Think of it like a menu, one brimming with choices on how to slow the loss of tree cover and grow greener, healthier canopies in urban and rural communities.

Alliance for Cape Fear Trees has designed a guide offering just that, a policy resource to help local planning departments and governments, developers and community advocates shape green development.

“Code & Canopy” is 45 pages chock full of policies and practices that aim to create and maintain robust tree canopies, a core mission of the Wilmington-based nonprofit.

“Local planners, elected officials, they can look at this and see what is most applicable to their community and their community’s needs,” Alliance for Cape Fear Trees Executive Director Isabelle Shepherd said. “Cities and counties regularly update their land development codes and we plan to, piece by piece, introduce some of these ideas into our local codes and ordinances. This is a full menu of possibilities.”

The guide, which officially dropped Oct. 14, is a culmination of nearly a year of investigating codes and ordinances that shape development in the Lower Cape Fear Region, specifically Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties.

But Shepherd, who, with the support of the alliance’s board members and senior advisers, researched and wrote the guide, believes that what she set out to create as a local effort can be extended to other regions throughout the state.

“We wanted to make sure that it was all well-researched, but also that it was presented in a way that’s easy for the public to understand and for local governments to enact,” she said. “Fundamentally, we’re trying to make it easy for local governments to stand up for trees.”

The guide entails a variety of policies and rules that municipalities and counties can adopt to promote slow tree canopy loss, boost healthy canopy growth, and strengthen existing protections.

For example, communities may establish “tree save areas,” which require developers to preserve a percentage of undisturbed, natural areas and protect significant trees, or those that hold particular importance because of their size, age, cultural significance, or rarity, within a building site.

The city of Charlotte has such a requirement in its unified development ordinance, or UDO.

Wilmington and New Hanover County have regulations protecting certain species of mature trees, but Shepherd said the alliance would like for the city and county to include protections for all species of trees that are 24 inches in diameter at breast height or larger.

“That said, other municipalities and counties across the region do not have any protections for mature trees. That’s something that we are pressing for,” she said.

The guide suggests ways municipalities and counties can incentivize developers to preserve natural areas.

It also highlights several policies local governments can implement to protect and grow tree cover, including establishing conservation resource areas, revising performance subdivision rules, identifying high-value nature areas and strengthening zoning protections, and requiring annual training that focusing on tree protection protocols for general contractors and site supervisors.

“Code & Canopy” includes samples of resolutions municipal and county boards may adopt and letters those boards can send to the North Carolina General Assembly to advocate state legislators restore local zoning powers.

In December 2024, legislators amended Senate Bill 382, known as the Disaster Recovery Act of 2024, restricts the authority of local governments to “down-zone,” or rezone a property to reduce the density or intensity of a how a piece of land may be developed.

Alliance for Cape Fear Trees was founded 10 years ago as an advocacy organization for urban forestry depleted by coastal storms such as hurricanes, rapid development, and climate change.

The organization planted more than 3,000 native trees and distributed more than 15,000 throughout the region. It also offers educational programs and events that teach residents how to care for newly planted trees.

Since 2016, Wilmington’s tree canopy has shrunk from covering 48% of the city to about 40% today.

In unincorporated New Hanover County, more than 3,000 acres of canopy disappeared between 2014 and 2022.

Shepherd attributes those losses in what she described as a collision of climate stress and development pressure.

“Absolutely hurricanes like Florence play a major role in that, but development is also a primary driver of this loss and the costs go beyond aesthetics,” she said. “Mature forests intercept hundreds of millions of gallons of stormwater, reducing flood risk and improving water quality. Their roots stabilize soils. Their shade cool streets. When large trees and natural areas are removed without adequate replanting, the region loses vital green infrastructure.”

As part of their researcher, the alliance reached out to municipal and county planners, as well as developers who “demonstrated care toward the canopy,” for feedback.

A New Hanover County spokesperson said in an email that “Code & Canopy,” “will serve as a resource guide for the county’s Sustainability Manager to collaborate with departments in developing or updating policies that advance the county’s Strategic Plan goals for Sustainable Land Use and Environmental Stewardship.”

McKay Siegel, a partner with Chapel Hill-based development firm East West Partners, a sponsor of Alliance for Cape Fear Trees, lauded the organization for extending an invitation to developers to get their input.

“Developers don’t wake up and think about cutting down trees,” he said. “Whenever you take something from raw land to build, it’s not as though all you consider are the trees. There’s a whole lot of other factors – zoning, parking, stormwater. I think that ACFT is really doing their best to wrap their heads around some of the compromises that can be made in all the different areas, and what’s really best for the trees. I think ‘Code & Canopy’ is a good start. At least they’re giving us an opportunity to tell our side of the story, which is really neat and I think that the document reflects a lot of those conversations and hopefully it’s a good launch for the future.”

Belville’s longtime Mayor Michael Allen died Tuesday night, according to a statement the town issued Wednesday. He was 76.

“We are heartbroken by this loss, but we are so grateful for the time that we had with him,” Belville’s acting Mayor Charles Bost said in a statement. “He loved this town and dedicated his life to serving its residents.”

Allen served seven mayoral terms and more than 15 years for the Brunswick County town that borders the Brunswick River. The town statement notes that Allen “was instrumental in fighting for the revitalization of our downtown as well as setting the vision for its future growth and development.”

Brunswick County Commissioner Chair Mike Forte issued a statement Wednesday saying, in part, that he and his fellow county commissioners “have lost a true friend, and we will miss him dearly.”

“Mayor Allen was not just a fellow public servant – he was a great friend and confidant to me for several years, even before he was elected Mayor of Belville,” Forte said. “Mayor Allen had a true heart for public service, and we are grateful for his loyal service to the Town of Belville and Brunswick County for more than 15 years.”

Forte and other commissioners served with Allen on other boards and initiatives over the years.

“We are very lucky to have had such a wonderful person serve our community with such leadership and dedication every day,” he stated.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Registration is open now for the daylong “Adaptation Planning for Coastal Communities” course being offered in April through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The class is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, at the NOAA Beaufort Lab Auditorium, 101 Pivers Island Road, Beaufort. Being offered at no charge, registration is required to attend.

“Coastal communities increasingly realize the need for adaptation strategies, but many are unsure where to begin. Attend this course to gain a thorough grounding and practical skills for incorporating adaptation strategies into planning processes,” organizers said.

Planners, public works staff, floodplain managers, hazard mitigation planners, sustainability managers, emergency managers, community groups, members of civic organizations, and coastal resource managers are encouraged to attend.

Trainers from NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management will lead the course that has the following learning objectives:

• Apply the basic elements of an adaptation planning framework to organize future preparedness efforts.
• Translate climate science into impacts on local community assets.
• Determine local vulnerabilities based on an existing assessment or hazard visualization tool.
• Interpret and apply results of a vulnerability assessment to inform adaptation priorities.
• Identify, compare and prioritize locally relevant adaptation strategies and actions.
• Organize adaptation options into a cohesive long-term strategy using an adaptation pathways approach.

American Institute of Certified Planners and Association of State Floodplain Managers can earn continuing education credits by attending this course.

BEAUFORT – Residents here are outraged that town officials are negotiating behind closed doors a possibly decades-long contract to operate the town-owned docks that many say is already decided in favor of a giant conglomerate with operations already in Beaufort and in coastal South Carolina.

But the number of marina operators available with the needed expertise and financial heft to invest what Beaufort officials say would be $10-15 million in a needed rehabilitation of the town’s “iconic boardwalk” is likely finite. And, town officials say, grant funding could likely only result in about $3 million for the project.

Beaufort Waterfront Enterprises Inc. is the current operator of the Beaufort waterfront marina and has been for 46 years. Haywood Weeks, the corporation’s president, has told the town he no longer wishes to continue operating the docks after Dec. 31 when the current agreement expires.

The town has been planning for this inevitability for at least three years. Beaufort Waterfront Enterprises is a small corporation formed in 1979 with Weeks and Secretary Joseph “Jeb” Breary as the only agents on file with the state. A study committee was appointed in July 2021, but town residents say they’re not getting much information on such a high-profile, potentially environmentally sensitive deal that they worry will change Beaufort but not for the better. The entire waterfront infrastructure, including the boardwalk and fuel storage, are at the end of their useful life, with eyesores and environmental risks, according to the town.

Breary told Coastal Review Tuesday that Beaufort Waterfront Enterprises knows nothing about any negotiations because the town has essentially shut him and Weeks out of the deal, even in an advisory capacity.

“Nobody’s talking to nobody,” Breary said. “All we hear is what we’re hearing from the people who are screaming.”

Numerous townsfolk have told Coastal Review that the little they have been able to glean about the deal in the works, an apparent 50-year contract with a 50-year extension option, is deeply concerning because it has huge potential ramifications for Beaufort’s future.

Some have accused the town’s board of commissioners, which has put out a request for proposals and received responses, of using the cover of confidential “economic development” discussions to skirt public records law and advance their own personal business interests, rather than the town’s best interests. They say the fix is already in for Beaufort to contract with a company called Safe Harbor.

Town officials recently attempted to address those concerns in a detailed press release, saying they were “cognizant of the issues” and “taking into consideration the use of taxpayer dollars.”

The release noted the town’s financial position and the importance of considering “the level of service delivered” by whomever is selected as the contracted operator of the docks.

“Additionally, the character and charm of Beaufort must be preserved while meeting the public’s expectation to ensure the existing vistas of Rachel Carson Reserve. As a functional consideration, the Town must consider the availability of dock space for day boaters, the continuance of existing commercial activities, and the creation of mooring space in the harbor. Each of these issues is being considered by the Board of Commissioners along with the public feedback received throughout the process including the charrette conducted in May of this year. This is not an easy decision.”

But the announcement from the town doesn’t satisfy the Beaufort residents who have contacted Coastal Review in the past two weeks.

“It’s not a conspiracy theory to say downtown Beaufort will be different,” a town resident who wished to remain unnamed told Coastal Review last week.

Safe Harbor

Several Coastal Review readers have shared news reports from South Carolina, where Safe Harbor has operations and has made decisions that didn’t sit well with the folks in coastal towns down there.

Earlier this year, the Beaufort, South Carolina, City Council told Safe Harbor it wasn’t interested in the corporation’s proposed $27 million dock expansion.

“All the council members agreed that they think that expanding the dock will not only obstruct the view of the water that is so important to many who live in the city, but it will change the charm and feel that makes the city of Beaufort special,” reported the Island News of Beaufort, South Carolina, on April 4.

In February, the Hilton Head Island Packet reported that Safe Harbor Marina was “on the verge of beginning construction of what was originally billed as a megayacht marina” at its 317-acre site on Battery Creek in Port Royal, South Carolina. While the definition of a megayacht varies, the Island Packet report defined it as being between 130 and 590 feet in length. Residents here say it’s generally any vessel longer than 200 feet, and that worries them.

Breary, the dockmaster here, said the longest vessel capable of docking at the Beaufort waterfront is about 250 feet, essentially a mini-megayacht, he said. But the constant shoaling and necessary dredging required to keep the entrance channel to Beaufort Harbor clear is enough to likely keep the largest yachts away.

“A 250-foot boat doesn’t need to stop here unless something bad has happened,” Breary said, adding that the channel sometimes shoals to as shallow as 7 to 8 feet.

Breary also noted how Weeks had been instrumental over the years in raising and providing local funding to bring in the Army Corps of Engineers for periodic dredging.

In March, Port Royal took legal action to stop Safe Harbor from using part of the property there for dock manufacturing, allegedly for use at a different Safe Harbor property.

Safe Harbor Marinas was a limited liability company purchased in 2020 by Michigan-based Sun Communities Inc. As part of that roughly $2 billion deal, Sun acquired 99 marinas owned and operated by Safe Harbor and eight marinas Safe Harbor manages on behalf of third parties.

In 2022, Sun purchased Beaufort-based Jarrett Bay Boatworks — the entire 175-acre enchilada: manufacturing, marina, business park and all — for $51 million. Randy Ramsey, founder and then-president of Jarrett Bay Boatworks, has been vice president of operations with Safe Harbor Marinas since February 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Ramsey, who was until recently also chairman of the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors, did not respond to Coastal Review’s request for comment on Beaufort’s pending decision.

Marina expansion worries

Obstructed views of Taylors Creek and the Rachel Carson Reserve, and expansion of the marina here are among the concerns from outspoken residents who have reached out to Coastal Review. But the secrecy is perhaps a chief concern, along with what they say is the town’s handling of contracts in the past.

No one in attendance spoke favorably of the alleged lack of transparency during the public comment portion of the July 22 Beaufort Board of Commissioners’ work session. As seen in the video of the meeting, Beaufort resident Robert Harper said the town has a sorry track record in holding its contractors accountable.

“The history of this town in enforcing its contracts is abysmal,” Harper told the board during his allotted three minutes. “And if you want an example of that I can give you plenty.”

He said the town had not litigated contractual shortcomings or enforced its rules or ordinances in the past. He asked for assurances that residents get to review any finalized contract before it’s executed and that it would be enforced once it’s in effect.

“If you can assure us that you will stand up and you will enforce the agreement that you hammer out, then we’ll feel a lot better about that, but we have no information. It’s all a void. There’s this mysterious black box where all this conversation is going on, but the public has no idea, and what we are afraid of is that you guys will come out one day and say, ‘Well, this is our decision, vote, done,’ and we will have no recourse.”

Harper also reminded the board of its accountability to voters.

“After all, y’all represent us. You’re not there for your own good. You’re there for us. We put you there for that reason so we would like to see what you’re doing on our behalf,” he said.

Others in town have echoed concerns about the lack of transparency or questioned the apparent urgency. They’ve asked, why not temporarily extend the contract with the current operator to allow a more public process? Others have asked, why, if the town cannot afford the needed dock upgrades, were grants and other funding opportunities not pursued more diligently? Still others have said it appeared the board was secretly selling out the town in a way that will drastically change its character.

Resident J.P. Gooch, during the public comment portion of the meeting, said two of three residents he’d spoken with knew nothing of what the board was deciding. He called for a more public process and more examination of public funding options. He said it appeared the commissioners were pressing “the easy button” by bringing in Safe Harbor, a publicly traded corporation.

