Installing specialized beach access mats for people in wheelchairs and with limited mobility could be as much as a $30,000 project, said Katie Ryan, Wrightsville Beach parks and recreation program supervisor, during a Nov. 7 meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee.
Ryan also said there is potentially a private source of funding for the project.
“We still have a way to go, we don’t have board of aldermen approval or funding yet,” Ryan said.
During an Oct. 17 demonstration on the beach, Wrightsville Beach officials inspected both a hard mat that is more durable and a roll-out mat that is flexible, but could be damaged by emergency vehicles on the beach.
Ryan told the committee the thicker mats would likely be used to get people in wheelchairs to the highwater line, while the roll-out mats would extend parallel to the ocean to allow them room to move off the sides. Ryan said the most likely locations for the mats would be at the beach access at Johnnie Mercer’s Pier and Public Beach Access No. 4 near Duneridge Resort on the north end of Wrightsville Beach.
Ryan also said the Valentine’s Day 10K run that is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2017, could be used to help fund the upkeep of the mats by marketing the event as a “run for accessibility.”
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