 The Dare County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the recommended five-year Dare County Capital Improvements Plan for Fiscal Year 2023-2024 during the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting that was held at 9 a.m. on Monday, August 7, 2023.
Each year, Dare County develops this five-year plan prioritizing upcoming projects that will have a significant and long-lasting impact on both the Outer Banks community and its citizens. Funding for the projects within the Capital Improvement Plan comes from Dare County’s 1 percent land transfer tax, which is directed to a special Capital Reserve Fund.
The projects within the Capital Improvements Plan range from renovations and repairs to existing structures that have become outdated to the construction of new facilities, among many others. As part of its continued effort to provide high-quality services to the community and to continue to invest in the local population and economy, Dare County has several key projects that are currently underway or planned to begin in the near future.
According to Dare County Manager/Attorney Bobby Outten during his presentation of the recommended Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Capital Improvements Plan to the board, the amount of funding available is currently insufficient to complete all of the major projects that were included in the previous fiscal year’s Capital Improvements Plan due to the escalation of construction costs. Dare County has therefore rearranged the order by which these projects are scheduled to be completed in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Capitalize Improvements Plan in an effort to prioritize the projects that are needed the most and the most feasible to complete with the funding available.
The major projects within the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Capital Improvements Plan that was approved by the Dare County Board of Commissioners on Monday, August 7, 2023, are now scheduled to be completed in the following phases:
 *NOTE: Phase 1, which was included in the previous year’s Capital Improvement Plan (Fiscal Year 2022-2023) and includes construction of a new facility for Dare County EMS Station 1 in Kill Devil Hills, EMS Station 4 in Southern Shores and the Dare MedFlight Hangar (Station 7) on Roanoke Island, is currently underway. Please see the section below for the latest updates on these three projects.
Phase 2: Phase 2 includes the renovation of Dare County EMS Station 8 in Manns Harbor and construction of a new EMS Station in Kitty Hawk in order to improve response times, as well as construction of a new facility for the Roanoke Island Youth Center in Manteo. Phase 2, which is currently projected to cost a total of $21,977,920 for the completion of all three projects, is tentatively scheduled to begin in February 2024.
Phase 3: Phase 3 includes the renovation of Dare County EMS Station 5 in Nags Head to improve response times. Renovation and reconstruction of the Dare County Public Works Department facilities in Manteo and Buxton. Previous plans for renovation and reconstruction at Dare County Public Works’ facilities have been revised and scaled down from the last fiscal year’s Capital Improvement Plan in order to prioritize other projects.
These revisions include removing the installation of a new fuel depot in Buxton from the plans and pushing plans to construct a new building for the Buildings and Grounds Division of Public Works to a later phase as funding becomes available. Phase 3, which is currently projected to cost $49,137,507, is tentatively scheduled to begin in February 2025.
Phase 4: Phase 4 includes the renovation of EMS Station 2 in Manteo, EMS Station 3 in Frisco and EMS Station 6 in Rodanthe, as well as updates and renovations to various Dare County Parks and Recreation facilities. The projected cost and timeline to complete the projects within Phase 4 will be dependent upon the funding that is available upon the completion of the projects in Phase 2 and Phase 3 and is therefore still to be determined.
EMS Phase 1 Update
*Phase 1 of the EMS facilities renovation and modernization project—which was included in the previous year’s Capital Improvement Plan for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 at a total cost of $42,966,952—is currently underway, with significant progress being made at EMS Station 1 in Kill Devil Hills, EMS Station 4 in Southern Shores and the DareMedflight Hangar (EMS Station 7) on Roanoke Island.
EMS Station 1 in Kill Devil Hills Update:
 Station 1 in Kill Devil Hills has completed the sitework for the main building footprint. Concrete slabs were poured during the first week of August 2023, and the masonry block work and rebar structural supports were then put into place. The drainage pipe has been put into place along the back edge of the property, with the remaining sitework in that area scheduled to be complete this winter.
EMS Station 4 in Southern Shores Update:
 At EMS Station 4 in Southern Shores, all of the concrete slabs have been poured, the exterior masonry work has been completed, and the steel trusses for the roof are now in place. The building is expected to be dried in by the end of August 2023, at which time the exterior veneer masonry will be completed and interior work will begin.
Dare MedFlight Hangar (EMS Station 7) Update:
 All sitework has been completed for the Dare MedFlight Hangar (EMS Station 7) on Roanoke Island. The concrete slab is being poured, steel trusses are being stored, and the prefabricated metal building is scheduled to be erected by the end of October.
All three Dare County EMS projects in Phase 1 of last year’s Capital Improvements Plan are currently on schedule to be completed by March 2024.
For more information about the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Capital Improvements Plan that was approved by the Dare County Board of Commissioners on Monday, August 7, 2023, please click here. For more detailed information about each of the major projects that are currently underway in Dare County or scheduled to begin during an upcoming phase of the Capital Improvements Plan, please click the button below.
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