Humans are part of nature, too!

How did I become an environmentalist who doesn’t trust environmental agencies and organizations? It took a life time...

As a child, I spent a lot of time in my grandmother’s house in a small coal mining town in West Virginia. Marmet is a “company” town where much of the housing and employment are controlled by the mine owners. The other major employers are the chemical plants including the DuPont chemical plant in nearby Belle.

Trains carrying coal rumbled by daily and, although the tracks were off limits, I frequently made a mad dash to snatch a piece of coal that bounced out of the open train cars. There was a wealth of play potential in the black lumps. They were light, so I could throw them at a target or, even better, maybe at one of the many cousins who always seemed to be visiting. And the softer ones made a great alternative to chalk for writing and drawing on things.

One of the highlights of my day was when my grandmother would allow me to throw out the garbage all by myself.

The house was raised about five feet so that the creek that ran about three feet away wouldn’t flood it when the water was high. After it passed the house, the creek disappeared into a culvert and eventually made it into the Kanawha River.

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Taking the trash out meant slinging the paper bag over the porch railing into the creek so that the waters could wash it away. Six decades ago, it was a common practice and didn’t carry with it the same problems found today. Most households generated little trash and garbage. Left-overs were eaten or fed to livestock; glass jars containing vegetables, jelly, pickles and the like were saved to use for next canning season; milk and soda bottles were glass and were returned to the store to collect the deposits. There was no plastic or excess packaging from already-prepared foods.

All the plumbing probably also drained into the creek.

The sky was always blue and that didn’t seem unusual until I was older and realized that the always-blue sky was my misunderstanding. It was the air that was blue. There were few, if any, environmental regulations in the 50s and the blue tinge was from the unregulated chemicals belched out of DuPont’s smokestacks. There also was a foul smell but, as with many odors, after a while, one ceases to smell it.

A couple of decades passed before I began to think about the importance of protecting the environment. Villager dresses, circle pins and loafers were replaced with mini-skirts and tall boots. When I finally became interested in nature and natural resources, I had graduated to long skirts, blue jeans, hiking boots and flannel shirts.

Like many, with three young children and a lot of work that came with living in the mountains of Colorado, I depended on environmental organizations for news about the environment. If they stated something as fact, initially, I never questioned it. But as my understanding of science and environmental politics expanded, I found myself fact-checking newsletters and releases to see if they were accurate – often they were misleading. But I gave them the benefit of the doubt – perhaps the writer had misunderstood the topic.

Because of my understanding environmental science and the related law, as a journalist, I often was assigned stories about environment and government agencies that are tasked with its protection.

One particular story showed how devoid of fact that some government environmental agencies’ statements are.

A large number of dead turtles washed up on Corolla’s beach and drew the attention of the National Marine Fisheries Service. A statement was issued that it was thought to be caused by commercial fishing vessels because one was seen in the vicinity the day before the turtles were discovered. Also noted was that the turtles were sent to the state vet school for further study.

The necropsy results showed many had died from a wasting disease. And a large number of them had hook and lines in their stomachs or wrapped around their bodies. I asked why NMFS had not corrected the earlier statement and was told that the hook-and-line deaths were probably caused while fishing from piers and inadvertently catching the turtles. The answer was a mind-blower – “Because they can’t help it and can only cut the line to get it off the pole.” They left the public with the impression that commercial fishermen were responsible for the deaths although they knew otherwise.

I took a break from journalism to work for the North Carolina Fisheries Association as vice president of communications at the beginning of the work on the State’s Fisheries Reform Act. Part of my job was to visit with commercial fishing groups along the coast to find out what was acceptable to them and tell them how to get their voices heard.  Because the fisheries varies along the coast, the ideas were broad – except for one item that was universal. They knew more regulations were coming and they wanted the biggest problems addressed – loss of habitat, wetlands and declining water quality.

For more than a year, all the environmental groups in the state agreed and vowed to back the request. It made environmental sense. After a lot of hard work by a lot of smart people, the draft legislation was sent to mark-up before being introduced in the General Assembly.

