DATE: Friday, August 8, 1997                TAG: 9708080643

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: MANTEO                            LENGTH:   56 lines

PRELIMINARY STUDY AUTHORIZED FOR NEW MANTEO COMPLEXWILLIAMSBURG FIRM WILL DETERMINE WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE AND WHAT IT WILL COST.

A Williamsburg, Va., architectural firm has been selected to do preliminary work that could lead to a new retail and government complex for this Roanoke Island community.

Earlier this year, the Manteo Board of Commissioners endorsed the idea of using the site of the old Manteo Post Office on Queen Elizabeth Street for such a building. The three-story structure would house shops at street level and town offices on the upper floors.

But at Wednesday night's meeting of the five-member governing panel, Mayor Lee Tugwell said that despite the hiring of DJG Architects, building the complex was not a certainty.

``This does not commit this board to the project,'' Tugwell said. ``This is a first phase that will tell us what it will look like and how much it will cost. This will give us an opportunity to check the numbers, check on design and check on financing before we decide what to do.''

DJG was chosen after interviews with several architectural firms, Tugwell said.

``They've done a lot of work in Williamsburg, and they are sensitive to the historical significance of the town,'' Tugwell said.

The commission unanimously approved spending $18,786 for the preliminary work. DJG members will review the downtown area and look at the proposed site, as well as traffic patterns in the town.

Once under way, the work will be completed in about 60 days, Tugwell said.

In other business, Manteo Police Chief F.T. D'Ambra outlined a comprehensive bicycle safety plan for the town. Last month, the commission rejected a proposed bicycle helmet ordinance, one month after endorsing the concept of a helmet law for riders under 16.

Parents in the town of 1,400 had asked for the helmet law, saying it would provide better protection for young bikers.

D'Ambra's plan would promote voluntary use of helmets by riders, and promote bicycle safety through information, workshops and clinics, and incentives for good riding habits.

The Wheels of Dare Bicycle Club has already endorsed the plan. Estimated cost of the initiative is $7,300. But D'Ambra said much of the funding may come through public/private partnerships.

``This program will encourage good bicycle safety and good observance of the general rules of the road,'' D'Ambra said. ``We hope it will modify behavior without the stigma of a criminal violation.''

Under the proposed ordinance rejected last month by the town, parents of helmet law violators would be fined $10.

The resolution, which could come before the board as early as next month, provides a recommended course of behavior but no sanctions. If approved, the program would be carried out over the next four months.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles reported 1,324 bicycle crashes in 1996. Of those, 1,000 involved injury. An overwhelming majority of riders who were hurt, 94.5 percent, were not wearing helmets.

In the United States, 1,200 fatalities were related to bicycle accidents.

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