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SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY
106 W WATER ST
EDENTON NC 27932-1854
HERALD
482-4418
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
50«
Prom rolls out red
carpet for seniors - 3B
Commission approves water rate hike
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
The Chowan County
Commission approved a wa
ter rate hike, but held back
on imposing any proposed
changes to a solar farm or
dinance.
During Monday’s meeting,
commissioners raised water
rates from $6 per thousand
gallons to $7 per thousand
gallons effective Nov. 1.
County Manager Kevin
Howard said the purpose
of the water rate increase is
to make the county eligible
to apply for grant funds to
make mandated improve
ments to the water plant. A
factor that determines grant
eligibility is that a county
have water rates that are at
or above the state average.
“Even though we do not
like having to raise rates it
is good for the county since
it puts us in a position to be
eligible for grant funding for
25 percent,” he said. “Of the
costs for an estimated $5
"Even though we do not like having to raise
rates it is good for the county since it puts us
in a position to be eligible for grant funding for
25 percent."
Kevin Howard
County manager
million project, the increase
also puts us in a better po
sition financially to pay
back the loan and provide
the needed capital fiards to
work on a water distribu
tion system that is in some
areas over 40 years old. “
County Commission
Clerk Susanne Stallings
said the mandate was put
in place through a Special
Order by Consent between
Chowan County and the NC
Department of Environmen
tal Quality.
Howard said the county
provides service to around
4,475 water customers.
Rates were increased by 50
cents per 1,000 gallons in
2015, Howard said. Prior to
that, the last increase took
place in 2008.
County officials were
considering a possible in ¬
crease of 60 cents more per
month but opted instead to
raise rates by $1 more to
bring in additional funds for
repairs and upgrades to in
frastructure.
Stallings said that under
the current rate plan at $6
per thousand gallons, had
the commission increased
the rate by 60 cents, that
would have generated
$140,000 per year, whereas
a $1 rate hike will generate
See RATE, 2A
Council
approves
upgrades
financing
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Mayor Roland Vaughan
signed paperwork finalizing
an agreement that would
provide USDA financing to
upgrade the town’s two wa
ter treatment plants during
a special meeting (July 27)
of town council.
Recently, Town Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton re
ceived a call from officials
at USDA Rural Develop
ment informing her that the
underwriting for the town’s
loan/grant application for
the upgrades to the Beaver
Hill and Freemason Water
Treatment Plans had been
finalized.
“The USDA told me that
the USDA was prepared to
offer the town a $1.15-mil-
lion grant and a $2.641-mil-
lion loan at two percent
interest for 40 years,” she
said.
The next step was for
Jonathan Jones, an area
specialist for the USDA, to
appear before the council
to present the town with a
letter of conditions and for
the town to formally request.
the obligation of funds and
give its approval to a letter
of intent to meet the con
ditions set out by USDA.
Those actions occurred dur
ing Thursday’s meeting with
Jones noting that the two
percent interest rate was
locked in.
“It will never go up,” he
said.
The meeting was a neces
sary first step on the way to
securing the funding.
“This action officially
started the financing pro
cess,” Knighton said. “The
town will have to make an
application to the NC Lo-
See COUNCIL, 3A
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Walking Down
MEMORY LANE
Reunion allows Bulldogs to look back
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Perhaps inspired by some old pho
tographs from Chowan High School’s
yearbook, the newspaper shifted
course this week away from a hard
news story about infrastructure re
pairs so as to offer a more user friend
ly soft news story about the school’s
upcoming reunion.
Though it is months away on Nov.
25 at the Northern Recreation Cen
ter, one can’t help but think ahead
because as saying goes, “Cleanliness
is next to godliness”, so is planning
which is why the Creator was able to
do his work in six days so he could
rest, maybe spend time at Ocracoke,
on the seventh day.
Being that it is August, it is probably
too early to include reunion times and
whatnot, but tickets cost $35 though
the trip down nostalgia lane will be
priceless. See Steve Evans or Kim
(Ober) Ullom for more information
call 252-333-8567 or send inquiries to
chsallclassesreunion@gmail.com.
