DATE: Tuesday, October 21, 1997             TAG: 9710210270

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH AND CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITERS 

DATELINE: MANTEO                            LENGTH:   81 lines

HATTERAS ISLAND LAND FOR SCHOOL ON HOLD COMMISSIONERS WANT ASSESSMENT BEFORE PLUNKING DOWN $550,000.

The Dare County Board of Commissioners Monday delayed action on a Board of Education proposal to buy nearly 27 acres on Hatteras Island for construction of a new elementary school.

Commissioners want the Dare County Board of Education to supply cost estimates for environmental and engineering studies before they agree to put a down payment on the $550,000 tract.

A special meeting will be held Nov. 20 on the issue.

Under a proposal submitted by the school district, a Richmond, Va. physician, Charles Blair, offered more than 19 acres of the 26-plus acre parcel as a gift, with the remainder to be bought for $550,000.

The sale, however, is contingent on several factors, including access from N.C. 12 and meeting state and federal regulatory requirements.

County Attorney H. Al Cole and Planning Director Ray Sturza said lawsuits by state and federal agencies as well as environmentalists are possible.

The tract is under the purview of the state Coastal Resources Commission. The federal government could have something to say about the effect on wetlands. And a Chapel Hill-based environmental group, the Southern Environmental Law Center, is concerned about the proposal because the property is within the Buxton Woods Special Environmental District.

County officials also want specifics about costs of studies required to meet federal and state law. School officials were unable to provide estimates at Monday's meeting.

``I think that . . . the school board needs to get some figures together so that we can make an intelligent decision,'' said Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Geneva Perry. ``And by that I mean a fiscally intelligent decision.''

The commission agreed to place a cap on the amount of money to be spent for the necessary preliminary work, based on the school district estimates.Commissioner Richard Johnson voted against the decision.

``We had already made a decision to put a cap on the amount they could spend,'' Johnson said after the meeting. ``Why hold this up?''

School Board Member Allen Burrus, who represents Hatteras Island, was disappointed at Monday's decision, but called it a step forward.

Joe Farrow, President of the Cape Hatteras PTSA, was not as positive.

``I think the board is being held hostage by the threat of a lawsuit,'' Farrow said. ``And they're doing what they think is necessary to protect themselves. But I think they should also be concerned about lawsuits by parents of children of Hatteras Island because they don't have an adequate school.''

The Nov. 20 meeting is open to the public.

On other matters, the board:

Agreed with Commissioner Cheryl Byrd's request to require Carolina Water Service to provide the names of the developments it serves on the Currituck Outer Banks, the total number of gallons produced and distributed in that month, the date and amount of peak water production and the number of households and businesses served during the month. The county recently finalized a reciprocal contract with the private utility to provide water in an emergency.

Deferred action until Nov. 17 on a proposal by Commissioner Shirley Hassell to amend the county's personnel policy to forbid county employees from holding elected office. Hassell said the change would address questions of conflict of interest that have been raised in current municipal office campaigns.

Voted down Byrd's request that Commissioner Mac Midgett resign because she said he improperly authorized public funds to pave a private road in Avon. Midgett, while not denying he acted without approval from the county manager, said improving the 300-foot section of roadway helped some residents gain better access to a family cemetery. But Byrd said Midgett violated state law, and if he won't resign, the county attorney should refer the matter to the district attorney.

Authorized the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management to build a bath house, a handicapped access ramp and other improvements at the Washington Baum Bridge boat launch.

Scheduled a hearing on a draft ordinance on regulation of cellular communication towers and systems for Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. at the Administrative Annex in Manteo.

Amended the county land use plan so that it conforms with national freshwater wetlands standards.

Approved a lease agreement between the county and the Wright Place for Youth. The private nonprofit group will soon open the doors to its new 4,200 square-foot group home. The facility, which is largely funded by ABC profits, will pay $1,200 per year to the county.

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