I represented the commercial industry at the mark up session. Lobbyists and/or directors of every major environmental group in the state were at the table. Together, we reviewed the bill’s language and there were no surprises until we got to the part about the creation and implementation of Coastal Habitat Protection Plans to address the loss of habitat, wetlands and water quality. As previously agreed, it was included in the draft legislation, but there was no effective date for the plans. It just noted that the plans were to be developed and implemented – at some point. Thinking it was just an error, I quickly noted that the “hammer” was missing. It was so open-ended that the state could wait a century before giving thought to it.

There was absolute silence for several minutes. Finally, Bill Holman, later the director of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, simply said, “You’re right.” My impression was that Bill also was unhappy with the omission.

I didn’t stop arguing for it to be corrected but no one responded except for the attorney who drafted the bill. She said that if an effective date was added, the General Assembly wouldn’t approve it.

The combined members of all the organizations at the table had enough strength to get just about anything we collectively wanted. I finally realized that the environmental groups had traded “the hammer” for something else that they wanted and weren’t going to share just what that something was.

More than 10 years later when the Coastal Habitat Protection Plans finally became a reality, one of the environmental groups sent out a letter-to-the-editor taking credit for getting the plans. Of course, there was no mention of the fact that they had contributed to causing them  to be delayed by a decade.

Environmental groups can and have had positive influence but often misstate the facts, usually to create the impression of a looming crisis. As groups have grown larger and larger, much of the effort has shifted from the core mission of helping to protect the environment to fund-raising to obtain revenues needed to pay the tab for growing administration cost. An easily provable fact is that if there is not a perceived crisis, donations are lower.

An old newspaper adage that’s rarely said aloud anymore – although still frequently followed – is “If it bleeds, it leads. If it doesn’t bleed, cut it with a knife.”  The same can be attributed to some of the nonprofit environmental groups that go to extremes to make situations sound 10 times more critical than they are. And they refuse to accept that the fact that humans are part of nature.

Little more than a decade ago, King Cove, Alaska residents asked for permission to extend a dirt road through the wildlife refuge to Cold Bay. The refuge cuts off King Cove residents’ access to hospitals that can take care of critically ill or injured patients. The only options available to reach the hospitals was by boat or helicopter, both nonstarters when the weather is bad. Environmentalists, backed by former Vice President Al Gore, stopped a bill which would have allowed clearing the last seven miles needed to reach Cold Bay. The road was to be for emergency use only but the environmentalists argued that it would destroy habitat needed by wildlife.

The late Sen. Ted Stevens was so outraged that he managed to get millions in appropriations to add a clinic, a new airstrip and other improvements to try to help solve the problem. For a while, ferries were put into service but that ended a couple of years ago because of extremely high maintenance cost and because they also were shut down in bad weather.

King Cove’s population is about 1000, half of whom are indigenous Native Americans. Last year, they went back to Congress and again asked for permission to build the emergency-use-only road because there have been more than 10 deaths that could possibly have been prevented if they had had proper level of medical care. Again, because of the influence of environmental organizations, the answer has been no. I have to wonder how anyone who would fight to save a salamander couldn’t do the same for a human being.

The fight continues over replacing the Bonner Bridge and ensuring access to Hatteras Island. Whether the replacement should be beside the existing bridge or go into the sound has become a circuitous argument. But the continued suggestion that ferries should be the preferred option has been consistent for decades. If the groups don’t understand why that won’t work, they need only to look at their own handiwork in King Cove – Defenders of Wildlife has a hand in each. And to say that man shouldn’t be living on the island is about 400 years too late. He does and he is part of that environment. There can be solutions that take humans into consideration.

And the negative impacts from the Off Road Vehicle rules are not only ignored, they are the subject of many out and out lies. For the past few years, the increasing amount of occupancy tax collected has been used to try to say that shutting off miles of beach to vehicles and pedestrians has increased business on Hatteras Island. That is not true and the tax collected only reflects how much is charged. Increases in tax rates, increases in rental prices, IRS mandates to start taxing services such as bike rentals, linens and cribs and other such items are reflected in the taxes collected. The amount is not an indicator of how many visit the island.

I choose to live in an area surrounded by a National Wildlife Refuge because I love nature. I have a strong belief that everything around us is a gift from God and that we have a moral responsibility to take care of it, appreciate it and to ensure its viability.

