First the Facts - Then the Solution

There was some discussion at last Tuesday's meeting of the Oriental Board of Commissioners about the alleged need for a surveyor to determine how much of Mr. Henry's fence at the end of South Avenue needs to come down. As one of the attendees (our son Benjamin) pointed out, the answer is "all of it."

The next day, he showed Mayor Sage the "railroad iron" depicted on Mr. Henry's own survey of the premises that shows clearly that the entire fence along Mr. Henry's lot is in the town right of way. The survey also shows the boundary between the South Avenue right of way and Mr. Henry's lot marked by an iron pipe. Shooting a simple transit line from that point would complete the boundary.

The other side, between the town's right of way and Chris Fulcher's property may be more complicated. Even there, the town should consult the very detailed survey completed in late 2007 at the urging of the Town Attorney, which was never used. That survey may clear up any uncertainty. It shows a pipe found at the very edge of the right of way, though it is not immediately visible at the moment.

Another proposal is that the town may need to work a deal with Mr. Henry to allow the pavement to continue encroaching on Mr. Henry's lot to allow truck access to Chris Fulcher's property south of the avenue.

I don't think so. I checked to see the tuning radius needed to accommodate 18-wheelers. They require an inside radius of 45 feet and an outside radius of 65 feet. Once the fence is out of the way, there is enough room in the originally platted intersection to allow a curve with those dimensions. Let's check it out before doing any deals.