POLICE SERGEANT CHRIS MONTBOMERY of the Nags Head Police Departme has graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy Program at Quantico, Va. Sergeant  Montgomery was one of 266 law enforcement officers from the United States and 25 foreign countries to complete the 247th session of the National Academy.

Internationally known for its academic excellence, the National Academy Program, held at the FBI Academy, offers 10 weeks of advanced investigative, management, and fitness training for selected officers having proven records as professionals within their agencies. Training for the program is provided by FBI Academy staff, special agents, and other instructors holding advanced degrees, many of whom are recognized internationally in their fields of expertise.

Montgomery obtained 15 credit hours from the University of Virginia, of which three were courses towards his master’s degree in criminal justice.

“We’re very proud of Sergeant Montgomery and his tremendous accomplishment,” said Nags Head Police Chief Kevin Brinkley. “Only select law enforcement officers in the United States are chosen to attend the National Academy.”

Nags Head Board of Commissioners, meeting in their first and only session for December Wednesday, voted against allowing LCD, LED or plasma digital signs, ones with moving images, at Nags Head businesses. The vote was 3-1, with Com. Doug Remaley casting the only vote in opposition and Com. Anna Sadler not present at the meeting.

This followed a public hearing which saw several people speak in favor of these digital  signs which are becoming incresingly popular.  One of the speakers represented Outer Banks Mall which, the representative said, would like to have a digital sign to advertiee smaller businesses there which have trouble getting noticed.

The pros of the signs are that they are convenient, can be changed remotely without worrying about any letters blowing off and they are eye-catching. The cons, according to Elizabeth Teague, town planning director, and members of the board, are that they are not esthetically pleasing and could be distracting to traffic.

Com. Renee Cahoon said she wasn’t against all such signs, but she thought those like some in Currituck, are ugly and distracting and are so bright it hurts the eyes. Com. Remaley diaagreed, saying, “We are regulating ourselves into oblivion.” He said the whole signage issue needs to be revisited. Teague said Kitty Hawk has prohibited the signs, as has Virginia Beach, Va. after trying to find ways to restrict the most objectionable of them.

The signs such as banks use to denote the time of day are allowed, and the four businesses which already have digital signs will be allowed to keep them. The town has a digital sign at the town hall and, as the board noted, the town will be excluded from the rule.

The board also revisited its rule permitting onsite rental of beach chairs and umbrellas at the bathhouse at The Village of Nags Head and at hotels. There was a sunset clause on this which is about to expire. Teague said there has been no trouble with the bathhouse concession, but the ones at the hotels had been an enforcement problem. The board voted to allow the sunset to lapse and for the staff to bring back recommendations as to how to incorporate this into a permanent rule.

After a public hearing, the board voted to permit the installation of concealed building mounted antennae as a conditional use within the Commercial Residential and General Commercial Zoning Districts.

During public comments, two people spoke in favor of the digital signs, two people spoke in favor of retaining the beach chair/umbrella concessions, and Bob Muller, a former commissioner, asked the board to budget funds to televise the candidates’ forums, since otherwise interested citizens have to scramble to provide the $400 cost for this.

Roberta Thuman of the town manager’s office was awarded the Employee of the Year designation. Also nominated were John Wilkinson, fire department; Laura Geller, police department; Todd Workman, public works; Christy Blevin, administrative services; and Kelly Wyatt, planning department.

Cliff Ogburn, town manager, updated the board on storm damages. he said damages in the town came to $377,000, that property owners whose facilities sustained have been damaged were notified and most have responded. He asked for $58,000 for estuarine repair, but this was put off to obtain more information. He said the town hall roof was damaged and needs to be replaced. The town can apply to FEMA for some of the $40,000 cost since it was damaged in the storm, in addition to ordinary wear and tear. The roof is only about 15 years old, and Mayor Bob Oakes thought it was unreasonable to have to replace it that soon. “I w ould just expect that we’d get more than 15 years out of a roof,” he said. Ogburn said the new roof would have shingles rated for 130 mph winds, and this might help.

