OCTOBER 1, 2017
– Patrick Dowling, NMB Public Information
The fall quarterly BRRA Open Board Meeting was held September 18th at the Lakeside Conference Center. Special guests were North Myrtle Beach City Council representatives Nikki Fontana and Bob Cavanaugh.
Barefoot residents were invited to bring questions for the two representatives. A record attendance brought up several issues of concern for these homeowners.
Below are questions that were posed at the meeting. The answers have been provided by Patrick Dowling, Public Information Officer, City of North Myrtle Beach and forwarded to us by Councilwoman Fontana.
Will the Windy Hill beach replenishment include the beach area in front of the Barefoot Cabana (between 46th and 48th Avenues S)? When will this occur?
ANSWER: The southernmost section of the Federal Beach Renourishment project begins at approximately 45th Avenue South, which would not include the Barefoot Cabana. However, following the Corps’ emergency renourishment project, the City will implement a separate dune restoration project, and this will include the dune area in front of the Barefoot Cabana.
Designed and paid for by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the purpose of the project is protect structures from storm surge and/or high tide. Per the Corps’ design and regulations, the section of beach between 45th Avenue South to the southern city limits already meets the storm damage protection criteria. Also, by stopping the project at 45th Avenue South the Corp’s is avoiding potential impacts to the Windy Hill marsh outlet to the ocean.
After completion of the Army Corps of Engineers beach renourishment project, the City will be rebuilding sand dunes in the area between 45th Avenue South and the southern city limits to restore dunes washed out during the past few storm seasons.
Weather permitting the renourishment project will begin in North Myrtle Beach the week of October 2, and the dune restoration project after that project is complete.
Water Tower Road flooding and drainage issues on property abutting the roadway: Is the City responsible and when will it be resolved?
ANSWER: North Myrtle Beach and Horry County maintain Water Tower Road. We would need a specific location of the drainage to address the complaint. In addition, the Barefoot HOA is responsible for maintaining the wetland common areas within the development, which have caused drainage backup in the past.
What is the City doing to keep semi-trucks off the swing bridge?
ANSWER: An axle limit sign is posted at the swing bridge. City police enforce the axle limit. (Police must actually witness a violation to enforce it.) The bridge operator also photographs the license plates of any vehicles traveling on the bridge that exceed the axle limit and provides the photos to the city’s public safety department. Public safety contacts the owner of an offending vehicle and notifies them of the axle limit.
With the recently added subdivision growth areas along Water Tower Road, what is being done to plan for significant increases in traffic patterns? As a connector road, Water Tower Road is extremely important and directly impacts Barefoot traffic.
ANSWER: Water Tower Road improvements are identified in the GSATS Long Range Transportation plan in various projects. Please click on GSATS MAP referenced in the 4th paragraph on the following website for project descriptions: http://www.gsats.org/index.php/2040-mtp-update/
The 2040 plan update has been through the public comment period and is in the final stages of approval. The long range plan is updated approximately every 5 years.
Projects are selected form the long-range plan for funding within the 5-year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). The TIP is updated periodically as funding becomes available.
How can the Water Tower Road expansion get a higher priority?
ANSWER: Funding priorities are established by the GSATS Policy Committee.
To facilitate and encourage maximum interaction among local, state and federal governments or agencies and the local community, the GSATS has an adopted a committee structure. The Policy Committee, as the official decision making body, establishes the policies for the overall conduct of the GSATS, is responsible for the adoption of plans and programs and approves study recommendations.
The Technical Committee (or Study Team), which is established by the Policy Committee, is composed of the professional/technical representatives of the member governments and public agencies having direct or indirect responsibility for transportation planning and/or implementation. Their primary responsibility is to monitor all technical activities including the annual development of a draft UPWP and biennial development of a draft TIP. They also direct and consider for recommendation to the Policy Committee for final endorsement of all major studies and planning activities.
The City of North Myrtle Beach, together with other jurisdictions, participates actively in GSATS, and submits and aggressively “lobbies” for needed road projects. However, it is the Policy Committee that establishes funding priorities, weighing the needs of all jurisdictions to accomplish the most necessary projects within available funding parameters.
If the re-striping of Barefoot Resort Bridge Road is not changing, what is the solution for safer golf cart traffic?
ANSWER: Golf cart use is regulated by state law, and golf cart lanes are prohibited from being striped within a roadway. Golf carts are not allowed on sidewalks. Dedicated golf cart paths are allowed, but only if they are separated from the roadway. Unfortunately, the city does not have funding or available public right-of-way to construct separate golf cart paths at this time. Driver education and common courtesy are the keys to improved safe travels.
What is the plan for the Wyndham Boarding School / Hotel project?
ANSWER: The site plans for the Wyndham Hotel were approved in August 2016; however, the Wyndham boarding school was removed from those plans by the applicant. Although some allowable grading has been accomplished at the site, as of this writing no building permit applications have been submitted to the city for construction of the hotel.