Serendidipity must go.

Sad Future originally uploaded by esc831976

The Island Free Press is reporting that Serendipity, the iconic house from the movie Nights in Rodanthe, must be moved or demolished.  This may begin to answer the question I posed in  this blog post about what position the County will take on homes that now sit in the ocean.  Read the article for a sense of the personal loss and bureaucratic problems associated with condemning the home.

Sturza says the county will “light a fuse,” to get the process going, but that several agencies are involved in the final solution.

“We just think it’s time,” Sturza said.

Serendipity’s septic tank and drainfield have been destroyed or damaged in several recent storms, including this week’s. Under current Coastal Area Management Act laws, an owner gets one exemption to replace it.

Sturza thinks Serendipity’s owners have had that chance.

He says a bigger issue is whether the house is still on private property or whether the beach has eroded so much that it is now in the intertidal zone -- state public trust waters.

The story continues.
Ciao

Storm sprouts new blog finds

One of the unexpected consequences of extraordinary events like the November nor'easter is new news sources.  Following the storm and finding images led me to two blogs originating on Hatteras Island.  One is by respected photographer Michael Halminski, the other by surf shop owner Drew.
Check them both out.  Great photos and insight into Hatteras Island.
The Pursuit of Paradise
and
Michael Halminski Photography

Both highly recommended.

What Next for South Nags Head

The aftermath of the November nor'easter raises some interesting questions for the Town of Nags Head and Dare County.   The South Nags Head area has been hit hard while it appears that some parts of northern Nags Head actually gained sand from the storm.  I posted a slide show of photos form the storm in my Picasa gallery.  The photo to the left shows the area that demonstrates the challenges the town faces.  
This is the Seagull Dr. area.  Homes here have been sitting below the high tide line, protected by a large wall of sandbags, since hurricane Isabel.   The owner of the homes has added bags, replaced septic systems and generally done everything he could to keep the rental homes habitable.  The homes were protected by sandbags before Isabel and some people, including me, believe that these bags increased erosion directly to the south of the area. 
As the photo shows the bags have finally failed, the homes sit clearly in the ocean and sand and street behind the homes has been taken by the ocean.  IT IS TIME FOR THESE HOMES TO COME DOWN.  and this is the question facing local governments.  I have no doubt that the owner will apply for permits to haul sand to the site to fill in behind the homes and to install new sandbags.  He needs the sand so he can install new septic systems for the homes.   It may be that he will decide the ocean has finally won but this area has a history of coming back again and again and the owner has a history of appealing to the town for one more permit.  To his credit he has invested his money, not the public's, in protecting his homes but the town and the Dare County health department has enabled his actions by providing permits.
The Town has condemned the houses for a variety of reasons, no water, no septic and structural problems.  Water will be restored to the area to serve the homes in the next row to the east.  Likewise the town will have to help solve access problems for these homes as well.   This could involve restoring the gravel road that served this area for the past few years.  Hopefully the Town will look for access from the west, behind the homes rather than try to restore the road.  Physcially the homes can be restored, stairs replaced etc.  What is most problematic is the septic systems.  The Dare County Health dept has a history of providing septic permits that allow tanks and drain fields to be installed very close to the high tide line, right on the beach.  I suspect that county doesn't want to block reconstruction through inverse condemnation (the taking of property through permiting rather than purchase).  If the owner can't get septic permits then the properties are useless.    Don't count on the health dept to block reconstruction.
It will fall to the Town to take steps to insure the removal of these homes.  The town has the legal authority to force removal but it has proven problematic over the years.  Board members are loath to tell owners their homes have to go.  They hear passionate pleas about the financial loss and generally give owners one more chance.  Sometimes the owners just disappear, forcing the town to go to court to get the property torn down.  or the owners try to block the town by challenging its condemnation orders and fighting the battle in court hoping the town will tire and allow the home to used one more season.
The first round in this fight will come this Wed.  Undoubtedly the board will be asked to restore the road and the water lines.  The board will hear from property owners who want to rebuild. and reinstall sandbags walls to cut off the beach.  Hopefully the board will not follow their past path but will just say no.    Time will tell.
One Nags Head resident, commenting on my photos, put the issue in a very good perspective:

Sad to see South Nags Head as a construction waste dump which was totally avoidable if these "known" in the ocean houses were demolished by local business on a "calm day" rather than relying on our biggest ocean front demolisher, the Atlantic Ocean.
"Hopefully these places are going to be demolished and brought down.  Its sad to see South Nags Head as literally a dump for construction waste from all these "in the ocean" houses.  There should be a strong proactive movement to bring them all down in an orderly manner as compared to allowing the Atlantic to create this huge mess.

  Ciao

Results

It takes a lot to make me happy these days. But I am gleeful about the results in the 2 major contested municipal races.  Bob Oakes defeated Renee Cahoon by a meager margin 54% to 46% with rounding.  More gratifying however was Hal Denny's stunning defeat of incumbent Mayor Don Smith.   The margin was a whopping 70% to 30%   It was so one sided that it got a write in candidate elected over Brian Madonald, a fairly popular incumbent who was tied too closely to Smith.
Here are the final totals - unofficial until certified next week but unlikely to change.

More later but it is a good night for good government on the Outer Bank.
Bob