THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 1997 TAG: 9702050511
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SOUTH NAGS HEAD LENGTH: 54 lines
The demolition crew that is going to put Nags Head Sails out of its misery this month has started salvaging remaining valuables from the stripped building.
Doomed by the rapid erosion of its front-yard beach, the seven-story white concrete structure briefly caught the eye of state Sen. Marc Basnight. The Manteo Democrat called off the wreckers last month while his office investigated purchase of the property for the state.
But after determining that the building would cost a pretty penny to fix, Basnight left Nags Head Sails to to its former destiny.
``The renovation would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars,'' said Kyle Armentrout, Basnight's aide. ``That clearly would have been way too much.''
A plywood sign painted with bright orange letters is propped against one of the twin pillars at the entrance to the 18-unit beachfront structure: ``Building materials for sale.''
Windows at many of the openings have already been removed by workers from D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. Inc. of Smithfield, N.C. They look for any material that can be sold.
``I'm trying to recycle everything,'' said Jim Lewis, who is supervising the demolition. ``What we don't sell here, we can truck back to Greensboro to our salvage yard.''
Situated next to the Comfort Inn off Old Oregon Road, the approximately 60-foot-high complex qualified for federal funds because it was deemed ``in a zone of imminent collapse.'' Members of the Nags Head Sails Homeowners Association failed to find a way to save the building and applied for relief under Upton-John, a Federal Emergency Management Agency program. The 15 owners of the building will be paid $1,177,435 for the building and 10 percent of the $155,000 demolition costs - the single largest claim paid under the now-extinct program.
The homeowners intend to sell the 180-foot by 573-foot oceanfront parcel. The three lots have been appraised at $400,000, said Carol Thomas, a member of the association's board of directors.
Since 1974, when the condo was built, the shoreline by Nags Head Sails has eroded by about 140 feet. Lewis guesses that the beach has receded about 30 feet the two years he has been involved with the project.
Lewis has applied for a demolition permit from the Nags Head building inspector. Public comment on the the project will be accepted until Feb. 17, said Nags Head Chief Building Inspector John Brabrand.
Demolition is expected to begin shortly after that, Brabrand said.
He said he will be on site frequently to ensure that the property is cleaned up properly and that the public-trust area of the beach is protected.
Lewis said he plans to use a wrecking ball to knock the building down. Then the rubble will be ground up. The project should be completed in four to six weeks, he added.