ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Residents of a 42-home East Asheville community say they are facing millions of dollars in repairs from Tropical Storm Helene and are asking the city for help stabilizing a cliff where rocks and trees have fallen onto Azalea Road.

ViewPointe resident Ann Sensibaugh, immediate past chair of the subdivision’s homeowners association board, brought the issue to Asheville City Council on Tuesday after what she described as nearly two years of trying to find help.

“We are at our wits’ end,” Sensibaugh told council.

ViewPointe is a 55-and-older community bordered by Swannanoa River Road and Azalea Road in East Asheville, across Azalea Road from the WNC Nature Center and near the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex. Sensibaugh said the community’s average age is in the upper 70s and many residents are retirees living on fixed incomes.

Helene extensively damaged the subdivision’s common property, she said. The homeowners association hired geotechnical and environmental engineers to determine how to address the damage and has spent more than $200,000 so far, according to Sensibaugh.

Bids to repair cliff erosion, landslides and other problems range from $3.5 million to $7.8 million, she told council.

But residents aren’t asking the city to pay for all of it.

Sensibaugh said the community has sought city assistance specifically with the cliff bordering Azalea Road, which she estimated accounts for roughly half the total repair cost.

The cliff is on common property owned by ViewPointe residents. Azalea Road, however, is owned by the city.

Sensibaugh said rocks and trees have fallen from the cliff onto the road, and she urged council members to visit the area and look at guardrails she said have been damaged by falling debris since Helene.

She said residents worry about the risk to motorists, pedestrians and school buses using the road, which serves the WNC Nature Center, John B. Lewis Soccer Complex and other recreation facilities.

“What is more of a priority than the most basic need of public safety?” Sensibaugh asked.

She said residents previously sought help from the city but were told, “Well, if anything falls, we’ll help you clean it up.”

Sensibaugh also raised questions about city work in the area more than a decade ago, including what she described as pile driving and possible blasting between 2012 and 2014. She said residents have questioned whether that work could have contributed to problems with the cliff.

Sensibaugh said ViewPointe also has two landslides on the back of its property for which residents have not asked the city for assistance.

She also questioned how planned recreation improvements in the area could affect the subdivision’s damaged property.

The city is working on a broader Azalea Parks and Infrastructure Recovery project that includes Azalea Road East, Gashes Creek Bridge and Dam, Recreation Park and facilities at the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex. The project is expected to remain in design through 2027, with construction anticipated from 2028 through 2031.

Mayor Esther Manheimer said Tuesday that ViewPointe’s concerns warranted further discussion with city staff.

Other Asheville subdivisions have experienced millions of dollars in Helene damage and have handled it in different ways, Manheimer said. But she acknowledged that ViewPointe’s location adds another consideration.

“This one also abuts the public right-of-way, so it’s a more complex situation,” Manheimer said.

She said she would be willing to participate in a discussion about what, if anything, could be done and to better understand what residents have encountered while seeking assistance.

Another council member also expressed interest in taking a closer look at the public-safety concerns, including whether warning signs or other measures might be appropriate.

828newsNOW contacted NCDOT about the residents’ concerns. NCDOT spokesperson David Uchiyama said the issue falls under the city because Azalea Road is a city street.

The news outlet also has asked the city for more information, including whether the cliff has been evaluated, what safety measures might be considered, whether previous city work in the area could have affected the slope and whether funding or other assistance could be available to residents.

The city had not responded as of Friday afternoon.

For Sensibaugh, Tuesday’s appearance was another attempt to get the problem in front of city officials.

“We need your attention and support,” she told council. “We need you to try to grasp the magnitude of what a small community of homeowners are trying to deal with.”