Currituck County's controversial horse farm, still unused and unsold, could become an election issue again.
Set along the marshes of the Currituck Sound, the 102-acre tract, priced at $3.8 million, attracted no offers after ads ran three Sundays in three newspapers, said County Manager Dan Scanlon.
The bid deadline is Tuesday at 5 p.m.
It is not likely the county would drop the price or spend more money to upgrade the property for use as a park, said Barry Nelms, chairman of the Currituck County Board of Commissioners. The site needs county water, rest-rooms, sprinklers for an indoor arena, and parking facilities, he said.
"We're looking at a dead horse," Nelms said.
As the election season approaches, the horse farm purchase will become an issue again, as it was in 2006, Nelms said.
Challengers, including Nelms, criticized the property as a waste of taxpayers' money and said facilities were inadequate. After two incumbents who had supported the purchase were defeated, the new board fired the employees and shut down operations at the site.
The property was bought with occupancy taxes paid for by tourists, not local residents, said Paul O'Neal, who lost his seat in the 2006 election. It could still be converted into a park without using local taxes, he said.
O'Neal is running for an at-large seat but does not have a challenger in the May primary.
The county bought the property for $3.2 million in 2006. A manager and two maintenance workers were hired. Horse enthusiasts hoped it could become the best facility of its kind in the region.
Later, county officials planned to lease the property to Kitty Hawk Kites, which wanted to offer horseback riding, kayaking and hang gliding, among other activities. That plan fell through.
Others have made inquiries but submitted no bids, Scanlon said.
Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com
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