The $25-million fishing pier in Nags Head has received $500,000 in funding for once scrapped “green” amenities. Announced jointly by the N.C. Aquarium Society and Dominion North Carolina Power, this contribution to the N.C. Aquarium Society will cover the cost of three 90-foot monopole wind turbines as well as solar panels and a hydrogen fuel [...]
- Apr01
State Funded Pier Creates Jobs As Promised… April Fool’s!
A few weeks ago we first brought you the news of “job” creation at the $25 million state-funded pier in Nags Head. Since then, original estimates have been scaled back, leaving even fewer jobs to be created than promised. Currently, just 8 permanent state positions are proposed: 1) Pier Manager, 2) Assistant Pier Manager/Public Relations Coordinator, 3) [...]
- Mar30
State Pier Revenue to Benefit Non-Profit, Not Taxpayers
The saga with the $25 million taxpayer funded fishing pier at Nags Head continues to drag on… Not only have we seen overblown job creation numbers, the secret plans for additional taxpayer-funded piers, and a company owned by Sen. Marc Basnight (D-Dare) receiving a state contract to build a portion of the pier. Now we [...]
- Feb26
Next “$25 Million-Dollar Pier” Earns Legislator Support
With one $25 million-dollar pier currently under construction in Nags Head, Dare County and Aquarium officials have shifted focus to the next of the three proposed piers. Partnered with the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, the next “$25 million-dollar pier” will be located in Emerald Isle on land donated by the town. At a meeting [...]
- Feb08
$25 Million Pier Creates “Jobs”
We first brought you news of the hiring of a “Part-Time Pier Construction Observer” over the summer. This temporary employee has an 11-month contract (July 23, 2009 – June 23, 2010), working 20 hours per week at an hourly rate of $44.03 (roughly $38,000 total). Main duties of this State-funded position include giving guided tours for elected [...]
- Jan29
Watch Your Tax Dollars At Work… Literally.
A webcam streaming live from Basnight’s $25 million fishing pier in Nags Head is now up and running. Check it out here, hosted by the Division of N.C. Aquariums. For just $3,000, the web camera, cabling and software was purchased by the Aquarium Society and linked to the existing state-funded N.C. Aquariums web site. Be [...]
- 2Oct16
Even More “Pier Pressure”
This latest case of “pier pressure” shows just how far our elected officials will go with little to no further planning. While there is currently no plan for design or construction (much less funding plans), Town officials in Carolina Beach have proposed a property tax increase of 1.5 cents per $100 in value to pay [...]
- 1Sep25
More “Pier Pressure” on the N.C. Coast
If you thought just one $25 million “pier to nowhere” was a bad idea, just wait until you hear about the latest case of “pier pressure” on the North Carolina coast. In late 2007 the Town of Emerald offered the state a “free” 4.2. acre parcel for the site of the North Carolina Aquarium’s Pier [...]
- Sep14
Aquarium Directors Jumping Ship
Directors of two of North Carolina’s three aquariums have announced their upcoming retirements (here and here) in recent weeks. Jay Barnes, Director of the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores announced in July just as another aquarium controversy began to heat up. While Joe Malat, Director of the N.C. Aquarium at Roanoke Island (home of [...]
- Aug04
Stimulus to Fund Wind Turbines on N.C. Coast
The State Energy Office will be allocating $300,000 of their share of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to the University of North Carolina in a continuation of their coastal wind study to: “contract with a third party by October 1, 2009, to design, permit, procure, construct, establish, operate, and reclaim as appropriate at [...]
- Jul29
N.C. Taxpayers Create Jobs in V.A.
Please don’t get the wrong idea, I am not against interstate commerce, however, when a bill is passed by our General Assembly and signed by our Governor to create jobs in North Carolina, one cannot help but be a bit surprised to find out that almost as many employees currently on-site in Nags Head, N.C. [...]
- Jul27
Job Creation in N.C.? Eh, Not So Much…
When HB 628, the bill authorizing the funding of a $25 million fishing pier in Dare county, passed the House in early April, Representative Tim Spear (D – Washington) claimed the “shovel-ready” project would create 1,800 jobs both on and off site in a region with nearly double digit unemployment. Hard to say “thanks, but [...]
- Jul23
Now Hiring: Part-Time Pier Construction Observer
Duties to include calling stakeholders if a crane falls down as well as guided tours for elected officials. Prior experience with N. C. Aquarium projects preferred. No, this is not a hoax. With construction underway at the N.C. Aquariums – Jennette’s Pier, the Aquarium Division is hiring a part-time “on-site manager” to serve as the [...]