During its Thursday night meeting, the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen will consider the early steps of several major infrastructure proposals, including a study on the Heide Trask Drawbridge and revisions to the town’s land use policies.
The board will review a proposal to ask the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization for funds to study a long-term replacement plan for the Heide Trask drawbridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, as well as a short-term plan to alleviate traffic on both sides of the bridge, which is one of the oldest in the state.
While the drawbridge was renovated three years ago by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, it will reach its lifespan in an estimated 20-30 years, town officials said. They are asking the regional transportation organization for $100,000 from the federal Unified Planning Work Program to complete the study.
The study would need to evaluate current and future traffic demand, examine the feasibility and location of constructing a new multi-lane fixed bridge and maintaining the existing bridge, identify new pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and consider a second bridge connecting Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach.
Meanwhile, the town will look to hire an engineering firm to assess the engineering and permitting of a duplicate sewer mainline after questions were raised about the condition of the current 14-inch, 30-year-old pipe that transports all the island’s sewage underneath the Intracoastal Waterway to be treated on the mainland.
The town solicited engineering firms to submit proposals for the engineering study, with town staff recommending Highfill Infrastructure Engineering, requiring a formal scope-of-work and cost proposal from the firm.
The town will also consider whether to continue leasing the space at 5 Live Oak Drive, which once hosted the town’s fire station before the town leased the building to Fasse Construction. If the town decides to continue leasing the space, town manager Tim Owens said it would need to amend the town’s G1 zoning district to allow for leased office or retail space.
Finally, the town will consider how to fill a vacancy on the Coastal Area Management Act Land Use Act Steering Committee, as retired CEO Robert Tillman had to withdraw before it held its first meeting. The 11-member committee includes two alternates and had 23 applicants who could be considered. The town will also consider a schedule for the committee that would set a final public hearing on the process for May 2017.
The Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m.
