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July 4, 2018
July’s Town Board Meeting once again coincided with the July 4 holiday. Board members elected to move it to June 28 to accommodate the holiday and pre-planned vacations. At the short morning meeting, Chapter H in the General Ordinance – the Nuisance Animal chapter – was amended, a public hearing is set to allow County building code enforcement, and the second Oriental Officer is announced.Whittaker Point Restoration UpdateTwo grant applications, one for NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the other for the non-profit foundation Golden Leaf, have been completed.The NCDEQ grant is for $400,000 and Golden Leaf is $800,000. Town Manager Miller said the Town will acquire Whittaker Pointe and leverage the land against the grants. The NC DEQ grant requires a 50/50 match that does not have to be monetary. Miller says the Town can match it in effort, labor, materials, and land value.
Henry Fraser, one of the current owners of Whittaker Pointe, is paying for an appraisal of the land for the applications.
There will be a meeting on July 19 about a concurrent Whittaker Point project – the dredging of Whittaker Creek. Town Manager Diane Miller will be present to answer questions about the restoration project.
Public Works Employee recognized for 20 years of serviceTown Hall recognized Josh Gibson for 20 years of service to Oriental. Josh is in the Public Works department and was presented with two outdoor chairs for his porch and a canvas cover to help keep them safe from the weather.Town Manager Diane Miller says Josh is “a vault of institutional memory” and incredibly valuable to the Town of Oriental and the Public Works department.
Chapter H – Nuisance AnimalLanguage has been added to Chapter H to bring it into compliance with state ordinances. Exemptions have been added for working dogs (law enforcement, hunting, and other) as have penalties for owners of nuisance animals. All new additions to the ordinance are marked in red in the link below.Hearing Set for Pamlico Flood Damage Prevention OrdinanceWhen the Town of Oriental signed onto the Pamlico Hazard Mitigation Plan in 2015, they were also required to adopt a Flood Prevention Ordinance. They did not and are now under deadline to do so.Town Manager Miller has recommended Oriental adopt the Pamlico County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance. This allows the county to enforce their building codes within Oriental limits. This would only apply to new construction.
Manager Miller says the Planning Board is looking at the ordinance and has found it to be consistent with many of the changes that have already been made in the GMO. The hearing is set for July 9 at 8a at Town Hall.
New Oriental Officer AnnouncedWilliam Wichrowski has been named as the second officer in Oriental. Like Officer Nic Blayney before him, Mr. Wichrowski will be an employee of the Town of Oriental until his completed paperwork is returned from Raleigh. The Town Manager expects that it will be returned shortly and Mr. Wichrowski will be sworn in at the August Town Board Meeting.Wildlife Ramp Watercraft Racks InstalledThe watercraft racks have been installed at the Wildlife Ramp at the end of Midyette St. They are awaiting locks and cables and should be ready for public use the second week of July.A resolution was passed to add rules and regulations for watercraft usage to Chapter E. The watercraft lease agreement, rules, and regulations can be viewed at the link below.
There was no police report as June had not ended. Officer Blayney will present June and July’s police reports at the August meeting.
Dates to Know
- The next Town Board Meeting will be Tuesday, August 7 at 7p.
- A Public Hearing is set for July 9, 2018 at 8a to adopt the Pamlico County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance
Related Information