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ctober’s Town Board meeting covered updates for ongoing town projects including the search for a new town manager, and the town auditor delivered a favorable report.

In attendance, Commissioners Paul Jordan, Lou Ostendorff, Dan McGuire, Iris Cooper and Chris Moffat. Also present, Town Manager Diane Miller, Finance Officer Lisa Millington, Police Chief Bill Wichrowski and Mayor Sally Belangia.

Meeting Recap

• Manager Miller vowed improved communication on water shut-offs and boil water advisories
• New Hodges Street Flood Policy will close and monitor Factory, Hodges, Main and South Water Streets when roads are submerged or flood warnings are issued
• Bid for Street Paving project to be presented in November to repave sections of Ragan, Mildred, South Water, Vandemere and Main Streets
• Resolution opposing proposed NC Ferry tolls and the expansion of the Cherry Point Bombing range approved
• Commissioner Moffat announced intent to resign
• Approval granted for 12 Airstream trailers to park on South Avenue at Lou Mac Park during the March Chowder Cook Off weekend
• Commissioners heard positive report from the town auditor

Public Comments

Larry Summers raised concerns about the Town Board response to the Ferry Toll resolution, asking the Board to de-emphasize the tourist emphasis and add the most important employer in the area. Summers said Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) in Havelock is accessible to most employees by the Minnesott Beach – Cherry Point ferry.

Water System Project Updates

Water Valve Project Nearing Completion The Water Valve Project has had crews installing or replacing several water valves a day throughout Oriental. Town Manager Diane Miller vowed improved communication on water shut-offs and boil water advisories. “Apologies for the communications snafus. There are four ways to get informed messages: texts, emails, news alerts on the Town of Oriental web site and through social media. You have to read through all of the notices. The information is all there—you have to go and find it,” she said.

Water Advisory Board Chair Roger Huth said the Valve Replacement Project is nearing the end. He said it was a good catch to discover that a water line had been placed under a sewer line. A change order corrected the issue. Huth said there is still about three weeks of road patch work left to complete the project. The deadline was December, however, he felt they would be done sooner.

Booster Station Moving into the Bidding Phase
Huth said, “We have cost estimates for either stick built or pre-fabricated construction of a new booster station.” He said they are ready for the engineering company to provide the final specs to put out the RFQ (Request for Quote).

“We will be ready in four to six weeks to move into the bidding phase before the end of the year. We will be starting the construction work in the beginning of 2027. The booster station may take a year to complete,” said Huth.

Water System Plant Rehabilitation on Hold
The Water Advisory Board has also been working to update Oriental’s water plant. “Nothing concrete (has been done) until the costs for the booster station come in,” said Huth, “to see what is left. We have to draw the line between the things that we want and the things we can afford.”

Approval to Create Bids for a Street Paving Project

Motion approved to prepare a bid for the Street Paving Project which will be presented to the Town Board in November to repave sections of several village streets. The locations listed below:

Section 1: is on Ragan Road
Section 2: Mildred Street from Broad to South Avenue
Section 3: Freemason to Church Street
Section 4: Vandemere Street from 3rd Avenue to South Avenue
Section 5: South Water Street
Section 6: Whitaker Point Road

Commissioner Cooper requested the language in the road paving bid project allow for contractors to bid on the entire project or portions to allow the greatest flexibility. Manager Miller feared this could create multiple origination fees.

More Trees Need Pruning or Removal

“Tree limbs are falling all over the place,” said Manager Miller. She reported some big limbs dropped right in front of a golf cart on the corner of Academy and Hodges Street. Former Tree Board Chair Dr. Bob Miller looked at the tree and saw a lot of rotten spots. Miller said because the tree is so big and major pruning is needed, if the tree is not removed, the resulting lop-sidedness could cause it to fall on the nearby house. Limbs are also dropping haphazardly at 503 Church Street.

