The grants have been awarded to:

 

-- Town of Swansboro received $35,250 to install a canoe/kayak launch, gangway, concrete walkway to parking, and a 45-foot boardwalk extension.

 

-- Town of Kitty Hawk received $52,941 for the installation of 16 paved parking spaces and associated improvements at an existing beach access.

 

-- Town of Atlantic Beach received $66,532 to replace and construct an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant walkway and dune crossover.

 

-- City of Washington received $120,000 for the construction of a pier.

 

-- Town of Oriental received $47,250 to construct restrooms at the South Avenue Boat House Project.

 

-- Town of Windsor received $31,500 for the construction of parking, kayak staging and a walkway.

 

-- Town of Topsail Beach received $45,391 to construct an ADA-compliant dune crossover.

 

-- Town of Morehead City received $200,000 for the construction of an open pavilion at an existing waterfront park.

 

 

The division’s Public Beach and Coastal Waterfront Access program provides matching funds to local governments in the 20 coastal counties. Governments that receive grants must match them by contributing at least 25 percent toward the project’s cost.

 

Funding for the grant program comes from the North Carolina General Assembly through the state’s Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, according to a statement from the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Access projects may include walkways, dune crossovers, restrooms, parking areas, piers and related facilities. 

 

The grant program has provided more than $37 million for more than 300 public waterfront access sites since the program began in 1981.