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LATEST OAK ISLAND NEWS Friday, December 14, 2007- Have you read the banner headlines about Yaupon Pier on Oak Island? Well, Yaupon Pier had the highest number of king mackerel caught in 2007 on the East Coast? That was 244 kings! Have you also read that Yaupon Pier has had several developers making offers to purchase the pier as part of larger land acquisitions, but their deals fell through. The town of Oak Island had a chance to buy the pier but was voted down by the Council because the $2.2 million would deplete the Town's funds by a large percentage, limiting preparations for hurricane season. Finally, the Raleigh-based Mainstay Building and Development, Inc., bought a group of properties recently, including Yaupon Pier, for $57.5 million, according to court documents. Now, questions are heating up about the long-term fate of the pier. Some officials say that the chances are slim that a developer will purchase the pier only to tear it down to make way for condos. As it stands now, the legal receiver of the property decided to scale back operations of the pier to three days a week and to close the adjacent Latitudes Restaurant. According to ocean hazard setback rules, options for building on the pier property are limited and do not include residential development, said Steve Everhart, Wilmington district manager for the NC Division of Coastal Management. The land there at Yaupon Pier is eroding two and a half times faster than it was at the Long Beach Pier, and there is no setback room on the pier site for condos. The town of Oak Island has the option to take out a conservation easement on the pier, protecting it from being torn down for development. Meanwhile, on the pier itself, people are still fishing, still strolling down to look at the sunrises and sunsets across Oak Island. Doug Westbrook, manager of the pier, said that he will wait to see what happens, saying that reduced hours are better than closing. Yaupon Pier was first built in 1955, then rebuilt in 1972 and again in 1992. It stands at 27 feet above sea level and is the tallest pier in North Carolina. Most noteable fish caught there have been the 50 lb. king in 1998, 47 lb. African pompano, 83 lb. tarpon, 37 lb. Jack Crevalle, 16 lb. sheepshead, and a state record of a 1,150 lb. tiger shark caught in 1966 by Walter Maxwell. So, keep an eye out for news about Yaupon Pier, FISHING news, that is! It's still here, and we expect it to be here next year and for years to come! |
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