BY MILES LAYTON
The golf cart ordinance and pending infrastructure projects will be discussed when Edenton Town Council meets at 6 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) in Council Chambers.
First up, the golf cart ordinance – changes to that ordinance were inspired by Karen Murray of Edenton.
“I am grateful that town council took seriously my request to review and update the ordinance and understand that a revision including seatbelt usage while in motion will be on the agenda for approval at the March 11th council meeting,” she said. “The person who does not fall out of a golf cart because they are wearing a seatbelt might be your spouse, child, grandchild or dear friend. It’s just common sense. So is driving them under the 20 mph limit.”
Murray said that based on what she and her husband Hal had seen from their home on West Queen Street, the changes were long overdue.
“We (Karen and Hal) live on West Queen, business US 17, with a 25 mph speed limit that some try to exceed between one traffic light and the next,” she said. “In ‘golf cart weather,’ especially busy town weekends, we sometimes see golf carts zipping along West Queen with the cars, pickups and tractor trailers. I’ve rarely seen a golf cart seat belt in use, even when kids are in the back.”
Murray noted that a terrible golf cart accident last year “made it perfectly clear that similar tragedies might be preventable and motivated me to look at the existing golf cart ordinance.”
Murray said the ordinance was written in 2012 and not reviewed or updated during the past 13 years.
“I used my allotted 3 minutes (during public comment) at the September 10 town council meeting to point out the age of the existing golf cart ordinance and asked council to review and perhaps update it. Overall, the ordinance was relatively thorough,” she said.
Murray said her first concern was the speed at which they operate.
“The ordinance states no golf cart may be operated at a speed in excess of 20 miles per hour – but, again, we see them amidst traffic on West Queen. And the ordinance explicitly states that ‘golf carts may not be operated on … Broad Street North of Queen, or Queen Street (NC 17 bus), or East Church Street (NC 32), …’ I would like to see greater enforcement of these speed and location restrictions,” she said.
Murray also pointed out that golf carts must be inspected and have seatbelts, but seatbelt usage is not required.
“While I understand that a seatbelt requirement might feel like an infringement on one’s rights to some people, we are required to wear seatbelts in cars,” she said.
In other business, council is poised to approve borrowing $500,000 – annual interest rate of 5.52% for 15 years – from Southern Bank to finance costs associated with the installation of a second water line from Paradise Road to the Peanut Drive Industrial Park. The loan will be payable in 15 annual principal payments of $33,333.33 each plus accrued interest. The first payment will be due one year from the day of closing, and each subsequent payment will be due the same time each year.
And, council is poised to approved a nearly $1.5 million bid from Enviro-Tech Unlimited Construction Company of Nags Head for wastewater system improvements. Awarding this bid is contingent upon approval from the funding agency, NC Division of Water Infrastructure.
Also, council is poised to approve the $466,400 bid by Magette Well & Pump Co., Inc. to drill two wells.
And Police and Fire departments are poised to provide annual reports about their activities.