Man can be and often is destructive if left to his own devices so while many are advocating that regulations be done away with, I know that we must rein in activities that destroy this gift. At the same time, God made man as part of this nature world and that, too, must be acknowledged. In many ways, it is difficult to decide which is worse – over reaching environmental groups or groups that think there should be no controls. They are both doing damage to nature that includes man.

There are solutions but to get to them, the rhetoric and self-serving power struggles have to be put to the side. There are solutions but it is going to take those of us in the middle to find them.

I would like to find a solution that would allow Marmet residents to continue to earn a living while being able to truly see blue sky instead of blue air and breathe clean air instead of coal dust.

A new definition of cornucopia

Hyde County residents have little to laugh about in what is one of the poorest counties in the state. But if you want to hear a huge belly-laugh, visit a local eatery at lunch and loudly announce "I'm the government and I'm here to help." Note: wear running shoes because when the laughter stops, you might have to run for your life.

To understand the impacts and importance of the latest controversy - shallow depths and salt water intrusion into Lake Mattamuskeet, the state's largest freshwater lake - one has to be able to place it in the context of the county's economic history and demographics.

The US Census estimates that between 2010 and 2012, there was less than one percent population growth; the North Carolina Department of Commerce predicts no growth in the next five years. There are few well paying jobs and prospects of a "job-creator" locating there are slim.

While 84.1 percent of the state's residents are high school grads, only 75.7 percent of Hyde County residents have completed high school. The state percentage of residents holding at least a bachelor's degree is 26.5; only 10.7 percent of Hyde residents have degrees in higher education.

The Hyde County school district is already one of the poorest in the state but due to actions in the General Assembly this past session, it will lose a half million dollars of state funding in each of the next two years. Many of the students who do graduate and attend college choose not to return to the county with their degrees because there are few opportunities for them..

Statewide, 16.1 percent of the residents are at or below poverty level; in Hyde County more than a quarter of the residents are in that slot on the economic scale. This current administration's cuts to food stamps, unemployment benefits and the state's refusal to accept Medicaid that would have given some access to health care is being exacerbated by the closing of the closest hospital in Belhaven. Hospitals were receiving federal funds to help offset the cost of treating those without financial means to pay but when the Medicaid expansion went into effect, the federal subsidies to hospitals ended and the state refused the Medicaid funds.

About 33 percent of the population is African-American and about another seven percent is comprised of other minority races; the population trends more toward the elderly than the young.

The cuts in unemployment benefits are particularly problematic on Ocracoke which has mostly a seasonal economy and thus many businesses close in the winter.

Cornucopia usually refers to a horn of plenty - a symbol of abundance and nourishment. But Hyde residents have long been treated to a cornucopia of government neglect and broken promises. And every step back on the mainland portion of the county is felt by residents and businesses in Ocracoke Village located on Ocracoke Island.

A large portion of the county's tax revenue is dependent on the tourism drawn to the village and the higher property values on the island. The 700-acre village is accessible only by ferry - about two hours from the mainland or 45 minutes from Hatteras Island. The mainland ferry has a tax of $15 each way. There is no tax on the Hatteras/Ocracoke ferry - the village's only free access. But the state has been contemplating charging for the ferry - it was in the state budget but was pulled out and sent to a regional board to decide. If there is a tax added to it, Ocracoke Village will become the only community in the state whose residents and visitors will be taxed to enter and leave.

(At the time of this writing, the tax to ride the ferries to and from the mainland are temporarily waived due to the closure of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge because of safety concerns. The bridge was the only free access for those going across Hatteras and Pea islands to the northern beaches.)

Ocracoke Village's economy has already been hurt by government actions. The island is 16 miles long and ranges from a half-mile to three miles wide. Except for the small village, the island is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. For decades, the surrounding beaches drew visitors who wanted to fish on the beach, bird-watch, or just lay out in the sun. But that changed a few years back when the National Park Service which manages the property filed a plan to close off large portions of the beach to protect birds and turtles. To drive on the beach in the areas that are open, a permit is required - the cost of the permit ranges from $50 for a week to $120 for an annual pass. Most of the beaches are not reasonably accessible by foot and the closed areas also are mostly closed to pedestrians.

The businesses on the island have worked hard to minimize the economic impact but it is an ongoing struggle - it's difficult to make lemonade when the lemons are gone. It is still a beautiful place to vacation and that has been the village's saving grace.

