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The Southern Shores Town Council, at its April 1 regular session meeting, moved a step closer toward completion of two construction projects.

After Town Hall renovation bids came in above budget, staff relied on N.C. General Statutes that allow negotiating changes with the low bidder to reach a contract price.

According to Southern Shores town manager Cliff Ogburn, the removal of some of the file storage square footage from the project resulted in enough savings to bring the project and 10 percent contingency fee to within budget at $231,690.05.

The project will include remodeling and converting the conference room into a receptionist area, the remodeling of the planning and administration entrances as well as three new interior doors and a new front door equipped with recently replaced electronic access equipment. Other project elements to be addressed separately include a new front porch at Town Hall and replacement of all existing electronic access door control equipment.

Sussex Development and KDH Fire and Security will be undertaking the renovations to Town Hall.

After a brief update on work at Trinitie Trail Bridge in which Ogburn advised is on schedule and under budget, council authorized a $27,502.71 change order for additional paving work as part of the Trinitie Trail Bridge project. The change order will extend paving from the bridge to the Deerpath Lane intersection.

Also approved was a memorandum of agreement between the Town of Southern Shores and Southern Shores Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. and Fire Service Real Estate, Inc.

At the March 4 council meeting, Greg Grayson with NC Fire Chief Consulting recommended town and fire officials confer with one another and jointly set a course of action toward SSVFD becoming a municipal department. The working group of two council members, the fire chief, a fire department volunteer representative, the town’s finance/HR director and town manager meeting weekly developed an agreement that the terms and conditions of a merger be drawn up as the first of many steps for the transition.

Other business for the evening included approving a consent agenda with a proclamation designating April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, April as Fair Housing Month, a resolution encouraging the North Carolina Legislature to expand authority to construct housing for local government employees, a resolution designating surplus property, a 2025 audit contract and engagement letter, a rules of procedure amendment, and approving Town Code changes as authorized by North Carolina General Statute 160A-174 to specify specific violations of some existing ordinances as class 3 misdemeanors punishable by a fine of not more than $500.

At the end of regular business, council entered a closed session to discuss a private matter.

Council member Paula Sherlock was absent due to a family commitment.

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