Wednesday, November 14, 2007

An Historical Note

I'm three days late, but just wanted to acknowledge that Sunday, November 11 was the 288th anniversary of the granting of Ocracoke Island by the Lords Proprietors to John Lovick, the first individual to hold ownership of the island. OK, so it's not something many people think about, but I believe that a sense of shared history is one thing that helps keep a community bound together.

Another thing that maintains a close community is productive public meetings. Last night Hyde County officials met with a group of concerned citizens regarding how to pay for solid waste collection and removal on Ocracoke Island. At the present time much of the cost for this service is hidden in our tax bills. In addition there is much inequity in the additional fee structure. For instance the additional county fees for solid waste disposal make no distinction among businesses, whether they are small or large, or whether they generate much trash or hardly any.

Citizens were encouraged to submit comments about the three options presented, and there were many thoughtful and intelligent questions raised. It was a well-conducted and productive meeting. We are all hoping that our county commissioners will endorse a fair and equitable system that puts minimum burden both on home owners and business owners.

Our latest Newsletter is an article about Blackbeard the pirate and new research that suggests he may have been born in eastern North Carolina. You can read it here.

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