BAY WATCH: An elite coastal beach club preps to become the East Coast's "finest.".

• Author: Blake, Kathy

Sounds of ocean waves crashing on the sand of Atlantic Beach can be heard by Coral Bay Club members swimming in the zero-entry pool. Nearby, certified personal trainers lead exercise classes and tennis professionals offer instruction on clay courts. Members dock boats on the Bogue Sound-side of the oceanfront property in Carteret County.

Depending on their tastes, members can enjoy fine dining options inside the Ocean Room, or more casual meals at the Sandbar. Indoor and outdoor bars serve drinks to fit any mood. Year-round social events range from dinner dances to holiday brunches. Fourth of July fireworks are the "most spectacular on the island."

The exclusive club started in 1958 has a membership of about 625 members from across North Carolina, a power list that over the years has included Raleigh banker Frank Holding Jr., Glen Raven textile titan Allen Gant Jr. and former Sen. Leo Daughtry of Smithfield. Entry requires a referral from a current member.

Now, this coastal playground is preparing to add some shine to its glitz. As happens often at private clubs, the price tag for renovations is causing some members to question the cost.

Officials wouldn't provide financial details on the renovation plan, but the project is expected to cost about $20 million with an assessment of at least $13,500 per household, according to people familiar with the matter. A membership entails an upfront cost of $33,000 with annual dues of $3,000, they add. That's less than North Carolina's elite country clubs, where initiation fees of $80,000-plus and monthly fees of $750 or more are common, as are lengthy waiting lists of potential members. But Coral Bay doesn't have a golf course to maintain.

"It's not an upgrade. It's a scrape and rebuild," says one longtime club member." They're going to demolish 100% of the entire club and build a new club.... I'm not happy about it. I think they're rushing into it. But they have the power. You either pay it, or you quit."

That appears to be a minority view, however. "We have a facility with fabulous members, and we have the opportunity to provide them with the finest club on the East Coast," another member says. The club's board is unanimous in its support for the renovation, he adds.

Both members asked that their names not be used. Private clubs...