December 2008 The Shoreline Page 5
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K R A M E R’ S
O A monthly Report
R by Town Manager
N Brian Kramer
E on e\>ents
R in tov^n.
• Mimosa Bridge: Canal Widening
Decision-1 am forming a short-term work
group to determine if it makes sense to
widen the canal at the same time the bridge
is replaced. We now know that the town
will have to fund the widening. While
there will be a cost to us for this, there are
efficiencies gained by doing both tasks at
the same time.
• Beach Access- As of the time of
this writing, we have reached an
agreement with the Beacon's Reach
Master Association for an access on the
western edge of town. We are talking to
other home associations for accesses on
the eastern end of town. We still intend
to have a town hall meeting on this issue
before we present our final plan to the
Army Corps.
• Road Repair- Public Services Director,
Ernie Rudolph has identified 22 road
"hot spots" in town that we will address
Public Services Director Ernie Rudolph
reported that the recent change from
out-sourcing the mowing of the town's
roadways to having public services
department personnel do it has already
saved the town more than $5,000. He
indicated that Ernie Guthrie does the
mowing and it takes him 32 hours to do
it all. He observed that in addition to
saving money the results are better and
more area is being mowed.
Fire/EMS Chief Bill Matthias noted that
the oncoming holiday season provides a
good opportunity for citizens to check
their kitchen fire extinguisher to ensure
that it full and operable. He also urged
the family chefs to be extra cautious in
the kitchen while preparing their holiday
feast. He is hoping that there will be no
kitchen related calls this season.
Police Chief Joey Culpepper reported
that his office has been receiving an
increased number of calls concerning sick
in the next few months. They have been
marked with spray paint, so expect to see
some work in these areas.
• EMS Upgrade- We are now EMT-
Intermediate capable on all three shifts
in Fire/EMS. This is a very significant
and positive increase in capability that
Chief Bill Matthias has created through
a steady training emphasis. Our ability to
address diabetic, respiratory and cardiac
related problems is now far improved
from where we were two years ago. This
was accomplished without changes in
structure and/or salary—Chief Matthias
gets the credit for this.
• Review of the Fiscal Year 2007-2008
Financial Audit by Citizens Committee-
As you may recall, we formed a citizens
committee for finance last year. Included
in this group are a CPA, a retired IBM
finance specialist, and a federal budget
analyst. We will meet this month to take
a look at our audit.
•PurchasingWithOtherMunicipalities-
We are taking a look at forming a
purchasing group with our neighboring
towns. While we aren't entirely certain
what savings might be realized, we
are going to make an attempt to see
efficiencies are out there.
• How 'bout those Phillies??
Be safe and hope your Turkey Day was
happy, Brian
wildlife. He noted that most of these sick
animals are rabid and encouraged citizens
to report any they observe. In addition, a
number of telephone calls received have
reported various scams in operation, some
via phone and others on the internet. He
advised, "If it sounds too good to be true,
it more than likely is."
Officer Cliff DeVore received the
Meritorious Conduct Award from Pine
Knoll Shores Police Chief Joey Culpeper at
the November 12 board of commissioners
meeting. Officer DeVore received the
award because of his extraordinary action
when he became involved in response to a
domestic disturbance call. The call came
from a woman in the Sheraton Hotel who
reported that her husband had threatened
her with a gun. Officer DeVore was
one of the early responding officers and
served as the negotiator in a situation that
evolved into a hostage situation. A series
of telephone calls between the husband
and Officer DeVore over an extended
period of time eventually ended when the
husband surrendered and was taken into
custody with no one being hurt.
The amended ordinance requiring
house numbers to be displayed near the
drive way of each house in Pine Knoll
Shores goes into effect this month. Chief
Culpeper offered the following guidelines
to be followed in compliance with this
amendment:
• House numbers at least three inches
high need to be posted near the street and
driveway to the house.
• The posting may be on a separate post/
sign within 10 feet of the street, or
• If your mailbox is on the same side of
the street as your house and the mailbox
is not clustered with neighbors', the
house numbers may be displayed on the
mailbox post as long as they can be seen
from the road.
• If the house is on a comer lot, the
house number post should be located
near the driveway, even if it exits on the
other street.
If you are uncertain about your situation
use your common sense or call the police
department at 247-2474 for guidance.
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According to the National Christmas
Tree Association, 85% of the artificial
trees begin in overseas factories where
working conditions are less than ideal and
these trees are made with materials that
sometimes include PVC or lead. Many of
these trees eventually end up in landfills.
On the other hand, natural trees supplied
by tree growing farms:
• are a renewable, sustainable
resource;
• provide jobs for workers in rural
areas;
• offer the typical benefits of trees
producing oxygen, uptake of C02, control
of erosion and habitat for wildlife;
• preserve open space;
• are biodegradable and recyclable;
• can be made into chips or compost;
• support conservation efforts by filling
eroding gullies;
• enhance fish habitat when sunk in
lakes; and
• reduce theerosionof sand when placed
along ocean dunes.
Community Appearance Commission
BOC BITS N' PIECES
By Charlie McBriarty
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