Officials eye lighthouse purchase

http://www.dailyadvance.com/hp/content/news/stories/2005/01/22/20050122edalighthouse.html

Just unbelievable. They didn't win the competition to be given the lighthouse so they'll see if they can bully the OBC into selling it.

[begin hillbilly voice] "ahh. How much you want for that there lighthouse? That much? It don't even have no bathrooms or places we can put cars up on blocks in the front yard."

[audio up] "What kind of fool am I"

I can't believe it. This is absolutely CRAZY. It's time for them to just throw in the towel and give up.

It sickens me to see how much money they must have spent on this, when, in the event of a hurricane, the only way out of Corolla is to go down Hwy. 12 and exit along with the entire populations of Duck and Southern Shores. They should be worrying about putting in the Mid-Currituck Bridge, so that people can get to Corolla faster and BE MORE LIKELY TO SPEND THEIR MONEY IN THEIR COUNTY, instead of trying to take this lighthouse away from those who deserve it just to make a quick buck.

Currituck County is not realising that there are many sides to each problem. If all they need is the profit, then they have plenty of other ways to find it. How about using their brains instead of their burocratic power.

Oh, wait, I forgot. These are politicians.

What is truly sad is how this whole mess spotlights the ignorance and stupidity of the citizens of Currituck County. We make jokes about them being hill jacks, but I think that is an insult to hill jacks. These people are so far down the ladder that I question if the entire county could average anything above a low two digit IQ.

That the citizens have allowed the commissioners to (1) continue to play these costly games and (2) stay in office doesn't speak highly of them. If it were not for all the absentee property owners who pay significant taxes to support these clowns could the county even survive?

This group of peole who are supposed to be watching out for the welfare of the county are so obsessed with their being rejected on every effort to steal the light that they have lost sight of their responsibilities. Makes you wonder if any of them ever even visited the light before they tried to steal it?

Dave,

Its long been my thought .. shared by a few .. not shared by a few .. that the lighthouse isnt really a "local issue" but rather, a "lighthouse enthusiast issue." I would wonder how many permanent residents of the county there are versus the number of abnsentee landlords ...

Having said that, I wonder if, as others have mentioned before me, how many times, publicly or privately, the county commissioners have ever acknowledged who the rightful owner of the tower is before this offer was made. I would think, in terms of all future attempts, this bodes exceedingly well in legal terms for the OBC.

WE watch becasue WE care.

Barry

Barry,

No truer words were ever spoken. Many Thanks.

bobo

Barry,

The point you raise about local vs distant property owners is what I was alluding to. There may be more actual local owners, but I would be willing to bet the majority of property values sits with absentee owners.

You also make an excellent point about admitting ownership. After all, would the commissioners be willing to buy the light from OBC if OBC did not really own it?

This is an issue for lighthouse enthusiasts in general to be concerned about, and to make one of their own personal issues.

For those you visit or re-visit Currituck Lighthouse be sure to spend money at the lighthouse but no where else in the county. Get your food,gas and motel in the next county. Just a little protest until they stop doing this stupid stuff.

Wish I could do that, but we love where we stay in Corolla too much. Trust me, I hate it every time we buy food or petrol or "stuff". But, I don't think we are going to switch to another town, as we already know the people in the community, and love the house we stay in.

I'll just cringe at that county tax.

I think the OBC needs to take the offensive and hire a lighthouse friendly lawyer and sue the commissioners for harassment, mental cruelty and every other thing he/she can come up with... These suits should be filed at separate times and at the state and federal level.. I am sure that there is some obscure federal law that the commissioners have broken with all of the under handed tactics that they have tried..

The federal government might even join in sueing or threatening the commissioners. With all of the extra time and money that the federal government has wasted (I know the two things usually go hand in hand) in the earlier petty tactics by the commissioners, someone has to be on the OBC side in this latest harassment, at the feral level ..

Attack, attack, attack!!! Sometimes a good defense is a great offense..

Eric, Great idea !!!
Does any WACKO out there know the accurate boundaries of Currituck County? Sis and I will be coming back from Myrtle Beach via the OB in April. We both really like Currituck LH and will visit. But, we have both vowed not to spend a dime in that county outside of LH property!!!!
Rick
PS: I guess whay I'm asking are where in that county are tourists most likely to spend money?

Rick-

The only OBX town that constitutes Currituck County is Corolla. Duck and southward are all Dare, except for Ocracoke Island, which is Hyde.

Don't forget that the majority of Currituck County lies on the mainland before you ever cross the bridge to the Outer Banks.

This is also where the County Government resides.

Judy

Actually, Judy, I had been thinking along the same lines the past few days. The Currituck gestapo are bent out of shape that the DoI had the gall to award the light to "outsiders" - those who have their corporate HQ in the next county over. Well, the part of Currituck County that is "over the bridge" or actually part of the OBX has more in common with the Dare County portion than Currituck County. It would make a lot more sense if that small portion was actually part of Dare County. It would have to be much more responsible fiscally to be a part of Dare County. The only reason the OBX portion has the misfortune to be a part of Currituck Clownty is that someone drew a straight line across the map to decide boundries.

Wonder if the OBX portion could secede from Currituck to become part of Dare. Suppose the state of NC could remove it from one and give it to the other???? That would be a much better rememdy to all that ails Currituck Clownty.

