' - iels Gets 'Boot'
The N. C. General Assembly
may have removed the “hook”
from the fish-hook configeration of
the Second Congressional District
but they left the boot appearance
of the First Senatorial District.
One can look at the redistricting
maps and let the imagination go
wild. There are all sorts of ap
pearances, but the end result is a
plan that can meet the test of the .
U. S. Department of Justice.
Rep. L. H. Fountain of Tarboro
is not at all pleased with his new
Second Congressional District
which picked up heavily populated
Durham County. While he isn’t
saying it public, Rep. Fountain
fears problems with getting re
elected.
State Sen. Melvin R. Daniels,
Jr., has expressed his displeasure
as well as fear of getting re
elected in a district which starts at
the Virginia line and hooks around
Albemarle Area counties to pick
up Pamlico. The district has the
appearance of a boot.
Sen. Daniels didn’t come away
empty handed from the special
session last week. His plea to
restore the First District
designation to his appointed area
was granted.
Sen. J. J. (Monk) Harrington of
Bertie admits he used his position
in committee to “pick the counties
I wanted” including Chowan and
Perquimans on the east side of the
common boundary -- the Chowan
River. “I’m sorry Mel feels the
way he does but I don’t think he
will have any real problems
(getting re-elected),” Sen.
Harrington says.
Friend Phil Godwin of neigh
boring Gates County has pretty
wed summed up the redistricting.
He said the General Assembly, in
order to meet federal constraints,
1 has pretty well done away with
counties. The former Speaker of
the House is leading a fight which
will probably go to court.
Those along the Public Parade
and across Tar Heelia who watch
the political arena have seen this
problem coming down, as certain
as the algae in the Chowan River,
moving from Holiday Island into
Edenton Bay. Multi-county
districts was the first step. Now
the spliting of counties to make the
population and racial mix had
furthered the “taxation without
representation” move.
No one has asked, but we favor
the U. S. Congress method. One
chamber should be based on
> population and another on areas.
In such a scheme Mecklenburg
County might have 25 represen
tatives but Chowan County would
have one - something we have not
been close to having since the late
W.J.P. Earnhardt, Jr., term in the
mid-19605.
We have written repeatedly
about the need for local govern
ments coming together to project
a unified voice in addressing
problems. The 10-county
Albemarle Area Development
Association, a group of volunteers,
has made tremendous strides in
this area. Yet it continues to need
propping up along the way.
The problem won’t go away.
H Maybe the good which comes from
the redistricting will be enough
people being fired up to act.
Northeastern North Carolina
Tomorrow, the newest multi
county group on the block, might
be the vehicle to aid existing
mechanisms. We hope so!
Old Licenses
Being Replaced
By State DMV
Don’t be surprised if you get a
new license plate when you renew
your vehicle registration.
The Division of Motor Vehicles
is replacing license [dates in the
series AAA-101 through JAY-999
which were manufactured in 1975.
These plates are being replaced
because they are the oldest plates
and many of them are faded and
illegible.
If you have a license plate in this
series, you will be given a new
plate at no charge other than the
regular license plate renewal
fee...and you ma\ :*>■*-> your old
plate. ■-
■
The Chowan Herald
Volume XLVII • No. 7
EMC Refuses To Allow Additional Sewage
RALEIGH —The State Environmental Management Commission sent
a clear message to the Town of Edenton to upgrade its wastewater
treatment facility or be satisfied with zero growth and development.
At a meeting here Thursday, the EMC rejected a Town Council request
to allow 20,000 gallons of additional sewer to be put into the system,
which does not meet state standards although it operates at 20 per cent
below capacity. The commission, therefore, denied Accepting sewer
from q proposed Senior Citizens Village project on West Hicks Street,
back of Chowan Hospital.
On staff recommendations, the commission did authorize hooking up
existing residences with malfunctioning septic tanks. However, this was
limited to putting no more than 11,000 gallons per day into the system
with every hook-up being documented.
Councilman Willis Privott made the presentation for Edenton. He cited
the need to rid the town of malfunctioning septic tanks, as well as for
expanding health care.
Town Administrator Sam Noble told the commission the town has had
to rethink the attack on adequate treatment facilities since estimates of
a land application system was $9-million. In another statement, Noble
said the town needs growth and expansion of its tax base in order to show
any expensive plan to be financially feasible.
Buck Kennedy of L. E. Wooten and Associates, engineers for Edenton,
advised the commission that there is no new technology in sight to bring
down the expense of land application. “We feel the alternative is not a
viable one,” the engineer stated.
Capt. A1 Howard of Arrowhead Beach, chairman of the Chowan River
Task Force, spoke against the request. He gave an overview of problems
in the Chowan River and pointed out that the General Assembly had gone
so far as to establish a study committee to investigate problems in the
entire Albemarle Sound Basin.
