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Residents press commissioners on clean water and highway routing; Longshore Road closure request heard
Summary
Multiple residents urged county action on long‑standing clean water problems in rural neighborhoods and voiced concerns about the proposed Carolina Bays Parkway route; the commission also held a public hearing on a requested closure of a small portion of Longshore Road.
Several Brunswick County residents used the public‑comment period to urge the commission to act on persistent water and stormwater problems and to weigh in on the Carolina Bays Parkway routing.
Carl Parker Sr., identifying himself as president of the Brunswick County NAACP, said the group has been raising clean‑water concerns for about 22 years and urged the county to seek federal grants and, if necessary, to allocate local funds to extend water service to affected neighborhoods. “We are humans. And humans ought to have clean water,” Parker said, adding that residents on some roads have repeatedly sought assistance and remain without reliable potable water.
Amy Johnson, a first‑time meeting attendee who lives on Albright Road, said well water on Albright and Brown Roads is unusable “for drinking and cooking due to the smell, rust and sediment” and asked the county to pursue federal grant opportunities and to coordinate with U.S. Rep. [name referenced in meeting] to secure funding. She noted a possible application deadline around Sept. 30 and asked staff to submit grant applications if appropriate.
John Phillip Norris, another resident, asked the commission to support action asking the North Carolina Department of Transportation to consider an alternate routing for the Carolina Bays Parkway. Norris said the published route threatens nearly $1 billion in property value in one short segment and could cost the county more than $2 million a year in lost tax revenue; he asked the commission to pass a resolution requesting DOT include his proposed alternative in the public‑hearing record.
The commission also conducted a public hearing on a request from Diane and Kent Miller to close a small, roughly 20‑by‑25‑foot portion of Longshore Road (a cul‑de‑sac segment). County staff said the parcel sits in an AE flood hazard zone and that the only parcel affected is the applicant’s own parcel; the applicants said they own contiguous lots and want the tiny parcel closed and absorbed into their combined property. Staff advised that adopting a formal resolution is required to close a portion of a right‑of‑way under North Carolina General Statutes 153A‑241; no final vote on the Longshore Road closure is recorded in the excerpt.
Why it matters: The comments underscore long‑running water quality and stormwater concerns on private wells and in unincorporated neighborhoods, and they highlight potential fiscal and land‑use impacts if a state highway route is finalized without considering alternate alignments.
What happens next: Commissioners instructed staff to pursue grant application opportunities and to consider constituent routing requests to DOT; the Longshore Road closure was introduced at public hearing and will require a later decision and formal resolution to proceed.
