THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 17, 1996 TAG: 9607170343
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 135 lines
Ice Plant Island isn't a hot enough name to draw thousands of visitors to a state historic site, some argue.
New World Park got the big chill from others.
So on Friday, the Roanoke Island Commission will hold a public hearing to get ideas for a suitable label for the 26-acre tract of wetlands across from Manteo's waterfront that houses the state ship Elizabeth II and soon will be home to other attractions.
``Nobody's renaming anything. That island has no official name except for the Elizabeth II State Historic Site,'' John Wilson IV, Roanoke Island Commission chairman, said Tuesday. ``It's been referred to locally as Ice Plant Island for years. And that name's been rejected locally for years, too. Why is it so difficult to name that place?
``We're just hoping something brilliant will emerge from this meeting.''
Deloris Harrell, a spokeswoman for the Roanoke Island Commission, said a contest to name the island is not out of the question. But her group is hoping to receive suggestions at Friday's meeting so that they can come closer to finding a consensus. Already, she has received more than 80 ideas of how to rename the site.
Name recommendations range from ``Colonists Civic Centre'' to ``Consequence Park'' to ``Culture Crossroads,'' ``Destination Transformation'' and ``Discovery Island.'' Some are even more esoteric, including: ``Dreamer's Domain,'' ``Explorer Village,'' ``Genesis,'' ``Her Majesty's Island'' and ``Heritage Hall.'' Other suggestions: ``Journey,'' ``Moorings Centre,'' ``Mystery Mall,'' ``Park of Two Worlds,'' ``Quest Stop,'' ``Raleigh's Dream,'' ``Roanoke Hall,'' ``Seacross Station,'' ``Treasure Island'' and ``World's Ahoy.''
All suggestions will be received at Friday's session, she said. But the name ``New World Park,'' which the commission approved in April - and has since shuffled under the sand - will not be discussed. People are asked to cite at least three reasons why their name should be chosen for the island.
``There must be a name out there on the horizon that's the perfect name,'' Harrell said. ``But we haven't heard it yet.''
From 1912 until 1918, a commercial ice plant produced blocks of ice on the east side of Roanoke Island. The spit of sand on which the ice plant sat was covered with black needlerush marsh - and attached to the rest of Manteo. But when state officials decided to build a sailing ship representative of the 16th century vessel that carried Sir Walter Raleigh's colonists to the North Carolina shores to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first English settlement in North America, they dredged around the intended berth and created an island.
``It wasn't an island until canals were dug in 1982 and plans were in place for the state ship,'' Wilson said. ``After that, Ice Plant Island just stuck. But now there will be more there than the Elizabeth II - and the area needs a name that describes it and would be good for marketing purposes.''
The state ship, its gift shop and the Outer Banks History Center are the sole inhabitants of the island this summer. But next month, workers will begin building additional exhibits. Plans for the $10 million state-funded expansion include:
An interactive museum featuring displays of Native American and colonists' artifacts and 8,500 square feet of new exhibits.
A 238-seat theater in which a movie about the first English colony and early Native American settlers will be shown.
A bandstand.
A combined gallery and meeting space.
An extensive system of paths, boardwalks and overlooks.
Construction is scheduled to be completed by the spring of 1998. Admission to the area is expected to be $4 or $5 per person. Tourism officials say the Shallowbag Bay island and its attractions could draw more than 200,000 visitors annually.
In April, a marketing consultant who was behind the ``Virginia is for Lovers'' campaign told members of the Roanoke Island Commission that an ice plant does not evoke the range of history that the state project is planning to include. Commission members adopted the name ``New World Park'' for the area at that meeting. But less than a week later, the Outer Banks History Center Associates nixed that name - declaring it was ``derogatory to aboriginal people, confusing to visitors and might imply that there is an amusement park located on Ice Plant Island.''
History Center Associates Vice President Dick Fryklund said his group doesn't like the name Ice Plant Island. But they thought New World Park ``might lead people to expect a large-scale amusement park that did not exist.'' This week, Fryklund said the associates had ``not thought of a better name.''
Wilson said his group has been criticized for not seeking public input before naming the project. ``We want to rectify that,'' he said. ``It's important that we have a name for that place by October.''
Roanoke Island native Sybil Ross, who heads the group Friends of Roanoke Island, said Friday's hearing will not involve enough of the public. ``What's the big hurry anyway?'' she asked Tuesday from her Manteo dress shop. ``I don't know that it's necessary to change the name of the entire area in order to pick a name for the park and its additions. That land has always been referred to as the area where the ice plant used to be. It's just filled-in wetlands that the state wanted to have a tourist park on.
``And I don't know why they're having this meeting in the middle of the summer in the middle of the day on a Friday when everyone who lives here is too busy to attend.'' ILLUSTRATION: NAME IDEAS
The Roanoke Island Commission wants ideas for names for the
Elizabeth II State Historic Site which, by next summer, will house a
theater, bandstand and large exhibit area in addition to the 16th
century representative sailing ship.
From 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Friday, the group will hold a public hearing
at the Outer Banks History Center in Manteo to receive input. Each
speaker will be limited to three minutes and must cite at least
three reasons why his suggestion should be selected. The name ``New
World Park'' will not be discussed.
If you can't attend the meeting, ideas are welcome by mail, phone or
fax until the public hearing begins. Send names and the three
reasons to: The Roanoke Island Commission, P.O. Box 250, Manteo,
N.C. 27954, Attn: Deloris Harrell. Call (919) 473-6662. Or fax
suggestions to (919) 473-1483.
NAME LIST
Names which have been suggested for the expanded Elizabeth II State
Historic Site include:
Colonists Civic Centre
Culture Crossroads
Dare Assemblage
David Stick Civic Centre
Discovery Depot
Dough Creek Island
Elizabethan Centre
Explorer Village
Expo 1584
Founders Conference Centre
Legacy Island
Mother Vineyard Media Center
New World Garden
Raleigh World
Story Hall
Tudorquest
Two Worlds Park
Virginia Dare Civic Centre
Voyager Island
Winginia by CNB