The tax revenues generated by the tourism-based economy on the island is used support a large portion of the county's budget.  The mainland of Hyde is rural and depends primarily on commercial fishing and farming. The commercial fishing industry has been negatively impacted during the last decade by ever-increasing regulations as well as the frequent loss of safe passage through Oregon Inlet for those vessels that fish the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Frequently, seafood that would be landed in Engelhard or Swan Quarter is off loaded in other locales because of accessibility. This impacts local fish houses and reduces the number of employees used for off loading, packing, cleaning, etc.

Farming is periodically hit with woes caused by droughts or an over abundance of rain that saturate crops.

Off the beaten path, the county has never been able to attract job-creating industries that depend on good transportation corridors and skilled workers.

But a little more than a decade or so ago, there was a glimmer of hope of developing a different sort of tourism economy on the mainland. Bass fishermen and waterfowl hunters already flocked to Lake Mattamuskeet to enjoy the great fishing and unrivaled hunting opportunities.

The old lodge at the lake was opened for meetings, weddings, and as a place researchers could stay for a night or two while they collected data for various studies. In the late fall, local groups came together to produce the Swan Days Festival at the lodge and which attracted tourists, artists, photographers and locals. For what was probably the first time ever, there were reasons to go to Lake Mattamuskeet for things other than fishing and hunting. It was becoming a "destination" where hundreds of thousands of Tundra Swan and Snow Geese flew in each fall and winter and their presence created an unrivaled backdrop of beauty for any event or activity.

And then the plug was pulled out of this potential life boat. The US Fish and Wildlife Service ordered the lodge closed due to structural safety issues. Long-known repairs had gone without attention year after year because of federal budget cuts. With the closing, the mainland lost its little ray of hope to be able to grow its share of the economy through use of the lodge coupled with the existing use of the lake.

Years passed without any repairs to the lodge which drew the ire of former North Carolina Sen. Marc Basnight. He set out to try to give the county back its hope for a better future by wheeling and dealing until the federal government agreed to give the lodge portion of the refuge to the state. The state, in turn, made a commitment to restore the lodge with the ambition of jump-starting the mainland's economy again. The work was designed to be done in phases and the first was completed and the second was funded when the national economic downturn hit. Although the money was appropriated, the Council of State chose not to release it because of fears that it would be needed to balance the budget. As more years went by, the money slipped back into the state coffers and off legislators' radar.

Management of the federal portion of Lake Mattamuskeet has frequently changed over the years as managers stayed just long enough to find another slot.

There are no movie theaters or other entertainment venues and, because of high transportation costs, basic necessities such as groceries and gas are not competitively priced compared to surrounding counties.

Although the school system strives hard to offer a sound education, lack of resources often finds it wanting. These and other issues make the county a less than desirable place to live - particularly for young professionals. In fact, these same short-falls also make it difficult to attract education professionals to the schools on the mainland and on Ocracoke.

Because of the high turnover rate of refuge managers, the focus and the action plans often change before any plan can be completed. And each new refuge manager has brought with them a different objective and new priorities.

And that is the basis for the current controversy - the low water and salt water intrusion into the lake. Those upset about the condition of the lake have started a campaign to try to bring attention and resolution to the problem. Long before the area surrounding the lake became a waterfowl hunting mecca, it was widely known for its great bass fishing. And locals routinely subsistence fished the shoreline and the causeway to stretch their food meager food budgets by catching perch, catfish, crappie and bream.. But it seems that those species are being replaced with salt water species such as red drum and flounder.

The opponents of the current management plan say that allowing the depth to become so consistently shallow has led to fish kills and that wetlands are being drained. The latter issue, they say,  is allowing invasive species of grasses to flourish in some areas. And dredging work on canals leading from Pamlico Sound to the lake have added woes.

The basis of their concerns, they say, is that one of the few draws left to lure recreational fishermen to the area is being lost and that future generations won't be able to gain the potential economic benefit of having a well-maintained fresh water lake.

They also say that the changes at the lake are affecting a number of species of birds. Eagles and ospreys who often could be seen fishing the lake are becoming rarer. And although the total number of birds is up, that there are fewer swans and geese but more ducks.

