2013-07-11 Special Meeting NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 32
SPECIAL MEETING,JULY 11,2013 PAGE 662
ASSEMBLY
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for a Special Meeting on Thursday, July 11, 2013
at 3:00 p.m. in the Harrell Conference Room at the New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government
Center Drive, Wilmington,North Carolina.
Members present: Chairman Woody White: Vice-Chair Beth Dawson: Commissioner Jonathan Barfield,
Jr.:and Commissioner Tom Wolfe.
Staff present: Shore Protection Coordinator Layton Bedsole; Assistant County Manager Tim Burgess:
County Attorney Wanda M. Copley: County Manager Chris Coudriet: Deputy Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G.
Crowell:Engineering Director Jim Iannucci:and Clerk to the Board Sheila L. Schuh.
Chairman White called the Special Meeting to order and reported the purpose of the meeting was to receive
a presentation concerning the Kure Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Plan permit and oceanfront/inlet
shoulder shoreline smvey and asked Shore Protection Coordinator Layton Bedsole to make his presentation.
DISCUSSION ON OBTAINING A LOCAL PERMIT FOR A KURE BEACH COASTAL STORM
DAMAGE REDUCTION PROJECT
Shore Protection Coordinator Layton Bedsole provided an overview of the process to secure Federal and
State permit for a Kure Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction(CSDR)project.
Permitting Formulas:
• Past permit with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE), cost share 65/35 Federal/State split with
the County historically splitting 50150 with the State.
• Recent permit formula used for the Carolina Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction project allows
the County to supplement not only the Federal share,but State share: if the Federal share is short then
the State share is short.
• Staff is proposing the same formula used for the Carolina Beach CSDR, be used for the Kure Beach
CSDR project. It will provide the County a local option if the Federal govermnent participation is not
available nor in the Countv's best interest.
Permitting Incentives:
• Use of USACE Geotech Data
• This past winter, the Corps dug bore-holes in ocean floor to assess the quality of the sand for the
project that was completed in the spring. The data is valuable to the County and staff has
requested the contractor not discard the data: the cost to acquire the data will be off-set in savings
of approximately$200,000.
• Single Pleasure Island Permit
• As noted, the County currently has a permit for the Carolina Beach CSDR project and staff
suggests obtaining a major modification to the CAMA permit to include Kure Beach. This will
provide a single permit for the entirety of Pleasure Island while providing flexibility in
contracting,project management and resource management.
• The proposed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Rule - it is unknown at this time how the designation of
critical habitat for loggerhead turtles will affect any permits. If the permit is in in place before any
additional rules are placed upon the area it should be helpful.
Management Incentives:
• Initiates a*'Locally"Engineered Beach:
• Provides the County an alternative to develop its own engineered beach, manage the beach, has
the contract in place, and determines the level of the templates built as currently approved by the
Corps. In the event of a named storm, where the County loses the same sand engineered and
placed on the beach, the County can apply for FEMA reimbursement for damage to that
infrastructure. It provides another insurance policy backup plan in the event of a named storm.
• County Managed Project
• Contracting Flexibility
Maximizes Resources:
• Carolina Beach permit authorizes the County to use the sand as a borrow source.
• Multiple Borrow Sites
• Once permitted,the goal is to approach resource agencies and show that the material is compatible
with Carolina Beach: show the offshore material is compatible with Kure Beach: and if crossed,
show both borrow sites are compatible for either beach. Result is the entire area of Pleasure Island
having two borrow sites for sand and allows flexibility both in resource and contracting.
• Municipal Boundary Alignments will not affect the Federal project line.
• Future Efforts
• The County is participating in a very early reconnaissance phase where the Division of Water
Resources and Division of Coastal Management have hired a firm to assess schedule and cost for
the five shallow draft inlets (Bogue, Topsail, Lockwoods Folly, Shallotte River and Carolina
Beach). The similarities of projects are such that there should be an umbrella approach to save all
entities time and money.
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 32
SPECIAL MEETING,JULY 11,2013 PAGE 663
In response to questions, Coordinator Bedsole explained that Room Occupancy Tax (ROT) fiords are
eligible for the proposed effort. If this is put out for bid the price range is$200,000-$300,000 with over half of cost
being geotech work. If staff is allowed to move forward with a change order for the current contractor who worked
on the Carolina Beach CSDR project, the cost will be lower. If there is a need to dig bore holes again it will be an
additional $250,000 - $300,000. The Board will be requested to adopt a budget ordinance amendment transferring
fiords from ROT. It does appear that the Federal govermnent is more inclined to help units of local governments that
are doing all they can to help themselves and the concern of continued Federal support was discussed when the
County was pursuing contributing authority.
