Location: 4904 N. Croatan Highway, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949

Start Date: August 2024

Expected Completion: August 2025

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: 3 p.m. on Monday, August 4, 2025

Dare County EMS Station 9 in Kitty Hawk Update - June 23, 2025:
Construction of the new facility that will serve as the new Dare County EMS Station 9 in Kitty Hawk is now complete. A ribbon cutting ceremony and open house event was held on August 4, 2025.

Dare County EMS Station 9 in Kitty Hawk Update - May 13, 2025:
Construction of the new facility that will serve as Dare County EMS Station 9 in Kitty Hawk is ongoing. The exterior of the building has been painted, both interior and exterior signage have been installed, and the stormwater management system is in place. The Locution station alerting system is being tested, and furniture and appliances are set to be installed at the end of May 2025. A ribbon cutting ceremony and open house event to celebrate the official opening of the new facility for Dare County EMS Station 9 in Kitty Hawk is currently expected to be held in August 2025. More detailed information will be published once it becomes available.

Dare County EMS Station 9 in Kitty Hawk Update - March 12, 2025:
Construction of the new Dare County EMS Station 9 in Kitty Hawk continues to progress. The exterior of building is in the process of being painted, and the finishes are installed. Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring will be installed and epoxy floors will be poured in early April 2024; both projects are currently expected to be complete by mid-April. The facility’s oil and water separator is being installed, and sidewalk and asphalt paving will begin in early April 2024. Additional updates about the new facility will be posted as the information becomes available.

Location: Manns Harbor, N.C.

Start Date: February 2024

Expected Completion: July 2025

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: 3 p.m. on Monday, July 14, 2025

Construction of the new Dare County EMS Station 8 in Manns Harbor is complete, as is demolition of the old EMS station. Additionally, all site work, paving and planting has been completed at the new station. A ribbon cutting ceremony and open house event was held to celebrate the new facility on July 14, 2025.

Dare County EMS Station 8 in Manns Harbor Update - May 13, 2025:

Construction of the new facility that will serve as Dare County EMS Station 8 in Manns Harbor is now complete. Demolition of the old EMS station located at the site is ongoing and scheduled to be complete in the middle of May 2025. Sitework, paving and planting will all take place as soon as the old EMS station building has been removed from the site. A ribbon cutting ceremony and open house event to celebrate the official opening of the brand-new facility for Dare County EMS Station 8 in Manns Harbor is currently expected to be held in July 2025. More information will be published once it becomes available.

Dare County EMS Station 8 in Manns Harbor Update - March 12, 2025:

At the new Dare County EMS Station 8 in Manns Harbor, all of the interior and exterior construction is now complete, with only punch list items remaining. A new state-of-the-art water treatment system is being installed to further remove any unnecessary minerals from the well that supplies drinking water to the facility. Furniture will be delivered and installed starting in early April 2025 and is expected to be completed within three weeks. Demolition if the old station is scheduled to start in May 2025, along with final paving of the entrance drive aisle. Additional information regarding the new station's completion will be provided as it becomes available. 

EMS Station 8 in Manns Harbor Update - December 1, 2024:

A significant amount of progress has been made in recent weeks at the new Dare County EMS Station 8 facility that is currently being constructed in Manns Harbor. The building is now completely dried in, the roof has been installed, and all vertical walls are up. The storefront glass doors have also been installed, and permanent power for the facility has been established and turned on. The first phase of sidewalks has been poured, and they are in the process of curing. The first round of asphalt grading has also been completed, and the new surface is expected to be poured in the first week of December. The EMS station doors will be installed within the next two weeks, along with the epoxy floors being poured. HVAC startup is expected to take place in the middle of December. The project is currently expected to be completed during the summer of 2025.

EMS Station 8 in Manns Harbor Update - September 1, 2024:

The installation of the facility’s air barrier will be completed within the first two weeks of September. In addition, the brick veneer will start to be added to the building’s exterior walls and is expected to be completed by the end of October. The duct work, sprinkler system and well are in the process of being installed and will be completed by October. The project is currently on schedule and expected to be completed during the summer of 2025.

EMS Station 8 in Manns Harbor Update - July 31, 2024:

Site work at EMS Station 8 in Manns Harbor continues. Roof trusses will begin to be assembled and installed, exterior walls will continue to be framed, the oil and water separators will be installed, and the well for the site will be dug and installed. This project is currently on schedule and is expected to be completed during the summer of 2025. 

Project Details: Dare County replaced a waterline that runs from Pirate’s Cove in Manteo to Nags Head that was originally installed in 1978. This waterline ties the Dare County Water Department’s Skyco Water Plant on Roanoke Island to the North Reverse Osmosis plant located in Kill Devil Hills and allows 3-4 million gallons of water to be delivered to the towns and water customers north of the bridge from the Skyco facility per day.  

Location: From the intersection of Pirates Way and U.S. Highway 264 in Manteo, under the Washington Baum Bridge and along the sound floor, to the intersection of U.S. Highway 264 and South Marina Drive in Nags Head. 

