CAROLINA BEACH — In what might be the last major decision for outgoing Carolina Beach Mayor Dan Wilcox and Councilman Gary Doetsch, the Town of Carolina Beach Town Council will vote on Tuesday on a decision to terminate its contract with Civil Works Construction for the current lake dredging project.
The lake dredging project has been an ongoing concern for the town as well as its residents. In August of this year the town learned that it was in violation of its contract with Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point with the disposal of dredging materials on MOTSU property and issued a suspension of work to Civil Works Construction.
Both Wilcox and Doetsch lost re-election bids in the November municipal election and newcomers Joe Benson and JoDan Garza will be sworn in during Tuesday’s meeting – after the vote for contract termination is taken.
The project has seen several setbacks including soil reports detecting arsenic in lake soils, and difficulties finding a new location to place lake spoils which have led to the ultimate decision to scrap the project.
According to the Town Council’s agenda, “In order to move forward with the project, more time, up to 6 months of additional time, will be necessary to complete the additional permits applications and finalize another disposal location for the spoils. It is not fair nor appropriate that the town to continue the current contract with CWC, while working through the permitting requirements. The Town Manager recommends that the current contract be terminated and preparations for a future phase of the Lake Dredge Project move forward.”
The action requested by Town Manager Michael Cramer is the recommended termination of the contract with CWC and to, “work toward finalizing preparations for a future phase of the Lake Dredge Project.”
Even if the contract is terminated, the town still has to deal with MOTSU and the dredging spoils that have already been placed on military property. MOTSU has offered the town an additional three – five years to store the dredging materials, but ultimately the town will have to remove the spoils from MOTSU land.
Wilcox and Doetsch will also vote to consider the purchase of property located at 801 Dow Road for $400,000. The property would be used for a future water treatment facility.
The Town Council will meet Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Carolina Beach Town Hall.
Michael Praats can be reached at Michael.p@localvoicemedia.com
