The two year anniversary of the flood is upon us. This September 27 marks 730 days since Chimney Rock Village was changed forever. It seems like another time or another life, until I drive to Bat Cave and remember that yes, it did happen. It’s still painful seeing the torn up riverbed extending like a barren rockscape across the floor of Hickory Nut Gorge.
Where has the shade, and the trees, and the moss covered rocks gone? When will they be back? What seems to help is to get close to the river and listen to the gurgling water speaking in peaceful tones.
In early August I was able to do that as I spent a few hours with Mountain True, picking up trash along the river as it passes behind the Hickory Nut and the site of the Geneva Motel. The water looked cool and refreshing as it tumbled over the moss covered rocks. There they were, the moss covered rocks. On one of those rocks I also saw one snake, a small one, but he didn’t hang around very long.
It was rejuvenating to be this close to the river. I could see in its path and in the rocks, slowly rearranged by the water, that the river was working toward its recovery. Slowly, in nature’s time, things are happening and gradually coming back to what we remember and long for.
Likewise the Village and our partners are working on our comeback. Planning, working, setting the stage for the construction and rebuilding to come.
NC Secretary of Transporation, Daniel Johnson, visited in early August and assured us that DOT is with us and won’t stop until the job is done. Our partnership with DOT has been a great blend of cooperation and respect. They did a marvelous job with the initial recovery and their rebuilding plans for the permanent road reflect the Village’s input and vision.
DOT has begun work on the Highway 64 bridge replacement in Bat Cave. A temporary bridge is being built so the old bridge can be torn down and a new one built in its place. DOT crews are also filling in dirt in front of Burntshirt to build the base for the new road. It will be built above the existing road but will be about 3-4 feet higher. The rebuilt highway between Chimney Rock and Bat Cave will be essentially in the same location as the old road but DOT tells us there will be some improvements made to the design and layout.
Our streetscape rebuild is on track to begin this winter or late fall. The initial push will be to complete FEMA funded repairs to the existing streetscape from the center of the Village to the Village Square area next to Bubba O’Leary’s. At the same time we are working with McGill Engineering to complete plans to continue repairing, rebuilding, and putting in new streetscape concepts from the Village Square to the Lake Lure City limit.
The western part of our streetscape will be part of the DOT construction plan as they work from the planned traffic circle near Gales and the Smokhouse westward. It will end just past the Village owned parking area next to the Best View Inn.
The Village officially applied for Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding to build the East Village infill project or Bizhub. This is a building on the vacant land just east of the Village Post Office to provide retail space for 5 of the businesses that lost their buildings and land just west of the CR Park Gate and the Old Rock Café. We have also applied to the EDA for grant funding for this project and hope that one of these two programs will come through for us.
We also applied for CDBG-DR funding for Phase 1 of the riverwalk project. This will begin at the Lake Lure Town limit and extend along the river west to the area near the Broad River Inn. Other portions of the riverwalk and the river restoration project from that point westward will not begin until DOT has completed much of their Main Street work and the new Chimney Rock State Park bridge. This is most likely 2-3 years in the future.
All of these projects and plans are in the “Raisetherock.com” plan, available for veiwing on this website. Please go there and review it for more information.
As part of our two year commemoration of the flood, UNCC students are putting together a temporary exhibit about the event. This will probable be erected on the temporary riverwalk behind the Riverwatch restaurant. Please check our FaceBook page for up to date annoucements of upcoming events.
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 828-545-1243. 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 5:30 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.
