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Commissioners Appropriate $216,000 for Visitor’s Center

County has yet to finalize purchase of Moyock site

by John H. Snowden, III
Publisher / Editor

     The Currituck County Board of Commissioners, at their Tuesday, January 22 meeting, authorized spending $216,000 for signage, interior design and other items in the startup of the newly proposed County Visitor’s Center in Moyock.

     The budget authorization, which slipped the eye of those watching, was contained in a slate of items collectively known as “the consent agenda”. This group of agenda items, typically voted near the end of the commissioner’s meeting, is used to conduct business, which is ‘routine’ for the board - including minor budget transfers, declaration of surplus property, and approval of minutes from prior board meetings.

     The Budget Amendment associated with this particular consent agenda item includes:

$138,000 for capital outlay expenditures: $100,000 for purchase and installation of an exterior street sign; $23,000 for the addition of offices to the lobby area of the exisiting building; $8,000 for interior signage and art; and $7,000 for exterior signage.

$39,000 for technology expenditures: $20,000 for computers and other staff related technology purchases; and $19,000 for an information kiosk.

$27,600 for supplies related to the initial setup of the offices (Office furnishings, benches, outdoor trashcans, etc.)

$10,350 for promotional efforts: $10,000 for rental of a billboard located in Virginia at the southern end of the Chesapeake Expressway; and $350 for an outdoor brochure rack;

$1,300 for contracted services, including adjustment of an exisiting handicap ramp, and stormwater engineering.

     County documents received as part of a public information request made by The Independent, reveal that the county has entered into a contract with Thayer Design, Inc of Madison Heights, Va. for approximately $6,000 to design the floor spqace exhibits in the proposed Visitor’s Center.

     According to an email message sent from Diane Sawyer, Director of the Public Information / Travel & Tourism Department, to members of the Tourism Advisory Board, a representative from Thayer Design was scheduled to meet with county officials on Wednesday, January 16 at 9:00 a.m. at the Courtesy Ford dealership in Moyock - the site of the proposed County operated Visitor’s Center.

     Additionally documents released to The Independent reveal that the County has issued a puchase order to Adams Outdoor Advertising of Norfolk, Virginia for the amount of $15,225 to cover “production cost for a billboard in Chesapeake, Va; and 21 weeks of billboard rental. The purchase order requisitioner was Diane Sawyer, Director of the Public Information / Travel &Tourism Department.

     A ’sign order form’ released with the documents indicate that the county has placed an order for a sign to be located at the site of the proposed Visitor’s Center. According to drawings accompanying the order, the sign will be 14 feet 8 inches tall, 10 feet in width, and feature an LED display 3 feet 11 inches tall by 10 feet wide for an estimated cost of $66,100. The ship-to address on the order reads “Currituck Welcome Center, Attn: Barry C. Nelms, Currituck, NC 27929, Ph: 252-453-4153.” The sign order was dated January 3, 2008.

     An email communication dated January 11, 2008, sent from John Wright, Chairman of the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, to all members of the Tourism Advisory Board, Staff of the County Tourism Department and the County Manager, inquires “Will we have another meeting about the Moyock Center sign, or are we communicating via email on this?” Minutes from the December Tourism Advisory Board meeting were not available, at the time of writing.

     The Currituck Board of Commissioners first discussed the possibility of purchasing the former Courtesy Ford Dealership property at a closed session held after their Monday, December 3 meeting. After that meeting, the Board directed County Manager, Dan Scanlon to move forward with negotiations on the site. Since that date, the board has held no other open discussion on the property, nor have they acted to close a purchase agreement on the property.

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© 2008 NE NC News.