Work set for Carolina Shores Town Hall uplift

CAROLINA SHORES—Work was slated to begin this week for upgrades at Carolina Shores Town Hall.

In his monthly report Monday at the town board of commissioners’ monthly workshop, town administrator Mike Hargett noted the scope of work for interior and exterior improvements has been adjusted based on recent board input.

Revised pricing from contractors, with a 10 percent contingency, has resulted in an increased cost of $8,000, with funding to transferred from the town’s general fund contingency to “town hall capital project.”

Golf course tree update

Carolina Shores Golf & Country Club has done a better job with clean-up in Phase 2 of its tree removal project, Hargett said at the Monday workshop.

An area around the golf course’s 16th hole has been used for storage of debris, Hargett said.

Town commissioner Joyce Dunn said there has been no action on clean-up at the course’s11th hole, even though golf course officials promised that would be taken care of within two months.

Hargett said the golf course did remove the “bulk of logs” stored in front of the clubhouse. He said all debris has to be removed prior to consideration by the town for an additional phase of tree-removal work at the golf course.

He added stump removal should be included in any additional phases of work, which has been acknowledged by course officials.

POA letter

Commissioners discussed a recent letter from Carolina Shores Property Owners Association President Peter Gulliver. The letter cites specific properties that the POA board claims are owned by the town and that the POA can no longer maintain.

Those properties include  access-road shoulders, also known as frontage or gate roads, rights-of-way paralleling Country Club Road; the median between lanes of Carolina Shores Parkway at the intersection with Persimmon Road; the median between lanes of Sunfield Drive at Persimmon Road; and the median between lanes of Pinewood Drive at the intersection of Pinewood Drive and Thomasboro Road.

The town board informally agreed research needs to be done about who owns those properties.

“Once there is clear information that says who owns what, then who owns it is responsible for [maintenance],” Dunn said at Monday’s workshop. She also favored having the town attorney review the matter.

Fellow commissioner John Russo suggested the board appoint a committee to help come up with answers and delve into cost, “if there’s going to be a cost.”

He pointed out the POA has been maintaining the sites since 1974.

Hargett said his initial research indicates property deeds have to be reviewed.

“I have started that effort, but I’m not finished,” he added. “I want to get myself up to to speed on the ins and outs so I can talk intelligently with [town attorney Holt] Moore.”

Hargett said research also needs to be done to see “if we can get out hands on an actual agreement” about how the properties were to be maintained.

Hargett said his staff will commit to having the issue resolved by the beginnings of the town’s initial budgetary deliberation around February.

During public comment time, Gulliver said it would be worth finding out whether this in fact is POA property.

“If it is POA’s responsibility, we are more than willing to step up to the plate,” he said. “Just give us the proof.”