Kitty Hawk Town Council opened its Monday, September 9, 2024 regular session meeting with a moment of recognition for two town employees. Fresh off a motor vehicle traffic stop, Officer Aaron Nelson was commended for completing five years of service with the Police Department. Next up, Greg Hardin was introduced as a new Public Works staff member. The first council action of the night was approval of the consent agenda with August 5 regular session council minutes, a proclamation declaring September 23-29 as Diaper Need Awareness Week, an employee handbook update to the town’s Reasonable Accommodation for Pregnant Workers Policy to ensure Kitty Hawk policies are compliant with federal regulations, and a $12,600 budget transfer for the replacement of one AC system at the fire station. Council then scheduled an October 7 public hearing for a request to reclassify piers as a permitted use and allow a maximum pier length of 400 feet. There was no action taken following a Planning Board report that no additional regulations are needed specific to roosters in Kitty Hawk. It was noted that regulations governing loud noises from animals and birds are already in place and would apply to roosters.

A New Trail Takes Shape

Council did agree with Ron Tumolo that a proposed live oak protection ordinance he drafted was a step in the right direction. Known for its strength, longevity and beauty, the tree species is native throughout the town of Kitty Hawk. According to Mayor Craig Garriss, the issue has been visited before but there was never any action. As presented, the addition to Town Code Chapter 12 designates the live oak (Quercus virginiana) as the official tree for the Town of Kitty Hawk with guidelines for planting replacement trees and restrictions on removal, destruction and tree topping. Before giving it a stamp of approval, council sent the proposed ordinance to the Planning Board for a review and asked that an arborist be consulted. Council also gave Kitty Hawk Recreation Committee a green light to develop a walking trail around Kitty Hawk Town Hall.

A Long-Awaited Project

A concept first proposed in 1987, current plans call for an estimated two miles of four foot wide trail around Kitty Hawk Town Hall in a natural setting, all on town property. A public survey brought 279 responses, 176 from full time Kitty Hawk residents, with overall support for hiking and walking as a recreational activity. Because the earlier route includes far too much marsh and swamp to be practical, Recreation Committee members charted a new track with 20-foot wooden bridges to cross three or four lowland areas. The estimated $7,600 to $10,000 cost could be reduced by as much as 50 percent if enough volunteers such as Eagle Scout candidate Wesley Robinson step forward to help with the project.

Connecting the Community

During his slide presentation, committee member Kip Tabb advised that the trail could connect to the Sandpiper Cay condominium complex if the residents there elected to, and that a second phase in the power line area to the south could be developed later. In voicing his approval, councilman David Hines said he would like to see a trail that would accommodate horses, to which Tabb advised the intent is to have a trail that everyone could use. Councilwoman Charlotte Walker added also that people are almost always walking the Town Hall parking lot. Work on the trail is expected to begin sometime in October.

Beyond the Trail

Council’s next action included approval of a request to develop a two-lot subdivision on a 2.41-acre parent parcel at 800 West Kitty Hawk Road. According to planning director Rob Testerman, the property currently has two single family dwellings and associated accessory structures, is zoned VC-1 as village commercial district, and there are no new roads or other improvements planned. Following that approval, council voted to appoint David Morton to fill the Planning Board vacancy created from the resignation of Dr. Craig Merrill. Morton will serve as an alternate member until June 30, 2025. In a move expected to keep the town’s law enforcement pay plan competitive, council approved a six percent pay increase effective September 14 for all town law enforcement officers. According to town manager Melody Clopton, the $64,806.10 adjustment will not have a significant impact on the current budget, with some of the expense covered by unspent salary budget resulting from position vacancies. There will, however, be a major change to the FY 2025-2026 police salary budget.

Keeping Kitty Hawk Moving Forward

At the end of business, Clopton advised that construction on the police department is on schedule, the annual audit is underway, lifeguard stands have been removed, and on-demand large item pick up and chipping is about to start. Council ended the meeting with a closed session to discuss a lawsuit styled Mina v. Town of Kitty Hawk, et al.