THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 18, 1995 TAG: 9507180277
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
The proposal for a new government center for Dare County is dead, at least for now.
In a surprise move Monday, the county's governing board voted unanimously to scuttle any additional activity regarding the proposed complex, citing a lack of public support.
Reading from a prepared statement, Commissioner Clarence Skinner moved to abandon efforts for a complex until ``overwhelming public support dictates that the task be reactivated.''
A citizen advisory panel had been studying the feasibility of the project, and a Washington architecture firm had been hired to assist in the pre-construction phase of the project.
The activity of the advisory panel and the contract with the firm Spillis, Candela and Partners will be discontinued. About $61,000 of the $147,OOO appropriated will go to the architects.
When asked what he meant by ``overwhelming public support,'' Skinner said, ``Until the public beats us over the head and tells us they want it, we will not build it.''
The chairman of Dare County's Board of Commissioners, R.V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr., said the people of Dare County will be the losers because of Monday's decision.
``This issue will be discussed again,'' Owens said, reading from a prepared text. ``And it will cost the taxpayers even more money in the future than it would have in 1995. Our children and grandchildren will have to pay for it.''
Owens also said that the government complex is a ``moot issue'' and that he would have no further comment.
Public opposition to the government complex mushroomed in recent weeks after homeowners living near one of the possible sites began a petition drive.
The homeowners collected almost 900 signatures from residents opposed to one of the proposed locations.
Christian Zdanski, a Manteo businessman who lives near the Louis Midgett tract, an 11-acre parcel fronting U.S. 64/264, was among the opponents. Zdanski said he hopes any future discussion of a county complex would include a broader base of people.
``My initial feeling was disbelief at first,'' Zdanski said. ``I'm happy about it. I was ready to offer a solution. I think they should split the facility up, with the courthouse at one site, social services at one site, and the county administrative offices at another. I'd like to see a list of buildings the county holds, what they're used for, and see whatneeds to be done to get them up to standards.''
At a meeting Thursday, a number of residents who live near the Midgett tract expressed opposition to the proposal. Among their concerns was an increase in traffic, and damage to the character of the neighborhood.
Zdanski believes the public outcry played a key role in the county's decision to abandon the proposal.
``I think it was instrumental,'' he said. ``We were able to gather 900 signatures, and we started this drive on July 5.''
Commissioner Shirley Hassell, a critic of the process surrounding the government complex, hailed the commission's action.
``I've been opposed to this from the inception,'' Hassell said. ``I was not opposed to the idea of the complex itself. But I think this was being crammed down our throats. There's a right way to do things and a wrong way, and this was done the wrong way. The people must have a say.''
While commissioners pointed to a lack of public support for the complex, a member of the citizen advisory panel studying the complex proposal said the group was not given enough information to communicate with the public.
Asked by the county to provide a recommendation on a site for the complex, the panel asked for a delay, citing a lack of information.
In a non-binding poll of the committee, five abstained, three voted for the Midgett site, and three voted for a tract near the Dare campus of the College of the Albemarle. A downtown Manteo site received no support from the committee.
``I didn't feel we had adequate information to be able to go out into the community and talk about the project,'' Bebe Woody of Manteo said. ``I do feel we need a county complex. The big question is how we go about doing it. I don't think it should be a dead issue.''
Woody said a number of business leaders did not get involved in discussions concerning the complex, and that had an impact.
``We asked for leaders in the community to step forward to help us, and we got no help,'' she said.
Discussions about a new facility for county government have gone on intermittently since 1960. Zdanski said he expects the issue to come up again.
``I don't think it's dead,'' Zdanski said. ``It's been kicked around for years. I'll be at the commission meetings from now on.'' by CNB