Phase one is the most recent phase completed at the marina earlier this year. Phase one repairs were to the northwest side of the marina and included the removal of transient docking and replacement of half of the western bulkhead.

Phase two is currently underway on the remaining west side and consists of removing boat slips and relocating charter boats to the southern bulkhead. It also includes demolition of the remaining western bulkhead and replacement of the bulkhead to match what was built during phase one.

Parvin said phase two is estimated to be finished by the end of the year.

Federal Emergency Management Agency covered the entire costs of phase one of the repairs, which totaled about $860,000, according to a June 12 council meeting.

Parvin said he is not sure of the total cost of the second phase or third phase of repairs, which includes construction on the marina's south side.

“Once we finished the west side, we will go to the mayor and council and say we are interested in moving forward with the project,” Parvin said. “We want to do the south side next, last would be the east side.”

Repairs to Carolina Beach Town Marina started soon after Hurricane Matthew passed through North Carolina in 2016. Parvin said they had the bulkhead examined in 2015 and it was determined that the bulkhead was near the end of its lifespan.

When the southwest corner of the marina was damaged by the hurricane, the town began the repairs.

Parvin said one goal of the repairs is to have a more durable steel construction.

“What we are trying to do is redo the bulkhead, so we don’t have to go back and retouch it in 30, 40, maybe 50 years,” Parvin said. “The investment in that infrastructure that is there is so much more durable, cleaner and nicer. Not only is it going to look better, it’s going to last longer.”

A big part of Carolina Beach is providing accessibility for everyone, Parvin said. The marina will have accessible ramps and will be closer to the boats to make it easier to navigate through and get on the boats.

The goal for the repaired marina is for it to have the same design as the Carolina Beach boardwalk, he said.

“It’s the same thing we did with our boardwalk. We will probably have the same style of benches with the same look and feel,” Parvin said.

Town officials have been meeting with the town's Harbor Commission and have been talking to boat captains about what types of amenities they would like added to the marina.

“One thing everyone wants to see is camera system, they are not out there 24/7 so they want more security for their charter boats,” Parvin said. “We’ve added a concrete walkway and we want to continue that theme all the way around. They have areas where they hang the fish -- they want to keep that -- so we will be rebuilding those.”

Dave Tilley, captain of the charter boat Wild Rover III and Chairman of the Harbor Commission, said some of the boat captains want cameras for both security and to be made available for public access.

Tilley said the marina repairs will have an impact on charter boat operators in Carolina Beach.

“Number one, I think it’s going to give us more slips and modernize our fleet, and a lot more people will come to the area to fish,” Tilley said.

Parvin said they don’t have finalized plans on the number of slips that will be built. He said that would be determined by the council and input from captains on how much space they want to keep for day-boater docks and whether they build slips for smaller charter boats.

The town had 30 slips before the repairs, Parvin said.

Tilley’s charter boat location was moved to the south side of the marina as repairs are underway on the west side.

While phase two is finishing up on the west side, the expected completion date for the whole marina is not set, Parvin said.

“It depends on how fast council wants to move forward, and it’s going to cost money,” Parvin said.

The best-case scenario finishing date for the project would be 2022, with the last phase of construction on the east side starting in fall 2021.

Part of the reason for the uncertain dates is the permitting process, said Parvin. They are getting permits through the state and the federal government in phases.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers usually takes the longest to approve a permit, from six months to one year, Parvin said.

Tilley said that while charter boat captains would like the project to be completed earlier, they understand that there is no way around the extended timeline because of the scope of the project.

“Once they are done with it, it will have a large economic impact,” Tilley said. “I think the economic impact would just go with its modernization and adding more nicer boats, and that will bring more blood into the harbor and bring more people to go fishing at Carolina Beach.”