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Residents ask Haywood County to act on traffic, trespass and safety tied to Mount Selma events
Summary
Residents from Bald Creek and Crabtree urged Haywood County commissioners to address heavy visitor traffic, trespass and property damage they say originates at Mount Selma events in neighboring Buncombe County, calling the situation a public-safety and environmental concern and asking the county to coordinate with Buncombe and DOT.
Dozens of residents told the Haywood County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 3 that large crowds visiting a Mount Selma site in neighboring Buncombe County are routing vehicular traffic, trash and trespass across local roads in Haywood County, sometimes blocking driveways and emergency access.
"Yesterday, probably, there were 200 vehicles coming to this particular area over there," said Jean Sutton, a Crabtree resident, describing cars parked along Ball Creek and Quail Cove that impeded residents' ability to leave their homes. Brandon James said tour buses and groups have blocked driveways and used private property for picnics, and Rodney Smith reported a neighbor counting 170 cars in one hour on a recent weekend.
County officials, including Sheriff Bill Wilkie, said they have limited patrol resources and asked residents to call and file reports so incidents are logged in the computer-aided dispatch system. "When you see something... give us the opportunity to take a report because all of this goes into our computer aided dispatch system," Wilkie said, adding that documentation helps present the case to partner agencies.
Commissioner Terry Ramey and other commissioners said the county will pursue intergovernmental conversations with Buncombe County and the N.C. Department of Transportation about signage, enforcement and potential use of off-duty deputies paid by event organizers. Ramey encouraged residents to organize a community meeting to consolidate complaints and evidence: "When you speak with one voice as a group of people... that is good," he said.
The residents who spoke asked for a mix of short-term enforcement presence on peak weekends, clearer signage, and longer-term coordination so responsibility for traffic control and environmental impacts can be assigned. County staff said they will follow up and explore partnerships, but emphasized staffing limits and the need for incident reports as evidence to present to Buncombe County and DOT.
