Chuck McGrady presided and opened the meeting by introducing guest attendee Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof.

Kristin Cozza, Trails and Greenways Coordinator for Conserving Carolina (CC), reported that CC is continuing to work with Friends of Ecusta Trail (FOET) to raise money to build the trail.

Mark Tooley, president of FOET, announced that the Davidson River trestle has been removed in Transylvania County (TC). In addition, FOET has several subgroups that are currently researching the best practices of other rail-trails throughout the country.

Marcus Jones, Henderson County Director of Engineering, reviewed a scope of work for Ecusta Trail maintenance. The county expects that one entity will maintain the trail and that there will be memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Hendersonville and Laurel Park.

Chris Todd, Henderson County Business and Community Development Director, introduced a Business Community Outreach Plan to identify property/business owners that will be invited to discuss partnering with the County for shared investment in parking, restrooms and other critical assets. Planning staff are spearheading the group, with the ultimate plan that the group be self-managed. 

Jones reported that the 90% plan is currently waiting for NCDOT sign-off. At the same time, the County is in the process of submitting applications for various required permits. Cost estimation is ongoing, and the project is thus far on schedule. The County is also consulting contractors regarding estimates, scheduling, and materials acquisition.

Mayor Copelof addressed the committee, and commented that the ET project has reached a stage that requires regular communication between partner jurisdictions. She reported that the design process in TC is about to begin, funded by a $1 million FLAP grant. Meanwhile, the City of Brevard (COB) is reaching out to address concerns of trailside owners. They are moving forward with identifying potential parking areas and a trailhead location and have expressed interest in unifying COB trail look and design with Henderson County’s.