Perhaps we should address this issue to another authority. The following comes directly from the NC Governor's website:

http://www.governor.state.nc.us/Contact.asp

Contact the Governor's Office
You may contact the Governor's Office by sending a letter to Governor Easley, by e-mailing the Governor's Office or by calling the Governor's Office at:

http://www.governor.state.nc.us/email.asp?to=1

1-800-662-7952 valid in North Carolina only
(919)733-4240, or (919)733-5811.

The address for all correspondence is:

Governor Michael F. Easley
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301

Fax: (919)715-3175 or (919)733-2120

I had said, And Dave added...
Actually the mainland part of Currituck County is separated by water and there is a ferry that one can take from one side to the other. So if you were looking at a birdseye view of the area, Currituck County in its entirety sits totally north of Dare County.

This where I see the problem, i.e., why these officials keep getting elected, and why there is not enough support of voters for the sensible solution, which I see as this. -> Leave the lighthouse alone and quit harassing the people who legally OWN it, and who have put it in its pristeen condition we see today for ALL to enjoy, including the TOURISTS that spend big bucks in this county.

The majority of Currituck's voters live on the mainland and are mostly farmers, and the County officials look out for the farmers. These people are busy with their daily lives of farming, and know the lighthouse is there, but probably don't give it much thought.

But wouldn't it be great if we could really find a fix for this crap that has been going on far too long!

Judy

"The majority of Currituck's voters live on the mainland and are mostly farmers, and the County officials look out for the farmers. These people are busy with their daily lives of farming, and know the lighthouse is there, but probably don't give it much thought.

But wouldn't it be great if we could really find a fix for this crap that has been going on far too long!

Judy "

Judy,

I was going to post something very similar to this.

We in the Lighthouse Community are looking at this situation with blinders. We only see what the elected officials are doing in refernce to the Lighthouse and nothing else.

The people in the county have more pressing needs and probably only give an afterthought to the Lighthouse situation. they may see it as a minor or even an unimportant issue in their grand scheme of things.

I have a similar situation with my local Congressman. I disagree with his position on one very important issue but I continue to support him for reelection every time for two basic reasons- he takes very good care of his constituents in other matters of more direct concern and the other party never puts up a credible candidate to oppose him.

It's very difficult to get people to oppose someone simply for a single issue when the rest of the issues are dealt with in a manner they feel is positive.

It could very well be the case in currituck County.

All that said- there sometimes comes a point when the reaction to specific issues from the outside can make people decide that the balance has been tipped.

It's for this reason that the Lighthouse Community at large must keep up the pressure for a final resolution to the stupidity being practiced. The people of Currituck County must be made aware that they are not being respected elsewhere for tolerating this situation.

The state needs to do more to help resolve this as does the Feds. It is obviously not going to be done on the very local level. The way to do this is to continually agitate those in positions of power. Keep those cards, letters and e-mails going until they get the message.

Dennis

The money that is being frittered away harrassing the OBC and the tourists the light brings into Currituck County would probably go a long way towards helping those very farmers Judy mentions. What has been said over and over is that the commissioners are wasting precious tax dollars in their self serving efforts. Apparently the farmers don't agree with this - here in the Midwest, the farmers do pay attention and would be all over the issue of so much money and effort being wasted. Maybe the NC Farm Bureau would be interested in taking on the commissioners and getting them to re-direct their efforts to actually helping their constituents (a novel comcept for the group of clowns who run the county).

Though the entirty of Currituck Clownty does exist north of Dare County, the truth is that the part that is on the OBX is physically closer and more related to Dare. For the commissioners to drive from thir mainland county offices to the lighthouse (without using the ferry) they presumably have to drive thru a stretch of Dare County. That by itself tells me the OBX portion should be moved to be a part of Dare.

I agree with Dave's sentiment in logic, though I don't know if it could easily be done. Also, if they put in the Mid-Currituck Bridge, Corolla would be acessible without visiting Dare County, depending on how you approach the area. But that's a whole different box of tomatoes.

Currituck County is not wealthy. They are plagued with the same problems as the other two OBX counties: the OBX part of their county is significaantly more well-off then the mainland portion. Thus, the government will try to milk every last drop out of the OBX that they can.

However, the problem here is that they have milked to the point where the cow is out of milk and is starting to moo because its udders hurt. Even if they were (God forbid) able to obtain the lighthouse, the amount they have spent on their antics over the last few years may take a while to get back to breaking even, and then start making profit.

Here's what we should do to rally the "mainland troops" and make them aware of this predicament. There must be a local newspaper for Currituck County. We should begin a letter-writing campaign to this newspaper, advising them of the lighthouse situation. If there were a major article on the front page of the Currituck Courant, or whatever it's called, maybe the farmers could realise how they're being ripped off in this whole thing.

Once you've got the majority of the population on your side, I think that we can start having a major upturn in our side of the story.

And that would kill their property tax base on all those $1+ million vacation homes. Can't imagine they'd give that up!

Not a chance, Bob - just making the common sense observation. The Currituck Clownty commissioners are living too high on the hog from the cash cow that is the OBX homes with non-voting, absentee owners. Not even this bunch of fools (commissioners) is that stupid, though they are rapidly approaching it.....