Updates from the Village

Key information:

• The second Blueprint Brunswick open house is next Thursday starting @ 2:00 p.m.
• Golf cart registration enforcement reminder.
• Village officials participate in the first annual Johnston Coastal Sustainability Symposium.
• The Village Chapel’s Re-CYCLE program is now accepting bikes.
• Update on shipwreck remains.
• Stormwater work on the Village’s side of the bypass lagoon was completed.
• The next regular Village Council meeting is next Thursday, April 14 at 9:00 a.m.
• Village offices will be closed on Friday, April 15 for Good Friday.
• Traffic pattern changes will be in effect on Easter Sunday near Lighthouse Wynd.
• BHI Transporation, Inc. has released its Easter weekend ferry schedule.

Blueprint Brunswick Open House –  Thank you to all Islanders who attended the first Blueprint Brunswick workshop on March 23^rd and all who followed up by filling out the survey and submitting comments.  Your input will be used to help craft the Village’s comprehensive plan.  The second workshop is scheduled for April 14, 2022, in the multipurpose room in the Department of Public Safety Building, please feel free to drop by between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. This meeting will further refine priority goals, the future land use map, policy ideas, and actions.  A final version of the plan will be adopted by the Village Council before July 1, 2022 (per N.C. general statute).

Golf Cart Registration Enforcement – The Department of Public Safety has increased enforcement of golf cart registrations.  All carts are due to be registered by January 1^st each year. Unregistered vehicles are a safety concern and officers on patrol will take notice of late or expired registrations which may result in a citation.  If you have not registered your cart(s), please do so now, you can do it online HERE.

1^st Annual Johnston Coastal Sustainability Symposium – Mayor Peter Quinn and Village Manager Chris McCall participated in the first annual Johnston Coastal Sustainability Symposium which was hosted by the Bald Head Island Conservancy on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. The Mayor spoke of the unchanging love people express for our island. Though the island is changing, a respectful protective relationship with it must be sustained and that demands serious, informed decisions. He explained further that symposiums like this and an active partnership with the Conservancy are critical to the island’s future. Mr. McCall presented information on the Village’s shoreline management program and the terminal groin.

Re-CYCLE Program – The Village Chapel’s Re-CYCLE program is now accepting unwanted and unused bikes.  Please bring them to Container 14 in the Contractor Services lot.  There is a Re-CYCLE poster on the container.  Once the container is full, the donated bikes are transported off-island to the Bicycleman in Fayetteville.  The bikes are fixed up and then donated to children in need across six North Carolina counties including Brunswick County.  This is the Village Chapel’s fourth year supporting this charitable organization.  If the container is full, please bring your bike(s) back another time when the container is empty.  Do not leave any bikes outside of the container. If you have any questions, please email Anne Rex.

Update on Shipwreck Remains – The Village has not received any information from the state after its visit to gather data on the section of the vessel remains that washed and or were exposed by erosion on South Beach south of the Shoals Club in January.  Since the location of the vessel represents a potential hazard for BHI residents, guests, and visitors, the Village has asked Tidewater Atlantic Research, Inc. (TAR) out of Washington, NC, to prepare and submit a proposal for archaeological documentation of the surviving structure and carry out historical research designed to identify the vessel.  Based on TAR’s findings, TAR will submit management recommendations for the wreck structure. This would move the Village forward through the permitting process needed to remove the structure from the shoreline, if feasible.  TAR has requested that the state review its proposed methodology to confirm that it conforms to the guidelines so it can move forward with its work.

In the meantime, the Village is still asking folks to be cautious when walking in this area and to not allow children to walk in the area unsupervised. Please let your family members, visitors, and guests know to be careful out there.

Stormwater Project – Atlantic Construction and Development has completed its work on the Village side of the bypass lagoon stormwater project and will be wrapping up altogether with the cleanup of debris and dressing the area with mulch.

Next Village Council Regular Meeting – The next regular Village Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 14, 2022, at 9:00 a.m.  The agenda will be posted HERE.  Zoom information to listen in online can be found HERE.  A public notice was issued today announcing a Special Meeting Closed Session for Monday, April 11, 2022, at 9:00 a.m.

Village Offices Closed – Village offices will be closed on Friday, April 15, 2022, in observance of Good Friday. This includes the Island Package Center and Post Office which remains closed on Saturdays.  The IPC/PO will reopen on Monday, April 18, 2022, during its regular hours (10 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.). This holiday is also a non-workday for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.  No ICE vehicles are allowed on Village streets unless the vehicle has a special use permit.

Traffic Pattern Changes for Easter Services – The Bald Head Island Chapel will be performing three separate Easter services, including a sunrise service on Sunday, April 17, 2022.  The Department of Public Safety will be present in the Lighthouse Wynd area to conduct traffic control and parking measures to ensure a continuous flow of traffic through Lighthouse Wynd.  Traffic control and flow will be as follows:

• The entrance to Lighthouse Wynd/Easter Services will only be allowed at Lighthouse Wynd/North Bald Head Wynd (NBHW), all other access points will be closed to incoming traffic.
• Once a vehicle enters Lighthouse Wynd there will be Public Safety Officers and volunteers to direct the vehicle where to park.
• Lighthouse Wynd will be two (2) row parking, Ballast Stone Alley will be one (1) row parking.
• Once a service starts, all access to Lighthouse Wynd will be closed off until the end of the service allowing us to get all the parked vehicles out before letting vehicles enter for the next service.
• If you arrive early for the next service and Lighthouse Wynd is closed off, please pull to the side of NBHW and wait for the entrance to be opened.

Easter Ferry Schedule – Bald Head Island Transportation, Inc. has released its Easter weekend ferry schedule, view HERE. Additional passenger ferry service will be offered in addition to the regularly scheduled ferry on Friday, April 15, and Monday, April 18.