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Good morning. Welcome to this special
meeting of the Blowing Rock Town Council

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on this August 28th, 2026.
I'm calling this meeting to order.

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Uh we have a few council members out on
uh probably vacation.

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Um
So, roll call. David.

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» Here.
>> Wait.

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» Doug.
>> Okay.

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So, we have a quorum in attendance. If
you would, please stand for the Pledge

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of Allegiance.

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» I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America,

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and to the republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible, with

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liberty and justice for all.

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» All righty.
E-FLAP grant MOA amendment Middle Fork

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Greenway.

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Alice.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Um I'd like to invite

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uh Brian Johnson, our zoning enforcement
officer,

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up uh to the podium. Uh I have received
communication earlier this week

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requesting sign-off uh for Town Council
to approve um

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a memorandum of agreement
[clears throat] and authorize me as the

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town manager to execute necessary
documents to meet a September 2nd

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deadline. Um hence the reason we needed
to call a special meeting for today, um

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which concerns the E-FLAP grant. Um so,
I will have um Brian go through and

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maybe give some background on that
project briefly and then answer any

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questions.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Council.

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Good Friday morning for a meeting,
right? Joey said he had to come out in

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the suit today. He's like, "What?"
>> I'm happy to do it for you guys.

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» [laughter]

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» Uh
update and then

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I've got a map here. I I didn't know if
some of the other council if everyone

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was here that was as familiar as someone
or some of you are.

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This has been going [clears throat] on
since 2016.

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Um
but we're progressing very slowly. We we

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we have nothing on the ground yet, as
you can see, and I know

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Uh
we've got some things phased up, and

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we're getting really really close.
Um

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» [clears throat]
>> phase phase 1A and and 1C um

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which is
Phase 1A is from our original trailhead

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at um
at [clears throat] the shops

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down to the 444 uh construction

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site.
And phase 1

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AC is from
um

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basically from the Parkway
bridge down through Excuse me. I'm so

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sorry.
From the Foley Center bridge

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on down to where our jurisdiction ends.
So, if phase 1A

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and 1C and B is still in progress now.
Um

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» [clears throat]
>> we originally had broke out 1A

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uh and 1C because of
the work and design we were having to go

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through the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's
been a been a tough endeavor there. Um

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So,
phase 1B is still in progress. 1A and 1C

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we're really close to getting
to um

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authorization for construction.
Um

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but this
time lapse, number one, number two, the

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the the design issues and and time with
the Blue Ridge Parkway has drove the

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cost up significantly.
Um

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mainly in the design aspect. Um so

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end of last year,
um the state had reached out to us that

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they had a surplus of
E-flat monies. Um

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just because
there weren't a lot of applications to

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fill the whole uh $10 million grant that
was that was offered.

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So they reached out, we've got extra
money. We had originally

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when they was kind of identifying, "Hey,
you know, we're realizing we're going to

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be short on some monies here."
Um

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because this took so long. So
we had requested a million bucks out of

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that. They awarded us 400,000.
And this was back late last year. We

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just Well, we've been we've been working
with them, "What's the status? What's

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the status?" through um
through spring and up till till summer.

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Then all of a sudden, you know, a few
weeks ago, here we are, "You're approved

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for it."
Uh so that's our request today. Um

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is to get the memorandum memorandum of
agreement revised and and accept this

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400,000, which will help towards phase
1A and 1C.

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Um
by getting this approved and getting the

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funds there,
we're anticipating

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getting approval from DOT
to go to construction and go to bid. Um

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hopefully with within this month. Um
this has been a long endeavor. It's been

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a tough process
with some of the property owners of the

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Blue Ridge Parkway. It's just it's just
their process. It's it's part of the

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part of the beast there.
Uh phase 1B, we're still

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working on that, working in in
identifying the route and making sure we

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can get to construction there to work.
Um I think at some point Wendy is

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wanting to come back in and cuz it's
been so long again to give y'all an

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update at some point uh of where we're
at, so. Um

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that's [clears throat] the request to to
authorize Alice to move forward with

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this memo- memorandum acceptance 400
towards the

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um
phase 1A and 1C.

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Questions if you got them. Questions,
Council?

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» Um [clears throat] I just want to clear
one thing and

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the
brief says that

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the town is not putting up any funds for
this.

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» That's correct.
>> But the MOA section [clears throat] F

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says that we will cover any shortfalls.
So, if there are

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future shortfalls or construction
overruns, that would have to come back

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to us?
>> Yes, that would have to come back before

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Council.
If any funds were to be expended.

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» Okay.

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» All the match is coming from
Blue Ridge Conservancy and their donors

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and folks have committed funds there.

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» The only thing you hope is you don't run
into any more snags because

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it was like a million dollars 11 years
ago when we were going to be number one.

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11 [clears throat] years later, look at
what the price tag is and we're still

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not started.
>> And we are not 9 years later, 10 years

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later.
>> I do have a quick question. That is Are

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they working on that section down there
at Mystery Hill up to uh

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Eho Road? Is that what they're doing
there with all that heavy equipment?

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» That is part of the Conservancy. They're
I think it's a twofold there. They've

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got a stream restoration project going
on.

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And I think as part of that, they're
they're laying out the route as well.

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Um I I don't know the whole scope and
where it ends and where but that's part

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of
two two part project there, I think.

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» Did they do any when they was doing the
restoration there behind the water

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plant?
>> It's It's complete.

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Um if you have I don't know what kind
>> Behind the water plant?

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» Yeah, it's been
It's been two or three months. Just the

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restoration.
>> Just restoration. They didn't do

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anything with
>> Right. But they did all the rock and

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» Oh, yeah.
They did it quickly.

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» If you get a chance to go see it, it
looks looks really good down there.

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» Okay.
>> Um bought us some time with the water

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tank there.
>> We fixed our fence.

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» It told us.
>> [clears throat]

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» I don't know if I noticed the fence or
not.

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» It's not hanging down. It was cut off
clean, but I don't know if it's been

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enclosed yet.
But we we gained back

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the land we lost there.

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It's It's awesome job they did out
there.

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» But
Thanks for Mar- Margaret has picked this

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project up
and

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done a lot of work. Um it it's a lot. It
It's a lot done with this grant number

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one and number two it
Blue Springs Parkway has been tough and

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it's like I said it's just a process.
We're getting there.

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Um we're anticipating getting this to
bid with within the next few months and

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hopefully wrapping up phase 1A and 1C
through through next year.

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Um hopefully 1B shortly behind.
But again, I think Wendy's wanting to

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um
give y'all update at some point just

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because of the time lapse here. So.
>> Council, do we have a motion?

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» Move.
>> I make a motion to approve the Alice Run

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being able to
execute these agreements?

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» Yes.
>> Second.

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» How do you vote?
>> I.

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» I.
>> I.

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» Okay.
There you go.

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» Thank you.
>> Thank you, everybody. We appreciate

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» Thank you, Margaret.
>> Thank you, Alice.

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Brian, Kevin.
>> Servatius.

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» You think we'll
You know, by the time this gets to Foley

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Center, they'll wheel us down from Foley
Center. They'll look at it.

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» [laughter]
>> They've been talking about the trail for

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you down the road.
>> [laughter]

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» No brakes. No brakes.
>> We anticipate them coming back probably

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at the October meeting for an update
where we'll have the agreements to

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update with both Blue Ridge and NCDOT.
So, we we anticipate October time frame.

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» Got a motion to adjourn.

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» Move.
>> Second.

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» Second.
>> Okay.

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All right.