By now Bill Myers and his crew
should be making some progress
in the building restoration work
being done at the Chowan Herald,
although most of it will not yet be
visible from the outside.
As usually happens, what
started out to be a little project
has turned into a major
undertaking.
To begin with, we simply
wanted to put in a water-based
central heating and cooling
system. We found that, to do that,
it would be necessary to bring the
electrical wiring system “up to
code” in the 90-year-old building.
That then became the first big
step.
Next we found that we were
unable to locate a well-drilling
outfit willing to undertake sinking
a well alongside the alley back of
the Chowan Herald building. So
we had to go with conventional
heating and cooling units.
That necessitated building a
deck over the press room roof on
which to locate some of the heat
pump compressor units.
So far, so good. But one of the
basic reasons for wanting to put in
central air conditioning was that
it would enable us to pull out the
window units which haye;
disfigured the front and rear up
per story of the building. That led
naturally to the next project — the
restoration of the outer faces of
the building to their historic beau
ty and integrity.
We engaged an architect so that
end and he is busy preparing
specifications for that purpose.
Meanwhile, General Manager
Pete Manning was getting in some
suggestions about things he would
like to see done inside the building
— such things as a new tile floor
in the shop, complete with
lowered ceilings and new light fix
tures, rearranged machinery and
all that. Not to mention new
toilets, which, heaven knows,
were needed.
That led to suggestions — com
ing from the architect, no less —
that the front office ceiling b£ rais
ed to itrorigiiial hafhtM as i»
make die transoms over the doors
and windows functional. We went
along with that, too.
Having agreed to do those other
things for the comfort and conve
nience of others, we decided to do
something for ourselves. We
decided to put a small apartment
in a part of the upstairs area, us
ing one of the street-level doors for
a private entrance..That give us
a place to stay when we are in
Edenton.
Put it all together and you are
talking about a sizable sum. As we
told Bill Myers, for the same
amount of money we could have
gone into one of the shopping
Continued On Page 4
Jobless Rate
Rose In July
RALEIGH—Although
unemployment in North Carolina
rose almost one percent last
month, the state continues to have
one of the lowest unemployment
rates in the nation.
The July figures, released
by the U.S. Department of Labor,
show North Carolina’s seasonally
adjusted unemployment rate for
last month was 5.4 percent, up
from the June rate of 4.6 percent.
Bob Campbell, public informa
tion director for the N.C. Employ
ment Security Commission, said
the reason for die increase in the
state’s unemployment rate is
. “due part to layoffs in manufac
turing, primarily the hard-hit tex
tile and apparel industries. Im
ports from foreign countries con
tinue to plague these large in
dustries in our state-”
Among the 11 largest states in
the nation, only Massachusetts—
with 4.4 percent—had a lower rate
than North Carolina. Michigan
continues to have the highest
unemployment rate in the country
with 10.9 percent.
The Department of Labor
figures for July show North
Carolina with a labor force of S.069
I
Volume XLIX - Nd: 29
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, August 8. 1985
Single Copies 25 Cents
Subdivision Road Improvement Requested
Mary Maxwell, president of the
Chowan Beach Recreation
Association, along with ten other
Chowan Beach residents, ap
peared before the Chowan Coun
ty Board of Commissioners Mon
day asking for help in improving
roads in the subdivisions.
Maxwell said that the area was
developed about 25 years ago, no
provision was made for
maintenance fees of roads and the
park area. She said that when the
subdivision incorporated as
Chowan Beach Recreation
Association in 1978, association
members were told by their
lawyer that they could not legally
assess each property owner a
maintenance fee.
“With the influx of more perma
nent residents as opposed to
weekenders, our problem of ero
sion of the roads has been greatly
magnified,” Maxwell told the
commissioners.
She said that although the area
has two state maintained roads -
Chowan Trail (unpaved) and
Roanoke Trail (paved) - “the ac
cess roads are becoming almost
impassable, particularly at the
corners where the sand runs to
that point.”
Maxwell said her organization
was asking the commissioners for
help in providing a way to assess
each property owner a
maintenance fee in order that the
roads may be upgraded with the
intent of having the state even
tually take over maintenance of
the roads.
