Key Information:
COVID-19 Update:
- Governor Cooper has issued an Executive Order which eases some COVID-19 restrictions, modified stay at home order lifted, mask mandate still in effect
- Vaccinations have moved to Group 3 starting today
- Brunswick County Case Numbers
Other Updates:
- Contractor Services project awarded today, update on Village projects
- BHITA meeting recording now available, Q&A’s are expected to be posted by the end of the week
- Wilmington Harbor Inner Ocean Bar Project update
Reminders:
- Road work set to begin soon, look for scheduling updates and road closings/detour info
- Village Hall remains closed to the public until further notice
COVID-19 UPDATE
This afternoon Governor Cooper issued an executive order which will be in effect on Friday, February 26, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. and will expire on March 26, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. The Executive Order lifts the Modified Stay at Home Order requiring people to stay at home and businesses to close to the public between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. The number of people who may gather indoors will increase from 10 to 25, while 50 remains the limit for outdoors. The curfew on the sale of alcohol for onsite consumption will be moved from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Some businesses, including bars and amusement parks, will now be open for patrons indoors as they adhere to new occupancy restrictions. Many businesses, venues, and arenas will have increased occupancy both indoors and outdoors.
Health officials indicated that safety protocols such as masks, social distancing, and frequent handwashing will continue to be important as people adjust to the new order. View the Governor’s press release HERE for further details.
Vaccinations – The State moved to Group 3 for COVID-19 vaccinations starting today (2/24/21). Vaccine supply is still limited so the State started with anyone working in childcare and PreK-12 schools. Additional frontline essential workers will be eligible on March 10, 2021.
The State has developed a tool to help you determine which vaccine group you are in. You can access the “Find My Vaccine Group” tool HERE. More vaccine information can be found on the NCDHHS website HERE and Brunswick County’s website HERE.
Brunswick County Case Numbers – The latest NC County Alert System report indicated that 27 out of the 100 counties in North Carolina are “red” 40 are “orange”, and 33 are “yellow.” Brunswick County has moved from red to orange since the last report. Orange means there is substantial spread in the community.
Case numbers are typically updated daily on Brunswick County’s dashboard on THIS WEBSITE. The County is experiencing technical issues and this site will direct citizens to the State’s COVID-19 dashboard until the County dashboard is up and running.
OTHER UPDATES
Contractor Services – The Contractor Services project was advertised for bids twice, the first advertisement resulted in no bids, and the second advertisement resulted in two bids, but only one of them was responsive (one bidder did not turn in all required bid documents). The Village Council conducted two special meetings, one on February 19 and one today. The purpose of the meetings was to award the bid for the Contractor Services Project. During the first meeting, the Village Council discussed the amount of the bid which turned out to exceed the funds available for the project. Prior to the second meeting, the Village was able to negotiate a lower price with the responsive bidder for an amount not-to-exceed $788,000. The Village Council formally awarded the project to Henson Construction today. Construction is expected to begin in early March and must be complete by July 1, 2021.
The Village Manager briefed the Council on the funding of several projects that the Village is working on, some of which are not included in the FY21 budget and some of which financing is recommended. This information can be viewed HERE.
BHITA Public Hearing – A link to the recording of last week’s special meeting and public hearing of the Bald Head Island Transportation Authority (BHITA) is on the BHITA Documents WEBPAGE. The BHITA consultants are working toward getting the responses to public questions and comments to the Village by the end of this week. The documents will include a memo, Q&A, and exhibits that are referenced in the Q&A. Once these documents are posted on the BHITA Documents webpage, the Village will send out a short announcement.
Wilmington Harbor Maintenance Project – Great Lakes Dredge and Dock has been dealing with an operational issue and should be up and running again tomorrow, if not sooner. Please follow the Village’s updates on THIS WEBPAGE. The page includes progress maps and photos of the project site and is being updated by the Army Corps of Engineers and Village staff regularly.
REMINDERS
Road Work – The Village has contracted with a paving company to resurface several Village roads. A schedule has not been worked out yet. Updates from the Village regarding road closings and detours will be sent to Village’s Voice subscribers and posted on social media.
Village Hall – Out of an abundance of caution, Village Hall has been closed to the public until further notice. If you have business with the Village, we ask that you please use our online options, e-mail, or call for an appointment. Please call 910-457-9700 and the auto-attendant will direct you to the appropriate department. General questions can be e-mailed directly to public.information@villagebhi.org. Utility payments are to be dropped off in the box on the porch at Village Hall. Notary services are available at the IPC/Post Office.