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Brunswick County OKs paying local match to advance Lockwood Folly inlet dredging
Summary
The Board of Commissioners authorized Brunswick County to advance the full local match for a state-backed dredging project at Lockwood Folly Inlet so work can proceed on a side‑caster dredge this summer; Oak Island has not yet committed to its share.
Brunswick County commissioners authorized county staff to advance the full local match to move forward with a state‑backed dredging project for Lockwood Folly Inlet, the county said at its May 19 meeting.
County staff told commissioners the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed surveying the inlet and proposed dredging to an 8‑foot depth within the dredge box, using a side‑caster dredge known in the discussion as the Merit. The county said the side‑caster method scoops material and places it to the sides rather than pumping sand onto beaches.
The total project cost presented to the board was $744,500. State funds from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s shallow‑draft inlet fund would cover roughly 75% of the cost; the remaining 25% — about $186,125 — is the local match. Historically, Brunswick County takes half of the local match and Oak Island and Holden Beach split the remainder; that would make Brunswick’s share roughly $93,062 and the other two towns about $46,531 each, staff said.
Neil (staff member) told the board that Holden Beach has agreed to its share and Oak Island had not yet committed. To keep the project on the Corps’ schedule and to secure the available dredge, staff recommended the county pay the full local match up front and seek reimbursement later from Holden Beach and Oak Island.
When Commissioners moved and seconded a motion to approve the payment plan, the board voted in favor. The board did not record an individual roll‑call vote in the public remarks; the motion was approved by voice vote.
Commissioners and staff noted the Merit was the only operational Corps side‑caster available for the timing discussed. A commissioner asked where the county match would come from; staff replied a reserve fund set aside for these projects would cover the cost.
The project schedule presented by staff targeted late June to July, pending coordination with the Corps and state partners.
The board’s authorization was procedural — to fund the county’s upfront payment of the local match and pursue reimbursement from the two municipalities — and did not amend ordinances or change tax rates.
Moving forward, staff will execute the payment and pursue reimbursements from Holden Beach and Oak Island, and proceed with coordination with NC DEQ and the Corps of Engineers for mobilization of the dredge.