Supporters of the current management include farmers who have lands bordering the lake. They say that the lower depths have allowed some of their property to drain and given them more land to farm.

If the lake's freshwater fisheries completely collapse and thus negatively affect recreational fishing, it will cost the mainland the lost potential revenues. And Ocracoke Village, the county's golden goose, may find itself being plucked even more in the future as the county tries to find revenues to support the functions of government.

A working group has been formed and they have a website with information at savemattamuskeetlake.net. The motto of the group is written on signs placed around the county - "Save Mattamuskeet Lake".

Perhaps it would be more appropriate to have "Save Hyde County".

White hair manifesto

     I've reached the age when I am entitled to my opinions, prejudices and declarations. Some think that only the young can have goals but as long as there are days, weeks or years ahead, there is plenty of time to grow. I grew up in an age where women were "taught their place" and there was a "don't ask, don't tell" policy when it came to women expressing an opinion that wasn't dictated by the norm, the husband or the father. The word "won't" was often stripped from our vocabulary. But, now, more than six decades into my life, I'm reclaiming the word with gusto.  
     This is my manifesto.

I won't stop checking out men's bodies.

     1. Just 'cause there's snow on the rooftop don't mean there ain't a fire in the hearth.
     2. My eyes may be old but my mental state is into the delights of each day...a girl's always gotta dream.

I won't watch shows that portray older women as silly, naive and in need of rescuing.

     1. I find it demeaning and insulting except when the role is played by Betty White.
     2. If she wasn't smart, she wouldn't be making big bucks at 90-plus...who gets the last laugh now?

I won't be nice to door-to-door salesmen regardless of their product.

     1. Religion is too important and personal to pitch it door-to-door like it is a super-duper cleanser..
     2. Young men trying to enter my home to clean the carpet are suspicious to say the least.

I won't shop stores that assume that I want pull-on polyester pants and butt-ugly shoes.

     1. I'm not going to give up my tennis shoes or high heels.
     2. God gave us a waist and if he wanted elastic around it, he would have provided a rubber band.

I won't listen to those who begin sentences with "back in your day."

     1. I haven't left all my days behind me.
     2. My days didn't end with the speaker's entry into the world.

I won't show a photo ID to receive chemo treatment if I ever need it.

     1.  It would take a nut case to impersonate a cancer patient so that they could fraudulently receive a chemical cocktail with horrendous side effects.
     2. If the doctor is dumb enough to think that someone is going to use identity theft  to get a chemical fix, then I want a new doctor.

I won't shop stores that give senior discounts only on certain days.

     1. The specified days may not work with my schedule.
     2. There is no reason why my age should be beneficial just one day a week. It took me 66 years to get here so that should count for something.

I won't deal with anyone who talks loudly and slowly to me.

     1. I am not deaf.
     2. My mental faculties haven't been left by the roadside but, if you speak slowly, by the end of the sentence, I may forget the beginning of it.

I won't suffer the company of self-proclaimed "self-made" successes.

     1. If they are so smart, why don't they know that without their parents, they would be nowhere - literally!
     2. Every single "success" story includes someone else who inspired, mentored, helped financially, or who emotionally supported the person on their way up the ladder to "success."

I won't be "politically correct."

     1. Almost every time someone uses the term "African-American", they are showing the bias that they are trying to cover up because rarely is a person's ancestry pertinent to a conversation, and to note it only for one group of people is singling that group out. 

     2. I don't and won't have Gay friends, African-American friends, Jewish friends...I just have friends, most of whom are different from me in some way which is what makes life interesting.

I won't wear under-wire push-up bras.

     1. They are uncomfortable and the results often look silly.

     2. When a mature woman goes from a 34-C to a 34-long bra, if she rolls 'em up to tuck into a push-up bra, if not careful, what's showing has creases that catch cookie crumbs. (Truth no one wants to share.)

I won't watch Fox News or MSNBC.

     1. Both tend to feed specific political ideologies by often ignoring inconvenient truths.

     2. No one individual or party is right every day or wrong every day. 

I won't "watch my language".

     1. Until someone can point to The Great Decider who decides what language is acceptable, I'll just decide it myself.

     2. Sometimes it is correct to call a spade a spade; but sometimes, it's just a damned old shovel.

I won't stop renewing my birth control prescription.

