Save Yaupon Pier

SAVE THE YAUPON PIER

The Town of Oak Island is trying to secure the Yaupon Pier and ensure that it will be there for future generations to enjoy and be introduced to the wonders of the North Carolina Coast. The town has set up a trust fund to secure the pier to donate to the fund send your checks to the address below :

Make it out to: "Town of Oak Island Pier Trust Fund"

Town of Oak Island Pier Trust Fund
4601 E. Oak Island Drive
Oak Island, NC 28465

The number North Carolina Piers have been in a steady decline since the mid 80's. We are down to twenty piers left and the future of many of those are in doubt. Now is the time for everyone that appreciates the beauty, excitement and relaxation of the North Carolina Coast to make the statement to elected officials, real estate developers and other who would eliminate the rich history of coastal North Carolina that "WE WILL NOT GO QUIETLY IN THE NIGHT" and that "WE WILL NOT BECOME THE NEXT MYRTLE BEACH" and that if you are going to take our beaches you are going to have to "PRY THE SAND FLEA RAKE FROM OUR COLD DEAD HANDS" (just kidding). Please do not miss the opportunity to help save public access. What Oak Island is doing might serve as an example to help other communities save public access. Help stop the

privatization of the NC Coast - Roadkillal

Looking out at the Oak Island Iighthouse you get a feeling of the wonderful hisotry of this pier. It was the first pier built on Oak Island in 1955 and it was the same year that the towns of Yaupon and Long Beach were incorporated. It was one year after hurricane Hazel nearly wiped out the island and one of the few attractions that brought tourists back. Long Beach Pier was built the following year and Ocean Crest Pier came along in the 1960s. Long Beach Pier was taken down in 2005 for oceanfront housing and the land is still vacant.

As Doug Westbrook gives Tyler Childers the first place check for the 2007 fall tournament it is hard not to think of how productive the Oak Island piers have been over the years. Last year alone they decked over 400 king mackerels with Yaupon leading every pier in the state with 244.

Roadkillal's Chronological's History of the Yaupon Pier

Yaupon Pier

- 1955 - The pier opens one year after Hurricane Hazel rolls over most of coastal North Carolina

- 1955 - The towns of Yaupon and Long Beach are incorporated.

- 1956 - The Long Beach Pier is built on Oak Island.

- 1966 - A 1150 pound Tiger Shark was caught by Water Maxwell on the Yaupon Pier

- 1968 - Ocean Crest Pier becomes the 3rd pier on Oak Island

- 1972 - The pier was rebuilt

- 1975 - A 38 pound Jack Crevalle was decked

- 1992 - The pier was completely rebuilt after Hugo took it out 3 years earlier

- 1998 - A 47 pound African Pompano was caught on Yaupon

- 1999 - The Town of Oak Island is formed by merging the towns of Yaupon and Long Beach

- 2005 - The Long Beach Pier is sold and torn down for oceanfront housing - The land is still vacant

- 2007 - In Early October it was announced that the Yaupon Pier would be one of several Oak Island properties offered for in hopes to prevent them going to auction.

- 2007 Mid October, Mayor John Vereen asks Judge Jolly to sell the pier property to the city separate from the rest of the properties, Vereen hopes to make sure the pier remains.

- 2007 October 16^th Judge Jolly awards Yaupon Pier and the rest of the properties to Mainstay Developers out of Raleigh for $57 Million Dollars

- 2007 October 27^th – Mainstay declines to buy the pier opening it up once again to be obtained by the town.

- 2007 November 9^th – The Mayor commits the town to buy the pier. The plan calls for the pier and the restaurant to be leased to private individuals to operate

- 2007 November 14^th – The city council votes 3-2 not to purchase the pier

- 2007 Mid November Operations of the pier are reduced to weekends in an effort to cut expenses. The pier finishes the season with 244 Kings decked the most this year on the coast

- November 21^st – Financing for the pier is secured by the town but no one changes their vote and pier goes back on the market

- November 27^th State Representative Bonner Stiller is seeking grant money to purchase the pier for the town of Oak Island the pier would follow Vereen’s Plan of leasing it out and paying back the cost of obtaining the pier.

- December 11 the town creates the "Town of Oak Island Pier Trust Fund"

- February 2008 - The bank announces plans on selling the pier at Auction

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