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t May’s Board Meeting, Officer Michael DeStefano was sworn in, Commissioners heard updates on ongoing town projects and learned a large tree in Lupton Park needed to come down.

Commissioners Paul Jordan, Lou Ostendorff, Dan McGuire, Chris Moffat and Iris Cooper were present. Also in attendance were Town Manager Diane Miller, Finance Officer Lisa Millington and Police Chief Bill Wichrowski. Mayor Sally Belangia was absent. Commissioner Paul Jordan served as Mayor Pro Tempore.

Meeting Recap

• Prescott Marine will start Dinghy Dock repairs mid-June.
• May 13 is officially proclaimed as “Josh Kali Day” in honor of his circumnavigation of the globe, starting and ending in Oriental.
• Oriental Croaker Festival will have fireworks on the actual 4th of July. The bridge will close from 3p to 11p.
• The Water Valve Replacement project starts after July 4th.
• The last of the FEMA reimbursements owed to Oriental from Hurricane Florence, totaling $106k, has been paid.
• Motion approved to insure the new police officer at 30 days instead of waiting the full probationary 90 days.
• A short term rental Special Use Permit (SUP) for 505 Mildred Street was approved.

Public Comment

Eileen Denmark and Allison DeWeese spoke in favor of limited street parking in different areas of the town.

Denmark spoke in favor of proposed parking changes around Lupton Park that would keep vehicles from parking across from driveways.

DeWeese spoke about proposed parking restrictions on Church Street, favoring parking on one side of the street rather than eliminating parking entirely. She also raised concerns about vehicles parking in the yellow painted areas in the intersection, noting there had been traffic backups and near accidents as a result.

New Officer Sworn in

Chief Wichrowski said he rode around with Michael DeStefano, and felt comfortable the new officer was a good fit for Oriental. DeStefano, he said, has 12 years of experience and, in addition to being an officer, has experience as a field training officer and as an investigator. Wichrowski said he DeStefano responded after Wichrowski posted the position in a few law enforcement groups online.

Town Manager Diane Miller said she believed, “Officer DeStefano and the Chief will balance each other remarkably well.” Mayor Pro Tempore Paul Jordan welcomed DeStefano on behalf of the Town Board. Manager Miller administered the oath to swear in the new officer.

May 13 Proclaimed Josh Kali Day in Oriental

Mayor Pro Tem Jordan read a proclamation declaring May 13 “Josh Kali Day” in recognition of Josh’s circumnavigation of the globe in his 19-foot sailboat Skookum.

Kali left Oriental on January 25, 2025, and successfully returned to Oriental on May 13, 2026. Jordan said Kali completed the journey in 223 days, two hours, and 11 minutes. Jordan added in the proclamation, “…whereas the town of Oriental appreciates the effort and understands the obstacles to completing such a journey, and whereas Josh Kali is an example to sailors everywhere… proclaim Wednesday May 13, 2026 Josh Kali Day.”

Public Hearing: Short Term Rental for 505 Mildred Street

The request for a Special Use Permit (SUP) for 505 Mildred Street for use as a short-term rental was approved. The public hearing session received no objections from the public. No evidence was presented as to why the property should not be allowed a permit.

The Special Use Permit was granted.

Auxiliary Board Reports

Tourism Board Chairman Marsha Paplham reported on the gratitude expressed by participants in the recent NC Cycle event. She said, “They all love coming here. All the businesses — we are so thrilled that this little village is the place that they want to visit. They come, they spend, and when they leave, most of our businesses find themselves on the plus column of the spreadsheet. So for that we are extremely grateful that they come and visit every three years.”

Paplham continued, “The kind of comments I am getting about Oriental is that the peace and tranquility is greatly appreciated. The chance to sit back and relax. I am proud to represent that.”

Chairman Roger Huth of the Water Advisory Board reported on the progress of the Water Valve Replacements Project and the Water Booster Station on White Farm Road.

Huth said the Town is waiting for the delivery of 47 valves. Confirmation of delivery will trigger the start and end dates of installation, and he expects the start date to be shortly after July 4th.

Town Manager Miller added, “Twelve insertion valves are replaced first. This allows us to shut off one valve instead of all the water for the town. We can then cut off a couple of neighborhoods at a time. This will allow us to separate the remaining valve replacements into sections.”

