Ditches and shoulders that fall under the jurisdiction of the N.C. Department of Transportation were discussed during the Turkey Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday night, with oard members pointing out that some areas appear to remain unmaintained.
“I don’t think that’s right,” Commissioner Mike Smith said during the meeting.
“You know,” Smith continued, “if we’re held to a certain standard on our yards, why can’t we hold them to a certain standard with the way they keep around the culverts?”
Mayor Rudy Blackburn noted that during the summer, he has seen grass along the road toward Interstate 40 left to grow particularly high.
“I guarantee it was probably 5-6 feet tall. In other words, if I was standing there on the shoulder (of the) road, it would be higher than me,” Blackburn attested.
Town Clerk Teresa Frack explained the next day that C.D. Vernon with Coastal Carolina Property Maintenance is in charge of mowing grass for the town.
“He mows grass (at town hall), he mows grass at the well site, he mows along the roads — all of that stuff. … The only thing he does for us is mow just what the Town of Turkey needs mowed — that’s what he does for us — but he does do it for everybody else, too, if they hire him,” she added.
“The Department of Transportation,” Frack explained, “they mow the ditches down Highway 24 — the great big ditches you see along the roads.”
Smith inquired toward the end of the meeting, “What is the limit on the height of grass?”
“I thought it was 12 inches, but I don’t know for sure,” Blackburn answered.
Frack said she would research the issue and come back with an answer.
According to Sampson County’s Code of Ordinances reviewed as of Sept. 16, no specific grass height restriction was found. However, because the areas discussed by town officials fall under DOT jurisdiction, the county ordinance does not necessarily determine the maintenance standards for those roadsides.
Jordan Campos and Veronica Scott, communication officers for the N.C. Department of Transportation, explained reasons on Thursday why the grass along Highway 24 may have gone uncut.
Campos explained that the NCDOT has contractors “on behalf of the department and they continue to mow,” but noted reasons Turkey residents might have seen taller grasses recently include high temperatures and rainfall.
“On the times when we can mow,” Campos emphasized, “we try to maximize our mowing efforts.”
She added, “If there are areas that are too tall with vegetation, we do recommend that people reach out to us and let us know. For example, if tall grasses are covering signs or sight lines, we have a form on our website called Contact Us and anyone can write down the location of where the vegetation is, and then if it is a safety issue, we will come out mow in that area.”
Campos and Scott both referenced Senate Bill 391, a recent legislation that happened this year, which says during the month of May and times when political signs are out, the NCDOT has to put a pause on mowing.
“That kind of sets some of the (mowing) cycles a little bit behind,” Campos noted.
“The mowing stipulations we’re working under can be very specific,” Scott stressed, explaining that the section of Highway 24 running toward I40 cannot currently be mowed by the NCDOT as of Thursday.
The N.C. Department of Transportation mowing restrictions enforced by the Senate began on Tuesday, Sept. 15 — ironically, the same day as Turkey’s Board of Commissioners meeting. Mowing may be resumed by the department along Highway 24 on Nov. 13.