Black Mountain -- August 13, 2026: In an unusually candid public message, the Black Mountain Police Department and Fire Department addressed growing debate regarding severe structural issues facing the town's Public Safety Building. Spanning more than 15 years and multiple unacted-upon engineering evaluations, the deteriorating facility has reached a critical juncture impacting local first responders and public safety operations. To ensure full transparency and keep the community fully informed, WNCTimes is sharing the statement released by the department below.
Black Mountain Police Department Statement:
Man, this has become an unnecessarily hostile work and social media environment for Police and Fire Departments who are simply trying to report the facts about a deteriorating public safety building.
We didn’t create this problem. We inherited it, brought it forward, and are now being questioned for doing so. All the while, the cost of delay keeps growing, and taxpayers are the ones who will bear the cost. Questioning the government and receiving transparent information is imperative to maintain public trust. Black Mountain public safety wants nothing more than to stop the rhetoric and give the public answers.
Below is an overview of past building studies, as we understand it. A few additional comments are made after the synopsis for clarity:
2011 and 2012: A building study by Medlock & Associates Engineering identified major repairs needed to prevent further deterioration. That work was not funded or initiated.
2019: A previous Fire Chief raised the same serious concerns about the condition of the building the firefighters were working in. Another engineering assessment was completed in 2019 with recommendations made. That work was not funded or initiated.
August 2024: Our previous project manager initiated another large building study before Helene raising the same continued concerns.
December 30, 2024: Medlock & Associates Engineering was hired again to re-examine the building and complete another report. It documented unstable subsurface soils, a deteriorating original foundation, and a stormwater line running beneath the building that may be worsening the settlement. The report recommended specific corrective work and stated plainly that if it wasn’t addressed within 12 months, conditions would require a follow-up evaluation because they could have worsened.
Officials have acknowledged major water intrusion coming into the basement of the public safety building for many years. At one point, officials personally dug a trench inside the building, backfilling it with gravel and leaving raw earth beneath exposed. We now know there were also concerns about low-level long-term radon exposure inside the building.
That’s at minimum three engineering assessments spanning more than 15 years, reaching the same conclusion. This isn’t a case of lacking information. The information has existed the entire time and has not been acted upon.
We aren’t looking to place blame; that solves nothing. We are looking to solve a problem in the best interest of the community we were hired to serve and to create a safe environment for town employees. We brought forward a problem that originated well before both Chiefs, and we provided a licensed engineer’s recommendations for fixing it.
We aren’t building inspectors or engineers. It was expressed online that we are just firefighters, police officers and support staff who should stay in their lane; however, we were smart enough to look with our own eyes, ask questions, bring in experts, and listen when those experts told us the building was no longer suitable for us to occupy.
Our employees deserve to know that their leadership will tell them the truth about the building they work in every day. Our residents deserve a Police and Fire Department willing to bring these problems to the forefront, even when the truth is inconvenient and expensive. Reporting a documented structural problem that has been evaluated multiple times over the last 15 years is our responsibility.
Key points and additional information to combat false narratives:
Fact: The current team at Medlock & Associates Engineering was never tasked with conducting cost analysis on repair.
Fact: The current team at Medlock & Associates Engineering was tasked with completing a study for identifying current structure problems and completing new building proposal. It was presented at the March 9, 2026 Council meeting. The report can be accessed here: https://blackmountainnc.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1444
Fact: The last presentation the architect and engineer from Medlock & Associates Engineering were asked to analyze more soil samples that were already completed during previous engineering studies, the new results not only confirmed previous studies, but showed continued worsening conditions.
Fact: The Fire and Police Chiefs have been the only ones looking for solutions outside of Matt Begley and Land of Sky.
Fact: The Police and Fire Chiefs individually were able to get over $400,000 of temporary housing donated to the town and set to be delivered in front of the current building in September/October time frame. This comes directly from the Chiefs working with the DOJ Director, Emergency Manager, and Governor.
Fact: While not in the ideal location, The Police Chief and Fire Chief were able to individually work with the state to get over 16 acres of land donated for $1 further attempting to save the taxpayers money.
False Narrative: Response times have increased because of being temporarily located on the west side of town.
Fact: Fire response has increased because firefighters must run or drive an additional 2-5 minutes from their current quarters to get to their fire apparatus because they cannot stay in the damaged side of the building.
Fact: EMS (ambulance services) has been temporarily relocated in Swannanoa. This has increased their response time. A new facility is being built near Owen for EMS, 2-miles closer than Swannanoa and 5 minutes closer in travel time. This should result in an approximate 5-minute quicker response once completed.
Fact: Police responses have not been affected much from move but have been increased slightly due to short staffing.
Fact: Police and Fire don’t want to make the taxpayers pay anything – To offset costs, they have sought grants, congressional funding, free land, and appealed to FEMA.
Fact: Delaying this project for over 15 years has increased the amount of our taxpayer’s liability to fund the needed repairs or replacement of a public safety facility.
Fact: It has been pointed out that the entire building can’t be bad because the fire bays are still being used. The bays were a later addition to the original structure that was built in the 1950’s. However, the part that really matters where employees sleep, shower, train, cook, conduct interviews, store evidence, and work has needed attention for over a decade only to be met by inaction.
Common Question:
Why isn’t the temporary housing for fire/police being put on the Blue Ridge Road property? The Blue Ridge Road and I-40 improvement project will bring a lot of additional construction to that area. Blue Ridge Road will be closed at the connection with US 70, further delaying response. In addition, White Pine Drive is narrow with residences on each side, which at times can already be difficult to navigate with two way and fire apparatus traffic. Adding additional traffic to this roadway could be problematic for the residents there. This property would need extensive site improvements to include water, sewer, and site grading. It could disrupt the public’s use of the garden parking, use of the disc golf course, and access to the walking path. In addition, it is not tactically sound from a police safety standpoint to have one-way into a location that could be blocked to prevent a police response.
Link to original Facebook post and photos:Black Mountain Police Department Post
Image: Black Mountain Police