Miller said the replacement will create a lot of construction. “We will give residents a heads-up when the street will be closed. When we say the street is going to be closed, we mean closed — no walking, no biking. The issue is the liability it creates for the contractor. They will stop construction immediately if residents wander into the space where they are working.”

Booster Station on White Farm Road
Huth said 90% of the design is finished and the next step is to send the final building plans to NC DEQ. “Once submitted, we are at the mercy of the government.” The goal is still to complete the project by the end of 2026.

Fifty percent of the design for water station modernization is scheduled for completion by next month’s meeting. Huth said scope change requests are under consideration.

Commissioner Jordan said, “I want to thank you and the Water Advisory Board for all of your hard work. It seems like things are going very well. Once the insertion valves are in place, we will not have to shut the water off to the whole town, just to the area where the problem is.”

Tree Board Chairman John Deaton said, “We have two diseased trees that need to come out.” Manager Miller said the trees would be removed June 6, noting that one tree was beyond saving and the other was coming out by the roots, which she said “was never good. We can always plant more healthy trees once we get enough of the bad soil removed, as that is causing the problem.”

“There are always objections to taking out a mature tree that provides so much shade and shelter in a place that gets so hot,” Miller continued. “I get that, but when Dr. Bob [Miller[ darkens my doorstep and says this is a hazard, it becomes a liability for Oriental. Once we become aware of the liability, we have to take care of it.”

Chairman Deaton added, “Those are not the only two trees on our slate to be removed.”

Harbor and Waterfronts Committee said the Dinghy Dock Seawall Project is moving along. Prescott Marine is pulling permits and will be doing the work. Repairs are scheduled for mid-June.

The corner of Water and South Water Street will be closed during repairs.

Manager’s Report

Oriental Will Have Fireworks on the Actual 4th of July Miller said Oriental’s long-standing relationship with the fireworks provider has secured the Town’s ability to have fireworks on the 4th of July for the celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The Oriental Bridge will close from 3p to 11p to set up and break down an expanded fireworks show.

Motion Approved to Insure New Officer After One Month
Commissioners approved starting insurance coverage for the new police officer at 30 days instead of the customary 90 days to avoid the long-term implications if a workers’ compensation claim were filed before insurance begins.

Last of Hurricane Florence FEMA money received
The Town has received $106,000 from FEMA. Miller said she has been fighting to recover the money since Hurricane Florence. “Originally, FEMA’s rules stated that if there was money left over, Oriental would receive the overage,” she explained, “however, along the way the rules changed.”

Miller used the original contract to battle for the money. “Finally, they knew I was never going to give up.”

Jordan congratulated Miller on her work.

Financial Report
“Good news,” Miller said. “We are at 106% of our budgeted property tax.” Miller said this figure represents what was budgeted, not what should be levied. The only expense over budget was for legal services. She reminded the Board that the Police Department and Public Works were down in headcount and therefore expected to be lower.

“Green waste season is heating up,” Miller said, meaning expenses from sanitation could still come in over budget as the two dumpsters on White Farm Road get more use. “On the plus side,” she said, “more houses are paying for trash services while rentals and part-time occupancy have reduced tonnage.”

Eastern Carolina Council of Government Funding Struggles
Concern was raised that services Oriental uses from the Eastern Carolina Council of Government will not be available due to funding issues. Miller said, “They are having a tough time. I don’t know whether they are going to be able to stay afloat. We get a lot of great services from the council, including access to planning services and master plans.”

Additional items
• In recognition of National Police Week, Miller thanked Oriental officers and the Chief for their service.
• Expressed appreciation for the donation of a bike rack to Lupton Park.
• Noted that every year NCDOT offers Oriental the opportunity to take over state roads such as Highway 55; every year Oriental declines.
• Received $250,000 in reimbursement from the Whittaker Creek dredging project.

Traffic and Street Parking near Lupton Park and on Church Street

Parking on both sides of Church Street was reported as impeding or obstructing traffic. Miller said, “It is a safety issue.” Commissioner Jordan said, “I met with Chief Wichrowski and looked at both of these situations. There is no way a fire truck or an EMS vehicle can get down Church Street when there are cars parked on both sides.”

