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Capital Management outlines projects, bond priorities and recovery coordination as council weighs pace of repairs
Summary
Capital Management staff briefed council on Jan. 14 about ongoing and planned capital projects, the need to sequence work to preserve federal reimbursement, and staffing and contracting needs to manage both normal capital work and recovery projects after the storm.
City Capital Management staff on Jan. 14 briefed Asheville City Council on capital projects completed in 2024, projects underway and planned, and the interaction between normal capital work and the large recovery effort arising from the storm.
Jay Dundas, Capital Management Director, said staff will celebrate recent ribbon cuttings for projects completed in 2024 but must also align ongoing capital work with recovery priorities. Dundas listed recent and upcoming projects including McCormick Field repairs, downtown signal and resurfacing coordination, Carrier Park repairs, municipal building roof work and relocation planning for Parks maintenance facilities damaged in the storm.
Dundas and other staff emphasized the need to coordinate with federal recovery processes so the city does not risk losing available FEMA or other federal funds. "If we take on a project now that is at high risk of being reimbursable by FEMA, starting work at the wrong time could jeopardize reimbursement," staff told council; staff recommended front-loading planning and design work where possible while phasing construction to reduce reimbursement risk.
Staff also outlined resource needs to deliver the expanded workload: the city has $80 million in voter-approved bond funding and expects to manage significant Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds (staff cited $225 million in CDBG-DR as forthcoming). Dundas said the city will need to expand project management capacity, including hiring consultants and contractors to administer many projects, because the timeline for spending bond and CDBG-DR funds is limited (bonds typically have seven-year spending windows; CDBG-DR funds also have defined deadlines).
Council members asked for clarity on which roads remain impassable (staff will follow up) and pressed for transparency about sequencing so downtown and neighborhoods are not disrupted multiple times by overlapping projects. Staff said some downtown signal equipment has a long lead time and that resurfacing and sidewalk/ADA ramp work will need coordination to avoid repeated disruption.
Why it matters: The city must balance urgent repairs that restore access and prevent further damage with compliance and sequencing that preserve eligibility for federal reimbursement and meet voter-approved bond commitments.
What happens next: Staff will return with a more detailed recovery project plan at an agenda briefing on Jan. 23, including damage assessments, sequencing, and options to increase project-management capacity and use state/federal processes to maximize reimbursement. Staff will also provide a list of currently impassable city-maintained roads.