“I don’t even know if it’s Safe Harbor that you’re talking to because there’s a lack of transparency,” said Gooch, who added that because the firm is publicly traded, “They’re beholden to their stockholders. They’re not interested in what Beaufort has to say.”

Resident Dr. Jud Kenworthy said the board had simply failed to ask the public what it wanted for the waterfront, “a valuable asset,” he said. “I’m a biologist so I look through the lens of biology when I look at things like this, and what I see here is a classic predator-prey relationship, and what we are, the town of Beaufort, what you are as our representatives, you know what the entire community is, it is the prey.”

Mayor Sharon Harker, during the meeting, offered assurances that the board would not approve a contract behind closed doors, which would be counter to open meeting laws. Harker is a board member with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review.

“This board would not make any decisions to sign any contract behind closed doors. I don’t even know why we’d even think that,” said Harker during the meeting, referring to the town board. “And yes, it will come to public light, and then yes, you will be able to have your opportunity to talk about it. So, I want you to take that to the streets.”

With that, the mayor then asked for a motion to enter into closed session. But before that happened, Commissioner Bucky Oliver, owner of the Beaufort Hotel, said he was confident that the board was doing right by the town. He said the board was listening and had already considered and was still considering many of the concerns expressed.

“I have to step back and reflect on the fact of where we are in our country and in our times, and we are in uncertain times, and we are anxious, and I am,” Oliver said. “And I’m not speaking about national issues, and I’m not speaking about dock issues. This is something that is right here in the midst of our thing, and our goal is to try to do the best job we can for the town of Beaufort. And I’m comfortable in looking anybody in the face, and I can tell you that I feel that confidence across this commission.”

Study committee recommendations

The town-appointed Harbor & Waterways Master Planning Advisory Committee began its work in summer 2021, “to evaluate needed improvements” to the docks, according to a town news release dated July 22. “After considerable review,” the committee presented its recommendations in September 2022.

“Armed with these recommendations, the Board decided to investigate whether a private market exists for a third-party operator with sufficient capital to invest in and manage the Town’s docks. Consequently, the Town set forth to explore these questions in the context of a long-term lease or in the form of a public-private partnership,” according to the news release.

The recommendations include $9.8 million in necessary improvements to the bulkhead, boardwalk and dock infrastructure and $4.1 million in “desired improvements, such as extending the boardwalk, a mooring field, replacing vessel fueling and storage tanks, creating more aesthetic and pedestrian-friendly features and adding other amenities.

Town officials determined that a private market does exist, but the town was “not financially positioned to invest $10-15 million in the rehabilitation of the waterfront.”

“With this understanding, the town investigated the possibility of financing the improvements through commercial lending as an alternative to a third party,” the town said in the release. “In consultation with First Tryon Advisors, the Town’s financial consultant, it was determined that commercial lending would be very difficult given collateral required for a loan requires the pledge of Town-owned assets other than the waterfront assets themselves. As such, a comprehensive review was conducted to determine what other fixed assets of the Town could be used as collateral. Unfortunately, the fixed assets that have an appreciable value are obligated. As such, they represent encumbrances and therefore cannot be used as collateral for a loan to improve the docks.”

Town officials said they also considered a bond referendum. “This option, if approved by the voters, requires an increase in property tax rates to satisfy the associated debt service. The Board has not expressed an interest in pursuing this alternative as the tax burden for improvements would be distributed to all property owners, and not just those who use and/or enjoy the docks.”

Three coastal counties have been ranked as more economically distressed than they were last year, while one – Currituck — is ranked as the least distressed in the state for the third consecutive year. 

The North Carolina Department of Commerce published Nov. 29 the “2024 North Carolina Development Tier Designations,” a ranking of all 100 counties every year based on economic well-being and relative economic distress. 

Currituck County Manager Ike McRee told Coastal Review Thursday that he questions the validity of this ranking system, especially as the county’s population grows. 

David Rhoades, the Commerce’s communications director, explained to Coastal Review the tier system is incorporated into various state programs to encourage economic activity in the less prosperous areas of the state. 

Tier 1 counties are the most distressed and ranked 1 to 40, counties 41 to 80 are considered Tier 2, and the least distressed 20 counties are in Tier 3, ranked 81-100, according to the website. 

On the coast, Beaufort is ranked for 2024 at 34, Gates at 38 and Pasquotank as 31, all moving from Tier 2 to Tier 1 counties, joining Hertford ranked at No. 3, Bertie at No. 7, Chowan at No. 37, Hyde at No. 19, Onslow at No. 38, Tyrrell at No. 16 and Washington at No. 8. Tier two counties include Perquimans ranked at No. 42, Craven at No. 58, Pamlico at No. 68, and Dare at No. 80, which has the highest adjusted property tax base per capita for 2023-24 at $446,844.

Brunswick County had the highest population growth at 14.15%, while Hyde had the lowest, a decline of 6.49%.

Rhoades said that four equally weighted factors are used to calculate the tiers each year. These factors are average unemployment rate for the most recent 12 months, median household income for the most recent 12 months data are available, adjusted property tax base per capita for the most recent taxable year, and population growth for the previous three years.

When asked how second homes, which are many along the coast, affect the criteria, Rhoades explained that one of the economic factors that go into the calculation is the property tax base per capita of the county, and “the tax value of all properties in a county does play a role in the Tiers system.”

Rhoades said a resident may not feel much difference in their daily life from tier designation, but the tiers can impact the economic development strategies that local leaders employ. Tier 1 counties facing more economic distress can take advantage of more favorable terms and conditions from programs that tie their benefits to the tier system.

“Generally speaking, various state programs provide greater benefits to counties facing more economic distress. For example, the One North Carolina Fund, which is an incentive program administered by our department, requires a local funding match. The required terms of that match are more favorable for Tier 1 counties, where the local government only must match $1 for every $3 state dollars provided. In Tier 3 counties, local governments must match one for one each state dollar provided,” he said. 

Currituck County is ranked 100, or least distressed, with an adjusted property tax base per capita for 2023-24 at $266,474, according to the department. The population growth for July 2019 to July 2022 is listed as 12.77% with a median income for 2021 of $82,759, the fourth-highest median household income, behind Wake, Union and Chatham, in that order. Unemployment from October 2022 to September 2023 was 3.2%.

McRee said the county had a 10.4% increase in population from 2020 to 2022, which ranked Currituck the second-fastest-growing county in North Carolina, and from 2010 to 2020, the county experienced a 20.2% increase in population over that decade, ranking it as the seventh-fastest-growing county in the state.

“We continue to question the validity of the criteria used by the Department of Commerce and the result of that criteria use, because it’s kind of befuddling to believe that Currituck County in rural northeastern North Carolina is the least economically distressed county of all counties in the state,” he said. “Less distressed than Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Pitt, I mean, it just doesn’t make any sense to us.”

McRee added that they’re trying to get the North Carolina General Assembly to at least study and determine whether this criteria is “really fair and applicable to what is in essence, a rural county.”

The consequence of being ranked as least distressed is the county is not eligible for multiple state grants, he continued. 

“We’re grateful to be an attractive, viable county, especially in northeastern North Carolina when so many counties are losing population,” McRee said, but the county’s growth increases the demand for services, such as fire, EMS, law enforcement, but particularly schools.

Currituck has been denied school construction grants, though some neighboring counties have received $30 million or more. “What we’re now having to do is construct with 100% Currituck County funds a $60 million elementary school at the north end of our county to keep up with our population growth,” he said.

What else could be an issue for Currituck is being a coastal county with a large number of absentee property owners with extremely high-value homes on the Currituck Outer Banks, and that should be taken into consideration, he said. 

“It appears to us and they need to reevaluate the criteria they’re going to use to determine whether a county is economically distressed or not,” he said. 

For Pasquotank, the county’s economic distress rank is No. 31, moving from No. 43 in 2023. 

Pasquotank County Assistant Manager John Shannon told Coastal Review Thursday that it was not unexpected for the county to return to Tier 1, which it has been ranked since 2014, minus last year.

“Pasquotank County has historically been grouped into Tier 1,” Shannon said, “with 2023 being more of an outlier.”

Pasquotank’s adjusted property tax for 2023-24 is $94,016, population growth July 2019 to July 2022 was 1.35%, median income for 2021 is $51,365, and unemployment is 4.24%.

“This shift was largely driven by a change in the county’s median household income rank, which moved from #73 last year to #45 this year,” according to the department. The median household income numbers used for last year were $56,654.

Shannon said that the county has currently not researched the specifics of the change in the median household income rank from year to year. 

Gates County, which experienced a population decline of 2.4%, is ranked as No. 38 for 2024, moving from No. 41 in 2023. This shift was largely driven by a change in the county’s unemployment rate rank, which moved from No. 73 last year at 3.29% to No. 60 this year, at 3.38%, officials said. The adjusted property tax base per capita for 2023-2024 is $93,952.

Manager Scott Sauer noted that the county’s median household income is $59,762, positioning Gates County near the first quarter of the 100 counties, or 72 out of 100, where 1 is the most distressed.

“One explanation for this higher-than-expected rating (72) is Gates County’s proximity to the Tidewater Virginia, area of Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach where many of our residents are employed,” he said in an email, adding that the county was tier two from 2020 until last year.

Sauer said he has had the opportunity and the honor since 1991 to serve in Caswell, Scotland, Sampson, Harnett, Bertie and Gates counties, and “Statistical rankings do not provide an accurate measure of economic standing.”

Though there is no chain grocery store, no hospital, no community college facility or satellite campus, and only one electric vehicle charging station for the many Tesla owners, “in Gates County, we enjoy a beautiful and pristine environment for fishing, water recreation and hunting — and Merchants Millpond State Park which just celebrated 75 years of operation,” he said.

“Our residents enjoy safe neighborhoods and safe schools, which are a valuable resource by any rational measure. Agriculture and timber production are the economic engines for Gates County and this region, and we continue to innovate and grow stronger each year,” Sauer continued.

Gates County is ninth in cotton production out of North Carolina’s 100 counties, and the opportunities for ecotourism, heritage tourism, agritourism, entrepreneurs, and small businesses are seemingly endless.

“Gates County’s designation as a Tier 1 county is good news from my perspective and can be beneficial as we strive to qualify for grant opportunities to better serve our residents and taxpayers,” Sauer said. “And as a tier one county we remain in good company — with Pitt County (and ECU), with Cumberland County (and Fort Bragg), with Wayne County (and Seymour Johnson Air Station) and Onslow County (with Camp Lejeune) just to name a few.”

Beaufort County’s economic distress rank is No. 34, moving from No. 45 in 2023. The shift was largely driven by a change in the county’s unemployment rate rank, which moved from No. 43 last year at 3.77% to No. 34 this year, at 3.91%, officials said.

Beaufort County Economic Development Director Brad Hufford said that most of the county’s neighbors are Tier 1.

“While not a perfect system for determining economic strength and weakness, it is the system the state uses, and we will take full advantage of the opportunity it presents,” Hufford told Coastal Review in an email. “Our tier ranking opens us up to some opportunities with state funding such as preferential grant treatment and the lowering or waiving of local matching requirements for some grants. The system was designed to help address the needs of Tier 1 communities and help them improve their economic ranking in the future. Because the ranking system is the way it is, there will always be a new batch of Tier 1 counties even if the rising tide lifts all boats generally.”

He said that the county has been historically closer to a Tier 1. 

“During the pandemic, our county performed better on the four factors than many of the other counties, with us holding steady while they had a more drastic cut off due to the pandemic,” Hufford said in an email. “For 2021-2023 we were a Tier 2, since the ranking system is not in a vacuum but is determined by the order of other counties. In order to make a sustained or permanent leap out of Tier 1 status, there has to be some fundamental economic and population growth in the county, like what has happened in the suburban counties around major metros in the state.”

Sadly, he continued, northeastern North Carolina and coastal communities largely have not seen these types of changes like the rest of the state.

Beaufort County’s unemployment rate went from 3.77% in 2023 to 3.91% for 2024, which is not too drastic of a change. 

“It is just that compared to all the other 99 counties in NC, our new unemployment rate grew while the other counties dipped. We did have a small business closure and one of our company’s put staff on a brief furlough, so besides normal attrition, that might have accounted for some of the unemployment rate change,” he said. 

Historically, the region has had most of the Tier 1, economically distressed counties, with only small pockets existing in the Piedmont and mountains. 

“Looking at the map, you see the large swath of contiguous Tier 1 counties. I think the region has been slower to make the change from an agriculture-based economy. There was already more industry in the middle part of the state and population there, so we were at a disadvantage. I think the state needs to have some fundamental push to encourage economic growth in our area,” Hufford said. “I think with all the success and new industry occurring on the 85 corridor and around the metros, it is creating growing pains in communities dealing with people moving to NC. To me our region offers a great opportunity to balance that growth and extend prosperity east. Of course, the coast has a great quality of life and reputation as a vacation destination, but we need more economic diversity and population growth to balance for long term change.”

TOPSAIL BEACH – After more than a year of emotionally charged meetings, negotiations and renegotiations, a Raleigh couple has pulled the plug on their plans to build a family compound on the southern tip of Topsail Island.

Software entrepreneur Todd Olson and his wife Laura informed Topsail Beach officials Monday that they were withdrawing their application seeking to conditionally rezone about a third of the southernmost end of town.

Todd Olson confirmed in an email to Coastal Review Online Wednesday that he and his wife no longer intend to buy the undeveloped property.

During a short meeting Wednesday morning, the town planning board accepted the Olson’s withdrawal.

The couple in a statement to Coastal Review said they “hope the best” for the property, which has long been referred to as “The Point,” and explained their decision to withdraw their application.

“Despite our repeated requests for time to discuss the details of our rezoning request and come up with solutions together, the Commissioners refused to meet with us one-on-one and routinely passed us off to the Town’s staff and external planning consultant,” the statement reads. “Meanwhile, we understand the Commissioners directly conversed with members of the community who opposed our plans. This one-sided behavior has let to confusion and an unending set of proposed conditions.”

The Olsons also said town commissioners had sent mixed messages, asking the couple and their representatives to quickly respond to complicated requests, “while also regularly reminding us of the generational nature of those decisions.”

