Down East Council is a representative group of all thirteen communities in the area with the goal of serving as a unifying voice to promote our livelihood in a growing economy, celebrate and honor the heritage of the people as well as protect our fragile coastal environment. Down East is also unique in that our communities do not have the benefits afforded by being structured like towns or municipalities, and therefore has lacked a means to voice its needs, concerns, and desires for the future. The framework of the council is to have two representatives from each community. Meetings are held monthly and are open to the public.
2019 Leadership
Chair - Art Noyes
Vice-chair - Tom Hesselink
Secretary - Art Noyes
Treasurer - Barbara Garrity--Blake
Minutes
Click "Minutes" to read the Council minutes
Next Meeting
Tuesday, April 3 at 7:00 pm at Williston UMC.
WELCOME SIGN PROJECT COMPLETED!!
Our "Welcome to Down East" signs are finally completed and installed! As you enter Down East coming from Beaufort, you will see one of the signs along the right side of the road in the marsh. Truly a fitting location! This is the entrance to the original and true DOWN EAST!
Then on the north end of Down East, we have our second sign installed. As you are leaving the ferry terminal, the sign is located on the right hand side of the road indicating you are now entering DOWN EAST!
The Council has many people to thank for helping with this project.
A list of donors to the project can be found here. Many others helped by selling shirts, going to meetings to secure permits, meeting monthly with the council, meeting with the company to complete the sign design, and the list goes on and on!!!
One small detail that you may notice - the number on the skiff NC 1708 DE - and what does it mean. Through our research and talking with historian Giles Willis, 1708 represents the year of our oldest established community. The Straits (which at that time included Gloucester) community is over 300 years old. It is listed by the Carteret County Historical Research Association as being the fourth oldest settlement in the county, but is possibly the oldest in the county." (G. Willis)
MERRY CHRISTMAS DOWN EAST!!!
Current Project COMPLETED
The council has been working for months to implement the Saltwater Connections Resource Team's recommendation to construct welcome signs for our area, which will increase visitors' awareness of our communities. There will be two signs. One will be placed just ahead of the North River Bridge, with consideration of the placement of the new bridge. The second will be on Cedar Island so travelers arriving from the ferry will quickly know they are Down East.
With the help of the Carteret County Commissioners, the council secured all of the required approvals and permits. Fundraising is now in full swing. Donate your chosen amount using the button below. MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover are accepted.
Community Action Plans
In 2012, Saltwater Connections facilitated the development of the resource team report. Information about the formation of the team and how the process led to a report, can be found here. The Down East resource team report was written specifically for the area and includes recommendations for improvement. Please review this report as it includes important information about our communities.
During January-April 2014 Down East residents were asked to complete a survey seeking input on what were important issues for our communities. This information is used to create action plans to address top-priority initiatives. Similar surveys were completed in all organized towns in Carteret County. For the purposes of the survey Down East was considered as a municipality, making it the second largest in the county next to Morehead City. 1060 Down East residents responded, which represented an extremely high percentage of returned surveys as compared to all other surveyed municipalities. We had a great response!
Check in on the progress the council is making.
