The Wilmington-New Hanover Port, Waterway and Beach Commission unanimously approved Dennis Barbour, former Carolina Beach mayor, as its new chairman during a June 11 meeting.
Vice Chairman Neal Andrew has acted as chair since previous chairman David Weaver was not reappointed to the commission in February, when Barbour was tapped by county commissioners to rejoin the board.
Andrew did not feel comfortable acting as chair due to a potential conflict of interest with his position on the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission and nominated Barbour to fill the role instead.
Barbour is active in many organizations with similar missions, including the North Carolina Beach, Inlet and Waterway Association, the Carolina Beach Inlet Association and the North Carolina Water Resources Congress. He served on the Carolina Beach Town Council for eight years, two as mayor.
“My focus since being out of an elected position is to support North Carolina and New Hanover County water resource projects in any way possible. … [This position] fits closely with what I support and want to focus on,” Barbour said on June 11.
Barbour said he plans to build relationships between the organizations he is involved with during his tenure as chair.
“They’re all tied together. I feel like I can bring something to each board to bring them closer together and work closer together. We’re all after the same goals,” Barbour said.
Barbour also served on the commission’s board in the early 2000s but said he regularly attended meetings in the years between his two appointments to the board.
New Hanover County Shore Protection Coordinator Layton Bedsole said Barbour will be a good fit for the position.
A three-year extension for Carolina Beach’s federal authorization was secured in the 2014 Water Resource and Reform Development Act. The commission discussed strategies to prepare a report outlining the cost-benefit analysis of federal participation in the project, which could secure an additional 15-year authorization extension if accepted by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers.
The local corps district will not be able to assist in the report until guidance comes down from federal headquarters, which could take up to two years. Prompted by suggestions from Andrew and Barbour, the commission endorsed a more proactive county approach that includes investigating alternate paths to reauthorization in addition to cooperation with the corps.
Carolina Beach’s authorization was set to expire December 2014. It is the first federally funded coastal storm damage reduction project to expire, so no precedent or established path to reauthorization exists.
Bedsole also updated the board on the completion of the Wrightsville Beach coastal storm damage reduction project, adding that a final report from the corps would include how much sand was placed on the beach strand and what it ultimately cost.
email [email protected]
