The Mcdowell County board of Commissioners held the first reading of the proposed RV park/campground ordinance. The commissioners previously directed the county planning board to work on language for RV parks and campgrounds. planning director Ron Harmon gave an overview of the main areas of concern and proposed regulations.
MIKE CONLEY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING
On Monday, the McDowell County Board of Commissioners heard an announcement about a new shooting program for the public at the county’s public shooting range and new proposals for the basketball program at the Rec Center.
The McDowell commissioners held their first regular meeting for September on Monday at the County Administrative Offices.
During the meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Aikman Kazee and Shooting Range Manager Brent Rowe appeared before the commissioners with new programming ideas they are proposing for the shooting range.
The range will begin off ering courses certified by the National Rifle Association for the public.
Patrons at the range have consistently asked for firearms classes to be off ered there beyond the highly successful “Train Up a Child” and “Never Too Late to Learn!” off erings. The shooting range will off er beginner classes for $150 and advanced classes for $200. The classes will be held on Tuesdays and the frequency will be based on demand. Examples of classes will include the NRA pistol beginner and advanced and the NRA rifle beginner and advanced, according to Kazee and Rowe.
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As for youth basketball, the McDowell Parks and Recreation Department plans to expand the youth basketball league to add an instructional league for children aged 4. This will focus on teaching young children the fundamentals of the game. These games will be played primarily on Saturdays throughout the season. No score will be kept and basic violations will not be called.
“The goal of the league is to provide children with the opportunity to learn the game of basketball before competing in the Termite Division (5-6),” said Kazee.
The children must turn 4 as of Aug. 31, 2025. Cheerleading will likewise be expanded to age 4.
Kazee also gave an overall update on the county’s Parks and Recreation Department.
The department hosted the free physical day on Aug. 23 with 113 children getting a free physical thanks to the Marion Medical Clinic. The youth football registration ended with 409 participants and the league grew 21% since 2024. The pool season ended with more than 11,000 patrons served during the summer. The Black Bear Campground and Park has surpassed 2024’s gross revenue by more than $9,300 with August 2025 being the highest revenue month since it opened. The new bleachers in the Rec Center’s gym are being installed this week, according to Kazee.
After hearing the report, the commissioners commended Kazee and his staff for making the improvements to the department.
Animal Services needs
During the meeting, the commissioners again talked about a new animal shelter for McDowell.
County recently discussed a future replacement animal shelter and directed staff to evaluate land owned by the county on property near the public shooting range. There is indeed undeveloped land located along the entrance road around several hundred yards from the range.
But the concerns identified after evaluating the site include the lack of public utilities, land grading requirements, and access to the site during high-water events.
“Public utilities are not a requirement for animal shelters, but a lack of public sewer can be problematic due to the constant washing down of dog runs,” said County Manager Ashley Wooten. “While a grading cost has not been sought, the site would need prep to make suitable building pads and septic fields. The area owned by the county is on the other side of Muddy Creek, which can overtake the bridge during high water events such as Helene.”
County officials are also considering a site on Spaulding Road which is more suitable but it would require some grading.
Commission Chairman Tony Brown said there is a piece of land near the Universal Advanced Manufacturing Center that could be a good spot for a new animal shelter. It is owned by the city of Marion. He said the county staff should approach the city officials about using it for a new shelter.
Wooten also said the county is in need of a new building for the Department of Social Services, which is now in an old supermarket building on East Court Street, and a new 911 Center, which is now in the lower level of the Marion Police Department station.
The commissioners talked about speaking with state legislators N.C. Rep. Dudley Greene, N.C. Rep. Jake Johnson and N.C. Sen. Warren Daniel about bundling all three of these building needs and getting more state funding.
After talking about the various locations, the commissioners agreed to come back with a recommendation for a new animal shelter site within 60 days.
In a related matter, the commissioners approved having the county seek a small grant from the Rotary Club of Marion for spay and neuter funding.
The Rotary Club of Marion is accepting applications for their small grants program. Grants are available for up to $1,500 for programs that will help causes such as animal welfare.
In a memo, Wooten wrote the county would be able to apply for the maximum amount and tailor a program to households in the 100% to 200% poverty level since the DSS program covers those below 100%.
“One other area to look at is direct public donations,” he wrote. “There is currently a PayPal link for donations that is utilized at times, but the vendor takes a cut of the proceeds. Other options are being explored.” The commissioners agreed to apply for the small grant from the Rotary Club.
‘One Day Wonder’ historical exhibit
In addition, county officials heard from Candice Workman who is the director of the local history and genealogy room at the McDowell County Public Library in Marion, about an historical exhibit happening next week.
Workman announced that on Wednesday, Sept. 17, an exhibit titled “One Day Wonder: ‘To Preserve the Blessings of Liberty: State Constitutions of North Carolina'” will take place in Old Fort. It will feature an exhibit of the 1776 state Constitution and Declaration of Rights and the 1868 state Constitution and a letter from Founding Father and second President John Adams.
These historic documents will be on display at the Mountain Gateway Museum at 78-C Catawba Ave. in Old Fort. The public display will be there from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Archivists will be there to provide context and answer questions, said Workman.
In other business, the McDowell County Board of Commissioners:
■” Heard the monthly Helene recovery update from Emergency Services Director Will Kehler. He said on Saturday, Sept. 27, McDowell County, in partnership with the city of Marion and the town of Old Fort, will invite the local community to a Resilience and Reflection Ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene. The ceremony will take place starting at 9:30 a.m. at Old Fort Elementary located at 128 S. Mauney Ave. in Old Fort. “Join us as we honor the strength and resilience of our community, remember the lives forever changed, and look ahead with hope and unity,” reads a statement from the organizers. After this month, Kehler will give periodic updates to the commissioners.
■” Held the first reading of the proposed RV park/campground ordinance for McDowell County. The commissioners previously directed the county Planning Board to work on language for RV parks and campgrounds. Other work took precedence, but a draft has now been completed for review. Planning Director Ron Harmon gave an overview of the main areas of concern and proposed regulations. The proposed rules cover such matters as emergency access and ensuring roads are wide enough for emergency vehicles along with a safe passage and specifying suitable road surfaces and grades. The proposed rules cover structure spacing and preventing the over-development of land. The rules also call for creating a system for McDowell Emergency Services to track all future developments. After a discussion, the commissioners agreed to hold a public hearing about the proposed rules at the Nov. 10 meeting.
■” Talked about a problematic area at 1313 Jacktown Road. County staff have been tracking a this property for several months. The place has several issues including pileups of illegal garbage. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the mobile homes on the property were dilapidated and are considered abandoned under the county’s abandoned mobile home ordinance. There are also reports of illegal drug activity. The Planning Department has sent the property owners a notice of violation and gave them until Sept. 30 to fix the problems. If they do not comply, the county can take further action to clean up the property. Harmon said there has been no effort to remove the rundown structures and no response from the owners to the county’s letters. The commissioners directed county staff to take whatever steps necessary to clear the property.
■” Heard an update about the county’s ongoing water system projects. ”
■ Heard an update on Charlotte’s plan for an interbasin transfer from the Catawba River basin. There has been a small amount of movement on the Charlotte water Interbasin Transfer (IBT) item during the past few months. The N.C. General Assembly passed legislation which places a moratorium on IBT’s for the next year and a half and initiates a study of the situation. The county will continue to prevent or minimize Charlotte’s IBT proposal.
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