![]() And if you can, just read some of the responses, you got, your questions and their responses. But now over the years, they've built up dunes around it, which kind of strengthens their case that they can operate on.īS: So here's the last part I want to get to is, so you had a lot of questions for the state, specifically the division of coastal management, who issue permits for some of the kinds of things the Carolina Beach was doing here. So, we did that and you know, if you go to Freeman park now, it looks like the driveway to the park was cut through a pair of dunes.īS: But when you go back in time, you can see that road actually just used to just spill right out onto the dry sand beach. If you look at, if you go to Google Earth and you look at some satellite images, they have a pretty cool system that allows you to do a time warp basically. So they've, so they actually didn't get the permission, like you said, until 2004 from the County to have that extra territorial jurisdiction. So he's not mincing any words: this was done so the town could have control over that land.īS: And that shows some real foresight because it wasn't until two years later that they got permission from the county to do it - and then they start doing something else. MP: In 2002, we have an affidavit, after granting a 15-foot easement to better the condos, to give them water access, for some reason - and we don't know why, and that's a big question - they signed an agreement and gave away the rights to 48 acres of beach front property, including that first thousand feet.Īnd in the affidavit, you know, the gentleman who signed it actually says, Spinnaker Point and Oceana gave them this easement so that the town could control and charge access to the north end. The only problem was it wasn't their property.īS: Flash forward to 2002 when two private condos abruptly turned over nearly 50 acres of land including that 1,000-ft stretch of land the town would later use. And we can see kind of the inklings that Carolina Beach had been looking at it for a while as a way to monetize this land and make money off it. ![]() If you look into who the Freemans were, it's all talked about in the first and second part of this series. So there's a huge history with Freeman park and the Freeman family, it's really interesting. In fact, it was only second to property taxes one year, as far as revenues go.īS: So, it's become an established part of Carolina beach life and of course in New Hanover County people love to go to Freeman park, but there's some real questions that you started to dig into about how Freeman park actually turned into this cash cow for the town of Carolina Beach. MP: So Freeman park, first and foremost, it's in the town of Carolina beach, sort of, and it is one of their biggest moneymakers. I don't think we're going to get to all of it, but I want to give people the broad strokes before we send them over to WECT to read your reporting, but for people who don't know what this is all about, what is Freeman Park? Thanks for having me.īS: I'm glad to have you here. Part III - From condo owners to the town, how Carolina Beach claims ownership of Freeman Park’s entranceīen Schachtman: I'm joined now by Michael Praats from WECT.Part II - Land disputes, environmental concerns, and money: How Freeman Park came to be.Part I - Freeman Park: a public park on private property?.We invited journalist Michael Praats to the WHQR studio to discuss his work with us. Over the last several weeks, WECT has published three parts in a series that digs into questions about who owns the beach, and how it came to be the way it is today. Freeman Park, on the north end of Carolina Beach, is a popular destination with a fascinating history.
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