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Buncombe County approves FEMA-funded design contract to study Grovemont landslide
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Summary
The board approved a $794,200 design-and-engineering contract with ECS Southeast LLC to assess mitigation options for the Grovemont landslide; the work is funded by FEMA public assistance and staff expect roughly 75% of the contract up front.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 2 approved a design and engineering contract with ECS Southeast LLC to study and recommend mitigation for the Grovemont landslide.
Kevin Madsen told the board the project covers roughly nine contiguous slide areas totaling about 12,529 feet (approximately 2.4 miles) in length and averaging about 755 feet in width. The Phase 1 contract — scoped to include targeted LiDAR, field reconnaissance, geotechnical sampling, hazard modeling and mitigation recommendations with design and cost estimates — is $794,200. Madsen said the contract will be funded entirely by FEMA public assistance through the North Carolina Emergency Management reimbursement process, making the work cost-neutral to the county.
Under the FEMA process, Madsen said the county expects to receive about 75% of the contract amount up front (approximately $595,560) once the contract is signed and submitted to NC Emergency Management, with the remainder reimbursed after project completion. The county’s ask was for authority to execute the ECS Southeast LLC contract as presented in the board packet.
Commissioners asked about right-of-entry and access to private properties for geotechnical investigation; Madsen said prior right-of-entry forms exist from earlier assessments and new forms will be executed as necessary, and staff reported no known resistance to access as of the presentation. The contract timeline anticipates roughly 41–43 weeks of work, with investigations and modeling taking the bulk of the schedule and an expected project completion in fall 2026.
Commissioner Wells moved to approve the contract and the motion carried. Staff will share the signed contract with North Carolina Emergency Management as part of the FEMA reimbursement process and begin early 2026 project activities once federal/state approvals are in place.
