Town staff provided a multipart update on parks and riverfront projects on Nov. 12, covering Silverland Park bidding, FEMA offers for Riverside Park repairs, passive‑rec funding recommendations, utility coordination, and progress on Taylor's Wave.

On Silverland Park, staff said construction bids were advertised Oct. 30, a mandatory on‑site bid conference is scheduled next Thursday, bids are due Dec. 22 and will be opened that day, and the town expects to select a low bidder and move toward contract award in mid‑ to late January with construction starting in March. Staff cautioned that, given scope changes including a restroom building retrofit, completion could be fall rather than summer.

For Riverside Park, staff reported the town accepted FEMA’s offer for park repairs. Staff described reallocating $29,000 (originally associated with a lost gazebo) toward upgrading the pavilion and accepting $51,000 for other damaged amenities "so we can roll that into what we're already doing with the project." Staff said the FEMA amounts are not fully adequate for the town's ideal project scope but accepted them to keep work moving and to coordinate with existing contracts and additional funding sources.

Staff also said the project was recommended for $2,100,000 in passive recreation bond funding and that the recommendation will be before the Buncombe County Commissioners next week for approval. If approved, that award would bring the town closer to completing the entire Riverside and expansion components as designed. Staff said they are still quantifying inflation and other cost increases and will report a clearer funding gap after contractor pricing is returned in January.

Staff discussed coordination items that must be resolved before construction: AT&T intends to bore and bury fiber past sewer lines (a change that could raise costs and require a contract), DOT bridge/piers (a DOT bridge replacement project tentatively scheduled for 2027 includes a pier that would intersect park parking), and a need for a formal agreement with DOT to avoid future rework. Staff said they will set a meeting with DOT to clarify responsibilities.

On Taylor's Wave, staff said recent VIP and first-responder tours went well, contractors are finishing final onshore work where a cofferdam was placed, wave plates will be installed in the coming weeks, and water infiltration and cofferdam switching are expected in about 2–3 weeks. Staff said they coordinated with Norfolk Southern for a temporary construction easement and to secure flaggers for materials access. Town staff discussed marketing and a possible ribbon‑cutting timed either to the wave completion or the larger project opening; staff also noted a large outdoor-media event scheduled for September 2026 that the town wants to include.

Other brief items reported: new benches and playground repairs were installed at a town park, a decorative water mister was removed as obsolete, and a sandbox canopy remains to be completed. The meeting concluded with staff offering to present more detailed Riverside Park budget reconciliations at a future meeting once county funding decisions and contractor numbers are known.

The meeting did not include formal votes to accept federal funds or approve construction contracts; those items will return for formal action when specific funding awards or contract bids arrive.