Hendersonville has a new city manager, and he's inheriting a recovery effort still worth tens of millions of dollars nearly two years after Tropical Storm Helene. Brian Pahle took over the job on Thursday, October 1, succeeding John Connet, who led the mountain city for 13 years, and Pahle told the City Council he expects most of the remaining FEMA aid to be committed before the end of 2026.
Pahle's early briefing to the council came during its first meeting since Helene's two-year anniversary, according to the Charlotte Observer. He walked members through where the city's $16.9 million Helene recovery budget stands, revealing that Hendersonville has already spent nearly $9.8 million of it. FEMA has committed around $4.8 million to the city so far, Pahle said, which he estimated as roughly half of what Hendersonville hopes to ultimately receive.
Reimbursements Trickle In, But Big Repairs Still Wait
The reimbursements that have come through cover a range of storm-response costs. FEMA has reimbursed the city $3.3 million for police, fire and mutual aid expenses, plus $781,000 for debris removal, per the same account. Hendersonville has also received $260,000 for utilities and $425,000 for buildings and equipment, though $288,000 the city spent on debris removal will not be reimbursed at all.
To keep operations afloat while waiting on the federal government, Hendersonville received $10.6 million in cash-flow loans that will be paid back once FEMA reimbursements arrive, the report notes. That figure contrasts with an earlier account from WLOS, which reported a year ago that the city had taken about $11 million in short-term bridge loans through the North Carolina State Treasurer's Office and the Division of Water Infrastructure.
Still unresolved are the bridge, road and culvert repairs the city is waiting on FEMA to commit funding toward. Pahle described the federal funding process in blunt terms, calling it a tale of two FEMAs — noting that sometimes things are great, and sometimes things are wildly frustrating, per the Observer's report.
Patton Park, Whitmire Center and Wastewater Plant Carved Out
Pahle's year-end timeline for remaining FEMA commitments does not cover everything on the city's recovery list. Patton Park, the Whitmire Activity Building and the wastewater treatment plant are excluded from that expected year-end window, the Observer reports, since those larger facilities are following a different track entirely.
For those three projects, Hendersonville is seeking what are known as fixed-cost offers — arrangements that provide a set amount of FEMA money upfront before rebuilding begins. The tradeoff is that fixed-cost offers leave the city responsible for any cost overruns beyond that set amount. FEMA has already offered $1 million to rebuild the Patton Park House. Pahle says he wants a generational, more resilient rebuild of the park, the activity building and the wastewater plant.
The stakes for the wastewater plant in particular are significant: water and sewer work made up nearly three-quarters of the city's total damage assessment a year after the storm, according to the earlier WLOS report, which also estimated Hendersonville's overall recovery costs at about $160 million at that point. The Whitmire Activity Center in Toms Park and Patton Pool in Patton Park were both damaged badly enough by Helene that neither can reopen without major renovation or rebuilding, Hendersonville.com reported last year.
A Changing of the Guard at City Hall
Pahle's arrival closes out a long chapter at Hendersonville's City Hall. Connet, who announced his departure in July, is leaving to become director of city relations for the North Carolina League of Municipalities, a newly created position in which he'll work with city managers across the state, according to the Hendersonville Lightning.
The city sent Connet off with an engraved black lacquer rocking chair as a parting gift. Pahle was sworn in on Thursday, October 1, and Connet reportedly offered his successor a simple handoff: this is your city now.
Hendersonville's recovery effort isn't happening in isolation. FEMA recently announced more than $21 million for 29 storm-recovery projects across North Carolina, with most of that money tied to Helene recovery, per WLOS. That round included more than $2 million awarded to Henderson County to buy and demolish three storm-damaged properties, and $950,000 awarded to the Hendersonville Affordable Housing Corporation to cover management costs tied to Helene-related Public Assistance grants.
