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Residents urge fixes for hazardous Halls Creek intersection; public commenter raises service access concerns
Summary
At the Nov. 3 Onslow County commissioners meeting a Swansboro couple asked the county to investigate safety improvements at a three-way intersection near Hammocks Beach, and a separate public commenter described barriers to volunteering and access to services for people experiencing housing instability and mental health crises.
Bill and Joan Gertzen of the Halls Creek community told the Onslow County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 3 that the intersection of Hammocks Beach Road, Old Hammocks Road and 4‑H Camp Road is hazardous and needs additional traffic controls. "Over time traffic has increased substantially including large RV campers," Bill Gertzen said, and he left staff a map and documents asking the county to "investigate options to improve safety at that location." He noted the speed limit on Hammocks Beach Road is 45 mph and said his family recently was the victim of a traffic accident there.
During the meeting another resident, Ari Rakowitz, used public comment to describe repeated microaggressions while volunteering during early voting and to press the county for better support for people losing public benefits and those experiencing housing insecurity. Rakowitz urged county officials to put communications on the public record and asked for accountability, saying: "County email is public record and you all have my email address." The commenter asked the county to take steps to prevent what they characterized as ongoing First Amendment and human-rights harms and requested clearer follow-up from officials.
The board did not take immediate action on either request during the meeting. County staff accepted the Gertzens' materials for follow-up; commissioners noted that transportation safety issues typically involve coordination with NCDOT and suggested staff would engage the appropriate agencies. On broader social‑services and elections concerns, commissioners and staff pointed listeners to department contacts and the county website for information about available support and procedures for filing public records requests.
Next steps: the board directed staff to accept the materials and pursue required agency coordination for traffic safety; no formal timeline for DOT engagement or for specific follow-up on the social‑services concerns was given during the meeting.
