Woodfin manager outlines FEMA reimbursement timeline, park restorations and dispute over repair estimates

Town Manager Shannon Tuck told the Woodfin Town Council on Sept. 15 that work to obtain federal reimbursement for Hurricane Helene damage is progressing but remains complex and time-consuming, particularly for park restorations and infrastructure repairs.

Tuck said the town has “six different public assistance applications with FEMA,” with debris removal, waterways and public property/road/driveway restoration among the categories. She said the town submitted about 75 applications during the largest round and that “about a quarter of them” were denied, while roughly “25 to 35%” were eligible only with conditions.

The town manager said contractors are completing the bulk of the debris cleanup and that work on steep, heavily impacted Sunny Ridge properties will be finished first so crews can remain mobilized. She warned that decisions on what FEMA deems eligible — for example whether a damaged tree on an unmaintained slope constitutes a threat — have created uncertainty for many residents’ claims.

Tuck said engineering and permitting are driving long timelines for road and stormwater repairs. She said some culverts will require U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits and hydraulic-and-hydrologic (H&H) studies, which can add six to nine months to project schedules. “That’s a big chunk of that 12-month time frame,” she said.

Parks: Silver Line and Riverside

Tuck said revised plans for Silver Line Park are expected this month and that FEMA allows modest mitigation — about 15% of project cost in many cases — on top of restoring facilities to pre-storm conditions. She said the town expects to post an invitation for bids for Silver Line this fall.

Riverside Park, she said, is more complex because the town had planned a significant renovation before the storm. FEMA’s standard approach is to restore facilities to pre-storm condition, but the town may pursue an “alternate plan” that applies eligible FEMA funds to the new pavilion design the town had already planned. Tuck gave the council a concrete example of the cost dispute: FEMA’s estimate for restroom repairs and restoring Riverside Park was “somewhere in the neighborhood of 70‑some thousand dollars,” while the town’s construction bid came in “closer to $300,000.”

“The problem is our bid includes so much more than what FEMA will even look at because it includes a lot of enhancement work that doesn’t get applied to a restoration to a pre‑storm condition,” Tuck said. She described two possible responses: try to persuade FEMA to accept the town’s cost documentation, or use FEMA’s lower estimate and combine it with other grants — notably a $500,000 Great Trails grant and anticipated passive recreation funding — to complete the project.

FEMA cost-estimate process and town strategy

Tuck described two ways to set project costs under FEMA public assistance: accept FEMA’s standards-and-means estimate, or document actual higher costs through invoices, bids or contracts. She said FEMA’s published standards may understimate local costs and that submitting the town’s higher, itemized numbers invites considerable back‑and‑forth. “We're doing our best to not leave money on the table,” she said, while acknowledging the risk that FEMA could later deem some work ineligible.

Permitting, replanting, and other recovery work

Tuck told the council that FEMA is responsible only for removal of eligible debris and that reforestation or revegetation is not covered by FEMA. She said the state is “exploring whether or not there could be some funding” for replanting and that local nonprofits, including Asheville Greenworks, are propagating and planting trees.

Other items in the town manager update

Tuck also reported recent administrative activity that will affect recovery and town services: four contracts approved in the last 30 days, including a community partner grant of $50,000 to ABCCM for emergency assistance and an $8,500 grant to Newbridge Baptist Church to support a community market; a $22,922 contract with Axon for three dashboard cameras; the planned launch of a TextMyGov service to report non‑emergency issues; and work to scan and archive ordinances and minutes.

Why this matters

Tuck emphasized that delays are often procedural — permitting and FEMA cost reconciliation — rather than a lack of funding. Still, the gap between FEMA estimates and local construction bids could force the town to accept lower reimbursements and rely on other grants to finish restorations, especially at Riverside Park. Council members pressed for clarity on timelines and the town’s acceptance strategy; Tuck said the town will pursue cost documentation with FEMA but may choose to move forward by combining FEMA funds with other grants if negotiations stall.

Tuck said she expects Silver Line Park work to be posted for bids this fall and said the town continues to pursue other grants and technical assistance that could accelerate recovery projects.