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Sunset Beach chooses smaller pier safety stations, asks staff for firm costs
Summary
At an April 13 budget workshop, Sunset Beach councilors directed staff to pursue a smaller beach-safety station and life ring option near the municipal pier, favoring lower-cost, visible measures over a single large “no swimming” billboard; staff will return with exact pricing to include in this year’s budget.
The Town of Sunset Beach council directed staff on April 13 to pursue a smaller beach-safety station and life-ring option near the town pier rather than installing a large billboard-style “no swimming” sign.
The fire department presented three options for pier-area safety messaging: maintain the large informational boards at every access, place a smaller 2x4-foot sign nearer the shoreline, or install a small beach safety station at the high-tide mark (about 100 feet from the pier) that would include a life ring and a flag-based warning system. “It’s my recommendation … eliminate some duplicate signs and some redundant signage,” the fire chief said, asking the council for direction on a uniform sign style and the potential use of QR codes to provide more information without cluttering the beach.
Council members asked whether the life-ring/flag station could remain in place beyond staffed hours and whether existing high‑tide signs could be reused. Staff replied the life ring and flag option would be lower cost, could be done from this fiscal year’s funds, and that some existing high‑tide signs could be relocated and reused. The chief noted two bilingual (Spanish) signs are already in use and that staff would add Spanish-language text where needed.
Several council members spoke in favor of the smaller safety-station approach, saying it would be more visible at evening hours when lifeguard staffing ends. Mr. Arnold and Miss Bachelor indicated they preferred the smaller beach-safety station over the larger sign for this year; the council asked staff to return with firm pricing within a week so the expense could be included in the budget. Alicia in finance was instructed to accept the cost if it fit within the current fiscal year’s appropriations.
What happens next: staff will produce vendor cost estimates and a short implementation plan for the chosen beach-safety design and return to council for final appropriation. If priced within the available funds, the council indicated willingness to fund the life-ring/flag safety station from this year’s budget.
