Earth Day is Saturday April 26th  - Join us for Community Cleanup Day in Chicahauk and Southern Shores 
 
On Saturday, April 26, join your neighbors in Chicahauk and the rest of Southern Shores to clean up the common areas throughout the town. Help keep our parks, beach crossovers, and other resources at their best! This is our Community of Volunteers at our best! 
 
In the morning, there are SSCA volunteer sites throughout the town including all the beach crossovers – maybe you’ll want to help at the beach crossover you use the most? In the afternoon, plan to help at Trinitie or Poteskeet Park in Chicahauk. We’ll be cleaning up both parks this year – more details coming! 
 
Ready to sign up?!? Use the Volunteer site at SIGNUP.COM ( Annual Southern Shores Community Cleanup — Signup Sheet | SignUp.com) to let us know where you want to volunteer. 
 
Questions? Email Maureen McGovern (m.r.mcgovern@hotmail.com) or Carolyn Hoover (cpoahoover@gmail.com). 
 
Volunteers will celebrate together on May 18th with a summer kick-off party with food, drink and music at the Tap Shack in Duck. 
 
The Chicahauk Annual Meeting was held on Saturday March 29th.  
 
Two new board members were welcomed to the board.  Welcome Ellie Ward and Jorge Diaz! Board members’ roles are listed on the CPOA website. The CPOA would also like to thank Cory Taylor for his many years of service as a member of the CPOA Board. 
 
During the meeting, an attendee asked about the tennis courts, having noted that the surfaces are needing attention. This has been on the CPOA’s project-list for several years. The CPOA is about to request quotes from several contractors. One of the courts might have Pickleball lines added. 
 
Another attendee suggested adding a kayak rack at Poteskeet Park.  This is a great idea and the CPOA is hoping for volunteers to build this.  More information will be provided once we start planning for this.  
 
Fencing. Planning to install a fence or replace an existing fence with different materials? All fences must be approved by the Architectural Review Board (ARB).  There will soon be specific guidelines available on the CPOA web site. Any new fences or change of existing fences must be approved by the ARB. The form to submit ARB requests is on the CPOA website.  
 
Regarding unsolicited emails to our property owners. Many property owners received unsolicited emails from one of our residents. The CPOA did not provide your email addresses and does not and will never provide property owner email addresses for this type of use. The CPOA Board has no control or jurisdiction over these messages. We suggest that if you don’t want those messages, tell the sender. Due to this misuse of our members’ addresses, we have removed the email address field from view. Note: please continue to keep your email address current though, since we use that for communications like the newsletter.
 
This newsletter’s covenant spotlight:  Article III, Section 11:  Pets 
 
Section 11 indicates that “usual” pets such as cats and dogs are permitted. Other pets such as goats, horses, or sheep are not permitted.  Additionally, The Town of Southern Shores’ code is specific to what is and is not permitted, https://library.municode.com/nc/southern_shores/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH4AN 
 
Of particular note, in the TOSS same chapter, section 4.26, the trapping of wild animals is not permitted:  It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt or trap domestic or wild animals, or to set any animal trap, which may trap domestic or wild animals, not issued by the police department, the county animal control department, or any other organization approved by the police department, within the corporate limits. 
Note that this does not apply to trapping or wildlife management by licensed business professionals who property owners might contact for wildlife remediation issues.   

The CPOA Board wishes everyone a healthy and safe 2025! Property owners are welcome to attend the monthly meetings which are held at the Pitts Center at 5:30PM on the first Thursday of each month. Updates based on holidays or other conflicts are noted on the website so please check there is you plan to attend.
 
The Chicahauk Board needs you!  
 
If are interested in volunteering your time to help your fellow Chicahauk members maintain the long-term goals of Chicahauk, please visit our website to fill out an Application of Interest here:  https://form.jotform.com/243185701610146 We are seeking candidates for the 2025 Board of Directors election.  
 
Leftover Christmas Trees: a post from Len regarding re-using Christmas trees
 
If you are wondering what to do with your live Christmas tree, I will be helping to fortify the dunes in Southern Shores by tying them to existing sand fence.  There are a number of places that could use some extra attention, and the trees can help collect sand and build the dunes.    You can drop them off at the Hillcrest parking lot in Southern Shores, or email me here.  I will be driving around the neighborhood next week picking them up. If you are in Kitty Hawk you can drop them off at Ocean Boulevard Bistro, or at the bath house next to Black Pelican.  I will be putting them on the dunes in Southern Shores every Saturday or Sunday, starting January 4th, let me know if you are interested in helping out and I can send you more details.  Please don't just put them on the beach without securing them. They will blow away with the strong winter winds and will end up in the ocean. Trees that end up in the middle of the beach, and not up on the dune, could interfere with turtle nesting in the summer. 
 
