I just reviewed my last article from September. What a change. Chimney Rock Village is in a different world, a different universe! The old Chimney Rock Village is gone. It lives only in our memories. It is sad, unbelievable, upsetting, devastating. You can use as many adjectives as you can dream up and still not adequately describe what’s here.
Pictures and words cannot capture the reality. Every business in the Village is closed down, unemployment is 100%. Chimney Rock Park is closed down. Bat Cave and points westward are now an hour or more drive instead of a few minutes. People’s plans, dreams, and lives have been forever altered. The Village is different, strange, completely reformed and reshaped in a few terrible minutes. We face a new reality, a new and uncertain future.
It is stressful but it is our reality. How do we face it? Where do we go from here? That is what all of us are grappling with. So much uncertainty, so many questions to answer. The shock is still slowly wearing off for most of us and being replaced by the need to move forward.
So much help has poured in from so many sources. Initially the emergency services, fire, rescue, military came and did their jobs. But they moved on and now we have the rebuilders moving in. DOT is hard at work on the highway and hopefully soon, on the bridge to the Park. Contracts have been awarded to Wright Brothers Construction and they are working hard and fast and making great progress.
Chimney Rock Park is exploring options to reopen the Park to the public as soon as possible. I have been meeting and working with Carol Pritchett, Mayor of Lake Lure, on joint ventures and coordinating our cleanup and recovery efforts. The Village has hired a disaster management company, ROSTAN Solutions, to help us navigate recovery funding, planning, and FEMA.
We have appointed and set up a Task Force to help us plan for the recovery and rebuilding of the Village. This group will make short- and long-term plans for the business community’s recovery, the highway, parks, riverwalks, green spaces, neighborhoods, etc. This group will seek public input so please follow our Facebook page – Chimney Rock Village NC – for all the details.
Things are moving fast and changing daily. We get new information, new opportunities, new setbacks, new thoughts and ideas constantly. It is a lot to juggle, a lot to process. But the chance to rebuild Chimney Rock Village, the chance to make it better is right here. We literally have a blank slate and tremendous opportunity and responsibility to build back better, build back different, build back with the same character but better positioned to face the future. A future which I think is very bright.
We have been beaten up and knocked down. All of us have our own decisions to make about our individual futures and plans. But collectively we will do this. There is a great group who are determined to make the future Chimney Rock Village special. I am encouraged by their resolve, I am encouraged by the volunteers, I am encouraged by the outside support, I am encouraged. That’s what will get us through. That’s what will rebuild Chimney Rock Village.
Please keep me posted as to any changes, news, or information you would like me to include in future Village reports. You can email me at bubbaolearys@bellsouth.net or call 828-625-2479. You may also contact any of your Council Members; Peter O’Leary, April Schick, Buck Meliski, Bruce Godzik, and Patrick Warncke with any concerns or questions.
Remember the Chimney Rock Village Council always meets the third Tuesday of every month at 7:30 pm in the Chimney Rock Volunteer Fire Department building (unless a special meeting is called or the Council votes to change a particular date). These meetings are open to the public. Please contact Peter O’Leary 828-545-1243 or Village Clerk, Steve Duncan 828-777-5718 if you have any questions or concerns.
They haven’t met at the firehouse since before the hurricane for meetings