THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 28, 1996 TAG: 9604280060
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
In a search for its own identity, the Northeast North Carolina Economic Development Commission in October paid a team of hot-shot business analysts $135,000 to find out what is good and what is bad about the Albemarle.
This month the experts turned in an inch-thick report that found faults with the region but also suggested that some of the shortcomings are more perceived than real.
The report showed that population and employment in the 16 northeastern counties served by the commission have grown more slowly than in the rest of North Carolina.
``However, growth in real wages was the fastest'' in the northeast compared to the rest of the the state, the study showed, ``and failure rates are below state averages, which indicates a good business climate.''
The Raleigh-based Leak-Goforth/Pace Group, which conducted the survey, turned up the surprising fact that the average wages of northeastern North Carolina workers in many selected jobs were higher than those paid in Hampton Roads.
The average weekly wage of a receptionist here is $340; in Hampton Roads, the job pays $325, the survey showed.
Electrical engineers get $784 a week compared with $765 in nearby Virginia. Machinists in the Albemarle average $14.34 an hour, as against $14.32 in Virginia, the survey reported.
The report said an estimated 10,904 northeastern N.C. workers commuted to Virginia to jobs, while 13,225 work in counties outside of the 16 in the commission's area.
But the commuting pattern is widely varied.
Ninety-percent of Dare County workers have jobs in their home county, while only 18 percent of Camden County residents stay in Camden County to work. In Pasquotank and Chowan counties, 77 percent of workers have jobs near their homes. In Currituck, 39 percent have jobs in their county.
``One of the real problems the (N.E.) Region has endured over the years is the inadequate highway system,'' the analysts said.
The state has scheduled many improvements for key northeastern highways, the survey noted, such as U.S. 64; U.S. 17, N.C. 168 and U.S. 158, but many of the projects will not be completed before the end of this century.
The mid-sound bridge authorized in Currituck County is urgently needed, the survey said, but ``it will be 10 or more years before (this) improvement can be made unless it gets a push.''
Dare and Tyrrell counties face a long wait before widening of U.S. 64 on the south shore of Albemarle Sound to Manteo is completed, said the study.
And the experts sounded a cautionary note about the Bonner Bridge, which carries N.C. 12 across Oregon Inlet to Hatteras Island.
``The DOT is very concerned about the integrity of the Bonner Bridge,'' said the survey. ``It is felt that Oregon Inlet stabilization will be necessary to save the bridge.
``Temporarily a terminal groin has met the DOT's optimistic predictions and has extended the bridge's life somewhat but it hasn't solved the bridge support problems,'' the report concluded.
Plans are being pushed to build a new span across Oregon Inlet but it is not expected to be completed for several years, DOT officials said recently.
Airline transportation was viewed in the survey as vital to development of the northeastern economic region.
``Air service may be better than it is perceived,'' said the study, ``Commuter service from Rocky Mount, Greenville and extensive commercial service from Raleigh-Durham, Richmond and Norfolk should be adequate for most new projects considering the region.''
But the planners said improved facilities at Edenton's airport and a commuter service out of Dare County at Manteo are ``in the best interests'' of economic development.
Lack of natural gas was viewed in the survey as a major handicap for many of the 16 northeastern counties. Only four counties served by the northeast development commission have natural gas.
Education facilities, vital to the ability of the northeast region to supply skilled workers, get so-so marks in the study.
Except for Dare, every county in the northeast surpasses the state average in its number of people without a high school diploma. But SAT scores were higher than the state average in six of the 16 counties, and only Bertie and Beaufort counties exceeded the state level of high school dropouts.
``Generally'' the survey said, ``the quality of life in the (northeast) region was found to be above average. Housing costs, recreation, sports, cultural opportunities and other items are very good. Health care needs improvements and education should receive more attention from the (Economic) Commission programs.''
Recommendations for new programs the commission may develop and ideas for improving existing plans were contained in the Leak-Goforth/Pace study.
``There is enough important material in the report to keep us busy for weeks,'' said Pasquotank County Commissioner Jimmy Dixon, the Elizabeth City chairman of the northeast economic panel.
Dixon cited the report's puzzled footnote to a discussion of the excellent opportunities for businesses in northeastern North Carolina.
``The overall positive nature of the findings makes it difficult to understand why in 1995 the N.C. Dept. of Commerce reported only one small industry locating in the region's 16-county area,'' said the Leak-Goforth/Pace report.
KEYWORDS: REPORT WAGES INCOME POPULATION STATISTICS SURVEY by CNB