Sunday, December 3, 2023
By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on October 16, 2023
While there has been no date set for the first meeting of the newly announced affordable housing task force in Dare County, the county’s six municipalities say they have selected their representatives to sit on the body.
The task force was approved by the Dare Board of Commissioners after it was introduced by County Manager Bobby Outten at the board’s Oct 2 meeting. The task force is viewed as an attempt to take a new approach to the thus far unsuccessful effort spearheaded by the county to build workforce/affordable housing in some Dare communities.
The Oct. 2 commissioners’ meeting itself was punctuated by a passionate and contentious public comment period that focused on the measure slipped into the state budget that curtails the municipalities’ right to regulate affordable housing projects funded with the $35 million the state gave the county. The county’s municipal leaders immediately denounced that provision and on Oct. 6, the towns filed suit against the state to challenge it.
An Oct. 4 email from Dare County Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard to the mayors asked them to choose “someone for your town…to serve on this housing task force. Please make sure you choose someone who has NO Bias (pro or con) concerning workforce/essential housing. I want open minds to serve on this Task Force.”
In an Oct. 16 email in response to Voice questions, Woodard said that he wanted a mayor and one other individual from each of the towns to sit on the task force. As indicated in his Oct. 4 message, Woodard confirmed he was asking other groups—including the Outer Banks Home Builders Assoc., the Outer Banks Restaurant Assoc., and the Outer Banks Hotel/Motel Association, among others—to send a representative as well.
Asked about the timing of the first meeting of the task force, Woodard indicated that no date has yet been set as the county is waiting for the November municipal elections are over to do any convening. Depending on how those election goes, the mayors in Nags Head and Manteo could conceivably be on the verge of being ex-mayors.
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BID:
Barnhill Contracting Company will receive sealed proposals for Manns Harbor – EMS/Fire Facility (EMS-8), Kitty Hawk – EMS/Fire Facility (EMS-9), Manteo – Youth Center on January 09, 2024. Times to be given on via addendum #01. See the following SCOPE OF WORK: BP 100 – General Trades, BP 105 – Final Cleaning, BP 205 – Demolition, BP 390 – Turnkey Concrete, BP 400 – Turnkey Masonry, BP 500 – Turnkey Structural Steel & Misc. Steel, BP 505 – Light Gauge Metal Trusses, BP 740 – Roofing, BP750 – Siding, BP 790 – Caulking/Sealants, BP 800 – Turnkey Doors/Frames/Hardware/Toilet Specialties/Accessories/Division 10, BP 840 – Curtainwall/Storefront/Glass/Glazing, BP 925 – Drywall/Framing, BP 960 – Resilient Flooring/Carpet/Base/Epoxy, BP 980 – Acoustical Ceilings, BP 990 – Painting and Wall Coverings, BP 1230 – Finish Carpentry and Casework, BP 1250 – Window Treatments, BP 2100 – Fire Protection, BP 2200 – Plumbing, BP 2300 – HVAC, BP 2600 – Electrical, BP 3100 – Earthwork/Turnkey Site, BP 3213- Site Concrete, BP 3290 – Landscaping. Scopes of work may be added and/or deleted at the discretion of the Construction Manager.
Bid Location and Time: Bid opening will be held in the Barnhill Contracting Rocky Mount Training & GPS Technology Room: 800 Tiffany Bvld, Rocky Mount, NC 27804. Time is as follows: January 09, 2024 at 10:00am and 2:00pm. Times per packages to be given on via addendum #01.
Barnhill Contracting Company will receive, open, and read publicly all bids received in person in the Training & GPS Technology Room at the main office and listed with the virtual viewing at the link to be posted on Barnhill’s Plan Room.
Bids will not be accepted from bidders that are not pre-qualified. No facsimile or email submissions are permitted. Sealed bids are to be hand delivered to the bid opening location noted above or mailed Sealed Bids can be delivered before 9:00am the day of the bid to the Barnhill Contracting Company Office at 800 Tiffany Blvd., Suite 200 Rocky Mount, NC 27804. Attention “Clint Hardison.”
The pre-bid meeting will be held in Person & Zoom Meeting on December 06, 2023 at 10:00 am at the Barnhill Contracting’s Rocky Mount Main Conference Room: 800 Tiffany Bvld, Rocky Mount, NC 27804.
The pre-bid meeting link can be located on Barnhill’s online Building Division Plan Room ( https://app.buildingconnected.com/public/54da832ce3edb5050017438b) and below. A preferred brand alternates meeting will be held via the same link at the end of the Prebid meeting.