As the Tree Board has spent their budget already, the Town Manager said a budget amendment would be forthcoming. “We have not had a landscape changing event here in years,” she said, “so every sick, broken limb is itching to fall. We have not had an event that would sweep out the broken stuff. There is a lot of liability out there, both on us and on the homeowners.”

Commissioner Cooper asked, “is it on the owner (to remove the tree), what is their responsibility?” Miller explained, “if it falls on their property, it is the homeowner’s problem. If it falls on our street, it is our problem.”

Motion was approved to contact owners and offer to share costs of tree removal or move ahead with removing the liability for the town by aggressively pruning damaged sections.

Hodges Street Flood Policy Approved

A motion was approved to enact a Flood Policy to require the closing and monitoring of Factory, Hodges, Main and South Water Streets when the roads are submerged in water, or when flood warnings are issued.

Miller clarified the difference between choosing an ordinance versus a policy. An ordinance would require action when Hodges Street got wet, even if the water went back down in an hour. A policy allows for some discretion.

The policy was amended to add Main Street after Commissioner Charlie Overcash reminded the Town Board that Main Street floods when Hodges Street floods. Commissioner Cooper said she believed that the Board owed the residents a flood policy.

Opposing Resolutions Approved

• Opposing the NC Ferry Tolls A resolution opposing the proposed NC Ferry tolls was approved with an amendment from Larry Summers to highlight the importance of access to the area’s biggest employer the Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE).

• Opposing Expanding the Pamlico Sound Bombing Zone
A resolution opposing the Cherry Point Expansion of the Target Range between Brant Island Shoal and Piney Island approved. Miller said, “It is a huge expansion that will effectively close the mouth of the Neuse River.”

The state announced a pause on October 9, in order to conduct a Cherry Point Federal consistency review.

Oriental Gets Positive Audit Report

Auditor Cindy Randolph said Oriental should be proud of the 2025-26 audit results and shared that the audit was submitted to the Local Government Commission but had not been approved yet. “I love doing audits,” said Randolph.

Randolph said the unassigned fund balance of $903,997 represented an increase of $339,050. Total revenues for the General Fund of $1,524,724 showed an increase of approximately $263,000. The surplus is attributed to increased property tax revenue due to new construction and the reimbursement from FEMA of $179,000 from Hurricane Florence.

Randolph praised town staff; she reviews a random number of checks and said journal entries are all in agreement and reconciled every month.

Commissioner Moffat gave credit for the great audit to Manager Diane Miller and Finance Officer Lisa Millington.

Financials Impacted by Delayed Tax Bills

“(The financials are) not pretty,” said Miller, “because the county did not approve their tax rate until August and the tax bills went out two months late. We are not recovering those funds.”

Miller said the cash balance was down $200,000 because of a hiccup in the reimbursement process from the Valve Replacement Project. She said the reimbursement is moving through the process as quickly as possible.

“Expenses are up,” Miller continued, “because the Board went ahead with projects as soon as the budget was passed. We are spending money, but also getting projects done.”

“Occupancy Tax is down because many Airbnbs are vacant,” Miller said. “People are spending more money here, but they are not necessarily spending the night. The ones that we know are operating, we know what they are getting. Several (Airbnbs) have stopped operating and several are suspending operations.”

Duke Power Installed New Outlets on Broad Street

Duke Power took down old wires and installed new outlets ensuring Christmas decorations along Broad Street will all be lit up this year. Miller said Duke Power will be responsible for upkeep as the town has selected a lifetime maintenance program for $121 per pole.

Oriental Joins New PFAS Class Action

Miller said Town Attorney Scott Davis advised the Town Board to join a new PFAS class action suit, but added that she could disclose no details of the suit. PFAS are perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances – also called forever chemicals.

Commissioners Paul Jordan and Iris Cooper hesitated, uncomfortable with agreeing to join without having the details. Commissioner Chris Moffat felt reassured by the attorney’s recommendation enough to take “the leap of faith.”

