THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 9, 1994 TAG: 9406090479
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: D1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940609 LENGTH: Medium
The bill was introduced by Rep. Howard J. Hunter Jr., D-Hertford, last week but the measure received less-than-enthusiastic support in the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday.
{REST} ``We gave it a Three on an urgency scale of One-to-Three,'' said Rep. Vernon G. James, D-Pasquotank, ``and that means it probably won't be acted on until the regular session next year.''
The high-speed catamaran ferryboat plan is championed by the Tourist Division of Gov. James B. Hunt's new Northeastern N.C. Economic Development Commission.
``It would be a big step forward,'' Hunter said. ``These fast boats could link Dare and inland counties as the sounds and rivers again became busy coastal highways.''
Until the arrival of the auto age, most transportation in eastern North Carolina was by water.
Under proposals studied by Bunny Sanders, director of the economic commission's tourist division, the fast ferries could move visitors as well as commuters from towns like Edenton or Belhaven to the Outer Banks in less time than it now takes to travel by car. The catamarans and Hovercraft-type boats have tops speeds of more than 5 mph.
Superhighways now planned to link Raleigh and Norfolk with northeastern North Carolina would make those hub cities more accessible to residents of the south shore of Albemarle Sound who wanted to commute by high-speed ferry to the roads on the north side of the Sound.
Similar ships, riding on a cushion of air, have successfully operated across the English Channel from England to France for many years, moving thousands of travelers and their autos in all kinds of weather.
``If we can develop this high-speed water transportation, it will bring a whole new economic dimension to the northeast,'' said William Rich, an Elizabeth City developer who has championed the fast-ferry proposals for several years.
Rich has a multimillion dollar tourist park on the drawing board for underdeveloped Hyde County, ``but it won't work until we get these fast boats,'' Rich said Wednesday.
Political rather than navigational hazards are ahead for the ferryboats.
Sanders and her economic commission tourist division have so far functioned as a separate agency, guaranteed autonomy by the wording of the General Assembly legislation that created the commission in 1992.
Since Sanders, who formerly directed a small business program at Elizabeth City State University, was appointed to the tourist job by Hunt she has operated more or less independently from the main 15-member commission.
But a majority of the full commission recently voted to ask the General Assembly to change the enabling legislation to make Sanders reportable to the 15 commission members.
Five of the commissioners were appointed by the governor; five by House Speaker Daniel T. Blue Jr., D-Wake, and five by Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare.
The bill to make Sanders subordinate is pending in the legislature. ``No legislature is going to stand for having a state official who doesn't have to report to anybody,'' James said this week. ``Another alternative would be to stop funding the entire economic commission,'' James added.
As for the high-speed ferryboats, James said he favors ``anything that would help the Albemarle.''
``But,'' he said, ``I think this present bill is premature. We need to find out more about these boats and what kind would best serve our purpose. If we don't know what we're doing, the high-speed water transportation bill is not going to pass.''
Sanders recently moved her tourist branch into Elizabeth City. The main Economic Commission has headquarters 17 miles away in Hertford.
by CNB