Reasons for beach nourishment. Numbers 1 and 4 are particularly relevant for Southern Shores.Town Council Agrees It's Needed
After months of debate and hesitation, beach nourishment is coming to the town of Southern Shores.
After Hurricane Matthew devastated the shoreline in front of Pelican Watch, just north of Kitty Hawk Pier, residents asked the town council if it would be possible to piggyback on the Kitty Hawk portion of the Dare County Intra-local beach nourishment project.
On Monday, March 6, by a vote of 4-1 the Town Council decided to move forward with the project. Councilman Gary McDonald, concerned about ongoing cost commitments, voted agains the proposal.
Cost Savings
If the Town Council had not approved the measure at this time, the cost of nourishing the beach would have been far more expensive in the future. By taking advantage of existing equipment in place, Southern Shores was able to get the best possible price for the project.
The next opportunity to piggyback on a local project if town council had not reached an agreement would be next year when Nags Head replenishes their beach. However, because Nags Head is father away from Southern Shores than Kitty Hawk, the expense would be greater.
The Intra-local agreement stipulates a 50/50 cost sharing between the county and the town that are participating. With the addition of Southern Shores, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk and Duck are now part of the program.
As a late comer to the agreement, Southern Shores does have a slightly different payment arrangement with the county agreeing to pay up to $500,000 of shared cost. Although project engineers have not given a final cost estimate, there is confidence the final price tag will not exceed $1 million.
Southern Shores will fund their portion of the project with a special $150,000 assessment on the 26 beachfront properties affected and with funds from general revenues.
The portion of the beach that will be nourished is approximately 2500' north of the Kitty Hawk town line.
The project will begin in late June.
