By By DOUG GIBBS; Daily News Correspondent
NEW HOLLAND — The effort to restore the Mattamuskeet Lodge remains on schedule, according to an official overseeing the project.
During the first phase of the project, hazardous materials in the building are being removed. The second phase, expected to begin this fall, calls for making the lodge structurally sound. Reports from engineers indicate the structural soundness of the observation tower is in better shape than anticipated.
Gordon Myers, deputy director of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, is overseeing the project. According to Myers, the second phase should be completed by July of next year. During the project’s third phase, the lodge will be restored. According to Myers, the third phase should begin next spring, before the second phase of the project is completed.
The lodge should be opened to the public in the spring or the fall of 2010, he said.
Meyers said he hopes there will be no funding delays with the project.
Federal legislation requires the lodge — once restored — be used to promote conservation efforts.
State. Rep. Tim Spear, who lives in Washington County, has been a big supporter of the project. He met with Myers at the lodge last week to discuss the project.