Surf City Coastal Connection - May 2019 - Surf City, NC
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Surf City Coastal Connection
May 2019
Things are starting to feel alive again with more events, longer business
hours, and more happy faces coming onto the island. It was great to see
such a happy crowd at our Easter Egg Roll this year at the new location on
the soccer fields! The space worked well and gave us the opportunity to
organize the event a little better for the growth in attendance. We have seen
lots of participation in our Earth Day event as well. It was great to see so
Surf City has contracted with
many get involved with caring for our land and extending that effort more
Waste Industries to manage
than just one day. We hope that passion continues to grow and spread
our trash and recycling. We are
throughout the community.
excited that Waste Industries
As you know, our new bridge opened a year ahead of schedule but has left will once again provide the
us with some unfinished pieces. We have been working hard with NCDOT opportunity for a 2nd pick-up to
this month to get these projects completed as soon as possible. The biggest the island homes. We hope this
challenge for our town staff is working at the pace of NCDOT and contracted will help reduce the amount of
workers who are responsible for the completion of these projects. carts and trash that tends to
increase on the island in the high
We have also been able to celebrate the receipt of two Golden Leaf grants
tourist season.
to complete restoration of our Nelva Albury Park and the rebuild of our Town
Hall this past month! We are thrilled we are seeing some of our efforts come Waste Industries will also offer
to fruition after months of working and waiting. Many of our town roll back services. For those that
employees have been misplaced since the hurricane and it is a relief to see might be interested or need
the end in sight. Our town hall will be rebuilt on the mainland without additional information please
incurring any debt because of receiving the Golden Leaf Foundation grant email lking@townofsurfcity.com
and the huge donation of land from Mr. & Mrs. Sullivan! or call 910-328-4131 Ext 105.
We are looking forward to a great summer and we have some new
businesses as well. Surf City welcomes Coastal Wings & Spirits Co., Xanadu
Bakery, and Tiki Turtle’s, as well as the new location of Ecological Marine
Adventures and Surf City Florist! Please remember to be patient with one
another and support each other as we face a new way of life this summer
season with our traffic patterns! It takes all of us working together to keep
this town the great place that it is!
God Bless,
Mayor
Doug Medlin
Surf City Easter Roll 2019
Please view our New Website at SurfCityNC.gov for more information.
Manager’s Minute
Recovery is still going strong. Our staff continues to work diligently to remove debris, repair beach
accesses, monitor beach recovery, and, as always, keeping our public informed! Their work on these efforts and
so many more do not go unnoticed and are greatly appreciated. We continue to work with FEMA on all of our
recovery needs. They are very thorough and work hard to ensure the Town receives the most reimbursements
possible. Some of you may already know but for those that do not, the Town has received two grants from the
Golden Leaf Foundation for hurricane recovery. One grant is for the design and engineering of the new Town
Hall in the amount of $350,000 and the other is for $100,000 to go towards repairing Nelva Albury Park. As for
the Town Hall, we have met with the architect to discuss our needs and are awaiting to receive a plan back with
their recommendations. From this point we will finalize the design, layout, and cost of Town Hall, EOC facility,
and new Police Department. With this information Town Council will be able to make some decisions on what
facilities to build with Town Hall or which ones need to wait and be constructed at a future date. Our goal in
constructing these new facilities is to acquire the least amount of debt as possible. We have several tracks of
land that is owned by the Town that we plan to sell and put these funds towards our new facilities and help us
achieve our goal. Town staff has met with NCDOT to discuss our plans for landscaping around the roundabouts
and down Roland Avenue. NCDOT has approximately $500,000 allocated to these projects as a part of the new
bridge construction project. We are very grateful that NCDOT has allowed us to have input on these landscaping
projects. After the construction on Roland Avenue is complete (approximately June 30th), we plan to use the
majority of the landscaping budget in this area in hopes to build that inviting downtown area. We are very
excited for this work to be complete as we feel it will be a great improvement to the Town. We continue to work
on our FY 2019-2020 budget. This budget will be finalized and approved at our June Council meeting. We have a
budget workshop coming up on May 3rd at the Welcome Center starting at 9am. As a part of this workshop we
will discuss any capital improvement items and update our CIP (Capital Improvement Plan). Items to be
discussed would be a firetruck replacement, new equipment needed, major water and sewer infrastructure
improvements, any new positions requested, and major improvements to facilities like the Welcome Center.
