THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 19, 1995 TAG: 9507190446
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY BETTY MITCHELL GRAY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RALEIGH LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
A year-old commission devoted to Roanoke Island history would take over management of the Elizabeth II State Historic Site from the Department of Cultural Resources under a provision in the Senate's expansion and capital budget.
And while visitors to the site should see little if any difference because of the change, it likely will help the Roanoke Island Commission with future fund-raising, state cultural resource officials said Tuesday.
The provision, contained in the 100-page Senate budget, gives the commission jurisdiction over the ship's visitor center, Ice Plant Island, and all other properties on Roanoke Island that are under the auspices of the Department of Cultural Resources.
The provision creates an operating fund that will receive 75 percent of the revenues from commission properties and an endowment fund that will receive 25 percent of revenues from commission properties.
It stipulates that the endowment fund and interest proceeds cannot be spent until July 1, 2000. After that date, 80 percent of the interest may be used by the commission.
The change in management is intended to help the commission in creating the endowment fund and in helping unify management of the site, located along the Manteo waterfront, according to officials with the state Division of Archives and History.
Larry Misenheimer, archives and history director, is expected to be in Manteo today discuss the transfer with the commission.
The change, however, does not mean that the state will lose control of the ship, similar to that used by English explorers during their voyages to Roanoke Island, Misenheimer said.
During the 1994 session, the General Assembly established the Roanoke Commission to protect, develop and interpret the historical and cultural assets of Roanoke Island and appropriated $15,000 for commission activities.
The special provision granting autonomy to the Roanoke Commission is just one of several special provisions of regional interest that are on the line this week as Senate and House members begin meeting to resolve differences in their expansion and capital budgets.
On Monday, the Republican-controlled House, as expected, rejected changes by the Democratic-controlled Senate to the $384.4 million expansion and capital budget.The 71-35 vote rejecting the Senate plan sent the budget to a conference committee.
Besides money for state agencies, the House and Senate expansion and capital budgets contain dozens of special provisions, or fine print that generally directs the agencies on how to spend their appropriations.
Other items of regional interest included in the Senate budget special provisions are:
$500,000 to University of North Carolina Television for repairs to the station's tower in Columbia;
The transfer of $125,000 from the Northeast N.C. Regional Economic Development Commission to the Department of Transportation for the Northeastern Regional Airport in Edenton;
$75,000 from the sale of special license plates for a visitor and welcome center on U.S. Route 64 in Tyrrell County. by CNB