CRESTON — Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene blew into Ashe County and ravaged Riverview Community Center with floodwaters, spoiling pallets of donated food and family fun for local residents at the neighborhood nonprofit, the historic building is looking better than it did in its former self.
Ashe Outreach Ministries, which is housed at RCC closest to the road on the N.C. 88 westward approach, is again operational with its bimonthly fish fries and dutiful drop-offs of needed food for local families. Often meeting donors at the door, dedicated AOM volunteers continue to help restock shelves amid unpredictable economic conditions.
At the same time, the Charlotte Hornets and Lowe’s Hardware have spearheaded a multi-month restoration project of the RCC gym after the New River’s North Fork swelled past its banks, flooding the gym with more than five feet of water and debris.
While the locally renowned restoration project has garnered praise with celebratory gatherings and ribbon cuttings, the sporting world has also recognized the Hornets’ work with a humanitarian award nomination at the upcoming ESPYs. This hallmark sports award show has a Grammy-esque format with celebrities and athletes rubbing shoulders on the red carpet.
The slowly unfurling feats of dedication and tireless commitment to RCC and the residents it serves weren’t small acts, as many prominent community players have championed and strategically planned the hub’s hard reset after Helene.
Dave and Sheila Ahrens, of AOM, and board member Steve Trinkle, along with countless volunteers, have routinely kept the county and Creston apprised of the center’s recovery efforts and have led the charge in a pivotal partnership with county officials.
RCC and the county’s sweat equity installments continued on July 6, with the Ashe County Board of Commissioners approving a $552,090 budget amendment increasing the county’s public buildings’ fund allocation from $3.2 million to $3.8 million.
The amendment includes a $445,072 GF allocation from unspent RCC insurance policy proceeds and FEMA reimbursements for 2025-26 damages and $106,318 from an Office of State Budget and Management grant to help fund new repairs.
Ashe Emergency Management Coordinator Patty Gambill said the budget amendment will fund upcoming HVAC electrical design, installation, and conduits, along with insulation for ceiling tiles and repairs to the building’s external septic lines.
Although the commissioners’ meeting agenda item on the nonprofit’s funding request lasted only a few minutes, it also reflects the county’s ongoing commitment to fully restoring RCC for the Creston and the greater Ashe County communities.