The board approved banning parking on the Brewery side of Church Street. Parking is still allowed on the Schoolhouse Condominium side of Church Street.

Yellow Paint Is Not Discouraging Curb Parking
Even though the curbs at the corner of Church and Broad Street are painted yellow, it is not preventing parking at the corner.

Chief Wichrowski said, “Both sides of Church Street are dangerous. Parking right up to the corner will impede your ability to see, whether you are coming from Broad to Church or from Church Street to Broad Street. It creates a hazard.”

Miller added, “We have watched several near misses where vehicles turning from Broad Street don’t realize a car is parked on the Church Street corner.”

Jordan said, “I am not sure that anyone is paying attention to the yellow paint.” Miller said, “Those curbs could not be more yellow.” Chief Wichrowski said, “Yellow paint alone is not enough.”

Commissioner Cooper requested that tickets be issued. “If we give out one or two tickets, it will stop the behavior. Now that we have two police officers we should do that. It is cheaper than adding signs.”

No decision was reached on adding “No Parking” signs effective for twenty feet on either side of the Church Street curbs facing Broad Street.

Motion Approved to Add Parking Restriction Signs at Lupton Park
Homeowners around Lupton Park have reported difficulty getting out of their driveways when visitors are parked on the Lupton Park side of the street.

Jordan added context: “I have observed cars not pulled all the way off the road at Lupton Park. I talked to Laurie Sampson, who said she had to do a five-point turn to get out of her driveway. We considered making it all ‘no parking’ but that seemed heavy-handed. We do not want to deter people from using the park.”

The Board approved signs indicating “No Parking Allowed Between Signs” to be located across from the driveways around Lupton Park. The restricted zone would be 20 feet in either direction from the center of each driveway facing the park.

Police Report

The Chief said the big news is the finding and hiring of Officer DeStefano. Although he thought the hiring process would take much longer, once he posted to a Facebook group he belonged to, DeStefano replied the next day. Officer DeStefano asked around, heard good things, and was urged to give Oriental a try.

Commissioner Comments on Property Tax Revaluations

Commissioner Cooper said, “I would love to have people show up at the budget meetings. I know it can be hard to get there in the mornings; however, you can’t complain if you are not part of the process.”

Cooper elaborated on the scope of the budget meetings: “The property tax re-evaluation, trying to balance the impact of a tax increase on residents — trust me, I got my own evaluation and I almost had a heart attack. We get it. We are trying to balance that and increasing health care costs for our employees, all of that is hitting at once. I do want to mention that Suzanne Gwaltney wrote a letter on TownDock that was interesting.”

Jordan said, “We spend a lot of time organizing the budget to do a lot with limited resources. We have all been sticker-shocked by the property evaluations. Suzanne’s letter on TownDock is outstanding. I think the process is flawed. The properties are way over-valued relative to what they could be sold for. We are sensitive to all that. We are trying to come up with an as close to revenue-neutral rate as possible.”

Manager Miller said “Keep in mind that our tax rate at 22 cents is miniscule compared to what you pay to the county. Those are the cages we need to be rattling. I encourage you to be active in the county process.” The Town’s tax rate was $.22 compared to $.645 for the County, meaning about ¾ of property tax goes to the County.

“There is a huge amount of tax revenue you pay that goes to the county,” Commissioner Jordan added, “and very little stays in the town. I know that doesn’t make it any easier.”

Commissioner Cooper said, “I recommend Oriental residents attend the Pamlico County Commission meetings.”

Public Hearing to adopt the 2026-27 Fiscal Year Budget

A Public Hearing for the Budget is scheduled for June 9. The budget must be adopted by July 1 or an interim budget must be produced.

Dates to Know

The next Town Board Meeting will be Tuesday, June 9 at 6p. The next Budget Meeting is May 14 at 10a.

Related Information

• May Agenda
• Consent Agenda
• Public Hearing Short Term Rental
• Auxiliary Board Reports
• Manager’s Report
• Budget Amendment
• Traffic Discussion Documents
• Police Report

Posted Sunday May 24, 2026 by Allison DeWeese