The Dare County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 1 approved the tourism board’s recommended awards of $1,790,068.06 from the tourism impact grant fund to support safety, pathways and community projects across the county.

Lee, speaking for the tourism board, said the 12 applications this year grouped into two main buckets: seven projects focused on safety and pathways (multiuse paths, sidewalks and a lit crosswalk on Roanoke Island) and the remainder on quality-of-life requests such as dental clinic expansion and restoration of a fire-damaged keeper’s quarters. “We received 12 applications... the recommended awards totaled $1,790,068.06,” Lee told the board.

Commissioners questioned a large multiuse-path request linking Nags Head north to south and raised maintenance concerns in high-sand-mobility areas such as Jockey’s Ridge. One commissioner noted that local maintenance — not NCDOT — would likely be responsible for clearing sand and keeping pathways usable. Lee said applications are evaluated for need while engineering and maintenance are left to applicants and their engineers.

Vice Chair Steve House reported the Outer Banks Jeep Invasion’s community work and donations: over five years the event has contributed roughly $196,000 to local charities and provided direct annual gifts, including $10,000 in toys and cash donations to Room at the Inn and other partners. Tim Spence of Wounded Warriors in Action described January 7–11, 2026 plans to host Purple Heart recipients and thanked the Jeep Invasion for a $10,000 donation that will cover costs such as flights and insurance.

The board approved the tourism-impact awards by unanimous voice vote. Commissioners said the grants are part of a larger tourism reinvestment effort the tourism board has delivered — Lee noted the board has reinvested roughly $28,000,000 to date through a mix of event and restricted fund grants.

The county will reimburse grants on a reimbursement basis after applicants provide proof of expenditures, per program rules.