[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.