“For example, suggesting a two-week deadline to determine the 50-year impact of our plan on the surrounding wetlands was unrealistic,” the statement reads. “While the intent of conditional zoning is to provide guardrails for development, we often felt pulled between making these decisions quickly and alone or ceding full control to a group of elected officials. Neither of these options is good for the Town.”

The Olsons had been under contract for more than two years to buy the land, a deal that depended on whether the town would approve a conditional rezoning request for fewer than 30 acres from conservation to conditional use.

That request was denied earlier this year by the planning board.

Laura Olson and representatives for the family last met with Topsail Beach commissioners Nov. 7 in a special-called meeting to discuss a host of conditions in which the Olsons and town could agree before commissioners cast a final vote on the rezoning request.

Commissioners warned then that if the couple did not keep in writing an agreement to permanently conserve about 80% of the property, the board would not likely approve the rezoning request.

Earlier this year, the Olsons signed a letter of intent with the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust to grant the organization a conservation easement for a minimum of 80% of the property. Citing “some potential tax implications,” Laura Olson informed commissioners at the Nov. 7 meeting that the couple wanted to remove any written agreement with the Coastal Land Trust from the list of proposed conditions.

Throughout the process, the Olsons said they wanted to preserve much of the property.

Their decision to withdraw the rezoning application means the undeveloped south end of Topsail Island could once again be up for grabs.

The property has steadily accreted over the years as the southern end of the island at New Topsail Inlet has gained sand, making it a favorite for town property owners and tourists who enjoy walking its beaches.

The property has been owned by members of the McLeod family for decades. The family has allowed the public to freely access the land during that time and leases a parking lot on the land to the town.

The property has been routinely on and off the market for the past two or so decades.

Attempts to buy the land, including those by the town to keep it free from development, have yet to pan out.

People who’ve spoken at numerous meetings about the Olson’s plans for the property – seven houses, a pool and pool house, decking, beach and sound accesses and a small, private marina – overwhelmingly opposed building of any kind on the property.

Thousands have signed an online petition opposing the Olson’s rezoning request and, earlier this year, a grassroots effort calling itself Conserve The Point – Topsail officially became a nonprofit organization.

Conserve The Point – Topsail “stands ready” to enter into a public-private partnership to buy the property and place it into permanent conservation, according to a release.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to conserve one of the last undeveloped tracts of land on a North Carolina coastal barrier island and protect the wildlife habitat for the endangered birds and species who all this island their home,” Conserve The Point – Topsail Board of Directors President Roy Costa said in a statement. “We will continue to keep you posted as the plans unfold to conserve The Point forever.”

Costa said in a telephone interview that the organization has not yet engaged with any particular group to pursue buying the property, pending the outcome of the Olson’s request.

The property is within a state-designated Inlet Hazard Area, one in which shorelines face a higher threat of erosion and flooding at inlets that can suddenly and dramatically shift. The land is also in a Coastal Barrier Resources System, or CBRS, zone.

Congress created the system in the early 1980s to discourage building on relatively undeveloped barrier islands by barring federal funding and financial assistance in hurricane-prone, biologically rich areas.

The property is also designated critical habitat to threatened and endangered piping plovers and loggerhead sea turtles.

After serving more than three decades of public service, Surf City Mayor Doug Medlin has resigned.

Medlin announced his decision to step down during the Surf City Town Council meeting Tuesday, saying he wanted to focus on his family and health, according to a town news release.

Councilwoman Teresa Batts has been appointed mayor and was sworn in following Tuesday’s meeting.

“I am so proud of all the things I have been able to contribute to,” Medlin said in a statement. “I am glad I was able to help our community and I will continue to help from a different place and perspective. I am proud that I led the charge on getting our sewer started here in our town back in the 80’s. I am proud that I worked to update our water treatment system. I am extremely proud that I worked with a group of people on beach nourishment and relieved that we have finally secured that project this year!”

During his more than 35 years of public service to the town, Medlin played a key role in the expansion of the town’s parks and recreation amenities and seeing through with construction of the Surf City bridge and new municipal complex, which opened last year.

His time on the town council spans back to 1988, when he was sworn is a councilman and appointed mayor pro-tem. He served as mayor from December 1989 to December 1991.

In 2019, he was voted in again as mayor, a title he held until his announcement yesterday.

The search is now on for someone to fill the vacant council seat.

The town “will be publishing a process to openly select” a person to fill the position, according to the release.

A public celebration celebrating Medlin will be announced soon.

David Andrews, who most recently served as town manager for Boiling Springs Lakes, will begin his new role as Pender County manager Sept. 1.

The Pender County Board of Commissioners made the announcement following a closed session Monday during its regular meeting.

Before Andrews managed Boiling Spring Lakes, he was manager of Carrboro for more than 10 years “where he was instrumental in strengthening the town’s arts and entertainment district, promoted tourism and economic development, implemented a community outreach program, and supported remediation efforts for a neighborhood adversely affected by a former landfill,” according to the county.

“Mr. Andrews brings many strengths to Pender County, including land use, budget and finance, economic development, and strategic planning,” said Chairman David Piepmeyer in a statement.

Piepmeyer added that Andrews has experience working with grants for large capital projects, most recently the Boiling Springs dam restoration project. He is also acquainted with the bond process, which is helpful for the upcoming Pender County school bond referendum that will appear on the November ballot.

Andrews began his career in the South Tucson as a finance director in 1991. He is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a master’s in public administration. He also holds a bachelor’s in accounting from Stephen F. Austin State University. Andrews is a certified and credentialed manager and is recognized by the International City/County Management Association. 

BEAUFORT – Environmental advocates say a proposed 37-acre, 47-lot residential development here would bring “significant degradation” of a tidal creek estuary that the state has designated as high-quality waters for commercial shellfishing.

The town planning board approved 5-1 the developer’s, Beaufort Agrihood Development, LLC, request for preliminary plat approval for the proposed Salt Wynd Preserve on undeveloped land next to Gibbs Creek where the single-family homes would be built. The board’s approval is the final word on this initial step in the process.

Town commissioners last week voted 4-1 to grant conditional approval of the developer’s annexation request.

The nonprofit Coastal Carolina Riverwatch had urged town officials in a letter dated May 16 to allow more time for public input before acting on the request.

The preliminary plat for Salt Wynd Preserve had first gone before the planning board during its meeting Feb. 21. The board voted 6-1 to table the item until the March meeting to ensure the board had time to review the packet, which had been submitted less than 14 days before the meeting took place.

Then in March, action was again tabled.

The Southern Environmental Law Center first submitted comments on behalf of Coastal Carolina Riverwatch in March, urging the planning board to consider concerns about water quality and deny the request.

The law center sent a second letter Monday seeking delay to allow time to review the environmental impact statement and refer it to appropriate state agencies for input.

“Our March 16, 2022 public comments detail the ecological significance and high water quality of Gibbs Creek, which make it the last creek in Beaufort not permanently closed to shellfishing. Our comments raise concerns with the effects of the proposed development on the Creek’s ecological integrity and water quality,” according to the letter.

Pender County is looking to hire a new manager with the resignation earlier this week of manager Chad McEwen.

McEwen tendered his resignation in closed session during the Pender County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday, county officials announced Thursday.

The position is posted on the county’s website and the search for a new county manager is underway.

McEwen, who has served as Pender County manager since October 2019, has accepted an offer outside of Pender County. McEwen requested to work a 30-day notice but commissioners denied the request over concerns about him leaving while the county was working on its budget.

He will be required to work the full 60-day notice period in his his contract.

“I was shocked that Chad had decided to leave his current position with Pender County but wish him well in his future professional endeavors wherever they may be,” Chairman David Piepmeyer said in a statement.

The Dare County Public Works Department says it will collect household hazardous waste May 12-14 at three locations. 

The hazardous waste collection is for Dare County property owners, year-round residents and farmers, officials said. Residents can use any of the three locations during the household hazardous waste collection event. 

Hazardous waste can be dropped off for safe disposal at the following locations:

• Northern Beach collection: Kitty Hawk Town Hall, 101 Veterans Memorial Drive, 9 a.m. to 3  p.m. Thursday, May 12.
• Buxton collection: Buxton Transfer Station, 47015 Buxton Back Road 2-4 p.m. Friday, May 13.
• Manteo collection: Dare County Public Works, 1018 Driftwood Drive, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 14.

Accepted materials include paints, polishes, varnishes, paint-related materials, turpentine, aerosol cans, adhesives, motor oil, antifreeze, fuel additives, household cleaners, herbicides and insecticides, gasoline, mercury, pesticides, pool chemicals, fluorescent light bulbs, automotive batteries, small batteries and automotive fluids. 

Materials that are not usually accepted include commercial, business and industrial waste, as well as explosives, bullets, radioactive material, 55-gallon drums of material and cylinders and other than propane and fire extinguishers.

Dare County residents and property owners are asked to mark any unlabeled containers that they intend to drop off during the household hazardous waste collection. 

Prospective drilling at a rich deposit of fossil fuels off Cape Hatteras has long been the bogeyman for Outer Bankers. But even with the current coastwide moratorium on gas and oil exploration, oil spills can and do happen. An oil tanker can be damaged in a storm, or a cargo ship can run aground and split apart.

That scenario is what the recent Outer Banks Regional Oil Spill Tabletop Exercise was intended to address, with officials and emergency managers at every level of government gathering to update and improve plans to quickly respond to oil spills that could threaten the coast of Currituck, Dare and Hyde counties.

In an “after-action” plan released in late February, following the all-day exercise held on Feb. 2 in Manteo, recommendations included ways to build response skills among a wider swath of those living on the barrier islands.

“The goal is to provide more training opportunities for people who are in the community,” Drew Pearson, Dare County Emergency Management director, said in an interview.

With an integrated and broad approach to tackling spills, the exercise builds on the traditional incident command system, or ICS, approach for emergency response, while filling in gaps.

“It is a tried and tested system to bring all levels of response together,” he said, referring to the ICS.

Pearson said that after the local Outer Banks emergency management planning committee was revitalized about two years ago, several groundings of fishing vessels made it apparent that a more comprehensive plan was needed to tackle oil spills.

“We said, ‘How do we get smarter locally in our response?’,” Pearson recounted.

There has not been a large oil spill off North Carolina in decades, although there have been plenty of small oil leaks of varied amounts and duration from various ship mishaps and old abandoned or sunken vessels. During World War II, numerous ships lost in U-boat attacks or storms disgorged oil into the seas off the Outer Banks, sometimes igniting the surface of the water into flames. 

And in March 1971, the tanker Texaco Oklahoma, located 120 miles northeast of Cape Hatteras, broke apart in a storm, leaving behind a 50-mile-wide slick of oil and claiming most of the 44 lives on board. 

But more recently along a nearby Atlantic coastline, 215 gallons of oil washed ashore in October 2020 at Broadkill Beach in Delaware, polluting more than 60 miles of shoreline, including in Maryland. More than a year later, the source of the oil had still not been determined. 

The exercise, facilitated by consultant Crisis Tec, featured group discussions about plans and procedures with more than 40 participants from the U.S. Coast Guard, National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, North Carolina Emergency Management, Dare, Currituck, and Hyde counties, nonprofit groups and academic institutions.

Much of the discussion was spurred by a hypothetical oil spill from a large oil tanker transiting off the North Carolina coast during a tropical storm.

Participants could view trajectory maps of the 5,000 gallons of oil spilling into the ocean every hour as the vessel drifted to the beach, and the additional 200,000-gallon release when the ship grounded.

Based on the projected impacts, each group discussed how a multi-organizational response, mitigation and recovery could be made under existing plans, and where there was room for enhancement and updating of the plans, such as in the notification systems.

According to the report, the purpose of the exercise, which was funded from North Carolina Emergency Management’s $7,500 Tier II Competitive Grant, was to “examine current policies, procedures, resources and actions in the context of a response to major oil spill, to promote greater understanding and ability to manage a complex incident and to make improvements as identified as an outcome of the exercise.”

Oil spill regulations are covered under Title 40 of the U.S. Code, and the Coast Guard has authority under the 1990 Oil Pollution Act to act as the federal on-scene coordinator to respond to spills in the marine environment.

Other laws that govern oil accidents include the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Clean Water Act and the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

Lt. Amanda Faulkner, an emergency management specialist for Coast Guard Sector North Carolina, said that as part of the National Response Framework, there is an area contingency plan in place that guides the Coast Guard’s response to hazardous substance releases and oil spills. The contingency plan is overseen by an area committee, a group of federal, state and local government stakeholders from the specific area of the country.

In North Carolina, she said, the area spans the coastal environment from the Virginia to South Carolina borders.

In addition, the laws require every regulated vessel to have response plans to prevent environmental impacts in the event of a discharge. The Coast Guard also regularly inspects vessels to ensure their compliance to regulations.

Although the area committee does hold annual exercises, she said, the Coast Guard has typically been the lead organizer for oil spill drills. With the Manteo tabletop exercise, she said, the effort was unusual because it was not only spearheaded by Dare County, the county also took “a very active role.”

Dare County Emergency Management has encouraged attendees at the exercise to join the ongoing efforts to enhance the North Carolina Coastal Area Contingency Plan managed by Coast Guard Sector North Carolina.

The Coast Guard supported and helped to develop the Manteo after action report, Faulkner said, and it welcomes efforts to partner on proactive plans. 

“I think we always have something that we can improve on,” she said. “And that’s the importance of doing these tabletop exercises and the full-scale exercises, is to identify those gaps and work to address them.”  

The Leland Planning Board in a split decision Tuesday voted to create a new zoning district on land that a majority of board members also recommend annexing into the Brunswick County town.

The board’s 4-3 vote on both the addition of a Riverfront Urban Mixed-Use District to the town’s zoning districts and annexation of the property is a step forward for a controversial proposed development on the Cape Fear River’s west bank in New Hanover County.

Leland’s town council last week voted to direct the town clerk to investigate a petition for voluntary annexation of a little more than 8 acres of land referred to as Point Peter, which sits at the confluence of the Cape Fear and Northeast Cape Fear rivers.

The land does not abut Leland’s town lines.

Related: Leland council approves action on annexation petition

Developer KFJ Development Group LLC wants to build a complex of three high-rises that would consist of apartments, retail, commercial and hospitality space, and a luxury hotel just south of the Battleship North Carolina.

The proposed development is facing heavy opposition, including that of a coalition made up of several environmental, civil rights and historic preservation organizations.

