DATE: Wednesday, July 23, 1997              TAG: 9707230604

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CURRITUCK                         LENGTH:   46 lines

PERMIT SYSTEM FOR BEACHES UNDER STUDY IN CURRITUCK

With traffic on its northern beaches increasing dramatically, the Currituck County Board of Commissioners is exploring a permitting system for county residents and north beach property owners.

The five-member governing board may also tighten restrictions on beach bonfires.

Currituck County Commissioner Ernie Bowden brought both concerns to the table at Monday's board meeting.

Bowden said tourism growth on the northern beaches demands a review of county ordinances dealing with vehicles on the beach.

``I feel this ordinance in the past six to eight years has become outdated. We need to probably set up a public hearing to get input from the public.''

Bowden said that any permit system should include residents of the Currituck mainland.

``They live here, and they ought to be able to use their own beaches,'' Bowden said. ``They shouldn't be forced to go to Virginia Beach or Dare County when they have 25 miles of the most beautiful beaches in the state in their own county.''

A number of permanent residents in communities such as Carova Beach have difficulty during the summer reaching their homes because of traffic on the isolated beaches.

``The only answer is to try to limit the number of people on the beach,'' said Lt. Ken Kuykendall of the Currituck County Sheriff's Office.

One possibility is to control access. But Corolla Fire and Rescue Chief Marshall Cherry said state environmental laws, particularly the Coastal Area Management Act, may limit the county's choices.Commissioners instructed County Manager Bill Richardson and staff to seek the public's ideas on possible solutions.

Another concern is abuse of county restrictions of bonfires on the beach. Now, only commercial fishermen can build bonfires to stay warm.

But county officials say that some commercial anglers are circumventing the law, building fires to throw beach parties instead of fishing.

Bowden provided commissioners with a photograph of remnants left after a beach fire. At the scene were a number of beer cans, wine bottles, nails, siding and other trash.

Tommy Bowden, a Currituck County resident, said removing the commercial fishing exception would penalize law-abiding citizens. He suggested a restriction on the number of people in a fishing crew.

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