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Friday, March 29, 2024

Figure Eight Island homeowners reject terminal groin funding

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Homeowners on Figure Eight Island rejected a proposal to build an erosion structure on the north end of the island, environmental advocates announced today.

The Figure Eight Homeowners Association Board of Directors announced that residents of the barrier island community voted to reject funding a “terminal groin” project. While advocates said the hardened, jetty-like structure would prevent the southward shift of Rich Inlet, opponents argued it would endanger the habitat of nesting birds on the north end.

The homeowners association put the $7.5 million project up for a vote last month as part of its efforts to secure an Army Corps of Engineers permit for the project, as David Kellam, the homeowners association administrator, told Lumina News in October that demonstrating the ability to fund the project was part of the permit process.

Environmental groups that opposed the project announced the association’s rejection in a press release today. Kellam was not available for comment.

“With this decision by the property owners at Figure Eight, this natural inlet system, which belongs to all North Carolinians will hopefully be preserved and remain a special place for future generations to experience,” said Mike Giles, coastal advocate for the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

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