2 Water Access Projects funded in
Pender & Brunswick Counties
By Chris Mazzolini, Staff Writer.
 Sunset Harbor's boat ramp will continue to thrive, but the fate of a proposed boating and fishing complex in Pender County remains uncertain.
The two area projects both received funding from the state's Waterfront Access and Marine Industry fund, officials announced Wednesday, with $915,000 going to Sunset Harbor and $3 million set aside for the Pender project. The funding decisions were made by Louis Daniel, the state's marine fisheries director.
While the grant award will be enough to completely pay for the Sunset Harbor project in Brunswick County, the Pender proposal remains at the whims of private property owners, who are asking for $10 million and are under no obligation to sell their land to the state.
The money comes from the $20 million Waterfront Access and Marine Industry fund, which was created last year to secure public water access and bolster businesses such as fish houses and fishing piers.
State officials received 159 proposals requesting roughly $500 million. That list was whittled to about 20 finalists, asking for roughly $50 million.
That one-time fund was recommended by the state-commissioned Waterfront Access Study Committee, which concluded public water access is shrinking along the state's coast as more land is gobbled up by developers looking to build high-dollar residential communities.
As a result, property values rise and force already-struggling fish houses and piers to sell their land, often to home builders.
That's what Sunset Harbor residents have feared. Their state-maintained boat ramp is heavily used, and many boaters park their vehicles on an adjoining vacant lot. That property owner was considering selling the land to developers, which would have severely restricted the number of boaters who could use the ramp.
The state already had a deal with the property owner to buy the land but didn't have any funding - until Wednesday. Now the state can buy the land and preserve the ramp.
"That's great," said Billy Nicholson, president of the Brunswick County Fishing Club in Sunset Harbor. "That's the best news I've heard all day."
Gordon Myers, a deputy director with Wildlife Resources, said the state expects to close on the purchase in the next couple of months. The state has other plans for the ramp, which include expanding the basin nearby and possibly building a small fishing pier at the property, Myers said.
Matters are more uncertain in Pender County, which received only $3 million of its $10 million request. County officials want to build a boating and fishing complex on Lewis Road for recreational and commercial fishermen in Pender, a fast-growing county and boating hotbed.
"I'm happy and disappointed at the same time," said Pender County Commissioner David Williams.
The problem is that the current Hampstead property owners, Roy Wayne Mathews and David Greer Construction Inc., have asked for $10 million for their land. County officials are pursuing another $1 million from another state grant, but if they can't collect enough money or if the property owners decline to sell, the access funding could go to another project.
Williams said the award was generous, but he doesn't know whether it will be enough to do the kind of project they want.
Other nearby property owners have expressed interest in selling land, Williams said, but he's unsure whether the money can be transferred in that fashion. Also, he said the county might have to consider contributing some local funds or "taking some land" for water access.
"We're just going to look at all our options," Williams said.
Chris Mazzolini: 343-2223 chris.mazzolini@starnewsonline.com
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