Point Peter is in a Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated floodplain, an area that is especially vulnerable to sea level rise, opponents argue.

Sensitive river habitat rests on both sides of the property and the land has historic and cultural significance.

KFJ took its plans to Leland after New Hanover County commissioners tabled a decision in January on whether to add a new zoning district to the county’s Unified Development Ordinance and rezone the property into that new district.

The property is currently zoned industrial.

New Hanover commissioners have scheduled a study session March 31 to discuss development along the Cape Fear River’s west bank adjacent to downtown Wilmington, according to the Wilmington Star-News.

The proposed annexation and new zoning district will now go to the Leland Town Council for approval. A public hearing must be held by that board before it votes on the annexation request.

Reprinted from OBX Today

The Town of Manteo Board of Commissioners have removed the interim tag from Melissa Dickerson’s position as town manager by unanimous vote at their workshop meeting on Wednesday.

Dickerson was appointed as the interim manager in December while she continued to serve as the town planner. With Dickerson taking the town manager’s job on a full-time basis, the position of Manteo town planner had been formally advertised as available.

“Town Manager Dickerson not only brings a lot of experience to the table, but also valuable knowledge and history of the community as a native of Dare County. Throughout her career, she has been and continues to be a dedicated public servant,” town leaders said in a statement.

Prior to her work at the town, she served as the state director for former U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a research assistant for the North Carolina General Assembly, and district liaison for former Rep. Brad Miller, a Democrat who represented the 13th District.

Dickerson is a Manteo High School graduate and has a bachelor’s in political science from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She also is a graduate of the municipal and county administration program of the UNC School of Government and is a member of the International City/County Management Association.

OBX Today is the community website of JAM Media Solutions’ Outer Banks radio stations: Beach 104, 94.5 WCMS, 99.1 The Sound and Classic Rock 92.3. The website is managed by local newsman Sam Walker and journalist Kari Pugh. Coastal Review is partnering with OBX Today to provide our readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

Topsail Beach will soon be advertising for a new town manager.

Mike Rose, the town’s manager for the past six years, submitted a letter last month to Topsail Beach commissioners notifying them that he will retire June 30.

Rose’s retirement was announced to the public last week during the board’s February meeting.

“It has been my honor and pleasure managing what I believe is one of the premier coastal towns in North Carolina over these last six years,” Rose stated in his Jan. 20 letter. “I hope the that the Town has benefited from my time here even a fraction of what it has meant to me.”

Rose resigned as town administrator of Harrisburg, where he’d worked since summer 2012, to step into the role of Topsail’s town manager Jan. 4, 2016.

Before taking the position in Harrisburg, a northeast suburb of Charlotte, Rose worked for 13 years for the town of Pineville, first filling the position of town planner. He went on to become the town’s assistant administrator, then town administrator for six years.

In his letter, Rose thanked Topsail commissioners for their leadership and said the town is “in great hands with the existing staff.”

“My job was made so much easier because of the people that served with me every day over the last six years,” he wrote. “Trust in them, they will not let you down!”

Rose also thanked residents for their “kindness and support” over the years.

“I never felt like a stranger, and I appreciate the patience afforded me as I learned the beach life,” he said. “I guarantee you will still see me and my family enjoying the friendliness of Topsail Beach!”

Assistant Manager Christina Burke said Monday morning that an advertisement for the position would likely go out in the next couple of weeks.

“He is so, so well respected by all of the staff and the board,” Burke said. “He’s always a great communicator with the residents and we are sorry to see him go.”

Beaufort is in the process of developing a resiliency strategy using funding through the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management’s Resilient Coastal Communities Program.

Town staff will hold a Zoom meeting 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27 to update residents on the town’s progress on the long-term effort being called Resilient Beaufort.

The program was created to serve as a framework for local governments in the 20 Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA, counties to develop strategies for dealing with coastal and climate hazards. The program is broken up into four phases: Phase 1 is community engagement and risk and vulnerability assessment; Phase 2 is planning, project identification and prioritization; Phase 3 is engineering and design; and Phase 4 is implementation.

The state announced in March 2021 the 25 communities selected for funding for phases 1 and 2. Beaufort has been awarded funding to complete phases 1 and 2. Once those are complete, the town will be eligible to apply for grant funding to complete Phases 3 and 4.

During the virtual meeting, staff are expected to share details on the risk and vulnerability assessment and collect feedback. The risk and vulnerability assessment explores the impacts of sea level rise, flooding, storm surge and erosion to the town’s critical assets, vulnerable populations and natural infrastructure.

The Resilient Coastal Communities Program was created through the North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment & Resilience Plan and developed by the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resilience, the Nature Conservancy and North Carolina Sea Grant.

To learn more about the Resilient Beaufort initiative, visit the webpage or email Town Planner Sam Burdick at s.burdick@beaufortnc.org.

Current Brunswick County Deputy County Manager Steve Stone has been appointed to serve as the next county manager.

County officials announced Wednesday that Stone will officially transition to his new role Jan. 15.

The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners unanimously moved to appoint Stone following a closed-session discussion during its meeting Monday.

Stone succeeds current County Manager Randell Woodruff, who recently announced his plans to retire. Woodruff is to continue as county manager with Stone through Jan. 31.

“Steve has been a core member of Brunswick County’s administration team over the years, and the Board and I have great appreciation for his service and confidence in his leadership abilities,” Chairman Randy Thompson said in a statement. “He brings a robust amount of experience in county and regional issues along with a number of new ideas to help us achieve our long-term goals. We look forward to further collaboration with Steve to achieve these goals together.”

Stone began working for Brunswick County in September 2000 and currently oversees the county’s emergency services, operation services, human resources, information technology, risk management and purchasing, as well as several quasi-county agencies.

“Being on the Brunswick County team is a great privilege, and I am honored to have this opportunity to continue to serve this county and organization in this new capacity,” Stone said. “I appreciate the Board of Commissioners’ trust in appointing me to this position and am excited to continue working together with our team and community in the years ahead.”

Stone co-chaired the wastewater services development teams and chaired the stormwater ordinance development team, and served as staff representative on team that transitioned the administration and operations of the county’s senior service programs from under Brunswick County Social Services to a senior-guided nonprofit organization, according to the county.

As project director for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-funded Lockwood Folly roundtable, Stone partnered with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, Brunswick County and regional development interests as low-impact development principles were introduced to the region.

Stone added that some of the most rewarding parts of serving Brunswick County over the years include working with a stellar staff and getting to know so many of the old and new residents that make Brunswick County such a great place to live and work.

Prior to Brunswick County, Stone spent more than 19 years in management in the nonprofit human service sector across North Carolina. He earned a bachelor’s in recreation administration and a master’s in public administration from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Steve these past few years and appreciate the knowledge and insight he brings to our team,” Woodruff said. “I wish him the best of luck as he embarks on this new opportunity. Between Steve and the exceptional leadership team we have in place at the County, I know that the organization will continue to serve our community well.”

Over the next few weeks, Brunswick County’s administration team is expected to work on a review of the county’s organizational structure in anticipation of the transition.

“Providing residents and employees with exceptional service and support while continuing to pursue forward-thinking and innovative ideas remain key priorities for the Brunswick County team,” Stone said. “I am proud to serve this county and am eager to take on this new and exciting challenge in my career.”

James Ayers announced Tuesday that he is resigning as Manteo’s town manager.

Ayers submitted his 60-day notice to the board of commissioners in accordance with his employment agreement, according to a press release from the town.

“I am grateful to the Board of Commissioners and the people of Manteo for the opportunity to serve the local community,” said Ayers. “It has been an honor to work alongside the many dedicated Town staff members, community volunteers, and elected and appointed officials here in Manteo.” 

Ayers was hired as manager in January 2019. He was previously general services director and interim human resources director for Asheville. He had also worked for Bluffton, South Carolina, where he held numerous positions.

Commissioners thanked Ayers for his “hard work and dedicated service.”

Reprinted from Outer Banks Voice

The assault case that led to the resignation of Duck Town Manager Chris Layton last summer was resolved in a Dare County courtroom on July 15 when Layton agreed to six months of unsupervised probation in connection with the case.

According to Layton’s counsel, Kris Felthousen, one of the two assault charges against Layton was dismissed and the defendant entered into a deferred prosecution agreement on the other count.

Felthousen added that the agreement does not represent a conviction against Layton and said the second count will be dismissed at the end of a successful probation period.

Layton was arrested in his office in the Duck administration building back on July 15, 2020, and was charged with two counts of assault on his assistant. On July 24, the Duck Town Council accepted his resignation. In January of this year, Layton was named interim town manager in Plymouth. And in February 2021, he was replaced in Duck by newly hired Town Manager Drew Havens.

In February of this year, the Voice reported that the town of Duck had paid out more than $300,000 to two women who had formerly worked for the town and their attorneys in settlements related to allegations of improper behavior by Layton when he was town manager. One of the women was the victim in the assault case.

This story is provided courtesy of the Outer Banks Voice, a digital newspaper covering the Outer Banks. Coastal Review is partnering with the Voice to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

Michael C. Silverman will begin as the Nags Head town manager effective July 1.

The Nags Head Board of Commissioners appointed the North Carolina native during its meeting May 5, subject to the contract terms discussed during closed session.

“Michael clearly has the leadership skills we were seeking,” said Nags Head Mayor Ben Cahoon in a statement.

“He was chosen from among 63 applicants because of the passion he exhibited for his vocation and the level of professionalism he exhibited during his interviews,” Cahoon said. “In addition to managing a $23 million budget and 195 employees in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Michael also served as the Caro, Michigan city manager. His energy and enthusiastic approach to municipal management make him the ideal choice to lead our town. We’re looking forward to a long and successful partnership to continue our excellence in government service.”

Silverman is replacing Cliff Ogburn. Ogburn had been town manager since 2009 but left in July 2020 to become town manager in Southern Shores.

“I am excited to take the helm of a town that lies on the beautiful Outer Banks and is in my home state, not to mention that it has a long history of efficient management and progressive thinking,” said Silverman. “I can’t wait to meet the community and get to know the Town’s employees so we can work together to carry out the vision established by Nags Head’s Board, ensuring that the town is the best community it can be.”

Silverman holds a bachelor’s in history from University of North Carolina Wilmington and a master’s in public administration from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

In addition to his municipal experience, Silverman worked with North Carolina legislators on issues such as economic development and criminal justice.

Developmental Associates of Chapel Hill assisted in the search to fill the manager vacancy.

Duck town council voted unanimously Thursday to appoint Drew Havens as the new town manager starting Feb. 15.

Havens, most recently town manager of Apex, fills the position vacated when former manager Christopher Layton resigned last year.

Layton resigned July 24, 2020, after being charged July 15, 2020, with two misdemeanor counts of assault on female, the spouse of an employee of the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review Online, according to a previous report.

Dare County Clerk of Courts office said in October that the assault case against Layton was continued from Oct. 22 to Dec. 7, according to the Outer Banks Voice. The trial is now set for April 8.

The council contracted with Developmental Associates of Chapel Hill to conduct the search to fill the manager vacancy after Layton’s resignation.

“The council conducted an extensive search process starting in August of last year, reviewing and deliberating on numerous well-qualified candidates. Drew was selected for his leadership capabilities, outstanding qualifications, and experiences,” Mayor Don Kingston said in a statement.

“On behalf of the entire Duck Town Council, I would like to congratulate Drew Havens on becoming our Town Manager and welcome him to the Town of Duck,” said Kingston. “We look forward to working closely with Drew and introducing him to all of the citizens of Duck.”

Havens brings over 20 years of municipal management experience.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to work with the Mayor, Council, and a great group of professional staff members to continue to provide a high level of quality service to those who live in and visit Duck,” said Haven in a statement. “I look forward to meeting those I serve and working in this organization that values transparency and collaboration, and with co-workers who are empowered to carry out the vision established by the community.”

Havens graduated from Syracuse University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts, with a Political Science concentration. He received his Master of Public Administration in 2009 from Walden University in Minneapolis. In addition to municipal management experience in small and large towns, Havens had an early career in public safety as a police officer and firefighter.

Kingston recognized Director of Community Development Joe Heard “for the leadership he has provided to the Town as Interim Town Manager over the past seven months.”

Havens will attend the council retreat Feb. 17-18 that will be livestreamed for the public and will include chances to engage remotely with staff and council members. The town will offer additional virtual opportunities to meet Haven in the coming months.

Reprinted from Carteret County News-Times

CEDAR POINT — Commissioners voted 4-0 Tuesday to adopt a rewrite of the town’s flood damage prevention ordinance for residential structures.

In some cases, maps included in the rewrite will adversely affect property owners by placing their land or homes in classifications that imply higher flood risk.

The board acted during its monthly meeting conducted via Zoom after none of the handful of residents virtually attending the meeting commented during a public hearing.

Town Administrator David Rief explained to the board the town couldn’t change the lines on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 2020 flood insurance maps, which will go into effect June 19.

“There’s nothing we can do about those,” he said.

In particular, he noted some properties in low-lying areas will be required, if destroyed or damaged beyond 50% of their values, to be elevated higher than would be necessary before the new map goes into effect.

Rief said the new map moves some Cedar Point properties into zones that would require elevation of as much as 3 to 4 feet more than the zones they are in now. Others under the new map will move into zones that require elevation by an additional 1 or 2 feet.

For example, he said, some will move from FEMA’s AE-7 zone to the AE-10 zone. AE-7 means a structure must be elevated so its first occupied floor is above the base flood level, which is 7 feet. Base flood elevation is defined as the elevation to which a flood is anticipated to rise during a base flood event. In the AE zones, that is a flood that has a 1% chance of occurring in a given year.

Structures on land that were in FEMA’s AE-7 zone under the current map but are changed to the AE-10 zone under the upcoming map would have to elevate the first habitable floor an additional 3 feet, based on the map changes, if rebuilt or repaired at a cost beyond 50% of value. Similarly, any new structure built in the AE-10 zone would have to be built so its bottom occupied floor is at least 10 feet above base flood level.

“This would affect a lot of residences but there is nothing we can do,” Mr. Rief reiterated.

In addition, the map adds a new FEMA Coastal A zone.

“This will probably have one of the biggest impacts on properties in the town,” Rief said Thursday.

