THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 26, 1996 TAG: 9604260514
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
New World Park, the freshly chosen moniker for Roanoke Island's historic attraction, may be just as misleading as the rejected Ice Plant Island, some said this week.
Members of the Roanoke Island Commission, charged with developing the Ice Plant Island project, hesitated April 19 before assenting that New World Park was a better name than the former - and unofficial - title for the land mass across Shallowbag Bay from the Manteo waterfront where the state ship Elizabeth II is docked and the Outer Banks History Center has its home.
But before the ink was dry on the new name, the Outer Banks History Center Associates nixed New World Park.
In a resolution passed unanimously at a Monday meeting, the history center's board of directors declared the name ``is derogatory to aboriginal people, confusing to visitors and might imply that there is an amusement park located on Ice Plant Island.''
Dick Fryklund, the panel's vice chairman, said it was quickly apparent that the newly suggested name was less than inspirational to the history committee.
``I welcomed the group to the New World Park,'' Fryklund said. ``There was sort of a unanimous groaning.''
The panel also moved that the community should be involved in selection of Ice Plant Island's future name. Perhaps, they suggested, a contest should be sponsored in local schools.
The name New World Park was the brainchild of John T. Boatright, the commission's marketing consultant. Boatright said Ice Plant Island, a colloquial name for the 40-acre island, is confusing and inconsistent with an effective promotional strategy.
The $10 million park project will include the state's 16th century representative sailing ship and the history center - and will encompass an interactive museum, Native American and colonists' artifacts, a small amphitheater, an audiovisual room, an 8,000-foot exhibit hall, a museum shop, a film theater, offices and conference rooms. There are plans to produce a Hollywood-quality film depicting the conflict between settlers and Native Americans from the Indians' perspective.
Construction is scheduled to begin late this summer and should be completed by the summer of 1998.
Boatright, who was paid $4,500 by the commission, said at last week's meeting that the project should be promoted as a ``park that will transfer you to the time when the New World was new.'' He said the focus should be on the uniqueness of the site, its living history and its appeal to both young and old.
He encouraged officials of Roanoke Island - which also is home to the Elizabethan Gardens, a state aquarium, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and The Lost Colony outdoor drama - to promote their area as one unit: ``The Center of the Outer Banks.''
Although the commission officially approved the new name, it is not necessarily a done deal, said the commission's executive director.
``We have some people who really love it, and some people who don't really like it at all,'' Deloris Harrell said. ``So the verdict is still out.''
Harrell said a naming contest for Ice Plant Island won't be ruled out. But at this point the matter has to be brought back to the committee to reconsider before any action will be taken to change the name from New World Park.
The commission's executive committee will meet in July. Members also could be polled anytime before then, Harrell said.
``At this point, we're just gathering information,'' Harrell said. ``But officially, that's the name'' - New World Park. by CNB