Surf City gets new center for tourism

SURF CITY - The town of Surf City is going into the tourism business, and will soon be opening Surf City's Tourism and Visitor's Center. Surf City Mayor Zander Guy announced it recently procured as its director and department head someone very familiar to the Topsail area and tourism - Alan Libby, who recently resigned as the president of the Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism.

"As you know, Surf City has been looking at going into the tourism business - we purchased Cindy's Restaurant about two years ago, and have had a prison unit doing carpentry work, which saved the town money, and now we have chosen the right person to take the welcome center over - we have chosen Alan Libby," Guy informed townspeople during the Aug. 5 monthly town meeting. "We don't want to stand still, we want to move forward - and we saw an opportunity on both sides..."Guy said the new tourism center will promote Surf City and Topsail Island while generating revenues to keep taxpayer expenses down.

"What better way to better educate our visitors to what a great place we have and to see what we have to offer," Guy said. Surf City purchased Cindy's Oceanside Restaurant, adjacent to the town's regional parking area, in 1996 for $2.9 million. The acquisition provided the town with nearly 150 feet of beachfront property near Surf City Pier. Within the last six months it turned some of the property into a public access area, and has been working on refurbishing the building to occupy a welcome center and meeting and event facility.

Allan Wilson, an officer with N.C. Department of Corrections, and his crew have done substantial work on the building. He said his crew is the only N.C. Dept. of Corrections construction crew out of Wilmington, and they only work for government agencies. This is the fourth job the crew has done on government buildings.

"We have been working for about four months on this building, and have done a substantial amount of work on the inside of the building - all the floors have been redone; we have torn out walls to make it one big meeting room; we re-did the ceiling with sheetrock ... and added an entrance door to the visitor's center with a handicap access," Wilson said. "We probably saved the town about $150,000, compared to hiring a contractor. It's been a lot of work, and the guys have done an excellent job."

In addition to refurbishing the inside, additional decking and a side patio has been added around the building.

"Right now we're putting the finishing touches on it, and doing painting here and there," Wilson said.

Libby said he is excited about his new position, and has already begun work with staff and council, and has received a lot of support.

"I am very happy about the opportunity, and have been busy working to get my arms around the new job - I have made some recommendations, and we're setting up some meetings to go over them and make sure we're all headed in the same direction and on the same page," Libby said. "The staff and council have been very supportive and the real advantage is that I have worked with all of them before and know them and them me, so we are really able to hit the ground running."

He said he has already been responding to inquiries about renting the facility, and is also working on paperwork for a grant application for some start-up funding for the center, though no official opening date has been set.

"This will fulfill a need, especially for small intimate functions," Libby said of the meeting space. He said it should accommodate around 120 people, but they haven't received official word as yet. He also said the name is not official yet either, it is a working name for the moment, and the town will choose an official name in the near future.

Town Manager Michael Moore said in addition to Libby's position, another full time staff position has been approved for hire, as the welcome center will be open seven days a week once it opens. Libby will receive a salary of $40,000, Moore said.

Guy said the center will serve the city well.

"The center should be opening soon - then the city will have a welcome center and a place to provide small business meetings and events - while preserving a beautiful spot on the beach that developers can't get a hold of," Guy said.