EMERALD ISLE – Town commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to reject a $25,000 state grant for removing vegetative and other debris and restoring water quality in a portion of Archers Creek, the Carteret County News-Times reported.
The action came after at least two of four neighborhoods that had initially agreed to provide $12,500 of the $25,000 required local match for the grant reneged.
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The project would have addressed issues along a 1.1-mile portion of the creek in the Emerald Plantation shopping center and Woodpecker Lane, Emerald Landing and Forest Hills developments.
Town Manager Frank Rush said before the vote that there had been discussions with the North Carolina Coastal Federation about the need for a more comprehensive study of the watershed and options for cleaning up the creek. Town officials and the property owners did not think they could do that work with this specific grant and decided to drop the project that involved clearing debris and vegetation from the designated part of the creek.
“We all agreed to look for other opportunities to come up with a more comprehensive strategy for improving the creek’s water quality and appearance,” said Todd Miller, the federation’s executive director.
The state grant opportunity is available twice per year and town officials could apply again another time, but commissioners didn’t comment on reapplying.
