I.ll.llllll.llllllll.llllll,.l,ll...ll.llllllllllllllllllllll1'1'
SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY
482-4418 50*
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
What’s ahead for the Walker building?
V'"-" lit nil"T IM in TMH
f / • .A..
FILE PHOTO
j Carolyn Anthony of
] the D.F. Walker Alumni
1 Association addresses a
I forum on the future of
the former D.F. Walker
■ School building that
was held last year at
• the Shepard-Pruden
i Memorial Library.
FILE PHOTO
This is a view of the former D.F. Walker
School building from North Oakum Street.
Looking ahead to 2017
County facilities to get attention in 2017
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Chowan County Man
ager Kevin Howard said last
week that a big challenge
for the county in 2017 will
be keeping spending in line
while addressing several
capital needs that will re
quire the county to spend
money.
The capital projects
include the former D.F.
Walker School building, the
Senior Center and the water
system.
Howard said correcting
the discharge issue at the
county’s water treatment
plant would be a multi-year
process. The county is in
compliance with drinking
water standards but fails to
meet state environmental
regulations related to the
water discharged from the
treatment plant into a near
by swamp. Stale officials
have said the county cannot
continue discharging the
water longterm at the cur
rent location because of its
high mineral content
The county has entered
into a special order by con
sent with the state - an
agreement that stays any
penalties as long as the
county meets the agreed
upon timetable for correct
ing the problem.
“Next year is the first year
in terms of having to meet
some deadlines with the
state in terms of our testing
and design work,” Howard
said. Preliminary testing
must be completed by July
of this year, he said.
The county has issued a
request for proposals to find
an engineering firm to work
on the water project In addi
tion, the county already has
raised water rates to help
cover the cost of the work
and is looking for grants to
fund as much of the work as
possible.
hi terms of Swaih Audito
rium and the Senior Center,
which sustained damage
during Hurricane Matthew,
the county has been wait
ing on a proof of loss state
ment from the insurance
company. Howard said the
county should be able to
put that project out for bids
this month. Once the work
begins it will probably take
six months, including two
months to rebuild and in
stall the heating and cooling
system that is located in the
Senior Center and services
Swain Auditorium, accord
ing to Howard.
The project at Swain is
expected to cost $500,000
for construction plus the
cost of equipment replace
ment, Howard said. Tire in
surance settlement should
cover those costs, he said.
The direction the county
decides to go regarding the
former D.F. Walker School
building, which is located
Schools look forward to a solid future in 2017
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Edenton-ChowanSchools
Superintendent Rob Jack
son says he and the staff
of the local school system
are approaching the com
ing new year with a sense
of confidence and optimism
that good things lie ahead.
“The current school year
has already been one of
great academic, artistic, and
athletic accomplishment,”
Jackson said. “It is
anticipated that this
positive trend in all
areas will continue
as our students nev
er cease to redefine
what is possible.”
“Just as when I
arrived in Chowan
County,” he added,
JACKSON
1 remain relentlessly opti
mistic. My message then on
belief - belief in studehts,
belief in teachers and staff,
and belief in this commu
nity, remains.”
Jackson said ac
complishments in
[ 2016 have created a
platform on which
the school system
can build a solid fu
ture.
“In 2016 we wit
nessed the first stu
dent graduate with a college
degree while completing
his high school diploma at
John A. Holmes,” he said.
“This historic accomplish
ment illustrates that what
is possible for our students
in Chowan County is not
limited by the past, but is
instead created by what our
students need to be success
ful today.”
That is not to say that the
year ahead won’t hold chal
lenges for the school sys
tem, Jackson said.
