St. James residents urged to respond to survey on reuse water for irrigation

Brunswick County officials and consultants from Hazen and Sawyer are urging St. James residents to complete a survey regarding potential use of reclaimed water for residential irrigation purposes by the Wednesday, February 19 deadline.

 

Reclaimed water is currently used for irrigation on golf courses in St. James Plantation, and county officials have begun looking at the possibility of offering it for irrigation on residential lawns as well. Doing so would reduce demand on the county’s potable water supply, especially in the visitor- and irrigation-heavy summer months, and would help postpone the need for expansion of the water system. Residents would be charged a lower rate for the reclaimed water than the rate charged for potable water used for irrigation.

 

But before the design process proceeds, county officials want to know if residents are interested in the reclaimed water for irrigation. The responses will let county officials know if they should proceed with the project and, if so, will help give a better idea of what rates would be.

“We would encourage each property owner to submit a response to the survey to indicate his or her willingness—or unwillingness—to connect to an irrigation system using reclaimed water,” said Brunswick County Public Utilities director Jerry Pierce. “The results of the survey will be provided to the board of commissioners so they can make an informed decision about whether to move forward with the project.”

“It is really important that we hear back from as many residents as possible so that we can determine if residential reuse is economically feasible,” said Patricia Drummey Stiegel, senior principal engineer with Hazen and Sawyer. “We will incorporate information from the survey into our model to determine system phasing and sizing. We hope residents will let us know what they think, even if they are undecided about reuse at their homes.

“We hope residents take this opportunity to learn more about water reuse in general and the potential for reuse in St. James in particular,” she added.

“Water reuse is commonly practiced around the U.S. and is an important part of a community’s long-term water supply portfolio,” added Ben Stanford, director of applied research with Hazen and Sawyer. “We feel confident that effluent reuse at St. James provides a safe, sustainable way to minimize demand on the drinking water system while preserving a resource for use in the community.”

Residents can access the survey at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1497464/St-James-Effluent-Reuse-Survey-1. The survey will only be available until Wednesday, February 19.

Fact sheets about the potential project, slides shown during two community meetings in St. James and a summary of questions asked at those meetings are all on Brunswick County’s website under the Utilities page.

The Reclaimed Water Study Committee Report, completed by a committee of St. James residents and presented to the St. James Town Council last week, is available on the Town of St. James’ website.

The survey is open to all St. James residents, though officials are requesting one response per household.

State Port Pilot Article

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
(910) 523-0903 mobileEmail Mewww.KenKeegan.com Click here for more information on Brunswick, County Real Estate St. James Plantation

Hearing set Friday on coastal insurance rate hike of 35-percent; 25-percent overall

As local government units line up in opposition, the state is gearing up for its first-ever public hearing on an industry proposal to raise standard homeowners insurance rates by 35-percent in coastal southeastern North Carolina and 25.3-percent overall.

 

The hearing on the proposal is set for the Dobbs Building in Raleigh from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, January 24. E-mail comments will be accepted through January 31 at 2014homeowners@ncdoi.gov.

 

Brunswick County and the municipalities of Caswell Beach, Oak Island, Bald Head Island, Boiling Spring Lakes and St. James have all passed resolutions opposing any increase. The resolution points out there have been five rate increases since 2002.

“Homeowners in coastal communities already pay … premiums two to three times the rate charged for the same type of homeowners policies (fire, theft) of inland properties, in addition to having separate flood, as well as wind and hail policies,” the resolution states.

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Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
(910) 523-0903 mobileEmail Mewww.KenKeegan.com Click here for more information on Brunswick, County Real Estate St. James Plantation

Home sales in Wilmington area higher than previous year for fifth month in a row!

Has Wilmington finally turned the corner on the housing slump?
Home sales climbed last month for the fifth straight month compared with year-earlier levels.
“It’s giving us a positive momentum that we are coming out of it,” said Mary Martin, president of the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors.

Sales last month totaled 266, down from December’s level, but up from a paltry 197 in January 2009, home sales were reflecting the mood of the country following the financial meltdown,
Last month’s figures, however, are “telling us that we’re slowly coming out of this,” Martin said Friday.

There is more than one reason for the improved sales, Martin said. One has to do with price.
The average price of a home sold in January was $214,571, according to WRAR data. Though down from a year earlier as well as from December, average prices have been hovering near $225,000 for several months.

The average median price of a home sold in January – median being the point where half of homes sold for more and half for less – was $180,000, down from $195,000 a year earlier, but up from December’s $175,000.

Martin didn’t see the decrease as a negative, because it has moved in a narrow range for months.

But it does show that the most sales are still happening in the starter market of $140,000 to $160,000, she said.

“The sellers are really understanding the market now,” Martin said. “In early 2009 they still were not accepting what the market was. Now we are finding that they are, pricing their homes more realistically.”

Another reason for the sales increase is the government’s tax credit for home buyers.
“I think the tax credits have helped,” Martin said. “They weren’t sure it was going to be extended.”

There was a period when people didn’t know whether it was going to extended, Martin said and might have brought sales down in November.

The extension is starting to show up in sales, she said.

Under the tax-credit extension for first-time buyers, a home must be under contract by the end of April, Martin said.

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Ken Keegan
Real Estate Broker
(910) 523-0903 mobile
kenkeegan@seacoastrealty.com
www.KenKeegan.com