any funds for

[8:20] this.

[8:21] » That's correct.

[8:22] » But the MOA section [clears throat] F

[8:24] says that we will cover any shortfalls.

[8:28] So, if there are

[8:30] future shortfalls or construction

[8:33] overruns, that would have to come back

[8:35] to us?

[8:36] » Yes, that would have to come back before

[8:38] Council.

[8:39] If any funds were to be expended.

[8:41] » Okay.

[8:44] » All the match is coming from

[8:47] 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

[8:59] into any more snags because

[9:01] it was like a million dollars 11 years

[9:04] ago when we were going to be number one.

[9:06] 11 [clears throat] years later, look at

[9:08] what the price tag is and we're still

[9:10] not started.

[9:11] » And we are not 9 years later, 10 years

[9:13] later.

[9:15] » I do have a quick question. That is Are

[9:17] they working on that section down there

[9:19] at Mystery Hill up to uh

[9:22] Eho Road? Is that what they're doing

[9:24] there with all that heavy equipment?

[9:26] » That is part of the Conservancy. They're

[9:29] I think it's a twofold there. They've

[9:31] got a stream restoration project going

[9:33] on.

[9:34] And I think as part of that, they're

[9:36] they're laying out the route as well.

[9:39] Um I I don't know the whole scope and

[9:40] where it ends and where but that's part

[9:43] of

[9:44] two two part project there, I think.

[9:47] » Did they do any when they was doing the

[9:49] restoration there behind the water

[9:51] plant?

[9:52] » It's It's complete.

[9:54] Um if you have I don't know what kind

[9:56] » Behind the water plant?

[9:57] » Yeah, it's been

[9:58] It's been two or three months. Just the

[10:01] restoration.

[10:01] » Just restoration. They didn't do

[10:02] anything with

[10:04] » Right. But they did all the rock and

[10:07] » Oh, yeah.

[10:08] They did it quickly.

[10:09] » If you get a chance to go see it, it

[10:10] looks looks really good down there.

[10:12] » Okay.

[10:13] » Um bought us some time with the water

[10:15] tank there.

[10:17] » We fixed our fence.

[10:19] » It told us.

[10:20] » [clears throat]

[10:21] » I don't know if I noticed the fence or

[10:22] not.

[10:24] » It's not hanging down. It was cut off

[10:26] clean, but I don't know if it's been

[10:28] enclosed yet.

[10:30] But we we gained back

[10:32] the land we lost there.

[10:36] It's It's awesome job they did out

[10:38] there.

[10:40] » But

[10:41] Thanks for Mar- Margaret has picked this

[10:43] project up

[10:45] and

[10:47] done a lot of work. Um it it's a lot. It

[10:50] It's a lot done with this grant number

[10:52] one and number two it

[10:54] Blue Springs Parkway has been tough and

[10:56] it's like I said it's just a process.

[10:57] We're getting there.

[10:59] Um we're anticipating getting this to

[11:01] bid with within the next few months and

[11:03] hopefully wrapping up phase 1A and 1C

[11:06] through through next year.

[11:08] Um hopefully 1B shortly behind.

[11:11] But again, I think Wendy's wanting to

[11:14] um

[11:15] give y'all update at some point just

[11:17] because of the time lapse here. So.

[11:20] » Council, do we have a motion?

[11:22] » Move.

[11:24] » I make a motion to approve the Alice Run

[11:28] being able to

[11:30] execute these agreements?

[11:32] » Yes.

[11:34] » Second.

[11:37] » How do you vote?

[11:38] » I.

[11:39] » I.

[11:40] » I.

[11:40] » Okay.

[11:42] There you go.

[11:43] » Thank you.

[11:44] » Thank you, everybody. We appreciate

[11:45] » Thank you, Margaret.

[11:46] » Thank you, Alice.

[11:48] Brian, Kevin.

[11:50] » Servatius.

[11:51] » You think we'll

[11:52] You know, by the time this gets to Foley

[11:55] Center, they'll wheel us down from Foley

[11:57] Center. They'll look at it.

[11:59] » [laughter]

[12:00] » They've been talking about the trail for

[12:02] you down the road.

[12:03] » [laughter]

[12:05] » No brakes. No brakes.

[12:07] » We anticipate them coming back probably

[12:10] at the October meeting for an update

[12:12] where we'll have the agreements to

[12:13] update with both Blue Ridge and NCDOT.

[12:16] So, we we anticipate October time frame.

[12:23] » Got a motion to adjourn.

[12:26] » Move.

[12:27] » Second.

[12:28] » Okay.

[12:29] All right.

Special Called Town Council Meeting - Friday, August 28th, 2026

Transcript