A school that teaches youngsters how to be cheerleaders should not be allowed to set up shop at Pasquotank County's Commerce Park, a panel of county commissioners recommended Wednesday.

The ad hoc Commerce Park Committee, comprised of commissioners Matt Wood, Bill Trueblood and Jeff Dixon, agreed with the full commission board's earlier decision that the county's industrial park is not appropriate for a cheering school.

Panel members said they would recommend that commissioners take no further action on Stars of Liberty's request to occupy a vacant warehouse at Commerce Park.

"With all due respect to the request, when you look at the bigger picture, it doesn't fit in with what we're trying to do (at the park)," Wood said.

Stars of Liberty's owners, Joseph and Melitta Smith, have been seeking to rent an empty warehouse at the industrial park that they say is big enough for their cheering school. Their current facility, on Old U.S. Highway 17 South, is too small for the needs of their business, which they say is growing.

The warehouse owner, David Hamilton, supports leasing his building to the Smiths at cost — they would pay the facility's utility bill — until they can afford to pay him rent.

But last month, the county ad hoc Commerce Park Committee rejected the Smiths' request, and last Monday night the full board of commissioners denied the Smiths' appeal of the panel's decision. Commissioners did agree to send the Smiths' request back to the ad hoc committee, but that panel decided on Wednesday to stick with its original decision.

Assistant County Manager Rodney Bunch said in order to allow the cheerleading school to operate at the industrial park, the Board of Commissioners would have to amend the county's zoning ordinance to allow the new use. In addition, the restrictive covenants that govern the park would have to be amended, he said.

Bunch said the park is being developed to attract and promote such job-producing businesses as "building contractors, manufacturing, motor-freight transportation warehousing, wholesale distribution and government office buildings."

"Traffic generated in an industrial park is not conducive to a cheerleading school," Bunch said.

Wood, Trueblood and Dixon agreed, although they said they were sympathetic to the school's needs and will try to help the Smiths find another location.

"Our full board is fully supportive of the Smith family and the cheerleading school," Trueblood said.

Dixon said he considered voting to allow the Smiths an exception to operate the school at Commerce Park on a temporary basis.

"This is a private business (the school), but it's youth too," Dixon said.

Wood suggested the Smiths continue to look elsewhere, and hinted that the vacant former Elizabeth City Middle School might have space for their needs.

But Melitta Smith, reached after the panel's decision, said she and her husband plan to take one more shot at getting commissioners to support their request. A number of county residents have urged the Smiths to press their case again before the full board at its next meeting.

"As we mentioned before, we've exhausted all our options," she said. "We've had a tremendous amount of feedback. We have support and the backing of the community."

The commissioners are next scheduled to meet Monday at 7 p.m.