Our Parks and Recreation Director would like to complete a major overhaul on this facility, as we have not done
many improvements over the past years. Our water and sewer contractor, TA Loving, will begin work again on
our infrastructure out near Harris Teeter. This work is scheduled to begin May 6 th and will be the final work to
complete the full project. We do not anticipate any major road closures during this work, however, you may
experience a shift in the traffic pattern. On another note, Waste Industries has begun their pickup service and
beginning in May they will start the second trash pickup on Fridays for the island only. Fortunately, Waste
Industries has allowed us to make this second pickup an optional service for those on the island. When we
began negotiating this contract we were working with Pink Trash and due to feasibility, this second pickup could
not be optional. Once the buyout of Pink Trash occurred with Waste Industries, we had much more flexibility.
Everyone on the island will be begin to see the $7.00/cart/month fee for this second pickup on their May utility
bill. If you would like to opt-out of this service, please contact Lydia King in our Utilities Department at
lking@townofsurfcity.com or 910-328-4131 ext. 105. Another additional service that will now be offered is the
roll back service. This is a service where you can pay $4.00/cart/month to have your carts pulled back to the
house. This is a great option for those property owners who do not live here permanently and are not always
here to roll their carts back. Also, if you still have any trash or recycle carts left behind by Waste Management,
please contact Lydia King so that she can arrange to have those collected. Please continue to follow
our Facebook page and Town website for updates and news. With the warmer weather we have
several events coming up. Thank you all for your patience and support as we continue to move
through recovery!
Ashley Loftis
Town Manager
2
Piece from the Police
On April 5, 2019, the Police Department hired Caroline Dieffenderfer to fill our
last remaining Police Officer position. Caroline is originally from Syracuse, New
York but has lived in Wilmington, NC since 2016. She recently graduated from
the Cape Fear Community College Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy and
we are glad to have her as part of our team.
The Police Department recently received a 100% funded bicycle helmet/bicycle
Officer Dieffenderfer
light grant from the North Carolina Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian
Transportation Division. These helmets and lights will be distributed to
those children that are in need of this safety equipment.
Operation Medicine Drop: The Police Department is teaming up with the New
Hanover Regional Medical Center and Island Family Medicine for our Spring
Operation Medicine Drop initiative. On April 27, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
we ask that you bring your unwanted, unused expired medications to Island
Family Medicine located at 2540 N.C. 210, Surf City, NC. The service is free and
anonymous with no questions asked. If you are unable to make this event the
Police Department has a drop box in their lobby which is available to the public
to drop off medication 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ad Lib from Tourism
Dispatched From the Fire Department
and Public Information
The fire department is gearing up for the beach season. We are
Month in Review getting our part-time help in place and will begin our ocean rescue
449 walk-in visitors to the training in a couple of weeks.
Surf City Welcome Center. The fire department hosted a Community Safety Expo on April 13 th.
Hosted 32 functions. It wasn’t the best weather day, but there were safety experts from
Numerous wedding many disciplines on hand to better prepare our community.
The fire department hosted the quarterly Pender County Firefighter’s Association
receptions, family gatherings
meeting last week. There were over 50 firefighters from across the county in
and business functions booked attendance. The Pender County Firefighter’s Association is an organization that
into 2020. promotes a strong fire service throughout the county. We had a special guest in
Working with WECT WX on attendance, Firefighter Tim Van Pelt, who presented on the newly formed Coastal
Meet and Greet, set for May Carolina’s Chapter of the Burned Children’s Fund. It was a great night for learning and
fellowship.
22nd.
Surf City Fire Department assisted Surf City Elementary School with their egg drop just
Submitted advertisement
before Spring Break. This was an engineering assignment for students to design a
to Our State and Southern container that would protect an egg as it was dropped 75 feet from the ladder truck.
Magazine. This was a great event to be a part of. We saw many smashed eggs, but we also
Compiled and submitted witnessed a good number of well-designed containers that protected their eggs. We
also assisted North Topsail Elementary and South Topsail Elementary Schools with
research on grants.
their egg drops.
