SPRUCE PINE — The Spruce Pine Town Council unanimously approved the allocation of $100,000 to Mayland Community College to be used for costs in the ongoing renovations to the Pinebridge Inn.
The town held a public hearing on Monday, Dec. 14 during its regularly scheduled meeting to hear input from local citizens regarding the possible funding.
Once the public hearing opened, Mayland Community College President Dr. John Boyd spoke to the council first about the hotel project and how it ties together with other projects the college is working on, like the coliseum.
“It’s not just the hotel, it’s not just the coliseum, it’s not just the Earth to Sky Park with the planetarium that’s being built right now and the observatory,” he said. “It’s how it all pulls together...So, the hotel is a part of that, not the whole piece, but a part.”
Boyd added he believed the college is providing some of the best economic development in the area and thus creating an incentive for young people to stay here.
“All of it ties together to create an environment that creates better opportunities for people to stay here and work and live,” Boyd said. “Some of you might have heard Chad [Calhoun]’s numbers coming up for the school district. He projected here in the next few years that we’ll be down to 1,400 students. That’s pretty bad. I mean, you don’t have a workforce growing. So, what we’re trying to do is create that.”
Although the college is a non-profit organization, meaning they are exempt from taxes for charitable purposes, Boyd noted the college intends to pay taxes on the hotel.
Town Attorney Lloyd Hise chimed in on the topic and reiterated what he said at the Board of Commissioners meeting on Dec. 2., when the Mitchell County Commissioners also voted to fund the project.
“Nonprofits can be tax exempt, but they aren’t tax exempt simply because they own the property,” Hise said. “They have to be doing a charitable purpose with the property. And the hotel, I’ll tell you, is not a charitable purpose.”
Boyd explained their goal is to open part of the hotel, the second floor, in May and added this would be the last time he would ask for funding from the town.
“This is the last time I’ll come here,” he said. “You won’t see me again. I won’t ask for more. If we get this money, this will get us open in May and I won’t be back.”
While Boyd did most of the talking, he also invited local citizens the community college has employed for Mayland’s projects to speak, including Zan Sistare, David Whitson and Matt Miller.
“We’re able to keep our workforces here locally and that’s a good thing,” said Sistare, the owner of Sistare Contract Services. “With commercial construction we usually find ourselves working in Asheville or Boone because there’s not that kind of work here, but this has created an opportunity to have that.”
Sistare, who is also the Board President for Spruce Pine Main Street, went on to explain the hotel, along with other developments happening in the town, could change the community for the better.
“This project, along with the coliseum and also tying in with the walking bridge renovation that’s going to happen next year, I mean, wow,” Sistare said. “This is a big economic driver for our community. Mayland’s a great partner. They’re here. They’re going to be here.
“They’re solid and we’re creating something that I think is going to bring nothing but success for our downtown. This has the opportunity to change the face of downtown Spruce Pine and the core of our community.”
Whitson, owner of Whitson Electric Co., added he believes it will be a “very nice addition for our area.”
No one else appeared at the public hearing to present comments regarding the project.
Following the closure of the hearing, Mayor Darla Harding entertained a motion for the allocation of $100,000 to Mayland for the hotel project.
“I’d be very proud to make that motion,” Council Member Jackie Rensink said.
Council Member James Acuff seconded the motion, which then passed unanimously 4-0, as Council Member Rocky Buchanan was not present at the meeting due to illness.