W R I G H T S V I L L E B E A C H ’ S C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 2 0 0 2
November 7 - November 13, 2019
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Volume 18 | Issue 45 | 25¢
Interior Dept. ruling could lower beach renourishment costs By Terry Lane Staff Writer
Mayor-elect Darryl Mills
Alderman Zeke Partin
Alderman Jeff DeGroote
Mills wins Wrightsville Beach mayor’s race, DeGroote, Partin take aldermen seats 148 cast write-in votes for alderman seats By Terry Lane Staff Writer
Drawn to a campaign message that promised to continue the path forged in recent years, Wrightsville Beach voters elected Darryl Mills, who has served as an aldermen for eight years, over a political newcomer who challenged the town’s recent policies on several issues. Mills won almost 70 percent of the vote, collecting 480 votes, while attorney Greg Buscemi captured 216 votes in his first run for any public office. Two open seats on the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen were also filled, as only two candidates formally registered. Surf shop owner Jeff DeGroote won the most votes of anyone on a Wrightsville Beach ballot, taking 551 votes to get 48 percent of the votes for aldermen, while retired accountant Zeke Partin got 41 percent with 477 votes. However, write-in candidates won more than 12 percent of the aldermen vote.
Mills will take the helm from current mayor Bill Blair, who has held the seat for the past six years. He will be sworn in at the Dec.12 meeting. Mills touted the record of the current mayor and board of aldermen, citing the town’s building of a reserve fund of $10 million, with $5 million earmarked for potential future beach renourishment projects. Mills also said he would continue the board’s work on repairing and improving the town’s aging water and sewer system. Mills, who was twice elected to the board of aldermen, served as town’s mayor pro tem, fulfilling mayoral duties when needed. Meanwhile, Buscemi focused his campaign on concerns about how the town is operated, noting that there could be efforts to make the beach more accomodating, including offering more affordable parking options, improving public transportation options, opening more access to the beach and reducing traffic. He also charged that the board has applied unequal, arbitrary, and ethically questionable decisions in public matters, specifically citing the town’s opposition to reopening the downtown bar Red Dogs.
Hundreds gather to remember, celebrate impact Ben Dorman had on local community By Terry Lane Staff Writer
Hundreds gathered in Wr i g h t s v i l l e B e a c h o n Wednesday night to say goodbye to a local bartender who had made a strong impression on many during his time in the Wilmington area. Benjamin “Ben” J. Dorman, 38, died unexpectedly on Oct. 27, 2019, according to his obituary. He was known to many through his work at several local taverns and restaurants, including the Oceanic, Bridge Tender, Banks Channel, Slice of Life, Lagerheads, Wrightsville Manor and especially the Wrightsville Grill, which operated from 2005-2010 in the former Galleria shopping center. “He was the Wrightsville Grill,” one mouirner said. With food from his favorite local places, including pizza from Slice of Life, hundreds packed the Palm Room on Wrightsville Beach to
remember Ben. “It shows he was loved more than he ever imagined,” said Kristin Meetze, a former colleague of Dorman’s
Ben Dorman
at Wrightsville Grill, on the outpouring of support. “You always felt safe and well taken care of around Ben. In this day and age, you don’t see that all the time. If you knew him, you
loved him.” Friends described Dorman as a man who enjoyed the outdoors, from fishing to surfing to hunting to hiking. Originally from Oneida, N.Y., he lived and worked in Wilmington for more than 10 years, while also attending Cape Fear Community College. According to his obituary, Ben was pre-deceased by his mother Kathy Dorman. Surviving are father Ted Dorman of Sanibel Island, FL, three brothers and two sisters-in-law; Brian and Kelly Dorman of Oneida, Tom Dorman of Napa, CA and Michael and Tracy Dorman of Madison, NY; two sisters and brothers-in-law; Katie and Greg Ferrier of Malden, MA and Susan and Josh Hourihan of Fairfield, CT, and several nieces and nephews His family held a memorial service for him on Saturday, Nov. 2 at St. Helena's Church in Sherrill, N.Y.
In a decision that could have an impact on Wrightsville Beach’s periodic beach renourishment efforts, the U.S. Interior Department reversed a 2016 decision that could impact the cost of restoring sand to North Carolina beaches. U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt reversed a 2016 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service interpretation that would have significantly increased the cost of beach renourishment projects for certain towns for beach renourishment, an expensive construction project to restore sand to beaches that proponents say help protect property from flood and storm damage. In an objection by Fish and Wildlife dating back to 2016, an interpretation of the 1982 Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) would have prohibited any beach from utilizing sand from a CBRA zone. The ruling would have potentially prohibited Wrightsville Beach, Kure Beach and Carolina Beach from using sand from inlet borrowing sites for coastal storm damage reduction projects. The agency’s objection would have forced the towns to seek other sand from further away offshore, escalating the cost of these projects, according to U.S. Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., 7th District. Beach renourishment projects receive significant federal funding, with the 2018 Wrightsville Beach renourishment project totalling more than $9 million in costs. The project used sand collected from Masonboro Inlet. “This reversal in opinion is a return to common sense,” Rouzer said. “The 2016 objection to the use of these towns’ traditional sand borrow sites is the kind of bureaucratic red tape that costs taxpayer dollars with no benefit. I’m pleased we were able to work on a bipartisan basis to urge the Department to reverse this directive. This is a major win for taxpayers and our beaches.” In a bipartisan letter sent last month,Rouzer and two of his colleagues wrote Sec. Bernhardt to urge n See BEACH Page 2 the Department to revise the Fish and Wildlife Service’s objection.
Wrightsville SUP owner Jarrod Covington placed first in the 2019 Surf to Sound Challenge on Nov. 2 in Wrightsville Beach.
With increased turnout, Surf to Sound returns to WB Covington highlights local winners
Canceled last year following one of the worst hurricanes in state history, North Carolina Surf to Sound Challenge rebounded in Wrightsville Beach this weekend with nearly a 50-percent growth compared to 2017. “The biggest thing that impressed me about this race was the number of every-day paddlers that signed up and participated,” said Race Director, Mark Schmidt. According to Schmidt, 2019 turned out to be the largest Surf to Sound Challenge ever, with 119 participants compared to approximately 80 in 2017. The increase is due to local and regional signups and a growing interest in the variety of paddle races on the schedule, including the sport of outrigger canoe (OC), rapidly increasing in popularity in the mid-Atlantic. Weekend weather conditions were brisk and favorable as fall weather moved into North Carolina. However, racing conditions were especially challenging on Saturday in the ocean and sound. According to the US Coast Guard crew on watch from
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Wrightsville Beach, seas were 4-5 ft. with unrelenting winds of 15 mph. On Sunday, the winds abated somewhat, with afternoon temperatures rising into the low-60s. Jarrod Covington of Wilmington, NC, and Stephanie Shideler of Southold, NY, were crowned the new elite male and female champions in Saturday's
6.5-mile Surf to Sound title race. Covington owns the outdoor recreational company Wrightsville SUP, and Shideler is a former Wall Street banker who gave it up to pursue her passion for the paddling sport. Shideler will represent the USA in the ISA World Standup Paddleboard Championship in El Salvador in n See SUP Page 3
Be a Friend of the Flotilla Become a Friend of the Flotilla! Sponsorship levels begin at $250, but you can still support this great event with donations from $25 to $245. The 36th Annual Flotilla weekend will be held on Saturday, November 30th For more information: www.ncholidayflotilla.org
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