Lake Lure rebuilds marina

Nearly a year and a half after Helene caused major damage across western North Carolina, the Town of Lake Lure is continuing its recovery efforts. Town leaders say rebuilding the marina and refilling the lake are key steps toward helping the community recover and bringing visitors back to the area. Helene washed away buildings, docks and one of the town’s most recognizable features — the lake itself. Mayor Carol Pritchett said the town is working toward reopening both the lake and the Washburn Marina. “This is a huge boom to the community, of course,” Pritchett said. Nearly a year and a half after Helene caused major damage across western North Carolina, the Town of Lake Lure is continuing its recovery efforts. Town leaders say rebuilding the marina and refilling the lake are key steps toward helping the community recover and bringing visitors back to the area. Helene washed away buildings, docks and one of the town’s most recognizable features — the lake itself. Mayor Carol Pritchett said the town is working toward reopening both the lake and the Washburn Marina. “This is a huge boom to the community, of course,” Pritchett said. Local leaders said much of the town’s revenue comes from renting boat slips and permits, which haven't been possible since the storm. “Our revenues have been down about 50%, which is so to that point the increased revenue to the town is really important,” Pritchett said. Pritchett said the reopening of the lake and the marina go hand in hand. “We are coming up now and I believe we're about at 982.5 and so we just have to be at 990.5, so that's very reasonable to think that we could accomplish that,” she said. With the reopening of the lake, the town is looking forward to welcoming families, boats and fishers. "We'll also be restocking the lake and North Carolina will be restocking the trout in the Broad River," Pritchett said. The town hopes to have the lake reopened for the upcoming season, which local businesses say could bring more customers through their doors. “We're here all year, but it definitely affects us here in the summertime because it is a seasonal job with the lake being open. It draws more people towards us business-wise,” Annabelle Ruff, an employee at Lured Market & Grill, said. Town officials say they are aiming to reopen the lake and parts of the marina in time to welcome visitors for Memorial Day weekend. The marina is expected to be fully completed by July 15. #lakelure #marina #helene _______________ Follow WLOS on social media: WLOS ABC 13 News on Facebook:   / news13   WLOS ABC 13 News on X: https://x.com/WLOS_13 WLOS ABC 13 News on Instagram:   / wlos_13   Subscribe to WLOS on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ABC13Cha... For all of the day’s top local and national news, visit www.wlos.com Stream our newscasts LIVE: www.wlos.com/watch Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 828.684.1340 -- WLOS ABC 13 News serves the Asheville, NC area and the rest of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We keep our audience informed through local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of community events, sports and entertainment programming since 1954. This video and all Sinclair Broadcast Group content archives of local news and sports coverage are available for your use. For more information contact us at [email protected]