What does the future hold for Goat Neck, Fort Landing, Newfoundland, and Alligator communities in northeastern Tyrrell County?

Organic soils will continue to break down, and land elevation will get lower, thus a two-foot rise in sea level would inundate the entire area, Ty Fleming, Tyrrell County Soil and Water Conservation District administrator-technician, told a packed house in Alligator Community Building Oct. 30.

The meeting was called by the county commissioners, who had promised to apprise residents of physical conditions in their part of the county soon after the Alligator sewer system became operational.

Fleming was followed by Kevin Hart with the NC Division of Coastal Management, Jamie Dunbar of the NC Forest Service, Billy Standridge of the US Army Corps of Engineers, Tim Sawyer with NC Department of Transportation, Amy Halker with USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Brent Wilson of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

Most of their remarks were aimed at clarifying environmental regulatory limitations, particularly regarding building dikes or other water management measures.

Questions of the speakers were frequent from the 60-65 people, mostly area residents, who attended the 90-minute gathering.

Rev. Michael Combs prayed the invocation after Chairman Leroy Spivey called the board into session at 7 p.m. Commissioners Tommy Everett, Nina Griswell, Lawrence Swain and Carl Willis were present.