Plea For Funds
Is Turned Down
Edenton-Chowan Board of
Education suffered another set
back in a re-organization program
Monday when Chowan County
commissioners rejected the latest
request for additional funds. The
result will be the unpopular
Advisory Group
Plans Underway
Plans are now underway to
formally organize a Chowan River
advisory group to assist the N. C.
Department of Natural Resources
&• Community Development in the
massive task of cleaning up the
algae-choked river.
Dr. Neil Grigg, who has been put
in charge of the implementation
phase of the Chowan Restoration
Project by Sec. Howard N. Lee,
said here Friday he will ask the
secretary to appoint a lay council.
NRCD officials would serve as
resource people to the council.
It was suggested that Sec. Lee
select at least three people from
Gates, Chowan, Hertford, Tyrrell,
Bertie, Washington and Bertie
counties to be on the initial ad
visory group or task force.
Dr. Grigg said he thinks, and
local people close to the problem
agreed, that a lay council of local
people would result in more active
public participation in a positive
program.
However, Dr. Grigg warned
about possible problems in
Virginia. “We haven’t come to
terms with our friends in
Virginia,” he said. “Somehow we
have got to get these folks in
volved.”
He went on to say local people in
Virginia, where 75 per cent of the
Chowan River Basin lies, aren’t
aware of the problem. “We
haven’t been able to get past the
bureaucrats in Richmond,” he
addl'3'.'
While the intial phase will zero
in on CP Industries, and later to
Union Camp in Franklin, Va.,*Dr.
Grigg said for a permanent
solution to be obtained it is
necessary to address every
possible contributor to the
pollution. Nevertheless, he still
maintains that CF Industries at
Tunis is the first priority.
He said also that he would like
for the state-funded study by a
private engineer to be responsive
to local questions. “The engineers
need to be working with local folks
as well as NRCD,” he said.
J. Gilliam Wood of Edenton a
chairman of the board of NRCD,
said SIO,OOO is not sufficient to do
the job the community wants
done. “Don’t limit the scope of the
investigation,” he cautioned Dr.
Grigg. “We don’t need to get
locked inter yet another study.”
ACTION ON RIVER CLEANUP J. Gilliam Wood, right,
chairman of the board of Natural Resources & Community
Development, and A1 Howard, standing, are shown with Dr. Neil
Grigg of NRCD at a recent meeting. They are leaders in efforts to
clean up the Chowah River.
placement of the Ninth Grade at
Walker School with K-3.
The commissioners voted
unanimously to reject the request
for $25,000-spread over two
budget years-which would have
placed six temporary classrooms
on the Holmes High School
campus andi kept grades 9-12
together. Therefore, it appears
that the board of education will
have to scrap all options which
cost anything at all this year.
At the same time, the com
missioners reaffirmed a prior
agreement to purchase four new
buses which are needed to im
plement the consolidation plan.
Commission chairman C. A.
Phillips said at the outset there
was “no use to get into a debate on
the merits” of the request because
“we just simply don’t have the
money.”
He added that it was a real
strain for the county to come up
with SB,OOO in matching funds to
pay for a music teacher at Chowan
High School after the budget had
been adopted. “Our situation has
not changed,” he declared.
Dr. J. H. Horton, speaking for
the board of education, said the
basic purpose of the request was to
bring about reorganization. He
said the first request (for $150,000)
was turned down by the com
missioners and when the public
“vigorously” objected to housing
the Ninth Grade at Walker, the
board had an obligation to seek
additional funds.
Commissioner J. D. Peele,
chairman of the Finance Com
mittee, noted that “only $16,000 is
left” in the county’s Contingency
Fund. “I see no possible place we
can get it (the $25,000 or any
portion thereof) from,” he said.
He said while there is some ad
ditional money anticipated from
Revenue Sharing, it is already
earmarked.
Mrs. Emily G. Amburn, a school
board member, said she was
never happy with any other plan
other than the first one presented
to commissioners after defeat of
the school bonds, which carried a
price tag of $150,000. “Parents,
teachers and students were not
happy with any other plan,” she
said, but the latest option, while
not ideal, is acceptable.
Continued on Page 4
Deadline Set
The deadline for entries in the
!979 Christmas Parade has been
set for 12-noon on November 30,
according to Robert Moore,
executive vice president of
Edenton-Chowan Chamber of
Commerce.
This year’s parade will take
place on Sunday, December 2,
beginning at 2:30 P.M.
This year’s parade will take
place on Sunday, December 2,
beginning at 2:20 P.M.
Ti ill Hid m
GIVING AND RECEIVING The Town of Edenton last
Thursday night was one of 77 municipalities in North Carolina to
receive the Governor’s Community of Excellence Award. Prior to
the Raleigh ceremony, Mayor Roy L. Harrell and Councilman
Steve Hampton presented Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr., a specially
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THE CHOWAN HERALD
Vol. XLV. - No. 46
'
Thanksgiving 1979
This marks our 15th
Thanksgiving along the Public
Parade. These have been the most
meaningful years of our life, filled
with ingredients of- love, iov.
accomplishment and receiving.
Nevertheless, the years have been
tempered with a generous amount
of tension, pressure and pain.
While our priorities can be
questioned, our motives have
always been above reproach. We
are, therefore, thankful that we
live in a country where “doing
your own thing” isn’t looked upon
as something passe so long as it
doesn’t infringe on the rights of
others.
These ar troubled times in the
United States and around the
world. Yet, those who meander
along the Public Parade have
more to .be thankful for than
anyone. This is because of the
quality of our people. We have the
advantage arid disadvantage of a
small community, while living
close enough to a metropolitan
area to enjoy the advantages while
not having to adjust to the
disadvantages.
