BUSINESS BRIEFS

business briefs COMPILED BY CATHERINE KOZAK

Changes Loom for The Marketplace

Plans for a Marshalls department store at The Marketplace strip mall in Southern Shores were presented to the town planning board this past July. The proposed 24,000-square-foot site would be built adjacent to the existing CVS Pharmacy, and would include plans to demolish and reconfigure a wing of the center’s existing shops, according to The Southern Shores Beacon.

The applicant, Southern Shores Owner LLC, is proposing to build a “junior box” Marshalls as well as another unnamed 6,000-square-foot retail outlet in that space.

Dare’s Number-Cruncher Adds Up

Finance department awards aren’t often noted by the general public, but Dare County’s Finance Director David Clawson deserves a round of applause after his department recently won the government finance version of the Pulitzer – for the 30th year in a row.

This past August, a Dare County press release announced that its finance department has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting – the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financials – for its annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2020.

The Government Finance Officers Association created the honor in 1945 in order to encourage local governments to translate important financial data into reports that anyone could understand. “This is an amazing accomplishment that highlights the ongoing dedication that David and his staff display year after year,” said Dare County Board of Commissioners Chair Bob Woodard.

Immersed in Currituck’s Maritime Heritage

A new self-interpretive museum featuring local vintage boats and photographs opened in July at Historic Corolla Park. Located near the Currituck Beach Lighthouse and the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, the 10,000-square-foot Currituck Maritime Museum highlights the county’s heritage through the stories of people who have lived and worked around its vast sound and ocean waters. The focus of its exhibits includes restored boats, fishing, lifesaving stations, lighthouses, the boat-building industry, decoy carving and weather, according to their website.

The free museum, which also offers hands-on exhibits, demonstrations and educational programs, is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Real Estate market snapshot

According to the June 2021 MLS Statistical Report from the Outer Banks Association of Realtors, overall sales in 2021 are up by 97% so far. Compared to 2020, residential unit sales increased 68%, from 1,016 units to 1,875. Lot and land sales also jumped by 170%, from 179 units in 2020 to 484 in 2021.

Familiar Name to Lead Charitable Foundation

Chris Sawin, who has served as executive director of the Dare County Arts Council since 2012, has accepted a new post as president and chief executive officer of the Outer Banks Community Foundation.

Organized in 1982 to meet local needs on the Outer Banks, the foundation is a funding source that reaches all community service organizations on the barrier islands, including the arts, education, health, human services, the environment and historic preservation.

Sawin started work with the foundation August 1. He succeeds Lorelei Costa, who left the post in March to lead the Virginia-based Suffolk Center for the Cultural Arts.

In a Dare County Arts Council press release, Sawin was credited with creating new events and programs, connecting with more underserved areas, and establishing the council’s financial stability. Jessica Sands, the Arts Council’s former program director, will succeed Sawin as the council’s new executive director.

Inventory continues to be historically low as well, with residential inventory down 57% in comparison with last year – from 975 units to 424 units – and lot/land inventory plummeting 85%, from 722 units to 590 units.

Funds Awarded for Black History Film

Efforts to expand knowledge of black history on the Outer Banks got a boost recently with a $30,000 grant for the nonprofit Pea Island Preservation Society from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The funds will go towards the production of a documentary about black surfmen at the Pea Island Lifesaving Station – the only all-black lifesaving station in the nation – while also telling the unique story of the interconnected black and white communities on the Outer Banks.

The Pea Island Preservation Society has enlightened the Outer Banks community as well as visitors about the once seldom-told history of the Pea Island station and the important contributions of black people to the culture and the economy of the Outer Banks. According to a press release, the society is still working out details involving the film, but it has two years to produce the documentary.

In the meantime, the Pea Island Preservation Society conducts a free live educational program called, “Freedmen, Surfmen, Heroes,” at area schools and other public facilities. The group also operates both the Cookhouse Museum and the Herbert C. Collins Boathouse in Manteo, and it recently hosted an inaugural Juneteeth celebration on Roanoke Island.

New Event Center Proposed for The Soundside

A conceptual plan for a 48,000-square-foot center at The Soundside event site in Nags Head has earned preliminary plaudits from Dare County officials. The proposed $17.6 million facility, which would include a 26,000-square-foot event hall, a 1,500-square-foot meeting room and a 2,800-square-foot catering kitchen, would be designed for flexible uses, such as concerts, music events and tournaments, while maintaining green space.

The Dare County Tourism Board gave its nod for the concept in July and the Dare County Board of Commissioners did the same at its August 2 meeting. Additional actions from the town of Nags Head and permits from the state will be required in order for the concept to move forward.