THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 23, 1995 TAG: 9503230558
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
Members of the Roanoke Island Business Association say that while they support the concept of a new county government complex, the facility should be part of a long-range plan aimed at meeting a variety of future needs.
The chairman of Dare County's Capital Improvements Committee also heard complaints at a meeting Tuesday night about the site selection process. And some members said they oppose locating the complex in downtown Manteo.
Commissioner Clarence Skinner, chairman of the panel studying the feasibility of the new government center, assured the RIBA that its concerns would be forwarded to the full Board of Commissioners.
He also said the committee would re-evaluate the sites being considered, including a tract on Highway 64 in Manteo. That site, located between Ace Hardware and the state Department of Transportation maintenance yard, was submitted to the capital committee last Friday.
Skinner, vice chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners, acknowledged the need for long-range planning. However, he said the project would not be put aside until such a plan is completed.
``We don't have a long-range plan,'' Skinner said. ``If we don't use this opportunity to begin some type of planning for the future, we've missed an opportunity.''
But when pressed on why the proposal for the complex couldn't be put aside until a plan can be drafted, Skinner replied, ``I'm worried about building one car, not the entire railroad.''
Skinner also said that the possibility of a tax increase to fund county schools for the next two-year budget cycle would hurt chances for the complex. Revenue projections for the county fall short of budget requests by some $2 million in each of the next two years.
Skinner said that while the commission may be able to adequately cut funds to balance the county's operating budget, a tax increase may be needed to fund education.
``I believe we stand an even chance to balance the county budget this year,'' Skinner said. ``I believe we will do that. When the school budget is included, we may have to look at a tax increase. If we have to raise taxes, it will have a negative impact on this project. That's a natural human reaction.''
The committee originally narrowed site selection for the complex to the current county administrative offices on Budleigh Street, and an area near the Dare Campus of the College of the Albemarle. Many RIBA members expressed concern that aspects of the downtown site which the committee viewed as positives were in fact negatives in the eyes of the business community.
They contended the downtown site does not meet criteria set forth by the committee in a number of areas, including vulnerability to flooding, acquisition costs and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood.
Skinner said there would be a number of public meetings from Hatteras Island to the Dare County mainland to discuss the plan.
Without public support, he said, the complex will not be built. by CNB