On Aug. 27, I asked the Town Clerk for records about the Town's lease dispute with Second Mountain LLC, which operates Lured Market & Grill, and the police boathouse matter. I expanded the request on Sept. 4. As of Tuesday, 47 days after the original request, the Town has produced no records, no release date, no cost estimate, and no explanation of anything it is withholding.

Disclosure: Lake Lure Insider is the requester in this story. I operate the site as an individual.

The timeline

I offered four times in writing (Aug. 27, Sept. 4, Sept. 18 and Oct. 4) to accept records on a rolling basis, one category at a time. The Town has not responded to that offer.

On Sept. 19, Town Manager Olivia Stewman wrote that staff expected to provide responsive records "next week." On Sept. 24, the Town produced records for a separate request I filed Sept. 8, about the Storm Recovery Fund. The same message said this request was "currently being reviewed" for confidential information.

On Oct. 4, I asked for a release date, for the non-confidential records to be released now, and for the legal basis for anything withheld. I noted that the Town and Second Mountain signed a settlement on Sept. 16 and that the parties intend to seek dismissal of the related lawsuits. Ms. Stewman replied on the evening of Oct. 8. She wrote that the volume of records and the need to review them for confidential and protected information make the process "time intensive," and that records would be provided "as soon as possible." The reply gave no date and no list of what is under review.

What I asked for by Wednesday

On Oct. 8, I narrowed the request to five categories and asked for them by Oct. 14:

• Any resolution, motion or minutes showing Council authorization of the lease default, termination or eviction action
• Council minutes from July 27, 2026 to the date of the request
• The March 2026 records request from Second Mountain and the Town's written response
• Legal invoices and engagement letters from the Town's outside counsel, with privileged narrative redacted
• Police reports and activity logs referencing the boathouse

I also asked the Town to state in writing whether it is denying or withholding anything, the statutory basis for each item, whether it expects a special service charge, and a date for the remaining items. The letter also asked the Town to preserve all potentially responsive emails and text messages on Town-issued and personal accounts and devices used for Town business.

What the Town has said publicly

At the Oct. 1 candidate forum hosted by the Hickory Nut Gorge Chamber, Mayor Carol Pritchett told residents that for any documents they want, "you can request for the town to provide them for you, and they will." The statement is on the record. So is the Town's record on this request.

What the law says

North Carolina's Public Records Act, G.S. 132-6(a), requires custodians to provide copies "as promptly as possible." There is no fixed deadline, and Oct. 14 is the requester's deadline, not a statutory one. A denial, in whole or in part, must come with an explanation. If a custodian refuses access, G.S. 132-9 lets a requester ask Superior Court to compel production.

What happens next

If the records arrive by Wednesday, Oct. 14, I will review them and report what they show. If they don't, I have reserved all rights under Chapter 132, including filing in Rutherford County Superior Court. This story will be updated Wednesday.

For the full list of what was originally requested and why, read our explainer on the records requests.

Last updated: 2026-10-13