GET TO KNOW YOUR COMMISSIONER Ted Goetzinger Byjacquie Pipkin m If a» Ik » Commissioner Goetzinger stays busy, but enjoys the perks of living in Pine Knoll Shores.—P/iofo by Amy Hahn When Commissioner Ted Goetzinger served as commissioner in the early 1990s, Pine Knoll Shores was a very different place than it is today. There was no town manager and life in Pine Knoll Shores, as well as the running of the town, was much less complicated. The commissioners actually served as directors of their respective departments. Ted Goetzinger, for example, served as the police commissioner and was involved in the day-to-day operations of that department. During his term, the town purchased the then Wachovia Bank building and renovated it to create our public safety building. Sidewalks, beach replenishment and water run-off were not yet critical items on the agenda. Yet, when asked about his motivation for running for commissioner in 2015, it was the same as 15 years ago. Commissioner Goetzinger loves the town and its people and he wants to work with the good people of Pine Knoll Shores to keep the small-town atmosphere while making the necessary improvements to the infrastructure. The commissioner feels strongly about being involved in the community in which he lives. He refers to Pine Knoll Shores as “my town.” He describes serving as a commissioner as a privilege—not a job. Mr. Goetzinger has served as chairman and co-founder of the Board of Carteret County Friends of the Aging. In addition, he chaired the Advisory Board of the Leon Mann Jr. Senior Center in Morehead City. As commissioner, he is liaison to the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Medical Services and is a member of the Strategic Planning Board. He has been chairman of the Carteret County Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis boards as well as chairman of the Beacon’s Reach Master Association. Mr. Goetzinger lived and worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the first 50 years of his life—until he retired from Aetna and moved to Pine Knoll Shores. He explained that in 1985 he had seen an ad in an Eastern Airlines magazine that featured Beacons Reach. He drove down to take a look, and retired here in 1986. He envisioned retirement as a lazy, relaxed time: reading on the beach, sitting by the pool, golfing, boating and fishing. In short, taking life easy. He quickly tired of that and went on to earn his pilot’s license; learned to play golf; served as president of the then Bogue Banks Country Club; won several fishing tournaments; served a term on the vestry of his church, including one year as senior warden; and served his first term on the Pine BCnoll Shores Board of Commissioners. In 1995 Mr. Goetzinger married Marian, creating a blended family which now includes six chfidren, fourteen grandchfidren and eight great-grandchildren. The only “child” they have left at home is Kirby, their admittedly pampered Jack Russel Terrier. The Goetzingers are founders and owners of Pine Knoll Shores Realty, which Marian opened in 1998 and which remains the only real estate firm in town. Marian and Ted enjoy their day-to-day life in Pine Knoll Shores: they are golfers, walkers, bikers and kayakers. The commissioner is the official race timer for the annual Pine Knoll Shores Kayak for the Warriors kayak race. Mr. Goetzinger is an artist, working in glass, and he makes beautiful fused jewelry and art in his home studio. Ten years ago he became fascinated with glass fusing while touring Europe. He is completely self-taught. As the commissioner explains, “With Google you can learn anything.” He sees cooking as another outlet for his creativity and enjoys preparing most of the family meals. When finishing up, I asked the commissioner what the readers would be surprised to know about him. He thought for a moment and answered that when you’re in the public eye, especially in a small town, there are no secrets. He did offer this wise piece of advice, however: “The secret to a happy retirement (and life) is to keep reinventing yourself, keep learning and accept the challenge of trying new things.” rt^® i' SfSmUkW PKS Sea Turtle Nesting Season By Peggy Deneau The 2016 sea turtle nesting season in Pine Knoll Shores got off to a very slow start, as was the case on all of Bogue Banks. Our first nest did not come in until June 11. Activity really picked up after that, however. By the end of July we had 10 loggerhead sea turtle nests, as weU as 11 false crawls, distributed fairly evenly along our beach. A false crawl occurs when a turtle comes ashore to nest and is disturbed by lights, people or noise. Sometimes the section of beach just doesn’t appeal to her and she returns to the ocean to look elsewhere. If disturbed badly enough, she will release her eggs into the ocean where they will die. One of these false crawls was discovered with two empty water bottles placed upside down in the center of what could have been a nest had people kept their distance. Another false crawl occurred where there had been a group of people on the beach at night playing Pokemon GO with their lighted cell phones. I wish more people knew that sea turtles need darkness and quiet to nest. We have also had quite a number of large holes on the beach that should have been fiUel , before the diggers left for the day. Both adult sea turtles and their hatchlings wUl get stuck | these holes. Unable to get out, hatchlings (about the size of an Oreo cookie with flippers) , will then be eaten by ghost crabs or die of exhaustion trying to climb out. There has also been a problem with people leaving chairs, tents and cabanas on the beach overnight. A sea turtle looking for a nesting site may bump into these and return to the ocean without nesting—or she could nest next to a tent pole or a cabana tie-down. Once the nest has been found and documented, it cannot be disturbed. A few years ago, a hotel left a beach volleyball net up, and a turtle nested by one of the posts. Were grateful that the hotel personnel were understanding and accommodating, leaving the post in place until the nest hatched. m in .I'l' f-; 'I . Volunteers after completing the runway for nest #1 in preparation for hatching. Left to right: Bill Hotham, Julie Anderson, CJ Holbrook, Cameron Anderson, Kate Shurtleff and and Lise Fondren. Linbe Blackford and Peggy Deneau also assisted with the runway construction. —Photo by Peggy Denneau Anyone digging a large hole on the beach should fill it in before leaving for the day. Not only can unfilled holes interfere with turtle nesting, but they can cause injuries to people walJdng on the beach at night. Cabanas and tents should be taken down when done for the day since Pine Knoll Shores is a sea turtle sanctuary. They can be put back up the following day. A reminder might be given to anyone you see about to leave the beach without removing them. I’d like to thank all of our dedicated volunteers who are walking the beach early every morning looking for signs of turtle activity. Most of them are also picking up any trash they see. Special thanks go out to Police Chief Ryan Thompson and volunteer Liz Mauser. Together they came up with the idea of using a beach vehicle for backup and to cover areas of the beach when a volunteer is out of town for days at a time. Turtle Patrol” stickers have been placed on the vehicle, and the drivers get lots of smiles and waves from beachgoers as they pass by. Chief Thompson has gone above and beyond in letting us have use of this resource. Three of our volunteers, Liz Mauser, Danny Frye and Jayne Keifer, are also Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), and are the only ones certified to drive this vehicle. I deeply appreciate the extra effort of these volunteers, who also walk the beach. Thank you all. (See the “Town Crier” pages in this issue for a photo of the turtle patrol ATV)