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‘It’s going to make a tremendous difference on how we operate as a town’

Nags Head town staff and community members celebrated the completion of the first building in the Public Services Complex last Wednesday afternoon, June 5, 2024 with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The administration building, located at 2203 South Lark Avenue at the former bulk yard site, was completed 14 months after the groundbreaking ceremony last April. Soon to be occupied include a combined fleet maintenance, sanitation and facilities maintenance building, a water distribution building with office spaces and storage areas, and an area for vehicle washing and fueling.

The project was led by general contractor A.R. Chesson Construction and designers Oakley Collier Architects of Rocky Mount.

“It’s going to make a tremendous difference on how we operate as a town,” said town manager Andy Garman in his dedication speech.

“Public services is an around the clock organization,” Garman said. “It’s 365 days a year … Everybody’s working really hard – weekends, holidays, in the heat and freezing temperatures – to make sure things keep running, that the town is clean, and that an uninterrupted and professional level of services is provided to our citizens and visitors. To provide this team with the resources to make their workday smooth, safe, efficient, and to a standard that’s representative of the Town of Nags Head shows a level of care and commitment that our board has to this team and it does not go unnoticed.”

Town engineer David Ryan thanked the public works staff for their patience and willingness to continue to offer excellent service to residents during the construction phase. “No matter how much space we were given we always found a way to be able to overcome and adapt,” Ryan said. “[When] Eddie Williams, our sanitation superintendent was faced with one of those challenges and he said, ‘No problem, we will work through it until we have no room left to work’ and that has been the general attitude of a lot of our staff.”

The administration building is where the public will have the most interaction with public services staff. The facility has several meeting rooms, offices and a welcoming lobby.

Present at the celebration included former Nags Head mayor and commissioner Renee Cahoon, former town manager and commissioner Webb Fuller, and longtime former public works director Ralph Barile.

Mayor Ben Cahoon then called commissioners to the front to announce the unveiling of the public services complex sign. Renee Cahoon, much to her surprise, was honored with the eponym of the new complex.

“Thank you, Mayor. I’m overwhelmed and flabbergasted,” said Renee Cahoon in her impromptu speech to the gathered crowd, which included her family members. “I don’t think I deserve it. There are a lot of other people that deserve it just as much as me.”

After Renee Cahoon and the board of commissioners cut the ceremonial ribbon, the public was invited to tour the new facility and enjoy refreshments.

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