Dillsboro, Sylva at odds over bridge replacement plan

BY HOLLY KAYS S TAFF WRITER A proposed change of plans in the Dillsboro bridge project has drawn divided opinion from the towns of Dillsboro and Sylva.

As originally planned, the $14 million project to replace the bridge on U.S. 23 over Scott Creek would begin June 8 and last through March 2023, with a temporary bridge installed parallel to the existing one accommodating traffic during that time. However, the contractor, Tennessee-based Wright Brothers, has proposed an alternative plan that would save $3 million and allow the project to wrap up by March 7, 2021.

The drawback is that the plan would require the closure of Old Dillsboro Road between Dillsboro and Sylva throughout the project’s duration, because the new plan would eliminate construction of the temporary bridge. From mid-May to mid-August, vehicles would need to use U.S. 74 to travel between Sylva and Dillsboro or else navigate the winding back way that uses Savannah Drive and Yellow Bird Road.

During that time, subcontracted crews would work to complete a retaining wall on Hill Street. Once the wall was completed — expected to occur mid-August — local traffic could use Old Home Town Road through Monteith Park as a detour.

During a special-called meeting April 20, Dillsboro aldermen unanimously approved the plan. Timing was a big part of it, said Mayor Mike Fitzgerald. Due to COVID-19 closures, this summer is likely to be a much slower season than most, meaning that the traffic issue won’t be the “catastrophe” it would be under normal circumstances, he said. Under the new plan, the project will be far less costly and last a far shorter amount of time.

“It’s a more acute pain, but it gets over more quickly,” he said.

However, Dillsboro also had to consider its finances. The state and the contractor would get to split the $3 million savings 50- 50, and Wright Brothers offered to give Dillsboro $450,000 of its $1.5 million share. That’s a lot of money for a town whose 2019- 2020 budget clocked in at just $191,000. The board has not yet decided how it would use that money, but it’s likely many of the funds would be used to help small businesses hit hard by COVID-19 closures, Fitzgerald said.

“We’re constantly trying to improve the town, and we don’t want a bunch of vacant buildings if we can help it,” said Fitzgerald.

While the primary negotiation is between Dillsboro and the contractor, the N.C. Department of Transportation also asked Sylva to weigh in on the issue, which it did during an April 23 meeting held via Zoom.

“It’s a fundamental shift in the scope of this project,” said Commissioner David Nestler. “This project was put together with years of public input and studies, and this is the plan that everybody came up with and people agreed on. To change it at the last second like this with no public comment whatsoever I think is a recipe for disaster.”

The rest of the board agreed with that sentiment, as did town staff. Sylva’s leaders felt that the decision was too rushed, that too little information was available and that it could harm businesses near the barricade. They also expressed concern as to how the closure would impact emergency response times.

“They normally do a lot of analysis that would calculate the cost and benefits over time and what the nine-month window versus the three-month window would mean,” said Rose Baugess, senior planner for the Southwestern Commission, who attended Sylva’s meeting. “It just seems if they’re proposing to save two years on the total project, they could allow a couple weeks for some better information dissemination and analysis.”

Fitzgerald said the rushed timing is influenced by shortfalls in the DOT budget, likely to be made worse as the result of COVID-19.

“Everybody right now is trying to spend money wisely, and that’s why it came up suddenly,” he said.

DOT spokesperson David Uchiyama said the department plans to announce a decision on the matter this week.

“Officials are evaluating the plan as well as comments and suggestions from other parties,” he said.

No formal public comment period is involved with this decision, but input will be considered throughout the duration of the project. Direct feedback to Division Engineer Ted Adams, tadams@ndot.gov.

Nonprofits collaborate to feed homeless

HERE in Jackson County, which provides services to those at-risk of or experiencing homelessness, has partnered with local nonprofit Uncomplicated Kitchen to address the food barrier for its shelter clients.

HERE’s seasonal shelter program was extended to prevent the spread of COVID19 among Jackson’s homeless population and continues to operate in various hotels with rooms equipped only with microwaves for meal preparation.

After learning that shelter clients were living off of food boxes consisting of items they had no way to cook, Uncomplicated Kitchen Executive Director Jenna Kranz reached out to help. Because hotel shelter clients have access only to a microwave oven, Kranz began creating no-cook and microwave-friendly recipes that require very few cooking tools and ingredients readily available to shelter clients and food box recipients.

Uncomplicated Kitchen’s mission is to address food security through education and to ensure that all community members can prepare healthy meals with food they have available. Visit www.uncomplicatedkitchen.org.

For more information about HERE in Jackson County, contact 828.477.4946, visit www.hereinjacksoncounty.org or visit facebook.com/hereinjc.

news

Nantahala foundation launches recovery fund

Nantahala Health Foundation has launched a COVID-19 Impact Recovery Fund to match charitable donations dollar for dollar up to $100,000 and better position itself to bring organizations together to prepare for a post-COVID future.

“The immediate threat has always been that the virus would spread and create pressures on our communities’ limited healthcare systems,” said NHF Executive Director Lori Bailey. “Beyond that, however, we anticipate dramatic short- and longterm effects on our region’s education systems, workforce and local economies. By growing our resources and matching donations from the public, we will be better equipped to respond quickly and sustain that response over the duration of the recovery.”

Launching a major fundraising campaign may seem like an odd response from such a young organization, but Bailey said it’s the right approach, in that it gives those who are able an opportunity to make a tremendous impact on future health outcomes in Western North Carolina. Nantahala Health Foundation is a catalyst for innovation and collaboration, existing to address the social determinants of health in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, as well as the Qualla Boundary. www.nantahalahealthfoundation.org.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2020

The Catamount School, a school for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in Jackson County, is accepting 6th, 7th and 8th grade registrations for the 2020-21 school year. Operated by Western Carolina University’s College of Education and Allied Professions in cooperation with Jackson County Public Schools, The Catamount School is designed to explore innovative teaching approaches and applied learning opportunities in order to help every student discover his or her full academic potential. The school is a public lab school operated on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School and is free to accepted students and their families.