Later start has backers

JANNETTE PIPPIN 
JACKSONVILLE, NC DAILY NEWS STAFF
8/25/2005

MOREHEAD CITY - East Carteret High School students Lori Lindstadt and Hilary Wiltshire will begin their senior year today with a little more to show for their summer ventures.

Both spent many of their summer days working at Capt. Bill's restaurant on the Morehead City waterfront and were able to stash away a few extra dollars this year before having to scale back their work hours.

With North Carolina schools now starting school in late August, the girls had an extra few weeks of summer and, therefore, a little more time to work.

Area schools started in early August last year.

"It gives me a chance to save more money," Lindstadt said of the later school start.

Both students plan to continue working as they can during the school year, but it's the summer time they count on for making that needed money.

Lindstadt works to pay for expenses such as her cell phone and car insurance. For both, there's a college education to think about.

And while they were adding a little more to their paycheck, they were also helping Capt. Bill's keep up with the summertime crowd still coming through the doors.

"I'm able to help them as long as the busy season is going on, and it helps me, too," Wiltshire said.

Diane Poag, who owns Capt. Bill's along with her husband, has long been a proponent of the late school start, and she was a vocal part of the Save Our Summers coalition that pushed for the state legislation that says classes cannot begin before Aug. 25.

Poag said the students they hire are a big part of the summer work force, and it was a hit when they had to head back to school too soon during the summer season.

But that's just one of the many reasons she believes later is better.

She says a trend toward earlier school starts was cutting into the traditional summer months important to families planning vacations - and it was hurting tourism-driven businesses that consider August a critical summer month, she believes.

And so far, she's convinced that pushing back the start of school across the state has been a benefit. She's seen the traffic around the county and the families gathered together in her restaurant for reunions and overdue vacations.

Business has been good, she said, and it's well past July.

While Poag has been at the forefront of the support for a later school start, she isn't alone in saying this month has been a better one for business. Businesses throughout Onslow County like the fact that more time off for students makes filling shifts a little easier.

"We've got a lot of part-time students," said Donnie Wallace, assistant manager at the Food Lion in Sneads Ferry. "They put in more hours in the summer time. Plus, we've got (13) exchange students, too, that help us in the summer time."

Tony Smith, manager of Applebee's on Western Boulevard in Jacksonville, has noticed a slight increase in customer traffic versus last year. He thinks the extra summer break could be beneficial for the local economy.

"I'm sure it could have been just (considering people are) able to do stuff longer," Smith said.

The Windjammer Inn opened in Carteret County in 1987, and owner Doug Fleming has seen few other years where business in August has been as strong.

More people have been visiting the area later in the season, and that is a plus to Fleming after a wet, cold spring. "This has been a real good shot in the arm for us," he said.

While June is considered the start of summer, business doesn't necessarily begin to peak until later in the season, and that makes August an important month, according to those who run the motels, restaurants and attractions that bring visitors to the area.

Derek Raines, manager of Lost Treasure Golf and Raceway in Emerald Isle, said early July to late August are typically the busiest times. Early in the season, he said, families are still making that transition from school to summer break.

"I think early on people are a little bit cautious," he said.

Deana McGavock worked 17 years at the Iron Steamer resort before it closed and is now helping manage the Triple S Motel in Atlantic Beach. She's greeted a lot of visitors to the area during that time and from the conversations she's had with them, she believes they like the longer summer that traditionally continued close to the Labor Day holiday.

This year's late-August school start won the praise of many businesses, but at least one said it's hard to judge the full impact when so many factors can influence the success of business.

Larry Viel, owner of Artful Ventures in Cedar Point, said there's everything from the rising fuel prices to the situation in the Middle East to think about when looking at the economy. August business at his shop has been about the same as the last two years he's been open, and he can't say that the school calendar has either helped or hurt him.

Poag believes the benefits will become more noticeable with each passing summer.

"I think as people get used to it, it's just going to get better and better," she said.