The new zone is an area of “moderate wave action,” according to FEMA. Anything on the water side of the line will have to follow the same restrictions as properties in the VE or high-velocity wave zone, which prohibits solid-wall construction for foundations.

Also, he said, “the elevation requirement (in the Coastal A zone) applies to the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member, usually girders under floor joists, rather than floor level.”

The town planning board earlier this year recommended the commission approve the new ordinance because if the town did not do so, it could not participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, which gives residents the ability to purchase flood insurance.

What this means, Mr. Rief told commissioners is in some places, especially near the water, new homes will be taller than before and old ones will be taller if they must be rebuilt.

He told commissioners they had discretion on a few items in the new ordinance, most notably the height of the “freeboard,” which is the elevation of a building’s lowest floor above the minimum base flood elevation during the initial construction process.

Cedar Point currently requires a freeboard of 2 feet, but FEMA and North Carolina now recommend 4 feet, Mr. Rief said. Towns that adopt higher freeboards can get savings for residents on flood insurance, he said, but it costs more to build or rebuild.

If the town adopted a 4-foot freeboard, he said, that would push the top of some new single-story homes to 26 feet or higher, which he called very tall for a single-story home. It could be especially problematic for new two-story homes since the town has a 40-foot building height limit.

Commissioners stayed with 2 feet, which Rief called a conservative approach.

The board also agreed to an option to require residents to sign agreements not to convert ground-level space to occupied space.

Finally, the town had the option to completely ban the use of fill material on lots but chose not to.

BEAUFORT – This Carteret County town has worked with state, county and federal partners and organizations in recent years to remove litter from its waterways, but officials here have recently taken another step toward the cleanup by endorsing a new, collaborative plan to address the marine debris problem.

As rain drenched the town Monday, about two dozen ducked into the visitor entryway of Beaufort’s town hall to hear Mayor Rett Newton read aloud a proclamation adopted Monday in support of the 2020 North Carolina Marine Debris Action Plan that was released in January.

The plan was initiated in 2017 by the North Carolina Coastal Federation and is a collaborative effort with the North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, North Carolina Sea Grant, Onslow County Solid Waste and North Carolina Marine Debris Symposium. It was developed to provide a framework for the next five years to “strategically reduce the amount of marine debris and its impacts in coastal North Carolina through tangible and measurable actions.”

In an email announcing the event, Newton explains that Beaufort is the first community to actively endorse and continue to pursue the five goals outlined in the plan, which are leading and coordinating with partners and stakeholders to engage the plan, prevent marine debris, remove debris, prevent and remove abandoned and derelict vessels and conduct research and assessment.

Before reading the proclamation endorsing the plan, Newton noted there were “lots of different people with lots of different interests in marine debris” in attendance. Attendees included representatives from the Coastal Federation, Down East Council, University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences, Carteret County Chamber of Commerce, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Beaufort Board of Commissioners, state Division of Coastal Management, North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve and the business community.

Reading from the proclamation, Newton said that the town is working to clean up its waterways “as part of a North Carolina Clean Water Coastal Community initiative to improve the health and prosperity of our town” and is “already taking active measures in accordance with the action plan’s five primary goals.”

The proclamation notes challenges ahead but also acknowledges the partnership with county, state, and national organizations to continue the effort.

Coastal Federation Director Todd Miller told attendees that the blueprint outlined in the plan is a proactive, five-year strategy for preventing more marine debris throughout the coastal area as well as cleaning up what’s already out there in more effective ways.

“I think we all realize after the recent hurricanes just how far behind the eight ball we were in terms of really dealing with this problem, and this is trying to get out ahead of it,” Miller said.

With the town’s proclamation, Miller said he was hopeful for a new tidal wave of local government support for the effort. “This is important not only to the people that come visit this area, but it’s important to the residents that we have an environment that’s safe and good for the wildlife and the people that are here.”

Newton said that after the town’s cleanup that followed Hurricane Florence in September 2018, “where we pulled up 11 derelict vessels, 120,000 pounds of marine debris, 34 illegal moorings, seven car tires, we want to continue to clean up our waterways. And this North Carolina marine debris plan gives us the structure to be able to do this.

“This has taken years to compile and we greatly appreciate the Coastal Federation, Department of Coastal Management, the North Carolina Coastal Reserve, the waterkeepers and all the other partners part of putting this action plan together. And so, this is a really great step,” he continued. “This is really important because the current, vast amount of debris going into our waterways, it’s bad for public health. It’s bad for ecosystem health, and it’s bad for commerce. So, we need to reverse this. And it’s going to take all of us to do this.”

Paula Gillikin, central sites manager for the North Carolina Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve, has been in on the effort with the Coastal Federation since the plan’s beginning. Gillikin has been battling marine debris at the Rachel Carson Reserve in Beaufort since she became the site manager more than 10 years ago.

The N.C. Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve is part of the state Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management. The network of 10 protected sites was established for long-term research, education and stewardship.

Gillikin told Coastal Review Online that marine debris is one of the top management issues for the Rachel Carson Reserve, and that it was also a problem for other sites, including the Wilmington area’s Masonboro Island Reserve and Zeke’s Island National Reserve.

She said reserve officials started learning from partners and through research they were conducting that big items, such as sections of docks, were washing up and smothering the marshes, potentially killing them. While marshes can revegetate, it takes time, during which organisms lose their natural habitats.

Having town support for the plan “feels surreal,” Gillikin said, likening the approval to a gold-star achievement. She said the support can largely be attributed to “a really careful” strategic process.

“It felt like we were going at a snail’s pace at times but that was by design: Slow down to speed up your effectiveness at the end of the day. We started out exploring the issues early and understanding who was involved and then trying to think of how we would address it with others.”

PINE KNOLL SHORES — The North Carolina Coastal Federation and officials in Pine Knoll Shores are set embark next year on a project to reduce flooding in town and protect water quality.

Portions of the east end of town frequently flood after heavy rains. The high water table coupled with impervious roads and driveways reduce the amount of rain that can soak into the ground. Instead, the water ponds and causes localized flooding.

The project funded with a grant from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund will include installation of an engineered system of pumps and drainage lines to lower the water table so stormwater can soak into the sandy soils below.

“Pine Knoll Shores is excited to work with the federation to move water off our streets in an efficient and environmentally sound way,” said Brian Kramer, the town manager. “This is really important to us.”

The project is designed to restore the soil’s infiltration capacity during average rainstorms by using the golf course ponds at the Country Club of the Crystal Coast in town to temporarily store runoff and then direct it to a sand filter where it can soak into the ground. By lowering the water table prior to predicted storms flooding will be reduced, according to the federation, rather than the current management approach of pumping floodwater to the sound.

“The project greatly improves resilience and environmental stewardship by increased infiltration of stormwater runoff during normal rain events and enhancing the ability of the Town to pump stormwater from flooding areas during tropical storm events to stormwater ponds or infiltration basins,” project engineer Larry Sneeden said in a statement.

“The goal of the project is to decrease instances of flooding, and in turn the need to pump water into Bogue Sound. This will reduce the amount of bacteria infected stormwater reaching the sound. We’re excited to be involved with a project that seeks to solve a problem facing many barrier island communities,” Bree Charron, coastal specialist for the federation, said in a statement. “The Town of Pine Knoll Shores has been extremely proactive in tackling stormwater issues that will benefit water quality.”

The project is intended to help in implementing the town’s watershed restoration plan that the N.C. Division of Water Resources approved earlier this year. The plan provides a roadmap for reducing the effects of stormwater runoff throughout the community.

The project team will be working on the final stormwater system design this winter and build the project in 2020.

Learn more

• For more information on the federation’s work to improve water quality, visit nccoast.org/stormwater or contact Bree Charron at breet@nccoast.org or 252-393-8185.

MANTEO — Ditches, swales and culverts, once the dullest of public topics, have become of urgent interest on Roanoke Island, where last summer’s epic rainstorm spurred Dare County to consider construction of its first engineered stormwater management project.

A new study of drainage infrastructure in the most affected neighborhoods on the island’s north end reveals that long-term fixes would not be easily, cheaply or quickly addressed.

Recommendations proposed in a three-phase project by Raleigh-based firm Moffatt & Nichol would cost about $2.6 million, not including engineering and easement acquisitions.

More than 15 inches of rain fell during a 10-day stretch in July 2018 on the north end of the island, flooding yards, homes and roads with increasingly wretched water for weeks, even months.

“The water didn’t have anywhere to go,” Ryan Smith, an engineer with Raleigh-based firm Moffatt & Nichol, said to 50 or so residents at a community meeting held last month in Manteo. “So it’s not just about depth; it’s about duration.”

Although Dare County has not yet done such comprehensive drainage improvements in its unincorporated communities, the increased flooding on the Outer Banks likely ensures that stormwater management projects will be a budget item for years to come.

Other flood-prone areas the county identified include Fernando, California and Scarborough streets on the west side of Roanoke Island; Tower Lane and Colington Road on Colington Island; Old Lighthouse Road in Buxton; and the mainland communities of East Lake and Stumpy Point.

But with most roads, roadside ditches and culverts under the jurisdiction of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, it has been difficult for the county to address drainage issues, county manager Bobby Outten said in an interview.

Outten said that if the county goes forward with the Roanoke Island work, it will require commitment from property owners, who will be expected to chip in a share of costs.

“We’ve got to sort through all of this stuff,” he said. “This is the first step in what is going to be a complicated process.”

With color-coded maps showing before-and-after water depths displayed on screens, Smith said the firm’s analysis, prepared for the state Department of Transportation at the request of Dare County, found that much of the drainage infrastructure in the approximately 1,000-acre, or 1.5-square-mile, study area was inadequate: too old, too small, too clogged or too shallow to handle the estimated 50 million cubic feet of rain that fell.

Some water drained into neighbors’ yards from more elevated homes and property. Some water spilled over from creeks and ditches. Some water just sat several feet deep on top of waterlogged land.

“We were prepared for the rain event, and we sandbagged our garage,” said Kimberly Head, who lives with her husband and four children in the Brakewood subdivision. “But then the water came through our vents. The water was almost up to our hips in some places.”

Responding to an outcry from residents after the storm, the county pumped 1.5 million gallons of water from affected areas, at a cost of $50,000. The North Carolina Forest Service pumped an additional 1.4 million gallons. The county has split the cost of the study – about $50,000 – with NCDOT.

According to data from the National Oceanic Administration, 15 inches of rain fell on Roanoke Island in July 2018. Of that, 14 inches fell during the last 10 days of the month. As far as categorizing that volume of rain – an estimated 50 million cubic feet – it would be considered midway between a 50-year and a 100-year storm, Smith said in a later interview.

Modeling in the report, however, was calculated for 10-year and 25-year storms. The different span of years is based on data that represents the likelihood of a storm of a certain magnitude to occur within the specified time period. For instance, a 10-year event has a 10% chance of occurring in any single year. It does not mean that it happens every 10 years.

But to the confusion of many, so-called 50- and even 100-year storms seem to be coming every few years.

“They certainly have been happening more often lately,” Smith said of the large rain events. “Whether they’ll continue to happen more often is something that people debate.”

NCDOT chose the study area around the Airport Road and Brakewood neighborhoods based on where the most flooding had been observed, Smith said.

Recommendations in the report include replacing existing pipes and culverts – pipes under roads or driveways – with larger ones; adding roadside and surface ditches, grading or excavating high spots, which will prevent water from being trapped and allow it drain to an outlet; installing erosion-control blankets – a degradable or removable covering – to stabilize grass growth over newly graded areas.

Another option would be to create a natural sand bed, freshwater creek with habitat features and a riparian buffer or flood plain. Although this option requires more area, it would also need minimal maintenance and would be environmentally friendly. The bonus of constructing a natural channel, Smith added, is that it would be more likely to qualify for grants from the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

“It would not reduce the drainage going into the sound, but it would improve water quality,” he said.

Engineering costs would be expected to be about 10% of the estimated construction costs, Smith said. There would also be additional costs to acquire easements from property owners, which are based on tax value.

Elevation in the study area ranged from below sea level at the downstream end of the creek to as high as 78 feet on the north end of U.S. 64, Smith said. The water table is generally high, and more so in low-lying areas.

Despite widespread flooding in the Roanoke Island neighborhoods, combined with the potential of more intense rainstorms, Smith said the data and engineering indicate that flooding can be managed.

“This is just a study-level analysis,” Smith said. “But the modeling that took place to come up with these systems is very sophisticated.”

By improving the capacity of the infrastructure and the storage in the soil, drainage flow can be restored.

“I think it can be and I think the type of solutions we address in the study would help,” he said. “It won’t flood and sit there 2 feet deep.”

Still, some areas present tougher challenges. For instance, Head said that even though her home’s property is like a bowl, it is not in a flood zone. No houses in her neighborhood are built on pilings.

“We’re an island that should be prepared,” she said. “I don’t think proper planning (for flooding) did occur. But my husband and I didn’t think about that. We looked at the ‘X’ flood zone.”

Flood Zone X on newer National Flood Insurance rate maps indicate a minimal to moderate flood risk, whereas on older maps it was understood to mean not a flood zone.

When the couple purchased the three-bedroom, two-bath house in 2015, Head recalled, flooding was not mentioned. But by the following year, their home had been inundated by 17 inches of rain during Hurricane Matthew and has also been flooded in subsequent storms.

Neighbors have since told her that her house had flooded several times before they bought it, she said.

“There is no way for us to drain our property,” said Head, a military retiree. “It would have to be pumped, or we’d have to move the house.”

Even before last year’s rainstorm, the Heads had applied to a Federal Emergency Management Agency program to have their home elevated 4 feet. Meanwhile, Head said the family is still dealing with effects from flooding, including mold damage, while coping with serious health issues for herself and her daughter.

“I would like to sell my home, but I won’t lie,” she said. “Trees are dying. All the bushes died. During (Hurricane) Dorian, five trees came down.”

But she’s keeping the house listed in hopes that another buyer could find a solution.

“I can’t take the anxiety of it,” she said of the flooding. “I am determined to enjoy life. I am an upbeat person, but every time it rains, or there’s a hurricane out there, it’s very stressful.”

Although Head said the report is “great,” she knows that the process will take time – and work near her property would be at the end of line.

