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Eleven members of the Restoration Advisory Board met for the first time Thursday, April 10 at the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club in Buxton.

The board was organized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, after a public survey supported its formation.

Army Corps Colonel Ron Sturgeon welcomed the board and recognized the work of the Buxton Civic Association and Dare County and the Corps’ partnership with the National Parks Service. Sturgeon’s charge to the board was to work collaboratively and accomplish shared goals.

Brian Harris, co-vice president of the Buxton Civic Association, was elected co-chair of the board. He joins Sheridan Gayle Fajardo Garland, who is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers co-chair to lead the effort.

Garland gave a brief update about the Corps ongoing restoration work. The remediation effort carried out late last fall removed 98,829 gallons of contaminated groundwater, 278,000 pounds of concrete, 1,800 feet of pipe, and 1,000 feet of other metallic debris, such as cables and wires.

The Army Corps plans to test soil and groundwater on the 50-acre property to identify petroleum and other contaminants.

Asked who addresses the contaminants other than petroleum, Garland responded that a National Archives search is underway to determine which of the two government units, U.S. Navy or the U.S. Coast Guard, are responsible. “We’re not sure,” she said. The Formerly Used Defense Sites program is only responsible for contamination prior to 1986, she reported.

She had no timeline as to when the expedited Archive report would be ready.

The U.S. Navy used the site from 1956 to 1982 under a special use permit from the National Park Service. In 1982, the U.S. Coast Guard moved in. The property was returned to the Park Service in 2010.

David Hallac, superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, reported that the U.S. Coast Guard has completed a Site Investigation Report. The report lists the results of soil and groundwater testing of seven specific or types of other contaminants. The report used industrial standards to report results.

The board agreed to ask the U.S. Coast Guard to attend its next quarterly meeting, July 17, 2025.

However, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, media release states: “While the board did agree to invite the Coast Guard to the next meeting, the RAB [Restoration Advisory Board] is intended to address petroleum contamination related to the FUDS [Formerly Used Defense Sites] program,” said Sara Keisler, Savannah District FUDS Program manager. “A public meeting would be the appropriate forum to collectively talk about all contamination present at the site. The Corps of Engineers will discuss with the stakeholders and the Coast Guard to determine if a public meeting is warranted.”

In response to a question, an announcement was made that a meeting will be held this week on opening the Buxton Beach.

An audience member said restoring the beach goes hand-in-hand with restoration of the groins. Dare County commissioner Mary Ellon Ballance responded that things seem to be moving in the direction of groin restoration.

Hallac thanked Colonel Sturgeon for his work in organizing the advisory board.

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