NAGS HEA, N.C.
Gov. Bev Perdue said Friday she was taken aback when a bill arrived on her desk authorizing construction of the North Carolina Aquarium Pier in Nags Head.
"I got my veto stamp out," joked Perdue, "and said, 'Who stole the money from Jennette's Pier?' "
In her first official visit to the Outer Banks since she was elected, Perdue displayed her northeastern North Carolina roots when she complained about the "audacity" in thinking about calling the replacement for the Outer Banks' oldest pier anything other than Jennette's.
More than 1,000 petitioners on the social networking Web site Facebook had similar sentiments, and the name has been officially restored as part of North Carolina Aquariums.
Dubbed a "sand breaking" for the $22.5 million project, the event Friday at the Whalebone Junction site brought out the governor and a crowd of about 300, including state Sen. Marc Basnight, D-Manteo; state Rep. Timothy Spear, D-Creswell; and state agency heads.
"I'm so glad the property is still carrying the name of Jennette," Millicen t Jennette Waits, 99, said after the event.
Her mother's uncle Warren Jennette Sr. built the 754-foot pier in 1939.
"I'm just real happy," she said, "that it will be turned into something that will mean something to everybody."
Wilmington contractor Clancy & Theys is expected to start construction in early June. When it's completed in about two years, the fishing pier will have "green" features that include three wind turbines, geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, gray water re-use, energy-efficient lighting, and state-of-the-art stormwater management. As an extension of the Roanoke Island aquarium, it also will host educational programs.
The pier and its 5.12-acre site was almost sold to developers in 2002, but the North Carolina Aquarium Society was able to buy it. In 2003, most of the pier, which was later transferred to the state, was destroyed by Hurricane Isabel.
Plans for a new 1,000-foot concrete-and-wood pier and its two-story 16,000-square-foot pierhouse were nearly derailed when bids came in at almost twice the projected cost. But legislation authorized the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources, overseer of the aquariums, to use $10.5 million in stormwater funds. Other funds have been provided by aquarium fees, donations and state grants.
Spear's bill was the one that Perdue signed last month authorizing construction of the pier. Although the bill was passed unanimously, Spear said the history of the project shows that it came close to being like the stories fishermen tell.
"This could have been one of those that got away."
Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com
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Need to Show Restraint
Governor Perdue and the North Carolina Legislature need to show some restraint in government spending. The state of North Carolina does not need to be in the business of building piers when there are private piers available for the tourists at the Outer Banks. It is nothing more than wasteful government spending, especially when one considers the tax and spend policies of this governor. The first problem is that the state is running a deficit and needs to have a balanced budget, pay down debt, and decrease the size of the government. Smaller government and lower debt would mean lower taxes in the future and would entice economic expansion and development.
At a time when North
At a time when North Carolina is experiencing the greatest recession of modern times, we can all be thankful that Gov. Perdue didn't use this money for less important things like mental health, our deterioraing highway system, etc. Now, let's hope another $11 million also comes through to supplement Nags Head's proposed beach nourishment program. Heavens knows we need MORE TOURISM here on the Outer Banks much more than folks in NC needs jobs or public assistance these days