Kill Devil Hills OKs Water Building Bid, E-Bike Study

KILL DEVIL HILLS — The Kill Devil Hills Board of Commissioners unanimously accepted a construction bid for a new water systems building at 703 West Fresh Pond Drive during its July 13 meeting, advancing a project that drew unusually strong contractor interest and came in under budget.

The board also moved on what Mayor Wendley called the town's most persistent complaint: e-bikes. He directed staff to study new regulatory options and report back in September.

Pete Burkheimer of American Engineering presented the water systems building bid on behalf of the project's architects, Oakley Collier, who were out of the country during the meeting. He told commissioners the project attracted five bidders and came in under the architect's estimate — a rare outcome for a public construction project of this size.

"Not only have they given you a good design, but they also went the second and third mile in rounding up good bids for the project," Burkheimer said, crediting Oakley Collier for actively recruiting contractors to bid. He noted that projects often draw only one or two bidders and must be rebid.

A board member echoed the sentiment, saying that "recently getting that many bids on a big project is an awfully hard thing to do." The approved package also includes a proposal for Oakley Collier to oversee the construction phase, reviewing submittals and making inspections, at roughly 85% of the associated fee.

The motion to approve the bid acceptance passed unanimously with no opposition or extended discussion. Oakley Collier previously designed the town's EMS and fire station.

E-BIKES ON THE AGENDA

Mayor Wendley told the board that e-bikes generate more calls and emails to his office than any other issue. "That is probably the most frequent concern or complaint that I get," he said.

He pointed to House Bill 1094, recently signed by the governor, which he said may give municipalities new tools to address the problem. He asked staff to review the town's options under the new law, study how comparable communities in North Carolina and nationally are handling e-bikes, and return with a report in September.

CONSENT AGENDA AND STREET ACCEPTANCE

The board unanimously approved a consent agenda that included minutes from the June 8 meeting, the May monthly report, four budget amendments and one budget transfer moving funds from finance to MIS.

The consent agenda also accepted a street completed by developer Gary H. Justin Jr. into the town's public street system. The action adopted a resolution accepting the street and right of way and revised the town's official map, which has been posted on the town website.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

The streets committee is scheduled to meet July 21 after a period of inactivity, with several projects in the pipeline. Commissioners discussed the town's street grading cycle, which covers roughly 80 miles of streets and infrastructure to identify acute needs.

The tourism board held a small internal meeting last month to resolve an insurance matter, which has since been settled, and does not plan a formal meeting this month for lack of business.

HOLIDAY THANKS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Mayor Wendley thanked town police, fire and public services staff for their work over the Independence Day weekend, which fell on a Saturday with hot weather and heavy beach crowds. "Our police fire and public services departments did an incredible job keeping our residents and everyone coming to celebrate July 4th holiday safe," he said, citing traffic and crowd control, fireworks and beach cleanup.

The mayor announced several upcoming events. The First Flight Farmers Market runs every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Aug. 4 at Aviation Park on Veterans Drive, and town staff will join Dare County's community block party Friday, July 17, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Dare County Family Recreation Park and Aviation Park.

National Night Out is set for Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. The town's ice cream social follows Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and the fire department will hold an open house Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 4 to 7 p.m.

The mayor also congratulated a town official on his appointment to the North Carolina League of Municipalities Board. No members of the public spoke during either of the meeting's two public comment periods, and the board adjourned without further business.