The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1955-10-21
SWAIN CONTINUES
HIS APPEAL FOR
COURTHOUSE PLAN
County Commissioner Sure lis
The Thing To Do; What
is a Deficit?


tunity you gave me in the October
14th issue of the Coastland Times
to shed some light on the court
house addition proposal. appre-
ciate every answer you gave to my
questions and do not for an in
slant doubt the sincerity of your
contentious. l cannot help but be-
lieve that in the very beginning
you closed your mind to this par
ticular proposition and that you
have viewed the courthouse addi-
ton only from a standpoint of OPP
position.
Of course there is a better plan
"a new courthouse that would
somehow assume place of prime
importance in the county and in
the community with adequate
grounds and space for enlargement
when the need demanded. l have
talked of this and dreamed about
it and 1 know that you have also.
But can it be done?
1 deplore the lack of foresight
of those who dissipated away the
lands that once surrounded the
present courthouse but that is past
history. For the present l only
know that l feel burden of re-
sponsibility for the provision of an
adequate and safe storage space
for the county records. If large
amount of money is to be spent
for this purpose we might as well
| try to obtain the full worth of that
money if we can. That is exactly
what we are trying our best to do.
For instance-Suppose we do
provide a measure of safety by
micro filming the records and stor-
ing them in another place removed
from the courthouse. The cost
shouldn't amount to more than
100000. But if the courthouse
then burned and the micro-flmed
records were then to be reproduced
the cost would run into more than
ten times this amount. In addition
an entire new courthouse would
then be necessary.
We know that a wing to house
the vaults could be built to the
southeast of the present building
at cost of little more than $780,
10000. We already have the plans
for such a wing. We do not be-
lieve that such a wing could be
sold for that much just as we do
not believe that the courthouse
building would sell for much more
than it cost the day it was built,
perhaps not as much. With this
plan vault space would be all the
additional space that would be OBJ
tanned for the money spent.
Then, of course, the Jail situa-
ton would have to be taken care
of. 1t has been said that the pres
ent Jail could be put in a disable
condition for a nominal amount.
This nominal amount could well
run into an astounding figure, par
ticularly if the foundations are re-
worked and heat and approved
plumbing are provided. 1t is fact
that if this present Jail is not
brought up to the North Carolina
standard that it will be condemned.
1t is also fact that we were in
formed that the only reason such
condemnation was not recon-
mended to the court year ago
was the existence of plans to re-
build it entirely.
My investigation into the matter
indicates that the suggested wing
and the necessary repairs to the
Jail would consume most of the
100000 on hand. l certainly
would like to see the money spent
to better advantage than that. If
the plan we adopted is a stop-gap,
which it probably is, then the plan
you suggest is even more so. The
difference, in my opinion, is that
our proposal would obtain i'm
provements and space for very lit
tie more that we do not now have.
A full set of both plans for the
courthouse addition is in the Reg
lister of Deeds Office. We expect
to exhibit a floor plan at the
courthouse door and perhaps else
where prior to any election on the
proposal. We will welcome sugges-
tions from anyone toward improve
ment of these plans. More than
anything else we want every in
terested person to know our view
point just as much as we want
them to know the opposition view
point.
The deficit of $52,282.66 as of
June Both, 1854 had nothing what
soever to do with declining reve-
nue. or the unavailability of such
revenue anticipated or not. The
deficit is in the General Fund out
that does not mean that the coun-
ty owes money. In fact the county
does not owe dime that has been
presented to the Board of County
Commissioners for payment. In
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