Bid Documents can be viewed or downloaded through Barnhill’s online Building Division Plan Room (https://app.buildingconnected.com/public/54da832ce3edb5050017438b) after 12/04/2023.
All Bidders are strongly encouraged to include opportunities for HUB participation wherever possible in their respective Bid submission. HUB participation is a part of this contract and must comply with all requirements set forth in the Bid Documents.
The Construction Manager and Owner reserve the right to add pre-qualified bidders. The Construction Manager and Owner reserve the right to reject any and all bids. Should you require additional direction, please call Barnhill Contracting Company, (Clint Hardison – 252-802-0740).
Clint Hardison is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Dare EMS – Phase 2 Pre-Bid Conference
Time: Dec 6, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://barnhillcontracting.zoom.us/j/82390692985
Meeting ID: 823 9069 2985
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Comments
Go to comments
Obxserver
These proposed developments pretty much all require increased density to “work”. Why do you think the “Rich Men North of Raleigh” snuck that “no Zoning” amendment into the budget with no prior mention or floor debate in the legislator on a floor that WE built by the way? Increased density means many more people, more water, more traffic, more sewage, more run-off, (more flooding) , more school space – teachers?, more law enforcement?, more garbage, more fire dept. , MORE TAXES, less available medical service, less beach access, slower emergency response and as partially listed above; even more need for workforce housing.
Property is zoned at lower density for a reason on this narrow fragile barrier island. Don’t fall for this trojan horse of “affordable, essential workforce housing”
Phoebe
Just like the old saying “The Fox is in charge of Hen house” …. How much more corruption will the citizens of Dare County allow? Stand up and vote them ALL OUT!!! They’re betting that everyone is so stupid and will keep voting straight down Party lines. Let’s prove them wrong.
They ALL need to go!!! Time for true representation for the people of Dare County.
Dylan
The lack of affordable housing for workers necessary to keep the tourism services functioning is the natural result of tourism and real estate speculation exceeding capacity. Given time, tourism will shrink back to a sustainable level, housing costs will drop, and an equilibrium will be restored.
Taxpayer Task Force
What is really needed here is a tax payers task force, and it should be made up of highly biased citizens who believe that their hard earned tax money should not subsidize the housing of other citizens. If businesses and government cannot pay a living wage, then they should do without employees. The business people can just charge higher prices, and the government can raise taxes to pay teachers and other public servants what they deserve. I have no problem with my taxes being raised to raise the salaries of teachers, fireman, policeman, and other public servants, but I should not have to subsidize the housing of hospitality workers and others in the private sector anymore than I should have to subsidize slave quarters.
And this task force should demand a seat at the table.
Kittyhawker
What was even the point of picking these Representatives at this meeting when next month a lot of people are up for reelection?!??
Lisa
The chances of this becoming tourist rentals is high. Or how do you plan to stop that? Airbnbs have become a neighborhood issue. But they are not being addressed. Just make sure as you decide to do this that all towns in Dare have this housing. Too often it is listed for Manteo or Wanchese. If all towns have to understand they will have this, you will get a different level of conversation about it rather than “sticking it” to just certain areas.
Steven
The problem is plain to see, it’s not infrastructure or housing, it’s simply too many tourists. All the destruction is another story..
Bring back the pleasant demographic of fishermen and beach folk
m
Too much building, too many tourist and too many people thinking they should to be given something. There have been opportunities in recent years for people to buy homes with lower prices and great interest rates and they chose not to do so, now it is someone else’s fault. Every city in this Country has this issue and people have to spend hours sitting in traffic to get to work and they do it. Not everyone will be able to live on the beach and work on the beach.
Beach Ball
Dylan nailed it with the following:
“The lack of affordable housing for workers necessary to keep the tourism services functioning is the natural result of tourism and real estate speculation exceeding capacity. Given time, tourism will shrink back to a sustainable level, housing costs will drop, and an equilibrium will be restored.”
For at least the past 40 years, many of us, office workers and trades people drove the 100 mile round trip from west of OBX across the Wright Memorial Bridge, to work. Why, either because we didn’t want to live there or couldn’t afford to do so. It’s gotten worse due to overbuilding.
Wayne
Bob Woodward has done absolutely nothing for OBX! Let’s get him off Dare County Board. Look what he did during covid it cost Dare County thousands of dollars for that lawsuit and now this which he probably had a very heavy hand in the state bill which is upset everyone in OBX. He is telling everyone to be open-minded I think he is the one not coming with a open mind it’s either his way or no way