Dare County hires consultant and clears sand-storage site to shore up NC Highway 12
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Summary
The board unanimously approved retaining Greer Beatty Consulting to develop short-, mid- and long-term options for NC Highway 12 (contract discussed at about $55,000) and authorized NCDOT to use a county sand-storage site in Rodanthe under conditions to protect county dredging options.
The Dare County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously March 2 to retain Greer Beatty Consulting to craft near-, mid- and long-term engineering and funding options aimed at preserving access on North Carolina Highway 12.
Greer Beatty, who spoke to the board alongside references to engineer Jim Trogdon, said the engagement is intended to "help look at what are the immediate options. What can be done to give some relief as quickly as possible" while longer-term work continues. County staff and commissioners emphasized the need for concrete, costed plans so lawmakers can advocate for funding in Raleigh and Washington, D.C.
The board discussed the consulting team's scope and value before approving an engagement the county manager described as "about $55,000 over the term of this contract." Commissioners noted past work (including temporary bridging used during emergencies) and said the consultant's role is to develop options with costs that legislators can use when seeking appropriations.
The meeting also approved a separate but related measure authorizing the North Carolina Department of Transportation to use a county-owned sand-storage (spoil) site near the Rodanthe helipad. County staff said the site was originally built to hold dredged sand and can be used to store material that NCDOT can draw from during dune repairs, provided DOT maintains and, if damaged, repairs an overflow drain and removes its sand if the county later needs the site for pipeline dredging.
County leaders framed both actions as complementary: the consultant engagement is meant to produce costed plans and funding options while the sand-storage authorization is a practical step to improve near-term response capacity for dune and road repairs.
What happens next: staff will finalize the consulting contract and oversee work with the technical director (Jim Trogdon referenced as the technical lead); the DOT storage agreement includes operational conditions the county will monitor. The board may seek state and federal funding once the consultant supplies a costed plan and the county has the data legislators requested.
Vote and motions: the motion to retain Greer Beatty Consulting was made by Commissioner Ross and seconded by Commissioner Balance; the motion carried unanimously. The sand-storage authorization also passed by unanimous vote.