"North Carolina Highway 12 dually serves as the only route and the main street through Hatteras Island and its eight villages," writes the Outer Banks Sentinel. "For tourists on the Outer Banks, the highway is a favorite, but for pedestrians it teems with danger -- a problem that local residents are vigorously trying to change.
" 'NC 12 is our main street on Hatteras Island and right now, we cannot walk safely through our own towns in order to go to or own post offices, schools and businesses -- and that's not right,' said Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy, an Outer Banks Scenic Byways Committee member, in a presentation to the Dare County Board of Commissioners.
"According to the committee, a four-foot shoulder on either side of the highway often serves as a means for cars to pass each other and has accumulated large amounts of grass and sand that is never swept or maintained. ...
"The need for paved pathways for pedestrians along NC 12 is a long-standing issue that raised even more concern among residents last summer when two kite-boarding instructors were hit and killed as they made their way home from work.
"According to the NC Department of Transportation there were nine accidents involving pedestrians and eight involving cyclists between 2000 and 2005. ..."
State shows interest in buying Chimney Rock Park
"The state is working to sweeten its proposal to buy Chimney Rock Park after park owners reportedly rejected the first offer to buy the iconic 1,000-acre property in Rutherford County," according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.
" 'We’ve had some discussions with some of our partners in the conservation community — land trusts and conservancies — and we feel that with their help we can come back with a stronger proposal than what the state had in the past,' said Charlie Peek, spokesman for the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, which is interested in buying the park.
"In July, Chimney Rock Park Co. President Todd Morse announced the company’s plans to put the park on the open market, with an asking price of $55 million. The park’s owners reportedly turned down a state offer of $20 million.
"Asked Monday if the park had fielded any purchase inquiries, Morse said, 'Not that we can really talk about at the moment. We’re still in very open discussions with the state.' ..."
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