Why It won't work to just Buy the homes that are on the beach

There have been a couple of times lately when I have responded to a comment on Eye on Dare, and my comment never shows up. That's a little frustrating, but it's not my space, so I can't really complain.

But some recent posts have suggested that we buy the homes that are currently on the beach, and when my response wasn't printed - well, I guess you always win an argument if you only show one side. There's also the anonymous person who says I'm a swindler, and they won't shop in Nags Head anymore, or buy anything from a business owner that supports beach nourishment. Too bad they don't have the courage to put their name out there.

So I've restarted this blog, after a long rest. These are my opinions and thoughts, not the Town of Nags Head or any of my partners. I hope to use this blog as a tool to work on two current committees, the Beach Road committee and the Beach Plan committee, and I'll be posting notes from recent meetings to stir discussion here.

Anyway, here's my response to buying and moving the homes currently on the beach:

It's not about the houses that are on the beach right now. There's no doubt we could buy the homes that are on the public beach right now.

But follow this method of dealing with erosion for the next 50 years, and where do you end up? At the beach road, just like in Kitty Hawk, with no oceanfront homes to generate the tax dollars that feed

Nags Head is just first in line to address the biggest short and long term problem for the whole county, erosion. As a community, we've wallowed at a crossroads for the past 20 years. I hope we can make a choice now on a consistent and effective way to minimize the damage from erosion.

As far as being a swindle, well, in a swindle, you don't know what's happening. In the erosion issue, there's so much information it's overwhelming.Start with the EIS on the Town website, www.townofnagshead.net. This has been an open discussion all the way through. Shucks, Ray posted my draft plan on Eye on Dare before I gave it to my Board. Just because there is disagreement doesn't have to mean there can't be a polite and public discussion. I don't think anonymity encourages politeness, so if you would like your comment posted, please offer your name. Yes, I'll post all of them, even the ones that disagree. I think you frequently learn the most from the folks that honestly disagree, and you learn their assumptions, and question your own premises. It's healthy.

Bob O