A quick fix for landlocked homes

Nags Head has come up with a short-term fix for Seagull Drive, which has put a spotlight on the severe erosion that plagues the shoreline as the town tries to make a case for its $36 million beach nourishment project.

What was left of the oceanfront stretch of the South Nags Head road was obliterated during the November Veteran’s week storm, or Nor’ida, leaving a row of houses inaccessible.

The town plans to put down gravel to create a passable road, but it might not last more than a season.

A state disaster declaration granted by Gov. Bev Perdue last month will provide the bulk of the funding for the $16,000 project. The declaration authorizes the state to pay for 75 percent of the costs for damages related to the storm, which spun off the mid-Atlantic from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida. The town’s match will be $4,000.

The inaccessible cottages are on the second row from the oceanfront and are essentially landlocked, said Public Works Director Dave Clark. The first row consists of condemned houses in various states of disrepair skirting the surf zone. The town has taken legal action to get rid of houses like them on the public beach. The Seagull right-of-way runs parallel to the beach between the two rows, and the road was the only access to the houses on either side.

Commissioners were assured Wednesday that the fix will not change the status of the condemned homes as nuisance structures.

The state money will also cover the expenses for work that includes replacing steps and sand at beach accesses, fixing water lines and removing debris, said Roberta Thuman, the town’s public information officer. Work covered by the declaration amounts to about $350,000.

Clark suggested putting down gravel in the old right of way because of problems getting an easement that would allow a new road to provide access behind the inhabitable houses.

But Mayor Bob Oakes objected to the idea because once the condemned oceanfront houses and sandbags around them are removed, Seagull Drive will be left unprotected from the surf and the next big storm.

Other commissioners said that they thought a temporary road was a worthwhile investment if it allowed the seven homes to remain tax- and income-generating properties for at least another season.

Clark told the Board of Commissioners Wednesday night that some of the access work had been done in-house to keep the town ahead of the approaching tourist season. But Oakes suggest that the town could find some deals by considering contractors who are looking for work.

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