Black Mountain Town Council approves funding for public safety building assessment
Up to $10,000 allocated for professional structural engineering services
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 15, 2026
The Town of Black Mountain is allocating $10,000 to fund an assessment of the public safety building by a structural engineer, following its Sept. 14 regular monthly meeting. Photo by Fred McCormick
A motion to approve up to $10,000 for the purpose of contracting a structural engineer to assess the integrity of the Town of Black Mountain Public Safety Building was approved, Sept. 14, as the town council convened its regular monthly meeting.
The 4-0 decision, with Larry Harris absent, followed a discussion of the facility, which housed the municipality’s police and fire departments prior to their relocation last March, due to concerns regarding the safety of the structure. The approximately 12,000-square-foot facility at 106 Montreat Road, adjacent to the fire department bays, was designated unsafe, with restricted use, by town building officials the following May.
Black Mountain Police personnel moved out of the office to a temporary location in Ridgecrest, before identifying another short-term location in a vacant building on the property of Givens Highland Farms in April. The department will occupy that space through at least October, according to town officials.
The fire department continues to utilize the bays, which were determined to be structurally sound, during the day, while firefighters bunk in the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church parsonage across Montreat Road. The town purchased a triple-wide mobile unit from the City of Hendersonville to function as a long-term temporary office for the fire department, earlier this year, while the BMPD announced the state will provide a separate temporary unit for law enforcement.
As the town considers short- and long-term plans for public safety facilities, the precise condition of the existing facility remains unknown, according to interim Town Manager Richard Hicks.
“Until we get something from a structural engineer, we really don’t know what our costs are,” Hicks told the town council, Sept.14. “Our architect gave us estimates and said the building was unsafe, but I think we need somebody that can look at that for us.”
Mayor Michael Sobol advocated for the town council to approve funding for a structural engineer to examine the facility.
The Town of Black Mountain will contract a structural engineer to assess the integrity of the public safety building, following a unanimous decision, Sept. 14, by the town council. Photo by Fred McCormick
“This is an architect saying this is unsafe, and we don’t really know,” he said. “Let’s get a structural engineer so they can definitively define it.”
A facility assessment presented last March by engineering firm McGill Associates and interdisciplinary firm Mosely Designs was conducted to “visually evaluate the current condition of the building systems” and estimate the useful life remaining of each.
The report concluded second-floor slabs and the foundations were compromised, noting cracks, settlements and wall movements, which were classified as consistent with those caused by loss of bearing under the wall footings and slab. The precise cause of those issues was unknown, according to the report, which identified rainfall events, groundwater movement and cracked drainage pipes as likely contributing to the observations.
Boring samples of the soil beneath the building, conducted in May, located water within 18 inches of the bottom of the slab in samples collected near the northeast corner of the structure.
“The questions are related to the safety of the structure itself,” Hicks said. “Your architect isn’t really dealing with that aspect. He’s pointing out things, saying they’ve seen damage and think there are significant issues and don’t think it’s safe. But, he can’t tell you if the walls are safe or why the floor is sinking in the bathroom.”
The town, which was informed, Sept. 2, it would be included on the Local Government Commission Unit Assistance List, has no money budgeted for repairing the facility, Hicks told elected officials.
“If you’re going to fix it, or if you need to make major repairs, you’re going to have to borrow the funds,” he said. “In order to borrow the funds, now, you’re going to have to get approval from the LGC. I met with them last week and they said there is a timeframe and certain steps you will have to follow, but they do see public safety as a main concern.”
The potential costs of necessary repairs remain unknown, Hicks added.
“Not to say they won’t approve it, but they will look at it very seriously before giving you approval,” he said. “We’ve had costs anywhere from $1 million to $2 million. Until we get something from a structural engineer we really don’t know what our costs are.”
The town council will allocate money from its contingency fund to cover the costs of the structural engineer assessment.
“I would like to finally go ahead and get an answer on that building,” Vice Mayor Archie Pertiller, Jr. said, with Councilmember Ryan Stone voicing agreement.
The council authorized the manager to contract a firm for the service.
Meeting notes:
The BMPD recognized four citizens — Christian Maloney, Andrew Koulouris, James Thompson and Phillip T. Whiting — with Medals of Valor. Police Chief Steve Parker credited the recipients for “extraordinary courage and selfless actions,” July 2, when they intervened to disarm an individual in a downtown business.
Four members of the BearWise Advisory Group, working with town staff to identify and implement potential policies designed to promote safe co-habitation between residents and bears, presented the town council with an update. The committee expressed support for an October public hearing, discussing proposed text amendments to Chapter 6 of the town’s code of ordinances. The proposed amendments establish fines addressing nuisance feeding of bears, while not prohibiting bird feeders.
A presentation on the progress of a $5 million floodbenching project along the Swannanoa River, south of East State Street, provided information on three sites identified in the 2022 Stormwater Master Plan. The project, focused on flood mitigation, riverbank stabilization, floodplain bench and constructed wetlands, is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year.
A $50 rate increase for rentals of the Lakeview Center Clubhouse was approved unanimously, as the town recreation and parks department prepares to reopen the facility for events in the coming weeks. The pricing adjustment is intended to offset cleaning fees, according to department director Jacob Guiot.