..and a more recent message: 
 
I will also be securing Christmas trees on the dune this January.  You can drop them off at the Hillcrest  Parking lot in southern shores. Please remove all ornaments and tinsel before dropping them off.  The trees will be put out on the dunes   on Saturdays. January 4th, 11th, and 16th at noon. We will be meeting at the Hillcrest parking lot. 
Questions?  You can reach Len at fenceplantrepeat@gmail.com 
 
2024 Holiday Santa Ride 
 
The SSCA-sponsored Santa Ride and stop at the Trinitie Park went well!  Thank you, SSCA, for sponsoring and coordinating the event. Thank you to Chicahauk volunteers John & Sharon Bianchi, Judy Diaz, Carolyn Hoover, John Hoover, Bette Kraemer, Karen Kranda, and Cory Taylor. A few photos, more are on the FaceBook group page:
 
   
CPOA and the Town of Southern Shores Agrees to Transfer of Sidewalks in CPOA to Town Ownership 
 
In the TOSS December Council Meeting, the Town of Southern Shores passed a motion for the TOSS and CPOA to agree upon the transfer of ownership of the three sidewalks in Chicahauk to the TOSS along with other infrastructure such as retaining walls. These are the sidewalks on the north side of Chicahauk Trail, the west side of Spindrift Trail and the east side of Trinitie Trail. These sidewalks are in the TOSS right-of-way and thus are on TOSS property. CPOA has long done landscaping maintenance along these sidewalks and recently invested in repairs to the concrete. 
 
Ongoing TOSS maintenance will ensure that the sidewalks and other infrastructure are maintained in keeping with the sidewalks in the rest of the Town. CPOA will continue to provide landscaping maintenance along the sidewalks.  
 
As part of the assumption of this responsibility, CPOA has added a section of CPOA common property to the existing easement that is used for the Town parking lot next to Chicahauk Trail. This includes maintenance of a wooded buffer next to the lots adjacent to the new easement. The CPOA Board is glad that the Town Council and staff worked with us to ensure that the sidewalks will be safe and well maintained for all town residents going forward
 
Juniper/Trinitie Bridge Replacement 
 
The Town of Southern Shores began work on the replacement of the culvert bridge on Juniper/Trinitie Trail on December 9. Hopefully you have all heard about this closure and, if you have been here since December 1, you would have seen the detour signs. The bridge work is expected to take 210 days according to Town notices. Although there was an initial problem with the work on December 13th when a crane fell into the canal, the Town reported that there were no delays anticipated because of that situation. 
 
Because the closure of the bridge means that all Chicahauk residents (except those on Sea Oats Lane) must enter and exit via the Chicahauk Trail entrance, the Board asked the TOSS staff to review the timing of the light at the Rt. 12 intersection with NCDOT. Even during the off season, turns at that light can be difficult at specific times and, in season that could become very dangerous. Town staff will be contacting NCDOT about those concerns. 
 
During initial work by the contractor, the bridge culvert collapsed under some equipment. No one was injured.   The town requests that persons stay clear of the construction site for safety reasons. 
 
The Chicahauk Angel Gift Program was successful again this year! 
 
The 2024 Program Managers, Judu Diaz and Nancy Odom, extended their thanks for the thoughtful donation to the children of the Outer Banks. These gifts brought a brighter Christmas to the six children that we sponsored and their families and reconfirms the generosity that is a longstanding part of what makes Chicahauk, Southern Shores and the Outer Banks a special place to live. Let the Board know if this is something you would like to help with next year.
 
Property Owners’ Contact Information
 
The CPOA completed the process of verifying current contact information entered via the www.cpoaobx.org website.  Some members do not have a cell phone number or email entered as part of the profile. Please verify your account has both. We use both to communicate with property owners.  Those property owners without a current email address neither receive our newsletter nor would they receive other emails that provide important information. We also use your telephone number to text updates that can be related to road closures, storm issues or other time-sensitive topics.  The CPOA plans to reach out to property owners with missing information.
 
Email Address Verification
 
In January, an email from the CPOA will be sent requesting a reply. This will allow us to verify that the email addresses on record are still in use. Some email addresses are very old. 
 
Storm Damage Response Team Volunteer Opportunity
 
The Board is asking for volunteers to serve on the Storm Damage Response Team which does a post-storm survey of all streets in Chicahauk to determine if there is damage that needs attention by the CPOA, TOSS or the utilities. Board members then coordinate contacting agencies or contractors, as needed. If you are usually available after storms and would like to help, please email us at chicahauk@cpoaobx.org to volunteer. Neighborhood “teams” are welcome.
 
 
Recurring News: 
 
Chicahauk Website – Our website https://www.cpoaobx.org is your main source of information about the CPOA.  If you sell your property, be sure to let us know once that process is completed on the contact form here:  https://www.cpoaobx.org/contact-us/  We want to ensure our assessment and notifications mailings are sent to current owners, as Dare Country property records are not updated immediately.  
 
Facebook – Join us at the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/chicahauk. Any property owner is welcome to post and start a dialog. A reminder that the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/cpoaobx is no longer managed by the CPOA and is no longer maintained. 
 
Interested in Town of Southern Shores news? Register for their newsletter here: https://www.southernshores-nc.gov/administration/page/town-newsletter-signup
 
Interested in Dare County news?  Register for email updates here:  https://www.darenc.gov/about/advanced-components/misc-pages/enotification  
 
Interesting in local “foodie” things?  Take a look at the Facebook groups Outer Banks Food at https://www.facebook.com/groups/outerbanksfood or OBX Restaurant Updates at https://www.facebook.com/groups/208028710421715 
 
Do you have a local business that you think would be great for a newsletter spotlight?  Please let us know by using the Contact Us form on the CPOA website. 
 
 

If you are interested in volunteering your time to help your fellow Chicahauk members maintain the long-term goals of Chicahauk, please visit our website to fill out an Application of Interest. We are seeking candidates for the 2024 Board of Directors election. Please apply by December 20, 2024.