THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, June 21, 1995 TAG: 9506210531
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
Saying they needed more time and more facts, a citizen panel studying the feasibility of a proposed Dare County government complex decided Tuesday night to postpone a decision on a site for the facility.
Committee members representing local organizations, including the League of Women Voters, the Roanoke Island Commission and the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce, say their members want more information.
John Wilson IV, chairman of the Roanoke Island Commission, said members of his group favor the concept but want answers to a number of questions, including a timetable for site selection, the impact of the structure on the historic Dare County courthouse and funding for the project.
``Everybody wants a little more financial information,'' Wilson said. ``I think the general public would like to see a little more dollars and cents.''
The committee is weighing the merits of three sites: a three-acre tract on Budleigh Street in Manteo, an 11-acre tract known as the Louis Midgett site on U.S. 64 and the Midway site, near the Dare campus of the College of the Albemarle.The final decision on the complex, officials say, will rest with Dare County voters through a bond referendum.
Architects from the Washington firm of Spillis, Candela and Partners last week provided the panel with an evaluation of the three possible locations.
The Midgett tract got high marks in terms of cost, accessibility, expansion potential and other factors.
The projected acquisition cost for the Midgett site is $900,000, compared with $1.5 million for the Midway location.
The cost of the three-acre downtown site is undetermined. However, Spillis, Candela architect Howard Melton said the cost of building the project at that location would be considerably higher because the facility would have to be built in phases. The downtown site also poses problems for possible expansion.
Committee members raised concerns that the village flavor of Manteo would be destroyed if the complex were built there.
Dare County Commissioner Clarence Skinner said the citizen panel wanted to delay a site selection. Skinner is chairman of the county's Capital Improvements Committee.
``If the group was in a position to make a decision, I'd love for them to make one,'' Skinner said. ``We need to move ahead as fast as we can, but I would not push for a decision tonight.''
The total cost of the project has not been determined. Skinner said the financial picture would become clearer after a site was selected and preliminary design work completed. If voters approve financing in a countywide referendum, construction could begin late next year. by CNB