Howard asked that if the commission chose to override staff recom
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PRINCIPALS AT PORK CONFERENCE Mrs. Jo Patterson, district chairman for the
Agricultural Extension Service is pictured at Tuesday’s pork conference held at the American
Legion Building. Others are, from left: Jack Parker, area swine specialist; Ben Wood, chairman of
the feeder pig cooperative; and Mike Williams, Chowan County extension chairman.
Walker-Swain Students To
Participate In Jump-A-Thon
It is time for the students in
Edenton to begin working for the
Heart Fund again. Like last year,
Swain School will be sponsoring a
Jump-a-thon. This year D. F.
Walker School will join us with this
event. The Jump-a-thon is set for
March 6, but alot happens before
that.
This Friday at 9:30 A.M. Mrs.
Germanaro will be presenting a
Jump Show at D. F. Walker. The
students involved in this show are:
Leslie Redmond, Tina Boyce,
Dr. Martha Wood
Taken In Death
Dr. Martha Michal Wood, 82, of
Edenton, N. C., died Feb. 16 at the
Chowan Hospital following an
extended illness. Ttie wife of the
late Dr. Frank Wood, she was a
retired physician. She attended
Salem College, Columbia
University, the University of
North Carolina, and received her
medical degree from the
University of Pennsylvania. She
began practice in 1932 in Marion,
N. C., then San Antonio, Texas,
before moving to Edenton. She
was a member of St. Pauls
Episcopal Church and a member
of the Daughters of the American
Revolution.
She is survived by her son,
Frank Wood, Jr. erf Houston,
Texas; her daughter, Mrs. Peter
V. D. Schroeder at Medfield,
Mass.; two brothers, Joseph L.
Michal, Sr. erf Canton, N. C., and
Continued On Page 4
Edanton, North Carolina. Thursday, February 18, 1982
Juanita Bonner, Tasha Williams,
Devonne Gold, Lisa Goodman,
Rhonda Sawyer, Keeter Van
derpoole, Donita Monroe, Gerald
Perry, Marvin Holley, Janice
Anthony, Richard Anthony and
Tywanda Foreman. The show will
be repeated for E. A. Swain at 2
P.M. This show will kick off the
Jump-a-thon.
On Monday, permission slips
will go home with all students
interested in participating in the
Jump-a-thon.
On Wednesday, all permission
slips will be returned, teams will
be set up and sponsor sheets given
out. Now these children will begin
knocking on doors for verbal
pledges. The average pledge is 3
cents a minute of $5.40 in all. Os
course, more or even less will be
appreciated.
On March 6 at 9 A.M. the teams
will be ready to begin jumping at
D. F. Walker gym. They will jump
until 12:00. One person on each
team of six has to be jumping at all
times. We hope this will be a fun
event and we hope people will
come and watch. We do ask that
all students under 18 be ac
companied by an adult if they are
not on a team to jump.
On March 8 the students will be
out collecting money from the
pledges. They will have a week to
turn in this money. .
The money goes into the Heart
Fund to benefit this area.
What do these hard working
students get? Everyone jumping
Continued On Page 4
mendations that the town be Dut on a rigid schedule of action to improve
the quality of water going into Albemarle Sound.
W. B. Gardner, president of Retirement Concepts, Inc. the Senior
Village developer and owner, explained the project and the problem.
Gardner is former town administrator who for 20 years faced the
problem. He said while it appeared that he was in conflict with previous
utterings, he felt the town was making a sincere effort to improve the
treatment problem and the request should be granted.
James Wallace of Chapel Hill, commission vice-chairman, said it v/as
time to put a halt to “putting just a little bit” of bad water into the sen
sitive streams. “We are to the point where there just isn’t a crack to put
it in,” he said.
Gardner said Tuesday the owners of the Senior Village development
have not made a decision on the future. “It is entirely possible that the
$1.5-million project will have to be moved to another area of the state,”
he said. “This would be contrary to our plan to place the facilities in
areas with the greatest need, but it might not be financially feasible to
use costly septic tanks,” he added.
Gardner also noted a possible double standard set by EMC. The only
request rejected Thursday came from the Town of Edenton. Just
minutes later the commission approved a plan which will allow Carolina
Aluminum in Winton to join the municipal system. Winton plans for a
new system to be on line in 1984.
“It appears the commission has one standard for the east side of the
Chowan River and yet another for the west side,” Gardner said later. He
also said Edenton’s wastewater enters the Albemarle Sound several
miles east of the municipality while Winton’s flow is into the Chowan
River at a point of constant problem.
Howard did not speak against the Winton request although he has done
so in the past.
Hunt, Jones Issue Criticism Os Reaganomics
ELIZABETH CITY Gov.
James B. Hunt, Jr., and Rep.
Walter B. Jones of the First
Congressional District lashed out
at President Reagan’s economic
policies Thursday night at the
kick-off meeting of Northeastern
North Carolina Tomorrow. The
audience at the “history making”
event looked like Who’s Who In
State and Local Government.
