THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 14, 1994 TAG: 9412140480
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
The Dare County Board of Education, the Town of Kill Devil Hills and the Nature Conservancy Tuesday night announced the completion of a complex agreement that will pave the way for the county's third high school and provide protection for an environmentally sensitive inland sand dune.
The proposed school will be located on a 30-acre site at the corner of Veterans Drive and Ocean Bay Boulevard across from First Flight Elementary and Middle Schools. Dare County voters likely will have to approve a bond issue before the school becomes a reality on the north beach.
Under the agreement, the school board will sell approximately 43 acres it owns on Run Hill to the Conservancy, and then will use funds from the transaction to acquire an eight-acre tract from the Conservancy and a 21.1-acre parcel from the Town of Kill Devil Hills. The town also will convey 47 acres it owns on Run Hill to the Conservancy, placing all of the 70-foot-tall dune under the environmental group's ownership.
The contracts signed Tuesday night do not stipulate an exact cost of the transactions. However, the sales are to be completed before July 31, 1995, at a ``fair market value to be determined by a mutually agreed upon appraiser.''
The negotiations between the three parties took more than two years to complete. Dare County Superintendent Leon Holleman said great care was taken to insure that the goals of all parties were reached.
``We had three distinct groups with three very distinct needs,'' he said. ``We worked very hard to reach an agreement in a way that would have all of those goals accomplished.''
George Wood, who acted as an independent mediator between the three groups, said the complexity of the agreement merited a cautious approach.
``When you're dealing with property matters, as well as public ownership of that property, you have to be cautious.''
The acquisition of the property has been a major goal of the board of education's High School Task Force. The site is considered an ``ideal location'' for the new facility.
``It's been a long time in the making, but definitely worth the wait,'' said board member Fletcher Willey, who served on the ad hoc committee formed to negotiate the land deal. ``The school board appreciates the outstanding cooperation that has made it possible for us to move forward with long-range planning to meet the future needs of our growing student population.''
From an environmental perspective, Nags Head Woods Director Jeffrey Smith DeBlieu called the agreement ``an important accomplishment.''
``This was one of the major goals of the Conservancy - to protect Run Hill as well as to provide a site for a new school building. It's something we're very proud of.''
Nature Conservancy representatives have had discussions with the North Carolina Division of Parks about transferring the dune to the state.
This would make Run Hill a satellite to Jockey's Ridge State Park. Although no agreement has been reached, Conservancy officials say the state has expressed interest in the transfer.
Kill Devil Hills Mayor Terry Gray praised the work of the three groups.
``Through the efforts of the board of education, the town, and the Conservancy, we have been able to achieve our mutual goal of protecting and preserving the Run Hill area, as well as providing a site for a new high school.''
Negotiations also will continue to eliminate the discharge of pollutants into Albemarle Sound.
Talks began after historian David Stick provided a report to the school board outlining a cooperative approach to selecting a school site and protecting the inland dune.
Since April 1994, the working group has been operating under a memorandum of understanding supporting three goals: a site for a new school, preserving Run Hill and eliminating pollution of Albemarle Sound. by CNB