The North Carolina Aquariums and the Town of Emerald Isle have been awarded a $2.2 million grant from the NC Waterfront Access and Marine Industry Fund (WAMI) for design work and initial construction activities for "The Aquarium Pier at Emerald Isle". The NC Division of Marine Fisheries, the agency responsible for overseeing the coast-wide $20 million WAMI Fund, announced the grant award on April 2.
The NC Aquariums and the Town are partnering to construct a new 1,000 ft. long ocean fishing pier and new multi-purpose pier house at the site of the Town's Eastern Ocean Regional Access facility located near mile marker 15 on NC 58. The site is currently used for beach access and parking, and is the former site of the old Emerald Isle Pier that was dismantled as a result of the hurricanes of the 1990s. The new pier will be constructed with concrete and steel to withstand future hurricanes, and will include wooden decking to maintain the traditional NC ocean pier experience. The new pier house will include typical pier amenities, and will also include Aquarium exhibits, educational facilities, university research facilities, and public meeting areas.
The $2.2 million grant will fund detailed design work for the new facility, construction of various site improvements (parking, wastewater, storm water), and construction of a new soundfront pier that will complement the new ocean fishing pier. Design work will begin later this summer, with construction of the new facility expected to begin in 2010. The target date for the opening of the new facility is spring 2012. Construction will be funded with a combination of NC Aquarium funding and additional State and local grant funding. The total construction cost is estimated at more than $12 million.
"The Aquarium Pier at Emerald Isle" will be the second of three planned State piers in North Carolina that will be managed by the North Carolina Aquariums - one in close proximity to each of the State's three aquarium facilities in Manteo, Pine Knoll Shores, and Fort Fisher. Construction is expected to begin on "The Aquarium Pier at Nags Head" later this year.
The Town is pleased to be partnering with the NC Aquariums on this exciting project, and is grateful for grant funding awarded from the WAMI Fund. The "Aquarium Pier at Emerald Isle" will insure the perpetual existence of a public ocean fishing pier in Emerald Isle, thereby preserving the North Carolina ocean fishing pier experience for residents and visitors of Emerald Isle, Carteret County, and all of North Carolina. Ocean fishing piers are an important part of North Carolina's coastal heritage, and are important public access facilities for fishermen, disabled individuals, and the general public.
The Town will soon convey the Eastern Ocean Regional Access site to the NC Aquariums, who will be the lead agency in the design and construction of the new facility. Town officials will remain heavily involved in the project, and a special advisory committee consisting of Town and Aquarium appointees will soon be established to assist in the effort.
The Town is excited and proud to help make "The Aquarium Pier at Emerald Isle" a reality in the coming years!
