THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 29, 1995 TAG: 9501260171
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
The Executive Board of the Avon Property Owners Association, on behalf of the membership, vigorously protests the location of the public hearing to be held on Feb. 20, 1995, regarding the rezoning from R-2 to C-2 of the Atlantic Estates Partnership property in north Avon.
Scheduling this hearing in Manteo, on a Monday morning, appears to be a blatant disregard for the input of those Avon residents who wish to be heard on this issue.
All previous hearings on zoning matters have been held in Avon, at the fire house, during the evening hours. Would this current scheduling be an attempt to minimize the presence of the Avon citizens and taxpayers who have a guaranteed and mandated right to express their views?
Hatteras Island residents do not feel it is too much to ask their constitutionally elected government officials to travel to this island and conduct this hearing in the location and among the people who are most vitally concerned. Actually, we consider it an affront if the elected officials do not conduct their meeting in our midst.
We respectfully request that you change this public hearing from Manteo to Avon forthwith. After all, Roanoke Island hearings are not held on Hatteras Island. Why should a Hatteras Island hearing be held on Roanoke Island?
Jean T. Meyer
President
Avon Property Owners Association Supporting jetties
A ``fly'' here and a ``fly'' there and pretty soon it ``smarts'' and you need a swatter. That apparently must be the case for my Democratic counterpart, because he made a wonderful synopsis in his letter to the editors of the local newspapers, (published on January 19 and 22, 1995) on what is wrong with the political status quo, resulting from the one-party control in Dare County. Although I have limited my comments to issues vital to the best interests of Dare County, as far as personality attacks are concerned, I must admit the gentleman gives me some wonderful opportunities for a later time.
My recent arguments with the party in power in Dare County have related to their silence on the predominant issue relative to this part of North Carolina, the Oregon Inlet jetties. Now more than ever, we must voice our support loud and clear for this project so vital to our economic well-being. As I have attended meeting after meeting, read letter after letter and listened to speech after sppech, I have always heard ``We are for the jetties,'' but to date, nothing has been done. The only action by the Party in power in the recent past as related to the jetty project was the cancellation of the building permits issued by President Bush, carried out by Secretary Babbitt, on the orders of President Clinton in May 1993, as one of the first acts of his presidency. Today I have not heard one local or state Democrat attack this cancellation. Of even more importance, I have not heard a single one of the powers-to-be ``Jetty Supporters'' ask that these permits be restored.
I have not attacked either Chairman Owens or my fellow ``Outer Banker'' Mac Midgette. After all, now that the election is over, they are my county commissioners, too. We must all support the big picture for Dare County and in my estimation, two of the most important issues are (1) Oregon Inlet jetties and (2) Stabilization of Highway 12.
In closing, a further comment for the gentleman from the other party. I must congratulate him on his psychic powers, for he quotes some things I wrote in a letter to the editors of the local paper which have never appeared in print. How about that?
Keep up the good work for your party, sir, and please join in to help battle the environmentalists and bureaucrats in the real fight of importance to Dare County, issuance of permits to build the Oregon Inlet Jetties. Please help me break this long silence on this subject. Please get your political bosses, Senator Marc Basnight and Commissioner Owens to voice, in public, the support they gave this project at an April 1993 meeting in Wanchese.
Dan B. Gray
Chairman
Dare Republican Party by CNB