of Ocracoke can convey what I learned from 

 meeting the local people. It is a beautiful 

 place filled with remarkable people who 

 touch your soul." 



Phillips hopes the course and correspon- 



dence will help her students understand 

 Ocracoke' s remoteness. 



"We feel isolated in Murphy but not as 

 isolated as Ocracoke," she adds. 'They are up 

 against some heavy odds. For example, home 



health care is limited there. I spoke to one man 

 whose father needs physical therapy three times 

 a week, but can only get someone to his home 

 once a week. You have to really want to live on 

 Ocracoke to deal with these obstacles." 



Takes New 



tation 

 ission 



Q 



V Jince the 



U.S. Coast Guard 

 vacated the white 

 three-story station 

 overlooking Ocracoke's 

 Silver Lake in 1996, the 

 buildings have been 

 deteriorating. 



Now chances 

 look good that the 

 former station will be 

 getting a facelift and 

 new tenants. 



The nearly 

 10,000-square- 

 foot building and 

 garage is likely to be 

 used as a professional 

 development center for 

 North Carolina teachers. 



The building will be managed by the North Carolina 

 Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) in 

 partnership with East Carolina University's graduate program 

 in maritime studies and other educational groups. NCCAT 

 will use the building for the Ocracoke seminar and other 

 programs. 



"This gives us an excellent opportunity to do something 

 special for teachers," says NCCAT director Mary Jo Utley. 

 "We can bring in teachers and introduce them to the Outer 

 Banks. They can have the same excitement about this area 

 as children. It also will be a great opportunity for them to 

 bond with other teachers." 



To stabilize the building, the Joint Legislative Commis- 

 sion on Governmental Affairs has appropriated about 

 $400,000. 



'Within the next few months, the stabilization dollars will be 

 used to replace the roof, doors and windows," says Utley. 



The U.S. Coast Guard Station, an island landmar 

 is slated for a facelift and new tenants. 



Built in 1942, the 

 Coast Guard station 

 was the base for about 

 20 members of the 

 Coast Guard stationed 

 at Ocracoke. 



"It was a vital part 

 of the community," 

 says Ocracoke 

 teacher and native 

 Alton Ballance. 



Ballance has vivid 

 memories of the Coast 

 Guard's rescue efforts. 

 "I have seen a rescue 

 in progress," he says. 

 'The Coast Guard 

 would sometimes go 

 out over 20 miles in 

 1 5 -foot seas. It was a 



model of courage and dedication." 



In 1 996, the Coast Guard moved most of its opera- 

 tions to Hatteras. However, a small crew still is stationed on 

 the island and conducts rescue efforts. The office is in a 

 trailer near the water tower. 



"In Ocracoke, we average between 50 and 60 search 

 cases a year," says Coast Guard Master Chief Boatswain's 

 Mate Michael Leavitt. "We handle anything that has to do 

 with recreational activities on the water — from kayaks 

 missing to diving and boating accidents." 



The Coast Guard still has a boat tied up to the pier 

 overlooking the old station. The pier is part of the more than 

 eight-acre site. 



"Because of its location, the Coast Guard station and 

 its grounds are valuable real estate, which makes it all the 

 more important to be maintained as a public-use facility and 

 not for commercial purposes," says Ballance. 



—AG. 



COASTWATCH 