Ogburn also presented the annual report, noting that the town has a 99.75 percent tax compliance, one of the state’s highest. He said the town had done 30 septic system inspections and had received several grants. He said there was an increase in requests for single family home approvals, although the town saw a decrease in large single family homes. Commercial facilities saw a 38 percent decrease. The police department has a new drug dog, he said, and a handler is being trained. Public works has seen a two percent decrease in total refuse poundage but recycling is increasing. One major water project was completed and water taps decreased. He also noted that there has been only a very minimal amount of sand loss since beach nourishment was completed.

During commissionerscomments, Remaley suggested the town give employees a $100 bonus; Susie Walters, a newly-elected commissioner, suggested the town change its mid-month meeting time to 6 p.m., from 7:30 p.m., and Cahoon suggested this be taken up during the upcoming retreat.

Doug Remaley was elected mayor pro tem and took his oath of office as did Susie Walters, newly elected commissioner, and Renee Cahoon who was re-elected.

The next meeting is set for 9 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 4.

Nags Head Police Department announces the following criminal activites for the month of November: 

Assault with a deadly weapon was reported Nov. 15 in the 500 block of First Flight Lane and a person was arrested on warrants.

Officers were called to the area of First Street and Skipjack Lane Nov. 15 regarding a person acting in a suspicious manner. Upon arrival they located a 20-year-old male concealing a sword under a long coat. After he resisted efforts to secure him, officers were able to subdue the individual without injury. He was determined to be a person with autism and was released to his parents.

Crimes Under Investigation

(Tips can be reported to Kill Devil Hills PD or Crime Line)

Breaking and entering with larceny was reported at a  residence in the 3100 block of Seagate Court. A flat screen television was stolen.

A vehicle arson was reported at a residence in the 500 block of Airstrip Road. A window was broken out and a homemade fire bomb thrown inside the cab of the vehicle.

An auto scanner valued at $5,000 was reported stolen  in a vehicle break-in.

A Czechoslovakian Military issued 9mm handgun was reported stolen from a residence in the 100 block of E. Ocean Bay Blvd. In addition to the handgun, two AK-47 magazines fully loaded with .223 caliber ammunition were taken.

On November 11, counterfeit $100 bills were passed at two local businesses. The currency was a $100 bill made from a “washed” $5 bill, and a “pen check” did not reveal the bills as fake.

The Nature Conservancy, the town of Kill Devil Hills, and the town of Nags Head plan to burn marsh vegetation at Nags Head Woods Preserve sometime in the next few months. Controlled burning, also known as prescribed burning, will reduce fuel on the ground, preventing wildfires that could affect the neighboring community. Removing unwanted shrubs will also improve wildlife habitat.

The North Carolina Forest Service will lead the burning, which is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head fire departments will also participate.

Nags Head Woods Preserve steward Aaron McCall says that the burns will be carried out under very controlled conditions. “No match will be lit until we are absolutely certain that all the conditions are right,” he says.

Controlled burn practitioners receive extensive training to ensure that they know how to protect surrounding communities, themselves, and the land they are working to restore. All controlled burns are conducted under the guidance of a burn boss, who has years of experience and training.

Burns are carefully planned. Fire experts do a great deal of work before the first match is lit. They create a burn plan, which describes weather conditions necessary for controlling smoke and fire behavior, as well as equipment and personnel needs. The plan details how to conduct the burn in a way that will benefit forest and plant conditions.

Preparation for a controlled burn also includes designating firebreaks, which are corridors around the burn area cleared of vegetation. Firebreaks ensure that fire doesn’t leave the burn area.

No fire is lit until experts are convinced that the conditions are right to ensure that goals of community safety and ecological restoration are met. After the fire, crews stay on the scene to ensure that the fire will stay within the control lines.

The controlled burning will be conducted before March 15, 2012.

The Public is invited to attend a workshop to learn more about the proposed burns. Workshops are set for:

Saturday, December 3, 10 a.m., Nags Head Board of Commissioners room.

Monday, December 5, 2011, 7 p.m., Nags Head Board of Commissioners room.

If you cannot attend, please feel free to contact Aaron McCall, Northeast regional steward with The Nature Conservancy at your convenience or if you have any questions or concerns, you may reach him at the office 252-441-2525 ext. 27 or by e-mail ajmccall@tnc.org.

