[0:05] All right, good morning everyone. This

[0:06] the Wednesday, August 5th, 2026

[0:10] regular meeting of the Nags Head Board

[0:12] of Commissioners is hereby called to

[0:13] order. If you will, please join me in a

[0:16] few moments of silence.

[0:23] Now, if you'll stand as you're able and

[0:25] join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

[0:30] » [clears throat]

[0:31] >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[0:33] United States of America and to the

[0:35] republic for which it stands, one nation

[0:39] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[0:42] justice for all.

[0:52] » Um before we begin, I'd like to

[0:54] recognize uh former Mayor Bob Muller's

[0:56] here with us today. Welcome, Bob. Always

[0:58] glad to see you.

[1:00] Um

[1:03] the next item on our agenda is the

[1:06] adoption of the agenda and note um

[1:09] the retirement recognition of David

[1:11] Perry has been moved to the September

[1:13] 2nd meeting and a motion would be in

[1:15] order.

[1:15] >> So moved.

[1:16] >> I have a motion, is there a second? I

[1:18] have a motion and a second. All those in

[1:19] favor signify by saying I.

[1:21] >> I.

[1:22] >> Opposed? Thank you.

[1:24] Uh that brings us to recognitions and

[1:26] we'll start with Kelly.

[1:45] » Good morning, Mayor and Commissioners.

[1:47] I'm pleased to introduce our new Chief

[1:49] Building Inspector, Rick Gotchy.

[1:51] Rick brings 12 years of building

[1:53] inspection experience, all with

[1:55] Currituck County, as well as 2 and 1/2

[1:57] years experience with a local home

[1:59] builder, BC Custom Builders. He holds

[2:02] level three certifications in building,

[2:05] electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and

[2:07] fire, um and he is also a certified

[2:10] flood plain administrator and a licensed

[2:13] commercial drone operator,

[2:15] which is exciting. Um Rick lives in Dare

[2:17] County with his wife, Michelle. Um they

[2:20] have two daughters, Caitlin and Madison.

[2:22] Uh

[2:23] Caitlin and Madison grew up and attended

[2:25] Dare County schools, and they now live

[2:27] in Marietta, Georgia and Orange,

[2:29] California. Um outside of work, Rick

[2:32] enjoys traveling, college football, and

[2:34] music. Uh we're very fortunate to have

[2:37] someone with Rick's experience and

[2:38] qualifications join our team. Um we're

[2:41] glad you're here and we hope you stay

[2:43] here uh for quite a bit and you're up

[2:45] here again for your 5- and 10-year.

[2:47] Thank you so much. [laughter]

[2:49] I appreciate you.

[2:51] >> [applause]

[2:58] » Welcome.

[2:59] >> Thank you.

[3:05] » Glad to have you.

[3:14] » Next with a um new employee is Amy

[3:17] Miller.

[3:24] » Good morning, Mayor and Commissioners.

[3:26] Um please help me in welcoming Jessica

[3:28] Gallop as our new tax collector. Um

[3:31] she's been working with Jackie, who was

[3:33] our also our tax collector right now as

[3:36] Steve is here, he's retiring. Um so

[3:38] she's going to be moving on, but we're

[3:40] actually very grateful for the notice

[3:42] that Jackie gave us um because we're

[3:45] able to time this with the tax bills

[3:47] going out. We actually received the tax

[3:49] scroll this week, um and so it's really

[3:52] good timing. Um,

[3:54] we've also asked Becky, who is the tax

[3:57] collector of Dare County, to come work

[3:58] with us. So, we've really been um, it's

[4:01] really good timing and we feel very

[4:03] fortunate. Um, obviously we work hand in

[4:05] hand with Dare County, so this is just

[4:07] like really a good start um, to her

[4:10] career at at Nags Head. Um,

[4:14] addition In addition to her great

[4:15] attitude and strong work ethic, um,

[4:18] great references

[4:19] uh, when we reached out. Um, she has

[4:22] really the perfect background to be the

[4:23] tax collector here. Um, she worked in

[4:25] Camden County

[4:27] tax department as a tax specialist for

[4:29] 14 years um, and she is certified as a

[4:32] personal property appraiser from the

[4:34] North Carolina Department of Revenue.

[4:37] Um, she primarily worked with personal

[4:39] property at Camden County. Um, but you

[4:42] know, we collect personal property and

[4:43] real property here and the personal

[4:44] property statutes fall under the

[4:47] umbrella of the real property statutes,

[4:49] so it's it's just really a great fit.

[4:51] So, she has a really strong background

[4:53] um, and knowledge in tax collection. So,

[4:56] it's going to be a really smooth

[4:57] transition. And yes, she is aware of the

[5:00] high expectations we have with our

[5:02] high tax collection rate. That's always,

[5:05] you know, put that on the table first

[5:06] and foremost. So, she's ready for the

[5:08] challenge and she's going to be a

[5:10] welcome addition to the team. We're

[5:12] really fortunate to have somebody so

[5:13] qualified to be able to step in in this

[5:15] position in this timing where it's

[5:17] really critical to learn how to do this

[5:20] when we're sending out the tax bills

[5:21] now. Um, so I know that she's going to

[5:24] help set the town up for success in the

[5:26] future. Um, we're glad to have you. I'm

[5:28] sorry to throw you in the fire, and but

[5:31] welcome to the team.

[5:33] >> [laughter]

[5:35] [applause]

[5:41] » Welcome.

[5:42] >> Thanks, thanks for having

[5:44] just checking

[5:48] instead of being able to do

[5:58] » That brings us next to a recognition for

[6:00] years of service and Chief Hale.

[6:10] » Good morning Mr. Mayor and

[6:10] Commissioners.

[6:11] It's my [clears throat] pleasure to come

[6:13] before you today to recognize Sergeant

[6:14] J.C. Mitchell

[6:16] for his 10 years of service with the

[6:18] town.

[6:19] J.C. began his career in Kiddie Hills

[6:21] and joined our agency in 2016 as a

[6:23] patrol officer.

[6:25] In early 2018, Mitchell expanded his

[6:27] patrol duties and became a K9 handler

[6:29] with the agency and was partnered with

[6:31] K9 Amy who recently retired in 2024 and

[6:35] now lives as a family member within the

[6:37] Mitchell household.

[6:39] Mitchell was promoted to sergeant in

[6:40] 2024 in March and has become a great

[6:42] leader within our department.

[6:45] In the small time frame of just 2 years.

[6:47] He's one of the agency's general

[6:48] instructors and oversees the agency's

[6:50] Governor's Highway Safety program.

[6:52] In his free time, J.C. loves to spend

[6:54] time with his wife Ashley, his three

[6:55] children, and three dogs that live with

[6:57] him.

[6:58] Congratulations J.C. on your 10 years

[7:00] and we look forward to many more.

[7:03] >> [applause]

[7:16] [clears throat]

[7:18] [snorts]

[7:25] » And the Chief and Sergeant Mitchell are

[7:27] going to stay there for another

[7:29] presentation.

[7:30] >> Absolutely.

[7:31] Um

[7:32] We'd like to take a moment to honor

[7:34] Sergeant Mitchell for receiving a very

[7:36] significant statewide honor.

[7:39] Sergeant Mitchell was named the 2025 DWI

[7:42] per capital enforcer of the year by the

[7:44] Mothers Against Drunk Driving of North

[7:46] Carolina.

[7:48] Mothers Against Drunk Driving, better

[7:49] known as MADD, was founded in 1980 after

[7:52] a 13-year-old girl was killed by an

[7:54] impaired driver.

[7:55] Since that time, MADD has grown into the

[7:57] nation's nation's largest nonprofit

[7:59] organization dedicated to ending drunk

[8:01] and drug impaired driving, supporting

[8:03] victims, and preventing underage

[8:05] drinking.

[8:07] Each [snorts] year, MADD North Carolina

[8:09] recognizes law enforcement officers from

[8:11] across the state who demonstrate an

[8:12] exceptional commitment to impaired

[8:14] driving enforcement.

[8:16] This is not simply a departmental or

[8:18] regional award. It is a statewide award

[8:20] of excellence. This year's event was

[8:23] held in Selma at the end of April with

[8:25] eight officers from across the country

[8:27] attending for a

[8:30] uh meal,

[8:31] presentation from the leaders of MADD,

[8:35] um

[8:37] and recognition from several senators

[8:40] um throughout the state, um

[8:42] commissioners, um

[8:44] I was unable to attend. I hated that

[8:46] with JC. Um we had uh

[8:49] an event going on at the end of April

[8:50] that I needed to be here for. Um

[8:52] but it was an honor for JC to be able to attend and recognize

[8:58] for his efforts and to be a part of our

[9:01] agency just goes above and beyond for

[9:02] what he does.

[9:05] Sergeant Mitchell

[9:06] >> [clears throat]

[9:08] >> earned this award after making 35

[9:09] arrests during the 2025 year. This means

[9:13] that 35 suspected impaired drivers were

[9:15] removed from our roadways before they

[9:16] could potentially injure or kill

[9:18] someone.

[9:20] To take it in perspective, there are

[9:21] roughly 22,000 sworn law enforcement

[9:23] officers serving throughout North

[9:25] Carolina.

[9:26] For an officer from the Nag's Head

[9:27] Police Department to be selected and

[9:29] recognized is a tremendous

[9:30] accomplishment and something our entire

[9:32] community should be proud of.

[9:34] The award reflects the efforts of

[9:36] Sergeant Mitchell puts into his job

[9:37] every day.

[9:38] He is an extremely hard worker,

[9:40] a solid leader, and someone who

[9:42] consistently brings a positive attitude

[9:44] to work. That attitude is contagious and

[9:46] has a positive effect on the officers

[9:48] around him and those especially that he

[9:50] supervises. We're very proud of Sergeant

[9:52] Mitchell and grateful for his dedication

[9:54] to the department and to the safety of

[9:56] our community. Please join me in

[9:57] congratulating him on his prestigious

[9:59] and well-deserved statewide recognition.

[10:03] >> [applause]

[10:12] » Congratulations.

[10:14] Sergeant.

[10:18] » Well done.

[10:20] >> Well deserved. Thank you.

[10:24] » We had some pictures in there. I don't

[10:25] know if we've got a little bit of a

[10:26] technical difficulty. Did it come up?

[10:30] And we're asking Sergeant Mitchell to

[10:32] stick around for a few minutes, if you

[10:34] will, for photograph a little bit.

[10:36] >> Okay.

[10:37] All right.

[10:39] Thank you. Um Nags Head's

[10:41] very fortunate to have a number of

[10:42] officers who are recognized um

[10:45] and who are specialists uh regionally or

[10:47] in the state, and uh we really

[10:49] appreciate their their above and beyond

[10:51] level of service.

[10:54] Uh the next item on our agenda is a

[10:56] recognition for 25 years of service.

[11:00] Andy and Roberta.

[11:06] » Can you come up to the podium?

[11:08] >> [laughter]

[11:09] >> All right. Well,

[11:12] make this short and sweet. Got front and

[11:14] back today.

[11:15] >> [laughter]

[11:17] » So,

[11:19] little did we know that on June 25th,

[11:22] 2001, would turn turn out to be a

[11:24] historic day for the town of Nags Head.

[11:27] I know I'm being a little grandiose

[11:28] here.

[11:29] It was the day that Roberta Thuman

[11:31] walked through our doors for the first

[11:33] time and gave us her talent, her energy,

[11:35] and her heart.

[11:36] Roberta was hired by Town Manager Webb

[11:38] Fuller originally as an executive

[11:40] assistant, but anyone who has worked

[11:42] with Roberta knows she didn't stay in

[11:44] that box for long. Over the next 25

[11:47] years, she grew into that role. She grew

[11:50] that role into something the town

[11:51] couldn't function without, our public

[11:53] information officer and quite simply the

[11:55] face of Nags Head. Think about what the

[11:58] world looked like in 2001.

[12:00] Back then, only half of American

[12:02] households had internet access at home.

[12:05] Today, the number is around 93%.

[12:07] Facebook didn't yet exist. It wouldn't

[12:10] launch until 2004. Twitter came along in

[12:12] 2006, and Instagram didn't arrive until

[12:15] 2010. Roberta start When she started

[12:18] here, our website was little more than a

[12:19] digital bulletin board, the most basic

[12:21] tool we had for getting information out

[12:23] to the public. Roberta didn't just adapt

[12:25] to that change, she led us through it.

[12:28] In 2018, she spearheaded a complete

[12:30] transformation of the town's website, a

[12:32] full modernization that gave our

[12:34] residents and visitors a genuinely

[12:35] better way to engage with their local

[12:37] government and find the information they

[12:39] need. And she didn't stop at the

[12:41] website. Today, the town's Facebook page

[12:44] has grown to 48,000 followers and nearly

[12:47] 9 9,500 posts. I'm sure you did all of

[12:51] those.

[12:52] Our Instagram following stands at over

[12:54] 10,000, and for some perspective, that's

[12:57] more Facebook followers than some of our

[12:58] neighbors Dare County 14,000

[13:02] and Kitty Hawk 30,000. [laughter]

[13:04] That kind of reach doesn't happen by

[13:06] accident. It happens because one person

[13:08] understood that showing up where people

[13:10] actually are is how you truly serve a

[13:12] community.

[13:13] But Roberta's impact goes much deeper

[13:15] than this. She had many passion projects

[13:18] throughout her career that had a major

[13:20] impact on the town.

[13:22] Anybody who's worked alongside her on

[13:24] beach nourishment, they'll tell you that

[13:25] Roberta has an absolute been an

[13:27] absolutely vital part of that effort.

[13:29] She's procured more easements than she

[13:31] probably ever cares to remember,

[13:33] quietly, patiently doing the unglamorous

[13:36] work that makes the massive project

[13:38] successful.

[13:39] Her impact goes well beyond easement

[13:41] acquisition. She can talk dredge

[13:43] operations, project templates,

[13:44] surveying, dune management, and even her

[13:47] favorite word, equilibration.

[13:49] >> [laughter]

[13:50] >> Right alongside our engineers and

[13:51] project team. She understood that this

[13:53] deeper understanding of of the project

[13:56] is necessary to really communicate to

[13:58] our community.

[13:59] Uh this is the probably communications

[14:02] is the single most important aspect of

[14:04] this project, especially when you're

[14:05] dealing with it in the summertime. And

[14:07] she's done four of these now.

[14:10] Roberta has also been the storyteller of

[14:12] Nags Head's history. She has produced

[14:14] the vast majority of her government

[14:16] access videos, keeping residents

[14:17] informed about town services and

[14:19] projects. And beyond that, she's created

[14:21] many documentaries

[14:23] that capture pieces of who we are. Most

[14:26] notably, her documentary on the Ash

[14:28] Wednesday storm and the history of Nags

[14:30] Head Ocean Rescue. Both of those films

[14:32] premiered at Jennette's Pier, and both

[14:34] times the house was packed. That tells

[14:36] you something.

[14:37] People don't just show up in numbers for

[14:39] just anyone. They show up because they trust the person telling the story,

[14:43] and because Roberta has spent 25 years

[14:45] earning that trust, one resident, one

[14:48] relationship at a time.

[14:50] And that might be the thing that stands

[14:52] out most about Roberta. Yes, she's

[14:54] mastered the technology. She's grown our

[14:56] digital present presence beyond what any

[14:58] of us probably imagined back in 2001.

[15:01] But underneath that all is something

[15:03] simpler, a warm presence, genuine care

[15:05] for people. Roberta has built

[15:07] friendships here that will last a

[15:08] lifetime, professional relationships

[15:10] across the region built on respect and

[15:12] trust. She is in every sense of the

[15:14] phrase the face of the town, not because

[15:17] of the title, but because of the way she

[15:19] has shown up for Nags Head that single

[15:20] day for 25 years. Roberta, on behalf of

[15:23] the entire town of Nag's Head, thank you

[15:24] for your dedication, your creativity,

[15:26] your patience with easements and

[15:28] equilibration,

[15:29] and for the countless ways, seen and

[15:31] unseen, you have shaped this town and

[15:33] how and tell its story.

[15:35] Here's to 25 remarkable years, and

[15:37] hopefully there's more still ahead, but

[15:39] probably not.

[15:40] >> [laughter]

[15:43] [applause]

[16:07] » Roberta?

[16:09] >> I know I made sure Roberta arranged for

[16:11] somebody to take pictures.

[16:13] >> [laughter]

[16:22] » I got to do it now.

[16:24] Would you like to say something?

[16:26] >> Uh actually,

[16:28] I'm really, really honored to work for

[16:31] this town

[16:32] since 2001, and it's it's so much fun.

[16:36] >> Glad it's fun.

[16:39] So, we have a certificate of

[16:40] appreciation for Roberta, which I will

[16:42] read in part.

[16:44] Throughout your career as public

[16:45] information officer, you have

[16:46] demonstrated exceptional

[16:48] professionalism, creativity, leadership,

[16:51] and communicating vital information for

[16:53] promoting town initiatives, fostering

[16:55] strong relationships between the town

[16:57] and its residents, visitors, and

[16:59] stakeholders.

[17:00] Nag's Head Board of Commissioners

[17:02] applauds the positive impact you have

[17:03] made on the town, your dedication,

[17:06] expertise, and unwavering commitment to

[17:08] public service, and Nag's Head Board of

[17:10] Commissioners and are deeply

[17:11] appreciative.

[17:21] » Thank you all for allowing me to come

[17:23] here.

