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2021-11-22 Special Meeting NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 SPECIAL MEETING, NOVEMBER 22, 2021 PAGE 267 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for a Special Meeting with the Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Wrightsville Beach Town Councils on Monday, November 22, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. at Courtyard by Marriott 100 Charlotte Avenue, Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Members present: Chair Julia Olson-Boseman; Vice-Chair Deb Hays; Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr.; Commissioner Bill Rivenbark; and Commissioner Rob Zapple. Staff present: Shore Protection Coordinator Layton Bedsole; Intergovernmental Affairs Manager Tim Buckland; Deputy County Attorney Kemp Burpeau; County Manager Chris Coudriet; Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell; and Chief Financial Officer Lisa Wurtzbacher. Carolina Beach Town Council members present: Mayor LeAnn Pierce; Mayor Pro-Tem Jay Healy; Councilmembers Lynn Barbee; JoDan Garza; and Steve Shuttleworth. Staff present: Town Manager Bruce Oakley; Assistant Town Manager Ed Parvin; Town Clerk Kim Ward; and Town Attorney Noel Fox. Kure Beach Town Council members present: Mayor Craig Bloszinksi; Mayor Pro-Tem Heglar; and Commissioners Allen Oliver and John Ellen. Staff present: Town Clerk Mandy Sanders; Deputy Clerk Beth Chase; and Town Attorney Jim Eldridge. Wrightsville Beach staff present: Town Manager Tim Owens; Town Clerk Sylvia Holleman; and Town Attorney Brian Edes. City of Wilmington Councilmembers present: Mayor Bill Saffo and Councilmember Clifford Barnett, Sr. City of Wilmington staff present: City Clerk Penny Spicer-Sidbury and Assistant to the City Manager for Legislative Affairs Tony McEwen. Federal and State Legislators present: Congressman David Rouzer; State Representatives Ted Davis, Jr., and Charlie Miller. Federal Staff present: Congressional District Director Chance Lambeth. Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU) present: Colonel Arnold and Malcolm Charles. United States Coast Guard (USCG) present: Captain Matt Baer; CDR Bobby Gomez; and BMCM Eric Brown. Wilmington District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) present: District Commander Colonel Benjamin Bennett; Project Manager Brenna Dooley; and Civil Programs and Project Manager Bob Keistler. Others present: Carolina Beach Council-Elects Joe Benson and Mike Hoffer; Keith Smith, Prime Policy; and Attorney Steve Coggins. Mayor Pierce welcomed everyone present and announced that the purpose of the meeting was to receive legislative updates from state, county, and municipal leaders. LEGISLATIVE UPDATES Congressman David Rouzer recognized the first responders in attendance and stated that there have been some challenges regarding beach nourishment for the three beach communities. Some hurdles have been cleared for Carolina and Kure Beaches and work will continue for Wrightsville Beach. He expected that Congress will be in session until Christmas Eve. The three big topics are the debt limit increase, the National Defense Authorization Act, and the end of year appropriation package. North Carolina Representative Ted Davis, Jr. from District 20 reported that it has been an unusual year in Raleigh. More meetings have been held via Zoom rather than in person. He stated that Representative Miller is doing a great job and they are working well together. North Carolina Representative Charlie Miller from District 19 thanked Congressman Rouzer for getting the beach sand and knows it was an uphill battle. He does plan to run for re-election and wants to continue building relationships. Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Benjamin Bennett thanked the communities for their partnerships and introduced Project Manager Bob Keistler. Civil Programs and Project Manager Bob Keistler spoke about the Carolina Beach Inlet and coastal storm risk management (CSRM). Work has been done since January 2020 to find funding for the renourishment of Carolina, Kure, Wrightsville, and Ocean Isle Beaches. There have been many discussions between the Corps and Congress. Carolina and Kure Beaches were awarded federal funds. The contract will be advertised this month and the hope is to award it in January 2022 with dredging to start late March or early April. The Kure Beach contract goes until 2046 and Carolina Beach until 2036. Wrightsville Beach did not receive federal funding because it does NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 SPECIAL MEETING, NOVEMBER 22, 2021 PAGE 268 not have an offshore borrow source and efforts are being made to identify one. There recently was a nor’easter that caused damage to Kure Beach and the Corps is currently evaluating the damage to all three beaches to see if there is enough damage to request funding. Colonel Arnold with MOTSU thanked everyone for the relationships that have been built with the local communities. MOTSU is working with the Corps on projects that are scheduled through 2040. He reminded everyone that he will be changing out command on February 23, 2022. Malcolm Charles with MOTSU reported that the Joint Land Use Study was completed in 2019 with the focus being on land usage. There are 2,200 acres on the Carolina/Kure Beach side of the river and some of the planned projects will take a long time to complete. An installation tour will be held the first Friday in January from 9:00 a.m. until noon and invitations will be sent out. USCG Sector Commander Captain Matt Baer stated that the USCG is honored to be a part of the New Hanover, Pender, and Brunswick communities. There are eight coastal stations from Elizabeth City to Oak Island. He noted that he is also the Captain of the Ports which manages the free flow of commerce through the marine transportation system. Approximately $15-16 billion flows through the Port of Wilmington and his office is tasked with the job to keep the Cape Fear River open to keep the ships coming through. North Carolina has the second largest ferry system in the nation. The USCG handles inspecting that fleet as well as any commercial vessels that carry six or more passengers. There has been a 15% increase in case load since COVID. New Hanover County Chair Olson-Boseman recognized the County Commissioners and thanked Representative Davis, Representative Miller, and Congressman Rouzer for securing sand for the beaches. She also thanked them for the recent issue with military aircraft utilizing the Wilmington International Airport. Wilmington City Councilmember Barnett said he was recently re-elected to the Wilmington City Council. He reported that the economy is doing well in Wilmington. Tony McEwen, Assistant to the Wilmington City Manager for Legislative Affairs, thanked the state representatives for their work. He reported that Representative Davis secured $500,000 for the Opioid Overdose Quick Response Team (QRT) when it was established as a program to address opioid abuse in the Wilmington area. After those funds rans out, he was able to secure an additional $750,000 to keep the program going. Representative Charlie Miller assisted in getting over $100 million for flood mitigation and policy changes. Mr. McEwen also announced that the Eastern NC Recovery and Resiliency group will be holding a meeting on December 8th in Goldsboro to communicate these changes to the community. Wrightsville Beach Town Manager Tim Owens thanked everyone for assisting in keeping the beaches on track for beach nourishment. Kure Beach Mayor Bloszinksi thanked everyone in attendance and recognized their part in working for the betterment of the communities. Focusing on how to use the resources that are available in an efficient manner is important as well as continuing to work together. Carolina Beach Mayor Pierce stated that Carolina Beach will be getting sand in the spring of 2022 and expressed appreciation for the support received at the state and local level to address the beach nourishment issue. Carolina Beach recently purchased the remaining parcels on Freeman Park which will allow for it to have the easement rights for beach nourishment. The first priority was to obtain the easements and the second priority was to preserve the area as open space. A monument will be erected on the site in honor of the Freeman family. She reported on the large mixed-use project coming to Carolina Beach called The Proximity. It will be on the property where Harris Teeter was planning to build. She also reported that the room occupancy tax amounts have been through the roof in Carolina Beach. ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS OF BUSINESS Commissioner Barfield thanked Representative Davis for all his hard work. Chair Olson-Boseman congratulated the New Hanover High School soccer team for winning the state championship. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chair Olson-Boseman adjourned the meeting at 9:51 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Kymberleigh G. Crowell Clerk to the Board Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the special meeting.