Watching and waiting: Sales of Freeman Park passes continue as Carolina Beach plays chicken with Mother Nature

CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. (WECT) - Two months into the summer season, and beach-goers hoping to utilize Freeman Park on the north end of Carolina Beach are at the mercy of the tides and currents flowing along the island’s northern inlet.

Erosion at the inlet has limited the park’s capacity — leading to frequent closures and limitations, including over the high volume weekend surrounding the Fourth of July — and in recent weeks has prompted questioning by Carolina Beach residents on social media.

However, while the town temporarily suspended sales of daily vehicle passes for the park, the sale of annual permits that cost $200 each has continued throughout the last several weeks.

Having an annual permit does not guarantee a spot on the sand, and frequently over the Fourth of July holiday the park would fill up before noon.

Still, from June 27th through July 14th, Carolina Beach sold 159 annual permits — $31,800 in revenue — along with a handful of camping passes.

That revenue is part of the general fund, meaning it isn’t earmarked for any specific purpose.

Carolina Beach budgeted $983,868 for beach maintenance in 2019, but the work and solutions that might work in front of the boardwalk cannot be as easily applied to Freeman Park.

Planning Director Jeremy Hardison explained the park is not part of the town’s agreement with the Division of Coastal Management (DCM) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), meaning it is not part of the regular beach re-nourishment program.

“Nourishment is utilized for storm damage reduction to maintain the beach/dune systems in areas where they are vital to protect development and associated infrastructure,” he said by email Friday. “Given the lack of both of those entities on Freeman Park, it does not have the same need nor remotely optimal conditions for successful nourishment to take place.”

Hardison said his team and other town officials are looking at what long-term solutions might be possible, but for now they are just monitoring the situation.

He said they hope conditions will improve, but in the meantime they will keep the park open at the existing restricted levels.

Additionally, he said, there are currently no plans to reduce sales of passes and permits in 2020.

“It is too early to say if there will be any drastic changes for 2020, but as of now passes will still be sold and beachgoers will be given the opportunity to utilize Freeman Park in a safe manner.”

According to records obtained by WECT, sales so far this summer peaked around Memorial Day for both annual permits and daily passes, before the space issues became apparent.

In a phone call Friday afternoon, Mayor Joe Benson said he thinks some of those posting on social media are ill-informed, and that the town is focused on safety, not revenue.

“People need to understand, it’s a dynamic situation,” he said.

He said he stands behind the town staff’s determination to limit where vehicles can go, and behind the intermittent closures and restrictions.

Benson also pointed out that even if the town wanted to consider re-nourishing the beach, they’d have to go through the USACE, which would have to get an entirely new state permit for the park.

He suggested beach-goers take advantage of Freeman Park by foot, as the far end of the island is still accessible to pedestrians.

The following restrictions will be in place until further notice:

Until further notice, the following limitations have been set:

• Only the following vehicles will be allowed into the park:
• Camping will be limited to designated spaces south of the closure area. Campers with reservations are urged to call 1-866-330-7275 to verify continued availability.
• No vehicles are allowed past marked closures. Anyone driving past a designated closure will be issued a citation. Visitors of the park may still walk past closure points.
• No vehicle shall operate or park in the tidal zone (wet sand area).
• Lifeguards will only patrol areas of Freeman Park where vehicles are allowed.
• Intermittent closures are anticipated to occur due to limited beach area and level of patron use.
• Pending increased tidal surges, access to Freeman Park may result in additional restrictions and closures.

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