The
May 2005 • Vol. 1, No. 10
A Shoreline Community, Pine Knoll Shores, NC
Town Hall 247-4353
Viewing Windows Installed
On Aquarium Exhibit Tanks
Dramatic progress has been made at
the new Aquarium over the last few months.
Many complex construction tasks have
been completed and the project has moved
on to more familiar work - erecting walls,
installing pre-fabricated equipment, and
connecting the labyrinth of pipes, ducts,
and conduits to make it all work.
March saw a major milestone in
construction, when more than two-dozen
large acrylic windows arrived on a flatbed
truck from Colorado. The windows, made
of the clear plastic we often call Plexiglas,
are all shapes and sizes. Some are curved,
others are flat, and a few are very, very
large.
The largest is the main viewing window
for the Living Shipwreck ocean exhibit.
This massive slab measures 65 feet in
length, 10 feet tall and 8 1/2 inches thick,
and was lifted into place by a 300-ton
crane. The window fit perfectly in the
306,000-gallon exhibit. To ensure
waterproofing, a team from Reynolds
Polymers applied silicone sealant. Other
large windows were then set on the other
sides of the Shipwreck display and in the
Queen Anne’s Revenge exhibit.
The crane also lowered the 70-foot-
long replica of the U-352 sub wreck into the
exhibit, carefully placing the twelve,
bolt-together sub sections on the Shipwreck
tank floor, where it was then assembled into one
unit.
Other ongoing work includes installing
various mechanical, electrical and life-support
components, diesel boilers, HVAC chillers, air-
handling units, emergency electrical generators
and dozens of electrical panels. Plumbing
apparatus for the new restrooms are in, and large
filters, treatment tanks, and protein skimmers
are on site for aquarium life-support areas. Over
the next few weeks work will continue on the
River Otter exhibit and Smoky Mountain
Waterfall.
The good news is the project is on schedule
and on budget, and reopening is expected in
May 2006. The Aquarium will begin hiring new
staff later this summer. For hiring updates,
monitor our employment web link.
Programs and field trips for spring at our
off-site location in Atlantic Station Shopping
Center are now on the Aquarium calendar.
These include visitor favorites such as guided
trips to Cajje Lookout, canoe outings, onboard
collecting cruises, Newport River trips and other
activities. To find out what’s going on, check
the Aquarium website or call 247-4003.
SUB WRECK CENTERPIECE
This 70-foot-long replica of the U-352 sub wreck was recently installed in the
new Aquarium’s 306,000-gallon “Living shipwreck” exhibit.
2006 PRELUDE - America’s “Tall Ship”, the U.S. Coast Guard’s Eagle, provided a taste
of things to come when she sailed into Beaufort Inlet for a brief visit over Easter
weekend. The Eagle will be back in Beaufort with a flotilla of “tall ships” from around
the world from June 30 through July 5 next year. The visit, part of Pepsi Americas’ Sail
2006, is expected to lure thousands to the Crystal Coast.
Potholes Were the Least
Of George Smith’s Hurdles
By Ken
George W. Smith was instrunjental in getting
the first road constructed between Atlantic Beach
and Salter Path.
The first Atlantic Beach bridge was
constructed in 1928 at a cost of $110,000, but
there was no road to Salter Path. Ten years later,
Salter Path was still roadless. One could either
get on a small boat with an inboard motor and
use Bogue Sound as the highway or, if one had
a car, wait until low tide and drive along the
hard-packed beach to the Atlantic Beach Bridge.
Benson
George Smith did just that. He drove his old
yellow school bus along the beach to the bridge
and on to Morehead City. He had eight or ten
school children aboard, four or five women who
worked at Mr. & Mrs. Jackson’s shirt factory on
Bridges Street, and he also carried the U.S. mail.
In 1938 the citizens of Salter Path presented
a petition to the Carteret County Commissioners
requesting that a road be constructed connecting
the nine miles between Salter Path and Atlantic
Continued On Page 3
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Morehead City, NC 28557
Deadline for June issue is Monday, May 16. Deadline for July issue is Monday, June 20. Articles always welcome!