Last year, the Town applied for and received approximately $3.2 million through the State Treasurer’s Cashflow Loan Program. The loan must be repaid after all FEMA appeals are resolved and the related projects are closed out. The Town also received $63,000 in insurance proceeds for damage to Town Hall and a Public Works building. Together, these funds have allowed the Town to pay for essential contracted services, including engineering, landscape architecture, and debris removal.
Since March 2026, the Town has received $806,000 through FEMA’s Public Assistance program. These reimbursements exceed the Town’s related expenditures during the same period, which shows encouraging progress in the recovery process. The consistent flow of FEMA funds is helping the Town continue work that directly benefits residents.
FEMA and NC Emergency Management (NCEM) have approved multiple major recovery efforts as large projects (a project or group of damages that costs more than $1,037,862), including Rhododendron Lake Nature Park, the Rowland/Roberts landslide, and the 12-culvert project. These approvals confirm that the Town provided the proper documentation needed to support reimbursement eligibility and the system works as designed. As we transition from the administrative and pre-construction phase into construction, the Town will request reimbursements for expenses in real time. Your Town Council continues to manage limited resources responsibly by avoiding unnecessary debt while keeping steady progress on hurricane recovery.
To date, NCEM reimbursements have generally arrived within weeks after the Town pays a vendor - a much shorter timeframe than initially anticipated. This progress reflects careful coordination, thorough documentation, and sustained work by the Town Council and staff on behalf of residents.
Hebron Road is not FEMA eligible because it is a Federal Aid Route (part of the Federal Highway Administration or FHWA). This means timelines, requirements, and documentation are all different than the rest of our hurricane-related projects. For example, this project took priority over Davis Mountain Road and Sunny Ridge Road because of a stricter completion timeline which we applied and received an extension for. The Town is working with NCDOT and their subcontractors to have all the required information submitted to FHWA prior to the end of September of 2027. This does not mean construction of these sites will be completed by then, although we do hope they will be completed by late fall of 2027.
As of today, the environmental document, initial surveys and our initial site designs are complete. This will enable us to move forward with culvert design, and easement acquisition. NCDOT hopes to have the final design package completed and sent for approval by FHWA in December 2026. Once the final design is approved by FHWA, then the project will be advertised to contractors, and bids will be received with the goal of having a contractor available to start construction on the embankment reconstructions and culvert replacements by early spring of 2027 once the weather starts to improve.
If all goes well, a contractor should be able to complete repairs to all five damages in one construction season, again completing the work by late fall of 2027. Once completed, the stretch of Hebron Road that has been closed for two years will reopen.
Davis Mountain and Sunny Ridge Roads
The Town signed a mutual aid agreement with NCDOT for their assistance on the pre-construction work on these roads. This is helping the Town immensely with cashflow and with engineering resources. FEMA granted a two-year extension for the damages on Davis Mountain and Sunny Ridge Roads. With the additional time as compared to the Hebron Road one-year extension, the initial design work was delayed in order to meet the deadline on Hebron Road.
However, most of the initial surveys have been completed and the environmental document is in draft form and under review by NCDOT. Later this fall through early winter, we will start the initial design development process.
Final environmental reviews will be completed in May of 2027. We also hope to complete final designs by late spring and start easement acquisition by early summer.
If all goes well, we hope to have a contractor available to start construction by late summer of 2027 with completion of the five damages (embankment reconstructions and culvert replacements) during the construction season of 2028.
Status of Parks
Laurel Green Park repairs are approximately 85% complete. Final steps include finishing plantings and repairing the fence at the Wash Creek Drive Culvert (which is separate from the general park project and is in the initial planning phase). Remaining tasks for the culvert include design, bidding, contractor selection, and construction.
Rhododendron Lake Nature Park’s design phase is approximately 15% complete. Remaining tasks include finalizing the design, bidding, contractor selection, and construction.
Park Debris Removal Amounts T0-Date
Laurel Green Park: 86.8 Tons (173,600 lbs.)
Rhododendron Lake Nature Park: 89.2 Tons (178,400 lbs.). This amount excludes the dredging and trenching of the lake itself which is filled with sediments and storm debris.
Glenn Rock Springs: 80.3 Tons (160,600 lbs.)
Total Debris Removed: 256.3 Tons (512,600 lbs.)
Why Couldn’t the Town Use Volunteers for Park Debris Removal or Repairs?
Working with FEMA has given us the opportunity to apply for hazard mitigation funding which allows us to improve the long-term resilience of the parks. In order to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we've had to work within FEMA's structure and select qualified contractors per their procurement requirements.
As of December 19, the Town has signed task orders for the culvert replacement project and the first 3 major road repair projects. These task orders authorize our engineering firms to begin geotechnical surveying of all damages. Without this step, we don’t know the true degree of damage we are expecting to repair. Additionally, after appealing FEMA’s original denial, the Town has successfully been obligated the money we spent on the emergency culvert replacement at the entrance to Country Ridge (Davis Mountain Road/Azaela Ridge). This isn’t a large dollar amount, though every penny helps when it comes to millions of dollars! The Laurel Park team is continuing to explore additional funding sources including borrowing and grant options.
At the regular Town Council meeting on November 18th Town Manager Reeves provided an update on the financial aspect of our hurricane-related projects. The biggest takeaway from her presentation is the fantastic news regarding the payback terms of the $3.2 million dollars the Town of Laurel Park has received through the State Treasurer’s Cashflow Loan Program. Instead of having to pay this full amount back by June 30, 2030, Laurel Park is now able to recycle this money until the final declination of FEMA coverage or reimbursement or receipt of FEMA reimbursement funds. This opportunity would not have been possible without the help and support of state and local leaders such as the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives Destin Hall (and his excellent staff), State Representative Jennifer Balkcom, and former State Representative Chuck McGrady.
