Buncombe County details post‑hurricane park recovery, river debris work and timelines for Owen Park rebuild

Alice Dabanes, the director of the corporation, told the Buncombe County Parks & Recreation Corporation Advisory Board that the county’s park system remains in response mode after Hurricane Helene and that staff are continuing damage inventories with insurers and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to seek reimbursement and plan repairs.

“This is the first step in working with FEMA to get reimbursed for damages,” Dabanes said, describing a process in which insured losses are handled by the county’s insurance carriers first and then, if not covered, are submitted to FEMA for possible reimbursement.

The county has conducted multiple park walk‑throughs, completed arborist risk assessments and removed trees judged to be imminent hazards before reopening sites. Dabanes said hundreds of trees were lost across the system and that tree assessments will likely be done on a biannual basis going forward to ensure safety.

Why it matters: Buncombe County’s parks and greenways are used by residents for recreation, youth sports and tourism. The scale of damage, the need for debris removal from rivers and the duration of repairs will affect summer programming, field availability and longer‑term capital projects.

Most important recovery items - River debris and “toll” sites: Dabanes said six of the county’s seven river parks are serving as temporary off‑loading sites where Army Corps contractors stage river debris removed from waterways. The Army Corps is conducting the waterway cleanup; sites are inspected and returned to the…