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Weaverville advisory committee outlines tourism, museum and foundation plans
Summary
The Weaverville Economic Development Advisory Committee reported June 22 that it has mobilized volunteers, pursued a potential museum relocation to the ThermoFisher campus, supported local recreation and tourism projects, and established a Weaverville Foundation (501(c)(3)) to raise private funds for town projects.
A representative of the town’s Economic Development Advisory Committee told the council on June 22 that the group has grown to about 40 volunteers and is pursuing a set of projects meant to align with the town’s stated goals: intentional tourism, diverse affordable housing, safe streets, healthy neighborhoods, community amenities, infrastructure planning, and small business support.
The committee highlighted four in‑flight efforts: exploratory talks with the Western North Carolina Museum of Culture and History about a potential campus location at the ThermoFisher real‑estate site (the proposal has reportedly reached ThermoFisher’s real‑estate office), ongoing support for recreation‑and‑tourism ventures including a pickleball facility and an entertainment arcade, hotel developer outreach within a roughly 10‑state radius, and the creation of a new nonprofit, the Weaverville Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) to raise funds for projects the town and citizens do not directly finance. The foundation plans a fundraiser at Rings Creek Golf Club on Sept. 11.
Committee members said they have aligned WEDAC priorities with six of eight town goals and thanked council and staff for meeting space and a stipend.
A council member (Miss Young) added that Advent Health’s project remains on track as it seeks additional beds and that regional resilience efforts include 24 towable solar/battery microgrids to support critical power needs during storms and to assist partners like food banks.
Council did not take formal action on WEDAC items at the meeting; a council member offered to have WEDAC research recommended uses for private properties whose owners seek commercial tenancy. The committee’s outreach and the formation of the Weaverville Foundation are likely to accelerate private fundraising and developer engagement but any specific development proposals will still be subject to planning review and applicable zoning rules.
The council welcomed the report and the committee’s offer to pursue targeted developer outreach and donor cultivation as a complement to town planning and infrastructure efforts.