For inclusion in the alumni booklet,
seek out those same folks before Oct.
1.
“This is the reunion of all
reunions,"Ullom said. “This is some
thing that alumni have been asking
for, for years. A group of us finally
decided it was going to happen. It is
our hope that our Bulldog family will
come together once again, sharing
where life took us, but looking back
on what we had.”
Next week, there will be an article
about the Edenton Jr./Sr. and John A
Holmes High School graduating class
es from 1955 through 1963 are hold
ing a joint reunion Aug. 18/19 - Sandy
Point Beach Blast IV.
As for now, a black and white pho
to — circa 1979 — of Chowan High’s
Future Farmers of America Club was
inspiring enough to fire up meet Mr.
Peabody and his boy Sherman for
lunch so as we could fire up their
“Wayback Machine” — those were
great cartoons. Pay close attention to
the photo and maybe you’ll see Steve
Evans, FFA president.
See REUNION, 2A
Board sees
strategic
plan draft
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
School board members
had the chance to see a
draft of the school system’s
2017-2019 Strategic Plan
during their Aug. 1 monthly
meeting.
Assistant Superintendent
Tanya Turner reviewed the
plan with the board during
a first reading of the docu
ment.
Turner said that the
two-year initiative focuses
on three key questions —
Where are we now? Where
do we want to be? How will
we get there?
She noted that the draft is
a continuation of the school
system’s 2015-2017 Strategic
Plan that was designed to
align with the North Caro
lina Strategic Plan for the
state’s schools.
“That consisted of five
goals with a total of 21 ob
jectives,” she said. “Data is
updated and complete on
14.5 of the 21 objectives.”
An online survey designed
to get comments from com
munity members/leaders,
business leaders, parents,
school/staff members and
students received 223 re
sponses including two from
students, Turner said. Re
sponses were used to create
an Excel spreadsheet, she
said.
“We looked for patterns
in answers to the questions,”
she said.
Survey Monkey was used
to perform a text analysis of
the information provided,
Turner said.
To the question, “What
is one thing the Edenton-
Chowan school system is
most known for,” the top
answer was sports — not
surprising, because the
Aces have been in the news
so much for their athletic
prowess, she said.
See PLAN, 3A
Not just parents who need supplies School supplies
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All Rights Reserved
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
New Edenton-Chowan Schools Main
tenance Director Jamie Johnson offered
the school board a look at 2017-2018 cap
ital outlay project requests at the various
schools during its Aug. 1 meeting.
Johnson promised that the work
would be done efficiently and with as lit
tle cost as possible. School maintenance
staff can perform some of the necessary
work, he said.
“I’m a dealer and I intend to save as
much as possible,” he told the board.
Those items include:
White Oak Elementary
■ Furniture Replacement; Budget Re
quest — $10,000; Cost/Quote — School
Handling; Difference — N/A
■ Replace Carpet in Media Center;
Budget Request — $7,500; Cost/Quote
— $7,475; Difference — $25
■ Restripe Teacher Parking Lot;
Budget Request — $3,500; Cost/Quote
— $3,000; Difference — $500
■ Replace Carpet in Six Classrooms
with Tile; Budget Request — $14,000;
Cost/Quote — $13,972; Difference - $28
■ Renovate Teacher and Student Re
strooms; Budget Request — $12,000;
Cost/Quote — Quotes Pending; Differ-
See OUTLAY, 2A
donations needed
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
This Friday is the deadline
for local residents to bring
donations of school supplies
to the Edenton-Chowan Rec
reation Department.
The supplies will be used
as part of a Back to School
Bash event being sponsored
by the recently formed Eden
ton United group to provide
school supplies to students
from pre-K through high
school in the Edenton-Chow
an Schools.
The supplies donated by
local churches and civic or
ganizations will be distrib
uted at the Back to School
Bash on Saturday, Aug. 19
from 4-8 p.m. at John A Hol
mes High School.
See SUPPLIES, 3A
RH Cantaloupes, Watermelons, 730 N Granville St
r Tomatoes,Beans,Okra,Peppers, Open each Saturday
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BANK&TIUJST
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