Plans are in the works for new restroom facilities at Old Lighthouse Beach in Buxton

Multiple agencies are coming together to install new and permanent restroom facilities with outdoor showers at Old Lighthouse Beach in Buxton, one of the most popular beach accesses on Hatteras Island.

Jessica Barnes of Outer Banks Forever, the official nonprofit partner of the Outer Banks’ national parks, outlined the upcoming project at the Dare County Board of Commissioners’ monthly meeting on July 16, where the organization asked for the county’s help in applying for a specific grant to help fund the endeavor.

“The [North Carolina] Division of Coastal Management offers a Public Beach Access Grant,” said Barton Grover, Dare County Grants & Waterways Administrator, at Tuesday’s meeting. “Outer Banks Forever has requested that Dare County be the applicant, as these grants are only eligible to local governments.”

Old Lighthouse Beach Access in Buxton is renowned as a popular surfing destination and has routinely popped up on Dr. Beaches’ 10 Best Beaches in the USA list over the past several decades.

“If you’re familiar with that area, it is one of the most popular beaches on Hatteras Island. Nationally, it gets attention fairly regularly as being one of the best beaches in America,” said Barnes at Tuesday’s meeting. “And currently, there are no restroom facilities. There are porta-potties, which are not only unsanitary, but really just don’t keep up with the capacity of the popularity of that area, considering it is also one of our few lifeguarded beaches on Cape Hatteras National Seashore.”

“I think [this project] would not only improve the visitor experience, it would improve the locals’ experience of this area,” added Barnes. “It also is just more environmentally friendly than having porta-potties, which in storm situations, can be very difficult and toxic if not taken care of correctly.”

The design for the prefabricated restrooms includes four unisex/family facilities, exterior showers with a privacy screen, and a resilient and concrete aesthetic that will be designed to stand up to wind and flooding. The restrooms will be located on the edge of the Old Lighthouse Beach parking lot, which is adjacent to the new Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Pathway that is expected to open in the late summer or fall of 2024.

The estimated cost of the new restrooms is $400,000, but Outer Banks Forever has already secured a large percentage of the funds required.

Outer Banks Forever received a $125,000 grant from the Dare County Tourism Board, as well as an additional $100,000 in funds earmarked for the new restrooms, which includes a $30,000 grant from Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative.

“With this [Public Beach Access] grant, it would help us get to about three-fourths of the way to funding the project,” said Barnes. “Our hope is that we would receive the grant funds, and work with [Dare County] and the Park Service to then implement the project as early as next year.”

For the specific Public Bech Access Grant, however, there are some potential hiccups and hurdles. For one thing, the state would need to have some sort of site control, which is difficult since Old Lighthouse Beach Access is within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and is under National Park Service stewardship and management.

In addition, the grant specifies that the facilities be present for 25 years, so as the applicant, Dare County could potentially be on the hook for returning the grant funds if a large storm impacted the Outer Banks and affected the new restrooms.

However, there is precedent for applying for – and receiving – grants with similar requirements, which includes a similar grant that was awarded from the state for the 1989 installation of the soundside Haulover Beach Access in between Avon and Buxton, as well as the soundside Sandy Bay Beach Access just north of Hatteras.

“In 2014, the Rodanthe Beach Access also received the same type of funding,” said Barnes. “So, there is precedent for this grant funding, and for the Park Service and the county working together.”

There is a tight August 2 deadline for the state’s Public Beach Access Grant application, and some lingering questions about these potential challenges, but the Board of Commissioners unanimously agreed to act as the pass-through agent to submit the grant application.

“Applying for the grant and receiving the grant are two different acts,” explained Outten just before the Board’s vote. “In theory, we could move forward, and allow the application. But if the grant was awarded and we couldn’t get the [extra conditions satisfied], then we just wouldn’t accept the grant.”

Even if this latest Public Beach Access Grant from the state doesn’t come to fruition, (which would add an estimated $114,00 to the project funds), Outer Banks Forever will continue to try to fully fund the restrooms, especially since the organization already has more than half of the project costs accounted for.

“We are currently in the process of looking for other grant funding, particularly from the National Park Foundation,” said Barnes. “They’re very interested in this project because, in addition to just being a great visitor asset, it is family-friendly, it will be ADA accessible, and it is weatherproof.”

For more information:

• To learn more about Outer Banks Forever, including its most recent “Pathways to Your National Parks” program and corresponding Old Lighthouse Beach restroom project, visit https://obxforever.org/.
• To view the July 16 Board of Commissioners’ meeting in its entirety, visit Dare County’s YouTube Channel.