Town Dock Closed By Isabel
FEMA $ should pay for repairs
September 25, 2003

Hurricane Isabel has closed the Town Dock in Oriental.

The storm surge was too much for the little wharf to bear. When the waters receded last Thursday, they left the Town Dock wavy and warped. It's enough to make all who walk on it feel like drunken sailors.

But no one can walk on it.

You could see the dock twist and turn during the storm

Monday afternoon, the town of Oriental strung yellow police tape around both ends of the Town Dock to warn pedestrians and incoming boats alike that the dock was off limits.

At an emergency town meeting Monday afternoon, Town Manager Wyatt Cutler said the town was going to get money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fix the dock. He said that could happen in the next week.

There are indications the Town Dock could require a total rebuild. Mayor Sherrill Styron says the last time the dock was built, it was a bad job. "It wasn't bolted," said the mayor, noting that that the wood was held together with "just nails."

It was suggested that the dock repairs or rebuilding be done by someone other than the last builder.

Close observers of the dock have noticed the supports running out of places to hold a nail. It buckled after this May's nor'easter. Police Chief Jim Bunn estimated the Town Dock was 7-10 years old. The need for repair -- or total renovation -- comes as the Snowbird season begins. In late September and through early November many cruisers stop in Oriental -- and at the Town Dock --- for a night or two while heading south for the winter. A number of the visitors spend money in town.

In the days since Hurricane Isabel made the Town Dock unusable, Oriental's waterfront area has been missing a key component that defines the town.

Here's to a quick replacement of the Town Dock in the next week.