“I hope that the county embraces this and moves forward quickly,” she said. “But I have my doubts. Phase III is a long ways away.”

Reprinted from Outer Banks Voice

MANTEO — The North Carolina General Assembly unanimously passed legislation July 11 that places Shallowbag Bay within the town’s corporate limits here, giving the municipality authority to adopt and enforce ordinances regulating the scenic waters that wrap around the downtown district on Roanoke Island.

For the town, that means it will now have jurisdiction over anchoring and mooring of vessels as well as the ability to better monitor and act on issues such as derelict boats, which plagued the municipality several years ago when two boats were left abandoned and unclaimed in nearby waters – one along the downtown’s waterfront and the other in nearby Doughs Creek.

The legislation, House Bill 429, was requested by town officials and introduced by Rep. Bobby Hanig, R-Dare. It was part of a bill that also authorized Hyde County to regulate the navigable waters within Silver Lake on Ocracoke Island.

For Manteo’s part, the bill identified the waters from the northern tip of Ballast Point extending northwest to the southern tip of Baum Point, along with Doughs and Scarboro creeks, as part of the town’s corporate limits.

Mayor Bobby Owens said that when the two abandoned boats became an unsightly part of the landscape back in 2017, some residents started a petition to have the boats removed.

“They found out it wasn’t that easy. You don’t just go get someone to move a boat, and it was still hard because these were public waters,” the mayor noted.

Because the boats were unclaimed, and the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission and Marine Patrol monitored and patrolled the waters extending three miles from shore, town officials found themselves having to jump through a number of bureaucratic hoops to have the vessels removed.

Plus, Owens noted, “If a boat is adrift, it’s fairly easy to move. If it sinks, it’s the hardest thing to move.” It’s also rather costly, town officials discovered at the time.

The predicament prompted the town to seek the local bill. “With this legislation, we will be able to move a boat much easier, and keep the beauty as best we can,” the mayor said.

Town manager James Ayers said that derelict and abandoned boats can not only cause damage to the environment, but also present hazards to boaters and other users of Shallowbag Bay. He noted that the regulatory hurdles in 2017 caused months of delays.

“But the new law will allow the town to streamline the process by which people and the environment can be protected from such hazards,” he said.

With Shallowbag Bay now under the town’s jurisdiction, the municipality will also be able to adopt regulations addressing the types of activities permitted, speed zones, no-wake zones and the placement of navigational aids.

Ayers said the development of regulations will include a robust community engagement effort.

“The next step is to listen to the community and seek feedback,” noted Ayers.

Among the opportunities to provide public input will be the regularly scheduled meetings of the Manteo Board of Commissioners on Sept. 4 and Sept. 18. The public is also being encouraged to send ideas and suggestions to a special email address at shallowbagbayregulations@manteonc.gov.

This story has been updated.

RALEIGH — In a unanimous vote Monday, the state Senate approved a bill that will give Beaufort jurisdiction over its neighboring waterways and part of the Rachel Carson Reserve.

House Bill 204, “An Act Adding Certain Described Navigable Waters And The Unincorporated Portion Of The Rachel Carson Reserve To The Corporate Limits Of The Town Of Beaufort,” passed the House 110-1 in April before it headed to the Senate.

Currently, the town’s jurisdiction does not include the Gallants Channel area and the east end of Taylors Creek, areas that affect water quality in town, Mayor Rett Newton told Coastal Review Online.

He said that the bill “Extends Beaufort’s jurisdiction north to Gallants Channel and the east portion of Taylors Creek, to include the east end of Carrot Island on the Rachel Carson Reserve. This action will increase safety and allow town enforcement to include decreasing gray and black water discharge and resolving issues associated with abandoned and derelict vessels.”

The 2,315-acre Rachel Carson Reserve is a state-owned nature preserve across Taylors Creek from the historic town of Beaufort and is made up of several undeveloped islands that are home to wildlife, including wild horses. The reserve is one of 10 protected sites of the North Carolina Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve, a program of the state Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management.

“Beaufort town staff worked closely with Rep. McElraft and Sen. Sanderson to work on this initiative. We greatly appreciate their support,” Newton added of the Carteret and Pamlico county, respectively, Republicans.

Because Beaufort is striving to be a leader in the state as a clean water coastal community, the bill is a “natural extension of Beaufort’s navigable waters ordinance enacted after Hurricane Florence,” Newton said.

“The ordinance resulted in swift action after the storm to remove 11 derelict vessels, over 120,000 pounds of debris, 34 illegal moorings, and seven car tires from Beaufort waterways and adjacent habitat,” Newton said. “This massive effort was supported by a $67,000 NOAA marine debris grant that had been approved  before Hurricane Florence.”

A provision in a previous version of the bill would have given Atlantic Beach, Bogue, Cape Carteret, Cedar Point, Emerald Isle, Indian Beach, Morehead City, Newport, Peletier and Pine Knoll Shores authorization to regulate navigable waters within its boundaries.

Because it’s a local bill, it becomes law when both the Senate pro tem and House speaker’s signatures are affixed. Local acts, which affect 15 or fewer counties, do not go before the governor and are not subject to a veto, as per NC Const., Art II, Section 22(6).

Emerald Isle commissioners have selected Matthew R. “Matt” Zapp as the new town manager, officials announced Wednesday.

Zapp, currently town manager in Benson where he has served since 2010, is expected to take the position effective mid-June, subject to formal appointment and approval of terms of employment in an open board meeting, officials said in the announcement. Zapp was selected from a field of 89 candidates.

Mayor Eddie Barber described Zapp as an experienced and resourceful local government manager. “We are particularly impressed with his active involvement in his current community and success in securing and administering grant funds for community projects and services, and his experience with technological innovation, emergency management, economic development and tourism marketing,” Barber said.

Zapp worked previously as village administrator of Madison Village, Ohio, and as a parks and recreation director. Prior to that he worked as a drag racing track manager and a business marketing manager.

“I am truly humbled to be selected as the next Town Manager for Emerald Isle,” said Zapp. “It is my desire to serve the residents, staff and elected officials with excellence. A kindness can be felt throughout the community and I look forward to contributing to the culture of’ ‘Nice Matters.’ My entire family is thrilled about the journey ahead and we cannot wait to call Emerald Isle home.”

Zapp earned a master’s of public administration with a concentration in coastal management from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Akron. He is a graduate of the Public Executive Leadership Academy and the Municipal and County Administration program at the University of North Carolina School of Government. He is a current board member of ElectriCities of North Carolina, the N.C. Eastern Municipal Power Agency and the Johnston County Visitors Bureau.

A native of Madison, Ohio, Zapp grew up on the shores of Lake Erie. He and wife Haley and their children reside in Benson where he is active in their church and serves as a baseball and soccer coach. His hobbies include running, drag racing and event announcing, and restoring old cars.

Zapp succeeds Frank Rush, who resigned late last year to accept a position as city manager in South Lake Tahoe, California.

“We thank Frank Rush for his dedicated service to our citizens and his many remarkable achievements,” said Barber. “He led our Town staff with great professionalism for 17 years, and he is highly respected across North Carolina. We also thank Randy Martin, who is serving our citizens well as Interim Town Manager. Our new Town Manager will find that Frank and Randy left the administration and finances in very sound condition, with the assistance of our excellent Town staff.”

OUTER BANKS – Considering the prodigious amount of flooding North Carolina’s coastal communities have endured in recent years, stormwater engineers may be assured job security for decades to come.

But a glimpse of two proposed projects to address stormwater problems on the Outer Banks, both paid for in part with recently awarded grants from the state Division of Coastal Management, reveals a troubling future further complicated by intensifying rainstorms, more dramatic king tides and rising groundwater levels.

Nags Head received $20,000 from DCM in January for stormwater modeling being done as part of its ongoing stormwater capital improvement plan. On the northern Outer Banks, the town of Duck also received $20,000 to assess vulnerability of town infrastructure to storms, flooding and sea level rise.

Beach communities on the low-lying Outer Banks have been struggling to upgrade aging, clogged or inadequate drainage systems that cannot handle the vast amounts of water dumped by recent storms. The maintenance and repair of systems have been hampered by crisscrossed private and public jurisdictions and inadequate information about the location and condition of existing infrastructure.

Hyde and Beaufort counties also received money for flood control and shoreline protection, respectively, from the DCM planning and management grants program, which is intended to assist with coastal land-use issues.

Public outcry about standing water in yards and on roadways has spurred local governments on the Outer Banks to look long and hard at drainage issues. And the picture is not just about too much water in the wrong places. It’s also about septic overflow mixing with that water. It’s about too much impermeable surface coverage. It’s about having enormous bodies of water as neighbors. And it’s about very high costs.

“What we try to caution everybody is that we’re living on a barrier island in a coastal environment,” said David Ryan, Nags Head town engineer. “We can never fix everything.”

Nags Head has experienced vast amounts of rainfall in the last two years, even when there wasn’t a tropical storm. Streets and neighborhoods that had rarely flooded were under water for days. After Hurricane Matthew in 2016, the town began updating its stormwater plan and with input from residents developed maps of drainage infrastructures throughout the town and prioritized projects in flood-prone areas.

In January, the town board approved a $514,800 contract for the first three projects to be paid for partly with a stormwater fund derived from a 1-cent ad valorem tax, which was recently raised to 2 cents. The remaining 10 projects are in various phases of conceptual development or design. Approval of a project is subject to a threshold of at least 50 percent improvement in the depth and frequency of flooding.

“What we try to caution everybody is that we’re living on a barrier island in a coastal environment. We can never fix everything.”

David Ryan, Nags Head town engineer

Ryan said the 10-year-old mapping of the drainage systems – pipes, ditches, outfalls and swales – has been updated, although condition assessments are not yet included. A complete inventory of the stormwater infrastructure, including elevations, is underway. Predictive modeling results that look at the largest benefit for the least cost will come into play in scheduling future projects, he said.

According to information on the town website, in addition to 12 outfalls to the Roanoke Sound or marsh areas west of South Nags Head, there are about 55 miles of drainage infrastructure in town. Of that, 20 miles are within the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s right of way. There are also four ocean outfalls in the town and one south of its border that are maintained by NCDOT.

All told, the department operates and maintains one-third of the town’s drainage systems. Although the outfalls are technically NCDOT’s baby, the town’s first stormwater prioritized project is addressing improvements on the upstream end of the outfall of two, 30-inch diameter pipes on the beach near Gallery Row. The area, which is Nags Head’s largest drainage basin, drains poorly and is vulnerable to flooding.

A portion of the outfall pipe will be replaced with a rectangular structure that has a larger flow area and lower elevation. Ryan said that the town had partnered about three years ago with NCDOT on repairs of that outfall’s discharge end, and is currently negotiating to have a similar arrangement with the upcoming project.

A 2016 state Department of Environmental Quality study, “Ocean Outfall Master Plan,” looked with excruciating detail at the outfalls’ impact on the surrounding watersheds including stormwater runoff, drainage and impervious surfaces. Two of the pipes are also located in Kill Devil Hills.

Much of the study focused on pollutants, contaminants and toxins in runoff, whether from bird and dog feces, lawn chemicals and fertilizers or pesticides, with an especially alarming look at the growing risk of septic tank failures as flooding and beach erosion undermine the systems. Sewage-treatment facilities are few on the Outer Banks.

Recommendations in the report included, among others, retrofitting and upgrading existing stormwater systems and using groundwater drawdown to increase storage and decrease runoff.

“It is clear that any path forward will need to be developed by local stakeholders and regulatory agencies to reach a consensus,” according to the report. And most of the approaches, the report said, would be too costly for any one community to handle without help – financial and otherwise – from state and federal sources.

Cliff Ogburn, Nags Head’s town manager, said the outfall report, which was done for the state by engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol, had been shared with the town’s stormwater engineers at the firm WithersRavenel of Cary. But the town opted to go with their engineers’ recommendation to use a passive approach at the Gallery Row outfall site, rather than follow the report’s recommendation to use an active pumping system.

“The solution should aid in managing upstream groundwater levels, reduce frequency of flooding and depth of flooding,” Osborn said in an email.

In addition to the outfall work, the town is planning to install a groundwater-lowering system with well pumps in the Nags Head Acres subdivision, which would hopefully free up more storage in the existing drainage network. A similar system used in a pilot project at the Vista Colony subdivision had encouraging results, Ryan said.

The third project will install a French drain system at Village at Nags Head to alleviate depth and frequency of flooding.

Meanwhile, the town is working to document rainfall, where and how much. It’s not just the amount of rain that has been surprising, it is also that one part of town would be soaked while another barely had a puddle.

“We don’t know how the water table responds,” Ryan said. “We want to get a better understanding of the groundwater response.”

Much comes into play in drainage, he said: How much of the typography is developed? How does it relate to the surrounding elevation? How much natural vegetation is there? What is the type of underlying soil? Does water flow vertically or horizontally?

A study of tidal influences as it relates to groundwater is currently being conducted by scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Ryan said, and the town is working with the Coastal Studies Institute in Wanchese to plan a study that would assess and evaluate the relationship between rainfall events and groundwater levels.

The town is also working with contractors to use low-impact development techniques to address runoff at its source.

“It’s complex when you stand back and look at all this,” Ryan said. “We’re trying to be as progressive and proactive as possible, looking below ground as well as above ground.”

Local governments on the Outer Banks, facing more flooding every year, are all working to get ahead of the curve in management of stormwater.

Dare County, responding to public outcry after prolonged flooding on the north end of Roanoke Island, has worked with NCDOT on an engineering study to evaluate stormwater needs. The study has not yet been completed.

Also, the town of Kill Devil Hills has requested that the county partner with its six towns to establish a stormwater management collaborative to attack the issue more holistically.

The town of Duck has partnered with the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University to assess the vulnerability of its town-owned buildings.

“It’s kind of a checklist that we’ll develop,” said Chris Layton, Duck’s town manager. “I guess it remains to be seen what the utility is with this. There’s definitely an interest in the town for us to do something.”

The type of study, which the university program had done for the National Park Service, will look at the location and what exposure it has to a hazard such as storm surge or tidal flooding. At the same time, the sensitivity of the asset and potential mitigation will also be assessed.

The town is also considering a similar study to look at vulnerability of private property, he said. And it is continuing to work with NCDOT to address flooding issues on N.C. 12, as well as studying new property designs that are more resilient to flooding events and rising seas.