Thanksgiving is our favorite
season. It is a time for attitude
adjustment as we think positive,
letting the negative drown in its
own soup.
During the past month we have
traveled throughout Tar Heelia
more than in any other short span
in our life. We have grown to
appreciate more what we have as
we talk with others. What we all
have in common is the privilege to
live in a country where differences
need not be disasters.
Our 47 years have been good
ones, years pf variety and
challenge. We are thankful for this
although we hardly deserve it.
Nevertheless, we continue to
strive to contribute to the solution
rather than be a part of the
problem.
When we sit down to make a list
of things for which we are thank
ful, it is ever encompassing. It is
actually Santa Claus a month
Continued on Page 4
Joint Services Set
Hie Edenton United Methodist
Church, St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church. and Edenton
Presbyterian Church, will
celebrate a Holy Communion
Thanksgiving Service together on
November 21; 7:30 P.M., at the
Edenton United Methodist Church
on Virginia Hoad.
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, November 22, 1979
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AWARD WINNERS AT FARM-CITY BANQUET Cam Byrum, center, chairman of the Farm-
City Week banquet held Monday night at Edenton Jaycee Community Building, is surrounded by
award winners announced at the event attended by more than 325 people. Billy Nixon, left, was
recipient of the Outstanding Young Farmer Award; Annette Bunch and Paul Bunch were 4-H corn
production winners; and David Bateman took the 1978 Peanut Award. Gary Copeland, a third corn
winner, was not present.
ECHSA Authorizes Review
GREENVILLE - Eastern
Carolina Health Systems Agency
has authorized a “full review” of
supplemental information
requested of the Northeastern
Rural Health Development
Association by the Department of
Health, Education & Welfare.
The review meeting will be held
November 29 in Greenville.
The additional information was
requested after the ECHSA
governing board disapproved, in
August, NRHDA’s proposed use of
$200,000 in federal funds for their
second year of operations in
Tyrrell, Bertie and Perquimans
counties.
The full review process will
include a thorough ECHSA staff
analysis of the information;
publicized opportunity for citizen
requested public hearings; a
project review committee review
and recommendation; and full
governing board review and ac
tion..
Suspected duplication of health
services, and proposed ad
ministrative costs which were not
in line with other such Eastern
North Carolina costs, led the
ECHSA governing body to include
concerns in their approval of a
$135,203 fourth-year continuation
application submitted by the
Outer Banks Medical Center.
At their November 15 meeting in
Greenville, the governing body
voted to attach the above concerns
to their approval of the proposed
use of federal funds, as the group
designed teapot. In the picture at right, Mayor Harrell receives
the Governor’s Award for Edenton. Below, W. B. Gardner, town
administrator, is flanked by Gov. Hunt and Larry Cohick, head of
economic development with the State Department of Commerce.
Governor’s Award Presented
Edenton was officially honored
as a Governor’s Community of
Excellence by Governor James B.
Hunt, Jr., in Raleigh last Thurs
day during the Governor’s
Conference on Economic
Development.
Gov. Hunt presented the award
to Mayor Roy L. Harrell.
“I am proud of the progress
which communities like Edenton
have made during the past year,”
Gov. Hunt said “It is an
achievement which they can relish
forwarded the application to
DREW for a final decision.
The Tarboro Community
Medicine Foundation’s proposed
use of $389,817 in federal funds for
the fourth-year of operation of
their Health Underserved Rural
Area-Rural Health Initiative
program was unanimously ap
proved
Two new members were con
firmed and welcomed by the
governing body at the meeting.
New members are: John Willis, a
consumer representative and
Craven County commissioner,
nominated by the Craven County
Board of Commissioners; and
David Henson, a provider
representative and administrator
of Chowan Hospital in Edenton,
nominated by the Chowan County
Board of Commissioners.
Indicted For Embezzlement
Mike Ervin of Edenton was
among four persons indicted last
week in what has been described
as a “$500,000 embezzlement
scheme” at the Eastern North
Carolina Opportunities Industrial
Center here. Involved were
federal employment and training
funds.
Ervin was the center’s comp
troller for 11 months prior to ac
cepting a position with Hoke Motor
Corp. He was arrested Wednesday
afternoon and r>» >. • ’ : o
with great pride. The work which
has been done in qualifying for this
honor also represents a big step
toward better job opportunities.”
To qualify for the award,
Edenton had to meet the basic
criteria required by new industry
which among other things in
cludes: an organization for putting
together and presenting the town’s
story, adequate labor, industrial
sites, financing and access to
markets.
Continued on Page 4
Single Copies 15 Cents
Local Churches
Report Thefts
Two rural Methodist churches in
Chowan County last week were the
target of what may have been
professional antique thieves,
according to Sheriff Troy Toppin.
Two rural, unoccupied residences
w ere also broken into and valuable
items stolen.
The first to be hit was Locust
Grove Methodist Church, Route 2.
Edenton. A communion table and
five pulpit chairs were stolen.
Also, during the late night of
November 7 or early morning of
November 8, someone entered
Evans Methodist Church, Route 1,
Edenton. and removed the bottom
sections of all the leaded stained
glass windows. Several of the
sections contain individual “in
memory of” panes with names of
Continued on Page 4
Washington County Jail in lieu of
$25,000 bond.
The charges against Ervin in
clude forgery, embezzlement and
obtaining property by false
pretense.
The others indicted Tuesday in
connection with misuse of Com
prehensive Employment and
Training Act money were: Henry
Crews, former center director:
Delina Riddick, a secretary; and
Audrey Holloway of Raleigh, a
former l>ookkeeper