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ELIZABETH CITY
Group worts with USDA on broadband planning
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
The Edenton Chowan
Partnership has been select
ed to participate in the Cool
and Connected Program
sponsored by the USDA Ru
ral Utilities Services and the
US EPA, according to Larry
Lombardi, executive direc
tor of the partnership.
The program offers plan
LOMBARDI
ning advice
to commu
nities in
terested in
expanding
their op
portunity
to offer
broadband
capabil
ity, Lombardi said during a
presentation at the Jan. 10
town council meeting. He
and Chowan County Exten
sion Director Mary Morris
successfully prepared the
application.
“The Cool and Connected
Program is a pilot program
that started in the spring
of 2016,” he said. “We have
been selected in phase II
of this program and we
know we don’t have all
the answers but we will be
working and meeting with
the various stakeholders in
the town and surrounding
neighborhoods to find out
what will work best for our
community.”
Lombardi said he is al
ready hearing from interest
ed businesses in the com
munity about the program.
“We have heard from vari
ous people within our com
munity who are interested
in leveraging broadband for
the purpose of enabling the
town’s main street and our
existing neighborhoods to
take advantage of broad
band services that are al
ready in place or can be put
into place using the existing
fiber resources already in
hand,” he said. “The Cool
and Connected Program is
designed to help us for this
purpose and the planning
process will help us figure
out our strategy and plan
for leveraging broadband
to create a great place to
live and work,” Lombardi
added.
At presstime Tuesday,
Lombardi had scheduled
a teleconference for Tues
day with representatives
of Smart Growth America,
USDA Rural Utilities Ser
vice and the EPAs Office of
Sustainable Communities.
Meeting Construction Expectations
STAFF PHOTO BY REGGIE PONDER
Construction of Edenton’s new police station continues on North Oakum Street. Adam Hughes, project manager for Williamson-based A.R. Chesson Construction, says the
station project is on schedule to be completed by May.
Police station on schedule for May completion
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Work on the new Eden
ton Police Station on
North Oakum Street is
proceeding on sched
ule, according to Adam Hughes,
project manager for Williamston
based A.R Chesson Construction
Company which is in charge of
building the facility.
“Progress on this project is
meeting scheduled expectations
and we look forward to a May
completion date,” Hughes said.
“We ei\joy occasional visits from
Chief (Jay) Fortenbery who main
tains a watchful eye over the proj
ect to monitor our progress.”
Hughes offered the following
specifics regarding the work at
the site:
■ Site is on grade with most
concrete curb and gutter installed
and stone subgrade installed in
the parking lot
■ Roof membrane is in place
and the building is dry, allowing
interior rough-ins
■ Plumbing, mechanical and
electrical systems all and ceiling
rough-ins are underway and ap
proximately 60 percent complete
“Local building officials have
been extremely helpful coordinat
ing required inspections allowing
us to begin insulation and dry
wall in completed areas, facilitat
ing our aggressive construction
schedule,” Hughes said.
■ Brick veneer is currently be
ing installed and is approximately
64 percent complete
“The exterior finishes should
be finished by the end of February
provided we continue to ei\joy this
relatively mild winter weather,”
Hughes said.
■ Windows are being fabricat
ed and are scheduled for a March
installation
■ Interior finishes for paint,
flooring and casework are almost
finalized
■ Site improvements such as
grading, asphalt paving and land
scaping will begin in March and be
completed in mid-April.
Town Manager Anne-Marie
Knighton said her staff has been
attending monthly construction
progress meetings with represen
tatives from the contractor and
architect
“I am pleased with the progress
being made,” she said.
There is a lot of coordination
required by the Town due to some
cost saving measures, and I am
pleased that our work is progress
ing according to schedule also,”
Knighton added.
The cost saving measures be
ing put in place, she said, involve
such measures as having Town
Purchasing Agent Bud Powell and
Police Chief Jay Fortenbery work
on the bids for the purchase of the
office furniture that will be housed
in the building.
“This task would have been
more expensive if the contractor
and architect did the work,” the
town manager said. “The Electric
Department has done some work
too to help reduce costs.”
Knighton said that another
bright spot in the process has been
the “great support” from Chowan
County’s Information Technol
ogy staff in helping the town with
such items as data lines, fiber, the
phone system and other similar
components.
Yeopim solar farm permit OK’d
BY REdQIE PONDER
Editor
The Chowan County
Planning Board voted
unanimously last week
to approve a special use
permit for a solar farm on
Yeopim Road.
The permit for 02emc’s
solar farm at 740 Yeopim
Road includes six condi
tions, including one in
tended to ensure the facil
ity has no negative effect
on already compromised
drainage in the area
The company plans a
10-megawatt solar farm
on the 177-acre tract.
Speaking at the plan
ning board hearing on the
6
02009 The Chowan Herald
• All Rights Reserved
permit application, Yates
Parrish, who owns land
bordering the site on two
sides, said he was con
cerned that the project
would make water drain
faster and cause flooding
on the road and on the
farmlanf in the area worse
than it is now.
“That’s my main con
cern,” Parrish said.
Amber Winslow, who
lives across the street
from the solar farm site,
said she already has a ter
rible drainage problem at
her house.
“We’re going to have
more of a problem than
we have now” once the
solar farm is built, Win
slow said. “If that is going
to drain more water faster
then I am going to have to
move.”
Henry Campen, a Ra
leigh attorney represent
ing 02emc, told the board
that the drainage issues
are caused by the topog
raphy in the area and have
nothing to do with the so
lar farm.
Campen questioned
02emc executive Adam
Foodman about the drain
age issues.
Foodman said the land
was already cleared and
the company would be
planting ground cover.
He said he agreed with
neighboring property
owners in wanting the
best drainage possible.
“We are not adding im
pervious surface,” Food
man said, explaining that
is what would make flood
ing worse.
Foodman agreed to a
condition that he main
tain ditches at the site
in a manner consistent
with requirements of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engi
neers.
That condition was
attached to the permit
that was approved by the
board.
Two other neighboring
property owners, Belinda
and Richard Jackson, ex
pressed concerns about
thd disposal of materials
after the facility stops pro
ducing electricity.
They also raised a con
cern about the possibility
of groundwater contami
nation as a result of mate
rials in the solar panels.
Campen said the issues
raised by adjoining prop
erty owners were specula
tive concerns about what
might happen rather than
evidence that would con
tradict the expert testi
mony that witnesses for
02emc had presented.
Witnesses for the com
pany said that there would
be no threat of hazardous
material contamination
and that the materials
See SOUR, 4A
Input sought on
land use plan
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
A meeting next week
will offer'you an opportu
nity to weigh in on future
land uses in Edenton and
Chowan County.
The company assisting
town and county officials
with the preparation of a
new land use plan will hold
an open house Feb. 9 at the
county’s Public Safety Cen
ter.
The meeting will be held
from 4-7 p.m. The building
is located on Freemason
Street
Although wind energy fa
cilities will not be the only
topic of discussion, there
will be an opportunity to
discuss the wind energy
controversy at the meeting,
| according to Chad Mead
ows ol Lodewnght, the
firm providing assistance
to local officials in prepar
ing the new plan.
Meadows explained that
the open house will feature
separate areas dedicated to
the town and county plans,
so residents and property
owners can select either
one - or both - based on
their interests.
Staff from Codewright
will make an opening pre
sentation about the land
use plan, including data on
demographics, economics
and land use.
Tire company will talk
about why the county and
town are updating the land
use plan - what they hope
to accomplish in the plan
ning process.
See INPUT, 4A