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General News

General News

Proposed Timeline of Hampstead Bypass Moves Up

NCDOT, WMPO agree on adjustment

WILMINGTON – The proposed timeline of a major project is moving up, which means improvements to a corridor in New Hanover and Pender counties are expected to come sooner than originally planned.

Recently, the N.C. Department of Transportation and Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO) agreed to adjust multiple projects in the draft 2024-2033 State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP). With the adjustments, construction of the second portion of the Hampstead Bypass, N.C. 140 to N.C. 210, would move from fall 2026 to summer 2025 in the draft plan.

“I am glad we agreed to move this project forward,” said Division 3 Engineer Chad Kimes. “Together, NCDOT and WMPO understand how important it is to the people who live, work and visit the area.”

Construction of the first portion of the Hampstead Bypass, N.C. 210 to north of Hampstead, began in early 2022.

When both sections are complete, the project is expected to improve safety and relieve congestion around the town of Hampstead.

NCDOT and WMPO agreed to adjust the proposed timelines of other future projects as well:

  • Upgrading the intersections of U.S. 76 (Oleander Drive) at Greenville Loop Road and Greenville Avenue has been accelerated with construction planned to begin in 2029.
  • Widening U.S. 421 (Carolina Beach Road) from N.C. 132 (South College Road) to Sanders Road and constructing flyovers at U.S. 421 and N.C. 132 has been accelerated with construction set to begin in 2027.

The draft 2024-2033 STIP can be viewed here and will be updated to reflect the changes above. More information on the STIP process can be found on this NCDOT webpage. The Board of Transportation is expected to adopt the 2024-33 STIP in spring 2023.

N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency seeks public feedback on proposed changes to disaster recovery and mitigation plans

Raleigh, N.C. – The N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) is seeking public comment on proposed amendments to three action plans for the use of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) and Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds in areas of the state impacted by hurricanes Matthew and Florence. The proposed action plan amendments include changes to previously approved federally funded programs that support the state’s long-term recovery from storm damage while also building future resiliency.

The proposed amendments are intended to expand programs to help more North Carolinians benefit from ongoing disaster recovery work and provide a more comprehensive approach to mitigating the impacts of future storms. Proposed changes include allocations to the Homeowner Recovery Program, Affordable Housing Development Fund, Public Housing Restoration Fund, Infrastructure Recovery Program, and Strategic Buyout Program, among other updates.

The public comment periods for all three action plans begin Dec. 9 and close at 5 p.m. on the following dates:

  • CDBG-DR Matthew: Monday, Jan. 9, 2023
  • CDBG-DR Florence: Monday, Jan. 9, 2023
  • CDBG-Mitigation: Monday, Jan. 23, 2023

Drafts of the Substantial Action Plan Amendment 10 for Hurricane Matthew funding, Substantial Action Plan Amendment 4 for Hurricane Florence funding, and Substantial Action Plan Amendment 4 for Mitigation funding are available for review online. The public is strongly encouraged to submit comments by email to publiccomments@rebuild.nc.gov. Comments may also be submitted by U.S. Postal Service to NCORR Public Comments, P.O. Box 110465, Durham, NC 27709.

Governor Cooper established NCORR in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence to streamline disaster recovery programs statewide and help communities rebuild smarter and stronger. In addition to disaster recovery and mitigation, the office administers programs that support resiliency, community development, affordable housing, strategic buyout, infrastructure and local government grants and loans. Learn more about NCORR programs at https://www.rebuild.nc.gov/

New homeowner down payment program available in Pender County

North Carolina has a new homeowner downpayment assistance program in 16 Eastern counties that were severely hit by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. Pender County residents are eligible, as well as Bladen, Craven, Jones, Brunswick, Cumberland, New Hanover Robeson, Cartaret, Duplin, Onslow, Scotland, Columbus, Edgecombe, Pamlico, and Wayne counties.
For more info, click here for more information.

Board of Elections meetings

The Pender County Board of Elections will have a Meeting Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, at the Board of Elections Office at 6 p.m. for the purpose of a supplemental absentee and provisional ballot review.

The Pender County Board of Elections will meet on Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. to Canvass (certify) election results at the office, 807 W. Walker St. in Burgaw.

