A thick layer of sludge lines the bottom of Cashiers Community Pool. Weeds and wildflowers sprout from cracks in the neighboring tennis and pickleball courts, where nature has begun to reclaim the abandoned corner of the unincorporated resort community.
A once-popular summer destination for area families, Cashiers Community Park on Frank Allen Road has since turned into an eyesore.
Jackson County has spent years planning improvements to the property, but after two rounds of bidding on a revised design, officials are again reconsidering what they can afford to build. The latest bids came in over budget, leaving the county without a clear path forward for the project.
For Cashiers residents hoping to see a public swimming pool return, the latest update offers little assurance that one is on the way.
“We are in the regrouping phase now,” said Michael Hopkins, Jackson County Parks and Recreation director, in an interview following the county’s Oct. 6 commission meeting.
The project has been in the works since 2022 as part of the Cashiers-Glenville Recreation Center master plan. The original proposal called for replacing the existing park with a splash pad, pickleball courts, a basketball court, a shelter, and restrooms.
But the county has struggled to find a design that fits its budget. The original plan went out for bids, but the prices exceeded the county’s estimates.
After commissioners requested changes, designers returned to the drawing board to remove the splash pad and revise the proposal. The revised design went out for bid twice, as well. The first round did not attract enough qualifying bidders, and the second produced bids that were, again, significantly over budget.
Hopkins said the county is now considering whether to break the project into phases or use the available money for a far more limited scope.
“[Cashiers Community Park] may be Number 1 this year, and then we have a whole turnover of a board, and we may be Number 10 on the list at that point,” he said, describing the uncertainty surrounding future funding and commissioners’ priorities.
The county has allocated $1.14 million toward the project, according to Hopkins. He said $178,358.64 has been spent on engineering and architectural services, with approximately $996,000 remaining available for the work.
County officials are exploring whether a construction manager could identify ways to reduce costs. County Manager Kevin King has asked Vannoy Construction to review the bids and consider whether a construction manager at risk approach could help the project move forward.
There is no guarantee that the review will produce enough savings.
If the county cannot afford the broader redevelopment, Hopkins has recommended demolishing the deteriorating facilities and completing basic site preparation to make the property cleaner and safer.
During a recent work session, commissioners discussed one possible scaled-back approach — filling the existing pool basin with concrete to create a slab for pickleball courts, then improving the surrounding area as much as the remaining money allows.
But that idea has not been adopted as a final plan. Hopkins said he hasn’t yet been scheduled to return to a commissioners’ work session with further recommendations.
For now, even the park’s eventual appearance remains uncertain.
A pool remains an open question
For Cashiers residents, the stalled park project is part of a longer-running frustration over the lack of a public swimming facility in the community.
Although resorts and country clubs in the area have private pools, local families generally face a 20- to 30-minute drive to Sylva or Highlands to access a public swimming facility.
District 4 Commissioner Michael Jennings, who represents Cashiers, has said he hears about the issue constantly.
“It’s talked about up here in circles everywhere,” Jennings said. “Every time I’m in the grocery store, the post office, somebody corners me about, ‘Hey, are we ever going to get a pool back?’”
Built in 1982, the existing pool fell into disrepair amid leaks, soil problems, and stormwater runoff. In the 2021 Cashiers-Glenville Recreation Center master plan, landscape architect Equinox Environmental determined that repairing or replacing the pool in its current location was not a suitable option. The original park renovation proposal instead called for a splash pad.
That plan drew criticism from residents who argued that a splash pad would not meet the needs of older children, adults, or families seeking swimming lessons and water-safety instruction.
“I think the community is just tired of hearing that we’re going to get something,” said lifelong Cashiers resident Mike Bumgarner. “We’ve heard it for years.”
When commissioners traveled to Cashiers for their Sept. 14 meeting, residents packed the room to advocate for a public pool. Speakers described the facility as a community resource, particularly in an area where rivers, lakes, and mountain waterways make swimming safety a concern.
One commenter said the issue extended beyond recreation to whether Cashiers families were receiving the investment they deserved.
Bumgarner, whose children spent summers at the old pool, lives near the park and walks his dog around the property almost daily. He has long worried about the condition of the abandoned basin, which neighbors have described as an eyesore and a potential safety concern for children at the adjacent daycare and Boys & Girls Club.
When he heard the county planned to replace the pool with a splash pad, he questioned whether the investment would be worthwhile.
“They were going to put a million-dollar splash pad, and after you’re four years old, who’s going to use a splash pad?” Bumgarner said. “We’d rather not have something that’s gonna be useless.”
But while residents have continued to call for a pool, the county’s current park project does not include one.
Hopkins said commissioners have discussed the possibility of a future pool at the Cashiers-Glenville Recreation Center, a separate undertaking that could require substantial additional funding.
The county has contracted an architecture and engineering firm to develop preliminary concept designs and cost estimates for a potential pool expansion at the recreation center.
No funding source or construction timeline has been established for that proposal.
The county would need to identify funding in a future budget before moving ahead with pool construction.
Waiting for a decision
In the meantime, residents are left waiting to see what, if anything, will happen at the old park.
Hopkins said county staff have worked to advance the project, but repeated redesigns and bidding rounds have consumed time and money without producing a construction plan the county can afford.
Permitting requirements have added another layer of complexity. Stormwater permits can take months, and sometimes up to a year, to obtain, Hopkins said. Repeatedly changing the scope of the project could require additional engineering work and further delays.
For that reason, he said, county officials want clearer direction from commissioners before asking designers to revise the plans again.
If a cost-saving approach proves unworkable, the county could pursue a more limited project focused on demolition and site preparation. That would at least address the deteriorating property, though it would fall short of the broader redevelopment residents have sought.
For Cashiers families who have spent years asking for a public pool, even that modest step would leave the central question unanswered: When will the community have a place of its own to swim?
For now, the county is waiting on the construction company’s review and further direction from commissioners. No date has been set for the next discussion, and no final decision has been made about how the remaining project money will be spent.
Bumgarner has heard promises before. He said he’ll believe it when he sees it.