Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-08-06
.AssATEAGUE
Islands Future Debated

ton of whether the State will
be able to make much use of
that section in its park.
Mr.. Kaylor and Mr.. Funk,
who heads the State group
working on the land use study
with the Department of Inte-
rior, claim the land sold by Mr..
Alderman would cost So to $40
million. a figure that Mr.. Udall
said sounds pretty high"
They also are reluctant to
take possible tax potential away
from Worcester County and to
tell the property owners they
can't build.
Mr.. Kaylor has made a COM
mitment to the lot owners asso-
citation that the State will not
take their property, except for
about a mile of beach front at
the northern end of the Acker-
man SUBDIVISION.
S26-an-Acre Price
Were not interested at the
moment in spending $40 mil
lion and I don't think the Fed
eral Government is either, Z"
Mr.. Funk said. Mr.. Udall said,
however, that Interior is ready
to ask for congressional au-
thorization if the study shows
| Assateague should be pre-
served for public use.
Robert Ludden, chief of
planning for Interiors new Bu-
; reau of Outdoor Recreation,
said high costs are the finan-
cial penalty that must be paid
for failure to acquire park
lands long ago.
In a. 1885 report which sug-
gested Federal acquisition of
Assateague, it was estimated
the island could have been
acquired for $26 an acre.
Mr.. Alderman testified sew
eral years ago before the
Maryland Public Service Com
mission that land in the Is
mile stretch he subdivided cost
him about $50, 900. He esti-
mated the protective sand
dune, a now-washed-out road
way and other improvements,
plus $3.50. 1000 for a heavy ad-
vertising campaign, ran his in
veStment up to $2.8 million. He
once said he sold the lots for
about SIS million.
Investment in Bridge
Officials Of the lot owners
association don't know what
percentage of the members
bought property for building or
for purely speculative purposes.
In addition to their lot costs,
property owners have a con-
siderable investment in their
abortive attempt to build a
bridge About TOO of them put
up amounts ranging from 500
to $4,000 in the project.
Aside from costs, Maryland
Roads Director Funk has an
other reservation which he says
should be considered before
deciding to turn more than the
northern end into a park, He
said he doesn't think very
many persons are interested in
the type of recreation-camp-
ing, hiking, and the like
which would be available.
Lot Owners Ready
Interior officials say the
soaring numbers visiting the
Cape Hatteras park show that
plenty of people want that type
of recreation and will 60 a long
way to find it.
Mr.. Funk thinks, too, that
fears that the island will de-
velop rapidly when the bridge
is built may be unjustified. He
said it would take a brave pro-
perty owner to build a house
there without protection from
the ocean, a house on which
the owner could buy no insur-
ance against being washed
away.
But the lot owners associa-
ton says a poll last year showed
that 500 members were ready
to turn the first shovel as soon
as access is available.
One property owner who is
not saying much out loud is
Philip King, president of the
lot owners association, who
has four lots. AS assistant to-
the National Parks Director
Wirth, the top brass in Mr..