Start Date: February 2025

Completed: April 2025

Estimated Cost: $16 Million
(The total cost of this $16 million project was covered through existing funds within the Dare County Water Department’s Capital Improvements Plan (CIP), ensuring that there will be no increase in Dare County Water customers’ bills to cover the expenses to complete the waterline replacement.)

Click here to watch a video about this project.

Location: U.S. Highway 64 in Manteo

Start: Spring 2024

Completion: January 2025

Estimated Cost: $2.5 million

Located at 101 N. Highway 64/264, the new 4,000-square-foot Manteo Youth Center on Roanoke Island—the use of which is open to all Dare County residents, not just Roanoke Island residents—has the capacity to serve approximately 100 children once fully staffed.

The new facility replaced the former Dare County Youth Center on Roanoke Island, which was located a short distance away on Highway 64/264 and, due to its age and small size, was outdated and unable to adequately meet the needs of the growing Roanoke Island community. 

The facility features a large multi-purpose room for a variety of activities, a classroom for educational programs, a game room for recreation, a fully equipped kitchen and a large playground, along with ample fenced-in outdoor space.

Operated by the Dare County Department of Health & Human Services, the youth center offers a variety of after-school programs and activities, as well as summer camps and trips that provide a safe and supportive environment for the community’s children. 

Click here for more information about the Manteo Island Youth Center.

The modernization of these facilities will aid in improving Dare County EMS response to the influx of emergency calls that are received and better support the department in its ongoing efforts to meet the needs of the community. 

These much-needed projects are scheduled to be completed in multiple phases. The first phase, which included the construction of three new EMS facilities: Station 1 in Kill Devil Hills, Station 4 in Southern Shores and the Dare MedFlight Hangar (Station 7) on Roanoke Island, was completed in August 2024.

Find more detailed information about each of these projects at DareNC.gov/EMSProjects.

Location: Between the villages of Avon and Buxton on Hatteras Island

Cost: $1 million

Project Start Date: November 2022

Completion: December 2022

Construction to replace the water line that is located between the villages of Avon and Buxton on Hatteras Island was completed in December 2023.

On November 1, 2022, crews began to replace approximately 1.5 miles of the existing water line with brand-new, stronger C900 PVC piping. The project—which was originally expected to be completed on April 1, 2023—was finished ahead of schedule, with the new line being placed into service on December 12, 2022. 

From November 2018 to September 2022, the existing 12” PVC Avon-Buxton water line experienced 10 ruptures. In the early part of these ruptures, the Dare County Water Department began recording the pressure on the water line and determined that the highest pressure spike on the line was 80 psi. The new 12” PVC pipe that has been installed between the villages of Avon and Buxton is able to withstand 200 psi.

The Avon-Buxton water line replacement project was placed in Dare County’s 2023 Fiscal Year budget and cost approximately $1 million to complete. Replacement of the water line was performed by Basnight Construction Inc. For more information about the Dare County Water Department, please visit DareNC.gov/Water.

Below is a map of the water line rupture areas.

Cost: $15 Million Forgivable Loan (Public-Private Partnership)

Arrival Date: August 19, 2022

(Miss Katie began dredging operations in Dare County in the summer of 2022.)

On the afternoon of Friday, August 19, 2022, Miss Katie—which is the result of a yearslong collaboration between Dare County officials and EJE Dredging Service, who owns the dredge— officially arrived in Wanchese, which will serve as the dredge’s homeport.

Under the direction of the Oregon Inlet Task Force, Miss Katie is tasked with helping to address the significant shoaling that occurs in various channels and inlets throughout Dare County in an effort to keep these waterways open and navigable for both commercial and recreational vessels.

Learn more: DareNC.com/MissKatie

View the Miss Katie dredge Christening Ceremony highlights:

Location: 205 U.S. Highway 64, Manteo, NC 27954

Cost: $17,657,969

Project Start Date (Demolition): September 28, 2020

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony: April 8, 2022

For decades, Dare County has focused on investing in the future of area students, and nowhere is this more evident than the county’s partnership with College of The Albemarle. Dare County is home to two COA campuses—one of which just underwent a major transformation that will have an incredible impact on students, the local workforce and the Outer Banks economy.

In September, the demolition process began at COA’s Roanoke Island campus on Highway 64 in the heart of Manteo. The large brick building on the site was torn down to clear the site for the construction of a cutting-edge new academic building that will take its place.

The structure that was demolished has a long and rich history on the Outer Banks. It was built in 1958 and initially served as Manteo High School. In 1983, it became the site of Manteo Middle School before it eventually became a second location for COA in 2006.

Construction of the 30,000-square-foot facility began in February 2021. The new building—which will serve as flex space that can adapt and evolve as demand and needs at the college change—was completed in April 2022.

By constructing this new facility and consolidating COA’s two campus sites on the Outer Banks, Dare County will ensure the continued use of education at this location—and also provide an opportunity for area students to earn a high-quality education right here at home in Dare County.