18 Seconds more ... could mean Life or Death

Changing a posted speed limit in a town or neighborhood can be a contentious matter. A real hot potato type issue. These days the emphasis always seems to be about faster, faster, faster! So when the public seeks to slow things down and reduce the speed it is worth noting... it is even worth listening.

On October 10, 2013  in Wrightsville Beach Town Hall Chambers, there was be a Public Hearing about the idea of reducing the speed limit along West Salisbury Street from 45 to 35 mph.

The citizens registered their opinion loud and clear,

"Reduce the Speed, Make it consistent, Make It Safe"!

The NC-DOT even recommended this change NOW! Not Later, Not after further studies, but NOW!

This is driven by safety. The statistics, that Vehicle Speed Kills pedestrians and bicyclists, are well established. AAA, NTSB, CDC and many other organizations all have had a hand in evaluating reducing the risk of Severe Injury and Death due to collisions with vehicles is the goal. Make it Safe!

The increased travel time due to this speed limit reduction is 18 to 20 seconds, that is a moot point.

The good news is the motion to reduce the speed was passed by the Board.

Hopefully, this change will make it easier and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to use this corridor and to cross Salisbury Street.

BTW... it is NC State Law to stop in both directions for people in designated crosswalks. Just like we need to do for a stopped school bus.

Thanks for reading and please have a safe walk, jog or ride at Wrightsville Beach.

Liz

OOPS! ... note this important change to our last post

 With reference to our last post about the Biggert- Waters National Flood Insurance Reform Bill 2012

Storm Erosion

Please use this email contact for sending your flood insurance email to Senator Burr.

Christopher_Toppings@Burr.Senate.Gov

Sorry, my bad, Noah

Urgent Issue Regarding National Flood Insurance Rates

Urgent issue regarding Flood Insurance Rates and Real Estate Values

Dear Neighbors….Property Owners living in or near flood zones,

            This is to inform you about significant changes in the National Flood Insurance Program that will have grave economic consequences to all of us with property on or near any flood-able stream, creek, river, bay, sound or ocean etc. in the United States. This is an issue of national scope. .

 There is an important action that each of you (husbands, wives, adult children) need to take to protect your financial assets including your real estate. It is important to send a short email to our North Carolina Congressional Representatives (Senators Burr and Hagan, Congressman McIntyre), seeking their support to delay implementation of the Biggert Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act 2012.

I will briefly outline the history, consequences and the simple action steps that you should take.

History- In July 2012 the President signed a Transportation Bill (HR 4348) tucked quietly into the pages of that bill is a section known as Biggert Waters. This sub-section was virtually unread by our representatives prior to approval and is only now (over 12 months later) being put under the light of scrutiny, regarding the implications that will effect our homes across the nation..

Biggert Waters – This Bill was driven by the massive financial loses in the National Flood Insurance Program experienced from Hurricanes Katrina and Super Storm Sandy. The goal is to make the program financially solvent by immediately canceling or reducing subsidies of the flood insurance premium rates. Rates will immediately jump to be on full risk premium basis for business properties, non-primary residence or upon sale of a home. Primary Residence currently insured will have a 20% jump each year until the full risk premium is reached (estimated to take 4 -5 years).

Consequences – While the goal of financial solvency is noble the implementation, which begins this coming October, will have significant consequences...our insurance premiums will jump. The amount of increase, will vary with the location of your home to the water, the amount of open water your home faces (susceptibility to wave action), the elevation above sea level and the height of your first floor.

Estimates are that some rates could be in the range of $10,000 to 30,000 per year.

This will have, not only a direct impact on our pocket books but also effect real estate values until this turmoil stabilizes in perhaps 5+ years.

Clearly the consequences of this Bill were never understood and now time is of the essence to take action. Only Congress can stop of delay this situation.

Further Biggert Waters Information- On the Town of Wrightsville Beach website TOWB.ORG at the lower right corner (homepage) you can find some presentation materials that show some examples of rate estimates and specific houses here in Wrightsville.

Actions: Please send an email to our Federal Representatives requesting a delay in the implementation of Biggert Waters until the economic implications are more clearly understood.

