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Panel seeks soiuuun -ristoric Walker building
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The taboo topic of demo
lition got a brief airing at
the first meeting of the task
force looking at. the future
of the two-story former D.F.
Walker School building on
North Oakum Street.
Edenton Town Council
man Elton Bond voiced
the concern of D.F.
Walker alumni that
the building not be
demolished.
“This is the last
piece of history for
the Black Commu
nity in Edenton,”
Bond said.
Families have
DEITEMEYER
Bond said the
alumni were inter
ested in trying to
find some way to
preserve the build
ing.
Chowan County
Commissioner Em
mett Winbome said
that is the goal of
gone to the school to get
their education, Bond said.
the task force - to find a use
for the building.
But College of The Al
bemarle President Kandi
Deitemeyer encouraged the
task force not to take the de
molition option off the table
without hilly discussing all
the pros and cons.
The building is located
on COAs Edenton-Chowan
Campus.
Deitemeyer asked the
panel to consider what it
would mean in terms of
campus revitalization if the
two-story building were not
there, and there was more
green space on the campus,
and money that might have
been used to restore the
building was used for other
campus improvements.
The future of the two
story former D.F. Walker
School building and the
future of College of The Al
bemarle’s Edenton-Chowart
Campus are twin concerns
of the task force exploring
the future of the building,
which is located on COAs
Oakum Street campus.
At its organizational
meeting on Nov. 16 the task
force unanimously tapped
See SOLUTION, 4A
Dear Santa
rHUlU t>Y KIM UbtH ULLOM
Kindergartener Carley Layden talks with Santa on Saturday during White Oak Elementary School’s 5th Annual Arts and Crafts Holiday Gift Show. Over 60 vendors participated
and a crowd of more than 500 people came to enjoy the show and related activities. See story page 6A.
Carawan is new Washington County manager
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Willie M. Cara wan has been
named county manager of Wash
ington County.
Carawan, who has been Chowan
County’s finance officer since May
2013, is slated to take the* reins in
Washington County Jan. 4.
Chowan ('ounty Manager Kevin
1 loward said Carawan’s experience
and expertise would be missed.
“It’s nice when you have a fi
nance officer that has experience
as a manager,” Howard said.
Carawan served as county ad
ministrator in Tyrell (’ounty before
coming to Chowan as finance offi
cer. He explained that the
county administrator role
was similar to county man
ager but did not involve
luring and firing. rryrell has
since adopted the county
manager form of govern
ment.
Cara wan’s salary as
county manager will be
CARAWAN
lenge in moving would be
finding a house suitable for
his tliree English Labs.
In addition to his experi
ence as a local government
administrator, Carawan
also has served as an elect
ed county commissioner in
Hyde County.
He said he’s looking for
!)>!n),uuu. He has a two-year contract
with an annual review and renew
al.
Although he currently lives in
las native Hyde County, Carawan’s
contract with Washington County
calls for him to relocate to Wash
ington within six months.
Carawan said the biggest chal
ward to the new challenge of being
a county manager.
Carawan said he appreciated the
opportunity to work for Chowan
County.
Probably the biggest challenge
here was working with the budget
to maintain operations when the
county commissioners adopted a
property tax rate in 2014 that was
less than the ‘revenue neutral’ rate
that Is, the rate that would have
been expected to generate the
same amount of revenue as in the
previous budget year.
Carawan said the board faced a
difficult choice in that budget and
has faced a number of tough choic
es. He pointed out the board here
is very hands-on in dealing with
financial matters, mainly because
of the experience of the fiscal crisis
beginning in 2008.
He said his own goal has been to
maintain a high level of transparen
cy regarding the county’s finances.
See CARAWAN, 3A
Sell or lease? Council weighs options on building
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Whether to sell or lease the for
mer Northeast Commission build
ing will be a key Issue when the
future use of the building comes
before the town council for discus
sion next month.
The future of the building will be
6
0
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
back before the full town council
for discussion at the council’s Dec.
8 montlUy meeting.
That recommendation was made
by Administrative Committee Chair
Steve Biggs during the council’s
work session Monday night. Coun
cilman Elton Bond and Council
woman Norma Simpson, who also
serve on tluit committee, gave the
proposal their blessing too.
“Steve, I agree,” Bond said. “Let’s
send it on and get it out there.”
When discussion resumes next
month it Ls expected to focus on,
among other things, proposed pro
tective covenants and operating
regulations that would affect hours
of operation by a prospective busi
ness, trash pickup and other con
cerns. Five citizens who own prop
erty acfoacent to the building have
submitted a petition to the town
asking that the council not approve
occupancy in the building by any
business that includes a commer
cial kitchen.
Both proposals to purcliase the
property that are now on the table
include eateries as part of their de
sign.
Instead, the petition reads, “1 am
opposed to making this location a
commercial kitchen; I believe that
a retail or multi-retail business
would be more suitable for this
commercial property.”
Biggs said that there were many
documents in council’s packet
for this work session pertaining
to protective covenants where he
had questions. Nevertheless, he
said that being mindful of an email
sent by Mayor Roland Vaughan he
was determined to keep the deci
sion-making process from stalling
again.
“I told the mayor earlier that I
was going to try to move ahead
See OPTIONS, 3A
Board to
Howard:
Devise
pay plan
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The Chowan County
Board of Commissioners
last week asked County
Manager Kevin Howard to
devise a merit-based salary
system based on an overall
increase of 2 percent in tire
cost of employee salaries.
The move followed a
decision earlier this fall to
authorize Sheriff Dwayne
Goodwin to implement
merit raises in the Sheriffs
Office, Detention Center
and 911 Center. Goodwin
agreed to find the money
for the raises this fiscal year
within his existing budget.
Howard presented to
the county commissioners
at their Nov. 16 meeting a
study of employee salaries
that showed some county
employees near the regional
average for their position,
some ahead of the aver
See PAY PLAN, 3A
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