On Wednesday, Jan. 29, Brevard City Manager Wilson Hooper notified the members of Brevard’s Ecusta Trail Advisory Board (ETAB) that even though the freeze on federal grants had been rescinded earlier that afternoon, there is a good chance the new administration will review the federal grants, particularly the RAISE grant, that were awarded in 2023 for construction of the Ecusta Trail.

The RAISE and NSFLTP grants the city received in 2023 total approximately $45 million.

“I think they probably are going to look at the grants,” said Hooper.

Hooper said he doesn’t think the grants are in “imminent danger,” but the new administration may cancel grants that they believe do not align with their priorities. He added that the RAISE grant came directly from the Department of Transportation’s “discretionary” funds and could be seen as an “artifact” of the Biden administration.

On a positive note, Hooper noted the grants received bipartisan support in the past and that both current N.C. senators and local Congressman Chuck Edwards, all Republicans, have been supporters of the grants and trail.

 “He (Edwards) was our biggest supporter,” said Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof, who added that she would reach out to Edwards again regarding the grants.

“I think we have a little bit of work to do to shore up these grants,” said Hooper, who encouraged board members to reach out to state and federal officials in support of the grants.

Board member Doug Miller asked if there are other actions to consider, including contacting the North Carolina Attorney General, in case the grants are canceled. He noted that both the city and many private citizens have already made financial contributions to the trail and that it would be a “blow” to both the city and those who contributed to the trail if the grants are canceled.

Hooper said he did not know about the legalities, but encouraged members to keep in contact with federal officials.

Regarding amenities for the first six miles of the trail in Henderson County, Sarah Schafer of Watermark, said the final amenity design for that section (Ecusta East) should be ready for a final presentation in three weeks. 

Schafer said though the numbers have not been finalized, the current plans call for two large stations, 20 benches and 13 mileposts along Ecusta East.  She said, however, that Henderson County is not proposing to build any bathrooms or water fountains along the trail because Henderson County does not have a water system and to connect to Hendersonville’s water system would be cost prohibitive. She said Henderson County is reaching out to businesses along the trail, such as restaurants and coffee shops, to see if they would allow trail users to use their bathrooms. As for water, the plan is to provide information as to where the nearest public water fountains are located.

She also said Henderson County is going to place trash receptacles near roads that can currently be accessed by waste collection vehicles.

Schafer recognized that the necessary amenities along the trail in the two counties would be different, but the list in Henderson County is a “good template” for the Transylvania section of the trail.

Several ETAB members noted that the trail amenities in Transylvania County must include bathrooms and water fountains because, unlike Henderson County, there are not many commercial businesses adjacent to the trail.

“That will be a challenge for us, too,” said Hooper.

Since the Brevard section of the trail is in a rural area not currently serviced by the city, he said the city would have to determine if it should dig wells or extend its service lines and what specific funds would be used for that construction.

Both Teresa Buckwalter and Christy Staudt of TPD, which has been purchased by McAdams, a design company in Raleigh, said they have been working to find landowners adjacent to the trail who would be willing to have parking lots, bathrooms and other amenities on their property. 

As a side note, Staudt said the purchase of TPD by McAdams would be beneficial because the latter is one of the best greenway design companies in the state and those employees of TPD who have been working on the Ecusta Trail project, such as herself and Buckwalter, would remain working on the project.

Dee Dee Perkins, who represents the Transylvania Tourism Development Authority (TDA) on ETAB, said the TDA has seen a “significant shortfall” of $200,000 in occupancy tax revenues this past year. 

Areas in western North Carolina have seen a significant decrease in tourism this past fall due to Hurricane Helene, including areas of the region that were not severely impacted by the storm.

Perkins said the TDA would have to make some cuts in its budget this year, but it cannot cut marketing because people need to know that Brevard and Transylvania County are open for business.

 “Now is the time we need to market the most,” she said.

The TDA has allocated $1 million for the Ecusta Trail to be spent equally over 4 years. Perkins asked if it was all right if the TDA withheld those funds for a year unless the city absolutely needed them for work that must be done this year.

Hooper said he could not think of anything that the TDA money would absolutely be needed for this year.

Copelof said there was money from the state last year that has not been used and the city should look into using that money.

John Ditillo, Friends of Ecusta Trail’s representative on ETAB, gave a handout of proposed rules and etiquette for the trail.

“We want one set of rules for the entire trail,” said Ditillo, who noted the rules and etiquette have been revised several times. “I’m guessing this is about as good as it’s going to get.” 

He said the rules and etiquette have been approved by the Henderson County Recreation Advisory Board and should be voted on at Henderson County’s RTAC meeting next month. 

City Council member Mac Morrow, who serves as ETAB co-chair, said the Brevard ETAB should vote on the rules and etiquette at its next meeting.

The next meeting of the Brevard ETAB will be held Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 3:30 p.m. in the Brevard City Council chambers.

Followup: Mayor Copelof contacted the offices of Congressman Edwards and Senator Tillis and both said there was no reason to believe that the federal review of grant funding will impact the Ecusta Trail.  The trail work is already under contract and in various stages of design and construction.

John Lanier