Congressman McIntyre - Andrew.Simpson@mail.house.gov
Senator Hagan - andrew_devlin@hagan.senate.gov
Senator Burr - matthew_dockham@Burr.senate.gov

*****Sample Text for email****: follows

Dear Senator (Burr) :

I am writing to ask for your help in mitigating the negative economic impacts The Biggert-Waters amendment (National Flood Insurance Program) to the 2012 Surface Transportation Bill will cause in my town.

By removing grandfathering provisions for existing policy holders who built their homes according to the State Building Codes in effect at the time of construction the amendment needlessly penalizes our citizens for following the law.  Furthermore by lowering the substantial improvement threshold from the historical limit of 50% to 30% those who try to meet current standards are also penalized.

All businesses are excluded from the program and even pre-FIRM, primary dwellings are not exempt from the effects of this bill.  It still allows base rates for risk classes to increase up to 20% per year.  If new flood risk maps change the risk class of a dwelling this increase would be further exacerbated.

This legislation would have a negative effect on land values, businesses, home prices and construction.

I urge you to support legislation to retain the Flood Insurance Program but to at least delay implementing the Biggert-Waters provisions until a thorough evaluation of the economic effects of its impact can be evaluated and to further modify its requirements to reduce these negative effects.

Yours truly,

John Q. Public

XX North Lumina Street,, Wrightsville Beach, NC

Thanks for reading and taking action on this matter, our personal resources and our community’s real estate value is at stake.

And a special thanks to Wrightsville Beach Alderman Bill Sisson who has been an important leader in this effort across the Town of Wrightsville Beach and across New Hanover County.

Respectfully,

Noah Bridges

A Message from the Mayor of Wrightsville Beach

Memories of Wrightsville past

The link below will take you to the Town of Wrightsville Beach Website. Specifically it takes you to the Mayor's page where he has posted a message about 2012 and some insights looking at 2013.

Also note there are 3 tabs at the bottom of his page, worth taking a look at, especially the one noting and thanking the numerous volunteers who help build our quality of life here.

http://www.towb.org/Board/MayorsPage/tabid/185/Default.aspx

Thanks for reading.   Noah

Wrightsville Beach Bridge Traffic a key issue online ...at the Chat!

For some WB citizens the premier event for this past  Thursday evening  was the online "Chat with the Chief". 

For an hour and fifteen minutes the Chief chaired a lively interaction between meeting participants both in the room and in cyberspace. 

Using the new Livestream system setup in Town Hall Chanbers, the Chief gave a short presentation covering the status of plans to improve traffic flow headed both on an off the island. An especially contentious issue raised by attendees and acknowledged by Chief House are those drivers who speed up the right hand lane and then cut into the line of waiting traffic. Clearly a road rage inducing behavior given the frustrations building over the traffic snarl that's bee with us for many months now. Great weekend weather has brought out the best of us out physically and at times the worst of us mentally. 

Traffic Cones

WBPD, working with Wilmington & NH County, Plans call for cutting down the right lane, with traffic cones, as well as officers directing traffic on both side of the bridge. There are also plans to adjust the traffic light sequence along Eastwood  road as may be needed. It must be underscored that State roads 76 & 74 are just that State roads and that means NCDOT... they are also in charge of the bridge project which is a root cause of the traffic.

The Chief took a range of question from the room and as well from email, phone-in and text-in... 

"pretty cool how this cyber- technology has quickly taken hold in the Town of Wrightsville Beach" 

Questions, many all to familiar, ranged from late night noise, littering and obnoxious behavior, to speeding, bicycling issues, using 911 and illegal drug issues and trespassing..

My personal opinion: (I was a Livestream & email participant)

• Chief Dan House, once again, proved his commitment to communicating and being accessible to the community. This brief quarterly opportunity, through the "Chat" format, is an easy and productive way to gain understanding and to have a direct impact on WBPD focus. Fell free to give your feedback directly to him dhouse@towb.org

• The use of the new electronic tools of video streaming and phone-in/text-in/email... while they may need a little tweaking, will greatly expand the possibilities of engagement across our community. (The Chief acknowledged afterwards offline that they would be looking at improvements in audio especially). 

Finally: If you need to contact the WBPD, even for a non-emergence complaint, use 911 ... if it's not an emergency... say "This is not an emergency" the dispatcher will determine if they can take the call at that moment or not. That's how the system for Wrightsville Beach is designed to work.

Till next time,thanks for reading.  Noah