[17:46] » And sadly, we have a retirement this

[17:48] morning.

[17:50] Kelly.

[17:51] >> Thank you. Before I begin, I want to

[17:53] make sure that this is working.

[18:05] Wonderful.

[18:09] Thank you so much, um, mayor, members of

[18:12] the board, and everyone here today.

[18:15] Um, it's my honor and, uh, also very

[18:18] bittersweet to recognize Steve Symanski

[18:21] on his retirement with the town of Nags

[18:23] Head.

[18:24] Steve began working for the town on

[18:26] January 3rd, 2013.

[18:29] And during his more than 13 years with

[18:31] us, he has served as a building

[18:33] inspector, our chief building inspector,

[18:36] and our floodplain administrator.

[18:39] Those are positions that carry a

[18:40] tremendous amount of responsibility.

[18:43] The work is technical, demanding, and

[18:45] not always appreciated. Um, particularly

[18:49] when your job requires you to tell

[18:50] someone something they do not want to

[18:52] hear.

[18:53] But Steve has always done his job

[18:55] exceptionally well.

[18:57] Back in 2022,

[18:59] I nominated Steve for employee of the

[19:02] year.

[19:03] In that nomination, I described him as

[19:05] punctual, accountable, dedicated,

[19:08] dependable, efficient, consistent,

[19:10] approachable, responsive, and adaptable.

[19:14] Um a lot of adjectives, but Steve earned

[19:17] every single one of them.

[19:19] At the time, Steve's supervisor said

[19:21] that Steve knew the North Carolina

[19:23] building code better than any inspector

[19:25] he had ever worked with. And that his

[19:27] knowledge was second to none.

[19:29] In the years since, Steve has become the

[19:31] person that the rest of us has relied

[19:33] upon for that knowledge.

[19:35] If someone had a question about building

[19:37] code, flood plain regulations, or just

[19:40] how how to handle a difficult situation

[19:42] within the town, Steve was the person

[19:43] that we went to.

[19:46] One of Steve's colleagues described him

[19:48] as steadfast and dependable,

[19:51] a true to his word friend.

[19:54] They spoke of his extensive knowledge,

[19:56] unwavering work ethic, fairness,

[19:59] trustworthiness, and his no-nonsense,

[20:01] get-it-done

[20:02] attitude. And that describes Steve

[20:04] perfectly.

[20:06] Steve's integrity was every bit as

[20:08] important as his knowledge.

[20:10] He administered the codes fairly and

[20:12] consistently, regardless of who was

[20:14] asking. It didn't matter if you were a

[20:16] first-time homeowner,

[20:17] a long-time contractor, a prominent

[20:20] property owner, or even a member of this

[20:23] Steve held everyone to the same

[20:25] standard.

[20:26] He didn't bend the rules based on

[20:28] someone's name, title, or influence.

[20:31] He treated people with respect and

[20:33] equity, and he took seriously his

[20:35] responsibility to protect the safety and

[20:37] welfare of all the people who live and

[20:39] work, and play,

[20:41] within the town of Nags Head.

[20:43] Steve was also incredibly dependable. He

[20:45] arrived early, ready to take the first

[20:47] phone call,

[20:49] or help the first person that walked

[20:50] through the door, often

[20:53] before some of us, myself included, um

[20:56] ever made it out of the house to come to

[20:58] work.

[20:59] >> [laughter]

[21:01] » If Steve told you he would take care of

[21:03] something, you knew that that would be

[21:05] taken care of.

[21:06] You rarely needed to follow up with

[21:08] Steve because Steve was always following

[21:10] [clears throat] through.

[21:12] Now, um

[21:14] in that 2022 nomination, I also wrote,

[21:17] and I want to be honest, that uh

[21:19] Steve was likely not the employee that

[21:22] you um went to if you wanted to leave

[21:24] feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

[21:27] >> [laughter]

[21:27] >> I don't know. Some of you might remember

[21:28] that from 2022, but I probably undersold

[21:31] him a little bit. Um

[21:35] he's uh he's behind being the very

[21:37] direct building inspector

[21:40] um who

[21:41] uh will often tell you to stay in your

[21:43] lane sometimes.

[21:45] Um he's incredibly thoughtful and

[21:47] caring.

[21:48] Steve began many mornings by sharing a

[21:51] beautiful sunrise photograph.

[21:53] Uh one coworker told me that she will

[21:55] miss those photographs so much

[21:58] and that her inbox is probably over its

[22:00] size limit. Sorry, Karen.

[22:03] Uh because she's kept so many of Steve's

[22:05] emails over the years.

[22:07] Um I think that says a lot. Steve didn't

[22:10] just notice the beautiful moments, but

[22:11] he took the time to share them

[22:13] um with everyone and the people he cared

[22:15] about.

[22:17] Um

[22:19] if we were especially lucky, uh Steve

[22:22] arrived with something he had baked.

[22:24] Cookies,

[22:25] cakes, pies, some other sweet treat

[22:27] would mysteriously appear in the office,

[22:30] and no one ever had the willpower um to

[22:32] not dive in immediately.

[22:35] We are certainly going to miss Steve's

[22:36] knowledge and his dependability, but it

[22:38] would be dishonest if we said that we

[22:40] weren't going to miss all the baked

[22:42] goods as well.

[22:43] >> [laughter]

[22:45] >> Another member of our team shared that

[22:46] Steve was always eager to answer

[22:48] questions and generously share his

[22:50] knowledge of building regulations and

[22:52] the code.

[22:54] They said they would miss working with

[22:55] him, miss those delicious treats, and

[22:58] hope retirement would allow him to kick

[23:01] up his feet, go fishing, and do whatever

[23:03] he wants with his time.

[23:05] And then they offered that what might be

[23:08] the best uh retirement tribute that

[23:11] anyone could give Steve, quote, "I can't

[23:14] believe I'm saying this, but go Birds."

[23:17] >> [laughter]

[23:20] » Um

[23:21] when Steve first told me he was ready to

[23:23] retire,

[23:24] I'll admit that it was hard for me to

[23:25] process. Selfishly, I wasn't ready to

[23:28] lose him.

[23:29] Not because of everything he brings to

[23:31] our department, but because of how much

[23:33] he means to all of us.

[23:35] But then

[23:38] I thought about

[23:41] pictures like this.

[23:44] Steve sent this to me about a year ago.

[23:49] Steve's dad lives in Delaware,

[23:52] about 5 hours away,

[23:54] and his dad loves playing hot shots at

[23:56] the VFW on Thursday nights.

[24:00] So, every other week, Steve makes that

[24:02] drive and takes his dad to the VFW.

[24:08] Knowing that retirement means Steve will

[24:09] have more time for nights like this,

[24:13] more time with his dad, makes losing him

[24:16] to retirement a whole lot easier.

[24:19] Because as much as we will miss having

[24:21] Steve here with us every day, this is

[24:23] exactly where he deserves to be.

[24:26] Steve, thank you for your knowledge,

[24:27] your integrity, your loyalty, your

[24:29] consistency, and your friendship.

[24:33] Thank you for always being there when we

[24:34] needed you, for holding all of us to the

[24:36] same standard, and for leaving this

[24:38] department and the town better than you

[24:40] found them.

[24:41] We hope retirement brings you many more

[24:43] trips to Delaware,

[24:45] many more Thursday nights at the VFW,

[24:47] plenty of time to fish, and the freedom

[24:49] to spend your days doing exactly what

[24:51] you want to do. You have certainly

[24:52] earned it. We are going to miss you.

[24:57] » [applause]

[25:21] » And I'm going to ask the board to come

[25:22] around and Steve to stay up for

[25:25] presentation.

[25:32] Go Burns.

[25:36] » There's a small financial token.

[25:38] >> Cash money in the envelope.

[25:40] >> [laughter]

[25:42] >> And a plaque which reads as

[25:44] To Steve Mansfield, a volunteer

[25:46] firefighter, with greatful appreciation

[25:48] for his well

[25:49] and service 2013.

[25:51] That's awesome.

[25:53] Thank you, Steve.

[25:57] Appreciate it.

[25:58] >> Okay.

[25:59] >> Just enjoy it.

[26:00] >> I'll wear it.

[26:01] >> Yes.

[26:03] >> Mayor, do you want to say a few words?

[26:05] >> Oh, yes, I do. I'm sorry, Steve. Please.

[26:08] >> Don't forget.

[26:09] >> JC, we've got with your award, please.

[26:12] >> Sure thing.

[26:18] » Yeah, sure I can.

[26:23] » Is there a way

[26:30] » Oh.

[26:31] Okay, hold on a sec.

[26:33] >> Okay, then.

[26:33] >> Turn it around.

[26:34] >> Okay, then.

[26:35] >> [laughter]

[26:35] >> I have no idea.

[26:43] » All right.

[26:44] >> Thank you.

[27:02] » It's a tear jerker.

[27:13] Right.

[27:17] Okay with me.

[27:19] >> I don't know.

[27:19] >> How about you?

[27:20] >> I don't know.

[27:21] >> How about you?

[27:22] >> You know I think that that set of recognitions

[27:27] represents to the degree to which Nags

[27:30] Head is really also a family. Uh

[27:32] you know, people who really respect each

[27:34] other and and enjoy working with one

[27:36] another and it's uh it's a it's one of

[27:38] the great things about our town and as

[27:40] we as we see employees come and go, it's

[27:43] uh it's pretty awesome.

[27:46] >> That brings us next to public comment,

[27:48] Mr. Leiby.

[27:50] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. At this time uh

[27:51] the Board of Commissioners welcomes

[27:53] members of the public to comment to the

[27:55] board on matters of interest or concern.

[27:57] Uh it's not an opportunity for dialogue

[27:59] and the board rarely responds, but for

[28:01] anyone who wishes to address the board

[28:03] on matters that you're interested in, if

[28:05] you will please uh go to the podium,

[28:07] start by telling us your name

[28:09] uh and where you live and then I will

[28:10] let you know when your time is almost

[28:12] up. Also, we do have one public hearing

[28:14] on the agenda for today. If you were

[28:16] here to provide comment for that

[28:19] hearing, you should reserve your

[28:20] comments until that public hearing is

[28:22] called. But for anyone else, if you wish

[28:24] to provide comment to the board,

[28:26] this is your opportunity.

[28:30] Anyone?

[28:32] Mr. Mayor, seeing no takers, I think we

[28:34] should conclude public comment.

[28:36] >> Right. Very good. Thank you, sir. Uh

[28:38] that brings us to the consent agenda,

[28:40] which you have before you with seven

[28:41] items and a motion would be in order.

[28:43] >> So moved.

[28:44] >> I have Okay, have a motion and a second.

[28:46] All [clears throat] in favor signify by

[28:47] saying I.

[28:48] >> I.

[28:48] Opposed?

[28:50] Thank you. And that brings us to our uh

[28:53] public hearing and I will turn this over

[28:55] to uh

[28:57] Mr. Liedy and Director Kelly Wyatt.

[29:00] >> All right, thank you, Mr. Mayor Smith.

[29:01] This time we will begin the public

[29:02] hearing to consider a text amendment

[29:04] application that was submitted by Ms.

[29:06] Suzanne Bear uh on behalf of BIPA LLC to

[29:10] amend section 7.32 of the Unified

[29:14] Development Ordinance in order to allow

[29:16] water-dependent recreational uses as a

[29:19] permissible use within commercial mixed-use developments,

[29:22] including shopping centers located

[29:24] within the commercial outdoor recreation

[29:27] overlay. And we'll begin the board's

[29:29] consideration of this uh by receiving

[29:31] the staff's analysis presented by uh the

[29:33] Planning and Development Director, Kelly

[29:35] Wyatt.

[29:37] >> Thank you. I was hoping I would have

[29:39] more time before I was back at this.

[29:41] >> [laughter]

[29:43] » Um

[29:45] As you stated, this is a public hearing

[29:47] to consider a text amendment application

[29:49] submitted by Suzanne Bear on behalf of

[29:52] BIPA BIPA LLC.

[29:55] The request is to amend section 7.32 of

[29:59] the Unified Development Ordinance

[30:01] to allow water-dependent recreational

[30:03] uses within commercial mixed-use

[30:05] developments, including shopping

[30:06] centers, when those developments are

[30:08] located within the commercial outdoor

[30:10] recreation overlay district or as we

[30:13] often call it the COORD.

[30:15] Um just as some background, this request

[30:17] originated from discussions concerning

[30:19] the property located at 7531

[30:22] uh South Virginia Dare Trail. Uh this is

[30:25] Caribbean Corners shopping center. Um it

[30:28] has Fresh Fit, uh pizza place, Lost

[30:31] Colony.

[30:33] Um just so you can get your bearings of

[30:35] uh where we're talking about.

[30:37] Uh that property is located on the sound

[30:39] front. It's within the C-2 general

[30:41] commercial zoning district and it's also

[30:43] within the court.

[30:45] Um it's developed as a shopping center

[30:47] which is classified in our ordinance as

[30:49] a commercial mixed-use development.

[30:52] Although the property um that prompted

[30:55] this request, um I did want to emphasize

[30:58] that this is a legislative text

[31:00] amendment and the board is not

[31:01] considering a particular site plan or

[31:04] special use permit this morning. The

[31:06] approval of this amendment would not

[31:09] constitute

[31:10] approval of or support of any particular

[31:13] business or proposal at Caribbean

[31:16] Corners.

[31:17] Uh that's just where the text amendment

[31:18] precipitated in the applicant in this

[31:21] scenario.

[31:23] Um under section 6.6 of our UDO,

[31:26] water-dependent recreational uses are

[31:28] already considered within um commer-

[31:32] within the commercial outdoor recreation

[31:33] overlay district. Um however, in section

[31:37] 7.32,

[31:38] which regulates

[31:40] um commercial mixed-use developments, it

[31:43] does not currently list water-dependent

[31:45] recreational uses among the uses that

[31:49] can be included within those

[31:50] developments. And that is the excerpt of

[31:54] the ordinance that we are requesting to

[31:56] amend, but I did provide the entire 7.32

[32:00] within your packet. So hopefully you've

[32:03] had a chance to look at that and if not,

[32:05] um I'm happy to bring it up on the

[32:06] screen.

[32:08] Um

[32:11] Therefore, even though the underlying

[32:13] zoning and the overlay district may

[32:15] allow the use, it cannot currently be

[32:18] located within a development classified

[32:20] as a commercial mixed-use development or

[32:23] a shopping center without the amendment

[32:25] that's before you today.

[32:28] Um there are several things that this

[32:30] amendment would not do, so I wanted to

[32:33] speak to those.

[32:34] It It not increase the maximum number of

[32:37] permitted commercial water recreational

[32:40] vendors that are allowed within the

[32:42] town.

[32:43] Um

[32:44] based on the carrying capacity study

[32:46] that was also included in your packet,

[32:48] that number has been at seven

[32:50] businesses, and it would remain at seven

[32:53] businesses. We're not looking to

[32:55] increase the number

[32:57] of recreational businesses within the

[32:58] town.

[33:01] It would not expand the geographic

[33:03] boundary of the commercial outdoor

[33:05] recreational overlay district. That

[33:07] would stay the same.

[33:08] Um that's right there in the Wellbone

[33:10] area, um

[33:12] starting around Lakeside, uh going

[33:14] around Wellbone and across the causeway.

[33:17] Um this would not increase the number of

[33:20] personal watercraft allowed per vendor.

[33:23] Right now, that's eight jet skis allowed

[33:27] per vendor. That came from the um

[33:30] the carrying capacity study for the

[33:32] sound front as well. This amendment does

[33:34] not change that in any way.

[33:37] That stays at eight.

[33:38] Um and this proposed amendment would not

[33:42] eliminate the requirement that anyone

[33:45] looking to take advantage of this

[33:47] would need to come back before the board

[33:48] for their special use site plan

[33:51] amendment.

[33:52] Um this text amendment would simply

[33:55] allow the existing category of use to be

[33:57] considered within an additional type of

[34:00] commercial development, specifically

[34:01] commercial mixed-use developments,

[34:03] including shopping centers.

[34:05] The history behind the town's regulation

[34:07] of water-dependent recreational uses

[34:09] important.

[34:10] In 1998, the town began experiencing

[34:13] increasing concerns regarding personal

[34:15] watercraft rental operations on the

[34:17] Roanoke Sound.

[34:19] Those concerns included safety,

[34:20] congestion, conflicts among different

[34:22] user groups,

[34:24] uh potential environmental impacts, and

[34:26] the overall quality of the recreational

[34:28] experience.

[34:30] In response, the Board of Commissioners

[34:32] at the time adopted a moratorium on the

[34:34] expansion of personal watercraft rental

[34:36] operations while a comprehensive

[34:39] carrying capacity study was completed.

[34:42] Um that's included in your packet.

[34:44] The town retained PMA planners to

[34:47] conduct that study.

[34:48] During the summer of 1998, the

[34:50] consultants completed 317 interviews at

[34:54] 12 locations along the Nags Head

[34:56] shoreline of Roanoke Sound.

[34:58] The participants included personal

[35:00] watercraft users,

[35:02] powerboat users, non-powered watercraft

[35:04] users, and shoreline users such as

[35:06] swimmers, anglers, and crabbers.

[35:09] The purpose was not to prohibit personal

[35:11] watercraft or commercial recreation.

[35:14] It was to determine how much

[35:16] recreational activity the sound could

[35:18] reasonably accommodate

[35:20] before congestion, safety concerns, user

[35:22] conflicts, or impacts to the experience

[35:25] became unacceptable.

[35:27] The study found that users were

[35:28] generally satisfied with their

[35:30] experiences on the sound,

[35:32] that the sound was not experiencing

[35:34] widespread degradation or unacceptable

[35:37] congestion,

[35:38] and that the management measures in

[35:40] place at the time seemed to be working.

[35:44] Seven commercial rental operations

[35:46] existed when that study was completed,

[35:48] and based upon those findings, the

[35:50] consultant recommended we keep that at

[35:52] seven businesses.

[35:54] Um eight personal watercraft was also

[35:57] what was permitted at the time, and

[35:58] that's why we're um that's why we

[36:01] currently have that, and we're proposing

[36:02] to keep that in place.

[36:05] Um

[36:06] one of the more significant conclusions

[36:08] of this study

[36:10] was that the principal concern was not

[36:12] necessarily the environmental

[36:13] degradation of the sound itself, but it

[36:16] was the potential for conflicts among

[36:17] many different people

[36:19] sharing a finite recreational resource.

[36:23] The resulting regulations were intended

[36:24] to balance recreational opportunities

[36:26] with safety, compatibility, and the

[36:28] long-term management of the Roanoke

[36:30] Sound.

[36:32] Staff recognizes that recreational

[36:33] activity on the sound has changed since

[36:36] that study was completed um more than 25

[36:39] years ago.

[36:41] We now have delivery-based rental

[36:43] services, more privately owned

[36:45] watercraft used by visitors,

[36:48] transient docking facilities, and a

[36:50] broader range of commercial activities.

[36:53] Businesses that may once have focused

[36:55] primarily on personal watercraft now

[36:58] frequently offer pontoon boat rentals,

[37:00] kayaks, stand-up paddle boards,

[37:02] parasailing, kiteboarding, dolphin

[37:04] tours, and many other activities that

[37:07] have grown over the years.

[37:09] Therefore, even though the number of

[37:11] commercial operators has remained

[37:13] relatively consistent,

[37:15] the variety and the potential intensity

[37:17] of recreational activity has certainly

[37:19] increased.

[37:22] The history is relevant. However, the

[37:24] proposed amendment does not necessarily

[37:26] alter the town's carrying capacity

[37:28] limitations.

[37:30] It does not add vendors, it does not add

[37:32] personal watercraft, or add territory to

[37:35] the overlay district.

[37:37] The question raised by this request is

[37:39] whether an otherwise [clears throat]

[37:40] permissible water-dependent recreational

[37:42] use

[37:43] should be allowed to seek approval

[37:44] within a commercial mixed-use

[37:46] development.

[37:47] And that raises um somewhat different

[37:51] set of concerns.

[37:53] Unlike stand-alone waterfront

[37:54] recreational businesses, a shopping

[37:56] center is typically designed around

[37:58] multiple tenants

[38:00] that are sharing parking, drive aisles,

[38:02] pedestrian areas, and other

[38:03] infrastructure.

[38:05] Those tenants may include restaurants,

[38:07] retail businesses, offices, and personal

[38:09] service establishments.

[38:11] Adding a water-dependent recreational

[38:14] use to that environment

[38:16] could raise some legitimate concerns

[38:18] about

[38:19] where watercraft and other equipment

[38:21] would be stored or staged.

[38:24] Where customers would gather and receive

[38:26] their instructions.

[38:28] Whether adequate parking would remain

[38:30] available for all tenants.

[38:32] How vehicles, trailers, pedestrians, and

[38:35] customers would circulate through the

[38:36] property.

[38:38] Where docking facilities or related

[38:40] infrastructure would be located.

[38:43] Where fueling would occur. And if so,

[38:45] how spill prevention and safety would be

[38:47] addressed.

[38:49] Whether the operation would affect storm

[38:51] water management. Is it going to be

[38:53] compatible with the neighboring tenants?

[38:56] And whether the overall site would

[38:57] continue to function safely and

[38:59] efficiently.

[39:01] Staff believes those are very important

[39:03] questions. However, we acknowledge they

[39:06] are more site-specific questions.

[39:09] The legislative text amendment cannot

[39:11] tell us

[39:12] where the equipment will be stored on a

[39:14] particular property, how many spaces

[39:16] will remain available, etc. Um or how it

[39:19] might conflict with the additional

[39:21] businesses within the shopping center.

[39:23] Those are items that are going to have

[39:25] to be evaluated through a special use

[39:27] permit and site plan amendment.

[39:30] That process would allow the town to

[39:32] examine the actual property,

[39:34] the proposed operation, parking

[39:36] calculations, circulation patterns,

[39:38] equipment storage, docking, fueling

[39:40] arrangements, storm water, and the

[39:42] relationship to the proposed other

[39:44] tenants.

[39:46] Any applicant would have to demonstrate

[39:48] independently that the proposed use

[39:49] satisfies all the applicable ordinance

[39:52] requirements and the special use permit

[39:53] standards.

[39:55] Staff also recognizes that the amendment

[39:57] could offer potential benefits.

[40:00] It could provide greater flexibility in

[40:02] the use of existing commercial

[40:04] properties, allow businesses to share

[40:06] existing infrastructure,

[40:08] concentrate commercial activities within

[40:10] established commercial developments,

[40:12] and provide convenience for customers

[40:14] who may be using other businesses at

[40:16] that location.

[40:18] Um relevant comprehensive plan policies

[40:21] encourage the town to preserve Nags

[40:23] Head's character

[40:24] while allowing commercial development

[40:26] that serves residents and visitors

[40:29] and remains compatible with adjacent

[40:31] properties.

[40:32] The plan also directs the town to review

[40:34] its regulations for ocean and sound

[40:36] waters, commercial boating,

[40:38] and personal watercraft to protect the

[40:40] recreational, scenic, and environmental

[40:42] value of those resources.

[40:45] Staff believes that allowing the use to

[40:47] be considered while retaining carrying

[40:50] capacity limits,

[40:52] the seven businesses and the eight jet

[40:54] skis,

[40:55] and requiring the site-specific special

[40:57] use permit,

[40:58] we believe that this text amendment is

[41:00] consistent with those policies.

[41:03] The planning board considered this

[41:04] amendment at its June 16th meeting, and

[41:07] after discussing all the potential

[41:08] concerns that we've gone over here as

[41:10] well, um the planning board voted

[41:12] unanimously to recommend approval of the

[41:15] text amendment, noting that um any

[41:19] business would require the site-specific

[41:21] special use permit

[41:23] to be reviewed and approved by the

[41:24] planning board and this board.

[41:27] Um

[41:29] That being said, uh staff staff's

[41:31] recommendation is the same.

[41:33] Uh we do recommend approval of the

[41:35] amendment as it's been presented, noting

[41:38] that um

[41:39] any individual business wanting to take

[41:41] advantage would require site plan review

[41:44] as well.

[41:45] So, I am happy to answer any questions

[41:47] that you may have related to the text

[41:49] amendment, and we do have um Suzanne

[41:52] Bear available in the audience. She is

[41:54] the applicant and the property manager

[41:56] for Caribbean Corners.

[41:59] >> Thank you.

[41:59] >> All right, does the board have any

[42:00] questions for Ms. Wyatt?

[42:03] » I don't.

[42:05] Thank you for a very thorough

[42:07] presentation.

[42:08] >> Yes.

[42:09] Thank you.

[42:10] >> All right, thank you, Kelly.

[42:11] Uh Ms. Bear, do you have anything to

[42:13] present?

[42:14] >> No, I just want to say thank you for

[42:15] your consideration on the

[42:19] >> All right.

[42:20] Does any member of the public wish to

[42:21] comment on the proposed text amendment?

[42:24] Does the board wish to receive any other

[42:26] information from staff or the applicant

[42:29] before you begin your deliberations?

[42:32] If not, at this time we will conclude

[42:33] the public hearing and the board may

[42:34] begin its deliberations on the proposed

[42:36] text amendment.

[42:38] All right, board, are there any comments

[42:41] before we entertain a motion?

[42:47] Okay.

[42:48] All right, then we'll entertain a

[42:49] motion.

[42:53] » I'll make a motion to

[42:55] approve this as it is presented.

[42:57] >> Thank you. Do I have a second?

[42:59] >> Second.

[43:00] >> I have a motion and a second. I will say I do appreciate the concerns

[43:07] that the planning board expressed about

[43:10] the that will be site specific.

[43:14] I also appreciate the fact that you know

[43:15] multi-use allows

[43:20] people to be on the road a little less.

[43:22] In other words, you can enjoy you know

[43:24] whoever's in a car can enjoy multiple

[43:26] functions on the same site,

[43:29] which I think is the the benefit of the

[43:31] mixed use and so we will see how this

[43:33] goes.

[43:36] All right, I have a motion and a second.

[43:38] Hearing no further discussion, all in

[43:40] favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed?

[43:44] Thank you.

[43:47] All right, Kelly.

[43:51] You're busy you're a busy lady today.

[44:02] » This next item will go much faster.

[44:05] Um

[44:07] I will just provide a few highlights

[44:09] from the planning and development

[44:10] department's monthly report.

[44:13] Um their written report has information

[44:15] about permitting, inspections, code

[44:16] enforcement, septic health activity from

[44:18] June. Um and I can dive deeper into any

[44:21] of that if needed. Uh the planning board

[44:24] uh did not meet in July. It's next

[44:26] meeting is scheduled for August 18th.

[44:28] And we're going to um to be hearing a

[44:31] text amendment submitted by Eddie

[44:32] Goodrich concerning cottage courts.

[44:35] The amendment would provide greater

[44:37] flexibility by modifying existing

[44:39] graduated size and design requirements

[44:42] for individual dwelling units.

[44:45] Um

[44:46] that sounds kind of vague, but

[44:49] essentially what that is is the um

[44:52] the last time we heard this

[44:54] uh

[44:55] I think the applicant wanted to increase

[44:58] the size of cottage courts.

[45:01] And this is kind of going the other way.

[45:03] Uh the current applicant is interested

[45:06] in providing smaller homes, um one story

[45:10] consistent with a loft. Um and because

[45:14] we have that graduated scale that says

[45:16] 1/3 has to be single story, 1/3 story

[45:20] and a half, 1/3 two story um

[45:23] with the scale of graduated habitable

[45:25] living space. Um this

[45:29] text amendment would keep that in place,

[45:32] but allow an alternative option for

[45:34] something um for more

[45:37] consistent one-story structures. Um

[45:41] and we'll have more on that at the

[45:43] planning board's agenda. Also, um at

[45:45] this next planning board meeting

[45:47] uh

[45:48] the conversation about accessory

[45:50] dwelling units that is on our strategic

[45:52] plan.

[45:53] Uh we don't want to lose sight of it. We

[45:55] know it's a really large conversation.

[45:58] We have several new planning board

[45:59] members currently um who may not be

[46:03] privy to all of the history behind ADUs

[46:06] and the discussions,

[46:08] um, and the concerns. So, um,

[46:11] we're going to start the process of

[46:14] updating the planning board on the

[46:15] history, um, so that possibly in the

[46:18] months down the road, um, if we want to

[46:20] consider another ordinance, um,

[46:22] everybody's aware of of where we've

[46:24] been.

[46:26] Um, the Board of Adjustment met on July

[46:28] 9th

[46:29] as to consider, uh,

[46:32] appeal from Sebastian Ohangoran. Uh,

[46:35] that was an appeal from an

[46:37] interpretation regarding front yard

[46:39] setback reduction, and the board voted

[46:41] unanimously to uphold staff's

[46:44] administrative decision.

[46:46] Um,

[46:47] the Board of Adjustment meets again

[46:49] August 13th to consider an appeal filed

[46:52] by Loretta Patrick regarding the denial

[46:56] of a permit to demolish an existing,

[46:59] um,

[46:59] beach access walkway within the Pelican

[47:02] Park subdivision, so.

[47:04] Um, adjoining property owner

[47:06] notifications have gone out. The site's

[47:08] been posted, um, and we'll be holding

[47:12] that hearing, um, on Thursday, August

[47:15] 13th.

[47:17] Um,

[47:19] as far as the DWMP, we continue to have

[47:23] strong participation in the septic

[47:25] health initiative during the past fiscal

[47:27] year.

[47:28] The town completed approximately 190

[47:31] septic inspections,

[47:33] issued 158 water bill credits, and

[47:36] facilitated 10 septic repair loans.

[47:39] Um, a recent outreach mailer generated

[47:42] approximately 70 inspection requests,

[47:45] and introduced several new property

[47:46] owners to the program, so that was

[47:48] really exciting.

[47:50] Um, staff have also mailed targeted

[47:52] information, um, about the new zero

[47:54] interest septic loan program to those

[47:56] properties that are

[47:58] um considered to be vulnerable based

[48:00] upon their proximity to a water body and

[48:02] elevation.

[48:04] Um

[48:05] staff continues to work with OTT

[48:07] Hydromet on our groundwater loggers and

[48:10] we're meeting with researchers from ECU

[48:13] to learn more about their groundwater

[48:14] monitoring work and possibly explore

[48:17] opportunities to collaborate with them

[48:19] as well.

[48:20] Um Estuarine Shoreline, there's been a

[48:22] lot of movement there.

[48:25] Um Harvey and Soundside event site

[48:27] permit application was submitted

[48:29] following completion of wetland survey

[48:32] and some minor design revisions. Um

[48:34] we're continuing to address access for

[48:38] um kayak and wind sport sport users.

[48:43] Um permits are anticipated in September,

[48:46] bidding to follow, and construction is

[48:48] currently planned for January of 2027.

[48:52] Um

[48:53] we've also had productive engagement

[48:54] with property owners on Village Dunes

[48:56] Drive and Soundside Road. At Soundside

[49:00] Road, the project will focus on a

[49:02] nature-based resiliency berm and

[49:05] associated stormwater improvements

[49:07] intended to reduce overtopping

[49:10] um of the roadway, improve habitat, and

[49:12] protect the infrastructure.

[49:14] Draft easement um language has been

[49:17] shared with the affected property owners

[49:19] and we're just continuing outreach with

[49:21] them at this time.

[49:23] Um staff are also developing policy for

[49:26] technical assistance funding that the

[49:28] board allocated during the budget

[49:30] process for private property owners and

[49:32] small groups that are interested in

[49:33] living shorelines. Um we're going to be

[49:36] putting a policy together on how that

[49:39] technical assistance will be awarded and

[49:41] that should be coming back to you in

[49:42] September.

[49:44] Um we have issued our request for

[49:47] qualifications to update the town's

[49:49] parks and recreation plan.

[49:51] That was the number one priority in the

[49:53] strategic plan update, so that is now

[49:55] underway and very exciting.

[49:59] Um summer programming at Dowdy continues

[50:02] to be extremely successful.

[50:04] Um great attendance at really

[50:05] everything, farmers market,

[50:08] um concerts, fitness, family fun.

[50:11] Everything's just going really well, so

[50:12] very thankful for that. Um and we're

[50:15] also pleased to welcome a new um

[50:17] employee, Erica Warbocker. She is a new

[50:20] part-time, year-round events assistant.

[50:23] Um

[50:24] most of y'all have probably seen her by

[50:26] now. She's out there with Paige on

[50:27] farmers market days and she's just been

[50:28] a huge asset to have her, so um thank

[50:31] you. She's been wonderful.

[50:33] Um

[50:34] and I believe that's it.

[50:36] >> Okay. Great.

[50:38] Any questions for Kelly?

[50:41] >> No. Thank you, Kelly.

[50:42] >> Thank you.

[50:43] >> [clears throat]

[50:43] >> Kelly.

[50:46] Uh that brings us to uh new business and

[50:50] committee reports and I will start on my

[50:52] right with Commissioner Vaughn.

[50:54] >> Uh the tourism board does not meet in

[50:56] July, so I have not much of a report no

[50:58] report for you this month.

[50:59] >> All right. Very good. Thank you.

[51:01] Commissioner Sanders.

[51:02] >> Um the Dare Housing Foundation is still

[51:04] moving forward with their um sandcastle

[51:08] weekly building contest, so and it's in

[51:11] its first year, so we're still trying to

[51:12] get the word out about that and hoping

[51:14] that'll grow. And also um more

[51:16] importantly, they're actively seeking

[51:18] some grants to to get things going, so

[51:20] it's it's moving in a really positive

[51:22] direction.

[51:23] >> Good. Good. Great to hear that.

[51:25] Uh Commissioner Weaver.

[51:27] >> Um Kelly Gre gave a great report update

[51:30] from the septic health committee, but I

[51:31] did just want to say an extra thank you

[51:34] to town staff. Um I've been on the

[51:36] septic health committee for years on

[51:38] planning board in this and it's just

[51:40] rare to me to see so many staff members

[51:42] involved in with this loan program, the

[51:44] amount of work that Kelly, Joe, Amy, and

[51:46] Connor have been putting into it, and

[51:48] Andy has been immense, and it's just

[51:50] well beyond the traditional scope of

[51:52] work, I would think, with the septic

[51:53] health program. So, thank you again.

[51:55] I'm really excited about the loan

[51:56] program.

[51:57] >> Very good.

[51:58] >> Thank you.

[51:59] >> Commissioner Harrison.

[52:00] >> Um government access channel committee

[52:02] met in July, and it's kind of business

[52:04] as usual. Things are just rolling along.

[52:06] I just wanted to point out that

[52:09] Roberta's content from the past year,

[52:12] since the committee's been developed,

[52:13] it's just been it's been stellar. If you

[52:15] go and you look through all the videos

[52:16] of all the that are there, a lot of the

[52:18] Nags Head videos really stand out, and I

[52:20] just want to commend Roberta for that.

[52:21] >> Yep.

[52:22] >> Yes.

[52:22] >> Great. Great work.

[52:25] Very good.

[52:26] Thank you. That brings us next to

[52:28] consideration of resolutions authorizing

[52:32] fall 2026 fishing tournaments. These are

[52:35] long-standing [clears throat]

[52:36] tournaments for the Outer Banks

[52:38] Association of Realtors, the Fraternal

[52:40] Order of Eagles, and the Nags Head Surf

[52:43] Fishing Club. And I think that we can do

[52:45] that with a single motion.

[52:49] Okay.

[52:50] >> Yep.

[52:50] >> Okay. So, a motion would be in order.

[52:53] >> So moved.

[52:53] >> I have a motion. Is there a second?

[52:55] >> Second.

[52:56] >> I have a motion and a second.

[52:58] Um any discussion?

[53:00] Right.

[53:01] Hearing none, all those in favor signify

[53:02] by saying I. I. Opposed? Right. Thank

[53:05] you.

[53:07] Uh Mr. Laidig, do we have anything from

[53:09] you today?

[53:10] >> Uh yes, we have two things. One, um I

[53:12] want to give you an update on the uh

[53:14] Cherry uh litigation. As you know, that

[53:18] um in that case, we've obtained a

[53:20] summary judgment last summer uh

[53:23] dismissing the case, and uh Cherry uh

[53:25] appealed from that. So, the case is

[53:27] pending in the Court of Appeals. Uh just

[53:29] last week, we received notification from

[53:31] the Court of Appeals that the appeal

[53:33] will be considered on August the 27th

[53:36] without oral arguments. So, they'll be considering it on the on the

[53:40] briefs that we submitted, that the um

[53:43] appellant submitted and that were

[53:44] submitted by

[53:46] amicus from the Southern Environmental

[53:48] Law Center.

[53:49] >> Okay. Great.

[53:50] >> And the other thing I want to point out

[53:51] is

[53:52] I just wanted to

[53:54] since Roberta Thuman was recognized

[53:56] today I just want to point out that in

[53:58] the easement acquisition process for

[53:59] beach nourishment that's something we've

[54:02] spent a lot of time on. It couldn't be

[54:03] done without her assistance. So, I just

[54:05] want to give her that credit.

[54:07] >> Yeah. Very good.

[54:09] Thank you.

[54:11] Uh that brings us to items referred to

[54:13] and presentations from the town manager

[54:16] and first Amy.

[54:20] With the financial update.

[54:22] >> Jared just said make it rain Amy. I

[54:24] don't know. We'll see.

[54:26] I mean although I will say it

[54:30] this is going to be about fiscal year 26

[54:32] cuz there's really nothing to report in

[54:34] 27. We haven't even built taxes. We're

[54:35] working on that obviously but so

[54:38] obviously this is unaudited. We're not

[54:40] closed out. We're still waiting on some

[54:41] things. So, just really a high-level

[54:44] overview. Um

[54:46] So, in the budget we kind of put a lot

[54:49] of work into discussing, you know,

[54:51] financial planning and there was a supplemental narrative in there about

[54:57] the general fund balance projection.

[54:59] Um and so what we talked about in the

[55:02] budget was a 30% fund balance which was

[55:04] a 3% increase

[55:06] from the fiscal year 25 unassigned fund

[55:09] balance.

[55:10] Um and you know, we wrote that in March

[55:13] or April. So, now that we're in August

[55:15] and we progressed towards

[55:17] you know, closing out the books in 26

[55:20] I still think that that 30% holds true

[55:23] if not 31 or 32%

[55:25] which is great because again that is an

[55:27] increase from last year.

[55:29] Um and again as as above our fund

[55:32] balance policy in the general fund of

[55:34] 25%

[55:35] but it is below the 35% I do not think

[55:39] from every which way that I've sliced

[55:40] and diced it going back from March and

[55:43] April to

[55:44] last week, um I don't think we will hit

[55:47] that 35% but again, you know, something

[55:50] could happen. Um

[55:53] So, I don't think we will be uh putting

[55:55] funds into the capital investment fund

[55:57] anything over 35% would go in there.

[55:59] But, again, that the capital investment

[56:01] fund does have its own fund balance

[56:02] policy and this fiscal year we will be,

[56:06] you know, above our policy of 20% and

[56:08] the way that we did the budget both in

[56:11] uh 27 and the financial plan we were

[56:13] within that policy of the CIF as well.

[56:16] So, I don't anticipate any problems

[56:18] there. Um the fund balance policy uh

[56:22] calculation for the general fund

[56:25] the way you calculate that, um open

[56:28] purchase orders that will be carried

[56:29] forward, that will be a budget amendment

[56:31] that the board will approve probably in

[56:32] October. Um that gets that hits the fund

[56:35] balance, if you will. So, that's taken

[56:37] to an account. Um the fund balance

[56:40] appropriation, I know we talked about

[56:41] that in the budget process for 27, that

[56:43] hits the fund balance. I took that into

[56:45] account. And we also have to account for

[56:47] the $12 million transfer made from the

[56:50] capital reserve fund because in the

[56:51] financial statements the capital reserve

[56:53] fund, the capital investment fund, and

[56:55] the general fund are all combined for

[56:57] the front of the statements. Um so, we

[56:58] do have to take that into account as

[57:00] well. So, all those things were factored

[57:02] into that. Um and again, our fund

[57:05] balance policy does not include special

[57:07] obligation bond debt, which would be the

[57:10] public services complex and that was 1.2

[57:12] million. So, we backed that out to get

[57:14] to our fund balance calculation of what

[57:16] the board policy is for fund balance. Um

[57:20] Some reasons for the increases we did

[57:22] the revaluation.

[57:24] Um we did receive a half a million

[57:27] dollars more in ad valorem revenue

[57:29] because of our almost 100% collection

[57:31] rate. I think that was in the packet for

[57:33] this month. Um the in the revenue

[57:35] neutral rate, we talked about that with

[57:36] the board with the appeals.

[57:38] Um the county, the towns, everybody

[57:40] accounted for a 5% appeal process.

[57:43] And uh the latest email I could find

[57:45] from the county was ours was less than 3

[57:47] and 1/2% so that accounts for some of

[57:50] that um

[57:51] interest income over budget by $150,000.

[57:55] Um utilities franchise tax uh over

[57:59] budget by about that same amount. Um and

[58:01] also with the grants, the timing of it

[58:04] um you know, we have to get

[58:05] reimbursement. We have to pay for it

[58:07] first and we have to get it back. So

[58:08] we've been getting uh finally on the

[58:10] back end of some of those reimbursements

[58:12] so that's helping us also. Um the shared

[58:15] revenues

[58:16] I think we're on an uptick. I I hate to

[58:19] say that out loud. Um but

[58:21] >> [laughter]

[58:21] >> we're

[58:22] we are cuz at first I was like, "Oh,

[58:24] we're going to be about 50,000 under."

[58:26] Well, now I think we're going to be

[58:27] about 50,000 over which is pretty much a

[58:29] net zero for budgeting. Um you know,

[58:32] land transfer tax was 5% less than it

[58:35] was last fiscal year. Sales tax was up

[58:37] 1%. Occupancy tax 2% lower. So based on

[58:41] these figures, you know, we were

[58:42] transparent I think with the board and

[58:43] in the budget how we did a very

[58:45] conservative flat revenue for shared

[58:48] revenues and based on this, I think that

[58:50] that's the appropriate decision that was

[58:53] made um

[58:55] again, we're going to say conservatively

[58:57] optimistic if that's a word.

[58:59] >> [laughter]

[59:00] >> And for utility, we budgeted about 4.3

[59:03] million in revenues and I think that's

[59:05] where we're going to exactly where we're

[59:06] going to land, maybe a little bit over.

[59:08] Um but the good news is is that the

[59:11] water that we purchased from Dare

[59:13] County, that was uh

[59:16] 17 and 1/2% under what we budgeted. So

[59:18] we're buying less water but

[59:21] we're actually meeting our revenues. So

[59:23] to me again, that says a lot about the

[59:24] conservation and the leak detection and

[59:27] the meter, so

[59:28] um I think that's that's kind of a good thing. Um tipping fees,

[59:34] about $800,000.

[59:36] Um that is slightly under budget. We we

[59:38] met our budget for that pretty much, and

[59:40] we did reduce them by 6% in fiscal year

[59:42] '26. So, we're forecasting a drop in

[59:45] tipping fees, and I think this year it

[59:47] was

[59:48] closer to 830,000 that we budgeted, but

[59:51] the fees are going up, the gas

[59:53] going up. So, the it's not necessarily

[59:56] the tonnage, but more so the cost per

[59:58] ton.

[59:59] Um and really that's it at a very high

[1:00:01] level. Um

[1:00:03] looking forward to working on the

[1:00:04] financials now, and um we do this

[1:00:07] quarterly, but I'm always available to

[1:00:08] answer any questions, but um thank you

[1:00:11] for your time.

[1:00:13] >> Any questions?

[1:00:14] >> Thank you, Amy.

[1:00:14] >> Thank you.

[1:00:16] >> Thank

[1:00:16] >> Questions?

[1:00:17] >> Thank you, Amy. It's it's it's really

[1:00:20] fun to see

[1:00:21] a win like the water meters. I mean, it continues to thrill me that uh you

[1:00:27] know, something so technical, so sort of

[1:00:29] mundane, turns out to be not just a

[1:00:33] financial win for the town, but a win in terms of public perception,

[1:00:38] because we've heard so many stories

[1:00:40] about people who have

[1:00:42] uh where the town's been able to detect

[1:00:43] a leak for somebody that they didn't

[1:00:45] know that they had, um and and be

[1:00:47] responsive. So, so that's that's really

[1:00:50] that's that's fun.

[1:00:52] All right. Uh David,

[1:00:54] update on the multi-use path.

[1:01:01] » Good morning, Mayor and Commissioners.

[1:01:05] So, we thought that

[1:01:07] this would be a good opportunity to go

[1:01:08] ahead and just provide a concept for the

[1:01:11] planning of the next phase of the

[1:01:13] Westside multi-use path.

[1:01:15] Um what I've got up on the screen is

[1:01:18] just an aerial overview of the section

[1:01:21] that we're looking at. I'll go ahead and

[1:01:24] zoom in.

[1:01:25] Um this is essentially to go ahead and

[1:01:28] fill in an existing gap within our

[1:01:30] multi-use path network.

[1:01:32] Uh we have to the north

[1:01:35] um

[1:01:37] from Carolista Drive all the way up

[1:01:39] through A Street, we have a segment of

[1:01:42] multi-use path that currently exists.

[1:01:45] And so, this would be a continuation of

[1:01:47] that from Carolista Drive all the way

[1:01:50] through to West Side Side Road, where we

[1:01:53] would then connect up with a section of

[1:01:57] multi-use path that was constructed back

[1:01:59] in 2020.

[1:02:02] So,

[1:02:03] a couple things of note with this

[1:02:06] section that is a little bit different

[1:02:09] from what we've uh come across with some

[1:02:12] of the prior projects.

[1:02:15] Um we've got some existing constraints.

[1:02:19] Um one being an existing drainage ditch

[1:02:22] network, which spans from Carolista

[1:02:24] Drive to just south of Conk Street. Um

[1:02:28] this is part of

[1:02:30] uh a drainage network that captures

[1:02:33] runoff from US 158.

[1:02:36] And then there's a cross culvert pipe at

[1:02:39] Conk Street, which then flows through

[1:02:41] that network and through an ocean

[1:02:43] outfall at that location.

[1:02:48] Additionally, we've got underground

[1:02:49] utilities that we're going to have to um

[1:02:53] work around. And topography, I think, is

[1:02:56] our biggest challenge.

[1:03:00] Um the topography from Jockey's Ridge

[1:03:03] State Park, um especially when we get

[1:03:07] into this section,

[1:03:09] um I've got uh Sue's Barbecue as a point

[1:03:12] of reference here along the east side of

[1:03:14] 158.

[1:03:16] This is

[1:03:17] really where the topography starts to encroach

[1:03:22] um out close towards the existing edge

[1:03:25] of pavement.

[1:03:26] And so,

[1:03:28] this is [snorts and clears throat] this

[1:03:30] may require some pretty extensive

[1:03:32] grading as well as some bulkheading in

[1:03:35] this area.

[1:03:37] And this extends through to the

[1:03:39] crosswalk at Jockey's Ridge

[1:03:42] crossing, and then 2 points south of

[1:03:45] that until that slope starts to taper

[1:03:50] off some.

[1:03:52] So, just to give you a sense of what

[1:03:54] we're looking at as far as topography,

[1:03:57] especially in that area that we were

[1:03:58] just looking at on the north side,

[1:04:01] we start to see

[1:04:03] it really start to constrain in here.

[1:04:06] The existing roadway elevations are

[1:04:08] somewhere around an elevation of 9 ft

[1:04:11] above mean sea level, and these contour

[1:04:14] lines represent a change in grade at

[1:04:17] 1-ft intervals. Um and you can see they

[1:04:20] go up to about 22 ft over a short span

[1:04:23] of distance. And so, due to that

[1:04:27] and the placement of the path, that we

[1:04:30] would look at going ahead and starting

[1:04:32] our retaining wall,

[1:04:34] um we'd be looking at approximately

[1:04:37] about 1,000 ft of retaining wall in

[1:04:40] length, um starting at about 4-ft high

[1:04:43] as an exposed height, and maybe even

[1:04:46] increasing as much as 8 ft in height to

[1:04:49] be able to keep that sand back and have

[1:04:53] an open pathway um for us to place the

[1:04:56] path as well as any drainage

[1:04:59] improvements in that area.

[1:05:04] And that that extends south

[1:05:07] through the crosswalk. We would have an

[1:05:09] opening here within the retaining wall

[1:05:13] um to allow uh passage of pedestrians.

[1:05:16] And then also that retaining wall would

[1:05:19] then continue southward.

[1:05:24] Give me a

[1:05:25] second.

[1:05:28] Southward up into a point where that

[1:05:31] slope really starts to taper back.

[1:05:35] And so um we're looking at some some

[1:05:38] pretty extensive grading in that area.

[1:05:41] We're also looking at a reduced width of

[1:05:44] the multi-use path. In In the past,

[1:05:46] traditionally, we've had a 10-ft wide

[1:05:49] multi-use path. But because of these

[1:05:51] challenges and these constraints, beyond

[1:05:53] the regulatory constraints that we have

[1:05:55] where we have a 10-ft wide separation

[1:05:58] from the existing edge of pavement

[1:06:00] or as an alternative, we could have a

[1:06:04] um

[1:06:05] vertical curb and gutter that would

[1:06:07] serve as a barrier where we can locate

[1:06:10] that pathway um

[1:06:12] 3 ft on the back side of that curb and

[1:06:14] gutter. Those are some of the other

[1:06:16] constraints and we've been working with

[1:06:18] North Carolina Department of

[1:06:19] Transportation as well as Jockey's Ridge

[1:06:23] State Park to go ahead and discuss how

[1:06:26] we can navigate some of these things and

[1:06:28] still work within their permitting

[1:06:31] framework.

[1:06:34] Um I wanted to just show a visual

[1:06:37] representation of what this may look

[1:06:40] like.

[1:06:42] Um when we talk about the the the

[1:06:45] separation and having a grass buffer,

[1:06:48] this is what the path would look like

[1:06:51] um conceptually if we were to have a

[1:06:53] 10-ft wide grass buffer and have

[1:06:56] separation from the travel lane to where

[1:07:00] the beginning of the

[1:07:02] edge of sidewalk would begin. And then

[1:07:04] in some of those areas where it starts to tighten up, we would look at

[1:07:10] the retaining wall

[1:07:12] where we would have uh potentially curb

[1:07:15] and gutter,

[1:07:17] pathway, and then uh little bit of

[1:07:19] separation to where that retaining wall

[1:07:22] would would go ahead and start. Just to

[1:07:24] go ahead and give you an idea of what

[1:07:27] this finished product may look like.

[1:07:31] So, we are currently working with uh

[1:07:34] Withers Ravenel now who's doing the

[1:07:35] engineering design for this

[1:07:37] um and still having these conversations

[1:07:40] with North Carolina Department of

[1:07:41] Transportation, as well as Jockey's

[1:07:44] Ridge State Park to be able to come up

[1:07:47] with a final alignment um as well as

[1:07:52] uh final uh walkway width

[1:07:54] um to be able to um get to a point where

[1:07:57] we can submit for permits,

[1:07:59] put it out to bid, and start

[1:08:01] construction on the project.

[1:08:03] So, I'll be glad to answer any questions

[1:08:05] that you may have.

[1:08:07] >> Questions?

[1:08:08] >> If that bulkhead gets to like 8 ft in

[1:08:10] some areas, will there be I imagine

[1:08:12] there'd be some sort of like guardrail

[1:08:13] or to keep people from wandering over

[1:08:16] it?

[1:08:18] Or you know what I mean? Like if they

[1:08:19] come down

[1:08:21] Yeah, you'd hope they wouldn't, but I

[1:08:23] mean

[1:08:23] >> It's

[1:08:24] We anticipate that some of those exposed

[1:08:27] heights where it's 8 ft that they're

[1:08:29] going to be really concentrated and

[1:08:30] focused, so it's not going to be over a

[1:08:32] large area. So, it would be over a small

[1:08:34] area. And I don't know if some of those

[1:08:37] areas are actually accessible.

[1:08:40] >> Okay.

[1:08:41] >> So, um but it would it's definitely

[1:08:43] something that we'll go ahead and

[1:08:44] consider and look at to see if there's

[1:08:46] additional safety treatments that we

[1:08:48] need to put in place

[1:08:49] as a result of that.

[1:08:50] >> Thank you.

[1:08:52] >> Question.

[1:08:53] >> Um I have a question. Is the park

[1:08:56] seemingly um open to moving sand? And

[1:08:59] these plantings look new, so are they open to

[1:09:03] moving sand and planting stabilization

[1:09:07] plants on the dune?

[1:09:08] So far?

[1:09:09] >> And

[1:09:10] in some of our initial discussions, um

[1:09:13] they were really uh focused on

[1:09:16] vegetation uh preservation.

[1:09:19] And so, with the alignment, we've tried

[1:09:21] to minimize the amount of vegetative

[1:09:24] removal.

[1:09:25] Um but we also understand that

[1:09:28] with the grading and the bulk getting,

[1:09:30] that there will need to be some type of

[1:09:32] planning behind there in order to go

[1:09:34] ahead and keep that in place. So.

[1:09:36] >> was my question. Are they are they

[1:09:37] seemingly open to new plantings on the

[1:09:39] dune?

[1:09:40] >> Uh yes, and and I I think uh that's key

[1:09:44] for them uh because of the fact is if

[1:09:47] you don't have that vegetation, then

[1:09:50] it's going to be that much more

[1:09:51] difficult to be able to stabilize those

[1:09:53] slopes.

[1:09:54] >> Mhm.

[1:10:05] » And schedule?

[1:10:08] Uh so,

[1:10:10] the the schedule is um

[1:10:13] once we go ahead and refine

[1:10:16] the um the plans,

[1:10:19] get all the permitting and regulatory

[1:10:21] agencies on board, then we can go ahead

[1:10:23] and submit for permits.

[1:10:25] Um our plan is to try to be under

[1:10:27] construction this fall.

[1:10:29] >> Okay.

[1:10:30] >> Um but we do realize that that's really

[1:10:33] going to be a function of the permit

[1:10:34] review. Um we realize that we're going

[1:10:36] to have to go through the Division of

[1:10:37] Coastal Management and get a CAMA permit

[1:10:41] for the sand removal, um

[1:10:44] as well as getting authorization through

[1:10:47] Jockey's Ridge State Park. We've got

[1:10:49] state sedimentation erosion control.

[1:10:52] There will likely be stormwater

[1:10:53] management and through North Carolina

[1:10:56] Department of Transportation and a

[1:10:57] right-of-way encroachment. We engaged

[1:11:00] most all of these agencies to start this

[1:11:02] conversation so that when we submit, we

[1:11:05] can hopefully expedite those reviews so

[1:11:07] we can be under construction sooner

[1:11:09] rather than later.

[1:11:10] >> Okay.

[1:11:11] >> All right.

[1:11:12] >> Andy, you were going to add something.

[1:11:14] >> Well, I was just going to discuss the um

[1:11:17] discussions we've had with Jockey's

[1:11:19] Ridge State Park.

[1:11:20] Um obviously, they're going to have a

[1:11:22] lot

[1:11:23] of interest in what we're doing here.

[1:11:25] You know, we sort of had some questions

[1:11:27] about getting some of the approvals if

[1:11:29] we were going to work beyond the

[1:11:30] property line. Obviously, this is a CAMA

[1:11:33] AEC, the Jockey's Ridge AEC, and so

[1:11:36] we know the sand sand's going to have to

[1:11:37] stay in the park. And we were advised to

[1:11:41] basically submit for our CAMA major

[1:11:43] permit application, and then all those

[1:11:45] things could be addressed as part of

[1:11:46] their review of the application,

[1:11:48] including where they would direct us to

[1:11:50] place sand inside the park.

[1:11:52] And so I think most likely, you know, we

[1:11:54] would be placing sand. They have a They

[1:11:56] have a sort of a dis- disposal area

[1:11:59] inside the park on the north side of the

[1:12:01] park where they they've been placing the

[1:12:03] sand that they've been moving, and so we

[1:12:04] would probably be putting it there. And

[1:12:07] so the some of those things would be

[1:12:08] addressed during the permitting process,

[1:12:10] and I think there's some additional

[1:12:12] coordination with them on the plantings

[1:12:15] and the buffer strip and things like

[1:12:17] that that we've got to work out. We We

[1:12:19] We've got some issues we've got to work

[1:12:21] out with the retaining wall and the the

[1:12:23] grading that's going to occur behind

[1:12:25] that as well. We're talking with Withers

[1:12:27] Ravenel about that, but um

[1:12:29] you know, I

[1:12:30] the grass strip between the the sidewalk

[1:12:33] and and the roadway,

[1:12:35] that's something that we may want to

[1:12:36] talk about how that that's going to

[1:12:38] look. I mean,

[1:12:40] you know, this pic- picture right here

[1:12:41] it it kind of shows this very uniform

[1:12:43] hardened edge.

[1:12:45] >> Yeah.

[1:12:45] >> And I I don't know if

[1:12:47] you know, how folks are going to react

[1:12:49] to that.

[1:12:50] >> All right.

[1:12:50] >> So I think we have to be mindful of

[1:12:51] that, you know, and perhaps this grass

[1:12:53] strip is is more

[1:12:55] not not just regular grass, but

[1:12:57] something else and something we could

[1:12:59] talk about, you know, maybe more more of

[1:13:01] a natural

[1:13:02] um type grass like a love grass or

[1:13:05] something like that.

[1:13:06] >> Mhm.

[1:13:07] >> But,

[1:13:08] you know, um

[1:13:10] the the the picture is a little

[1:13:12] deceiving because I think as David was

[1:13:13] saying, you know, the the path is not

[1:13:15] straight.

[1:13:16] >> Right.

[1:13:16] >> And the bulkhead's not going to be

[1:13:18] continuous at the same height. It's

[1:13:19] going to go up and down and then

[1:13:21] disappear in a section and come back up

[1:13:23] and so,

[1:13:24] you know, it

[1:13:26] um

[1:13:28] I'm just saying that some if someone

[1:13:30] looked at that, they're not thinking of

[1:13:31] the finished product.

[1:13:32] >> [laughter]

[1:13:32] >> Exactly.

[1:13:33] >> Yeah.

[1:13:34] >> Probably.

[1:13:36] >> I wonder if it's worth investing

[1:13:40] the time, as we get a little further

[1:13:42] along, to renderings that would address

[1:13:47] the

[1:13:48] you know, sort of the final

[1:13:49] configuration.

[1:13:50] Yeah, I don't know how much of a special

[1:13:52] order that is given whatever kind of

[1:13:54] software they may be using to

[1:13:56] design this.

[1:13:58] >> Right. And as as we near the the final

[1:14:01] planting, then we can go ahead and

[1:14:03] modify and update it so it's a little

[1:14:05] bit more realistic and more in tune with

[1:14:08] that final design is going to look like.

[1:14:09] >> Yeah. Okay. I think we may like to see

[1:14:12] that

[1:14:13] when the time comes.

[1:14:14] >> Okay.

[1:14:17] Thank you.

[1:14:17] >> Thank you.

[1:14:18] >> All right, thank you.

[1:14:20] >> I think you're staying there for the

[1:14:22] >> stormwater master plan

[1:14:24] >> presentation.

[1:14:25] >> Yes. Okay, so uh first off, I'd like to

[1:14:29] go ahead and apologize. Um in your

[1:14:31] packet, uh there was uh several packets

[1:14:35] of information included to include um a

[1:14:38] rating sheet as well as a uh CIP summary

[1:14:43] sheet and then the in the individual

[1:14:45] project listings.

[1:14:48] And

[1:14:50] in

[1:14:51] going through that in advance of this

[1:14:54] presentation,

[1:14:55] um was able to note that there was one

[1:14:58] project that was missing that was very

[1:15:00] integral

[1:15:01] um to the overall planning in the Sound

[1:15:06] Side Road area.

[1:15:07] Um and that was the third phase, which

[1:15:11] basically connects

[1:15:13] three other projects together.

[1:15:15] Um this was presented previously to the

[1:15:18] board and it had a pumping station noted

[1:15:22] at

[1:15:24] uh the intersection of Deering Street

[1:15:26] and Sound Side Road. I think uh

[1:15:29] Commissioner Vaughn had commented that property in that area likely would

[1:15:34] not be available for that. So, we looked

[1:15:37] at an alternate location to the north uh

[1:15:40] for the siting of that pump station, um

[1:15:43] but it was in inadvertently left out in

[1:15:46] the packet um that was um it that was in

[1:15:50] the board packet and um

[1:15:52] this information that I'm giving you

[1:15:54] today

[1:15:55] reinserts that back in there. It does

[1:15:58] not materially change the overall

[1:16:00] priority,

[1:16:02] um but it coincides with the other

[1:16:05] projects in that area.

[1:16:08] So, I just wanted to start off by by

[1:16:10] stating that and uh

[1:16:14] Okay, so

[1:16:18] the overall stormwater master plan, that

[1:16:20] framework has included uh many different

[1:16:23] items to include an asset inventory and

[1:16:27] assessment, which has been completed. Um

[1:16:30] there was also a public workshop, um

[1:16:33] which we had last August.

[1:16:36] Uh there is a geo-database management

[1:16:38] and dashboard. I I that was previously

[1:16:42] um

[1:16:43] presented to the board um earlier this

[1:16:46] year.

[1:16:47] An asset condition assessment uh that

[1:16:50] was completed as well. Um and also part

[1:16:53] of the work that was included was a

[1:16:55] hydraulic analysis along South Memorial

[1:16:58] Avenue, which is one of our main

[1:17:00] drainage trunk lines within the town.

[1:17:03] And um this analysis looked at

[1:17:06] identifying any deficiencies within that

[1:17:08] network.

[1:17:09] Um and uh improvements that could

[1:17:13] increase the level of service from the

[1:17:17] either a 1-year or 2-year and try to

[1:17:19] increase that up to a 10-year level of

[1:17:22] service.

[1:17:23] Um also, what we're going to talk about

[1:17:26] today is the capital improvement plan

[1:17:29] project prioritization and scoring. Um

[1:17:33] and then also uh in the works is a

[1:17:37] watershed action plan um which is part

[1:17:40] of the overall scope of work. And that

[1:17:43] will really um enable us to focus in on

[1:17:47] grants not only just related to

[1:17:49] stormwater, but also along the Estuarine

[1:17:51] shoreline.

[1:17:53] And lastly, um all of this is going to

[1:17:56] be combined into a final report um which

[1:17:59] we would like to go ahead and bring back

[1:18:01] to the board at your November meeting,

[1:18:04] which ties all of this together.

[1:18:08] All right. So, just for the

[1:18:10] prioritization summary, there is two

[1:18:12] project 22 project areas that were

[1:18:15] prioritized.

[1:18:17] Um they were evaluated based upon um

[1:18:19] scoring that ranges from 0 to 75.

[1:18:23] The highest scored project was the ramp

[1:18:27] one alpha, which is in South Nags Head,

[1:18:30] and that came in at 64 points. And the

[1:18:33] lowest scoring was one of the the

[1:18:35] of the Dune Street improvements, which

[1:18:38] is phase 2B, and that's scored at 40

[1:18:41] points.

[1:18:42] But most all of these projects scored

[1:18:44] between 55 to 45

[1:18:47] um points.

[1:18:49] And

[1:18:50] really the lowest cost projects with the

[1:18:53] highest number of residents

[1:18:56] um really those

[1:18:58] were the ones that were scored the the

[1:19:00] highest.

[1:19:03] All right. So, included in your packet

[1:19:05] and included in the information um that

[1:19:09] you have before you is a summary table

[1:19:13] which prioritizes

[1:19:15] and ranks all of the 22 projects

[1:19:19] along with the score and the cost for

[1:19:22] each one of these projects.

[1:19:25] And then there is also a graph

[1:19:29] uh which goes through the ranking for

[1:19:32] each one of the projects uh ranging from

[1:19:35] that 64 as a high to the 40 as a low uh

[1:19:39] for Dune Street phase 2B.

[1:19:45] What we have up on the screen is an

[1:19:47] overall map of where all these project

[1:19:50] areas are located.

[1:19:52] Um you can see we've got a a high

[1:19:54] density of projects

[1:19:56] um from the north end of town up along

[1:19:58] Memorial Avenue

[1:20:00] all the way through the Whalebone

[1:20:01] Junction and then in South Nags Head

[1:20:05] down at Ramp 1. And you can see that it

[1:20:08] really does encompass

[1:20:10] um

[1:20:12] primarily all of the all of the town um

[1:20:15] addressing many issues that we have seen

[1:20:18] uh historically and

[1:20:20] some that we've seen more recently that

[1:20:23] have validated that um we continue to

[1:20:26] have problems in some of these low-lying

[1:20:29] areas.

[1:20:32] So, the criteria that was used for scoring

[1:20:36] was through a scoring matrix. And this

[1:20:39] is uh

[1:20:40] a matrix that the town currently has in

[1:20:43] the stormwater management um operating

[1:20:46] procedures.

[1:20:48] And it looks at um

[1:20:51] items like flooding frequency, flooding

[1:20:53] impact, existing system condition, uh

[1:20:56] water quality benefits associated with

[1:20:58] projects, um maintenance, the number of

[1:21:02] residents impacted, uh safety, the

[1:21:05] sources of flood. It could be

[1:21:07] rainfall-based, it could be overwash, uh

[1:21:10] with consideration for that, um any

[1:21:13] constraints that may be associated with

[1:21:15] the projects, um budgetary concerns, um

[1:21:20] the location, whether it's within the

[1:21:22] town street, a private street, or within

[1:21:25] the North Carolina Department of

[1:21:27] Transportation right-of-way.

[1:21:29] And then, lastly, flood reduction is

[1:21:33] looking at um the reduction in flood

[1:21:37] time and recession.

[1:21:40] And all of those were assigned

[1:21:43] a uh

[1:21:45] there was three different um scores

[1:21:48] for the rating.

[1:21:49] Um

[1:21:51] For example, for flooding frequency, you

[1:21:53] had frequent had a score associated with

[1:21:55] it, occasional, and infrequent.

[1:21:58] And then, there was a weighted

[1:21:59] percentage that was applied to that

[1:22:02] item.

[1:22:03] And so, uh

[1:22:05] these were looked at for each project, a

[1:22:08] score assigned,

[1:22:10] and able to go ahead and develop the

[1:22:13] overall ranking for each of the

[1:22:15] individual projects.

[1:22:19] So, um

[1:22:21] I'll try to

[1:22:23] go through this um

[1:22:25] as rapidly as possible. Um

[1:22:28] you've got these sheets included in your

[1:22:29] packet, and this These are the

[1:22:32] individual rankings for each one of the

[1:22:34] projects.

[1:22:35] Uh the ramp one outfall, which was

[1:22:37] ranked um the number one project out of

[1:22:40] the 22 projects identified, um it's got

[1:22:43] a cost of $85,000 associated with it.

[1:22:47] Um it's got the prioritization

[1:22:50] parameters and their associative scores

[1:22:53] and the total score. And um

[1:22:56] in comparison comparison to some of the

[1:22:59] other projects, it's it falls on the

[1:23:01] lower level of cost. It's got the

[1:23:03] highest number of residents impacted

[1:23:06] because of the Westside ditch that spans

[1:23:09] from about James Street all the way down

[1:23:12] to ramp one. That um

[1:23:15] that was one of the major contributing

[1:23:17] factor factors to the high ranking. Uh

[1:23:21] the frequency of flooding down in that

[1:23:22] area, um the need for maintenance, and

[1:23:26] um also the need for safety because a

[1:23:28] lot of the flooding that we see is

[1:23:30] within the roadway surface, and that

[1:23:32] leads to safety concerns associated with

[1:23:37] um vehicular uh circulation throughout

[1:23:40] that area.

[1:23:42] Um

[1:23:44] South Memorial Avenue, as I had noted

[1:23:46] before, there was a hydraulic analysis

[1:23:48] done on Memorial Avenue, and it

[1:23:52] identified some improvements

[1:23:54] through um

[1:23:56] throughout that corridor,

[1:23:58] and the highest ranking one was up in

[1:24:02] the Admiral Street

[1:24:04] um area.

[1:24:05] Now, this is broken out into two parts

[1:24:08] uh with the sidewalk improvements

[1:24:12] um that are ongoing that will continue

[1:24:14] this fall that we were able to go ahead

[1:24:17] and take care of a portion of these

[1:24:19] drainage improvements with that work.

[1:24:22] And this would be the second half of

[1:24:24] that work, which spans along the east

[1:24:26] side of South Memorial Avenue from

[1:24:29] Admiral Admiral Street um and proceeding

[1:24:32] northward.

[1:24:33] And that would be

[1:24:35] really upsizing the existing um storm

[1:24:38] drain system within that area.

[1:24:40] And uh the cost of that is about

[1:24:43] $180,000.

[1:24:46] It's got some low site constraints. It's

[1:24:49] got some safety improvements.

[1:24:51] Um and also just the number of

[1:24:54] residences in that area that are

[1:24:56] impacted by drainage. Um and this being

[1:25:00] a critical segment for that, that this

[1:25:03] led to the um

[1:25:05] the ranking of number two overall of the

[1:25:10] uh 22 identified.

[1:25:14] The third ranked project is Sound Side

[1:25:17] Road phase one.

[1:25:19] Um we've seen it out here most recently

[1:25:21] with rainfall runoff and extensive

[1:25:23] ponding

[1:25:24] uh along this corridor.

[1:25:26] That this would comprise uh putting in a

[1:25:31] 36-in diameter

[1:25:33] um trunk network, which would span from

[1:25:37] the very south end of uh

[1:25:39] Sound Side Road um up towards uh the

[1:25:43] curve where we have existing

[1:25:46] infrastructure.

[1:25:47] Um this is a relatively high cost

[1:25:50] project at $750,000.

[1:25:53] Um but due to the frequency of flooding

[1:25:56] and the number of residences impacted um

[1:26:00] as well as um other factors that uh this

[1:26:06] was ranked uh number three out of the 22

[1:26:09] projects.

[1:26:12] The um fourth ranked project is Dune

[1:26:14] Street phase one.

[1:26:16] Um that's another project where we've

[1:26:18] seen flooding at the intersection of

[1:26:20] South Virginia Dare Trail and Dune

[1:26:22] Street with a pretty high frequency.

[1:26:25] And so, this would be potentially the

[1:26:28] first phase of a three-phase project uh

[1:26:31] where we could go ahead and we could

[1:26:33] capture some of the runoff, most of this

[1:26:35] runoff uh which is seen from the

[1:26:37] adjoining shopping center to be able to

[1:26:39] go ahead and capture that and infiltrate

[1:26:42] that locally. Um

[1:26:45] this has got a a medium-level cost. Um,

[1:26:48] it doesn't have as many residents

[1:26:50] impacted by it, but because of the

[1:26:52] frequency in in flooding and the um

[1:26:56] safety concerns with the flooding at

[1:26:58] this intersection, um it ranked number

[1:27:00] four.

[1:27:02] Um South Memorial Avenue

[1:27:06] that um

[1:27:07] uh again, as part of this overall

[1:27:09] network and the number of residents that

[1:27:14] it serves along on this uh main trunk

[1:27:16] line, um this is in the area of East

[1:27:21] Baltic Street and this would be

[1:27:23] increasing the existing pipe size of

[1:27:26] that storm network in order to increase

[1:27:29] that current level of service from a

[1:27:31] one-year storm um to a two-year storm

[1:27:36] in some case and uh a 10-year storm on

[1:27:40] the outermost pipes uh for this

[1:27:42] proposal.

[1:27:46] The

[1:27:48] um

[1:27:49] I

[1:27:50] some of these projects you'll see

[1:27:52] they'll receive the same ranking and

[1:27:54] that is because they both achieve the

[1:27:57] same score.

[1:27:59] And so, um you'll see that in the

[1:28:01] summary list and that's noted on each

[1:28:04] one of these individual sheets. So, East

[1:28:07] Epstein Street is an example of that

[1:28:09] where this is ranked number four with

[1:28:12] the uh South Memorial Avenue project.

[1:28:17] This is a relatively low-cost project.

[1:28:21] This finishes off some of the work that

[1:28:23] we started along South Virginia Dare

[1:28:25] Trail back in 2019

[1:28:28] and this will go ahead and connect from

[1:28:31] Epstein Street down to the north side of

[1:28:33] town hall and then also continue on over

[1:28:37] to fire station 16 and make some

[1:28:39] improvements there since this is part of

[1:28:42] an overall network within the village

[1:28:45] that starts at Seven Sisters and then

[1:28:48] flows all the way through the village

[1:28:50] through the golf course and out to the

[1:28:52] sound. And so it's important to

[1:28:57] have the downstream part of this network

[1:28:59] in place prior to making upstream

[1:29:02] improvements. Otherwise um

[1:29:05] if you don't do it within that sequence,

[1:29:08] you'll continue to have flooding at the

[1:29:09] upstream ends.

[1:29:14] Uh the next project is Memorial Avenue.

[1:29:17] Uh this is identified as area one and

[1:29:21] this is a relatively low-cost project

[1:29:23] and this is up-sizing some culvert pipes

[1:29:27] um at select residences just south of

[1:29:31] Atlas Street.

[1:29:33] Uh there are several of the culvert

[1:29:35] pipes at that location that are

[1:29:37] undersized and this would be up-sizing

[1:29:40] and

[1:29:41] bringing more continuity to the overall

[1:29:43] drainage network.

[1:29:46] Uh the eighth ranked project is West

[1:29:49] Lookout Road.

[1:29:50] Um this is a

[1:29:53] an area over in the Northridge

[1:29:55] subdivision

[1:29:56] um especially during

[1:29:58] um large rainfall events where they've

[1:30:01] had some significant flooding back on

[1:30:03] these residences.

[1:30:05] And so

[1:30:06] this is a um

[1:30:10] high level of residences impacted. Um

[1:30:13] it's got some high constraints because

[1:30:15] there's also the potential for back flow

[1:30:17] from the uh Westside ditch along 158.

[1:30:21] And it uh it will have some increased uh

[1:30:25] maintenance needs associated with it.

[1:30:27] And the cost for this project is

[1:30:29] approximately $340,000.

[1:30:33] Um

[1:30:34] also rank eight is the Seven Sisters

[1:30:36] subdivision.

[1:30:38] And as I had noted before, it's the

[1:30:41] focus would be on the downstream

[1:30:42] improvements first before you could see

[1:30:45] the impacts

[1:30:46] for the Seven Sisters subdivision. Um

[1:30:49] this is a subdivision where most of the

[1:30:51] building pads are up high and the road

[1:30:54] sits low. So, after a rainfall event of

[1:30:58] two or three inches, you'll see some

[1:31:00] pretty extensive ponding um within that

[1:31:03] subdivision. And it it does flood at a

[1:31:06] pretty high frequency. And so, with the

[1:31:10] improvements that we've made and then

[1:31:12] also um with the one scheduled for

[1:31:15] Epstein Street, that we could see some

[1:31:18] major improvement with the installation

[1:31:21] of a storm drain uh collection network

[1:31:25] to be able to drain out this subdivision

[1:31:27] after a uh rainfall event.

[1:31:34] Um also rank number eight is South Old

[1:31:37] Road phase one. Um this is another

[1:31:41] street that's on the south side um off

[1:31:44] of uh Lakeside Ave that uh floods with a

[1:31:48] pretty high frequency.

[1:31:50] And this could be part of a phased

[1:31:53] approach. And so, the um phase one would

[1:31:57] consist of installing uh

[1:32:00] a uh drainage network in this area uh

[1:32:04] that could be made up of perforated sock

[1:32:07] pipe that would aid with infiltration in

[1:32:11] this area and improve the level of service

[1:32:18] from what is currently being seen after

[1:32:21] a rainfall event.

[1:32:26] Also ranked eighth was the Wellborn

[1:32:28] Junction area.

[1:32:29] This is a an area that we see with a

[1:32:32] pretty high frequency of flooding.

[1:32:35] We have

[1:32:37] a lot of standing water especially in

[1:32:39] the area of the Dune Burger and the

[1:32:42] surrounding area and so this would be an

[1:32:45] attempt to go ahead and formalize that

[1:32:47] network with connections to an existing

[1:32:50] ditch network

[1:32:52] that has existing conveyance out to the

[1:32:56] sound through the Catfish Farm.

[1:32:59] This is a relatively high project cost

[1:33:02] and only a minimal number residences

[1:33:05] that would be impacted. But

[1:33:08] this could make a major improvement in

[1:33:11] that area

[1:33:13] which I had noted does flood at a pretty

[1:33:16] good frequency.

[1:33:19] Got Memorial Avenue area number three.

[1:33:22] This is a low cost project. This is near

[1:33:25] the intersection of Bonnett Street and

[1:33:28] this is essentially

[1:33:30] just a replacement of a single pipe in

[1:33:32] order to increase that level of service.

[1:33:39] Project rank number 13 is Buccaneer

[1:33:42] Drive.

[1:33:44] This is also over in the North Ridge

[1:33:45] subdivision. This is very similar to the Lookout Drive um

[1:33:52] project in that it has low lying areas

[1:33:56] that backs up to the west side ditch

[1:33:58] along 158.

[1:34:00] And um this would take a very similar

[1:34:04] approach with the improvement of

[1:34:07] infrastructure within this area

[1:34:10] and then conveyance out to the 158

[1:34:13] ditch. Um and the addition of a backflow

[1:34:17] preventer to ensure that we don't solve

[1:34:20] a problem and create a problem at the

[1:34:23] same time.

[1:34:26] Uh Carolinian Excuse me, Carolinian

[1:34:28] Circle um is also ranked number 14. This

[1:34:32] was on the previous stormwater master

[1:34:33] plan um and um did not move forward. Uh

[1:34:38] this would take a little different

[1:34:40] approach than what was previously

[1:34:43] proposed, and this would be the

[1:34:45] installation of a storm drain collection

[1:34:47] network that would tie into the existing

[1:34:50] drainage network out at 158.

[1:34:53] The uh estimated cost for this is

[1:34:56] approximately $425,000.

[1:34:59] Um

[1:35:00] this does

[1:35:02] this area does um flood occasionally,

[1:35:05] but especially when we have significant

[1:35:06] rainfall. Um we do see extensive ponding

[1:35:10] back in this area.

[1:35:13] Um

[1:35:14] also [clears throat] ranked number 14 is

[1:35:16] Sound Side Road phase two. Um

[1:35:19] and this is the area in the Southridge

[1:35:22] subdivision. When we had our our public

[1:35:24] workshop, we had several homeowners from

[1:35:27] this area along Ridgeview Way um who had talked about some of the issues back

[1:35:33] there. So, this would be improvements

[1:35:36] that would extend from from Ridgeview

[1:35:40] Way out to Sound Side Road to and

[1:35:43] connect up to the existing

[1:35:45] infrastructure there with Sound Side

[1:35:47] Road phase one.

[1:35:53] Sound Sound Road Road phase three

[1:35:57] is the um is the pumping station, which

[1:36:01] we previously had at the intersection of

[1:36:05] Dearing Street and Soundside Road and

[1:36:08] have relocated this northward uh to an

[1:36:11] undeveloped parcel that would connect to

[1:36:15] the existing infrastructure from from

[1:36:18] South Ridge and from Soundside Road and

[1:36:21] be able to um

[1:36:23] take that, pump that over to two

[1:36:25] undeveloped parcels along Soundside

[1:36:28] Road. Um this is a pretty expensive

[1:36:31] project due to the cost of uh property

[1:36:34] purchase.

[1:36:36] Um and that cost is about $1.8 million,

[1:36:40] but what it does is it connects

[1:36:42] the two other projects

[1:36:45] plus

[1:36:46] Dearing Street

[1:36:48] to provide a comprehensive

[1:36:51] um drainage solution in this area.

[1:36:54] Um and uh Dearing Street, which was

[1:36:57] ranked at number 17

[1:36:59] that

[1:37:01] this is a relatively low-cost project

[1:37:04] and it would be the installation of or

[1:37:07] the restoration of swales and the

[1:37:09] installation of some storm pipe in this

[1:37:11] area for conveyance to the Soundside

[1:37:14] Road system, which then is connected up

[1:37:17] to the pump system to be able to provide

[1:37:19] some relief in this area.

[1:37:24] Um

[1:37:25] also ranked number 18 is West Bluejay

[1:37:27] Street.

[1:37:28] Uh the cost for this is $270,000.

[1:37:32] Uh this is a medium project cost and

[1:37:35] this

[1:37:36] is the function of topography. You've

[1:37:39] got some very high elevations to the

[1:37:42] west that intersect there at Bluejay

[1:37:44] Street and Pamlico Ave. And so by going

[1:37:48] ahead and capturing that runoff, um

[1:37:51] minimize the impact to some of those

[1:37:54] um lower-lying residences there on the

[1:37:57] south side of Blue Jay Street.

[1:38:03] Um South Old Road base two. Um this was

[1:38:07] previously discussed as a potential um

[1:38:11] second part of the phase one

[1:38:14] improvements. And this would be a a

[1:38:17] pretty um costly project because this

[1:38:20] would tie into the existing

[1:38:22] infrastructure at Old Road. And then it

[1:38:26] would use it would incorporate a pump

[1:38:28] station and then pump out to um several

[1:38:32] undeveloped parcels out by 158.

[1:38:39] All right. And lastly, we've got

[1:38:43] Barracuda Drive,

[1:38:44] which is uh ranked number 22.

[1:38:48] And this takes three different areas. Um

[1:38:52] this takes uh

[1:38:54] an an existing issue out at Mackerel

[1:38:57] Court with

[1:38:59] um some lower-lying elevations to be

[1:39:01] able to capture runoff um as well as

[1:39:04] Salmon Court and then near the

[1:39:07] intersection of Hesperides and Barracuda

[1:39:10] Drive

[1:39:11] to be able to capture that road roadway

[1:39:14] runoff um

[1:39:16] in advance of being discharged onto some

[1:39:19] of the adjoining properties. And a lot

[1:39:21] of this is just a function of topography

[1:39:24] is that we've got some really high

[1:39:25] elevations. We've got water that flows

[1:39:28] pretty rapidly through there and being

[1:39:30] able to capture and um try to infiltrate

[1:39:33] that locally um so it minimizes any

[1:39:36] impact on the adjoining residences.

[1:39:40] Uh

[1:39:42] Um

[1:39:43] Yeah, you have to excuse me.

[1:39:45] That slide was out of sequence.

[1:39:49] Um cuz we still have the last two are

[1:39:53] Dune Street um

[1:39:55] phase 2A

[1:39:57] and then 2B

[1:39:59] and then this could be a second and

[1:40:01] third part of Dune Street

[1:40:04] where the second part would include the

[1:40:08] installation of a storm pipe collection

[1:40:11] system spanning from the intersection of

[1:40:13] Dune Street up to uh an existing ditch

[1:40:17] about 1/4 mile to the north of there.

[1:40:21] That ditch then connects up to the 158

[1:40:23] roadway network and then to the um

[1:40:28] Soundside Road drainage network.

[1:40:32] And then 2B

[1:40:34] would be a project that would include as

[1:40:38] needed the purchase of a parcel, an

[1:40:42] undeveloped parcel there at the

[1:40:43] intersection of Dune Street and South

[1:40:47] Virginia Dare Trail and utilize that as

[1:40:50] an infiltration area

[1:40:53] uh if needed as part of the other

[1:40:56] improvements with the phase one and

[1:40:59] phase 2A.

[1:41:04] Okay, so

[1:41:05] the um

[1:41:06] key findings with all this is the ramp

[1:41:09] one um outflow that ramp number one

[1:41:12] um followed by the Memorial Avenue area

[1:41:16] two

[1:41:17] and then Soundside Road phase one. Um

[1:41:20] those roads to the top just because of

[1:41:22] the fact of the frequency of flooding,

[1:41:25] the number of residents it served um and

[1:41:28] the lower end of the the cost.

[1:41:33] The um

[1:41:35] Typically

[1:41:36] these projects um scored higher as

[1:41:40] um the cost decreased. And so, um

[1:41:44] that, in conjunction with the fact that

[1:41:47] you had a lot of surrounding residences

[1:41:50] that were impacted by it, um they had a

[1:41:53] tendency to go ahead and score higher.

[1:41:56] So, next steps in the process

[1:41:59] is that we would like to receive any

[1:42:02] board feedback as to the the ranking for

[1:42:06] these projects.

[1:42:08] Um what staff would like to do is once

[1:42:10] we receive the feedback,

[1:42:12] we would like then to refine the the priorities, and then try to pair

[1:42:19] those up with other project work that we

[1:42:21] currently have in our CIP over the next

[1:42:23] 5 years, similar to what we've done in

[1:42:25] the past, and then we would come back to

[1:42:28] you, potentially at your fall retreat,

[1:42:30] um with that refined list, um to ensure

[1:42:34] that um we follow that approach that

[1:42:36] we've taken over the past uh 4 or 5

[1:42:38] years.

[1:42:41] Um

[1:42:42] and then lastly, we'd like to go and and

[1:42:45] present the final report to the board um

[1:42:48] here in November that encapsulate

[1:42:52] all of the work that has been done

[1:42:53] associated with the stormwater master

[1:42:55] plan.

[1:42:59] There's a lot to cover there.

[1:43:01] >> [clears throat]

[1:43:01] >> And uh

[1:43:02] >> [laughter]

[1:43:03] >> just uh any initial thoughts or feedback

[1:43:07] with you we can have some time for you

[1:43:09] to go ahead and try to digest it and uh

[1:43:12] share it with the town manager if you

[1:43:15] like, but if there's any initial

[1:43:16] thoughts um that you would like to share

[1:43:18] that maybe something seems out of place

[1:43:21] or something that we should start to

[1:43:23] look at uh sooner rather than later.

[1:43:27] >> Thank you, David. Any immediate

[1:43:29] questions?

[1:43:30] >> I have a question.

[1:43:30] >> Okay.

[1:43:31] >> Um with properties that are bordering

[1:43:34] waterways like the sound and maybe ramp

[1:43:36] one on the ocean, why was no ranking

[1:43:39] given to water quality?

[1:43:42] They all they all have a a none

[1:43:45] for water quality.

[1:43:48] » Um so for ramp one,

[1:43:50] um that that would include the installation

[1:43:56] of a backflow preventer at that

[1:43:58] location.

[1:43:59] And that doesn't have any treatment

[1:44:02] associated with it. But what that can do

[1:44:06] is that can eliminate the ebb and flow

[1:44:08] of water through that ditch system.

[1:44:12] Which we see that consistently. We don't

[1:44:15] have that here in the north end cuz

[1:44:17] there are some backflow preventers on

[1:44:20] some of the northernmost outfalls,

[1:44:22] Soundside Road, Conk Street, Curlew

[1:44:23] Street, as well as Gallery Row. And so

[1:44:27] there is

[1:44:30] There's Since there's not a specific

[1:44:32] treatment mechanism associated with

[1:44:34] that, we can't say that it qualifies for

[1:44:37] water quality benefits.

[1:44:38] >> Okay.

[1:44:41] So flooding for instance on Soundside

[1:44:44] Road or Old Road,

[1:44:46] you're saying because it's not going to

[1:44:48] be treated for water quality, we can't

[1:44:50] count it as a water quality project. Is

[1:44:52] that what you're saying?

[1:44:54] >> Well, currently as presented. And and so

[1:44:57] these are just looking at the the

[1:44:59] stormwater aspect of it. Now, if we get

[1:45:03] to phase four

[1:45:05] for Soundside Road, there's going to be

[1:45:07] a water quality benefit to that since

[1:45:10] we're using

[1:45:12] infiltration practices which are natural

[1:45:14] practices that that can filter out

[1:45:18] pollutants and sediment.

[1:45:19] Um

[1:45:21] but

[1:45:22] when you look at the three other

[1:45:23] projects that it's connected to,

[1:45:26] that those are just

[1:45:29] those

[1:45:30] can have a water quality benefit

[1:45:33] >> Mhm.

[1:45:33] >> through infiltration, but if the ground

[1:45:35] is saturated it starts to lose that

[1:45:37] water quality benefit.

[1:45:39] >> Okay.

[1:45:39] >> And that's a lot of what we've seen here

[1:45:41] recently.

[1:45:42] >> Okay.

[1:45:43] And then another question I had for

[1:45:44] those same projects, Sound Side Road and

[1:45:46] Old Road

[1:45:49] the the flooding source was only rain

[1:45:52] but I think both of those sites would

[1:45:53] flood from tidal

[1:45:57] water as well. So, was that not factored

[1:45:59] in?

[1:46:01] >> I think it was, huh?

[1:46:03] >> Sound Side.

[1:46:03] >> Overwash?

[1:46:05] yes.

[1:46:06] >> Yeah, yeah, so

[1:46:07] >> Yeah, not tidal as much as overwash.

[1:46:09] >> Overwash.

[1:46:10] >> Right?

[1:46:11] >> Yeah, yeah, so um overwash and tidal

[1:46:14] influence, yeah, should be considered

[1:46:16] for both.

[1:46:17] >> Okay.

[1:46:25] Thank you.

[1:46:26] >> I have kind of a general question about

[1:46:28] the relationship between phases.

[1:46:30] So, the the value of of one phase

[1:46:35] now and say we never got past phase one

[1:46:37] or two, how does how is that

[1:46:40] accounted for or is it just I know it's

[1:46:43] accounted for in your mind, but

[1:46:46] >> There there are different ways that we

[1:46:48] can approach this.

[1:46:49] >> Right.

[1:46:49] >> Um if we were able to go ahead and

[1:46:51] secure some grants

[1:46:54] that we could look at these more

[1:46:55] collectively and we could knock these

[1:46:57] out all as a single project.

[1:47:00] But

[1:47:01] also looking at the cost of each one of

[1:47:03] these projects

[1:47:05] is that it may not make it feasible to

[1:47:09] incorporate that into

[1:47:11] our annual

[1:47:13] CIP. So, we just try to make it a little

[1:47:15] bit more digestible and that we can look

[1:47:18] at this in time

[1:47:20] and just spread those funds out over a

[1:47:22] period of time to incorporate these

[1:47:24] improvements.

[1:47:24] >> Mhm.

[1:47:27] And the Sound Side projects

[1:47:30] for them all to really work, we need to

[1:47:32] get to that last one.

[1:47:34] Or for them to work well?

[1:47:36] >> Um we need to get to the third phase.

[1:47:38] >> The third phase. So if we I get off

[1:47:40] biting it off, but if we don't if a

[1:47:42] future board decides not to do the

[1:47:44] third, those first two are kind of

[1:47:46] >> There is So

[1:47:48] I I think the critical component is

[1:47:50] going ahead and getting it in in the

[1:47:52] infrastructure for that phase one.

[1:47:54] >> Okay.

[1:47:55] >> Once you have that in, then you could

[1:47:57] swap out phase two and phase three. So

[1:48:00] you could go ahead and put the pump

[1:48:01] system in then and then all the

[1:48:04] subsequent phases, you could go ahead

[1:48:06] and connect up to it.

[1:48:07] >> Okay.

[1:48:09] >> So there there is some flexibility with

[1:48:10] each one of these phases and it doesn't

[1:48:13] lock you into a certain sequence.

[1:48:16] Um

[1:48:17] and it just gives us more flexibility to

[1:48:19] be able to adapt um because uh we

[1:48:24] My experience is

[1:48:25] we always

[1:48:27] change things up based upon the current

[1:48:29] conditions. That could be cuz of

[1:48:30] funding, that could be

[1:48:32] um based upon other factors, but just

[1:48:34] trying to give us our ourselves the most

[1:48:36] flexibility to be able to work within

[1:48:39] the framework, I think is is what we're shooting for.

[1:48:42] >> But ideally if we start biting into the

[1:48:44] Sound Side projects, we would want to

[1:48:46] have the plan long-term that we would be

[1:48:48] doing all of them.

[1:48:50] >> Yes.

[1:48:50] >> Okay.

[1:48:51] >> And and I think the other thing too is

[1:48:53] with that watershed action plan, it does

[1:48:57] um open us up ourselves up to additional

[1:49:00] grant opportunities that we can go ahead

[1:49:02] and pair with some of the SR and

[1:49:04] shoreline work.

[1:49:05] >> And the work

[1:49:06] >> And that's a good point.

[1:49:08] >> If you want to qualify for some grants,

[1:49:10] you're probably going to have to do

[1:49:11] phase three cuz that has the water

[1:49:13] quality benefit and the water quality

[1:49:15] benefit is what

[1:49:17] gets the money.

[1:49:18] >> And the other phases probably make us

[1:49:20] want to do something.

[1:49:20] >> that that one might be one that you

[1:49:22] bundle together

[1:49:23] even with the resiliency project on the

[1:49:25] shoreline.

[1:49:26] >> Yeah, I was going to ask about

[1:49:27] >> And and that's probably how we would

[1:49:28] look at it. And there as David was

[1:49:30] mentioning

[1:49:31] you know, this this prioritization of

[1:49:33] this

[1:49:34] stormwater projects is looking at this

[1:49:36] kind of singularly in a vacuum, but

[1:49:38] we're not going to look at it like that

[1:49:40] when we do our CIP.

[1:49:42] >> Okay.

[1:49:42] >> And then we're going to look at how

[1:49:43] these tie together with the other

[1:49:45] streets projects like

[1:49:46] overlay work, paving work waterline work

[1:49:50] and then we're going to have to put

[1:49:50] things in order based on what we can

[1:49:53] accomplish, you know, financially but

[1:49:55] also what we can get grants for.

[1:49:57] And so

[1:49:58] the one thing that I I noticed about

[1:50:00] this is that once you get past the first

[1:50:02] couple of projects, the scores are so

[1:50:04] close together that you know, you can

[1:50:07] really move one move them around um

[1:50:10] because they're

[1:50:11] it's not like one has a drastic benefit

[1:50:13] over another. And so that that's helpful

[1:50:15] when we go to do the CIP cuz we're going

[1:50:17] to be opportunistic in the CIP. Like if we need to move a project up because

[1:50:22] we only have that much money that year,

[1:50:24] then we'll do it. If we get a grant for

[1:50:25] a project, and we're going to combine it

[1:50:27] with some other work, we're going to

[1:50:28] move it up. And so we'll we'll try to do

[1:50:31] our best to

[1:50:33] come up with a plan for the CIP

[1:50:36] you know, for the next 5 years but then

[1:50:38] the board always looks at it every year.

[1:50:41] And then so it it ends up being an

[1:50:44] iterative process. So even though we try

[1:50:46] to, you know, do our best

[1:50:48] >> Right.

[1:50:48] >> you're going to move things around and

[1:50:50] that's what we've been doing with with

[1:50:52] the sidewalks, with the streets, you

[1:50:53] know, over the years we've been doing

[1:50:55] that.

[1:50:56] And then David mentioned the retreat and

[1:50:59] this is something we've been talking to

[1:51:00] the board about. You know, we're going

[1:51:02] to have to

[1:51:03] sort of build this into our financial

[1:51:05] model as well

[1:51:06] and and figure out like the funding

[1:51:08] levels we need to do what we want to do.

[1:51:11] Our hope is to try and model that for

[1:51:13] the board, so the board can say, "Okay,

[1:51:17] we want to be able to afford to do X, Y,

[1:51:19] and Z, and so that's how much money

[1:51:21] we're going to have to figure out how to

[1:51:22] come up with to do that."

[1:51:24] And then the board can settle on, you

[1:51:26] know,

[1:51:26] >> [snorts]

[1:51:27] >> that cuz that that leads into revenue

[1:51:30] and taxes and things like that.

[1:51:32] >> And with the phases, our grant

[1:51:34] eligibility probably increases if we're

[1:51:36] proactive with other phases.

[1:51:38] >> Yes, I think but like the water the

[1:51:40] water quality benefit, I think cuz when we with the grants we've gotten so

[1:51:44] far for a lot of these projects like

[1:51:46] RCCP and land land and water fund, David

[1:51:49] mentioned the watershed action plan,

[1:51:51] they're going to be looking for a water

[1:51:52] quality benefit

[1:51:53] >> Okay.

[1:51:54] >> for for those grants. And so, just doing

[1:51:56] a flood control project might not make

[1:51:58] us score as high as if you include a

[1:52:01] water quality component. And I think

[1:52:03] that's the purpose of us doing the

[1:52:05] watershed action plan is to make

[1:52:07] ourselves more position ourselves for

[1:52:09] those grants.

[1:52:10] >> Yeah.

[1:52:11] >> So,

[1:52:12] I hope that's clear.

[1:52:12] >> Thank you.

[1:52:14] >> That is correct.

[1:52:16] And really the intent of the the scoring

[1:52:20] was to go ahead and look at this in an

[1:52:22] objective manner.

[1:52:24] Um noting that

[1:52:26] sequentially, this may not play out like

[1:52:29] this. Uh we've seen this on prior master

[1:52:31] plans where we've had to go ahead and

[1:52:33] adapt based upon other project work that

[1:52:35] we could incorporate this into. So,

[1:52:37] um this was just an exercise to go ahead

[1:52:40] and come up with a ranking noting that

[1:52:42] there are other factors that may um

[1:52:46] take a little bit more weight to go

[1:52:47] ahead and shift things up, but like the

[1:52:49] town manager said, the scoring is so

[1:52:52] close on so many of these projects, it's

[1:52:54] like

[1:52:55] you know, you you can go in many

[1:52:56] different ways.

[1:52:58] >> It's a little scary, too, when you see

[1:52:59] these numbers, but

[1:53:01] >> [laughter]

[1:53:01] >> the um

[1:53:02] And I've seen previous plans where it

[1:53:04] was worse than this, but you know, every

[1:53:06] time we um

[1:53:07] get into

[1:53:09] the the 2-year budget and we start

[1:53:12] putting these projects in a 2-year

[1:53:13] budget, you know, I think what typically

[1:53:15] happens is these these are very

[1:53:17] high-level looks at these projects. Once

[1:53:19] David gets a hold of it,

[1:53:21] then, you know, he can start to really

[1:53:23] refine these projects into something

[1:53:25] that's manageable,

[1:53:27] you know, and so, that's all it's always

[1:53:30] evolving, you know.

[1:53:32] And so, um

[1:53:36] » No, it's a very comprehensive plan, and

[1:53:38] my question was about funding, but both

[1:53:40] of you have kind of answered that for

[1:53:42] me, so I appreciate it. Yeah. No, I

[1:53:43] appreciate it.

[1:53:45] >> Yeah, this is very helpful.

[1:53:47] >> I wanted to say one thing as the and we David and I

[1:53:50] talked about it cuz obviously, you know,

[1:53:53] it started raining right when David

[1:53:54] started speaking.

[1:53:55] >> [laughter]

[1:53:56] >> But, um

[1:53:57] you know, what we've been dealing with the past week with the the rainfall

[1:54:00] and then obviously last week with with

[1:54:02] the

[1:54:03] Conk Street area, you know, we had an we

[1:54:05] had an issue there and largely with the

[1:54:07] outfall, but that is probably an area

[1:54:09] that does need something and it's not in

[1:54:12] this plan, and David David's response to

[1:54:14] me was, "Well, you know, we can't keep

[1:54:16] doing everything along NC 12

[1:54:20] just in a vacuum. We've got to involve

[1:54:22] DOT and get their participation."

[1:54:25] And so, I think that's really what our

[1:54:27] goal should be however we can do that.

[1:54:31] Um David's already engaged them about

[1:54:33] the outfall and what's going on there.

[1:54:35] But, I think that that may be something

[1:54:37] that we look at maybe separate from this

[1:54:39] plan.

[1:54:40] And if we have to eventually come up

[1:54:41] with something and incorporate it into

[1:54:43] this, we can,

[1:54:45] but, you know, really getting them to

[1:54:46] sort of take the lead on on some of that stuff.

[1:54:50] Yeah, and you can see on here, you know,

[1:54:53] you've got

[1:54:54] um Virginia Dare Trail in the village.

[1:54:56] You've got Virginia Dare Trail at Dune

[1:54:58] Street. I mean, we're already proposing

[1:55:00] to put piping in a lot of the Virginia

[1:55:02] Dare Trail,

[1:55:04] you know, as part of this plan. So.

[1:55:07] >> Yeah, we had the ability to log a lot of

[1:55:09] time out there by the Conchs Street

[1:55:10] intersection here recently and see how

[1:55:13] that system works.

[1:55:15] Um yeah, that there there's definitely

[1:55:17] room for improvement there.

[1:55:19] Uh but there are some things that people

[1:55:21] don't always notice is the influence of

[1:55:25] uh groundwater rise, especially during

[1:55:28] um frequent rainfall events. Um we're

[1:55:31] seeing a lot of that throughout town.

[1:55:33] And we've gotten numerous phone calls

[1:55:36] from here in the village, South Nags

[1:55:38] Head, um not so much in the north end of

[1:55:41] town. Um but

[1:55:44] when you have

[1:55:45] month of July, we had 15 days of rain

[1:55:47] out of the 31 days.

[1:55:49] Um

[1:55:51] South Nags Head, I think

[1:55:53] got hit the hardest.

[1:55:55] Um and then as you progressively went

[1:55:57] north, um

[1:55:59] it it was not as severe as some of the

[1:56:02] other impacts that we've seen throughout

[1:56:04] town.

[1:56:05] But um groundwater rise, especially

[1:56:08] during saturated conditions, limits our

[1:56:10] ability to infiltrate. Infiltration is

[1:56:13] our main way of managing storm water

[1:56:15] runoff.

[1:56:17] Um and conveyance is

[1:56:20] really plays back up to infiltration.

[1:56:22] And when infiltration doesn't occur,

[1:56:25] then that's when we really have

[1:56:27] extensive flooding throughout our area.

[1:56:29] Um and we we were able to observe the

[1:56:32] conditions um post rainfall and just

[1:56:35] really see

[1:56:37] how much groundwater plays into some of

[1:56:39] the localized flooding. Um

[1:56:42] but it's been helpful that we've had our

[1:56:43] groundwater wells because it really

[1:56:45] gives us an indication of how much that

[1:56:47] groundwater comes up over a period of

[1:56:49] time.

[1:56:50] Um Connor shared some data

[1:56:54] um here recently. It was uh Thursday,

[1:56:57] Friday, we had back-to-back storm

[1:56:59] events. We saw the water table rise 2

[1:57:02] and 1/2 ft

[1:57:03] >> Oh my god.

[1:57:03] >> over that period. Wow.

[1:57:05] And

[1:57:06] what I don't have a sense of because

[1:57:09] it's been very difficult. There's been

[1:57:11] more rainfall events after that, but

[1:57:13] it's it's stayed up pretty high, and

[1:57:16] it's starting to come back down, but

[1:57:18] every rainfall we event we have after

[1:57:21] that, it keeps on going back up.

[1:57:23] And and that

[1:57:25] primarily what we're seeing in these

[1:57:28] here recently that's led to a lot of

[1:57:31] concern from a lot of people in this

[1:57:33] area that, "Hey, I've never seen this

[1:57:35] before."

[1:57:36] I I can't recall in recent history

[1:57:39] having

[1:57:40] this amount of rainfall over this time

[1:57:43] period with this frequency.

[1:57:46] Um I I can probably recite the rainfall

[1:57:49] that we had back in 2016, '17, and '18.

[1:57:53] Back in 2012. Back in the early 2000s,

[1:57:56] but I don't recall a pattern like this.

