CERT Needs New Members
By Tom King
The Bogue Banks Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) provides Pine
Knoll Shores first responders (fire and police) assistance if they are overwhelmed by a
major disaster—primarily focused on hurricanes. We are looking for new members for
our team. Help your family and neighbors by joining this community service team.
Mandatory initial training requires three days of classroom instruction on disaster
preparedness. Subjects include Fire Safety; Light Search and Rescue; Disaster Medical
Operations, including CPR and AED (automated external defibrillator) training; and
Traffic Control.
To ensure we are prepared for our potential responsibilities, our team also conducts
training before the hurricane season each spring, usually in May and June, for two
hours every two weeks.
If you are interested, please contact CERT Civilian Leader Tom King, at 336-416-5184.
PHYSICAL THERAPY • OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
SPEECH THERAPY • SKILLED NURSING • RESTORATIVE NURSING
4010 Bridges St. Ext. Morehead City • 252-726-0031 • www.crystalbluffs.com
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The Shoreline I October 2016
PKS Rights of Way
By Scott Sherrill
Distance:
Photo illustration by Scott Shernit
A right of way, as defined in the Mer-
riam-Webster online dictionary, is the
area of land over which is built a public
road. In Pine Knoll Shores, the right of
way is publicly owned land that extends
beyond the paved surface of the road as
demonstrated in the picture here.
The picture is pretty typical for the
non-arterials in Pine Knoll Shores,
featuring an 18'-20' roadway in a total
right of way of approximately 60', but I would be remiss if I did not note that some por
tions of Mimosa Boulevard have close to an 80' right of way and Highway 58 has about a
100' right of way, but the Highway 58 right of way is state property.
The town has numerous rules that apply to its rights of way: cars and trailers are pro
hibited from overnight parking between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. (Section 50-5); permission
from the Community Appearance Commission is required to plant, maintain, remove,
or otherwise disturb trees and shrubs in the right of way (Section 70-6); at aU times other
than scheduled collection times, recyclable containers must be stored on the premises at
a location off the public right of way, at or in the main structure on the lot, or within an
enclosure or rack designed for the purpose of holding solid waste containers, and recy
clable containers shall not be placed adjacent to the street earlier than 12 hours before
collection is scheduled and shall be removed within 12 hours after collection (Section 42-
5); litter, refuse, scrap lumber and debris accumulating during the repair, modification or
construction of any building or other structure must be properly removed from the work
site on a daily basis or placed in a suitable closed container and retained on-site and off
the right of way until the work is completed (Section 22-1); and portable privies may not
be placed onthe town right of way (Section 34-1).
The town has also established an ordinance (46-2) that expressly permits owners to
sod and plant grass in the right of way, provided that it does not divert or pond unrea
sonable amounts of rain water on the pavement or adjacent properties, that permits
the paving of a driveway, and that prohibits changes to the topography unless specifi
cally authorized by the town. Section 46-2 also differentiates requirements between the
area within 6' of the paved surface of the road and the area between 6' from the paved
surface of the road and the adjacent property line. In the six feet adjacent to the paved
surface of the road, the town allows mailboxes consistent with the requirements of the
US. Postal Service and newspaper delivery receptacles; plantings not more than three
feet in diameter or in height around mailboxes and newspaper receptacles; and drive
way delineation plants not closer than three feet to the road pavement and no more
than three feet in diameter or three feet high, except that any overhang from plantings
on an adjacent owner’s property may not protrude within six feet of the paved surface
of a street or sidewalk at a height of less than 10 feet. Between six feet from the edge
of the pavement and the adjacent property line, plantings by the adjacent property
owner are permitted at the risk of the owner. In the event the town requires the use
of this part of the right of way, such plantings must be removed by the owner at the
owner’s expense within 15 days after written notice from the town. Furthermore, it
is prohibited to place or permit to be placed any building supplies or other materials
and objects on the street rights of way unless expressly permitted by town ordinances;
the town manager, and his designees, have the authority to remove objects in street or
sidewalk rights of way, which, in the judgment of the town manager, present a threat
to the safety of pedestrians, vehicles, bikes or others.
Many people underestimate the size of the town’s right of way and believe that it
either stops at the edge of the road or ends at six feet from the paved surface of the
road, which is not the case. Although the precise width beyond the paved surface of
the road varies with road placement, usually utility poles are a good marker.
We appreciate the effort that our citizens put forth to maintain and take care of the
portions of the town-owned right of way adjacent to their property, but ask that they
be mindful of the town’s rules for the right of way, and make sure to review the town’s
Code of Ordinances prior to commencing work in the right of way. They are available
through the town’s website (townofpks.com), under the Resources tab.