Kaseson Hooper presents the town council with audit reports.
By Lorraine Bennett
Staff Writer
North Carolina's Flood Risk Information System was a main topic of conversation at Monday evening's meeting of the Hayesville Town Council.
FRIS contains digitally accessible flood hazard data, maps, risk assessments and reports. Hayesville and Clay County residents can search their location, even the site of their home, to find preliminary flooding information for their area and assess their flood risk.
Am I at risk for flooding? is the topic of a box at the upper right corner of the site, where a local address can be entered. The map will reveal the site searched for and the potential risk.
According to the website, many areas of Hayesville have only a 1 percent annual chance of flooding.
The state is providing the website as a public service to North Carolina citizens. The N.C. Floodplain Mapping Program, the site says, has made every effort to assure the accuracy of the information. The site and details are available at: https://fris.nc.gov.
The Town of Hayesville received another glowing audit report Monday from Turner & Company. Kaseson Hooper presented the 2023-2024 Audit Report to the council and described it “nice and clean” with no issues.
Master Gardener David Alsobrook pronounced the town’s landscaping project is now complete and the work was done under budget.
Alsobrook also floated the idea of developing a botanical demonstration garden around town hall. The garden might be created next spring and could have a specific theme, something reflecting local interest — yellow jackets or Cherokee heritage. It could include items to interest visitors and children who are touring the Hayesville Square area, Alsobrook said.
Zoning Administrator Ron Wallace discussed a potential project that would include a six-unit apartment complex on about 8 acres on the four-lane bypass going eastward toward Franklin.
Wallace said he had no details yet but if the project goes forward it would need approval from the Board of Adjustment for a special multi-use permit.
Historic Hayesville Inc.’s Sandy Zimmerman reminded the council of the Festival of Trees this coming weekend at the Beal Center.
Zimmerman said a $20,000 grant was being sought from the Dogwood Foundation. If HHI is awarded the funds they would be unrestricted and might be used to upgrade Internet services in the HHI building.
She said she hopes to have confirmation of the grant by the end of the month.
There will be a free outdoor movie night at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15 on the square featuring “The Grinch.” Bring chairs and blankets to enjoy a fun night under the stars to kick off the holiday season.