     1. It gives my doctor something to talk about at medical conventions and gives the pharmacist something to smile about.

     2. I get great joy whipping them out when I'm with young women who, although aghast, are afraid to ask why I have them or if I actually take them. (I don't but I always remove a few of them just so it looks like I am.)

I won't give up my right to add to or delete from my manifesto at a mere whim.

     1. I learn something new each day so will hold on to my options to change my opinions.

     2. It's my manifesto.

Through the eyes of preservationists

 By Beth P. Storie

Historic preservationists have to have two sets of eyes: One that looks clear-sightedly at the past and one that sees into the future. It’s a trick, and not all people have, or want to have, the duel perception. But once you have it, it’s darned hard not to look at an old structure and begin the imagining – what did that place look like in its heyday, who frequented it, what went on there, how did that building influence the people who lived here? You can blur your eyes a little and help the past come into a vibrant focus. But those people who don’t have the duel perception look at old buildings and see just that. Old. Time for something else. It’s a legitimate perspective, it’s just not how we preservationists perceive.

Thus the conflict arises that many of us have experienced – one group wants to tear down an old structure to make room for their new whatever, the other group wants to preserve and repurpose. The members of Manteo Preservation Trust (MPT) and concerned townspeople from the small coastal North Carolina area called Roanoke Island are in this tug of war right now over saving our Works Progress Administration-era gym. On the other end of the rope is the Board of Education and other concerned townspeople who see the gym as old and tired and in the way of their needed school addition. And it is a needed addition, no quarrel over that. But MPT has come up with a solution that would give the school board more space than what they would obtain from tearing down the old gym with no additional cost to them. Still, the tug of war persists. From a preservationist’s perspective, the intriguing question has to be…why?

When logic, cost-saving and time-saving don’t sway a decision toward preserving a structure, what’s at play? We at MPT are asking that question and trying hard to find the answer because we’re pretty sure preservationists all across the country have their own version of it. Is it a power struggle? The fuddie-duddies vs. the forward thinkers? The idea that anything new is better than anything with age? We have to listen for the answer with unbiased ears; too much is at stake, not only in this one old gym, not to. One answer we’ve formed revolves around, not surprisingly, eyes and ears. We often have to be taught what to see.

Since it’s a given that every single situation can be viewed with many different perspectives, our job as preservationists has to involve teaching. And that teaching has to be done well before a tug of war begins. In the heat of the tug, we don’t have time to tell the story of what that place once was, what it meant to so many people, why its walls contain more than brick or wood or cement. The reasons why each side is tugging become secondary to the very act of trying to pull the decision one way or the other.

So, whether we end up winning our battle over the WPA gym or not, we have learned a big lesson. You have to teach people how to see sometimes – how to see past the exterior and into the heart and soul of a place. And this seeing has to be taught in neutral times, when the tugging rope has been dropped and both sides have time to unflex their muscles and expand their vision. 

 

Additional WPA gym photos

Since posting the blog below about the MES expansion, I've received emails asking if there are more photos of the inside of the building. We are blessed to have a photo fairy on the Outer Banks, so following are links to more pictures of the inside of the WPA gym. The assortment shows the good, the bad and the ugly.
Picture 1 click here. Picture 2 click here; Picture 3 click here. Picture 4 click here. Picture 5 click here. Picture 6 click here. Picture 7 click here.

Back story on MES expansion

There is an important and interesting back story behind the Manteo Preservation Trust's recent proposal to swap land with the Dare County Schools  in an effort for MPT to gain ownership of the WPA-built gym.

In the spirit of full disclosure, recently I was hired by the MPT to write a press release explaining the importance in preserving the building and how the school could benefit from a land swap while not delaying construction of the new addition to the school.

Today, MPT agreed to release me from writing on its behalf. I made the  request because while doing due diligence before writing the release, some interesting facts began to emerge and even more troubling questions surfaced. MPT's goal is just to get a fair hearing of their proposal so preferred not to question recent decisions of the school board related to the overcrowding of Manteo Elementary School.

I respect MPT's decision not to raise negative questions about the school board's decision-making but as a journalist, a strong advocate of open government and transparency, unwavering supporter of public education and as a taxpayer, I feel strongly that the public is due all the facts.