Visitors registered from as
The application for volunteer firefighters has been reopened. While the Surf City Fire
far as California, Michigan, Department employs 20 fulltime firefighters, it still relies heavily on volunteers to assist
Wisconsin and Iceland. and support the department during emergencies. If you feel you have what it takes
and want to help support your community, then please reach out to us!
If you have any questions regarding the fire protection service in our community,
please reach out to Chief Wilson at (910) 329-1260.
3 3
Information from Parks and Recreation
Hiring Summer Staff
We are currently hiring for Summer Camp Counselors, applications and more information is
available on our town website. There are 8 positions available, so if you are interested get your
application in ASAP. Apply Here.
We are currently hiring for Summer Maintenance Techs, applications and more information is
available on our town website. There are 4 positions available, so if you are interested get your
application in ASAP.
Community Center Fitness Room
Please come by, if you have not already, to see the new fitness equipment in the fitness
room. Get your pass today! We have the perfect equipment to help improve your health as we
approach swimsuit season.
Greenway/Trails Update
This is a project that we have been working on since the beginning of 2018 with a
developer. Once this project breaks ground we hope to have our plans finalized so we can proceed
to obtain grant monies to help fund the other scope of the project. This is going to take a little
time as we are just finishing with updating our Master Plan, which is required for the PARTF
grant. The hopes is this Greenway/Trail system would connect the area of town up by Harris
Teeter and Lowe’s with the New School, and then all the way down to the island. This is a large
scale project and it will take precision planning and execution from our department and Town
administration.
Wellness Classes
Check out all the wellness/fitness classes offered at the Community Center by visiting Surf City
Parks and Recreation’s Facebook page and website. Enjoy classes like Cardo Fit, Spinning, Yoga,
Barre Fit, Senior Fit, and more.
Our new Wellness and Community Recreation Coordinator is Mary Courtney Norris. She has
been with the Town’s Parks and Recreation Department going on 2 years at the Athletic
Program Coordinator. She will be getting involved and growing areas related to wellness,
town special events, and grant projects. Please reach out to her if you have any questions
related to these areas at 910-328-4887.
Summer Camp
Summer Camp registration opened on March 4th and it is completely full. We have started a
wait list, so please call to get your place on the wait list.
Ukulele Classes
Surf City Parks and Recreation is proud to introduce a new program, starting in April we will be
offering ukulele lessons for ages 8-13. Please register and get your child’s spot today.
Pickleball
Our Community Center gym is set up for anyone interested in playing pickleball on Monday and
Wednesday from 10am-12noon. Come out and join a great group of players.
Upcoming Events/Programs:
April 24 – Adult Softball Starts
April 26 – National Arbor Day – 2pm – Soundside Park
May 2 – National Day of Prayer – 12noon – Welcome Center
May 4 – Bark at the Park – 11am-2pm – Soundside Park
May 11 – Street Sweep – 9am-12noon – Meet at Soundside Park
June 3 – T-Ball/Coach Pitch Starts
June 10 – Adult Summer Volleyball Starts
June 11 – Adult 35+ Basketball Starts
June 12 – Adult Basketball Starts
4
Public Beach Access Update
Bulk Item Pick Up Dates:
Currently Open: May 6-10
9th Street – 2100 N. Shore Drive September 16-20
Lenoir Ave – 1400 N. Shore Drive
Craven Ave – 1200 N. Shore Drive December 9-13
Mecklenburg Ave. – 1100 N. Shore Yard Debris Pick Up Date
Drive November 18-22
Dolphin St – 700 N. Shore Drive
510 N. Shore Drive
Wilmington Ave – 500 N. Shore Drive
New Bern Ave. – 400 N. Shore Drive Zoning New Developments
Goldsboro Ave – 300 N. Shore Drive Received development plan, forwarded to TRC--Surf City Pet Hospital
Greensboro Ave – 200 N. Shore Drive Delivered variance application re: Sign ordinance enforcement—
Roland Ave. – 100 Roland Ave. 14150 NC Hwy 50
Kinston Ave. – 200 S. Shore Drive Departmental ESF review
High Point Ave. – 300 S. Shore Drive Sign permit approval—701 N New River Dr. 13510 NC Hwy 50
Raleigh Ave. – 400 S. Shore Drive Residential building permit approval—130A Fairytale Ln,
Durham Ave. – 500 S. Shore Drive 130B Fairytale Ln.
