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Black Mountain council urged to reopen Lake Tomahawk clubhouse to seniors
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Summary
A council member pressed the Town of Black Mountain to reopen the main floor of the Depression‑era Lake Tomahawk clubhouse to senior groups and short‑term rentals, citing structural inspection needs and a faster local fix than waiting for FEMA.
A councilmember asked the Town of Black Mountain on Monday to move quickly to reopen the main floor of the Lake Tomahawk clubhouse so senior residents—who the speaker said make up nearly half the town’s population—can resume meetings and social activities.
The request came during the council’s public comments and focused on making the clubhouse usable while longer basement repairs proceed. The speaker said restoration work by a contractor, Balfour, exposed the building’s floor supports and visible damage related to historic fires, and recommended locating original engineering drawings or hiring an engineer to evaluate whether the present structure can safely accommodate the fire‑department limit of 130 people.
The speaker described the clubhouse as a Depression‑era Public Works Administration (PWA) project that has hosted dances and gatherings for decades and urged the council to fund a targeted engineering review and the minimal repairs needed to reopen the upstairs. The councilmember said the town need not wait for a FEMA master project process and offered that the town has funds to pay for needed work if FEMA proceeds slowly.
Council discussion at the meeting did not record a formal motion on this specific request. Town staff later noted the clubhouse appears on the town’s master project list for FEMA consideration but that FEMA timelines can be slow. The speaker suggested the town pay for upstairs repairs if FEMA and insurance cover the basement work.
Why it matters: reopening the clubhouse would restore an accessible meeting site for a large segment of Black Mountain’s population and create a rental revenue source, while raising short‑term safety and engineering review questions that the town must resolve before resuming gatherings.
The council did not take a formal vote on the request during the meeting; staff said they will search town files for original engineering drawings and explore an expedited engineering evaluation if the documents cannot be located.
