Winning Hendersonville, Black Mountain candidates discuss post-Helene challenges

Candidates for council seats in Hendersonville and Black Mountain did not list disaster recovery among the top issues facing their communities when they began campaigning this year.

Instead, they mostly focused on familiar concerns like growth, affordable housing, taxes and public safety.

But when Tropical Storm Helene swept through the region Sept. 27, it left behind a whole new set of headaches for elected officials, including damaged buildings and roads, displaced residents and enormous cleanup costs.

As a result, candidates who were elected (or reelected) Nov. 5 know their terms will be dominated by the aftermath of Helene.

“Tropical Storm Helene was nothing any of us could have prepared for, and it caused significant damage throughout our area,” says Hendersonville City Council member Lyndsey Simpson. “In fact, city staff is currently estimating the financial impact to be $5 million, but that number could change as we move into recovery. It does not include any sort of economic impact, which we know we will see.”

Simpson and fellow incumbent Jennifer Hensley were reelected to City Council, defeating challenger DJ Harrington. Newcomer Gina Baxter beat Colby Coren and Lynne Elizabeth Williams to win the seat that was vacated by Jerry Smith, who resigned last year.

In Black Mountain, incumbents Doug Hay, Pam King and Archie Pertiller Jr. were reelected in a race that also included challengers Dan Cordell, Rick Earley and Lisa Milton. Ryan Stone, appointed to fill a vacant seat in 2023, was unopposed for reelection.

“Recovery from Helene will not be a sprint, but a marathon,” Pertiller says.

Immediate needs

Black Mountain sustained substantial damage to a number of its public facilities, including parks, the Lakeview Center for Active Aging and the public works building, Hay explains. Repairs will take months, he adds.

“Our watershed was also hit hard,” he says. “Right now, we’re estimating about $900,000 in urgent repairs needed to get the system back up to full capacity.”

After reconnecting to the water supply at the North Fork Reservoir, the town issued a boil water notice Oct. 17 for all customers due to loss of pressure in distribution system pipes and levels of turbidity (particles) in the water.  The notice was lifted Nov. 18. Black Mountain sources about 30% of its water from the City of Asheville, with the rest coming from a dozen wells.

The town government is facing a cash-flow problem as it pays to make the repairs while awaiting insurance payouts or federal and state support. Because of that, the town put some projects on hold, he says.

That includes renovations at Cragmont Park, a 5.14-acre site on Swannanoa Avenue previously known as Youth Center Park. The town wants to make parking area improvements, install permanent restroom facilities, repair or replace tennis and basketball courts, and construct six pickleball courts at the park.

“I’m hopeful it will move forward soon, but we’re not ready just yet,” Hay says.

Adds King: “I’m sure difficult choices will have to be made about priorities — what has to be addressed now and what will have to wait.”

In Hendersonville, Hensley says some projects are being delayed for now because many city staff members are working on Helene recovery and cleanup efforts. Simpson adds that the city will have a better idea of how the timelines of projects will be affected early next year when it moves into its next budget cycle.

“Thankfully, the city was in a good financial position before the storm, and that will help us through the recovery period to build back better,” she says.

Many Hendersonville residents have been displaced by the storm, including in the areas surrounding Clear Creek Road, Dana Road, Lincoln Circle and Robinson Terrace, Baxter says. “As the city assesses the long-term implications, getting folks back into safe housing is a priority,” she says.

Among other immediate needs, Hendersonville has to repair damaged city buildings, inspect and repair roads and bridges, and restore stream banks that washed out, Simpson says. And then there’s the debris.

“So far, we have removed 1,253 truckloads of vegetative debris,” she says. “This time last year, we had moved 52 truckloads.”

Economic impact

While the governments of Hendersonville and Black Mountain are facing major repair and recovery costs right now, officials also have concerns about the long-term economic health of their communities.

“We need to help our small businesses sustain through the holidays and the winter months,” Hendersonville’s Simpson says. “Since tourism was down, a lot of their sales are down as a result, and this is supposed to be the busiest time of the year for them.”

Adds Hensley: “I will continue to sing loudly that loans are not enough for our small-business community. Many businesses are still paying loans they were forced to take due to COVID lockdowns and economic losses then. These are great businesses that were successful and, through no fault of their own, have suffered. We need to be there and show up for them.”

King is excited that most shops and restaurants in Black Mountain have reopened and encourages people to come out and support them during the holiday season.

Lessons learned

Responding to a major natural disaster was an eye-opening experience for the elected officials.

“One of our biggest obstacles was being unable to communicate with each other at the beginning of the crisis,” Black Mountain’s Pertiller says. “I feel that this was noticed, and it and many more issues are being addressed and a plan formulated for any future crisis situations.”

Hendersonville faced the same issue, Simpson says. “Moving forward, we are looking at ways to ensure Council and key staff can communicate in the event of an emergency that isn’t dependent on cell towers.”

Hensley says Hendersonville officials also learned the importance of infrastructure and strategic planning. “Water and sewer are not exciting things to fund and talk about, but the City of Hendersonville’s water system, and the professionals who run it, have created capital improvement planning that has allowed us to be redundant and resilient. We were able to restore complete water to our customers within two weeks after the storm.”

Black Mountain’s King says Helene demonstrated the importance of having staff in leadership positions who are experienced, proactive and resourceful.

Future priorities

While Helene recovery will be at the forefront in Hendersonville and Black Mountain, the winning candidates say they will continue to work on issues that were top of mind before Sept. 27.

“We had a housing crisis and shortage before Helene, and now that is even worse, with many residents displaced from storm damage,” Simpson says. “I’d also like to put a focus on parks and green space, and to make sure we continue to prioritize our staff’s needs and benefits.”

Baxter says affordable, accessible housing remains her top priority. She also wants to work on public transportation and public safety initiatives.

Hensley wants the city to build a more diverse revenue base that doesn’t rely entirely on ad valorem taxes. “We still have a quarter-cent sales tax to lobby for, that could help provide much relief to Western North Carolina in recovery efforts that would free up other pots of money that our legislature will need for recurring expenses.”

Black Mountain’s Hay lists his priorities as land-use planning, improving parks, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, and green spaces. “Ultimately, we need to come together as a town and community to ensure Black Mountain is a vibrant, affordable and safe place to live for generations to come,” he says.

Pertiller says his priorities will emerge through the town’s upcoming budget process. “My personal priority for this term is to listen more closely to what our community feels is a priority and make that my goal,” he says.

And King says her priority is to work with Town Council, staff and the community to rebuild the town.

“We’ve experienced so much loss, but we will work together to identify priorities and opportunities and bring in available resources,” she says. “Our spirit here is our biggest asset and will get us through.”