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Fines Creek Community Association’s Hurricane Helene Response

On September 26, Hurricane Helene devastated the region affecting communication, power and infrastructure. The Fines Creek area was flooded in low lying areas, residents lost power, trees barricaded roads and phone service unavailable. In a rural community when power is lost so is water from wells. Many people lost land lines and cell service. Bridges and culverts were washed away in the high water. Finally, people are moving again and helping their neighbors.

The Fines Creek Community Center and the Fines Creek Volunteer Fire Department served as a hub for rescue services, food, water, meals and clothing for this community and beyond. The Center is continuing to serve these needs. The center will be open now on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm.

We would like to thank the many, many people and organizations that have donated so much. Also the volunteers that have helped and continue to help with receiving, organizing and distributing food, clothing and water.

WNC Honors Award
Michelle Walker and Karen Hammett attended the WNC Communities Honors Awards on November 11, 2023. Over 55 communities were represented at the luncheon. Communities from the seventeen western counties comprise the eligible membership for WNC Communities. Fines Creek Community Association was recognized at the Redbud level and received an additional award for best in class! Humpy Lambert of Harrah’s Casino Resorts presented the award to Michelle and Karen. […]
Fire Camp at Community Center
On Thursday, November 16, 2023, the Fines Creek gym was opened for the use of the US Forest Service and other agencies involved with the efforts to contain the Black Bear fire along Interstate 40. The community association cancelled the monthly dance and turned the gym into the Fire Camp for those fighting the Black Bear fire. Because of smoke on the interstate, possible I-40 lane closures and activity at the community center, please be aware of the increased traffic on Fines Creek Road. This situation continues indefinitely. […]
THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH YOUTH
The First United Methodist Church youth volunteered at the Fines Creek Community Center on the afternoon of July 19th. These engaging teenagers cleaned auditorium seats and floors, pulled staples and nails out of walls, flattened boxes, painted and scraped the walls in a small room, organized and cleaned the dining room of the cafeteria and moved items from one building to another. Their energy was such a great help in accomplishing many tasks at the center. The FCCA board wants to thank the group for all the work that they did. […]
Sudden Urgent Needs grant
A Sudden Urgent Needs grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (cfwnc) enabled the Fines Creek Community Association (FCCA) to repair the damage incurred in the cafeteria kitchen. In December 2022 a board member discovered a gas leak in the cafeteria. Immediately, the propane heaters were turned off and the space was ventilated. Before the propane leak could be located, the hard freeze of December occurred. The subzero temperatures froze the plumbing pipes beneath the sink, the spray faucet, the toilet, and the water heater. FCCA requested a grant from cfwnc to help repair these damages. Until heat and water could be restored to the cafeteria kitchen, the space could not be used. FCCA applied for a Sudden Urgent Needs grant which was awarded and repairs began immediately. Under the direction of Gregg Livengood, new heaters and pipes were ordered. The heaters would replace the old, less efficient heaters of 20+ years. Dale Ledford and John Haynes moved the sink and tore out the old frozen plumbing. This labor readied the sink for new pipes in addition to a grease trap which the cfwnc funds enabled FCCA to purchase. A new faucet, toilet and water heater were obtained but work could not begin until heat was restored or the weather warmed. The heaters finally arrived in late March and were mounted in the dinning room and kitchen in April. Once the heaters were in place Gregg could determine the length and pipe fittings needed for the new heaters. The former heater pipes were not usable with the new heaters. Meanwhile the services of a plumber were needed to reach the damaged pipes inside the kitchen wall. Those pipes were removed and new connections made. When the grease trap arrived ,once again a plumber installed the grease trap and connected the sink to the interior wall pipes. Gregg installed the new water heater and faucet. Now dishes can be washed in the kitchen again. Jerry Morris led the efforts to get the new comfort-height toilet installed. The new toilet is now working. The old toilet partition was removed by Gregg and the space will be repainted by one of the scholarship volunteers. A number of other volunteers contributed to this work and FCCA thanks all of them. The kitchen is functioning again and is in better condition with more efficient heaters, a comfort height toilet, a grease trap and new plumbing cut-off valves to make future repairs more easily done. The Sudden Urgent Needs grant of cfwnc made these repairs and improvements to happen. […]
March 2023 Newsletter
Community News The community center and fire department will be holding a benefit for Linda Teague on Saturday, March 25th from 4 – 9 pm. Linda is a life-long community member who has cancer. The community will lose her. Please come and support the Teague family as they focus on Linda during these days. The Fines Creek Community Center received a Sudden and Urgent Needs grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina to replace the old heaters in the cafeteria. Also the grant funds will replace pipes, toilet, water heater and faucet which froze during the intense cold spell this winter. The kitchen area of the cafeteria remains unusable until the pipes and water heater are replaced. Once the new heaters are installed, then the pipes, water heater, toilet and faucet can be fixed. Highway 209 and Fines Creek Road continue to have a high volume of traffic when the back-up grows on I-40 where the high and low White Oak bridges are being repaired. This congestion will continue for several years. Please be aware and plan for cars driven by people unfamiliar with the narrow, rural road. KEEP the dogs and cows at home! […]