Atlantic Beach inched closer Monday night to applying for a $500,000 N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant to pay roughly half the cost of the first phase of the redevelopment of the historic boardwalk area along the oceanfront in the Circle Development District.
The council met in the town hall off West Fort Macon Road and online via Zoom and reviewed but took no action on a formal resolution necessary to apply for the grant.
Mayor Trace Cooper said the plan is for the board to adopt the resolution at its next regular meeting on Monday, April 24 at 6 p.m. in the town hall. No council member objected to the staff-prepared language of the resolution Monday night.
The resolution states that if the town receives the grant, it agrees to provide $574,618 in matching funds, reflecting a 53.5% cost share.
It adds that since the 1920s, the Circle Development District boardwalk and surrounding area “have been the social and entertainment center of Atlantic Beach, allowing public access and recreational use. Over the next few years, the town desires to upgrade the existing aging wooden boardwalk, bathhouse, parking and gathering spaces with a more resilient raised boardwalk, multi-use pavilion, handicap-accessible beach accesses, public art, shade structures and restrooms.”
The project is to be done in three phases to significantly improve the existing circle public beach access. Phase one includes construction of the new upper and lower boardwalks, shade structures, plantings, seating, and lighting and connecting walkways to Atlantic Boulevard.
The N.C. General Assembly established the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) in July 1994 to fund improvements in the state’s park system through grants for local governments. The assembly funds PARTF each year at different levels.
Phase II will likely consist of a new bathhouse and adjacent improvements, and Phase III would consist of improvements to the park area at the center of the boardwalk, which will likely include a pavilion structure, plaza areas and seating.
Mayor Cooper said he believes the town has a good chance of getting the grant, as coastal towns such as Emerald Isle and Kure Beach have received PARTF funds for major recreation projects. Emerald Isle used PARTF funds to help pay for the land along Archers Creek that became the McLean-Spell Park, a natural area behind the recreation center.
In addition, Cedar Point got PARTF money to help buy the land for its waterfront Boathouse Creek Park at the end of Masonic Avenue.
“I think it’s really complete,” Mayor Cooper said of the resolution prepared by the staff. “I think we can do a really good project and hopefully we will get a grant.”
The town council voted unanimously in June to award a $174,000 contract for the design of the new boardwalk to KUTONOTUK of Charlottesville, Va.
KUTONOTUK presented a boardwalk design incorporating features of the existing boardwalk, such as the existing seawall and the boardwalk’s concrete foundation.
Learn more on Carolina Coast Online.
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