Title
Resolution in Support of Naming the Military Cutoff Bridge Over Market Street the "Cornelius E. Nixon Bridge"
Body
LEGISLATIVE INTENT/PURPOSE:
WHEREAS, N.C.G.S. ?136-18(8) authorizes the North Carolina Board of Transportation to name roads, bridges, or ferries; and,
WHEREAS, the North Carolina Department of Transportation ("NCDOT") requires unanimous adoption of a resolution in support of the proposed name from the local municipality in which the facility is located; and,
WHEREAS, Alice Nixon has requested that the Military Cutoff Bridge over Market Street be named after her father, Cornelius E. Nixon; and,
WHEREAS, Cornelius "Sonny" "The Oyster Man" Nixon ("Mr. Nixon") was a lifelong Wilmingtonian who began working in the oyster business as a child to help support his family at a time when African-Americans faced economic difficulties and had few opportunities; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Nixon's drive and ambition led him to start the county's first oyster shucking facility on Greenville Sound before purchasing a 10-acre parcel of land on Market Street, near Military Cutoff where he built his business, Nixon's Oyster Plant, which served the community for over 55 years, until his passing in 2011; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Nixon was a leading entrepreneur in Wilmington, providing jobs to area residents, and retirement benefits to his workers, a benefit rarely provided by small business owners; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Nixon contributed to the long-term health of the oyster industry and coastal waters by promoting the state's oyster shell recycling program, where customers drop off shells and the Division of Marine Fisheries returns the shells to area waters to provide a habitat for young oysters. As the third largest oyster shell recycling center in North Carolina, Mr. Nixon was recognized for his efforts by Marine Fisheries in 2010; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Nixon was recognized for his legacy of entrepreneurship and community service when Cape Fear Community College renamed it...
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