Wanchese parents have been misled and used as a political hammer by the school board to get its way.

The most obvious question that apparently hasn't been asked is how many elementary students live in that community and what is the racial demographic make-up?

Unless the student racial mix of Manteo Elementary School changes dramatically in the next several years, busing students from Wanchese to Nags Head  might put the school board at risk of taking on significant legal challenges based on a laundry list of Constitutional and federal legislative mandates. Currently, according to GreatSchools.com, the student population is 64 percent white and 36 percent minority. This national nonprofit that rates schools has significantly different numbers of students and class size than those usually cited. It was updated in May and according to the website, information is obtained by pulling numbers from the state related to standardized testing.

Most of the minority students appear to live in Manteo or on the mainland. If the Wanchese students were removed it could significantly change the demographic make up.

There are plenty of questions about the planned addition. The first clue that something is amiss is the contract for demolishing the old gym. The school board asked the county to approve $62,680 and said that it includes the tipping fees . I've helped negotiate contracts for demolition of homes and for a modest size house constructed from wood, the cost has ranged from $11,000 to $15,000 and didn't include tipping fees. The gym is two-story and the footprint is several times larger than most homes.

The gym is unique in that it is built of solid concrete - not cinder - blocks, The concrete blocks were made in Dare County by CCC workers in the 1930's using portland cement and sand gravel, (most likely sand, rock and shell) which was readily available. According to several companies that make these, the older the blocks are, the harder they are.

A number of years ago, the Town of Manteo decided to plant a couple of trees in a sidewalk made with the same type mix of concrete. When the man with the jackhammer began work, he looked like he was on a pogo stick bouncing up and down but not making a dent in the sidewalk.

The gym is going to take extraordinary effort to bring down which could lead to substantial cost overruns.

School officials say that the school is about 140 students above capacity but wants to build just six classrooms. which averages 23 per class. The school is pre-K through fifth grade and according to Education First North Carolina School Report Cards, Manteo Elementary class sizes range from 19 for kindergarten to 23 for fifth grade. So why are only six classrooms being added? Only a few families moving into the school's service area would put it over capacity again.

The current school is about seven years old and was supposed to serve the needs of Roanoke Island and the mainland for many years to come but was over capacity by 2008. According to the US Census, from the 2000 to the 2010 census, the Town of Manteo's population (only a small portion of the area being served by the school) grew by more than 36 percent. and the youth population for ages 0-4 grew a whopping 74 percent. To see the comparison of the two censuses go to http://censusviewer.com/city/NC/Manteo

Roanoke Island and the mainland are growing more rapidly than any other area of the county. For comparisons with other county communities go to http://censusviewer.com/city/NC/Nags%20Head to see Nags Head or to  http://censusviewer.com/city/NC/Kitty%20Hawk for a look-see at Kitty Hawk.

The MES student population increased substantially from 2000-2010 even though the area was hit by one of the worst economic downturns in recent times and prompted many to leave Dare County. This area has affordable housing and will continue to draw new residents who don't want to live on the beach. While many of the other areas serving individual schools within the county are almost at build-out status for adding new homes, the mainland and Roanoke Island have literally thousands of undeveloped residential lots. The implications don't take rocket science to understand.

Where could yet another addition be added? Wouldn't it make sense to double the current plan by building a two-story addition? The extra cost of an elevator and stairwells could be substantially offset by the fact that there would not need to be additional roof or foundation costs.

And if the school has been over capacity since 2008, why? There has been room at the Manteo Middle School that could be used for the fifth grade. There are schools all over the state that have K-8 in one school. As the middle school reaches capacity, the grade would have to be shifted back to MES but hopefully by that time a solution would have been accomplished.

The plans for the new school don't address parking for the additional staff needed for the new classrooms. There already are more staff vehicles than available spaces which has led many to park on the grass behind the school and in front of the old gym. How are the parking issues going to be resolved without taking more space away from the playground?

Several who posted comments on the Outer Banks Voice asked why if MPT was so concerned about the building, they hadn't kept it up. Easy answer - it is a public building and elected officials have an legal obligation to maintain and repair all public assets under their management. If the wiring is ancient, why wasn't it replaced? If there are termites, why wasn't it treated? The taxpayers deserve better care of their public buildings.

