ShoreHM
tched against the sky, a remnant oj the Iron steamer Motel isjramed by the arm oj an excavator peing used to tear it down
The Year That Was
The
Janruary 2005 • Vol. 1, No. 6 A Shoreline Community, Pine Knoll Shores, NC
Iron Steamer
Pier, Motel
Coming Down
By Bill White
The Iron Steamer Pier, a landmark on the
Pine Knoll Shores beach for more than half a
century, is being demolished to make way for
a residential subdivision. ‘
Demolition crews tore into the motel and
support structures at the Iron Steamer com
plex in early December, then turned their
attention to the pier itself. Originally built in
the 1950’s, and jutting .some 1,000 feet into
the ocean, the pier had been damaged by
storms over the years, losing parts of the
wings that extended at right angles from the
main span at the seaward end. The main span
was substantially rebuilt in 2002.
The site, rezoned last January from com
mercial to residential use, is slated to be
subdivided into 10 building lots for single
family homes. Demolition of the pier and
other structures is expected to be completed
by the end of the year, with installation of
infrastructure for the housing development
starting right after that. The project is being
carried out by Kinston developer Gerald
Barfield.
Barfield, who fished from the pier as a boy,
acquired the property after flagging business
under previous ownership led to a foreclo
sure. He had hoped to restore the facilities to
popularity as a fishing attraction, but even
after renovations business remained disap
pointing.
In 2003 he moved to have the property
rezoned with a view to selling it to a
Wilmington developer who would carry out
the residential development. The rezoning
was approved in January, 2004. When the
deal with the Wilmington developer fell
through, Barfield reopened the pier for the
2004 summer season. Business remained
slack, and Barfield elected to move ahead
with the residential development himself
Also weighing heavily in the decision to
raze the pier and motel was the fact the pier
was not insured because of prohibitive cost.
That posed great loss and liability risks.
The Iron Steamer complex took its name
Continued on Page 2
By Dick
As we look forward to 2005, it is fitting that
we look back on 2004 as a year of significant
progress for our town.
New administrations took over both in the
town and the golf club. Both brought back the
friendly, open volunteer-driven societies that
make PKS such a great place to live
As a personal aside, on a Thanksgiving trip
to New York we took several walks on the
boardwalk of Jones Beach on Long Island.
We passed many other walkers on the way. I
remarked to our children, “Had we been back
home in North Carolina, everyone we passed
would have smiled, waved or said hello.”
That is not to say that New Yorkers are less
friendly, they are just more cautious and
reserved, sometimes with good reason.
Here at home in PKS we saw progress on
all fronts. Our spiraling taxes took a breather
and we will see only minor increases in 2005.
Our fire and EMS departments, already
the best in the nation, have been strengthened
even further with a new ladder truck, 24/7
paramedics, defibrillators in every police car
and a public safety building to complement
our own finest - the town employees and
volunteers who do so much so well, so self
lessly and cheerfully. We salute you and we
thank you. We sleep well knowing that you
are there for us every hour of the day and
night.
Reeves
We got some new sand for Bogue Banks
beaches and although we have hit a tempo
rary mud hole, we know our commissioners
are up for the challenge.
Our parks, our roads, our trees are all
better than ever and our few ongoing prob
lems (water, high cable bills, etc) are all in
very good hands.
Once again, we have a police department
that understands that we are their friends, not
their enemies, and that their mission is to
protect, not harass the people who pay their
salaries.
We thank the commissioners for recog
nizing the services provided by awarding
complimentary memberships to the Sports
Center for all town volunteers, and we urge
all couch potatoes (like yours truly) to take
advantage of this wonderful perk.
We have all seen our property values
increase almost geometrically and it is a genu
ine treat to walk or ride about the town and see
Continued on Page 2
Town Hall 247-4353
Pine Knoll Shores
933 Sand Comes
Up Short
Phase II of the 933 Project that was to have
brought sand to Pine Knoll Shores was halted,
as there was not enough dredged material
from Brandt Island to stretch from Atlantic
Beach to Pine Knoll Shores. The Corps of
Engineers issued a stop work order to the
dredging contractor.
The Phase II portion of the project was a
Federal - non-Federal cost sharing that in
cluded sand renourishment for Pine Knoll
Shores. The Federal Government, state gov
ernment and Pine Knoll Shores funded the
Phase II portion of the project. The cost to
Pine Knoll Shores was $471,000.
All appeared to be progressing as planned
during the early phases of the Brandt Island
pump out. The sand used for beach
renourishment is shoal material from the In
ner Harbor. This is sediment that fills the
channel that must be periodically dredged to
maintain a minimum depth for cargo ships
entering the Port of Morehead City. This
material is then stored on Brandt Island for
disposal every ten years along the beaches of
Fort Macon and Atlantic Beach on a least cost
basis by the Corps of Engineers.
As work progressed it was found that the
Brant Island sand contained clay and fine
grain sediment causing the slurry to run down
the beach without adhering. What should
have required 70 cubic yards per linear foot
was now consuming 200 cubic yards f>er foot.
This resulted in the pump out not having
enough material to continue to the Pine Knoll
Shores Phase II section. On December 7,
2004 the Corps of Engineers issued a stop
work order. The project was terminated for
2004-5.
While the cancellation was a disappoint
Continued on Page 15
Pre-Sort
Permit #22
Morehead City, NC 28557
Deadline for February issue is Monday, January 17. Deadline for March issue is Monday, February 14. Articles always welcome!