“The board of education
refuses to allow students to
be limited by the challenges
faced by the school system,
but chooses instead to chal
lenge the limits,” the super
intendent said. “Through
building upon a strong
partnership with parents,
with the community, and
with local government, the
school system will strive to
ensure that challenges from
outside the classroom do
not restrict the phenomenal
accomplishments of our
students and staff inside the
See SCHOOLS, 3A
Town officials working to attract grocery store
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Continuing to work closely with
the Edenton-Chowan Partnership
and others to attract a second gro
cery store is among the four biggest
challenges the town will face in
2017, according to Town Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton.
“We are working hard with our
regional and state economic devel
opment partners to attract
interest from grocery store
chains,” she said “We have
learned decisions about lo
cating stores in new markets
are made three to four years
in advance – and de
cisions are made on market
demographics, transporta
tion factors - proximity to
KNIGHTON
wnuiesiue uistnuuuon centers ana
other grocery stores in the supply
chain - all are taken into
consideration.”
Knighton added that
North Carolina is “consid
ered to be a very competi
tive market for national
grocery stores, as evident
by the growth of stores in
the Raleigh market that we
read about”
me uuier Banxs is a compeu
tive market that we are touting to
developers given our proximity,”
she added. “So we are still very
much encouraged that our market
can support a second grocer and we
will keep pushing our community as
a viable market for investment”
A second priority for the town in
the year ahead will involve follow
through on a need for street resur
facing in Edenton, she said.
See STORE, 3A
Development panel pursuing opportunities
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The Edenton Chowan
Partnership this year will
continue its efforts to re
cruit new businesses - in
1
6>"89076l
02009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
eluding a second grocery
store - while pursuing new
initiatives in senior living
and strategic planning.
Larry Lombardi, direc
tor of the Edenton Chowan
Partnership, said last week
that research focus groups
for a senior living project
will begin this month with
sessions scheduled Jan. 26
and 26.
Lombardi said a senior
living project was identified
T
as a priority in a strategic
plan a few years back.
Lombardi said Windeme
re has completed a feasibil
ity study for the project and
the numbers show more
than enough demand for a
gated senior living commu
nity with independent living
units, assisted living units,
memory care units and high
quality amenities.
There are 300 people who
have been invited to partici
pate in the focus groups.
The focus group sessions
will determine what the par
ticipants would like to see in
a senior living community.
“That’s going to take a few
years to actually be built,"
Lombardi said of the senior
living community.
But the demand is there
for this kind of senior living
complex, he said.
That’s something that
definitely is needed,” Lom
bardisaid.
Also this year the Partner
ship will be hiring a consul
tant to work on a three- to
five-year plan that will pro
vide a focus for the group’s
work. The ECP needs to be
more focused since it has
limited resources, he said.
“That will be a good thing
to look forward to in 2017,”
Lombardi said of the new
See PANEL, 3A
on the Edenton-Chowan
Campus of College of The
Albemarle on North Oakum
Street, will depend on input
from the newly seated coun
ty commissioners, Howard
said. Three new commis
sioners were elected in No
vember and seated in De
cember Democrat Donald
Faircloth and Republicans
Patti Kersey and Ron Cum
mings.
In addition to the new
county commissioners there
will be a new COA president
See COUNTY, 3A
Two hurt
in New
Year’s Eve
shooting
From staff reports
Two men were in
jured in a New Year’s
Eve shooting on West
Cartetet Street.
Around 7:40 p.m.
Saturday officers re
sponded to a shoot
ing at 121 W. Carteret
Street and discovered
41-year-old Terrance
Skinner of 121 W.
Carteret Street and
39-year-old Kelvin
Morring of 213 E.
Carteret Street both
with gunshot wounds
to the leg.
Information was
received that sus
pects were operating
a small silver four
door vehicle and fired
shots from inside the
vehicle while driving
past the house.
Both victims were
transported to Vidant
Chowan Hospital for
treatment.
Anyone with ad
ditional information
about this shooting
is asked to call the
Edenton Police De
partment. Your infor
mation will be kept
confidential,
i Contact Sergeant
Laura Wilkins at- 252
482-9884, or 252-482
: 5144. . • • ,
' * ■ *