In response to Board questions, County Manager Coudriet clarified that staff is requesting the Board move
forward with obtaining a permit for the Kure Beach CSDR plan. This will allow the County to pull a set of permits
off the shelf that is identical to the projects that the Federal govermnent has already approved, fiord the project and
keep beach nourishment progressing so investment is not lost. The current request is only for the design and
engineering work,not for construction.
The project would have the exact attributes as implemented by the USACE since 1997. The project area
encompasses the municipality of Kure Beach and approximately 2,000 feet of southern Carolina Beach's
oceanfront. The proposed authorization area exactly overlays the USACE's footprint starting approximately 1,000
feet north of Kure Beach's southern municipal boundary and ending at Tennessee Avenue in Carolina Beach. The
Federal project no longer matches up with the municipal boundaries due to the inclusion of Hanby and Wilmington
Beaches into the towns of Kure and Carolina Beach respectfully.
The permitting approach for Kure Beach would be the same federal and state authorization paths that were
successfirl in securing permits in December 2012 for the Carolina Beach CSDR. With the inclusion of Kure Beach
on the County's current North Carolina Division of Coastal Management (NCDCM) authorization, the County
would hold a single authorization for Pleasure Island inclusive of both USACE's CSDR projects. This is in
concurrence with the New Hanover County Beach Nourishment Contingency Plan completed in May
2011. Inclusion of Kure Beach on the local authorization will provide the County with options in the event of
federal or state fiurding shortfalls.
This matter is item #13 on the July 15t" agenda. Staff is requesting authorization to negotiate a change
order to the current contract with Coastal Planning & Engineering to secure Federal and State permits for a Kure
Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction project using Room Occupancy Tax Funds.
DISCUSSION ON CONDUCTING ANNUAL OCEANFRONT/INLET SHOULDER SHORELINE
SURVEYS
Coordinator Bedsole presented the request for the Board's consideration to authorize staff to move forward
with releasing the Request for Qualifications to select engineering and suiveying professionals to implement the
oceanfront and inlet shoulder survey programs. The requested surveys will show when, where, why and how the
sand is moving.
The municipalities of Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach and Kure Beach have existing, executed Project
Cooperation Agreements with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE) for coastal storm damage reduction
(CSDR) projects in which annual shoreline surveys and post-storm surveys are non-Federal responsibilities. It is a
local requirement to perform annual surveys and post-storm surveys are non-Federal responsibilities.
Wrightsville Beach, Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Project:
• Project Cooperation Agreement requirement
• Assessing sand transport volumes,rates and locations
• The surveys will provide this information and tell the County if we are accumulating enough sand
to sustain the area and help assess borrow areas.
• Holistic shoreline management
• The borrow site will show viability and it may be a possible source of sand. The Corps is currently
working on what to do with the sand and it needs to maintain.
Masonboro Island:
• There is a need to know what is occurring in terms of sand transport,particularly along Carolina Beach
inlet: suivevs will tell reveal volume rate,etc.
Carolina Beach:
• NHC authorization vs. 15 near extension
• FEMA compliance
• Potential volumes and nodal points
Management Options:
• In order to manage the sand better, the County needs to understand the movement which will help
determine fixture uses and management approaches for the inlet as well as the most beneficial use of
the sand on the beach.
Induced Effects:
• Shifting nodal points
NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 32
SPECIAL MEETING,JULY 11,2013 PAGE 664
• Long and short term trends
• Holistic shoreline management
• The surveys will help determine what are healthy shoreline volumes
Staff is recommending a countywide annual oceanfront shoreline and inlet shoulder suiveying, mapping
and evaluation program to monitor the federally authorized CSDR projects. The mapping area includes reaches
along Wrightsville Beach, Masonboro hrlet, Masonboro Island, Carolina Beach hrlet, Freeman Park, Carolina
Beach, Kure Beach and Fort Fisher State Park south to the Count-v's southern boundaiv. The smvev data would be
used to collect and track shoreline trends within the shoreline sand transport process.
Room Occupancy Tax Funds are eligible for the proposed project with an estimated cost between$100,000
and $125,000. The beach towns have been responsible for cost and implementation and are in full support of this
request including ROT paying costs.
The USACE performs plaiming surveys before and after each project: due to finding issues they have been
unable to perform annual surveys for each project. The requested surveys will provide the USACE with data that is
consistent from year to year and fill in a needed data gap. There will be other uses for the data as well, such as to the
beach towns as a local contribution to the USACE for projects and to assist in applying to FEMA for finds in the
occurrence of a named storm event.
This matter is item #14 on the July 15, 2013 agenda and staff is requesting authorization to release the
Request for Qualifications to select engineering and suiveying professionals to implement the oceanfront and inlet
shoulder survey program and allocate Room Occupancy Tax Funds in the estimated amount of $100,000 and
$125,000.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further discussion, Chairman White adjourned the meeting at 3:56 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kvniberleigh G. Crowell
Deputy Clerk to the Board