DUCK, N.C. — Six weeks ago, the future of public safety in the town of Duck was uncertain, but now town leaders are optimistic after getting a response from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The town's public safety facility has sat on federal land for decades and is leased through USACE.
"What we've heard is that they're willing to work with us on a 50-year lease," said Monica Thibodeau, the mayor of Duck.
For eight years, the town has been planning major facility upgrades to its public safety building that houses fire, police and ocean rescue operations, including building a brand new building.
The town has always wanted to secure at least a 30-plus-year lease before breaking ground on the upgrades, but announced six weeks ago that USACE would only commit to a short-term lease and in five years it would not be extended.
"We were really kind of blindsided," said Thibodeau.
But there's optimism now. Thibodeau tells News 3 that the town has gotten a response from USACE saying the agency is willing to work on a 50-year lease, which is exactly what the town wants to make its planned major public safety facility upgrades a reality.
"We need an updated building, the building was built in the 80s. We've done some renovations but more than half our staff is public safety, and we really want them to be well housed, well taken care of, and have the facilities and the equipment they need to keep us all safe," said Thibodeau.
The town now wants to get a long-term lease secured as soon as possible to avoid any delay in its plans.
"We can't delay, we really need to get moving on this. We've always thought by the end of the year we needed to have some something figured out, that's kind of the long range timeline. It would be lovely if it was closer than that because we're going to need to take the time to build this new building, we're going to need to figure out financing and all that goes along with it, and it's going to take a while to build something like that," said Thibodeau.
Thibodeau says she appreciates that USACE is seeing how important public safety is to the entire area.
"I'm very encouraged that the Army Corps is seeing that the need is there, and that they want to work with us. That's huge and we are appreciative of them wanting to work with us. We just need to make it happen," said Thibodeau.
After News 3's story in February, USACE sent this statement on the land lease situation:
"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) values its longstanding partnership with the Town of Duck and appreciates the vital public safety services it provides. Supporting safe, resilient communities aligns closely with our mission of delivering engineering solutions that protect lives and strengthen our nation.
USACE routinely reviews real estate agreements to ensure they remain aligned with federal responsibilities and operational needs. We are engaged in internal discussions and are committed to working toward a constructive path forward."
