From Staff Reports 

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — The Town of Lake Lure, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and N.C. Emergency Management are set to receive $233 million in new Tropical Storm Helene recovery aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Hendersonville Times-News reported on Jan. 30.

Also, the NCDOT will receive tens of millions of dollars to rebuild roads in Henderson, Buncombe  Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties, a Jan. 28 news release from U.S. Sen. Ted Budd’s office noted

Especially of note, the Town of Lake Lure, located in Rutherford County, will get nearly $1.8 million to rebuild its marina docks, which were severely damaged in Tropical Storm Helene. The money will also go toward making the docks more resilient against potential future disasters.

In response Lake Lure Mayor Carol Pritchett told the HT-N on Jan. 29, “I’m just thrilled …” The marina “is such a critical part of our economy.”

The HT-N added, “The town rents out more than 200 spots at the marina’s docks and that income makes up an important source of the town’s revenue. With the docks out of commission, that money has not been coming in, she (the mayor) said.

In a Jan. 29 email, Lake Lure Communications Director Laura Krejci told the HT-N, “Before Helene, boat slip rentals made up around 3.25 percent of the town's general fund budget revenue.”

That revenue was $9.3 million in fiscal 2025, the HT-N added, citing documents on the Town of Lake Lure's website.

Krejci also noted in that the FEMA money “was very critical for us and such good timing” for the funds to be given, she wrote. 

The HT-N added, “Construction on the marina is underway and set to be done by July, she (Krejci) said.”

In a news release, Sen. Budd stated that the marina project’s total cost is nearly $2 million — and 90 perent of that will be covered by federal funds.

The HT-N reported, “Pritchett said she’s optimistic the lake will be refilled to its normal level and reopened to the public by Memorial Day weekend. The lake level is now 12 feet below its full pond of 990.5 feet, she said.”

The mayor also told the HT-N, “Almost everyone here (in the Lake Lure area) is a small-business-owner — and I’m just not really sure if they could have made it another year without the lake being open.”

In a brief summation regarding the Town of Lake Lure, Wikipedia noted, “In 2020, the town population was 1,365. Lake Lure was incorporated in 1927, and acquired the lake after which it is named in 1965....”