DATE: Wednesday, September 3, 1997          TAG: 9709030490

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: MANTEO                            LENGTH:   79 lines

GROUNDWATER STUDY APPROVED FOR DARE COMMISSIONERS WANT TO KNOW THE EXPANSION POSSIBILITIES.

A countywide hydrogeological study of fresh and brackish groundwater supplies was approved Tuesday by the Dare County Board of Commissioners.

The $153,200 project will evaluate expansion possibilities of existing water systems, drill monitor and test wells, review previous water data and assess the quality of the resource. The report is expected to be completed within nine months, county officials said.

A recent agreement between the county and Carolina Water Service in Currituck County to share water in emergencies hit a barrier when Kill Devil Hills refused to endorse it without the study.

Before the 4-2 vote, Commissioner Cheryl Byrd suggested checking with the U.S. Geological Survey before approving the contract with Missimer International of Florida. Byrd said she was concerned the study could be designed inadequately and that it could be helpful to discuss the matter with federal experts.

``It seems to me that it doesn't hurt to take, say, a month or two to do this,'' Byrd said. ``We have some long-term planning to think about here and we don't want to come back in two or three years.''

But Commissioner Douglas Langford said the county already has a successful relationship with the company, which did studies for the Kill Devil Hills and Rodanthe systems. Another advantage, he said, is that its previous data would be readily accessible.

``It's way overdue,'' Langford said about a countywide survey. ``I don't see any reason to hold it up now.''

The board also agreed to pay North Carolina engineering firm Hobbs, Upchurch & Associates $34,360 to prepare a water system feasibility study and install a test well in Stumpy Point.

``This is the first step,'' County Manager Terry Wheeler said. ``I know it's a lot of money to spend but it's the only way to determine if there's enough groundwater and subsurface water to put a system in.''

The study will also establish if the water is potable and how much it would cost per household. He said the data will be incorporated into the countywide study.

Tuesday's meeting marked the first time Geneva Perry has served as board chairman since Robert V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr. resigned from the post Aug. 31. Owens, chairman for at least half of the 25 years he served on the Board of Commissioners, had to step down from local politics after his confirmation last week to the state Utilities Commission.

Perry, previously vice chairman, automatically stepped into Owens' seat until Dec. 1, when the body will elect the next chairman. The panel will elect a new vice chairman at the next meeting.

The Dare County Democratic Party Executive Committee still has to decide who will fill the vacancy on the commission. Party chairman Chris Hardee is expected to call a meeting within the week, when the committee will vote on a replacement for the District 1 seat.

In the meantime, no tie-breaker existed on the current panel of three Democrats and three Republicans. Consequently, the board deadlocked on several matters, including a motion to hire an architect to design a proposed county health and social services building on county land in Manteo.

But the board didn't hesitate to approve a resolution asking the Utilities Commission to reconsider changing the telephone area code in northeastern North Carolina. The state panel recently announced that new area codes are needed to supplement the congested telephone system. Langford said businesses are concerned the plan could have a negative impact on the area's tourism-based economy.

``I bet that new member will say, `My land! Already?' '' Perry joked, referring to Owens.

In other business, the board:

Agreed to a contract with Sprint Carolina Telephone to lease a telephone switch, automated attendant and new phones for the county. Commissioner Richard Johnson, a Sprint employee, abstained from voting.

Voted to divide an approved $700,000 school appropriation for Cape Hatteras athletic fields into two parts. The move limits expenditures to $350,000 until adoption of the 1998-99 budget which includes an additional $350,000 appropriation. Perry said the school superintendent requested an advance of the funds, but she said it was not wise for the county to disburse the money without ``any procedure in place.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

Geneva Perry...

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu