The
Shore
February 2009 • Vol. 5, No. 8 A Shoreline Community, Pine Knoll Shores, N.C. Town Hall 247-4353
Back Challenge
To Insurance
Cost Increases
By Bill White
Pine Knoll Shores has joined the fight to
seek a review of insurance rate increases
that would substanially raise the cost of
such coverages this year for homeowners
in 18 coastal North Carolina counties.
The Pine Knoll Shores Board of
Commissioners, at its meeting January
13, voted to provide $2,000 to the fund
being assembled to legally oppose the
projected increases. In doing so, the
board followed the lead of the Carteret
County Board of Commissioners, which
earlier voted to support the legal efforts
to the tune of $10,000. Other Carteret
County communities have acted to join
the fight and it is expected that counties
and communities up and down the coast
will be unified in the effort to oppose the
increases.
The increases were approved in
November by the North Carolina
Department of Insurance (DOI) at the
behest of the North Carolina Insurance
Underwriting Association (Beach Plan)
and the North Carolina Joint Underwriting
Association (Fair Plan). These two entities
were created by the state legislature to
provide insurance to those who could
not obtain coverage through traditional
sources. The Beach Plan covered the
coastal counties, the Fair Plan other areas
of the state.
The challenges to the November
increases, which involve both wind and
hail and full peril policies, have been led
by Dare County and the Town of Nags
Head, which have filed notices of appeal
and exceptions with the North Carolina
(Back Challenge) Continued on Page 4
Full House It was standing room only at Bogue Banks Library Sunday, January 11
as history buffs by the dozen turned out to hear historian Kevin Duffus tell of the
dangers that lurked off the coast during World War II. Story on page 15
Take First Look at '09-10 Budget
By Charlie McBriarty
The second monthly meeting of the Pine
Knoll Shores Board of Commissioners
convened on Thursday, January 22.
This meeting focused on preliminary
discussion of two financial matters
- a draft capital improvement plan and
rough outline of a budget for the fiscal
year 2009-10
Town Manager Brian Kramer presented
an initial draft of a five-year Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP) and solicited
reaction to the more than 15 projects
identified. He requested the identification
of projects needing to be added or
deleted and asked for input on the
prioritization of the projects. A wide-
ranging discussion of the CIP ensued.
There was acknowledgement that the
town hall HVAC (heating ventilation
and air conditioning) system was in
need of replacement. The need for more
extensive renovations in town hall was
debated.
Some time was devoted to discussion
of several methods of dealing with the
need to replace town-owned vehicles.
A number of suggestions were offered
regarding street repair, dredging of canals
and widening and bulk heading the the
channel under the Mimosa bridge. In
addition, several items needing to be
included in the CIP were identified but
little progress was made with respect to
the prioritization of the projects. It was
concluded that another draft CIP would
(Budget) Continued on Page 2
Board Puts Off
Action on Wind
Energy Systems
By Phyllis Makuck
On January 13, the Pine Knoll Shores
Board of Commissioners deferred a
decision on a proposed ordinance to
permit wind energy systems in all zoning
districts within city limits, but would
make them subject to restrictions. A
planning board subcommittee had drafted
regulations for the proposed ordinance.
Draft regulations limited wind energy
systems to land sites of one acre or more—
specifically, one system per one acre of
land. Minimum setbacks from roads,
adjacent property lines, and waterfront
development lines (static vegetation line
for Atlantic Ocean or high water mark for
Bogue Sound) were to be IV2 times the
total height of the system. The location
would also have to comply with all state
and federal setbacks relative to other
bodies of water.
The wind energy system could be no
more than 10 kilowatts. Total height could
not exceed 50 feet, and rotor blades had to
be at least 15 feet above ground level.
To be as unobtrusive as possible, the
required finish was to be a non-reflective,
neutral color. No signage, lighting, or
antennae would be allowed. If a tower
was part of a system, it ha'd^to be a self-
supporting tubular or lattice construction.
Wiring should be underground. Noise
(Wind Energy) Continued on Page 4
Standard
Pre-Sort
Permit #35
Atlantic Beach, NC 28512
Deadline for March issue is Monday, Feb. 16 Deadline for April issue is Monday, March 16 Articles always welcome!