Buxton FUDS’ Restoration Advisory Board members selected, first meeting next Thursday
- Corinne Saunders
- Apr 3
- 4 min read
Soil excavation work takes place in the stretch of beach closed to the public near Buxton Beach Access in Buxton on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. This area is part of the Buxton Naval Facility Formerly Used Defense Site. (Photo by Corinne Saunders)
By Corinne Saunders
BUXTON — Eleven people were selected to the Restoration Advisory Board for the Buxton Naval Facility Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS), and the board’s first meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 10, at the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club, located at 47231 Light Plant Road in Buxton.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Savannah District, announced the board members’ selection and the scheduled meeting in a Monday press release.
On Wednesday, the USACE spokesperson released the names of the board members:
Mary Ellon Ballance
Brett Barley
Sheila Davies
Alyson Flynn
Michael Gould
Betsy Gwin
Brian Harris
Meaghan Johnson
Stewart Nelson
Carla Reynolds
Lat Williams
“Restoration Advisory Boards are a means for USACE to gather input from the community and for the community to learn more about the environmental restoration activities from community members familiar with the process,” according to a USACE fact sheet on RABs.
The RAB selection panel, composed of “community members and local and state government officials,” met with Savannah District representatives on Feb. 19 to nominate board members from a list of community participants indicating their interest through survey responses, according to the press release.
“After receiving the initial slate of nominations for RAB membership, the Savannah District commander concluded the list did not fully represent the community,” the release said. “The RAB selection panel subsequently considered additional individuals and submitted a second list of nominees for RAB membership.”
The release continued, “The commander concurred with the RAB selection panel’s nominations March 25, 2025, determining that the second slate of nominees will fairly represent the diverse interests of the local community.”
The names of the RAB selection panel members were not available as of publication time.
At a community meeting held Nov. 4, 2024, at the Fessenden Center in Buxton about the FUDS situation, a USACE contractor spoke about the two options available for the community moving forward. These were to form a RAB or to have quarterly community meetings.
A Dec. 10, 2024, USACE press release noted that most of the 90 community survey respondents indicated that they would prefer a RAB.
“The preliminary survey results indicate an overwhelming desire to establish the RAB,” Col. Ron Sturgeon, USACE, Savannah District, commander, said in the December release.
In Monday’s release, Sara Keisler, USACE, Savannah District FUDS Program manager, expressed enthusiasm for next week’s meeting.
“Now that the RAB membership has been established, we can focus on the business of the RAB,” Keisler said in the release. “We’re excited for the RAB’s first meeting, and in the coming days, the USACE co-chair will coordinate with the RAB members about the first meeting that is set to take place April 10, 2025.”
Ongoing restoration
Varying lengths of beach near the Buxton Beach Access have been closed since September 2023, when coastal storms exposed potentially hazardous infrastructure and suspected petroleum-contaminated soils from the former military site.
Through a special use permit, the U.S. Navy from 1956-82 leased 25 acres of National Park Service property near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton for operating a secret submarine monitoring project. The U.S. Coast Guard then used the facilities from 1984 to 2013, before the area returned to National Park Service control.
Since December 2024, the closed area of beach measures about three-tenths of a mile, following Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s reopening of an approximately two-tenths-of-a-mile section.
USACE has awarded the following major contracts:
May 3, 2024: A $525,000 contract to SLSCO, LTD for the removal of a pipe suspected of petroleum contamination and nearby soil sampling and testing
Sept. 13, 2024: A $4.8 million contract to Baywest for petroleum-impacted soil removal; contract ends June 2025
Nov. 14, 2024: A $177,000 contract to Nicklaus Ensafe JV for comprehensive site soil and groundwater sampling; contract ends May 2026
The USACE team did a site walk-through with the National Park Service on Jan. 17, 2025, following the soil excavations, according to Monday’s USACE release.
Petroleum-impacted soil removed from the area was replaced with clean sand, and workers this spring will “seed the dunes and other disturbed areas with native plants,” the release said.
Following the awarding of the comprehensive sampling contract in November, USACE held a “kick-off meeting” on Dec. 6, 2024. The work “to determine the nature and extent of any remaining petroleum contamination, and if necessary, any additional response actions,” was scheduled to begin this spring, according to Monday’s release.
However, a formal work plan has yet to be adopted.
“The District’s FUDS team continues to review the work plan and associated documents in preparation for the field efforts,” the release said. “Currently, discussions on the project approach have led to an unanticipated delay in developing and accepting the work plan.”
The release noted that reviews and discussions are ongoing, and that the team will need to accept a work plan before field work starts.
“Once a work plan has been accepted by the team, then the plan will be reviewed by other stakeholder agencies, which could take 60-90 days before a final work plan is accepted and fieldwork can commence,” the release said.
A Feb. 10 USACE press release included the over-5,000-page final pipe removal and soil sample report from last May.
“Observations made during the investigation (odors, staining, sheen on groundwater) along with laboratory data suggest the pipe uncovered and removed is a likely source of contamination,” the report said, concluding that “further investigation is recommended at the property.”
For more information, visit the USACE Buxton FUDS webpage.
--------
Editor’s Note: This is our open-access article of the week. Did you appreciate Outer Banks Insider’s ad-free local news? We do not take advertising, meaning we rely solely on community support. Subscribe today at this link to access all our in-depth, exclusive reporting.
Comentários