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Homeowner asks Nags Head to order removal of allegedly unsafe boardwalk; town to discuss in closed session
Summary
During public comment, Lori Patrick said a boardwalk on her Pelican Park property is deteriorated and buried in sand, poses a public‑safety hazard, and lacks permit documentation; she asked the town to order it closed and removed and requested written acknowledgement; the board said it would discuss the matter in closed session and provided legal staff update with no action taken.
During the public comment period on April 1, homeowner Lori Patrick of Pelican Park told the Town of Nags Head Board that a boardwalk structure on her property is more than 50% buried in sand, has rotted and missing boards and has not been properly maintained or documented with final inspection or certificate of occupancy records.
Patrick said she had repeatedly requested permitting and inspection records since December 2025 and that town staff had not followed up; she said a town vehicle briefly visited the site but did not perform an in‑person inspection. She told the board she had spoken with town enforcement officer Jonathan Kirks and questioned whether he had sufficient code familiarity and that Janette’s Pier (recently inspected) demonstrated the town’s ability to act on unsafe structures.
Patrick asked the board to take decisive action during an upcoming closed session to order immediate cessation of use and removal of the structure, or otherwise enforce consistent ordinance application, and requested a written acknowledgement to be provided within 10 days and for the matter to be part of the public record. Her statement repeatedly framed the complaint as a public‑safety and enforcement issue rather than a private dispute.
After public comment, the board did enter closed session later in the meeting to consult with counsel regarding attorney‑client matters and to consider a personnel matter; on return to open session the mayor reported a review of manager compensation and legal matters and said the board took no action. Town attorney Wamble reported legal updates on the Cherry litigation and the public‑commented walkway issue; the board again took no action at that time.
Speakers quoted or paraphrased in this article are identified from the meeting transcript and include the public commenter and a town enforcement officer.
