BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Black Mountain officials are expected to take a closer look Thursday at what comes next for a public safety building that has been deemed unsafe and forced police and fire personnel into temporary quarters.

The Black Mountain Town Council will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday at Town Hall, 160 Midland Ave. The meeting is open to the public.

The council is scheduled to hear presentations about the Public Safety Building, review the agenda for its Aug. 10 regular meeting and consider a Master Services Agreement.

For police, fire and EMS personnel, the discussion comes after nearly six months of working from temporary locations following the town’s decision to move operations out of the aging building.

The Black Mountain Police Department said in a social media post Thursday that the presentation will address the condition of the former building, whether it can be repaired or needs to be replaced and potential long-term solutions.

The building’s problems have been developing for years, but Tropical Storm Helene appears to have made some of them worse.

The roughly 75-year-old building was originally constructed as a grocery store and later converted for public safety use. Previous inspections identified structural problems, including bowing walls and floor buckling.

After Helene struck Western North Carolina in September 2024, police officials reported seeing additional changes to the structure, including new signs of movement and flooding.

In March, consultants from McGill Associates and Moseley Architects told the Town Council they had significant concerns about the building’s structural integrity. They identified bowing brick walls, cracks in the floor and ongoing basement flooding.

Architect Kevin McDade told council members his professional opinion was that the building was not safe to occupy because “something is actively happening” to the structure.

Engineers raised concerns about soil and foundation problems beneath the building. They found evidence of water entering a storm pipe beneath the structure, which could soften soil and cause the building to settle. The basement on the police side also has experienced flooding through a retaining wall.

The building received a Facility Condition Index of 0.77, putting it well into the “high-priority” category. The assessment estimated $2.2 million in deferred maintenance, including about $1.85 million in critical repairs needed within a year.

By comparison, consultants estimated that demolishing the existing structure and building a similar 12,000-square-foot facility could cost about $6.6 million for construction, or roughly $8 million for the entire project.

Town officials subsequently moved public safety personnel into temporary facilities.

Fire operations were moved to Presbyterian Church property on Montreat Road, while police and fire administrative staff were moved to the Ridgecrest Conference Center. The town also has considered modular office space along Honeycutt Drive as a longer-term temporary option.

Despite the moves, officials have said emergency response remains fully operational.

Now, the town is looking beyond the immediate fix.

The Police Department said Thursday that Police Chief Steve Parker, Fire Chief John Coffey and Land of Sky Regional Council have been pursuing grants, federal funding and congressional appropriations in an effort to limit the cost to local taxpayers.

Town officials also have been working with state lawmakers and the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction and Department of Health and Human Services on the possibility of obtaining nearly 17 acres for a future public safety campus.

The town is continuing to appeal FEMA’s decision regarding the former Public Safety Building, with the appeal currently under review in Washington, according to the Police Department.

The department said its goal is not simply to replace an old building, but to create a facility that can withstand disasters while supporting modern police, fire and EMS operations.

That issue was made particularly clear during Helene.

The building flooded during the storm, knocking out its generator and leaving public safety personnel without power for two days. Officials previously reported that water entered the basement, where equipment and police evidence are stored and mold and mildew have developed on basement walls.

The town now faces a larger question: repair an aging structure with significant problems or invest in a new facility that could serve Black Mountain for decades.

Thursday’s meeting is expected to provide residents with more information about those options — and what they could mean for the town and its taxpayers.

The meeting begins at 5 p.m. at Black Mountain Town Hall.

 

 

Special Called Town Council Meeting – 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 6, 2026
The Town Council will hold a special meeting on Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 5:00 pm at Black Mountain Town Hall, 160 Midland Ave. The purpose of this special meeting is for agenda review for the August 10, 2026 regular meeting, presentations about the Public Safety Building and to consider a Master Services Agreement. Meeting open to the public.

 

Black Mountain Police Department
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Tonight is an important night for the future of public safety in our community.
For the past six months, your Police Department, Fire Department, and EMS have continued serving this community after being displaced from the Public Safety Building. Although our first responders have never stopped answering the call, operating from multiple temporary locations creates challenges when seconds matter.
Tonight’s presentation will discuss:
• The condition of the former Public Safety Building.
• Whether the building can be repaired or if replacement is necessary.
• Long-term solutions to provide safe, reliable public safety services for our community.
📍 Town Council Chambers
160 Midland Ave.
🕔 Tonight at 5:00 PM
If you care about emergency response, protecting our first responders, preparing for future disasters like Hurricane Helene, and understanding the financial impact to taxpayers, we encourage you to attend.
What has been happening behind the scenes?
While Police, Fire, and EMS have been operating from temporary facilities, significant work has continued to reduce costs and identify long-term solutions.
✅ The Fire Chief, Police Chief, Matt Begley, and Land of Sky have been aggressively pursuing grants, federal funding opportunities, and congressional appropriations to reduce the burden on local taxpayers.
✅ The Fire Chief and Police Chief have been working with North Carolina House and Senate representatives, along with the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, to pursue the donation of nearly17 acres for a future Public Safety campus.
✅ The Town continues its FEMA appeal, which is currently under review in Washington, D.C., regarding the former Public Safety Building.
✅ Despite working from facilities that were never intended to serve as long-term Police, Fire, and EMS stations, our first responders have remained committed to protecting our community every day.
✅ Some may say the Police Chief and Fire Chief simply want a new building. The reality is that this is not about what we want, it’s about what our community deserves. The citizens of Black Mountain deserve a modern, resilient, Public Safety facility that supports the level of emergency services they expect and depend on.
Today’s fire and police services are far more complex than they were when our current facility was built. Modern emergency response requires facilities that can support advanced technology, specialized equipment, coordinated operations, and the health and safety of first responders. Our community deserves a facility that allows police officers and firefighters to respond quickly, work efficiently, and remain operational during everyday emergencies as well as major disasters.
This investment is about protecting lives, improving response, strengthening resilience, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely by building a facility that will serve the community for generations. Hurricane Helene exposed the significant limitations and vulnerabilities of our now condemned Public Safety building, reinforcing the need for infrastructure that can withstand future emergencies and continue serving the people of Black Mountain when they need it most.
We hope you’ll join us tonight to hear the facts, ask questions, and be part of this important discussion.

Background … https://828newsnow.com/news/228822-report-black-mountain-public-safety-building-may-be-unsafe/