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abies may trigger a temporary leash law, golf carts ordinances at the state and local levels, and the relocation of an alligator snapping turtle (with pictures).

September’s Town Board Meeting had this and more.

Rabies reported in Oriental

Two incidences of rabies in wild foxes have been reported in and near the town limits: one at Dolphin Point and another at Silverbrook Rd. Town Manager Miller said citizens should consider keeping their pets close or on a leash. She said the state has the power to institute a leash law in Oriental after three confirmed cases of rabies. The health department can take a pet if there is no owner present and the pet is suspected of having been in contact with an infected animal. Any leash laws instituted by the state due to rabies would be temporary and only in effect until rabies is cleared from the area. Miller said animals suspected of having contact would be required to have a booster shot and be isolated for 45 days.

Golf cart ordinance cards

Mayor Sally Belangia commented that a citizen recently received a ticket from the Highway Patrol for operating a golf cart on Highway 55. She said Oriental does have an ordinance that allows golf carts to be driven on state roads where the speed limit is 35mph or less. Town Hall has created laminated ordinance cards listing the local ordinance and state statute that authorizes use of golf carts in town. They are available for free at Town Hall.

Mayor Belangia said “You should keep these in your golf cart in case it [being stopped by the Highway Patrol] ever happened again.” Town Manager Miller has put in a request to the division engineer at DOT to ask for Highway 55 to be made 35mph up to the Piggly Wiggly in order to accommodate residents with golf carts. She is waiting on a reply.

The speed limit drops to 35mph before Sail/Loft Realty.

Town Hall venue request denied

A request has been made to use Town Hall in October 2018 for an event similar to a trade show. During a previous workshop, the Town Board discussed the pros and cons of allowing this event to take place at their premises. They voted against the request citing the following: the person making the request is not a resident, the event will not be open to the public, granting the request puts Town Hall in direct competition with other local venues that have similar facilities. Commissioner Sandy White said, “I think it should be a back room at Brantley’s or a Women’s Club thing; you gotta spend money to make money.”

Street closings for annual events

Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival
The Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival has requested street closings along South Avenue from Mildred St to King St., including King St., Neuse St., Freemason St., and Mildred St. up to 1st Avenue. There is a wedding at the River Neuse Suites the same weekend. Organizers of the Festival have said they will leave access to the River Neuse Suites open at Mildred and South Ave. Signs will be posted to route traffic around these areas. The Board approved the closure from 8a – 6p, Saturday October 7th.

Oriental Classic Car Show
The Oriental Classic Car Show has also made a request to have streets closed for their event. They are expecting 80-85 cars and have asked to close South Ave between Freemason St. and High St, as well as Mildred and Freemason to 1st Avenue. They will leave ingress and egress for homeowners in the area and put up appropriate signage the Friday evening before the event. The Board approved the closure from 8a – 6p Saturday, October 14th.

Upcoming public hearings

The Planning Board is going through a comprehensive review of the permissible uses table of the GMO. They are creating a draft of their changes to send to the Town Board before September 19th. The public hearing is scheduled for The Town Board meeting on October 3rd, 2017. If the Planning Board is unable to have a draft of their suggested changes to the Board before, the public hearing will be rescheduled to November. The Planning Board is currently holding public meetings to discuss changes to the Permissible Use Table.

The Dutton SUP for Seahorse Landing Rd. may also be on the agenda for Town Board’s October meeting. Mr. Dutton is contacting other owners in the Seahorse Landing Development to agree to dedicate Seahorse Landing Rd. to the town so that permits can be granted for construction or modification of properties in that area.

Public dock closing for Oriental Cup Regatta

The Oriental Cup Regatta has requested the public docks (Town Dock 1 and 2) be closed and rafting be allowed on the Styron side of the docks from Friday September 15th to Sunday September 17th at noon. The Board approved. Commissioner Barb Venturi asked that dock closing for annual events be put into the General Ordinance as an administrative duty rather than an action that needs to go before the Board.

Police report and turtle relocation

Oriental Police Officer Nic Blayney gave his police report for the month of August. The majority of his work was in security checks, for people and for businesses. He assisted other agencies, cited a boat at the Town Dock for staying too long, and responded to a fight at the Toucan (that may also be a domestic dispute or a robbery). The fight is still under investigation and Officer Blayney stated he will be revising the police report categories to be more relevant to the needs of Oriental.

Officer Blayney explains the relocation program.

Officer Blayney requested Town Manager Miller to assist him for an animal complaint call. A large alligator snapping turtle was discovered near Town Hall, creating a potential hazard to wandering animals and pedestrians. They attempted to move the turtle to a more secure location at the duck pond. Using photos taken at the scene, Officer Blayney narrated the operation. “Here we are attempting to assist the turtle into a Tupperware box with wheels. It was a great time. The turtle was not happy.” They were able to relocate the turtle to safer ground, confident in Eric’s ability to handle any issues thereafter. The turtle, indignant at his sudden change of environment, responded with anger and did not go gently into the duck pond.

Officer Blayney, Town Manager Miller, and the Alligator Snapping Turtle.

The next Town Board Meeting will be Tuesday October 3rd, 2017.

Related Information

• September 5th Agenda

Posted Tuesday September 12, 2017 by Allison DeWeese