HOLDEN BEACH, N.C. (WECT) – The future of the Holden Beach fishing pier has been uncertain for several years, but since the town introduced demolition as an option it’s causing controversy.

The pier has been closed due to safety concerns since the town purchased it for $3.3 million in 2022.

Many people in the town say they miss having the camaraderie.

“The pier was one of my staple pieces in this town,” Jessi Viox said. “I loved walking, fishing and using the amenities of it, and then it got shut down.”

Mayor Pro Tem Tom Myers says the town failed to conduct an underwater inspection prior to purchasing the pier. When the town bought the pier, he says the town expected repairs to cost between $100,000 and $150,000. After the inspection, however, Myers says the estimated price rose to $750,000.

“Time for a sanity check here, what are we really getting into? How much is it going to cost?” Myers said. “That was a wake-up call.”

Myers says there are now three options for what can happen next to the pier: replacement, repair, or demolition.

The town introduced demolition as an option at last month’s commissioner’s meeting. Myers says the town believes tearing the pier down could be a more cost-effective option.

“We’ve got a fiduciary responsibility to the money. You know, it’s like we can’t bankrupt the town trying to chase this,” Myers said.

Myers says the town has a tight budget and believes the money that could be spent fixing the pier could go to other projects.

“We’ve got a lot of other competing priorities that arguably are much more important. We need to do beach nourishment, we have to protect the sand we’ve got on the beach,” Myers said.

Keith Smith is involved with the non-profit, Holden Beach Community Alliance. He says the group was formed because a group of residents were concerned that the history and heritage of the island were not being preserved.

“The pier was kind of a galvanizing issue for us,” Smith said.

The non-profit, he says, is rallying against the demolition of the pier until there is a fully-funded plan to replace or repair it.

”We don’t want anything unsafe,” Smith said. “It really comes down to preserving the history and heritage of the island and the pier, versus people who have come in here from some other place, and they don’t see the value,” Smith said.

Viox says she wants someone to take action, no matter what the resolution may be.

“Do something now. Instead of waiting until it’s too late to repair,” she said. “Just get it done.”

A public information session will be held on February 29 at 5:00 p.m. at the town hall. According to town leaders, a bond referendum could be an option, which would then go to a vote.

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