Kiesa Kay
MNJ Correspondent
When the Destination by Design team from Boone tackled rebranding Mitchell County, they began by asking what meant most here. From their nine months of study emerged a friendly fiddling bear, encircled by the words “Discover Mitchell County: Real. Mountain. Folk.”
“We love the work we do to help a community, to bring a brand to life that tells a story,” said Matt Wagner, creative director of Destination by Design. “We do work across the country, and Western North Carolina’s closest to our hearts.”
The rebranding roll-out capped an afternoon of reflection and rejoicing at the Mitchell County Tourism Summit.
Kelly Jones, director of the Mitchell County Tourism Authority, has worked with county officials to coordinate a long-term plan for tourism with economic development and the goals of citizens.
In one exciting development, Mitchell County will be working with McDowell County to create a new visitors center at the top of Roan Mountain. The county has a budget of $300,000 for tourism, based on a six percent occupancy tax for short-term rentals, she said.
Jones introduced experts including Marlise Taylor, research director for Visit NC, and Don Cason, executive director of the Rutherford County Tourism Development Authority and the Economic Development Commission. Taylor identified North Carolina as the fifth ranked state in tourism.
“Tourism has an impact on all other sectors,” Taylor said. “People have jobs due to visitor spending.”
Without tourism, each of the 11 million people in the state would have to pay an additional $241 annually to maintain the same standard of living, she said.
County and city officials updated the 50 attendees on progress since the flood. They emphasized that Mitchell County’s cleaned up and continues to rise.
“A billion dollars has been coming into Mitchell County,” County Manager Allan Cook said. “The river’s clean for fishing and rafting. Downtown’s bustling. We’re looking at ways to improve access to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s all getting built back better.”
Plans include a $375,000 housing study financed by Dogwood Health; $3 million for rebuilding damaged fields; and big plans for the Bowman School to become a county emergency shelter, with a commercial kitchen, city offices, and more.
The price tag will hover between $8 million and $10 million. Improvements stand alongside ongoing remediation.
“Mitchell County had the highest number of trees lost in Helene’s path, and we’re putting in fire mitigation,” Cook said. “FEMA denied a $5 million grant for chop and drop; when we put logs on the ground, they soak up moisture, and the fire load disappears in two years instead of twenty years.”
Gary Hyatt, Bakersville Councilman, praised volunteer firefighters. He discussed how five feet of sediment in the creek had been brought back to its original levels. He’s eager to fix the Bakersville Creekwalk.
“When we fix that creek walk, we have to do all these steps, get permits, and it takes time,” he said. “We’re looking forward to getting the Rhododendron Festival back, but it’s going to be the year after this one. We’re working on it.”
Daniel Stines, town manager of Spruce Pine, agreed wholeheartedly. He addressed the glacial pace of attaining FEMA funding, with total FEMA damages for impact at $100 million. Flood insurance rate maps will change, and those changes await the map study updates by FEMA.
To promote tourism takes a dedication to creating the infrastructure needed to support it, rebuilding lost assets, he said.
For example, he said town officials would like to move the water treatment plant uphill by 200 feet, out of harm’s way, and they also hope the greenway will extend from Riverside Park to the wastewater treatment plant, at a distance of 1.6 miles one way. A downtown master plan ought to be presented to the Spruce Pine Town Council in April, with some rezoning.
“Plans are wonderful, but it’s the people who will make them move forward,” Stines said.
The summit opened into a real celebration, as the High Mountain Grass band played music and the 50 attendees discussed all they’d heard.