By Carrie Wellman
Wilmington, NC – The town of Topsail Beach received nearly $300,000 from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund to help purchase the town's marina and boat ramp.
In all, Topsail Beach has received $800,000 in grants to buy the property, which carries a $2.25 million price tag.
Located on the old Bush Marina property, the marina offers ten boat slips and a public ramp.
Topsail Beach Town Manager Jim Carter says maintaining public access to the water is a top priority.
"And that was the town's concern that all of the boat ramps and public accesses to the public waters were being bought up and purchased and would not be available to the public. So we town board voted and we seized the opportunity to get this property."
Carter says it's important that Topsail Beach can take in overflow from Surf City's public ramp.
The legislature this summer established a committee to study the loss of public access and its impact along North Carolina's coast.