KEY INFORMATION:
- The 2025 CSDR Project update.
- It’s now time to renew your golf cart registration. This must be done online.
- N.C. Utilities Commission approves Duke Energy Progress request to lower customer rates by 4.5%.
- N.C. 133 construction will not start this week.
- Please help us protect BHI’s dunes.
REMINDERS & EVENTS:
- The annual change from chloramines to chlorine is complete.
- Project Longevity’s Christmas Celebration is on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. at the BHA Building.
- The next regular Village Council meeting is on Friday, December 13, 2024.
- The deadline to order trees for BHA’s Operation Re-Forest-We Forest is December 18, 2024.
- Village offices will be closed Tuesday, December 24 through Thursday, December 26.
- Island Package Center & Post Office holiday schedule.
2025 CSDR Project
The Village’s dredging contractor has equipment staged next to Battery Island and near Beach Access #11 (Sandpiper Trail) and the dredge Savannah has arrived! Sand placement was due to start this week but has not started yet.
The Village will be updating the project webpage (HERE) and posting regularly on its social media channels (HERE) as the project progresses. Please direct any questions to the Village Public Information Officer at public.information@villagebhi.org or (910) 457-9700 ext. 1025.
Annual Golf Cart Registrations
Golf cart owners are now able to apply and pay for annual golf cart registration renewals. This must be done online. A “2025 Golf Cart Registration Renewal” button has been added to the Village’s webpage (HERE).
This year, please note the date you submitted your renewal. The Village’s webpage will be updated regularly as stickers are available for pick-up at the Department of Public Safety. We will indicate which renewals have been processed by the date they were received. We process renewals in the order they are received.
We are delayed in processing renewals this year due to the number of new carts replacing those damaged by PTC #8 and incorrect information being entered.
Please make sure you verify your cart number (the number on your big registration sticker), cart serial number (like a car’s VIN), and insurance information when renewing your registration.
Duke Energy Rate Decrease
From Duke Energy: Starting December 1, rates for Duke Energy Progress residential customers in North Carolina fell by 4.5% as part of an annual adjustment for the cost of fuel used to generate electricity at the utility’s power plants.
A typical residential customer in North Carolina using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month will see an overall decrease of $7.34, or about 4.5% lower than prior rates, falling from $161.97 to $154.63. That is 11% below the national average of $174.21 – a difference of approximately $235 per year.
Commercial customers will benefit from an average decrease of about 6.3%, while industrial customers will see an average decrease of less than 0.1%.
Duke Energy Progress serves about 1.5 million customers in central and eastern North Carolina, including Raleigh, as well as the Asheville region.
A similar decrease for Duke Energy Carolinas customers will go into effect on January 1, when rates for residential customers drop 3.6%.
More info HERE.
N.C. 133 Construction
The NCDOT is replacing the existing culverts carrying Sand Hill Creek under N.C. 133 with a new bridge. This work will require a road closure on N.C. 133 with an off-site detour route on N.C. 87 and U.S. 17. More information on this project can be found HERE. The project timeline was delayed due to PTC #8 and construction was expected to start on December 2, 2024, but it will not begin this week. Signs, including “road closed” and “detour” were not in place as scheduled by a contractor, so for safety reasons, the NCDOT could not close the road this week.
The completion date is set for fall 2025, however, there are incentives for the contractor to complete the project earlier.
Help the Village Protect BHI’s Dunes
Dunes act as a barrier from storm surge during severe storms and hurricanes. They act as a storage reservoir for sand that only gets taken away when there is an infrequent but severe storm or hurricane. The larger the dune, the more time it takes to erode, and the more protection it provides to landward properties and infrastructure. The sand stored by the dunes also reduces wave heights compared to areas that have little or no dunes.
Islanders can help the Village protect its dunes by doing the following:
- Ensuring your private beach access is built up and over the dunes will help preserve the dune system and create a contiguous barrier to storm surge.
- Contacting our Development Services Director (HERE) before extending, repairing, or replacing your crossover.
- If you do not have a private beach access, you can help by reminding your visitors and guests to stay off the dunes and to use the public beach accesses or designated accesses near your home. There is a $500 fine for violating the Village’s Dune Protection Ordinance.
More information HERE.
REMINDERS & EVENTS
Annual Change from Chloramines to Chlorine
The annual change from chloramines to chlorine is complete. Brunswick County and Village Utilities have switched back to chloramines as the primary disinfectant. For more information, view the full notice on our Utilities webpage HERE under Notices.
PL Christmas Celebration
Project Longevity is having a Christmas Celebration on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. at the Bald Head Association Building. JP McCann, the Village’s Public Services Director, will be sharing information about Wintering on BHI.
Next Regular Village Council Meeting
The next regular Village Council Meeting is scheduled for Friday, December 13, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. in the multi-purpose room in the Department of Public Safety (273 Edward Teach Ext.). The agenda will be posted HERE. Zoom information to listen in remotely can be found HERE.
Operation Re-Forest-We Forest
The BHA RCB Committee recently kicked off its 6th annual Operation Re-Forest and is offering the following 7-gallon trees.
- Live Oaks at $110 each
- Yaupon Holly at $65 each
- Wax myrtles at $65 each
Order your trees HERE. All submittals need to be completed by December 18, 2024.
This activity is included in the Village’s annual report for Tree City USA, a designation the Village has held since 2013. More information about Tree City USA can be found on the Village’s website HERE. Thank you to all RCB members, volunteers, and participants, who make this effort successful each year!
Village Offices will be Closed 12/24-12/26
Village offices will be closed Tuesday, December 24 through Thursday, December 26. This includes Public Safety administration. Please call 911 if you need a Public Safety Officer to come to you. The IPC/PO will be open on December 26. For more details, view the IPC/PO holiday schedule below.
Island Package Center & Post Office Holiday Schedule
The IPC/PO will be open for extended hours on Monday, December 23, 2024, and will open at 10:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. The IPC/PO will be closed on Tuesday, December 24th, and Wednesday, December 25th. Although the Village offices will remain closed on Thursday, December 26th, the IPC/PO will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day. We recommend that if you are having items shipped to the island for this holiday you place your orders by December 9 to give sufficient time to make it to the island. View our holiday mail and package tips HERE.