“The question becomes a question of adaptability,” Layton said. “We know it’s going to happen. Whatever happens, it’s not going to happen overnight.”

Reprinted from The Outer Banks Voice

NAGS HEAD — After 5 inches of rain over the weekend on top of the previous week’s deluge, Nags Head officials sought to assure visitors and property owners Wednesday morning that the town is moving as quickly as possible to attack flooding of streets and private property.

Drainage ditches overflowed and some streets were closed after the storms, but so far no serious damage has been reported.

In a statement released at Wednesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, the town described how it responded to the flooding and what it was doing to improve the stormwater drainage system.

But some residents and business owners are concerned that not enough is being done. Barbara Ayars, who lives at the corner of Memorial Avenue and Driftwood Street, told the board that properties were inches away from being flooded.

She suggested that the town create a written plan for responding to known trouble spots such as Gallery Row, where she lives.

“Our roads were two feet deep in water, and we still had people joy riding through the neighborhood, taking pictures, creating wakes, increasing flood area,” she said. “There’s no excuse for that.”

When officers on the street saw that roads were flooding, they contacted Police Chief Kevin Brinkley, who called in reinforcements, according to the statement. Three officers, including the chief, were joined by four more.

Problems included a lightning strike that took out the traffic signal at Danube Street and U.S. 158. Barricades and no-wake signs were put up on side streets and one lane of U.S. 158 near Staples was closed.

“In Nags Head, most of the water drained away quickly, due in part to improved maintenance of the drainage system,” the statement said. “Some low-lying streets and yards with no or poor drainage continued to hold water about 48 hours later. One problematic neighborhood system was boosted using a portable pump.”

In addition to maintenance of the existing drainage system, the town is set to begin three impovement projects this winter after studies by an engineering consultant and a citizen committee. But future plans still depend on deliberate study of where they will do the most good and the ability of the town to pay for them, the statement said.

The plans are:

• Lowering and replacing the pipe with a larger one that runs under N.C. 12 and connects to the Red Drum area ocean outfall. The town said it would increase storage of drainwater in the area and help Nags Head Pond, Nags Head Acres, the eastern part of Vista Colony and blocks 2300 to 2700 between the highways.
• Lowering the groundwater level with pumping in the southeast corner of Nags Head Acres and the northeast corner of Vista Colony.
• Adding pipes in the 5000 to 5300 block of Virginia Dare Trail (N.C. 12).

Ten more projects are being examined for subsequent work at a rate of three to four a year, the statement said.

This story is provided courtesy of the Outer Banks Voice, a digital newspaper covering the Outer Banks. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Voice to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

Reprinted from Island Free Press

A new flood gauge is being installed at the Emergency Ferry Dock in Rodanthe, per a recent announcement by North Carolina Emergency Management.

The new gauge will join a network of more than 560 strategically positioned rain and stream gauges across the state that measure rainfall and water levels in order to warn first responders and residents who live near flood-prone areas.

As the backbone of the state’s Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network, or FIMAN, the gauges provide real-time data that is used to formulate forecasts, issue alerts and convey the anticipated flood impact to buildings and infrastructure. The data collected by N.C. Emergency Management is provided to federal agencies and is available through NOAA and the National Weather Service.

FIMAN can show precisely which buildings and homes will flood when local rivers or streams reach certain flood levels. During Hurricane Matthew in 2016, this capability was used to direct efficient and appropriate evacuations and resources.

Currently, three flood gauges are stationed along Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, which includes a gauge at the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching, or NCCAT, campus in Ocracoke, a gauge at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Hatteras and a gauge at the Oregon Inlet Marina.

The new gauge in Rodanthe is part of 13 more devices that will join this state network, and help alert local communities to dangerous flooding.

“Time and again over the last several years, we’ve used data from these flood gauges to warn residents and communities about dangerous flood conditions,” said State Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry.

Much of the flood data is available in real time through the ReadyNC mobile app developed by N.C. Emergency Management. App users can click on Flood Gauges to check the current status of sounds, creeks, and rivers nearby to see if the water level is at normal levels or minor, moderate or major flood stage.

“Adding new gauges in these areas will help communities be more aware and prepared for flooding, and will allow for better warning when floods are coming,” said State Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry. “FIMAN is a powerful tool that helps us very accurately define what areas will be affected by flood waters, so emergency managers and local officials can take the appropriate actions to keep people safe.”

This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast. 

BEAUFORT – Concerns about marine debris, derelict and abandoned vessels in Taylor’s Creek and having the waterway remain an attraction for transient boaters were some of the key issues the more than 70 residents voiced last week during the Beaufort Harbor management public meeting.

Held at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Beaufort Lab in partnership with the town and the North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, which manages the Rachel Carson Reserve, the meeting is part of an effort to clean up Taylor’s Creek, the body of water separating downtown Beaufort waterfront and the reserve.

Town Mayor Rett Newton explained that the harbor management piece is very complex and part of a bigger clean water coastal community initiative for Beaufort.

In the early 2010s, while volunteering at Rachel Carson Reserve, Newton said a sailboat caught fire and sank in the middle of Taylor’s Creek, becoming a hazard to navigation. Then in February 2016, he watched from the Duke Marine Lab dock as a waterspout came in, causing about a dozen vessels to drag anchor toward Beaufort docks.

“It was very fortunate that the boats stopped short of the docks,” he said. “Just imagine what would have happened if they had gotten hung up in the docks, if they had been hung up around some of the vessels that were there as well.”

In addition to the hazards derelict and abandoned boats present, there are concerns about water quality, such as gray water, which is household wastewater from washing clothes, bathing, showering and from the kitchen, and blackwater, which is wastewater from toilets, as well as Beaufort services being used by without paying for Beaufort services, he said.

Town Manager John Day explained to the residents gathered that Beaufort has the ability to deal with abandoned and derelict vessels in the waterway but he said the town feels that it’s important to hear what citizens are concerned about, what they see as safety issues, how they want Taylor’s Creek to look. “What’s important to you.”

Day added that as staff and officials receive feedback from residents, the town board of commissioners then will be able to decide the direction they want to move. If the board wishes to move forward, there will be drafts of possible ordinances and regulations and more public meetings for feedback.

The town has had authority since 1981 to make, adopt and enforce ordinances for navigable waters within the town limits, Day explained. That authority includes regulating the operation and anchoring of boats and vessels, speed zones, no-wake zones and other types of activities, the placement and maintenance of channel aids and markers and making general rules and regulations for the safe and proper use of waters for the occupants of boats and vessels, swimmers and fishermen.

“It’s fairly broad authority,” Day added.

Last fall, he said he had the moorings in Taylor’s Creek pinpointed. Though none of these moorings were permitted, they’ve been there a long time, he said.

To receive a permit, someone either has to have riparian rights or have been given the use of those rights by the property owner. The Coastal Resources Commission, or CRC, issues permits under the purview of Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA. There are no records of any permits for moorings, which is an issue, he said.

Day continued that he found while reviewing the enabling legislation that the town has the authority to put moorings in and manage the mooring fields if it decides to do so but it also has the authority to regulate areas where anchorage is permitted, if it chooses, adding to why it is important to hear from town residents.

Paula Gillikin, who manages the Rachel Carson Reserve, explained to the crowd that the reserve partners with the town on various management issues, including waterway management issues.

The reserve performed some mapping in conjunction with the town’s effort to better understand what boats were inside the reserve boundary, they also recorded if the boats were anchored or moored, the types of vessels as well as documented registration numbers. Out of 40 moorings in the creek, 13 are within the boundaries of Rachel Carson Reserve.

She said while most of the time, boat owners will retrieve their vessels once it’s on the reserve, there are occasions that the boats are abandoned because the owners are no longer in the area or don’t have the financial resources.

“Some of the vessels become stranded on the reserve for months at a time, and then it takes us months to work through our legal layers to address those vessels,” she added that recently they’ve been able to work with the town, which has exercised its abandoned vessels ordinance, to help remove abandoned boats.

“In the past 10 years, we’ve had 15 boats that have landed on the reserve for what I’ll call a significant amount of time, and that’s more than a matter of days, it’s a matter of weeks or months,” she added.

The site is protected as a pristine coastal reserve, Gillikin explained, but it is also maintained for education and research uses as well as for the public to visit. In addition, the reserve is also a good buffer for the town, reducing its vulnerability to storms.

When vessels wash up on the reserve, they must be pulled off, causing the reserve to lose chunks of shoreline.

“Naturally, when you pull a vessel off, it’s going to slough some of that sediment and marsh off,” she continued. “That’s definitely causing some habitat damage, in some cases more extensive than others.”

One vessel abandoned on the reserve had copious amounts of drug paraphernalia on board, she said. The boat was on the reserve for a while as officials were trying to figure out how to remove it.

Gillikin said to address the issue of derelict and abandoned boats, as well as some other issues in the waterway, the town and reserve applied to the NOAA marine debris program for a grant to remove medium and large objects, primarily submerged in the creek, to improve habitat conditions.

She said the need is for about $175,000 total. That number breaks down to a $4,000 cash match, about $103,000 will be an in-kind match and they’ve applied for about $67,000 in grant funds from NOAA.

Those funds can be used to remove some of the sunken vessels in the creek and address different areas of bottom debris if it’s not currently serving as habitat for fish or shellfish.

Gillikin said that as a pilot project, the reserve worked with Towboat US to map with sonar half of the creek and found at least three sunken sailboats, which could potentially be removed using funding from the NOAA grant.

After hearing the presentations to get a better idea of the hurdles town and the reserve face with Taylor’s Creek, attendees were split into five groups to participate in a roving flip chart exercise. They were asked to answer the following five questions:

1. What do you see as the economic benefit or potential benefits of the Beaufort Harbor and Taylor’s Creek waterway?
2. Do you have concerns about how the harbor looks?
3. Do you have concerns about harbor safety?
4. Do you have concerns about harbor function and accessibility for locals, visitors and transient boaters?
5. Do you have concerns about the habitats and water quality in our harbor? Sailboats in the Harbor?

Regarding how the harbor looks, most everyone agreed that while the view is appreciated, boats that are derelict or in bad condition distract from the waterfront’s charm. Other concerns related to litter in the marsh and the remains of sunken boats.

As for harbor function, largely there was worry about the lack of organization for boaters, assistance for transient boaters and no enforcement of the no-wake zone. Additionally, there was a consensus about the need for a registration system for all boats, a harbor master, a fee and liability insurance.

With habitat and water quality concerns in the harbor, residents felt it would be important to have a baseline of what is happening now in the waterway. The primary concerns, however, focused on stormwater runoff, marine debris and sewage outflow, plus there was a mixed consensus on the effect of boat traffic on the habitat.

Safety concerns in the harbor included submerged and non-submerged hazards, the need for more signage and enforcement of the no-wake zone, vessels breaking loose or dragging from its mooring or anchor, better management of transient boaters and issues with anchoring within the federal channel.

It was agreed that the harbor is an economic benefit because it is an attraction to the area. However, some residents felt that there was lost opportunity because boaters avoid Beaufort due to lacking structure in the waterway.  Suggestions were made for affordable mooring and accessible pump out stations, as well as communicating with the cruising communities because transient boaters are vital to the businesses.

“We were really very pleased at the level of response that we had and the willingness toward a better harbor management plan,” Newton said after the meeting. “The community engagement was excellent.”

He added that the town appreciated the help of Gillikin and Whitney Jenkins, training coordinator for the coastal reserve, for putting it all together.

Newton explained that he and Day have been talking about a harbor management plan for quite some time, and now it’s building some momentum. The next step is to synthesize the information, see what the data says and take it to the board of commissioners. As the plan develops, there will be more public sessions.

“This is all part of a clean water community as well, it has components of that clean water community,” he said.

Gillikin echoed Newton.

“The meeting was well attended, with 72 members of the public enthusiastically participating in the facilitated input session,” she told Coastal Review Online after the meeting. “It’s important to make sure that the public can make meaningful contributions to launching a process that will ultimately enhance Beaufort’s harbor and waterway for visitors and locals alike. I think the meeting accomplished this well. We are receiving positive feedback from many participants who felt that their opinions were efficiently and effectively captured during the meeting.”

BEAUFORT – If the town is approved for a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration marine debris removal grant in the spring, they’ll have nearly $70,000 to put toward the effort of cleaning up Taylor’s Creek and adjacent waters.

At the board of commissioners work session Oct. 30 in the train depot, the board unanimously approved applying for the grant, which was presented by Paula Gillikin with the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, North Carolina Coastal Reserve and North Carolina Estuarine Research Reserve. Gillikin manages the Rachel Carson Reserve, which is across Taylor’s Creek from downtown Beaufort.

Stakeholders first met in early October to discuss the details for this NOAA marine debris removal grant to clean up Taylor’s Creek. Discussion also focused on what organization has jurisdiction to remove sunken vessels and illegal moorings, which is any mooring that does not have a current Coastal Area Management Act permit, and the possibility of developing a harbor management plan. At that meeting, stakeholders were told that in Taylor’s Creek, there were 39 moorings and a range of sizable debris, included a handful of sunken vessels, more than a dozen abandoned moorings without markings and a few large sections of drainage pipe.

Throughout the years, as Gillikin explained to the board, town staff and about a dozen members of the public during the work session, there have been a number of concerns about the condition of and debris in Taylor’s Creek and the debris that lands on the habitat on Rachel Carson Reserve, which is an outdoor laboratory and classroom, and a storm barrier for the town.

“When we get a lot of debris, it can cause some habitat damage; killing marshes, causing erosion, releasing toxins, entangling wildlife and a bunch of other effects,” she said. “We’ve been working for the past 10 years, diligently, to try to address the issue, mostly through marine debris removal projects. And since that time, we’ve removed about 35,000 pounds of debris just with volunteers from the site, so we’ve demonstrated a real issue.”

The reserve has been working with the town in varying capacities over the years on different environmental management plans and the town is on the local advisory committee. Gillikin said she approached the town manager to work together on the grant proposal, with hopes of receiving the town board’s support to submit the grant application, which was due Nov. 1.

“In a nutshell, it is a marine debris removal grant for the Taylor’s Creek and Beaufort Harbor area, so waters within the Rachel Carson Reserve boundary and also outside the Rachel Carson Reserve boundary,” she said.

