Text and photos by Connie Leinbach
Debbie Wells feels like she’s going at warp speed all the time.
As interim manager of the new nonprofit, the Ocracoke Commons Visitor & Cultural Center, she is overseeing the daily management of the Commons garden and the completion of the Island Inn renovation.
Formed in May, the goal of the new organization is “to preserve, educate, promote and enhance island culture by offering a community gathering place to be enjoyed by visitors and residents alike.”
With the renovation of the building set to be completed in September, the group aims to open the doors to the Visitor & Cultural center next spring. It will provide general island information for visitors, be available as a rental space and showcase and support a variety of local artisans.
In the meantime, the Commons will start hosting free “Music in the Garden” events the evenings of June 9 and July 8. See flyer below.
Also, starting at 4 p.m. on July 3, the group will host a fundraising fish fry and open house.
While the Ocracoke Preservation Society (OPS) owns the Island Inn building and property, this newly created OPS subsidiary will manage the garden and building. It recently received a $58,700 grant from the Ocracoke Occupancy Tax Board to support start-up and operating costs.
Wells has taken the helm to form a board of directors and get the entire project done.
Both the garden area and inside the building will be available for events, such as weddings.
The first one, a rehearsal party, was held May 16 in the grassy area.
While the garden area is still being finished, more fundraising bricks will be added around the building.
Inside the building, the first floor will be a visitor center during the week and then be quickly transformable for gatherings or meetings for about 70 people.
The walls could exhibit temporary art shows as Wells hopes to start First Friday (of the month) art shows once the building is done.
Painting the building interior will harken back to its roots, with off-white and three different colors for the trim, the chair rail and the wainscoting, Wells said.
There’s also a catering kitchen.
Upstairs has three office areas, with one being for the Commons and an L-shaped area that can be used for board meetings and a dressing room for bridal parties, Wells said.
For downstairs lighting, there will be 12 hanging globes, and the Commons is looking for sponsors for them for $1,000 each.
Shelves above the windows will feature decoys and “things of that nature,” she said.
“It looks really great,” Wells said as she ushered a visitor around the incomplete building. “We’ve come a long way but we still have all the final plumbing, electric, painting and a special floor for the kitchen,” she said.
The newly refurbished building will also have screens in the windows.
“There could be at least two full months, maybe three, out of the year that we would have the building completely open to air,” she said she said as she gazed out from the second floor onto the garden. “I’m not that into climate control. I mean, the view from in here is just so fabulous.”
Built in 1901, the building has a long history of nurturing and supporting the community. Originally built as a Lodge for the Odd Fellows organization, it has been a schoolhouse, coffee shop, motel, and restaurant.
During World War II, it was used by the U.S. Navy.
The new board of directors consists of co-chairs Heather Johnson and Lisa Landrum; treasurer Tim Gwaltney; secretary Jennifer Garrish; and board members Bob Kornegay, Paige Bennett, and Raul Campos.
Once the building construction is complete, the final major install of the garden to tie the entire property together will begin.
