Hurricane Isaias gave us all a scare several weeks ago as it dumped about 7 inches of rain and caused some damage to the shoulder of Main street just west of downtown Chimney Rock. I know I was experiencing some flashbacks and bad feelings while driving around in the middle of the night to check on things as rain pounded the roof of my truck.
It is certainly natural to have such feelings after the trama of Helene and I’m sure many of you feel the same. The Village is in a delicate spot with so many temporary fixes in place while we plan and engineer the permanent solutions. We really do need a few more mild years with no storms to upset the progress. I pray that we are granted the reprieve so we can accomplish the dream.
There are many out there who share our dream and believe in us. The Dogwood Trust continues to be a stellar partner. The Dogwood Board has approved a $500,000 planning grant to enable the Village to continue our planning, coordination, collaboration, engineering, and all the other behind the scenes actions that go into such a massive recovery and rebuilding effort. Their recognition of our efforts and their willingness to help fund us through these multiple projects is heartwarming and inspiring. We offer our wholehearted thanks for being such a supportive partner and continuing to believe in us.
I read some comments on Facebook about the Isaias rain and its affect on the temporary highway. To answer those comments, yes the new highway will be higher. It will be rebuilt in the same spot as it was before and will not remain in the riverbed. Some areas will be higher than the old highway and there will be additional “armoring” of the shoulder to withstand heavy rains and high waters. DOT is building the highway and new bridges back in a more storm resistant manner.
The Chimney Rock Village Square (Plaza) area, between the CR Gem Mine and Bubba O’Leary’s General Store, is being put out to bid for repairs and rebuilding. This project will include repairs up and down Main street on the damaged sections of our current streetscape. It will also include the stairs down to the riverwalk from the Village Square.
These repairs should be completed by Memorial Day 2027. We also hope to have more of the river bank and riverwalk at least temporarily repaired by then. This will tie into the reopening of several businessess in the center of the Village. It will be nice to see this part of downtown and the river reopen to the public and begin showing signs of life again.
This will provide better access to the UNCC art exhibit which was installed on the two year anniversary of the storm. The exhibit is named “The Rise” and commemorates the Village’s recovery and rebirth after the storm. It was built by UNCC Architecture Graduate students and is located below the Village Square in the future riverwalk area. Next summer it should be much more accessible to everyone and will be a great centerpiece for the riverwalk.
The new Streetscape project that will extend from the Lake Lure Town limits west to just beyond the Best View Inn is in the design and engineering stage. We hope to begin construction on it during the summer of 2027 near the Lake Lure Town limits and work westward. This should put the center of the Village construction during the slower winter months.
The Christmas holidays are coming up and a christmas light work day is scheduled for November 18. We want to encourage our merchants to really light up their businesses so we can celebrate the holidays with renewed enthusiasm. All of us are itching to get back to a more normal time and this is a way to celebrate our return to normal festive activity. Be sure and plan to shop in the Village this year for your holiday gift giving. It will be appreciated by everyone.
You can look for details on this and other happenings on the Village FaceBook page. You can also see information on all the Village’s projects and plans on the “Raisetherock.com” website.
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; 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.