Business slow after Oak Island Pier condemned

OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) — Business at the Oak Island Pier is significantly lower after the pier was condemned in March due to damage from Hurricane Matthew.

The Oak Island Pier operator still runs a shop at the pier while the town works with engineers to re-build it.

The shop would normally be open seven days a week from early in the morning until the evening, but that is no longer the case. The shop is only open Wednesday through Friday with shorter hours.

Samuel Hicks lives nearby and said he has seen a dramatic decrease in business.

“You can tell it’s went down,” Hicks said. “I don’t know what percentage, but it’s really, really bad and I don’t understand it. You know, after Hurricane Matthew, they kept it open for like five months and then, right before Tommy was about to open, they said it was unsafe.”

Mayor Cin Brochure said the engineers are working on a design now and hope to have crews start building in September. The mayor said they hope to have the pier operational by summer 2018.

Brochure said it could cost anywhere from $1.5 to $2 million. She said they are still waiting to hear back from FEMA on how much they will get to help with the cost.