Charlotte Ave. – 600 S. Shore Drive Residential building permit rejection—2429 S Shore Dr.
Quarterhorse Ave. – 1100 S. Shore Residential lift permit rejection—9098 9th St
Drive Use inquiry—116B S Shore Dr. 115 Windjammer Dr.
Windward Drive – 1316 S. Shore Drive Home occupation inquiry—The Arbors
1600 S. Shore Drive Pavement inquiry—Shae’s Landing
1700 S. Shore Drive Residential lift permit approval—805 S Shore Dr, 1008 N Topsail Dr.
1900 S. Shore Drive Zoning permit approval—111 Shae’s Landing
2404 S. Shore Drive Storm water inquiry—124 Windjammer Dr.
Welcome Center (Private Access for
Rentals) GIS
Next on the List (Contractor) Dead- Began rebuild of Online Tourism map
line TBD: Updated address list—Viewpoint
1800 S. Shore Drive Tidal data collection—NC King Tides Project
3016 S. Shore Drive
5th Street – 1902 N. Shore Drive Contact parnold@townofsurfcity.com for more info.
Stevens St – 520 N. Shore Drive
2318 S. Shore Drive*
The Perks at Public Works
The Town offered a position within the Water and Sewer
Department to Matthew Morgan, who is expected to start work on
May 1st. The Water and Sewer Department still has one open position.
Town staff competed 190 work orders this month.
15 meters for new homes are currently scheduled to be installed.
Town stall has been repaving sections of road that was damaged
during utility work. We are currently fifty percent complete with this
Event Dates in 2019 project.
Alston Blvd was repaved on April 16th. This road was damaged during
Apr 26 National Arbor Day
construction of the Hwy 17th force main. Work is scheduled to
Apr 27 Dolphin Dash 5K- on the beach continue on the project on May the 6th.
May 4 Bark At the Soundside Park
May 7 Town Hall Meeting
May 11 Surf City Street Sweep
May 18 Bridge Day 5K
June 14 Flag Day Ceremony
July 3 Independence Day Celebration
Nov 23 Tree Lighting Ceremony
5
Emergency Management
Amateur Radio Operators, also known as HAMS, have long been instrumental in
supporting emergency communications during times of disaster. Prior to Hurricane
Florence, the Town of Surf City Director of Emergency Management approached a local
HAM group, the Hampstead HAMS, and requested their assistance in support of
operations preparing for, and responding to, impacts from approaching Hurricane
Florence.
The request for assistance was met with open hearts and eager hands. Four days prior
to the storm, the HAM members mobilized and assisted staff in preparing communication
equipment and setting up the temporary EOC. When the EOC officially activated on
September 12th, 3 HAM members agreed to stay with staff and assist in operations
throughout the incident. Those three members ending up embedding with Town staff for
6 days straight, assisting not only in communications duties, but also in many other areas
as well. They performed logistics work, maintained logs, operational records, staff rosters,
and assisted in briefings and debriefings of teams going into, and coming out of, the field.
Of particular importance, during the storm, the EOC suffered an extended period of
time without any communication to the outside world. The HAMs were able to establish a
communication link with the Onslow County EOC in Jacksonville and were able to pass
emergency traffic and requests. Without their professionalism, knowledge, and
willingness to assist their fellow neighbor, the staff working in the EOC wouldn’t have
been able to maintain a vital emergency link should the need have arisen.
The Town of Surf City Director of Emergency Management will always welcome the
HAMS to the EOC and discussions are underway to make the Hampstead HAMs a
permanent partner in the Town of Surf City’s emergency response framework. The
Hampstead HAMs are remarkable people, and we are forever thankful for their eagerness
to assist us.
Town of Surf City presents a Certificate of Appreciation to the Hampstead HAMS
Left to Right: Director of Emergency Management James Horne, Lucas Coleman, and Mayor Doug Medlin.
Keep up with Emergency Management updates
Website is online and can be viewed by clicking here.
Twitter is also online, follow us at @SurfCityEM
Gearing up for Preparedness Day 2019 (TBA)
Working on 2 grant opportunities.
Its Spring! monitoring of severe weather patterns.
Planning, planning, planning! Lots of ongoing planning activities are underway.
You can also read
