Posted on November 15, 2021
Oak Island Town Council agreed Tuesday to changes in its contracts for ongoing beach renourishment. Council also agreed to continue negotiations with a company to replace the skateboard park destroyed by Hurricane Isaias in August 2020.
Council agreed to two amendments to ongoing beach improvement projects.
One change will pay contractors $145,000 for surveys of the beach and Jay Bird Shoals, where the town plans to extract sand this winter for placement on the west end on the beach.
The other will pay $60,000 to manage permit extensions and plant beach grasses along areas already given new sand.
Council also discussed whether and how to regulate electric-powered bicycles on the beach strand. Members noted there are different types of electric-assist bikes, some of which can go as fast as 20 mph or more. There was an apparent consensus to ban them from mid-April to mid-October, similar to restrictions on bonfires and off-leash dogs.
Town Council and staff struggled over how to permit beach bonfires, which take up considerable staff time and paperwork. Bonfire permit requests have gone from several hundred to more than 2,000 per year, said Fire Chief Chris Anselmo. Council members asked if there might be a broader solution.
For now, the town will use a short-term solution but will look toward a better approach.
In other business, council:
• Appointed Linda Zaccaro to the Par 3 Golf Course committee.
• Approved a lease for the restaurant and pier house.
• Heard from the Beach Preservation Society, which encouraged residents to visit beachoki.org for more information.
• Heard that fire hydrants are being flushed.
• Learned there is a national search for a new police chief.
• Agreed to renew the contract with Town Manager David Kelly and give him a 5-percent pay raise.
