1. + Proposed North Carolina International Port Kim Rofick English 3880

2. + Background North Carolina International Terminal called for a high- density, automated container terminal that can serve ships that are at least 50-foot draft. Development of this terminal could handle as many ships as Charleston and Savannah, Georgia Development requires additional transportation infrastruture to accommodate shipment of cargo from terminal by road and rail. Current rail and road are limited and require improvement to accommodate new terminal and alleviate local community roads.

3. + Opposition to Proposed Mega Port Environmental Concerns Safety and security concerns over location of port to nuclear plant and terrorism Quality of Life Impacts with imposing major port traffic on small residential coastal community Deeper dredging requires support post-panamax containership vessels threatens shoreline integrity of Cape Fear Coastal communities Threatens the integrity of the fresh water aquifer (required for portable water throughout their region) Home values will depreciate

4. + Proposed Actions Organize a town hall meeting for political leaders, Department of Transportation, environmentalist, business leaders, and community an opportunity to start dialogue about providing a solution Invite a neutral moderator to join meeting to help brainstorm ideas

5. + Purpose of the Town Hall Identify the goal and purpose of the meeting Establishing ground rules Providing a common base for understanding Creating a framework for the discussion that maintains focus and flow Including everyone Being an active facilitator Summarizing discussion and gather action items for next steps

6. + Ground Rules for Town Hall Listen respectfully, without interrupting. Respect one another's views. If you find another’s statement to be problematic, do speak up. Criticize ideas, not individuals. Commit to learning, not debating. Avoid blame, speculation, and inflammatory language. Allow everyone the chance to speak.

7. + Deliverables Create a social website (facebook, twitter, website) to communicate to all parties – providing updates and a way for all to have open discussions

8. + Why Focus on Community and Issue? Tourism will greatly be affected by a resolution to the port issue Allows for more tour ships to visit local town as well as increase export/import business in the area By resolving this issue the community and business leaders can get back to focusing on their daily business If an agreement is reached for the megaport then the community can improve Improve railway and roadways to create mobility of shipments to to/from port Improved roadways will also allow more people to visit local community More market opportunities for local community – shops, ohotels, and restaurants