Nags Head announces the following storm-related items:

Storm-Related Building Permits – Fee Waiver Extended Until May 15

The Nags Head Board of Commissioners has extended the storm-related building permit fee waiver until May 15 2011. For more information, please call the Planning and Development Department at 252-441-7016.

From FEMA – Flood Insurance Deadline Extended
The National Flood Insurance Program announced on Tuesday that the deadline for policy holders to file proof of loss statements related to Hurricane Irene has been extended in North Carolina and 14 other states as well as the District of Columbia. The new deadline is January 23, 2012.

The Town of Nags Head is sponsoring a Christmas decorating contest this year, which is open to all Nags Head residences and businesses.

Recognition will be given for first, second, and third places. Prizes will be awarded to the first-place winners in the residence category and the business category.

Entries must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 16. Judging will take place between 6 and 9 p.m. on Monday, December 19. Winners will be contacted the following day.

All entries must be well lighted for night judging. For more information and entry forms call Nags Head Town Hall at 252-441-5508 or visit www.townofnagshead.net.

Nags Head Police Department is seeking information regarding a break-in at a business on East Dunn Street in Nags Head that occurred on October 21 between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m.

Two suspects can be seen in security footage; both are white males, approximately 19-25 years old, 5’9″ to 6’ in height and of slender build. One suspect was wearing a light colored hood, light colored long sleeve shirt, and blue jeans with writing on the back pockets.

Persons with information regarding this case can contact the Nags Head Police Department at 252-441-6386 or the Dare Community Crime Line at 252-473-3111.

Beach nourishment was one topic of discussion at the Nags Head Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday, with one resident north of South Nags Head questioning the effectiveness of the project in his neighborhood during the public comments part of the meeting and town maager Clliff Ogburn defending it at the end of the session.

Reid Fisher, who lives north of South Nags Head, an area which received more sand in the project than other areas, spoke and showed photos of  the area near his home. The photos showed low areas with water and an area that looked like muck. He said one woman, strolling the beach with her husband, stepped off into the soft sand to her hips and had to be helped out by her husband. Fisher said the woman told him if her husband hadn’t been there, she would have had trouble getting out.

Also during public comments, Richard Murphy of South Nags Head replied to this complaint, saying his area looked similar right after the sand was applied but had evened out and low places filled in following the hurricane in August. The berm had also graded itself, he said, and he expected the beach to smooth out over the coming year.

June Fisher, wife of the first speaker, said that her area had gotten only one quarter the amount South Nags Head had. Referring to the favorable outcome Murphy reported, she said, “I don’t think there’s going to be that kind of comparison.”

Ogburn said someone from the contractor, Great Lakes, would look at the Fisher property and would mark off the soft area. He said the sand has not had time to compact since it was one of the last placed to be nourished. The town will be monitoring the amount of sand lost, but the project at this time seems to be doing as they were told it would, though the leveling of the beach has ocurred faster than expected. South Nags Head has lost more than other areas.

Mayor Bob Oakes said, “It’s (the sand) going to keep moving,” but he does not believe residents will see as much beach erosion as before.

Com. Wayne Gray, as he did the night before on a Norfolk, Va. television station, expressed the opinion that the town would lose a lot of sand, especially at the Enterprise Access.

Whether the project loses a lot of sand or not, Com. Anna Sadler said, “I’m glad it was out there before Irene.”

The town also held public hearings on four planning issues.

The first was a proposal on behalf of Rebkee Partners, LLC, to construct a 12,757 detached one-story retail structure to house a Pet Smart store at Satterfield Landing (where Staples is located).  A wastewater problem involving high nitrogen levels will be resolved with Pet Smart having its own pump station and decreased nitrogen-producing wastewater with the move of the old Food Lion. The applicants and their representatives spoke on their own behalf. Approval was unanimous.

The second public hearing was to consider approval of a site plan/conditional use application submitted by Mike Jimson to construct and operate a personal watercraft rental facility on the site where Dairy Queen and Putt-Putt golf course is located. Commissioners questioned his plans to use restrooms at these businesses rather than construct one at the new facility. Currently, the entire site is owned by the same person, Nick Nuzzi, and there would be no problem. Sadler said her concern was what would happen if the businesses were sold separately. Jimson said he would work out a written agreement for this. Com. Renee Cahoon noted that there are several other such facilities nearby, one next door. The town now has six, and it has set a limit in code on seven. Jimson said there would be no permanent parking of boats. Approval was unanimous.

