Old Oriental board looks to unseal closed-session minutes before new board is sworn in

ORIENTAL — One newcomer and two former board members will be sworn in as part of the new Oriental board of commissioners tonight.

Newcomer Jennifer Gillikin Roe, along with former board members Warren Johnson and Barb Venturi, will join re-elected incumbents Candy Bohmert and Sherrill Styron.

But before the old board turns over the reigns at the 7 p.m. meeting, the current board will discuss releasing 14 sets of closed session minutes related to a lawsuit by the town over ownership of a strip of waterfront property.

The town is awaiting a ruling by the N.C. Supreme Court on its claim to property at the end of South Avenue, which could conclude years of litigation between the town and a Carteret County man.

According to Mayor Bill Sage, the property is town right of way which dead-ends at the Neuse River, one of several such street-endings in town.

Lacy Henry had claimed the land as his, and in 2007 he won a summary judgment awarding him the land, according to Sage.

The town appealed the decision and the N.C. Court of Appeals overturned that ruling in a unanimous decision earlier this year.

Henry petitioned the Supreme Court for a discretionary review.

Sage said he and town leaders are confident the high court will confirm the town’s ownership.

He said until the matter is cleared the town can’t make any definitive plans for use of the land.

He credited work by outgoing Commissioner David Cox with the town’s victory before the Court of Appeals.

“David did a great deal of research, evening going to Raleigh to look at archives,” Sage said. “He pulled together a great deal of information used before the Court of Appeals.”

The current board will also discuss a $10 parade permit fee, which would allow organizers of several events such as the upcoming Spirit of Christmas Parade coverage under the town insurance policy.

Town Manager Randy Cahoon said there now is no fee with the permit, but event organizers were required to buy their own event insurance, which can cost thousands of dollars.

The town insurance will not cover all events.

“Our insurance company is willing to allow us to have the town’s liability insurance cover parades and similar events that do not involve pyrotechnics,” he said.

He said the new permits would cover events such as the annual New Year’s Eve Dragon Run and only the parade portion of the two-day Croaker Festival, which has fireworks.

Charlie Hall can be reached at 252-635-5667 or chall@freedomenc.com.