THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994 TAG: 9406120065
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940612 LENGTH: ELIZABETH CITY
The vacant Davenport Motors building anchors the 2-acre property, which officials have suggested might be a better location for the planned 50,000-square-foot museum than a sprawling asphalt site about two blocks north, donated by the city in 1991.
{REST} ``We have made an offer to Mr. Davenport,'' said Alton Phillips, real property agent for the North Carolina Department of Administration.
Davenport confirmed Friday that an offer had been made but said the discussion was far from over.
``No agreement has been reached,'' Davenport said. ``And at the moment I don't know what will come of it.
``I'm in favor of it . . . but at the moment we're at a standstill.''
Negotiations reached the latter stages after officials received reports last week from environmental tests run on the property. Phillips would not release the outcome of the tests or the amount of the purchase offer.
The General Assembly appropriated $1 million last year for the state to buy land or continue relocation plans for the Museum of the Albemarle, one of three branches in the state's Museum of History.
Those funds would go toward buying the Davenport property if an agreement is reached, museum officials said.
Wesley S. Creel, assistant administrator of the museum section for the North Carolina Division of Archives and History, said Thursday that he hopes the sale works out.
``It's a wonderful site in terms of its position in the city business district, and also its relationship to the river,'' Creel said.
Officials have been seeking a new home for the Museum of the Albemarle for years.
The current building, on U.S. Route 17 South, is about one-fourth the size of the planned facility and is overflowing, officials have said.
Recognizing potential for downtown development, the city deeded a tract between Water and McMorrine streets for the museum site three years ago. Council members eagerly extended the deed this winter to keep the deal alive.
But museum administrators in Raleigh continued searching for an alternative site, noting some foundation problems with the city parcel.
Located on a former creek, the city property is prone to flooding.
A museum there would have to be built on pilings and around a small pumphouse, greatly increasing construction costs, officials said early this year.
State legislators also have yet to approve money for for the museum's construction, apparently because the location remains up in the air. Rep. Vernon G. James, D-Pasquotank, filed a bill seeking building funds earlier this year but said Thursday that he did not know its status. No funding plans were included in the Senate's budget package.
Creel said planning efforts and cost estimates will become more detailed after officials are sure of where the museum will be built.
``I feel confident this project is going ahead,'' Creel said.
by CNB