The Dare County Board of Commissioners (BOC) covered a variety of Hatteras Island-centric issues at their August 7 meeting in Manteo. Topics which pertained to the island included the following.
Hatteras Power Outage
Chairman Bob Woodard opened the meeting by expressing appreciation to the many people who came together to make a difference when Hatteras Island was without power. He thanked the people of Hatteras Island for their resilient, resourceful and compassionate spirit, as well as the visitors who had their vacation plans interrupted. He recognized Susan Flythe and the other heroes at Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative who worked tirelessly to solve a problem that they didn’t create. He also acknowledged efforts made by the talented contractors and other Electric Coop’s that helped. In addition, he thanked the NCDOT, National Park Service, Sheriff’s Office and other County staff including those who answered calls for help and /or information, and who manned the checkpoints. Chairman Woodard also thanked his fellow Commissioners, especially Hatteras Island Commissioner Danny Couch who was on the front lines throughout the outage.
Buxton Beach Nourishment Project
Coastal Science and Engineering (CSE), project manager for the Buxton Beach Nourishment Project, provided a detailed update regarding the status of the project. Approximately 25% of the work has been completed and contractors have until December 15 to complete the project. Rough sea conditions have led to fewer work days than expected, and CSE discussed production improvement measures that are being considered to expedite completion of the project. They reported that Weeks Marine is hoping to bring in a second dredge and will work through inspections and other requirements in an effort to bring the ‘B.E. Lindham’ hopper dredge on site in the next 10 to 15 days. For more information about this project and other beach nourishment projects taking place in Dare County, visit MoreBeachToLove.com
Hatteras Inlet
Last month, the Board authorized the transfer of $110,000 to the State from the County’s inlet maintenance fund to cover the County’s 25% match for the dredging of Hatteras Inlet. The County Manager reported that the dredge Merritt is currently out of service and it will be September, not August, when that dredging can take place.
State Preliminary Flood Maps
Planning Director Donna Creef reported that the 90-day appeal period, which is part of the flood map adoption process, is anticipated to begin by the end of August. Ms. Creef has met with other local planning departments to discuss the preliminary flood maps and there is consensus regarding issues that should be addressed. The Board directed Ms. Creef to prepare a letter for the Chairman’s signature outlining the issues to be submitted to the NC Flood Mapping Staff and FEMA during the public comment period.
Next Meeting of the Board of Commissioners
The Board of Commissioners’ next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 21 at 5:00 p.m.For more information about the Dare County Board of Commissioners, including full agenda packets and the video of entire meetings, visit darenc.com/boc.
