Ocean Isle Beach awards East End dune project to JP Russ; town to fund half with state grant covering remainder

The Town of Ocean Isle Beach Board of Commissioners voted to award the East End dune construction contract to JP Russ (truck-and-haul option), opting not to wait on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging and pump placement because of uncertain Corps timelines and environmental windows.

Town staff recommended the upland sand truck-and-haul option after discussing two approaches: (A) acceptance of Corps-dredged material pumped from the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, and (B) trucked sand from an upland mine. Staff said option B would move faster and allow for dune planting within the appropriate season. The low-bid price presented for the truck-and-haul contract was $821,319.75; the town will pay half and the State of North Carolina grant will cover the other half, staff said.

Brad Rossoff of Coastal Protection Engineering, the town’s consultant on beach renourishment, told commissioners the upland project could start quickly after a notice to proceed and that the permit window required most work to be completed before April 30 (the CAMA/permit referenced a March 31 technical completion target), so schedule certainty weighed heavily in the recommendation. “We’re hoping, at the very February, they’ll start moving as quickly as they can,” Rossoff said of the contractor’s anticipated timeline; staff said they hoped to give notice to proceed within days of the meeting.

Town staff told the commission it had budgeted $2 million from the beach nourishment fund for the project and that final estimates now suggest the total cost may be closer to $1.1 million, with the town only responsible for half of that amount under the grant arrangement — substantially under the original budgeted figure. Commissioners approved awarding the contract and praised Coastal Protection Engineering for years of work on the town’s projects.

The board formally moved and seconded the contract award; staff said the project will include dune planting with two varieties of vegetation and that early planting will improve survivability. Town staff noted the contract contains termination protections and change-order documentation requirements if utility or pedestal relocation costs arise during sidewalk or dune construction.

Because the town is proceeding with upland sand, residents should expect heavy truck traffic while material is placed; staff and the engineering consultant said they plan to schedule work to limit disruption and to complete the bulk of work before key seasonal dates. The transcript shows the town’s action carried in the meeting but does not record individual roll-call tallies.