The Town of Oriental joined another PFAS class-action lawsuit in June of 2024. The Town received around $25,000 in that settlement.

Ostendorff reminded the Board that Oriental has not discovered any PFAS in the water. Motion was approved to join the new class action suit, in a 3-2 vote.

New Town Manager Search is Underway

The position was posted and the Town Board received one resumé. Miller said that in addition to LinkedIn, Facebook and the town’s web site, the job posting was uploaded to the North Carolina League of Municipalities (NCLM) and the North Carolina City & County Management (NCCMA).

Jordan praised the consultant work of the Eastern Carolina Council (ECC) working with the Town Board to find a new Town Manager. “They know us and do a lot of work with us and know what we are looking for,” Jordan said.

Airstream Group Approved for Parking in Lou Mac Park

Approval was granted for 12 Airstream trailers to park at Lou Mac Park during the Chowder Cook off weekend in March, 2027. “Their sole purpose is to visit shops and restaurants and they want to work with any local charity,” said Marsha Paplham, owner of Marsha’s Cottage, who was contacted by the group. “A similar event was held in little Washington and was considered quite successful,” said Paplham.

Commissioner Moffat Resigning

Moffat announced his intent to resign as he is moving out of Oriental. Due to the upcoming election (which will occur before the next meeting) no replacement commissioner was selected to serve.

“It has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve,” said Moffat. “I am grateful for every opportunity I have had. It has been a joy to shape decisions that affect the community I will be leaving with a grateful heart and wonderful memories of our time together.”

Jordan praised Moffat’s contributions: “I have to say his rational arguments and sound judgements have been a tremendous asset to us, no matter what the issue under consideration. His financial background was invaluable to this group as we navigated a complex and confusing budget process. Mr. Moffat, I will miss having your voice of reason. You will be missed more than I can say.”

Harbor Waterfronts Committee at Work

• Harbor Waterfronts Committee (HWAC) is working with “everyone in authority” to address the growing problem of abandoned boats around Oriental
• HWAC received a proposal that combines engineering for the John Bond beach situation and engineering for Hodges Street; the proposal has yet to be discussed by HWAC, and a recommendation to the Town Board will follow

Police Report

Chief Wichrowski cleared up confusion for Commissioners regarding several boilerplate documents sent over from the Pamlico County Sheriff’s office governing dispatch services and database searches on criminal histories, license plates and outstanding warrants. Wichrowski said the documents were to provide the Pamlico County Sheriff’s Office documentation attesting that the search function is being used for the appropriate reasons.

The Sheriff’s Office is transitioning away from Southern Software as their provider. Wichrowski said Oriental has “our own licenses. We will continue to use Southern Software.”

A motion was approved for Mayor Belangia and Chief Wichrowski to attest to and sign the documents from the Pamlico County Sheriff’s office.

Oriental received a grant for $17,000 to purchase a Mobile Emergency Response Trailer (MERT) full of cones and barricades. In the time between when the grant was submitted and awarded, the price of the trailer increased $5,000. Wichrowski said there were no funds left in the grant to cover the difference.

Miller said former Officer Nic Blayney applied for the grant and when it was awarded, the grant notification was sent to his email where it sat unnoticed. Cooper said in response to the Chief’s request for additional funds that it was a separate decision. They will take up the request at the November 10th meeting.

Dates to Know

The next Town Board Meeting will be Tuesday, November 10 at 6p.

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Story by Laurie Stahlmann

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Related Information

• October Meeting Agenda
• Consent Agenda
• Audit
• Manager’s Report
• Auxiliary Board Reports
• Budget Amendment
• Manager Search
• Resolution Opposing Ferry Tolls
• Hodges Street Flooding Policy
• Resolution Opposing Increase in Pamlico Sound Bombing Range
• Strategic Plan
• Tree Issues
• Police Report

Posted Thursday October 29, 2026 by Allison DeWeese