In this issue:
- Recap of annual Village Council retreat
- Recap of Village Council regular meeting
- Updates on BHITA, public informational session, LGC sends letter to BHITA chair
- An update from Duke Energy
REMINDERS: Wilmington Harbor Maintenance Project and marina channel entrance maintenance
COVID-19:
- NC remains in modified stay at home order through February 27, 2021
- Current COVID-19 case numbers in Brunswick County
- Vaccine availability, Brunswick County still administering vaccine to Group 2
REMINDER: Village Hall remains closed to the public until further notice
Village Council Retreat – The Village Council conducted its annual retreat on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. A range of topics was presented and discussed including:
- FY22 Budget Calendar
- Village’s 10-year debt service obligations
- Update on shoreline protection-related advocacy issues for the 117th Congress
- Shoreline management overview and goals
- Environmental services contract with Bald Head Island Conservancy
- Organizational updates for a newly formed Public Services Department
- Wastewater treatment plant expansion schedule, current, and future projects, and inventory and schedule plan for motor fleet and equipment
- Road inventory and maintenance prioritization
- Architectural services to design and perform construction administration for a new Village Hall
- Update on Marina Park Pier & Dock project
- Lighthouse Wynd Historic District update
- Hurricane Florence Task Force update
- Legislative changes affecting planning and zoning ordinances
- Department of Public Safety strategic goals for FY22
The Village received feedback that some folks had difficulty calling-in so a full recap can be found HERE.
Some of these topics will be revisited as the Council works on the FY22 budget. The first workshop will take place during the first part of May and other workshops could be scheduled later, if necessary. The workshops will be open to the public and will be noticed on the Village’s bulletin boards and social media.
Regular Council Meeting – Immediately after the retreat the Council conducted its regular meeting for the month of February. Here is a summary of the information shared and the actions that were taken at this meeting:
Under New Business (there was no Old Business) the Village Council received a presentation of the FY 2019-2020 audit from Duncan Hilburn of Berry, Padgett & Chandler, PLLC. The presentation can be viewed HERE. The audited financial statements can be viewed HERE. The Village received another unqualified report this year. The Village Council had added the proposal for the construction of Village Hall to the agenda after receiving information about it during the retreat. The Council approved the proposal and the budget amendment to fund the work. This work will include architectural services to design and perform construction administration for a new 5,310 square foot Village Hall.
Updates on BHITA – Yesterday, the LGC sent this letter to the Chair of the Bald Head Island Transportation Authority (BHITA). The letter informs the Authority that the LGC decided by consensus to (1) ask the Authority to hold a public hearing and (2) postpone placing the Authority’s Application on a Commission agenda for up to three (3) months. In addition, the LGC requests that the Authority address all four requests made by the Village in its January 19, 2021 letter (attached to LGC letter) and to do so publicly by conducting either public meetings, public hearings, information sharing sessions, or any combination thereof. The LGC also requests a summary of the meetings and/or hearings, including the topics discussed, questions and concerns expressed, and the Authority’s responses to the questions and concerns.
Earlier this week the Village announced that the BHITA will be conducting a public informational session for Islanders on February 17, 2021. An official public notice will be distributed soon. The informational session is expected to begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be broadcasted via Zoom. The public notice will include an email address for written comments. Ninety (90) minutes of the meeting will be set aside for folks to speak. There will be a time limit of 3 minutes per speaker.
Duke Energy Update (submitted by Duke Energy) – Duke Energy is working hard to make sure the energy infrastructure serving the Bald Head Island community can reliably serve customers now and in the future. Improvements will help harden our system to storms and allow for isolation of outages and remote automatic repairs.
We’re currently working on the southeast end of the island upgrading and replacing the underground system. You may have noticed new underground switches installed along Federal Road. This equipment is important for isolating outages and creating options to reroute power.
We continue to appreciate your patience as we’re working hard to upgrade the island’s energy grid. We’re committed to restoring work locations and managing impacts to the island’s natural environment. We’ll keep you informed of our final phases of the improvements.
If you have questions or feedback, you are welcome to contact Danielle Peoples at Danielle.Peoples@duke-energy.com.
The Village will be receiving regular updates from Duke Energy which will be shared with our e-newsletter subscribers and posted on the Village’s “Village Projects” webpage HERE.
REMINDERS:
- Wilmington Harbor Maintenance Project – Great Lakes Dredge and Dock is making great progress down South Beach. As of this morning, they were between Beach Access # 15 and Beach Access #17 heading closer to Black Skimmer Trail. Please follow the Village’s updates on THIS WEBPAGE. If you have property near the project area and will have renters, this page will give them an idea of what to expect during construction.
- Marina Channel Maintenance – The Village has received additional grant funding from the State’s Shallow Draft Inlet Fund to continue to perform maintenance dredging at the Bald Head Island Marina channel entrance. The weather has not been cooperating with the small dredge crew, so they have not gotten much work completed to-date. The crew is expected to resume work tomorrow (Saturday) and finish up this Monday. This work does not affect the operation of the ferries and barge.
COVID-19
NC Under a Modified Stay at Home Order through 2/28/21– The State’s modified state at home order was extended a second time by Governor Cooper on January 27, 2021, and will be effective through February 28, 2021, unless the Governor repeals, replaces, or rescinds his executive order with another executive order. Under this order, people must stay at home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Travel to and from work; to obtain food, medical care, fuel, or social services; or to take care of a family member is exempted. Certain businesses are required to close to the public from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. each night. For more information view THIS FLYER or these FAQs.
Current Case Numbers for Brunswick County – As of February 5, 2021, there are 6,912 positive cases of COVID-19 among Brunswick County residents and 105 are deaths associated to COVID-19. The case numbers are typically updated daily on Brunswick County’s dashboard on THIS WEBSITE. The dashboard is currently down and directs folks to the State dashboard.
The latest NC County Alert System report indicated that 61 out of 100 counties in North Carolina are “red” which indicates critical community spread. This number is down from 84 counties last month. Unfortunately, Brunswick County is still included in the red counties.
Vaccine Availability – Brunswick County is still administering COVID-19 vaccinations to folks in Group 2, which is anyone 65 years or older regardless of health status or living situation. More information about the vaccine such as how to make an appointment to receive one can be found on the County’s website HERE. If you are unsure which vaccine group you fall into, the State has developed a “Find My Vaccine Group” tool HERE.
REMINDER
- Village Hall – Out of an abundance of caution, due to exposure and increased positive COVID-19 cases in Brunswick County, Village Hall has been closed to the public until further notice due to minimal staffing with remote-flex work schedules. 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.