THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 5, 1995 TAG: 9511020177
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KEN JOHNSON
LENGTH: Long : 198 lines
Editor's note: Several letters involving Dare County town elections were received this week, but our policy is that controversial letters not be run in the final days of a campaign because there is not adequate time for those with other viewpoints to respond. 2 high schools not now warranted
A recent letter by Dianne Henderson provided much insight into the 1992 High School Task Force deliberations that recommended a second high school for northern Dare County. Two factors she cited that drove the task force's recommendation were: First, ``By 2000, Dare County will have more students of high school age than a single school's desirable size (around 800, according to the state education department)''; Second, ``unfortunately, no available site is large enough for the single large school.'' A third very important factor that influenced the recommendation was the growth projections the task force utilized, which she mentioned have not occurred.
Let's look at the factors that drove the task force recommendation. First, that the desirable size of a high school is 800. This is debatable. The ``Basic Education Program for North Carolina's Public Schools'' shows only one example high school of 800-1,200 students. In other states, the optimum size is 1,200-1,500 students. Second, that there is no site available for just one northern Dare County high school. With the acquisition of the ``Run Hill'' tract adjacent to the First Flight Middle and Elementary schools, about 90 total acres are available. If FFMS were upgraded to a high school, and FFES to a middle school, northern Dare County would have a demographically centrally located high school co-located with a middle school (a very common practice - Currituck County is building such a complex now). Third, the task force used growth projections that put the high school population at 1,013 students by 1995. In June '95 the actual numbers were 764 students. The projections estimated 1,669 students by year 2000. Enough for one high school, certainly not two.
The Task Force suggested a ``two school/single-administration concept'' with students/teachers traveling between campuses. Currently, Manteo High School has four class periods per day. Teachers teach three classes and have one planning period. Travel time would eliminate one class period, reducing a teacher's classroom instruction to two periods per day, a 33 percent reduction in class time for the teacher (or student) traveling daily between campuses. The dual campus concept was extended to sports and other extracurricular activities (i.e. one football team, one band, etc., for two schools). Teachers and school administrators I have talked with say the plan would be a nightmare to operate.
We can have one high school with a comprehensive curriculum, the finest facilities, a first-class sports complex with swimming pool, and a large auditorium that could also be used for civic and cultural events. We can have much more (maybe the best high school in North Carolina) at less cost in the long run, with just one high school. Ms. Henderson advised that ``the task force report was intended to serve as a starting point for discussions in the community,'' and that a dialogue about school needs is long overdue. Agreed, discussion is needed to determine what is best for the northern Dare County students. Let's talk to our Commissioners and School Board members before it's too late.
(Mr. Johnson, who lives in Colington Harbour, is a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and chemistry and a master's degree in management. Since 1982 he has been a substitute teacher in Dare County schools.) Walk-A-Thon a success
It is with heartfelt thanks that I write to congratulate the fine people of Dare County for once again successfully supporting the very important cause of the March of Dimes.
This year's Walk-A-Thon - though wet - was nonetheless successful, thanks to the generosity of countless individuals, many, many area businesses and a hard-working core committee of volunteers.
While some donations continue to come in, we now stand at just over $25,000 raised by the Dare County Walk. Our community can again be proud of its show of support for the fight to ensure all babies are born healthy.
I extend a special thanks to our two ambassadors for this year's event, Bill Buell of Manteo, an adult survivor of childhood polio, and young Jeffrey Mueller, son of Jeff and Bonnie Mueller of Salvo, a healthy baby due in part to March of Dimes research.
A special thanks also goes to this year's lead organization, the Dare County Older Adults program.
This enthusiastic group, led by Lois Twyne, added special joy to this year's walk.
Dr. Leon Holleman
Chairman
Dare County Walk-A-Thon 1995 Leash law uneven
Well, Currituck's in the news once again. Now it's a leash law effective in January. Frankly, the leash law itself does not upset me that much. I do, however, take offense at the way the ``law'' is being applied only to certain subdivisions, the majority of which fall into the low-to-low-middle income brackets.
I guess it's us ``low income-working class'' who continually get it on both the local and national levels. However, this is really blatant segregation on the part of Currituck's officials. I mean, God forbid ``Bif & Muffy Yuppie'' would have to spoil the aesthetic appeal of their $200,000-subdivision lawn to fence in their little yappy Yorky; after all, the ``law'' doesn't apply to them.
