Another beach nourishment is eyed for Pleasure Island–this year.
That’s assuming all the funding chips fall into place, notably with a blessing of local money from the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners.
Officials at Carolina Beach learned recently that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) had some unspent project dollars–$4.8 million–available for beach nourishment if the town could secure supplemental funding.
Typically, when the federal government has an arrangement to fund a local beach project, it will cover up to 65 percent of the cost, leaving at least 35 percent for other sources–usuallly state and local coffers–to cover.
“If [those non-federal sources] can come up with a match to justify funding the project, we’re looking to see if that’s something we can do,” USACE project manager Bob Keistler said Monday.
At an emergency meeting that night, the Carolina Beach Town Council voted to ask New Hanover County for $1.86 million from its room occupancy tax (ROT) fund–a source (filled by taxes on hotel stays and other accommodations) that has helped past beach nourishment projects. It would pair with $727,000 available from the state to round out the local match, greenlighting the federal aid.
Because Kure Beach is also on deck for a federal beach nourishment, Carolina Beach Town Manager Michael Cramer said Tuesday that USACE is recommending a unified project, improving both towns’ shorelines simultaneously.
That could get underway this fall.
“Over the past few months we’ve had several conversations with various groups–the Corps, the county, Kure Beach–trying to figure out how to go and move foward with this,” Cramer said.
“It’s a one-time deal,” said Kure Beach Mayor Dean Lambeth of the funds. He added: “We don’t want it to slip through our fingers.”
Alignment
Carolina Beach generally sees nourishment on a three-year cycle, its last project having played out in 2013.
Past story: County ultimately pays millions less in Pleasure Island beach nourishment
Going ahead with the project this fall would allow Carolina Beach to reset that cycle of time and align with Kure Beach’s cycle. Three years later, all three of New Hanover County’s beach towns would be so aligned.
That’s not just convenient, “It saves on mobilization costs,” said Carolina Beach Mayor Dan Wilcox, referring to the staging of a dredge and other heavy machines and equipment used in nourishment projects.
The county’s position on Carolina Beach’s request for ROT money wasn’t entirely clear Monday; Layton Bedsole, the county’s shoreline protection manager, said the county’s staff and management would discuss it Tuesday.
The Pleasure Island towns hope to see the funding request included on the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners’ May 5 meeting agenda.
But for the longer term, there remains a complication.
Sand in the hourglass
Carolina Beach’s 2013 renourishment was thought to be the last of its 65/35 cost-sharing arrangements with the federal government.
“We thought the [sand] we placed last year would be the last time because we wouldn’t have any more federal money,” said Keistler.
The fed has 65/35 agreements with numerous populated beach towns in the U.S., giving them financial support (though sometimes less than 65 percent) for sand projects. Each agreement is good for 50 years.
For Carolina Beach, that time is out.
When exactly it expires, though, may vary based on measurement.
The Carolina Beach 50-year project–initiated to beef up the beach for hurricane protection–was authorized under a 1962 congressional act. Work toward the project commenced; the actual construction didn’t start until the end of 1964.
Some federal communications, like from the office of U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, put the 50-year life’s end at the close of 2013, or the start of 2014. USACE’s Keistler said Monday the clock started ticking when the 1964 construction started up.
That means USACE regards Carolina Beach’s 50-year plan as still alive–though only until the end of this year.
“This is it. This is the last year we have a federal authorization,” Councilman Steve Shuttleworth emphasized Monday.
When it expires, the federal funding help as such will go away, unless the U.S. House and Senate can agree to authorize a new deal. Possibilities include extending these 50-year projects by some length or renewing them completely. Currently, there’s no legal mechanism to do either.
“We’ve had several conversations with our federal representatives, and they have an understanding of what our interest is, which is to get some sort of extension,” said Cramer. Without it, a great funding burden falls on local government, or the state, or whatever party can afford to cover the expensive price tags that always come with beach nourishment.
“Looking at the other beaches up and down the [U.S.] coast, there’s another 10 that will time out in the next 10 years, so they’re looking at Carolina Beach as the test case,” said Mayor Wilcox.
They include the beaches of Pinellas County, Fla., timing out in 2019, and Broward County, Fla., out in 2020.
But Shuttleworth noted another wrinkle Monday: that the state, historically, only chips in with beach projects when the federal government has available funding to match.
“The state has said ‘Without federal dollars, we don’t give you anything,'” he said.
Past stories:
Coastal towns strategize for beach nourishment money
McIntyre ‘optimistic’ on federal role in beach funding; state expects ample dredging money on hand
State-federal agreement in place to keep shallow-draft inlets open
Ben Brown is a news reporter at Port City Daily. Reach him at [email protected] or (910) 772-6335. On Twitter: @benbrownmedia
