Bridges, sewer plants change beach life

Two factors that really have changed Holden Beach and the general Brunswick County area are the central sewage treatment plant and high-rise bridges.

There is no question the high-rise bridge alone has changed the character and even costs of living on Holden Beach. Some of the change has damaged the very character of the island.

Greed took over, and instead of reasonably priced homes on the island, we are seeing monstrous homes being built that totally obscure the ocean view from Ocean Boulevard, and that is a shame.

Some of the nouveau riche to the island, who are barely in their homes for a month out of the year, burn electric street lights in their front yards.

Anyone who sits on their second row decks and attempts to squint at the stars and natural beauty of the ocean can barely see without putting on blinders or sunglasses.

What is worse is they just don’t care and shrug off requests to at least put timers on their all-night streetlights to turn them off at a reasonable hour.

There are other not-so-subtle changes on the islands and in Brunswick County and perhaps the housing slump will hopefully slow it down.

Brunswick County’s charm is it isn’t overbuilt like the county immediately to your south. To me, that is plenty close enough, and hopefully, will stay there and not creep up the coast.

The sewage treatment plant now opens unusable land to development.

That is sad and will eventually create other problems such as massive sewage spills during flooding and even stormy weather, not to mention hurricanes.

Sunset Beach will be affected by the high-rise bridge, and it will be adverse to those now living there.

That’s the nature of change and the only thing that ever levels the playing field is a force 3 or 4 hurricane that someday probably will wipe the slate clean on both islands.

Cheery thought, isn’t it?