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Committee accepts $1.2M state appropriation for All Joy boat landing; demolition of adjacent house sparks objections
Summary
Beaufort County committee accepted a $1.2 million direct state appropriation for All Joy boat landing improvements and authorized staff to develop the project. Debate centered on whether to demolish an existing house on the purchased parcel to expand parking and add restrooms; one committee member formally objected during the vote.
Beaufort County’s Public Facilities Committee voted to accept a $1.2 million direct appropriation from the state for improvements at the All Joy boat landing and authorized staff to begin engineering and project development. The funding, included in the State Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024–25, requires reporting but no local match, staff said.
Brian, a county staff presenter, told the committee the allocation is a direct appropriation rather than a grant: “This is a direct allocation. This is not a grant, so there's no match requirement,” and that the county plans to pair the state money with local accommodations-and-hospitality (A&H) tax funds already set aside for the landing.
Staff summarized outcomes from recent community meetings and the county’s 2023 boat-landing master plan, saying residents prioritized boat parking, separate fishing access and water-quality protections. “The major thing that we heard was this is a boat landing. We want it to be a boat landing,” a county presenter summarized of community feedback.
The most contested issue was a proposal in the resolution to demolish a house on the county-owned parcel to create more parking and install restrooms. A committee member raised fiscal concerns and asked whether portable restrooms might be an alternative; staff responded that retaining the house would pose ADA compliance and septic-utility constraints and could reduce available parking. Staff said long-term sewer may come to the area but could be years away, driving the preference to remove the structure to make space for permanent facilities and parking.
During a show-of-hands to authorize staff to develop the project, the committee recorded a single formal objection; the chair noted the motion nonetheless passed. Committee members and staff said the next steps are to start the engineering solicitation, return with firm designs and cost estimates, and seek additional community input before final approvals.
The appropriation acceptance (item 8) and the project-development resolution (item 9) will be forwarded to county council; staff said item 8 is already listed to appear on council’s consent agenda tonight. The committee did not adopt a final construction design or demolition order at the meeting; those decisions will follow cost estimates and further review.
