It's a first for Carteret County. The valve was flipped Tuesday at Carteret Community College making it the county's first natural gas customer. The availability of natural gas in the area is the result of a $200,000,000 bond referendum approved statewide by voters in 1998. Nearly all of that money went to 14 counties in eastern Carolina, including Carteret. Construction on natural gas pipelines to Morehead City began in June 2004. Service is currently available in five areas of Carteret County and should be available in all 14 eastern North Carolina counties by the middle of this year.