 Settlement ends Chemours challenge of permit to reduce PFAS entering the Cape Fear River

RALEIGH- An agreement signed today ends litigation without changing the discharge permit issued to Chemours for the treatment of contaminated groundwater to significantly reduce PFAS entering the Cape Fear River.  

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) reached an agreement with Chemours to end the litigation over the permit issued by DEQ on September 15, 2022. Last month, Chemours filed a petition to challenge the permit. CFPUA intervened to support the permit.

Today’s agreement does not change the final permit conditions and includes measures by which Chemours will proceed toward compliance with the final PFAS permit limits. Those limits take effect six months after discharge from the treatment system begins. In the agreement, Chemours agrees to take specific steps and provide monthly reports on its progress during the six-month optimization period.  Chemours also agrees to dismiss its petition for a contested case hearing on the permit.

The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the treatment system is part of the larger barrier wall remediation project to substantially reduce PFAS entering the Cape Fear River and impacting downstream communities.  Currently, contaminated groundwater from the facility site flows untreated directly into the Cape Fear River. This project is designed to reduce the largest ongoing source of PFAS at the Chemours facility that contaminates the river and reaches downstream water intakes. The project must be operational by March 15, 2023, under the terms of the Consent Order.  DEQ expects Chemours to take necessary actions to comply with the permit conditions and the Consent Order and meet its obligations to clean up the PFAS contamination impacting thousands of residents in at least eight counties and provide them with alternate water.  DEQ will continue to hold Chemours accountable for the cleanup and for preventing future impacts to North Carolinians.

The agreement is available online here.

Tourism and Agriculture lead Pender County industries

BURGAW- For decades, tourism has trailed agriculture as the second leading industry in Pender County.

 

The friendly rivalry between the Pender County Extension Office and the Pender County Tourism Office has been good-natured. The county extension director, Mark Seitz, serves as an ex-officio on the Pender County Tourism Development Authority Board.

 

“When I reviewed the figures of our agriculture and timber revenue, for the first-time tourism became the leading industry in Pender County,” said Seitz.

 

Visitor spending in Pender County reached an all-time record of $165.29 million in 2021.

 

“Tourism is an economic driver in Pender County,” said Tammy Proctor, Pender County Tourism Director. “If the county had to replace the revenue from tourism, each household in Pender County would have to pay approximately $200 more in taxes.”

 

Both Seitz and Proctor cite the importance of agritourism.

 

“Agritourism is growing in Pender County,” said Seitz. “Generations have moved away from family farms. When our local farms offer tours, special events, and U-pick events at farms, they reconnect families to farms.”

 

“Natural resources attract visitors,” said Proctor. “Our blueberry farms, our wineries, our oyster farms and aquaculture, and event farms are tremendous attractions.”

 

For more information about attractions and agritourism, see the county’s tourism website at visitpender.com.

The PORT is open for permitting use

Pender County is pleased to announce that our central permitting software, known as the PORT, is now reopened.

We appreciate everyone’s patience while we worked to improve this vital service.

While we are confident that the system should function as intended for each user, we fully expect for some users to find problems or glitches with the PORT as we move through the next few weeks. We also will be continuing to make improvements as we begin to fully realize the new tools we have at our disposal, so things may continue to look slightly different over time.

Should you encounter an issue, please do not hesitate to contact us at 910-259-1201 or by email at permit@pendercountync.gov so that we can start the process to correct those issues in short order.

While we believe the PORT to be a convenient tool for the submission of all building and construction permits, Pender County Planning & Community Development continues to accept all applications and will always assist anyone with the permit process in person at either our Burgaw or Hampstead offices.

 

Update on the EnerGov PORT software

For those who use Pender County’s PORT for permitting requests, the County Staff continues to work with our vendors and support personnel on upgrades to the County’s central permitting software known as the PORT.
While the upgrade performed yesterday was a success overall, Staff has identified inconsistencies that must be corrected prior to reopening the PORT to ensure that user experiences are consistent and predictable.
Staff will continue to provide updates throughout the day and hope to have the PORT back up and running as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience while we work to improve County services and we apologize for any inconvenience.
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