New pier will appear in E.I.

PINE KNOLL SHORES - Like many people who have frequented North Carolina beaches over the years, Cape Carteret resident Tom Youngblood has fond memories of the fishing piers that dotted the coastline.

"It's how I learned to fish; on the piers," recalls Youngblood, who attended an informational meeting Saturday about the planned Aquarium Pier at Emerald Isle.

At a time when the number of piers along the state's coast is dwindling, the project is one he and his wife, Pat, who also attended, are anxious to see developed.

"I like that they have addressed the fact that we need to have an oceanfront pier in existence," he said.

The N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores has partnered with the Town of Emerald Isle to develop a sea-to-sound pier complex where the Emerald Isle Pier once stood. The property is currently the site of the town's Eastern Ocean Regional Access.

At the heart of the complex will be a 1,000-foot-long ocean pier that will have the traditional timber decking of North Carolina piers but will have concrete pilings to help make it storm resistant.

"We recognize that if we are going to build fishing piers, we have to sustain them," said Aquarium Director Jay Barnes.

Hurricanes and rising property values along the coast have contributed to the loss of piers in recent years.

In 1985, Barnes said, North Carolina had 35 ocean fishing piers. Now there are 21, with only 20 of them "fishable." Carteret County's Bogue Banks had as many as eight ocean piers at one time. Only three remain.

The North Carolina Aquariums are reversing that trend and expanding their educational opportunities with three pier projects along the coast.

The N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island is in the design phase for a project at the old Jennette's Pier site. Construction on that pier is expected to begin in early 2009 and opening is targeted for 2010. The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher is working with the Town of Carolina Beach to select a site for a pier at the town's boardwalk.

The Emerald Isle project falls in the middle, with a completion date estimated for 2012.

While no formal designs are in place for the Emerald Isle pier yet, Barnes said it would likely share many of the same components as the Nags Head project.

"There's a huge advantage to not being first; we will learn a lot," he said.

In addition to the 1,000-foot pier, the concept for the complex includes a two-story pier house with tackle, snack and gift shops; exhibit and program areas and a second-floor meeting and banquet facility.

A separate bathhouse with showers will be built for beach access use and on the opposite side of N.C. 58 there will be a sound-side dock facility with kayak launch.

The main facility also will have parking for 200-plus vehicles, accessibility for wheelchairs, and sustainable construction and design, with wind and solar power providing a majority of the electricity.

"It's fishing, it's beach access, it's recreation; for a lot of people it will be a way to experience the area," Barnes said.

And it fits with the aquariums' mission of education and conservation.

"One of the things that makes these fishing piers such exciting projects for the aquariums is that these piers are an educational resource," he said.

Barnes expects the final product to be "first class" but acknowledged there are still many questions to be answered.

During a question and answer period, residents of the area asked about pier fees and operational hours, use and traffic at the sound-side facility, use of the beach access during construction, and type of wind turbine that would be used for wind power.

In general, Barnes said there would be a fee for fishing on the ocean pier comparable to other piers. The sound-side facility would be for free public use. And during construction, every effort will be made to keep the beach access open as much as is safely possible.

Barnes said they want to use sustainable practices as much as possible, including wind power. The idea, he said, is for a small-scale wind turbine on a tower of about 60 feet. The tower would be out on the pier over the ocean and away from homes.

Aquarium and town officials said public input is wanted as planning efforts continue and every effort will be made to keep the public informed of the project's progress.

The state awarded a $2.2 million in Waterfront Access and Marine Industry funds earlier this year for planning and site development.

An eight-member pier advisory board will be formed to assist in the planning of the $15 million project. Four members will be appointed by the aquarium and four by the Town of Emerald Isle.

An application process will begin later this year, with appointment soon after.

The Town of Emerald Isle is in the process of conveying the Eastern Ocean Regional Access site to the state for the project and the formal transfer should occur later this year. After transfer of the property to the state, detailed design work will begin.

Anyone with questions or comments on the project can contact Aquarium Director Jay Barnes at jay.barnes@ncmail.net or Emerald Isle Town Manager Frank Rush at frush@emeraldisle-nc.org.