During their July 3 Wednesday morning meeting, Nags Head commissioners recognized achievements by two town employees and a private citizen, approved a Miller’s Waterfront Restaurant dock extension, heard a 2019 beach nourishment project progress report, authorized a new stormwater and streets technician position and discussed the need for additional crosswalks, pedestrian-activated traffic lights and a lower speed limit.

During the morning’s regular session of business, the construction of a platform, finger piers and associated mooring pilings to accommodate four transient boat slips at Miller’s Waterfront Restaurant was approved.

The addition will add 55 feet of pier to the existing Miller’s facility at 6916 S. Croatan Highway for a total of about 187 feet of pier.

In response to public safety concerns over possible conflicts with non-motorized water sport participants in the surrounding areas, Brian Rubino with Quible and Associates explained that the boat slips are located on the west side of the pier, which should help deter boats moving closer to shore.

The property is already zoned C-2, General Commercial and is included within the Commercial Outdoor Recreation Overlay District.

The project will not include any fuel facilities and the surrounding area is to be designated as a no wake zone with the appropriate official no wake zone signs. Although it has been permitted by CAMA for six boat slips, commissioners only approved four and asked that the packet be amended to show only four slips rather than the approved six.

During discussion, commissioner Cahoon said she has heard that boats are already coming and going there with no known incidents, but in the event there are she would like to have the board made aware of it.

Opening the meeting with a series of presentations, Nags Head Chief of Police Phil Webster advised commissioners that Detective Brandon S. Bostwick had recently met all the training and educational objectives in order to achieve an Advanced Law Enforcement Certification North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission.

The second presentation, by interim Fire Chief Shane Hite, went to firefighter/EMT Tanner Mann, who earlier this year completed the National Fire Academy Managing Officer Program.

According to Hite, Mann is the first from Nags Head and even Dare County to complete the Managing Officer Program which, is designed to provide company level fire and EMS officers with a broad perspective in today’s management, leadership and administration.

Also on hand for public recognition was Nags Head resident Linda Harper, who received the Kay Rybovich Trophy from the International Women’s Fishing Association.

In making the public announcement, commissioner Renée Cahoon explained that the association was formed in mid-1950s at a time when women were not allowed to compete in any of the existing fishing tournaments. In addition to fishing, members raise money for scholarship trust to aid qualified young female students seeking advanced degrees in the field of marine sciences.

According to the association’s website, Harper received the award – named after one of the three founding members – for catching and releasing 55 different species of fish during 2018.

During a 2019 beach nourishment project progress report, it was stated that work started May 1 with an estimated 65 percent of the contracted volume of sand now on the beach. Although work began with two dredges, after the Ellis Island dredge departed for another project, only the Liberty Island dredge is currently in place.

According to the report, ponding at various oceanfront homes has been minimized or eliminated. The project is expected to finish sometime near the end of August.

After a short introduction by town manager Cliff Ogburn, a new stormwater and streets technician position was approved.

According to town documents, the selected candidate will perform intermediate semiskilled  and manual labor work in a variety of stormwater and streets maintenance assignments throughout the town.

Among the initial essential duties for the position will be the inspection and cleaning of storm drains and stormwater filtration systems, repair of sinkholes and catch basins and accurately reporting on the overall condition of the stormwater system.

During a discussion on traffic safety issues, commissioner Cahoon pointed out that the highway speed in part of the town is posted at 45 mph and in other parts it is 55.

“We need to think about safety and make it 45 all the way,” said Cahoon.

Mayor Pro Tem Susie Walters advised that while the request is supported and talked about before, it has been turned down by NCDOT. Commissioner Webb Fuller then commented that the values for NCDOT are different than the values for the town.

“Their job is to move traffic through town as fast and as efficiently as possible,” said Fuller. “Our goal is safe movement.”

Mayor Ben Cahoon added that US 158 is now a main street and is no longer a bypass, if it ever was.

Following a discussion, the increased potential for conflicts between vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists and overall traffic safety in town, commissioners authorized letters to NCDOT requesting a lower speed limit of 45 mph from the Washington Baum Bridge through town, a pedestrian-activated stop light at the Melvin Daniels Bridge on US158 east of the Washington Baum Bridge or that NCDOT modify the pedestrian crosswalk lights there to be red when activated, evaluation of full traffic signal at Soundside Road, installation of pedestrian-activated signal at Epstein Drive and a look at adding additional pedestrian crosswalks on NC12.

In other business for the day, coard members approved minutes from June 5 and June 19 meetings, a new records retention and disposition schedule, a debris removal monitoring service contract, a local water supply plan, an IT services contract with Shoshin Technologies, scheduled a public hearing for a request to convert a vacant commercial structure at 4125 South Croatan Highway into an indoor entertainment facility and an unrelated public hearing for August 7 on a proposed unified development ordinance, which will replace several existing town code chapters.

Commissioners also approved a 2019 National Night Out Proclamation designating August 6 as the 36th Annual National Night Out in Nags Head. The annual event is seen as a unique opportunity for the Town of Nags Head to join forces with thousands of other communities across the country in promoting a number of police-community crime prevention activities.

A September 4 public hearing was scheduled on an ordinance regulating accessory dwelling units. The recommended code change will allow ADUs within town subject to certain standards by right and with a conditional use permit depending on the zoning district.

The board then entered a closed session to review previous closed session minutes and to discuss legal matters with the town attorney.

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