[1:58:00] Um

[1:58:02] and especially in the south end of town,

[1:58:04] which has got hit the hardest, and the

[1:58:07] central part of town

[1:58:08] that we've had this frequency of rainfall without

[1:58:13] having the availability to recover.

[1:58:16] And until we get that drying out period

[1:58:18] and that recovery period, I think we're

[1:58:20] still going to see a lot of this water

[1:58:23] persist.

[1:58:26] » It would be there would if especially if

[1:58:29] there's more to it than what you just

[1:58:30] expressed, cuz that's pretty

[1:58:32] fascinating.

[1:58:33] Um some of our learnings from our from

[1:58:35] our wells, I think I think I would love

[1:58:38] to hear some of that.

[1:58:39] >> I'd love to hear a presentation.

[1:58:41] >> Okay. [laughter] Uh about that. I think

[1:58:43] that would be I think that would be

[1:58:45] fascinating. Uh what what we're learning

[1:58:47] from that. I'd love to see a

[1:58:48] presentation in one of our meetings.

[1:58:51] >> Yes, and I I think just trying to figure

[1:58:53] out

[1:58:54] that recovery time and how long that

[1:58:56] takes. Um that's important to know, too,

[1:58:58] so we can go ahead and set up an

[1:59:00] expectation when people come across

[1:59:02] these conditions

[1:59:03] what that recovery time may look like.

[1:59:06] >> One thing I just want to add and I was

[1:59:08] planning to bring up on the

[1:59:08] commissioner's agenda was um I've I

[1:59:11] think we've all heard from a lot of

[1:59:12] people and we've seen a lot on Facebook

[1:59:14] about stormwater and people see ponding

[1:59:16] water, but I have also heard a ton of

[1:59:18] praise for our staff. Um you guys have

[1:59:21] been very visible over the weekend with

[1:59:23] Conk Street. Um

[1:59:25] I know you guys probably hear people

[1:59:26] complain more than anything, but

[1:59:28] I think that a lot of residents that

[1:59:30] have seen the changes over the years and

[1:59:31] the leaps and bounds Nags Head has made

[1:59:33] in stormwater is apparent and I just

[1:59:36] want to relay that cuz I have heard so

[1:59:37] many people reach out that have seen you

[1:59:39] guys working on the weekends in the rain

[1:59:41] at Conk Street. I've seen it. I've seen

[1:59:44] the improvements and other people have,

[1:59:45] too. I know we constantly have new

[1:59:47] challenges, but it's clear that we're

[1:59:49] taking them on and we're very, very

[1:59:50] proud of everything you guys have done.

[1:59:52] >> Yeah.

[1:59:53] >> Well, thank you and I think from what I've seen in the

[1:59:57] north end of town where we've made some

[1:59:59] significant improvements, we're not

[2:00:01] seeing that reoccurrence of of flooding,

[2:00:03] not to the levels that we've seen in the

[2:00:05] past. Um

[2:00:07] we've got some improvements down in

[2:00:08] south Nags Head.

[2:00:10] Um

[2:00:11] they're probably not as quick as people

[2:00:12] would like it, but we have seen some

[2:00:15] improvements.

[2:00:16] And um I I think that's important,

[2:00:18] especially long-term, when you have

[2:00:20] saturated conditions that you're able to

[2:00:23] go ahead and drain that off and so

[2:00:26] not only aesthetically does that look

[2:00:28] better, but you know, you you don't get

[2:00:31] the mosquitoes, you don't get the ground water mixing in and having

[2:00:37] that brown water standing for an

[2:00:38] extended period of time, so.

[2:00:41] >> This is also a great time to remind

[2:00:43] people. I know a lot of people have been

[2:00:44] pumping because the water table is so

[2:00:47] high, but it's a great time to remind

[2:00:48] people about the water credits that we

[2:00:50] offer because I from what I've heard

[2:00:52] from Jimmy, they've been pumping like

[2:00:54] crazy from alarms going off and stuff

[2:00:56] and just getting ready for that next

[2:00:57] rain. It's a good time to pump your tank

[2:00:59] and get ready for it.

[2:01:00] >> Yep.

[2:01:01] >> Right. Well done.

[2:01:03] >> Cool.

[2:01:03] >> Good point.

[2:01:04] >> Excellent.

[2:01:05] >> Great.

[2:01:05] >> Thank you, Dave.

[2:01:08] >> Yeah, that weekend, you know, that you

[2:01:11] were referring to, you know,

[2:01:13] we were waking up in the morning and all

[2:01:15] right, what's going on? And well, 6:30

[2:01:18] a.m., he's already been out looking at

[2:01:20] things in South Nags Head. Well, on a

[2:01:22] Sunday, Steven's already cleared the

[2:01:24] Conk Street outfall, you know,

[2:01:26] first first first line,

[2:01:28] you know, they're all

[2:01:30] and then Steven was checking the pumps

[2:01:32] at like midnight on Saturday night.

[2:01:34] >> You know, so it

[2:01:36] they were working hard and the whole the

[2:01:38] whole public services crew was out

[2:01:40] there,

[2:01:41] you know, water and public facilities,

[2:01:43] everybody working on the pumping.

[2:01:46] Yeah, so and David, you know, it was

[2:01:48] just round the clock.

[2:01:50] So, it

[2:01:51] you know, it's nice to know that you're

[2:01:54] you can trust that you're going to be

[2:01:55] covered like that.

[2:01:57] >> It's very appreciated.

[2:01:58] >> Nice.

[2:01:59] >> Very much so.

[2:02:02] » Great. Thank you.

[2:02:04] Uh that brings us to our beach driving

[2:02:06] season update.

[2:02:07] Chief?

[2:02:11] » [snorts]

[2:02:12] >> Good morning, Mayor and Commissioners.

[2:02:15] I guess we've been having fun cuz time

[2:02:16] has flown this summer and we're talking

[2:02:18] about beach driving.

[2:02:20] Um

[2:02:21] as usual, the season's going to open

[2:02:23] this year October 1st and run through

[2:02:25] April the 30th

[2:02:26] uh with a half hour before sunrise and a

[2:02:28] half hour uh past sunset for those with

[2:02:31] a

[2:02:32] pass um either online or through the

[2:02:35] town

[2:02:36] or tackle shops. Um

[2:02:38] we start selling permits about 2 weeks

[2:02:40] before actual driving date, that way it

[2:02:43] gives those the opportunity to go ahead

[2:02:45] and acquire, but also keeps uh people

[2:02:48] from being too anxious that want to get

[2:02:49] out there a little bit before uh the

[2:02:52] driving season actually starts.

[2:02:55] Um this year we're going to request to

[2:02:57] keep the section from Nags Head Pier

[2:02:59] north to 8th Street closed um as in

[2:03:03] prior years. This request comes to do

[2:03:05] the sand conditions up there, a lot more

[2:03:07] shell beds um or in that area that makes

[2:03:10] the the sand

[2:03:12] softer, looser, um

[2:03:14] and it um

[2:03:16] is hard to navigate um

[2:03:18] in that area

[2:03:19] um during certain times. It's not as

[2:03:21] wide as well. Um

[2:03:23] but keeping this closed also gives an

[2:03:25] area for beach growers um to be able to

[2:03:28] be on the beach and not have conflicts

[2:03:30] with vehicle traffic. Um believe it's

[2:03:33] been closed for the past four or five

[2:03:35] years um that we've kept it closed just

[2:03:37] because of the conditions, if not a few

[2:03:39] years longer um than that um due to the

[2:03:42] conditions of the sand all the way.

[2:03:44] Um that's been the main reason, but we

[2:03:46] have also seen that as the weather

[2:03:49] uh stays a little bit

[2:03:51] warmer in October and starts warming up

[2:03:54] uh a little bit earlier in April some

[2:03:56] years,

[2:03:57] the amount of people that are on the

[2:03:59] beach that gives them a space um that

[2:04:01] they don't have to worry about traffic.

[2:04:03] Um so that's what we're requesting um

[2:04:07] with the nourishment project just

[2:04:09] finishing up. Um the southern portion

[2:04:12] last year was closed from Juncos to Ramp

[2:04:13] 1. With this project just being

[2:04:15] completed, we see no need to keep that

[2:04:17] closed as the condition of the beach um

[2:04:20] is back wide as it was before. Last year

[2:04:22] we had several weather systems that came

[2:04:25] through um that caused some dune erosion

[2:04:28] um and just the conditions itself were

[2:04:30] too narrow um to keep that open down

[2:04:33] there. So we don't see any problems with

[2:04:35] keeping um

[2:04:37] that closed this year and should be open

[2:04:39] and good to go.

[2:04:41] Permits this past season 25 26 we sold

[2:04:45] 288 permits. We were 14 off from the

[2:04:48] year before.

[2:04:51] From reading the printouts it seems all

[2:04:54] 14 were Nag's Head residents, but of the

[2:04:58] permits sold this year 129 or last year

[2:05:01] excuse me 129 were Nag's Head residents

[2:05:04] or property owners.

[2:05:06] And the remaining 159 came from our

[2:05:08] surrounding area and the state of

[2:05:10] Virginia.

[2:05:12] >> Have we got that map that we can pull

[2:05:13] up?

[2:05:17] » It's an attachment on the agenda.

[2:05:20] >> [snorts]

[2:05:25] » So we have our drive over accesses.

[2:05:27] Everything is marked on the map that

[2:05:29] we've got that'll be on the website and

[2:05:32] people can get copies of it or print

[2:05:33] copies of it. Our drive over accesses

[2:05:36] that will be open will be Conk,

[2:05:37] Enterprise, Forest, Gulfstream, and

[2:05:40] Junco's.

[2:05:41] Those north of the pier will remain

[2:05:43] closed obviously open for emergency

[2:05:45] vehicles. We will have signs posted up

[2:05:48] at 8th Street

[2:05:50] that designates as we've put out in the

[2:05:52] years past the driving season is closed

[2:05:55] in this area and at each access there'll

[2:05:57] be you know a sign displaying that a

[2:05:59] permit needs to be displayed. So we're

[2:06:02] looking forward to another good driving

[2:06:03] season.

[2:06:05] We'd like to remind everybody that use

[2:06:07] the marked accesses, display your permit

[2:06:09] on your driver side windshield.

[2:06:12] Obey the speed limit of 15 miles per

[2:06:14] hour and most importantly to reduce the tire pressure down to at least 20

[2:06:18] pounds.

[2:06:19] A lot of people seem to forget that and

[2:06:22] when you don't reduce it it does tear

[2:06:24] the beach up a lot more than giving you

[2:06:26] a little bit wider platform for your air

[2:06:28] pressure to be out of the tires. I'd be

[2:06:29] happy to answer any questions that you

[2:06:31] may have.

[2:06:31] >> All right. Great.

[2:06:33] >> Thank you, Perry. Any questions?

[2:06:34] >> No.

[2:06:35] >> She By the So, Junco Street to ramp one

[2:06:39] was closed in years last year.

[2:06:42] Um and then the pier north was closed

[2:06:45] last year as well. So, that means this

[2:06:47] year we'll actually have more room for

[2:06:48] people to drive.

[2:06:49] >> Yes. Um and I believe next to pier north

[2:06:52] is is been at least 5 years, I do

[2:06:54] believe, if not a couple more than where

[2:06:56] we've closed it um due to numerous

[2:06:59] vehicles getting stuck up there. It's

[2:07:01] not that wide doing a lot of the

[2:07:02] nor'easters that kept it done. Um and

[2:07:04] that sand up there with that shell beds

[2:07:06] and it's just I mean, I get nervous when

[2:07:08] I drive out there if I have to go out

[2:07:09] there for the emergency call. So, um it

[2:07:12] is kind of tight up there. So, that will

[2:07:14] stay closed, but from next to pier all

[2:07:15] the way south to ramp one, we see no

[2:07:17] issues this year.

[2:07:18] >> Okay.

[2:07:19] >> anything will be closed. Um hopefully we

[2:07:21] don't have any weather systems that

[2:07:22] would do anything differently. Um but

[2:07:24] yes, Junco's to ramp one, that'll be an

[2:07:26] extra area this year um being that it

[2:07:29] was closed last year.

[2:07:30] >> All right. Thank you.

[2:07:31] >> It really started after COVID.

[2:07:33] You know,

[2:07:34] the that [snorts] fall, you know, you

[2:07:35] remember the Admiral Street

[2:07:37] >> Yeah.

[2:07:37] >> where we added the walkway cuz we had

[2:07:39] people that were

[2:07:41] >> um using the drive over to walk to the

[2:07:43] beach and people were driving up and and

[2:07:45] they were almost [clears throat] getting

[2:07:46] hit. So, we added the walkway sort of in

[2:07:49] the middle of a year with some of the

[2:07:50] extra money we had. And then we just saw

[2:07:53] so many people on the beach in October.

[2:07:55] The weather was still nice and people

[2:07:57] were here and so

[2:07:58] >> [clears throat]

[2:07:58] >> it's kind of continued since then, but

[2:08:00] it it really has worked well give people

[2:08:03] an area of reprieve from from the

[2:08:05] vehicles. And

[2:08:06] it's a heavily traveled trafficked area

[2:08:08] of the beach and you get a lot of people

[2:08:10] that come from Kill Devil Hills to use

[2:08:11] those accesses, too. So,

[2:08:14] it it's worked well.

[2:08:16] And I don't know, you know, obviously if

[2:08:17] you've heard from people that

[2:08:19] you know, they want

[2:08:21] >> I've heard sometimes people complain

[2:08:23] that they pay for the permit and some of

[2:08:25] their access has been cut off, but

[2:08:27] hearing that Juncos is open, that's a

[2:08:28] great thing to respond to let them know

[2:08:31] that they actually do have extra area

[2:08:32] this year.

[2:08:33] >> about

[2:08:34] leaves about 10 miles of beach that you

[2:08:35] can drive

[2:08:36] >> Yeah.

[2:08:36] >> amazing

[2:08:37] >> 10 miles will be 11.

[2:08:40] >> Good stuff.

[2:08:40] >> Have we ever considered adding signage

[2:08:43] during beach driving season to to not

[2:08:45] walk over those ramps? Cuz I have seen

[2:08:47] some very hair-raising

[2:08:49] encounters with pedestrians and then a

[2:08:52] vehicle flying over similar to what was

[2:08:54] happening at Admiral.

[2:08:55] >> Admiral, the walkover really cuz there

[2:08:58] was lots of close calls. I think 4th

[2:09:00] Street, that walkover helps a lot, too.

[2:09:02] Um

[2:09:03] >> But still people walk there. I don't

[2:09:04] know. As

[2:09:05] >> surfers like to, I guess.

[2:09:06] >> Yeah.

[2:09:07] >> I don't know.

[2:09:08] >> Admiral scares me.

[2:09:11] >> Made a note of that.

[2:09:17] » Okay.

[2:09:18] >> All right.

[2:09:18] >> Great.

[2:09:19] >> Thank you.

[2:09:24] » Yeah.

[2:09:29] » All right. Uh that brings us to our

[2:09:31] Board of Commissioners agenda and I

[2:09:32] think I'll start um down here with

[2:09:34] Commissioner Harrison.

[2:09:36] >> Um I don't really have anything. I just

[2:09:37] wanted to say that um thank you to

[2:09:40] everyone involved in beach nourishment,

[2:09:42] Andy and Roberta and David and everybody

[2:09:44] and all the people who've been so

[2:09:45] involved. I mean, the beach looks

[2:09:46] amazing.

[2:09:47] Um it's very wide and beautiful and I

[2:09:49] think everybody's enjoying it very much.

[2:09:52] And also to Public Services, our town

[2:09:54] looks really good. It's clean. It looks

[2:09:56] great. Um

[2:09:58] Thanks to everyone who handled the

[2:09:59] flooding and just it's

[2:10:01] great summer out there and staff is

[2:10:04] responsible for that.

[2:10:05] >> Right.

[2:10:06] >> Yeah.

[2:10:07] >> Thank you.

[2:10:07] >> Mhm.

[2:10:08] >> No comments. Just echo what Commissioner

[2:10:10] Harrison said.

[2:10:11] >> Okay. All right.

[2:10:12] >> I don't have anything to add. Thank you.

[2:10:14] >> Commissioner Boland

[2:10:15] >> I concur and I'll throw in 4th of July

[2:10:17] because our last meeting was obviously

[2:10:18] was actually before that and that was a

[2:10:20] great day and event evening. I was out

[2:10:23] and about and again Steph always does a

[2:10:25] fabulous job. It was safe and beautiful.

[2:10:29] Fireworks all of it. So,

[2:10:31] of course we appreciate the pier.

[2:10:33] >> Yes.

[2:10:34] >> [laughter]

[2:10:34] >> We do.

[2:10:36] All right.

[2:10:37] Thank you.

[2:10:38] Uh I do not have anything for us today.

[2:10:41] Uh we do not have any closed sessions

[2:10:43] published. I don't believe need for one

[2:10:45] has emerged.

[2:10:47] Um so, is there any other business come

[2:10:49] for the board?

[2:10:52] And we do not need a mid-month meeting.

[2:10:55] So, we will be back in September. And

[2:10:57] so, a motion to adjourn would be in

[2:10:59] order.

[2:10:59] >> So moved.

[2:11:01] >> Uh do I have a second?

[2:11:03] >> Second.

[2:11:05] >> Anybody wants to stay for a little while

[2:11:06] longer?

[2:11:07] I have a motion and a second. Uh all in

[2:11:10] favor say I. I. Opposed? Thank you.

[2:11:13] >> Thank you.

Board of Commissioners Meeting

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