Luckily, because the outside structure is concrete, even termite damage doesn't hamper the integrity of the structure. But the interior is not in as bad shape as has been described by several. Click here to see a photo taken recently of the unique truss roof supports and click here to see what the collegiate-size basketball court looks like.

Whether you like old buildings or not, the land swap proposed by MPT could be a win-win. The county would gain 2.5 times the amount of property that the gym is sitting on. The teacher parking could be moved to the additional lots which are separated by a small lane on the north side of the school. Or the retention ponds could be moved there, and the land they now occupy could be put to good use. Where could a second addition be placed without purchasing more land in the future, or eliminating the playground, or substantially reducing the already inadequate teacher parking?

Planning with a vision for tomorrow instead of just stop-gapping for today could save millions down the road when the school board comes back to the county for yet another addition. If proper planning isn't done now, when the addition is completed, the school might - in fact probably - will still be over capacity. Although the school board has approved a contract for the building design, it means nothing until the board of commissioners approves it and provides a budget to pay the architect. Construction can still begin in January thus not delaying living up to the responsibility of providing adequate space for the students.

But whatever the decision, its time everyone played straight with the public instead of playing politics using the children and their parents as pawns. This shouldn't be about marching misinformed parents or pressured teachers before the commissioners to beg for a solution. It should be about realistically assessing the situation and putting forth a plan that will provide for ample space for a great education. And it should be done in a prudent manner that insures best use of tax dollars. Cheap today just means more expensive tomorrow.

Found a star on my birthday!

Sometimes you have to look very hard to find the bright spots in life but on Monday in Raleigh, I didn’t have to look – the bright spots came to me. 

I was arrested at the Legislative Building on Monday night although I was not part of the official protest. I went to hold my own little protest because I feel very strongly that the protesters' Civil Rights are being violated. They have a Constitutional right to take their complaints to the capital, to express their opinions and to be inside the Legislative Building – it is a public building and they are members of the public. I read the building rules and can’t find any that are being violated. 

After they are arrested, they are told that they can't enter the building until after their court date although they are charged only with misdemeanors and have not been found guilty in a court of law.

Monday was my birthday so I chose to share it by handing out cupcakes, watch the protest, and witness the arrests. When the announcement was made to vacate the area in the Legislative Building, the protesters were in front of the Senate Chamber. I went to the opposite side of the rotunda and stood by the doors to the House Chamber.

All but the protesters left the area except for me who stood silently and quietly leaning against the wall. The police officers were courteous and polite but repeatedly said I should leave my vigil post or I would be arrested. After the protesters were handcuffed and led away, I was the only remaining person. And I was arrested.

That’s the nutshell version of what happened but it wouldn’t be complete without adding that legislators who occupied the first couple of offices passed when first entering the building, stood at their doors to welcome those who came in to voice their objections to the travesties that are taking place in the General Assembly. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch their names but I would like to tell them how much that impressed me.

But the biggest brightest star appeared a few hours later when I was released from jail and met outside by a small black woman who introduced herself as Sen. Earline Parmon who was there to support those who were arrested for speaking up and stepping out.

I was really taken off guard at that moment, not expecting a legislator to take the trouble of not only supporting the protesters but taking the time to meet them face to face as a way of saying “we are all in this together.”

Having missed dinner, I caught a ride to the church where they were feeding protesters and where I was to meet Beth Storie who participated in the protest and was arrested that night, Linda Willey who was booked a couple of weeks before, and Lovey Selby who was there to offer moral support and film the event.

I was eating my dinner when Sen. Parmon walked in the door and began going table to table to make sure that she hadn’t missed anyone at the Detention Center.

Her bio on the legislative website says she served five terms in the House and one term in the Senate. She is from Winston-Salem and noted as being retired but my guess is that just means she doesn’t get lots of money for her hard work.

It would be incorrect to describe her as a rising star because it is obvious that she is already casting her bright light wherever she can.

So on my birthday, I had a birthday bash with about 3,000 in attendance, exercised my Civil Rights, got a free glamour portrait, aka mug shot, and found a new hero.

Thank YOU, Sen. Parmon for demonstrating true humility and class.

Post Script: I was found not guilty because it was a public building and I had a right to be there.