Town identifies a dozen capital projects to fund in upcoming fiscal year
Cragmont Park and Lake Tomahawk emerge as priorities in special call meeting
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 20, 2023
The Town of Black Mountain plans to invest $185,000 into improvements at Lake Tomahawk Park, following an April 19 special call meeting. Photo by Fred McCormick
A special call meeting of the Black Mountain Town Council, held April 19, concluded with a list of 12 capital projects likely to receive approximately $700,000 in total funding in the upcoming 2023-24 fiscal year.
Nine of them will focus on improvements in and around Cragmont and Lake Tomahawk Parks, leaving an additional $400,000 that could allow the board to pursue additional options, including the purchase of garbage or recycling carts for all residents and solar panels for the town’s public works and recreation building on Black Mountain Avenue.
The special call meeting came nine days after elected officials reviewed the results of an online survey that sought public input related to preferred capital projects. Approximately 500 residents responded to the questionnaire, with 65% choosing parks and recreation and 41% expressing a preference for the town to invest in existing infrastructure.
“I’m struck by the survey results, which align pretty well with what I’m hearing from others,” Councilmember Doug Hay said. “Park renovations and improvements and fixing what we’ve already built seem to be on the top of everyone’s mind. Pedestrian improvements were also high on the safety results, as well as public safety equipment.”
Hay, during the town council’s regular April meeting, expressed support for various projects in and around Cragmont Park, as fellow board member Alice Berry and Vice Mayor Archie Pertiller, Jr. voiced their agreement in this week’s workshop.
“The feedback on the survey was very clear,” Berry said. “I want to respect that. It’s very appealing to me to take on a project and feel like there’s some completion there. So, if Cragmont Park feels like the most feasible place to do that, with some design work, it would put a lot of these items into place.”
Town Manager Josh Harrold presented a spreadsheet containing items previously discussed by the town council, which has been considering possible uses for the funding since 2021, when it was originally awarded to Black Mountain, following the signing of the American Rescue Plan Act. The town received $2.6 million through the COVID-19 stimulus fund, which it allocated as revenue replacement for payroll expenses, before designating more than half of it to high priority projects, such as repairing the Lake Tomahawk dam and replacing outdated waterlines on U.S. 70.
As the town prepares its 2023-24 budget, Harrold was seeking the board’s guidance on how to spend the remaining $1.19 million.
The town council reviewed 18 projects, ranging from $342,500 for rollaway garbage cans to $10,000 to repair the Grey Eagle monument on Sutton Avenue.
The board agreed to fund audio and visual upgrades within the town council chamber for a total of $77,500 and the necessary funding to repair the downtown Grey Eagle monument. The nine remaining projects were split between Cragmont and Lake Tomahawk Parks.
The Black Mountain Town Council, in an April 19 special call meeting, directed staff to allocate more than $320,000 for improvements to Cragmont Park. Photo by Fred McCormick
The town plans to allocate $65,000 for improvements to the basketball courts in Cragmont and $70,000 for the tennis courts. Approximately $42,000 will be allocated to pave the trail around the park, located at the intersection of Cragmont Road and Swannanoa Avenue, while an additional $45,000 will fund improvements to the parking lot. Approximately $100,000 was committed to the construction of a restroom facility in the park, as board members also approved funding for a sidewalk along Swannanoa Avenue.
Four projects around Lake Tomahawk, including $100,000 for a new playground; $50,000 to improve the surrounding drainage system; $20,000 to repair or replace the gazebo and $15,000 for new benches and handrails, were approved by the town council.
The board decided against paving the path around the lake at this time.
Several town council members expressed support for repairing or replacing the sidewalks along Vance Avenue, but the board elected to continue the conversation at a later date.
“I could support that, because they definitely need work,” Bill Christy said.
Berry agreed, citing the impact of weather on the crumbling sidewalks.
“It definitely gets swamped when it rains, and people park on them because there is a weird side there,” she said.
The decision on repairing the Vance Avenue sidewalks, however, may depend on another item on the list, according to Councilmember Pam King.
“I know I had said I’d support it, but if it’s a choice between that and solar panels, it’s all about choices,” she said. “And, you know how I feel about solar panels.”
The board agreed to table the discussion while considering possible uses for the remaining $400,000.
“We really need the Toter (garbage carts) numbers before we can proceed,” King said.