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Demolition of the boardwalk section of Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Catawba River Greenway is slated to begin later this month.
Â鶹´«Ã½ City Council members voted unanimously Monday night to contract with DH Griffin Wrecking Co. for up to $135,454.50 to demolish the wooden boardwalk behind River Village in Â鶹´«Ã½.
The boardwalk was severely damaged during Hurricane Helene flooding in September.
Removal will include about 800 feet of wooden boardwalk including the piers and footings, according to information from the city.
A section of the boardwalk along the Catawba River Greenway moved during the storm. Sections of the greenway were damaged and covered in mud and debris following flooding from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27.
Demolition is set to begin in late March, Â鶹´«Ã½ City Manager Sally Sandy said.
City gets 0% interest loan for Helene repairs
The city of Â鶹´«Ã½ was awarded a loan through a new North Carolina State Treasurer’s office program.
The state treasurer’s office started the program with funding from the N.C. General Assembly’s allocation of $100 million for Helene recovery.
Based on the city’s need and the funding available at this point, Â鶹´«Ã½ was approved for a 0% interest loan of about $5.4 million with a five-year payback.
The loan is expected to be used to pay for Hurricane Helene projects that must be paid for upfront before getting reimbursed by FEMA. Money from FEMA reimbursements must be repaid on the loan within five days of the city being reimbursed.
“They are working very hard to get the money out quickly, and so there are a lot of things about this program that haven’t been well defined,†Sandy said.
The council approved a loan up to the $5.4 million amount. Sandy said the city wouldn’t formally accept the loan until the state treasurer’s office better defines how the money can be spent.
Chrissy Murphy is a staff writer and can be reached at cmurphy@morganton.com or at 828-432-8941.
A section of the boardwalk along the Catawba River Greenway moved during the storm. Sections of the greenway were damaged and covered in mud and debris following flooding from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27.
