GET TO KNOW YOUR COMMISSIONER
Ted Goetzinger
Byjacquie Pipkin
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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.”
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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.
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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)