THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 4, 1994 TAG: 9406040261
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: D1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940604 LENGTH: MANTEO
House approval of the project is expected.
{REST} The Senate voted 47-2 for the $10 million appropriation, which will pay for historical, educational and cultural facilities on Ice Plant Island.
``We're halfway there,'' said John Wilson IV, a former Manteo mayor and current chairman of the Ice Plant Island Task Force. ``It would be inaccurate to think that this is something that has happened overnight. The big story in all of this, I think, is that after 13 years of planning, this looks like it is going to become a reality.''
Across a wooden bridge from the Manteo waterfront, the Elizabeth II state historic site opened a decade ago, when the 70-foot-long vessel became the centerpiece for North Carolina's commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the landing of the first English settlers. It is now the state's second most popular historic site, behind Wilmington's Fort Fisher, and attracts some 90,000 visitors annually.
A film on the landing is also planned. The production will cost about $1 million, supporters say.
The planned project will include an indoor interactive Cultural Heritage Center, which will tell the story of the Roanoke voyages, not only from the viewpoint of the English settlers, but from the perspective of Native Americans.
``We'll tell the story in the environment of the Native American,'' Wilson said. ``We want visitors to experience Native American Indian life. After all, before the English, the Native Americans were here.''
Also included will be an outdoor band shell.
``We built the shell to meet the acoustic specifications of the North Carolina Symphony,'' Wilson said. The facility will utilize festival seating, similar to that used at Wolf Trap Farm Park in Vienna, Va.
Also planned is a theme playground for children, a shaded picnic area and hiking trails.
``We got a lot of input from a lot of people,'' Wilson said. ``There was a lot of compromise. But I think everybody involved got some of what they wanted.''
Improvements to existing facilities, including the gift shop and a boat maintenance facility, are in the makings. There is also discussion of possible shuttle services between Ice Plant Island and the Lost Colony outdoor drama, staged on the north end of Roanoke Island.
According to state Senator Marc Basnight, D-Dare, the improvements will mean more visitors to the already popular center.
``The success of the Elizabeth II has been phenomenal,'' Basnight said from Manteo on Friday. ``And it has come without any kind of indoor facility for schoolchildren and other visitors to go to in the event of bad weather. This will only make this more attractive.''
Basnight, president pro tem of the North Carolina Senate, is optimistic that the funding - part of the state budget package - will pass in the House next week.
``You would hope so,'' Basnight said. ``It has its justification. When I vote, I look for justification. And I think this project has earned that.''
Final approval for the plan is expected by late summer, Wilson said. Substantial economic impact is anticipated.
``From its conception, we had always considered the economic benefit, but that is a low priority,'' Wilson said. ``The high priority is in history, education and culture.''
For Wilson, the centuries-old story of the Roanoke voyages is more than tourism.
``This is the story of the spiritual birthplace, not only of North Carolina, but of America, and it's a story that should be told not only to the people of North Carolina, but to the nation.''
by CNB