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The town of Bath is continually making progress despite hardships faced during the pandemic according to Town Manager Bubs Carson. 

When COVID-19 hit, almost everything within the town changed. Annual events like the Memorial Day celebration had to be canceled and meetings normally held in person had to be altered to accommodate social distancing protocols to ensure the safety of the town and its residents. 

Despite these necessary changes, the town of Bath was able to hold their annual Christmas parade in early December 2020. 

“We had so many public requests that we try to continue that tradition,” said Carson. “We highlighted the need for social distancing and we included that in our registrations. We certainly put that out on social media that we wanted to have the parade this year but we wanted to do it safely. We were amazed at how well the public responded to that.”

The Bath Christmas Parade was very well attended and featured many residents of Bath and surrounding Beaufort County.  

“That was a huge success for us to be able to provide that for our citizens and do that in a way in which we honored the safety protocols but at the same time celebrate Christmas,” said Carson. 

In addition to planning socially-distanced events, Bath has continued to work on the development of town infrastructure. Several builds and projects have been started or completed during the pandemic. 

“We’ve been pleased that we’ve had a number of new home constructions taking place within our town during this time,” said Carson. “We have a small subdivision that is being considered by the planning board and the town council.”

Other construction projects occurring within the town include work on marine structures. Bath heavily relies on its connection to the Bath River for its residents and historic roots. 

“The marine construction projects in our town are big. Certainly a number of people are building new piers and bulkheads, things like that, getting ready for summer,” said Carson.

Marine construction is not the only project hoping to be operational come late spring. As the pandemic continues, outdoor activities are recommended when possible and Bath’s recreation department is making plans to ensure opportunities for outdoor recreation are available for residents. 

“The recreation department met with our town council recently and they are looking to have our recreational department operational as soon as the warm weather comes,” said Carson. They are planning to host some tournaments that they’ve been requested to house or host in Bath.”