Both at a news conference prior
to the banquet and after dinner
Gov. Hunt said the President’s
New Federalism plan would hit
hardest in already hard pressed
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REGIONAL ORGANIZATION BOOSTERS Joe Parker of
Ahoskie, right, is shown with Richard Baker, executive director
of the Alliance For Progress, at last Friday’s meeting at ECSU.
Parker is interim chairman of Northeastern North Carolina
Tomorrow. Baker was the brains behind the regional concept
whidi was first adopted in Western North Carolina,
Single Copies 23 Cents
District Court
Docket Heard
The following cases were heard
in the Chowan County District'
Court on Feb. 16 by the presiding
judge, Grafton G. Beamon.
Tan Vann Le, intoxicated and
disruptive, not guilty. Assault on a
child under 12 years of age, guilty,
cost of court.
Oras Blount, two counts of aid
abet check written closed account,
guilty, 10 days committment.
Clarence Walker, two counts of
worthless check-written closed
account, guilty, 10 days com
mittment.
James Earl Lofton, damage to
personal property, guilty, 60 days
suspended 2 years, SIOO fine and
cost of court, $225 restitution to
State Farm Insurance.
Injury to personal property, 60
days suspended sentence, SSO fine
and cost of court, restitution of
$16.94 to John Bond.
Carl Mayo Cayton, Jr., loud
boisterous language, $lO fine and
cost of court. Appealed.
Bobby Alexander Wright, Jr.,
Continued On Page 4
areas like Northeastern North
Carolina.
Rep. Jones pointed out that the
president’s program received
blanket approval last year. “The
new budget is in real trouble,” the
congressman said. “The
honeymoon is over.”
Gov. Hunt repeatedly singled
out the 400th Anniversary
celebration, a protracted one
which begins in 1984, as having the
potential as doing great things for
this section of the state.
The question of what happens
after the celebration was poised
Fenner Changes
Vote; Substitute
Rebate Is Ok’d
The Edenton Town Council met
Monday night in a special session
that was requested by Councilmen
Erwin Griffin and W. H. Holloweli.
Their request developed from the
Feb. 9 Town Council meeting at
which a hotly contested SSO over
the board rebate to all residential
customers was approved by a 4-3
vote. Monday night’s meeting
resulted in the already approved
rebate being withdrawn and a new
rebate being substituted in its
place.
The room was packed to its
capacity by a large number of
Chowan County citizens, who
readily voiced their feelings
throughout the meeting. The
majority of the audience were in
favor of the money being used to
upgrade the poor condition of
Edenton’s sewer system. The
Council, however, took the
position that since they had voted
to give a refund to their electric
customers last September, they
were still obligated to do so.
The new rebate will give 20 per
cent of the total VEPCO refund,
which amounted to over $474,060,
to both residential and c6m
mercial users. This will be based
on the number of kilowatt hours
used last October.
Mayor Roy Harrell delayed the
beginning of the meeting to talk
about an article that recently
appeared in a locally distributed
newspaper. This article, which
contained references that Fire
Chief Luther Parks had to write an
order to obtain a battery, was
totally untrue, according to the
Mayor. In addition, the author of
the article eavesdropped on an
executive session held by the
Council.
Sam Noble said, “I believe that
it’s highly unethical to do
something like this,” a sentiment
echoed by the Mayor.
The meeting almost ended before
it began, when Councilman
Holloweli made a motion to
rescind last week’s rebate and the
Mayor said only those who voted
for the motion could move' to
rescind it. However, in the
following discussion, no one could
decide who was right and the
Mayor allowed the motion, whi&i
was immediately seconded by
Councilman Griffin.
Needing a two-thirds majority to
pass, the issue was voted on, with
Councilman James Fenner joining
forces with Griffin and Holloweli.
According to Mayor Harrell, the
Continued On Page 4
by Rep. Jones who answered it
himself by saying he is more in
terested in what is going to happen
after “we change administrations
in Washington.”
Rep. Jones said that at no time
in the county’s history, other than
the “deep, dark depression” has
such a volunteer organization like
NENCT been needed. The
congressman applauded the spirit
to cooperation and concern for the
future which is being demon
strated by the new group. “I have
seen the times when Edenton and
Elizabeth City played football and
people won’t speak to each other
for months,” he told his audience.
In presenting Gov. Hunt, the
congressman said he knew of no
one he would like to have serve in
Washington in one of two positions
- the Senate or as vice president -
“but I’m content to let him make
that choice.”
“The spirit and determination
that fills this room must not
dissolve tomorrow, or next week,
or five years from now,” Gov.
Hunt said, “not if the enormous
challenges confronting this region
are to be met.”
Gov. Hunt added that while he
has been concerned about the
region’s problems he has always
been optimistic about the future.
“Tonight, the sense of concern
remains, but I am more optimistic
that I have ever been.”
He went on to say: “Nor
theastern North Carolina is going
to pursue a path of progress
toward the 21st Century because
its most gifted leaders and most
concerned citizens are now united
Continued On Page 4