For the entire month of December, a season pass will be sold for $60 but must be purchased in person at Town Hall, Parks and Recreation Center, Island Tackle and Hardware, Canal Drive Scotchman and Brew Thru.
The regular price of an annual pas swill remain at $100.
Council members also voted unanimously to allow a daily pass for $20 and weekly pass for $50.
Lewis says they've received a lot of help from volunteers, but they want more public input for the final stages of the project before construction begins.
"Our general public here and the residents here are taking ownership," said Lewis. "It adds a little pride to all of us when we get involved so we're looking to get as many people as we can to make this happen."
Several hours and trash bags later, leaders in Carolina Beach are ready to consider some changes to Freeman Park at the north end of Pleasure Island.
Volunteers joined most of Carolina Beach Town Council Monday afternoon to comb the beach for loose debris and trash left by campers from the Memorial Day weekend.
Councilman Steve Shuttleworth said what he witnessed Monday was not as bad as the messes he saw early Sunday morning, which prompted the cleanup tour.
"We just want Freeman Park to be a positive experience for everyone," he said.
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More trash cans, some recycle bins and an ash disposal area for what's left of campfires are just a few of the suggestions before council. Lewis said there's also the possibility of stepping up enforcement during busy holiday weekends with part-time beach monitors.
"If people are leaving stuff here, maybe they should get a summons in the mail," he said.
Jan Weissbeck, who helped in the cleanup effort, said the town has a moral obligation to keep everyone safe on the island. She said she's worried about the good times going too far at Freeman Park and spilling into the nearby neighborhoods
"I hear a lot of screaming all through the night, and I hate to think that people are leaving this park in that obviously intoxicated state of mind," said Weissbeck.
Contractors will add 900,000 cubic yards of sand to the stretch of beach from the pier to the boardwalk area. They're moving at an estimated pace of 1,000 feet down the sand, according to Project Manager Bob Keistler.
He said the 24/7 work schedule should keep beachgoers from being discouraged, because crews won't be in one area too long.
"Once they finish placing the beach in one area, folks are able to swim, surf, and do whatever but they're will be a big pipe there," said Keistler.
The project needed special permits because of its late start, as it is currently turtle season.
Regulating agencies approved the Pleasure Island Sea Turtle Project to be the designated group to monitor the work's effect on turtles.
Doug Piatkowski, a biologist with the Corps, said crews have several options if they ever encounter a turtle -- they can relocate the turtle, work around it or completely stop the process until it is safe to begin again.
It's official! Construction work on the Snow's Cut Bridge is finished for the rest of summer.
Crews finished work on the southbound lanes Thursday, a day earlier than they planned.
DOT crews have been working on the southbound lanes of the bridge since November. Lanes will be open for the rest of the summer, but the work isn't complete.
After the summer months crews will begin to work on the northbound lanes in the fall on October 1.
Town Council voted Tuesday night to approve the community pool pending it fitting into the town’s annual budget.
Most of the people that attended Tuesday night’s meeting seemed excited about the idea moving forward but not everyone thought it was in the town’s best interest.
...“It's a need at this point,” said John Pellizzari, Ashley High School’s swim coach.Pellizzari says the facilities in the county are over used and having a controlled environment to teach kids to swim would be beneficial to the community.
"It's nice to have the ocean but you can't control the ocean. In a pool environment, you can control the pool environment. You can see, you can teach, you can walk you can stand," said Pellizzari.
Town Council voted 5-0 in favor of moving forward with the next step of planning for a community pool. They will now crunch numbers and see if a pool fits in with the budget.
...Mayor Bob Lewis says it will be months before the town officially decides whether they will build the pool.
Mayor Bob Lewis wants town council members to consider using $2,500 to draw up plans that could double the size of the existing boardwalk.
"My concept would be to have multi-layered types of decking," said Lewis. "Maybe a children's area where we might build a wooden pirate ship and play area for children. This might be a feature that brings year round visitors."
Lewis says the plan would not use tax payer dollars. Instead, the town wants to use $1.2 million of leftover grant money from the NC Aquarium Pier Project, which was never built. The town would first have to get clearance from state legislators.
Lewis is confident that if plans are drawn first, then the town can get private investors on board in addition to using state grant money.
"The idea here is, can we replace it with something that is really spectacular and can be a focal point in the community," said Lewis.
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