I congratulate Mr. Miller for at least attempting to apply the ``Justice for All'' principle - I bet the others will understand ``Justice for All'' at election time.
S. Koch
Moyock
Where's Garden of Eden?
America - in its quest for comfort - has it destroyed the Garden of Eden?!
Bud Koehler
Kill Devil Hills Save weather station
I am greatly concerned about the Cape Hatteras Weather office closing. It is a mistake that may cost lives in the future.
In a recent report ``Assessment of NEXRAD Coverage and Associated Weather Services,'' the National Research Council finds that the radar coverage of Dare County has been degraded. This is caused primarily by the change in distance from the old radar site in Buxton and the new site in Newport, 133 miles away. The experts finally figured out that the curvature of the earth over 133 miles makes it impossible to see some low level atmospheric disturbances like water spouts.
It seems that the NEXRAD cannot see very close to the ground near their maximum detection ranges, depending on the diffraction caused by the small waves on the sounds of eastern North Carolina. I think we could have saved a lot of money if we required the ``experts'' to know simple geometry.
It used to be that the ``weather radio'' was how people were alerted to disasters like tornadoes and releases of radioactive steam from nuclear power plants. Weather Radio would wake you up in the middle of the night and let you know it was time to go to the basement to wait out a storm. Now that NOAA has the radar technology to better detect tornadoes, they don't seem to care if the information gets out, or if the radar sites are close enough to all of the taxpayers to really have good coverage.
I know that this is a time of ``down-sizing government'' and I believe we need to get the federal government out of our hair. But the fact is, we have already paid a large fortune for this service and I want something for my money. NOAA got the Department of Defense to foot the bill for many of the NEXRADs, so DoD dictated where they would be installed. Dare County has more residents and tourists than military bases, so we got the short end of the stick. The thing that NOAA forgot is that Buxton sticks out in the ocean quite a ways and that can be mighty useful when it comes to predicting the weather.
We need a staffed weather office with an operating radar and an operating transmitter on Hatteras. Even though NOAA has announced the closing of the Buxton office, they still own the property and have the buildings. Until the property is released by NOAA to GSA, it isn't too late to change this situation. What it will take is a lot of taxpayers that are mad enough to make one last push. Call your congressmen and senators, as well as the Secretary of Commerce, and tell them what you REALLY think of the job they're doing. Blow off some steam. What do you have to lose? You're paying their salary. DEMAND perfection from YOUR employees.
Lou Browning
Hatteras Island Rockfish in perspective
After reading Bob Hutchinson's column on Oct. 29, I felt compelled to write in order to put things in proper perspective.
Commercial quotas for rockfish are now increasing at a greater rate because the commercial catch was capped at unnaturally low levels during the years the resource was rebounding. During that same period the recreational catch from Maine to North Carolina was growing by leaps and bounds as more and more anglers joined in. In fact, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission estimates that recreational hook and release activity results in a loss of approximately 14,000 pounds of rockfish per day from April through December.
While the commercial quota in Virginia was capped at 211,000 pounds per year, recreational anglers were responsible for that many discarded, dead rockfish every 15 days coastwide.
It's clear that commercial fishermen and the consumers they represent are just now beginning to receive enough of an allocation to make rockfish a viable fishery again.
Robert A. West
Buxton Thanks for Tournament
The Outer Banks Cancer Support Group wishes to express its sincere appreciation to Pirate's Cove for again sponsoring the annual Alice Kelly, Ladies Only, Billfish Tournament. Alice Kelly, the founder of the OBCSG, was an avid fishing enthusiast who succumbed to cancer in 1987. This year's Pirate's Cove Big Game Tournament was a major success and netted $9,903 in donations.
Additionally, Pirate's Cove sponsored the Summer Sunset Festival Craft Show which was a fund-raiser for the OBCSG.
Besides offering understanding and moral support to its members and their families, the group continually solicits donations to support transportation costs. All contributions to the OBCSG are used solely for the payment of transportation expenses. These costs are directly associated with driving Outer Banks cancer patients to and from Elizabeth City and the Tidewater area. The past four years have seen a steady increase in the number of round trips made by our drivers: 1991 - 247 trips; 1992 - 208 trips; 1993 - 397 trips; 1994 - 511 trips. The expenses for transportation of patients in 1994 were in excess of $15,000. 1995 is currently in excess of $16,000.
Raymond Lee Mann
President
The Outer Banks Cancer Support Group, Inc.
Kill Devil Hills by CNB