P8/C8
I, ?r.. 002 AO2 1 j A
<c.,
EDENTONNC 27932.,S54
/
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Albemarle
Magazine.
inside
NEXT WEEK
482-4418
Board, county weigh options for high school
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
During a joint meeting
Monday night the school
board and county com
missioners considered a
variety of scenarios for
improving conditions for
students attending John
A. Holmes High School.
Those included rehab
bing the current school
built in the 1950s or
considering other pos
sible sites for the school
including adjacent to
Chowan Middle School.
Architect Jim Copeland
of Moseley Architects in
Morrisville said that more
often now school sys
tems are moving toward
a trend of locating more
than one public school at
adjoining sites.
Copeland, whose firm
in 2008 conducted a fea
sibility study that looked
at possible plans for ini
provements at Holmes at
its current location, said
that many school sys
tems are now using build
ings that house grades
6-12 at adjoining loca
tions perhaps because of
the economy. He^added
that modern, telhnol
ogy-driven classrooms
have a need for different
room configurations than
their predecessors to be
used to their best advan
tage prompting the move
toward building new
schools.
Commissioner Keith
Nixon questioned wheth
er building a new school
for a dwindling student
population was the best
use of the county’s mon
ey.
“I still keep going
back to the question, do
you need a whole new
school,” he said, “or is
See HIGH SCHOOL, 3A
Battle of the Bands
blAht- HHUIU tJY KtBECCA BUNCH
Members of the Perquimans County High School Marching Pirates Flag Corps perform during Saturday's rescheduled Edenton-Chowan Peanut Festival Battle of the Bands.
Moved inside the gym at John A. Holmes High School due to rainy weather the event nevertheless drew a nice crowd from area counties. The annual event, sponsored by
the Edenton-Chowan Band Parents Association, was postponed from its original Oct. 3 date due to the threat posed by a hurricane approaching the area. Results from the
competition will be published in next week’s Chowan Herald.
County to end water softening at plant
■ State officials order changes to ensure
compliance with groundwater standards
From staff reports
Chowan County soon will begin phasing
out its water-softening process at the Valhal
la Water TYeatment PI tint in order to comply
with state groundwater quality standards.
The county softeas Hie water at the treat
ment plant. But in order to comply with a
recent mandate from the Division of Water
Resources, the county must discontinue soft
ening the water.
Beginning Dec. 1, the county will gradually
start to reduce softening the water. All soft
ening of the water will he stopped by March
1, 2016, in order to comply with the North
Carolina Groundwater Standards.
Hard water Ls safe to drink so softening of
the water is not required by the EPA.
Among key points noted by county offi
cials:
• Water will be safe to think
• Water supplied will be much harder
• Soap will not lather as well.
Customers can elect to use the water as
provided or can install a home water soft
ener or other type of treatment system.
Additional information will be provided
with customer water bills.
By Permit from the State of North Carolina,
tlie Valhalla Water Treatment plant's soften
ing system has operated without a discharge
to the Chowan River. Instead, the treatment
plant has collected brine, a byproduct of soft
ening, in a lagoon that has seeped into the
groundwater. The groundwater has been im
pacted by the chlorides in the brine, and now
because of changing groundwater standards
the N.C. Division of Water Restnirces - Water
Quality Regional Operations Section has or
dered the Chowan County Water Treatment
Plant to cease softening operations until an
alternative treatment can be built that will
not increase chloride levels in the ground
See SOFTENING, 4A
Officials still seeking second grocery store
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
The search for a second grocery
in Edenton goes on.
Last nigiit Edenton Chowan
Partnership Executive Director
Frank Miglorie updated members
of the town council during their
regular montlily meriting on efforts
by the ECP to secure a second
gnx ery store for the community.
He said that given the length of
time tliat the search lias continued
those involved — the ECP, Elec
tricities and Town Manager Anne
Marie Knighton — believe hiring a
0
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
specialized marketing consultant
who focuses on grocery chains
would be a positive step.
Miglorie confirmed tiiat Ills of
fice lias had ongoing discussions
with tiie Gemini Group that man
ages the Edenton Village Shop
ping Center. He said a contact
within the Gemini organization
had reaffirmed the interest of sev
eral grocery chains in the location
currently occupied by Food Uon.
However, he said, he has learned
that Food Lion recently signer! to
renew its least* at the site.
“We’ve had no indication from
them tiiat tiiey are going to relin
quish their hold on the present
site,” Miglorie said
He said that when ECP officials
have been in contact with Food
lion representatives and raised
the issue, Food Lion lias refused
to respond
Miglorie added tluit efforts to
interest a grocery retailer in build
ing a store m the community have
so far not met with success.
He said that Jennings Gray of
ElectiCities, who is assisting the
ECP in the search, had reached out
to Carlie ("s IGA, a Wake County
base<i operation that watited the
building Fcxxl Lion currently (x*
cupies.
“They had expressed interest
in coining to Edenton but when
they found out they would have
to build a store here, they barked
off," Miglorie said.
He said that those working to
secure a second grocery store for
Edenton liad also been in touch
with Wal-Mart regarding its small
town grocery operation.
“We learned they are still inter
ested in Edenton but have no sjx*
cific plans at this time,” he said.
Miglorie said that the market
consultant tiiat would be lured
would lx* experienced m attract
ing grocery stores to small com
munities like Edenton. He said
funding from Electricities would
be sought to pay for the position
should die town council approve
the idea
Miglorie added that should
those working on this project
succeed in attracting a grocery
chain that would welcome the op
portunity for a freestanding store,
the ECP has identified a three- to
four-acre trad inside the town
limits on die north side of Broad
Street owned by two specific
landowners who have indicated
they would be willing to sell if it
would help the town attract a sec
ond grocery store*.
“So far they’ve lieen very coop
erative,” Miglorie said.
Students
could get
new role
with board
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Students may one day have
a greater voice in the Edenton
C’howan Schools. That influence
could come from a proposal the
school board is considering that
would create a student advisory
council at John A. Holmes High
School and perhaps name a couple
of students to sit on the school
board in an ex-officio capacity
— not ;is voting members but as
advisors to the board members on
, particular issues.
Superintendent
I Rob Jackson told
[the school board at
its Nov. 3 monthly
meeting that two
area school sys
tems — Currituck
JACKSON
and Camden — al
ready utilize the
advice and input of students on
their school boards.
Jackson told the board he felt
the involvement of students would
allow for “a richer discussion” of
issues that come before it.
Jackson said that the students’
presence would allow for new
and different perspectives as well
See NEW ROLE, 3A
EOCKWrHOCK
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4th, 7:00PM
Tiek«ts
$10.00
V
m U
W^E.A. SWAIN
^AUDITORIUM
ilENTOH, M
E SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5th, 7:00PM
Tickets Available at various locations or call 252-221-4875 or 252-340-3438. Email rockyhock opry@live.com