Possible Buxton Location

UPDATE July 27th by Jay Phillips:

Nathan and I met with Donnie Oden this morning to discuss his Buxton Property across from Pops Restaurant and adjacent to Hatteras Boatyard. Mr. Oden was amenable and suggested a short term owner financing situation. Mr. Quidley, the Owner of Pops and previously a tenant of the building, is also interested in the property and likely to make an offer but seems to see mutual benefit to working with Hatteras Sailing one way or another. My feeling is that he feels he owes Mr. Quidley first dibs on an offer. All that being said… while be it in rough condition needing much maintenance and repair, there are some very attractive things about this property.

1. Its basically part of Hatteras Island’s only working Boat Yard Facility with deep water access (5 – 6′)
2. It has plenty of yard and parking lot dry storage area
3. The building, while in rough shape, is workable and repairable with the help of some volunteers
4. There are outside docks that could easily be converted into income to pay the finance payments, in fact, I would rent one for one of the Stiletto Cats.
5. It would be very good retail location for renting sailboats, teaching commecial sailing school lessons, and selling products in the building for fundraising.
6. Roadside signage and visibility is excellent, multiple signs could go on the existing roadside sign
7. Organization members with bigger sailing or powerboats could arrange for dockage
8. There is fun bar and restaurant across the street so you can quickly grab a beer and burger after a day of racing!….

The asking price is $395,000. The suggested term for a balloon payment by the owner is 3 – 4 years. He suggested a very reasonable monthly payment, which I think I should keep private… but I think dockage agreements could cover this monthly expense.

Something like this is a big move for a new organization, but by doing so it is highly likely to improve membership, class registrations, and income potential of the organization. My ambition is to get a full time organization employee, maybe sharing the cost of that employment expense between a few different entities involved with the sailing program, so that the financial exposure is minimal and supported by retail efforts. We could certainly host some fun events from this location. Because of a deteriorating relationship with the Avon Marina owner and harassment by the Kayak and Paddleboard Vendor, Dane Mann and some other issues with parking and the overlooking Home Owners Association, we will have to make a move pretty quickly. I am hoping we can all agree on a move that creates more potential for our 2 year old organization to grow much larger and stronger, so we can better serve Hatteras Island Youth and foster boating safety and involvement on the Island for Adult and our youth.

Original Post by Jay Phillips:

I think we should look to the future and make a list of possible locations including the current one, to see where we can house a growing long term program for parents and youth to learn and enjoy sailing and other maritime related interests. Here is a short list of interesting possibilities:

• Avon Harbor – Basil Hooper’s Property. I have reached out to Mr. Hooper and he is interested in meeting with us to discuss. There are issues with dredging and many lots split up between numerous owners. I personally do not have a full understanding of how these property owners get along whether or not it would be a good thing? Or if there would be issued between competing interests around the Harbor. I like the fact that its in the Village and that it may entice some of the Village Youth out of convenience. There is little protected water, all sailing would be in the open Sound.
• Ocean Air or Kitty Hawk Kites in North Avon. No effort to communicate yet. Ocean Air is a nice facility with nice restaurant, but I personally have not gotten great vibes from the Owner and there may be issues with the property in a divorce settlement… Jay Crawford operates from there and would be much better informed about it than I.
• Hatteras Boatyard/Fish House. This property is centrally located in Buxton and I think this is positive. It is also on the Highway and has wonderful visibility to the public, which is usually a good thing for growing an organization. It has a building structure in dire needs of rehabilitation. There are Building Reuse Grant Funds allotted for this in North Carolina and it may be a possibility. Owner Don Oden did say he is open to the possibility of an Owner Financing arrangement even over the phone. The Harbor there has deep water access and is managed by a person who likes sailing and has previously tried to start a Junior Program. There is a boatramp, lawn storage, bulkhead dockage and a great location for events, and adult sailboats and motoryacht dockage, with adjacent boatyard service facility.
• The Pilothouse Restaurant Property. This is probably way over our heads, but is an amazing piece of real estate where wonderful things could be potentially done. We met a relative of the owner last week, who had a child taking lessons from Meg. I am trying to re-establish contact with him and see if he will facilitate a meeting with his sister, the Owner, who lives on the West Coast. In his opinion, he says she is not sure what to do with this massive property being so far away from it. Her and her ex-husband owned it and wanted to live there, but ended up getting divorced and she was given ownership as part of the divorce settlement. The Building is amazing, it has a canal and lots of land set back but visible fromt the highway…. in my dreams, lol.
• Other Possibilities? If you know of a possible future long term home for our growing sailing organization, please let us know!

If anyone would like to accompany me to meet with Mr. Oden tomorrow please let me know.