Fishing pier seeking citizen advisers

NC Aquarium Pier at Emerald Isle seeking citizen advisers

Press Release: Julie Powers, Public Relations Coordinator, North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Published: November 21, 2008
The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and the Town of Emerald Isle are looking for citizen participation in planning a new educational ocean fishing pier.
An eight-member advisory committee will help guide decisions on design and operation of the proposed Aquarium Pier at Emerald Isle complex, to be built at the Eastern Regional Beach Access. As part of a partnership agreement, the Town of Emerald Isle will convey the 4.5-acre site to the Aquarium.
The agreement also specifies the creation of the advisory committee. The Aquarium and the Town each will appoint four members.
The Aquarium will appoint one:
Representative of the local research community
Member of the surfing community
Member of the Aquarium’s existing advisory board
At-large member
The Town will select one:
Town commissioner
Neighboring property owner
Avid fisherman
At-large appointee
Anyone wishing to be considered for either the Town or the Aquarium appointments can apply by mailing or emailing the Town of Emerald Isle a statement of reasons for wanting to serve. Applicants should indicate which slots interest them, and briefly describe their pertinent experience or qualifications. All applications must be received by Dec. 19. The appointments will be announced in January.
Meanwhile, the Aquarium also is beginning the architect selection process. Aquarium and Town officials will be seeking funding to build the project, and hope to see construction underway within a few years. General plans call for a 1,000-foot, concrete, storm-resistant ocean fishing pier; a pier house that would include classrooms, meeting space and exhibits; and a soundside fishing dock and kayak launch.
The site, eight miles from the Aquarium, stretches across Bogue Banks at about its midpoint. The oceanfront was home to the privately owned Emerald Isle Fishing Pier until it fell victim to hurricanes in the mid-1990s. The NC Division of Marine fisheries in April awarded the project $2.2 million from the Waterfront Access and Marine Industry Fund for planning and site preparation.
The Aquarium Pier at Emerald Isle is one of three proposed by the North Carolina Aquariums, a division of the N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources. A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for December to launch the Aquarium Pier at Nags Head, which the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island will operate. The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher and the town of Carolina Beach are discussing a partnership to bring the Aquarium Pier at Carolina Beach to the town boardwalk.
The rapid disappearance of ocean piers due to hurricanes and economic factors prompted the state efforts. Aquarium staff views the piers as a means to promote conservation through exhibits, and with programs that are educational as well as recreational.
Applications for the Aquarium Pier at Emerald Isle advisory board should be submitted to Emerald Isle Town Clerk Rhonda Ferebee by email at rferebee@emeraldisle-nc.org, or mailed to her attention at: Town of Emerald Isle, 7500 Emerald Isle Drive, Emerald Isle, NC 28594.