The Dare County Board of Commissioners is set to hold a public hearing on establishing county service districts to help pay for a proposed more than $12 million beach nourishment project in Avon.
The hearing on the proposed county service districts for beach erosion control and flood and hurricane protection works is at 9 a.m. Monday, June 7, in the Dare County Administration Building.
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Public comments may be presented to the board in person during the meeting. Maps and related documents are on the Dare County website. The meeting is to be on the county’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/darecounty.
In recent years, N.C. 12 in Avon has often been closed, sometimes for extended periods, because of ocean overwash. Officials said these repeated closures have had, and will continue to have, significant negative effects. The county board had a study performed that determined it is feasible for a beach restoration project to protect N.C. 12 and other infrastructure in Avon.
The proposed project would place sand on about 13,200 feet, or 2.5 miles, of Avon beach. The project will initially widen the beach by around 100 feet, officials said. Up to 1 million cubic yards of sand will be placed on the beach with a maximum average fill density of about 75 cubic yards per foot. The sand is to come from a 200-acre borrow site 1.5 to 2 miles offshore.
The project cost is an estimated at $12.68 million, or about $12.68 per cubic yard of sand. The proposed project is to be paid for with the Dare County Beach Nourishment Fund and revenues generated by the two county service districts.
Service District A will include all properties in Avon east of N.C. 12 and south of Due East Road. Service District B will be all properties in Avon.
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For legal reasons, the service district alignment is slightly different than what was discussed during the previous public hearing and in a previous letter, but will result in the same revenue generation and the same net cost to the taxpayer, according to the county.
The project plan calls for bids to be let in the fall or early winter 2021, with construction beginning in late spring or early summer 2022, if bids are within budget and contractor’s proposed construction period is viable.
