THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 13, 1995 TAG: 9507130378
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
The location of a proposed Dare County government center may be decided tonight at another hearing on the controversial proposal.
An 11-acre tract on U.S. Route 64, known as the Louis Midgett tract, is the front-runner.
However, residents who live near the site say they plan to fight not only the choice of the Midgett location, but the entire idea of a county government complex as well.
A panel formed to study the feasibility of the complex is considering three Roanoke Island sites: the Midgett tract; a site near the Dare campus of the College of the Albemarle and a Budleigh Street location.
The committee will meet at 7 tonight in the Dare County Board of Commissioners' meeting room in Manteo.
Near Manteo Baptist Church, the Midgett parcel was the first choice of the architecture firm chosen by the county for the project. The firm evaluated the tract based on accessibility, possibility for expansion and other factors.
However, homeowners near the proposed site say that if the Midgett tract is chosen and the facility constructed, it will damage the quality of life in the neighborhood. They argue that construction will cause increased traffic flow in an area that is dangerously congested during the school year.
The group has started a countywide petition drive opposing the Midgett site and the concept of the complex. However, despite protests by group member Christian Zdanski, the town of Manteo's Board of Commissioners endorsed the Midgett tract for the proposed complex.
``Everyone I talk to is concerned about this,'' Zdanski said. ``We think if the Midgett site is selected, it will destroy the quality of the neighborhood. The rights of the homeowners in this area should be considered.''
Zdanski said if the facility gets the go-ahead, legal action is a possibility.
Dare County Commissioner Clarence Skinner has said that the facility will not be built unless it is supported by the public. by CNB