“This debris grant is targeted at medium and large items, that’s what NOAA wants to see removed, not just little shoreline debris but big things like sunken vessels, abandoned moorings that might tangle up animals, other large objects on the bottom that are submerged and also sitting in our marshes or anything that might wash up between now and then,” she explained. “So just estimating the amount of debris we have out there, and based on our past experience, it looks like we could probably remove about 46,000 pounds of debris from the bottom of Taylor’s Creek and our local marshes.”

Regarding funding, Gillikin said, “NOAA requires a one to one match, we’ve got a very favorable proposal here because we have a one to 1.6 match.”

“If you look at your updated budget, you’ll see that we’re asking NOAA for about $67,000 in cash and the match would be about $4,000 in cash. The rest of that match would be in-kind services, mostly provided by the town, the reserve, TowBoat US Beaufort, and also the BoatUS Foundation.”

The project would span the course of a year, Gillikin concluded.

Commissioner Ann Carter asked if a year would take care of the initial phase and would the town need a follow-up phase.

“I think one year will put a dent in it, but this is going to be an ongoing thing, NOAA encourages ongoing, sustainable projects,” Gillikin explained, adding that this will probably be a multi-year project that can be continued with funding from the town, other sources or re-apply to the NOAA marine debris project again. “I think it will put a big dent in our debris issue but I think we have to follow up with more debris removal and a plan to manage the harbor better.”

Jerry Gaskill, who was at the meeting representing Beaufort Yacht Basin, asked if the grant would help with Town Creek’s overwhelming debris issue. The yacht basin is on Town Creek.

Gillikin agreed that Town Creek is a problem area but the grant would not include cleaning up Town Creek. Gillikin continued that one reason they started in the Rachel Carson Reserve area is because it’s part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve system, called a NOAA Trust Resource, which will bolster the project’s points on the NOAA marine debris grant proposal.

If Beaufort receives the grant to clean up Taylor’s Creek and does that project well, then the town would be well positioned for future NOAA grants to clean up other Beaufort waters such as Town Creek.

Commissioner Sharon Harker asked whether Gillikin thought the town was in a strong position to receive the grant.

Gillikin answered that she believed Beaufort was in a strong position, “because not only does this involve debris removal, it involved education, community engagement and BoatUS Foundation will make a documentary about this, documenting the methodology, the problem, interviewing the children participating in debris cleanup along the shoreline that would be safe to pick up … we’re going to have a lot of education.”

She added that this information will be integrated into all of the reserve’s education programs, so if anybody comes onto the reserve to one of the programs, they will have the opportunity to learn about the grant project. “There’s going to be a lot of education and outreach.”

John Day, the town manager, said he’s pleased to have the board’s support on the grant proposal, and the larger effort to begin the process of developing a management plan for Taylor’s Creek.

“Also, I’m very grateful for the efforts of Paula Gillikin and her staff for preparing the grant proposal and being our partner,” he added.

Gillikin explained later in an interview that the next steps are for the grant proposal to be submitted, which the town mailed Nov. 1 and NOAA is expected to release its decision in spring 2018. If the grant is funded, the earliest the project would start would be around August 2018.

She went into further detail regarding the documentary films that she mentioned during the meeting.

“The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is going to produce two (films). One is included in the cash grant funds, the other is being donated as an in-kind product,” she said. “We haven’t decided the exact content of the films, yet. But, one will showcase project operations and goals and outcomes, the problem of marine debris both locally and on a broader scale, and the importance of estuarine habitats and debris impacts on them.”

Learn More

• Project description
• Town budget summary

Editor’s Note: The Town of Beaufort Board of Commissioners rescheduled its regular work session for Oct. 30. 

BEAUFORT – Town officials are again making an effort to manage illegal moorings and remove abandoned boats and marine debris from Taylor’s Creek, recurrent but unresolved issues for decades.

“In some cases, with the safety issues we have here, as well as water quality issues, we believe that there is an interest, certainly among residents here, to come up with a way to better manage the creek and make it safe,” Town Manager John Day said during a stakeholders meeting last week in the Boathouse at Front Street Village.

Stakeholders at the meeting included representatives from the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, North Carolina Division of Cultural Management, North Carolina Marine Patrol, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, TowBoatUS, The Duke Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab, North Carolina Coastal Reserve, The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Underwater Archaeology Branch, area businesses, town staff and elected officials.

The discussion focused not only on the logistics of cleaning up the waterway, including who has jurisdiction to remove sunken vessels and illegal moorings, which is any mooring that does not have a current Coastal Area Management Act permit, but also on the possibility of developing a harbor management plan and sorting out details for a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant for marine debris removal. The grant proposal is due Nov. 1, and is to be presented to the Beaufort Board of Commissioners during its next work session set for 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30 in the train depot on Pollock Street.

Day explained as the meeting began that in 1981, the town received the authority from the North Carolina General Assembly to manage Taylor’s Creek, and there have been instances in the years since where the town has pursued management of Taylor’s Creek, but for various reasons did not to follow through.

Whitney Jenkins, coastal training program coordinator for the North Carolina Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve, served as meeting facilitator. She explained that the reserve routinely holds stakeholder meetings for organizational partners, and has been working with the town on a potential marine debris removal grant. The Rachel Carson Reserve, which is between the mouths of the Newport and North rivers and across Taylor’s Creek from downtown Beaufort, is part of the reserve.

To provide a better understanding of what lies beneath the relatively calm surface of Taylor’s Creek, Jenkins shared a map created by town staff showing the 39 moorings in the creek, illustrating the state of the waterway now. It was also explained that the commercial towing provider TowBoatUS and Duke University Marine Lab on nearby Pivers Island have been working together to create an underwater sonar map of Taylor’s Creek. That mapping process allowed them to identify a range of debris, including a handful of sunken vessels, more than a dozen abandoned moorings without markings and a few large sections of drainage pipe.

Representatives described the perimeters they could work within when it comes to removing abandoned boats in Taylor’s Creek as well as what each group was permitted to do as an organization to address marine debris and pollution.

Paula Gillikin, Rachel Carson Reserve site manager, explained that her involvement is mostly from a habitat standpoint, although there are safety concerns with some debris that washes ashore. She said that marine debris, such as dock sections, moorings, pieces of boats in all conditions, from sunken to abandoned, typically washes up on the marshes and beaches at the reserve.

“One of our primary concerns is habitat damage,” she added, and some of the boats that come ashore and damage the marsh cannot be dealt with in a timely and efficient manner, either because of the lack of funds or the inability to work with the vessel owner.

In the past, Gillikin said, the reserve has worked with stakeholders on regular marine debris removal, and has removed about 25,000 pounds.

“It’s a constant issue for us,” she said, adding that the reserve serves as an outdoor classroom, research lab and as a place for people to enjoy. The reserve also functions as a storm barrier, protecting the town, she added.

The stakeholders also discussed a possible harbor management plan for the town and weighed ideas, presented examples and noted the roles various agencies and the town would play if such a plan were to move forward.

Day said the immediate next step for the town would be to consider the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration marine debris removal grant proposal that Gillikin plans to present to the Beaufort Board of Commissioners later this month during its October work session. Day added that there’s also an interest at looking at other NOAA grants in the future for the Town Creek and Gallants Channel areas.

Day wrapped up the meeting by stressing that town commissioners have not issued any directives at this point but town staff will discuss with elected officials pursuing this issue and look at models for harbor management. Additionally, the manager said they will work to solidify the relationship with the various stakeholders to work together to achieve common goals.

“The intention is not to rush into this because there are other projects going on and we also want to include opportunities for public involvement and comment as we move through the process,” Day said. “We want to be very intentional about the way we move forward. We want to hear from all the stakeholders. If the town does take on and develop a harbor management plan, it’s going to require a number of resources, obviously a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of folks.”

Beaufort Planning Director Kyle Garner explained in an interview after the meeting that the town was working with the Rachel Carson Reserve staff to apply for the grant to clean up some of the marine debris adjacent to the reserve. “In doing so, we wanted to see who had control, who was responsible for jurisdictional water around Rachel Carson and, for that matter, Taylor’s Creek.”

Garner said that cleaning up Taylor’s Creek is important “Because some of the debris is having a negative environmental impact on the habitat located on the reserve, as well as creating safety concerns for navigation in Taylor’s Creek.”

But the first step is to work on the NOAA marine debris removal grant, he added.

Once the town is able to move forward with cleaning Taylor’s Creek, officials and staff will begin looking into the possibility of a harbor management plan.

Learn More

• Map of moorings in Taylor’s Creek in PDF form
• 1981 law giving Beaufort authority to regulate navigable waters

PINE KNOLL SHORES –The town has broken ground on a natural stormwater management system designed to decrease the volume of runoff and alleviate some of the area’s flooding.

Through a partnership with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, the town is in the process of installing three swales, or long, shallow ditches along roadsides, and two bio-retention ponds in a neighborhood prone to flooding.

The installations are part of a broader set of tools known as best management practices, or BMPs, for stormwater, because of their ability to clean and move runoff.

The goal of the retrofits is to get the water off paved areas and onto the ground, where it has the chance to soak in. This decreases volume of stormwater runoff and filters out pollutants.

The systems are being installed on Elm Court, Cypress Drive and Cedar Road, streets also locally known as the “tree streets.” The area and the houses in it are prone to flooding, along with other parts of town. Town manager Brian Kramer said the project began two weeks ago and is expected to be completed by the spring.

In addition to causing flooding, stormwater can contain bacteria, sediments, chemicals and fertilizers it picks up as it moves. This problem is made worse by impervious surfaces, roads, sidewalks and driveways, that make the pollutants more likely to flow, unfiltered, into nearby waterways.

Lauren Kolodij, deputy director of the federation, said stormwater is the greatest pollutant of coastal creeks and sounds, leading to shellfish area closures and swimming advisories. She said that using best management practices reduces the amount of pollution, including sediment and bacteria, that reaches the water.

“If you reduce the volume and the flow of stormwater, none of those things can get to the water,” she said.

A Problem Rooted in History

Kramer said that Pine Knoll Shores, a community on Bogue Banks in Carteret County, has experienced flooding for decades. The problem, he said, began when the area was initially being developed with summer cottages built in the 1950s and 1960s and stormwater systems were not put in place.

“That may have been okay back then,” Kramer said, “but then we built a golf course and then we built a mobile home park and then we built a Hampton Inn.”

As the land became more developed, he said, the water had nowhere to go.

“It’s all caused, and everyone knows this, by development blocking the west-to-east flow of water to Hoop Pole Creek in Atlantic Beach and out to the sound,” Kramer said.

Over time, Kramer said, the east side of town, particularly, has dealt with the effects of flooding. He listed road closures and flooded garages and homes among the problems. Kramer said the town has tried a variety of solutions, including pumping stormwater directly into the ocean and Bogue Sound.

Kramer said the decision to work with the federation on this project was simple. The town was interested in finding methods of dealing with stormwater that were clean and effective.

“We want to have a town that’s environmentally friendly and focused,” he said.

Kramer said representatives from their local government went to Oak Island in Brunswick County to see similar systems the federation installed there and were encouraged by the results.

There has also been a push on the statewide level to address stormwater in recent decades. Bree Tillett, a coastal fellow at the federation, said that after fish kills from water pollution during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the state government began to encourage the use of best management practices to improve water quality.

“The stormwater rules in the state require the use of BMPs for pretty much any development in the coastal plain,” she said.

A Green Solution

Tillett worked closely with the town and stormwater engineer Larry Sneeden, who also works for AECOM of Wilmingon, an engineering and consulting firm, to draw up plans for the BMPs.

Swales and bio-retention ponds are simple, which is what Kramer said he loves about them. Instead of focusing on reducing pollutants, the systems are designed to reduce stormwater volume, which also reduces the amount of pollutants that reach water bodies.

The swales in this project are 100 feet long. The shallow ditches move the water to bio-retention ponds while also allowing some water to infiltrate. Bio-retention ponds are holes where the water has a chance to sit, allowing it to seep slowly into the ground, filtering the water and keeping it from flooding the area. The town’s public works employees were able to create them without incurring the cost of outside contractors.

Sneeden said that the goal of the retrofits is to get water off of impermeable surfaces so water can soak into the ground, reducing the amount of stormwater runoff.

“They can seem more complicated than they really are but the key is just to give the water the opportunity to get off the pavement, the roads, the sidewalks, the driveways and get it to be able to travel over a grassed surface or vegetated surface and have a chance to soak in,” Sneeden said.

Tillett said the main goal of the retrofits may be to reduce the volume of stormwater, but that the water quality benefits are also impressive.

“Swales and bio-retention can reduce the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment over 75 percent,” she said.

Tillett was clear that the swales and bio-retention ponds were designed for 1.5-inch rainfalls, but not more than that. The retrofits offer a solution to make the situation better in a place with no stormwater system, she said, but they can’t work like systems used in newer developments.

“This is not the cure for cancer of their flooding problems,” she said, “but it will put a dent in it. You’re offering a chance for the water to enter somewhere where it can sit rather than moving over.”

Tillett said that if she saw less water moving between the houses, she would consider the project a success.

Sneeden said property owners can also do their part to lessen the amount of stormwater runoff in their communities. One example of this is to turn downspouts toward yards instead of pavement, like driveways.

“You can reduce the runoff coming off each lot, then you significantly reduce the runoff in the street that’s causing the flooding,” he said.

Other Communities

Kolodij said the federation is also in talks with town officials in Beaufort and Swansboro and has completed successful projects in Wrightsville Beach, as well as Oak Island.

One of the roles of the federation, she said, is to help communities apply for stormwater management grants and to connect towns with geographic information system, or GIS, specialists who can help them plan their retrofits.

“It’s giving local governments a jumpstart by providing them with the background data and the hydrographs so that they can then take that in put it in the template and create a plan,” Kolodij said.

She said there have been signs of great progress in completed projects, including a 50 to 90 percent decrease in stormwater from some BMPs in Wrightsville Beach.

For Kramer, the project has been a test bed. He hopes to demonstrate to the community the potential of technologies such as these. In the future, he said, the town would be interested in installing more.

“We’re really hopeful,” Kramer said, “that we’re going to see positive results from this next storm season.”