Wrightsville Beach won’t raise parking fees next year

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) — It costs a lot of money to keep our beaches clean. Wrightsville Beach Town Hall held a meeting Thursday night.

One of the topics discussed, a possible parking increase.

Mayor Bill Blair says the council looked at the revenue for the past 12 months.

He says a company proposed they raise the parking fees from $3 to $4 at the beach. They decided against it and that the parking will remain $3 an hour or $17 per day.

Blair says parking fees go towards beach re-nourishment, sanitation, and all other beach services.

“People don’t understand the cost and the scope of what that is. It’s a big deal. If we didn’t have that we would have the kind of erosion that you may have seen up in the Outer Banks or North Topsail, and it keeps the beaches big, solid, and clean,” Blair said.

We’re told they’ll be setting aside more money for beach re-nourishment to ensure next year.

He says it costs millions of dollars to keep the sand clean.