The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution of support, at last night's meeting, for a $250,000 Highway 17 Association study to confirm the widespread assumption that four-laning the US 17 corridor in eastern North Carolina would economically benefit the state.
"We know instinctively that completing a fully improved Highway 17 through eastern North Carolina will...provide the kind of transportation facility essential to fostering economic growth in our areas," read a letter to local governments from the Association's Executive Director Mark Finlayson. "Tourism, industrial development, our state ports and the military will all benefit from the completion of US 17, as well as general improvements in commercial and residential development."
Commissioner Robert Cayton, who presented the resolution, said that Beaufort County was especially affected by the current inadequate condition of the two-lane highway.
"There are 50 miles, approximately, that aren't four-laned at this time. The bulk of that 50 miles rests between Washington and Williamston, and Washington and New Bern--so we have a direct negative impact on Beaufort County," said Cayton.
Cayton went on to assure the board that the Association was not asking Beaufort County to fund the study, only support its initiative to seek funding and contract the study. According to Finlayson, the study will be undertaken by "the well respected Transportation Policy Department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte."
Commissioner Stan Deatherage was the only commissioner to vote against the resolution on the grounds that spending $250,000 to scientifically prove and document the obvious--that four-laning US 17 would be good for the economy--is a waste of public money that will be felt by Beaufort County citizens.
"I submit to every one of you that this is going to take Beaufort County money. It might not be from our coffers, but it's going to come from the federal coffers as just part of the wasteful stimulus dollars," said Deatherage.
As Commissioners Hood Richardson and Robert Cayton (from left) vote to support the proposed $250,000 Highway 17 Association economic impact study, Commissioner Stan Deatherage (right) looks down.
Before Commissioner Hood Richardson voted for the resolution, he put up a fight to ensure that the resolution was amended to specify that Beaufort County's Highway 17 Association membership dues would not increase, on account of this spending, or that Beaufort County would not end up making a direct contribution toward the $250,000.
Commissioner Jerry Langley encouraged Cayton to accept Richardson's compromise.
"You've got to do that one," he said.
Richardson also dropped a heavy hint to the public: that if he is successful in his bid to replace N.C. Senator Mark Basnight in November, the portion of US 17 affecting Beaufort County will start to get preference over the portion affecting Dare County--Basnight's home county.
"This is a political issue and it's always been a political issue of fairness in North Carolina. Now: Beaufort County getting the money to build its roads, rather than Dare County getting the money to build its roads--that's really what the issue is," said Richardson. "I mean, you have a very good chief opportunity to fix this thing in this election that's coming up. Save your $250,000."
Deatherage seemed somewhat surprised that Richardson was voting to support the Association's study, considering that, at budget time, Richardson typically votes against the $35,000 annual membership fee for Beaufort County's participation in the Highway 17 Association.
"Hood, you have never voted to pay part of that $30,000; neither have I," said Deatherage.
Finlayson pointed in his letter, that even though the study will set out to prove what everyone already knows, it can be used to provide 'meaningful research' and 'reasoned conclusions' to be used to back policy at the local and state levels.
"But while we know all these things instinctively we need reliable facts and data to certify that they are true," Finlayson wrote.
Perhaps Cayton's recollection of Richardson's insistences for such hard proof of necessity, in the face of funding requests, was enough to win Richardson's vote. More likely, his vote was a strategic concession to influence support from his fellow board members for a motion he was to make later in the meeting--that the Beaufort Regional Health Systems' books audited immediately and under the review of the county as well as the hospital board.
Whatever the reason, Cayton personally thanked Richardson for his vote.