The town also approved a zoning ordinance text amendment to allow vertical access windmills and nixed a zoning amendment which would have forbid private docks in the R-1 (residential) District.

During board comments, Cahoon said the Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) has dropped a controversial 39-inch sea level rise proposal.

Staffer Roberta Thuman said the state has increased its share of franchese fees for Channel 20, the local programming channel.

Sadler said occupancy taxes increased 6.8 percent in September and a feasibility study on the Windmill Point property is being planned. She also discussed the early opening of Hatteras Island after the hurricane, while acces to the island was by ferry and was limited. She said that as soon as an evacuation order is lifted, insurance companies will not reimburse clients for loss of their rentals, but many were not able to get on the island because the ferries could not take as many cars as would visit if the bridge was open. She said that was an issue being considered by the county commissioners and tourism board.

Attorney John Leidy said he had received an executed lease from Britthaven/Colony Ridge but had received no response on a proposal to form an advisory board made up of town and nursing home representatives.

Mayor Oakes presented Gray, who is not running for re-election, a framed certificate on behalf of the town recognizing his 11 years of service.

In final action, the board also voted to sponsor, with Kill Devil Hills, a networking reception for the N.C. Beach, Inlet and Waterway Association at their annual conference.

The board is scheduled to meet next at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

The last grains of approximately 4.6 million cubic yards of sand were placed on Nags Head’s beach at 7:30 a.m.Friday morning near Mile Post 12.8, bringing to completion one of the United States’ largest locally-funded beach nourishment projects after five months of construction.

A first of its kind for the Outer Banks due to its scale and funding, construction of the $37 million project, which spans 10 miles of oceanfront, began on May 24 when the dredge Liberty Island, owned by Great Lakes Dock and Dredge of Oak Brook, Ill, pumped the first load of sand onto Nags Head’s beach. Despite weather and equipment issues, the project finished prior to the required November 2011 completion date.

“This is an important day not only for Nags Head, but also for the Outer Banks,” said town manager Cliff Ogubrn. “We have shown that a large scale, locally funded project is a viable alternative for communities (which) have never before benefited, or will no longer benefit, from federally-backed nourishment,” Ogburn further commented. “In addition, we now know that, provided the right mechanisms are in place, nourishment can, in fact, occur during the summer months, in the height of turtle nesting season.”

Funding for the project included $18 million in cash from the Dare County Beach Nourishment Fund and $18 million in revenue bonds to be paid back over six years with proceeds from a 1 percent increase to the occupancy tax. The 1 per cent tax increase will generate about $2 million peryear. Nags Head will be able to use the $2 million peryear revenue for 5 years to pay back $10 million of the bond.

The remainder of the bond will be paid back through an increase in property taxes of  two cents town-wide and 16 cents for the oceanside from Bonnett Street (about Mile Post 11.25) south to the National Park Service line. The town has incurred about $1 million in engineering costs related to the project.

“The fear of the unknown has caused this project to be controversial at times,” Ogburn explained. “But, as this project has shown, we not only have a pristine sand source just off our shores, we also have the ability to dredge and work on the beach during turtle nesting season without incident.”

What to Expect in the Coming Months
Those walking the newly nourished beach may still see scarps, or ledges, as the nourishment sand shifts to a more natural slope. Nags Head’s project was constructed at a steeper than natural slope to allow for equilibration to take place naturally, instead of mechanically, which would have added more cost to the project. Several recent storms have hastened the equilibration process, so that the slope of the wet beach has flattened enough for higher wave energy to dissipate more gradually across a wider zone.

The public is invited to a ceremony in honor of our nation’s veterans on Friday, November 11, at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial in front of the Nags Head Municipal Complex, 5401 S. Croatan Highway (across from Fire Station 16).

This year’s guest speaker will be the Reverend Albert C. Isler, US Army chaplain lieutenant colonel (Ret).