Canton, still recovering from 2021 flood, moves forward
Several Canton municipal buildings have been unusable since flooding in August 2021.
Cory Vaillancourt photo
Lost in the aftermath of the damage Hurricane Helene dealt to Canton is the fact that when the storm hit on Sept. 27, the town still hadn’t fully recovered from deadly flooding in 2021. But on Oct. 24, Mayor Zeb Smathers and Canton’s governing board approved critical next steps for four projects related to Tropical Storm Fred and critical to the town’s future.
"They were important before Hurricane Helene and they’re even more important now — not just to complete these projects for the town, but we understand we have to provide stability in our economy and our recreational offerings,” said Zeb Smathers, Canton’s mayor. “We have to do this for the whole region. People are looking at us to lead while things come back on line.”
On July 11, the town issued a request for qualifications from architectural firms for the planning, design and management of construction services for the restoration of Camp Hope, an isolated town-owned property that’s been closed since Aug. 17, 2021, when the East Fork of the Pigeon River roared through the 100-acre parcel, washing away the entrance bridge and damaging some cabins.
The RFQ garnered only two responses, so it was readvertised on Aug. 19, whereupon the town received three responses by Sept. 11, from Asheville-based Form & Function, Brevard-based Domokur + Associates and from regional architecture firm McMillan Pazdan Smith.
After McGill Associates reviewed and scored the RFQs, Domokur came out on top, with a 94% grade. McMillan was close behind, with 92%. Previous Domokur clients include the City of Asheville, Buncombe County and the Brevard Music Center.
Camp Hope suffered little damage from Helene; Town Manager Lisa Stinnett said the river didn’t even leave its banks there. Construction costs will still top $1 million.
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The other three projects, bundled together, include the town’s police station, fire station and new town hall.
When Fred pushed waters from the Pigeon River up into Canton’s downtown core, municipal services were severely disrupted. The town hall on Park Street, which also housed the police department, was gutted and is awaiting demolition. The 5,700 square-foot fire department, just behind town hall, was damaged but returned to operation relatively quickly, although plans were made to move the facility, which incurred even worse damage from Helene.
Despite a forthcoming $5.8 million federal grant shepherded by Sen. Thom Tillis, the town has not yet obtained a site for the fire department. Incorporating population growth estimates into the site requirements, the town is looking to put a 13,300 square-foot building on a parcel of about 3 acres. Location, however, is key — moving too far one way or the other could affect response times.
Canton is closer to completion on the police and town hall projects. In a January 2023 deal with Champion Credit Union, the town acquired a 10,200 square-foot building on Academy Street that will be used for the new town hall, and a historic 8,200 square-foot building on Main Street, the former Champion Bank and Trust Company, for $3.4 million.
Both buildings come close to 20-year space estimates. Charlotte-based Creech and Associates, the firm planning renovations to the facilities, estimated a need of 10,700 square feet for the town hall, and 8,600 square feet for the police station.
Canton gave Creech the go-ahead to proceed with planning, design and construction management services for all three buildings. Costs for Creech’s services are just over $1 million, and estimated total construction costs for all three projects have been pegged at nearly $11 million.
Champion is expected to be out of the new town hall in April but could be out of the new police station by January — part of the reason for the timing of the award to Creech. The town wants work to begin as soon as possible.
“We are at a point where we’ve got to move forward with the police department,” Stinnett said.
In February, Canton CFO Natalie Walker said that what remains of an $8.3 million allocation from the General Assembly used to purchase the future town hall and police department, along with an additional $2.6 million from FEMA, will just about cover the projected cost of their renovation. Work is expected to take about a year.
