Kure Beach - Mayor's Update

Dean Lambeth,
Mayor of Kure Beach

Various Kure Beach Activities -

We are enjoying full house attendance at the Sunday Boogie in the Park concerts and the every other Friday concerts held at Fort Fisher Recreation Area, that are sponsored by the Town.
The Open Market, Turtle Talks and Storytime By the Sea with the Princesses have all had record turnouts this year.

We hope all the businesses are busy and having an enjoyable summer. Visit Pleasure Island Chamber Of Commerce for more information.

Mayor's Update - Carolina Beach, NC

With record breaking crowds on our island and at Freeman Park this past Memorial Day weekend, I thought it might be good to share what we have done this year to improve Freeman Park. Over the past several months various town departments have been working on a list of improvements to encourage a family friendly atmosphere at the park. These changes are highlighted below:

Freeman Park Command Center

This facility will allow us to double the enforcement staff at the park providing a more robust police presence and better ability to identify and resolve issues before they become large problems. Burning pits, trash, glass and bottles and other concerns will be addressed in a polite yet firm manner to improve the overall experience.

Along with increased police presence and the focus on rules and regulations, the police department will also be establishing a Freeman Park Command Center on the beach in the #6 section. The command trailer will give the police department a dedicated location where assigned staff can take requests and complaints from visitors, process violations and citations, administer customer service functions and provide a secure location to address individual issues. We expect that between the increased staff and the “Base Camp” presence of the Command Center, the level of compliance will improve this season.

Hatteras Ramp

A new Hatteras Ramp has been installed to improve the traffic flow between the dunes. We will likely be seeking additional CAMA approval to place rip-rap rock at the end of the ramp to extend it out to a wider section of the beach, but we do not anticipate the additional approval during this season.

Pass and Parking Signage

Our Parking Contractor has improved the daily and weekly pass process by making the passes stand out, by printing them on blue paper with graphics and larger text. This change will make it easier to identify and inspect the passes and limit the ability to forge passes. Along with the new pass design will improve signage at the entrance explaining the fees, rules and process for obtaining a pass. We anticipate that this will improve the enforcement of the daily and weekly passes along with the visual aspects of the entrance.

Trash & Fire Debris Container

We have doubled the concrete fire debris containers, added more trash containers and increased pickups.
If you are headed to Freeman Park, please be safe and enjoy your experience! Keep in mind the holiday weekend are the busiest, so avoid those weekends if crowds are a concern!

Dan Wilcox, Mayor of Carolina Beach

Mayor's Update - Kure Beach, NC

Sidewalk on K Avenue

The installation of the sidewalk on K Avenue is complete and looks great. With the improvements in the business district of new lighting and buried utilities, Kure Beach is all dressed up and ready for the summer!
We are expecting a busy summer and as always, parking will be at a premium. We ask that everyone be courteous and park where it is clearly marked and not where driveways will be blocked or on residents’ property.

Ocean Front Park summer programs

The Boogie in the Park Sunday concert series began on May 18th and was a great success. Remember the time has changed from 4 – 7 pm to 5 – 8 pm and there is a live band every Sunday.
The first Friday Variety event kicked off May 30th with the 17 piece Wilmington Big Band. Different events will be held every other Friday throughout the summer to offset the Town sponsored Chamber concert series at FF AFB.

The Tuesday Open Market begins June 10th from 8 am to 1 pm, the Monday evening Turtle Talks start June 9th at 7 pm and the Story Time by the Sea with the Princess will be on Wednesday mornings this summer beginning June 11th at 10 am.

Town Hall Day

Three commissioners will be attending this year’s Town Hall Day in Raleigh in June. This is a time for elected officials to meet with our representatives in Raleigh on all subjects of concern.

Additional parking

A private/public venture between the Town and local businesses has resulted in the lease of five lots on FFB that will be used for public parking. Ingress/egress will be on Third Avenue. The area is being prepared now and should add an additional 50+ parking spaces. The area is located next to the Sunoco station.

Dean Lambeth, Mayor of Kure Beach

Kure Beach Mayor's Update

Bulldozing on the Beach

The Town spent $12,000 recently to repair 6 foot drops at accesses to the beach in the north Fort Fisher area. Recent strong wind and rain caused serious erosion on the beaches. (see above)

Beach nourishment

The Town is petitioning the County Board of Commissioners for funding from the Room Occupancy Tax funds set aside for nourishment to allow sand on the beach this fall.

The Town’s next nourishment is scheduled for 2016, but due to the receipt of early federal funding and the condition of the beaches, the Town would like to see sand on the beach earlier. An additional $469,500 is needed from the ROT account to allow the project to proceed in 2014.

Ocean Front Park Pavilion Events

Beginning May 18th, the Sunday ‘Boogie in the Park’ concert series begins with two performances in May and weekly concerts starting in June.
This year the time has been changed from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

A new every other Friday series ‘Friday Variety’ begins May 30th and runs through September 19th. The series is on alternating Fridays from the Pleasure Island Chamber Free Summer Concerts sponsored by the Town and held at the FF Air Force Recreation Center. Times and entertainment varies from concerts to comedians to magicians.

The Monday night Sea Turtle talks, Tuesday Open Air Market and Wednesday morning Story Time By The Sea returns this year, also beginning in June..

May Line Up- Boogie in the Park
Sunday, May 18th at 5 pm – The Mako Band
Sunday, May 25th at 5 pm – Jah Creation

May Line Up – Friday Variety
Friday, May 30th at 7 pm – The Wilmington Big Band

Dean Lambeth, Mayor of Kure Beach

Carolina Beach Mayor's Update

 In addition to many projects going on throughout town, we are pleased to announce several improvements to our Gazebo and main Boardwalk beach access area.

Gazebo: 

The Gazebo is getting a facelift! The work includes new storage areas for seating, equipment and staff needs. We also raised the main roof, added sound wings to each side of the stage and metal roofing is being installed on both the existing and new roofs.

I would like to thank Duke Energy, Carolina Beach Downtown Initiative (CBDI), Pleasure Island Foundation for a Sustainable Community and Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce for their generous donations that helped make this project possible. These improvements will make for a greatly improved entertainment venue.

Beach Access: 

The walkway directly behind the gazebo, leading to the wooden boardwalk and beach access, is also seeing improvements. We replaced the sewer line for the Boardwalk restroom, something that has been an ongoing source of problems resulting in frequent closure of the restrooms.

While the walkway was removed we also installed underground services for the future Boardwalk Project and several of the buildings along the walkway. The underground service will allow us to remove all of the overhead lines in these areas, as well as all of the old telephone/light poles along the front row walkway.

All of these improvements will complement the upcoming Boardwalk Project features making for a great experience for our locals and visitors.

Stay tuned for more on other projects…

Dan Wilcox, Mayor of Carolina Beach Area