“We have 236 property owners,
with approximately 50 owners
donating voluntarily to the
organization. I want a way to
assess each and every one,” she
said.
Although the commissioners
could not take any action on the
request Monday night, County
Manager Cliff Copeland is looking
for ways to maintain the roads.
“We’re exploring many options
to upgrade the facilities at
Chowan Beach and are working
with the landowners to identify
some approaches,” Copeland said
on Tuesday morning.
Copeland has written a letter to
Tom Richter, North Carolina
Department of Natural Resources
and Community Develpment and
has asked Richter to evaluate
alternatives in improving the con
__McDONALD HOUSED— (from left to right) Edenton Jaycee members Leigh Ambrose, Cathy
OStyfyHtSusah Small are pictured m’fronTot'a model of the futureitonald McDonald House of Eastern
North Carolina with Kathy Brown, coordinator, Children’s Services of Eastern Carolina. The women were
photographed at groundbreaking services for the house held in Greenville on August 1.
Jaycee Members Attend Ceremonies
Three members of the Edenton
Jaycees traveled to Greenville
Thursday, August 1, to represent
Edenton and Chowan County at
groundbreaking ceremonies for
the Ronald McDonald House of
Eastern North Carolina.
The Jaycees - Leigh Ambrose,
Cathy Leary and Susan Small -
want to see a “Chowan” bedroom
in the house and they and their
club have begun working on a
fund raising campaign. Their goal
is to raise $5,000, the approximate
cost of furnishing a room in the
house.
But even though the Jaycees
^re planning a special Gospel and
Choral Show in November to raise
money for the project, they are
not relying on themselves to raise
the entire amount.
“The Jaycees would have a
hard time raising the money
alone; we’re counting on other
clubs and donations from
businesses to provide the rest of
the money,” said Leigh Ambrose,
chairman of the Jaycees’ Ronald
McDonald Gospel Show.
Ambrose said the money would
go toward furnishing one bedroom
in the house from the carpet up,
but none of the money would go
toward actual construction of the
room.
The Ronald McDonald House
will be built on a two-acre tract of
land owned by Pitt County near
the East Carolina University
School of Medicine and Pitt
Memorial Hospital. The facility
will serve all of Eastern North
Carolina by providing a tem
porary residence for the parents
and families of children being
treated for serious illnesses.
McDonald’s Corporation will
contribute $200,000 toward the
total $1.2 million construction
cost. A private, nonprofit corpora
tion formed by volunteers -
Children’s Services of Eastern
Carolina - must raise the rest of
the funds from individuals, ser
vice clubs, civic groups and
Lunch Increase Caused By Rise
In Labor Cost And Food Prices
Students and teachers at
Edenton-Chowan Schools will be
paying more for their meals in the
cafeteria this year.
A lunch that cost a student 85*
last year will be $1.00 this year;
adult lunches will sell for $1.50, up
25* from last year.
Students will bev paying 65* for
breakfast, up 15* from last year’s
cost of 50*; adult breakfasts will
cost $1.00 this year, up 25* from
last year’s (nice of 75*.
The cost of dairy products is
also going up. Milk will sell for 25*
a half pint and ice cream will cost
35*; both prices represent an in
crease of 5* over last year’s
prices.
Food Services Director Etta
Hathaway said that prices are be
ing increased “because of a 9.8
se in labor costs
prices.’1'
Hathaway had originally
recommended that the price of a
student lunches be raised 10*
bringing this year’s cost to 95‘ in
stead of $1.00. Bdt after studying
the fund balances at a school
board meeting on Monday, August
5, board members voted to raise
the price an additional 5*.
Also at the school board
' meeting, board members -
• approved this year’s school
system theme: “Edenton-Chowan
Schools Have Class.”
• approved a request from the
County Manager to bury a
gasoline tank at the maintenance
shop v
• nominated Eugene Jordan to
be a candidate for the Raleigh
Dingman Award
• nominated Cecil Fry to fill a
vacant seat on the North Carolinl
School Boards Association.
private industry within the region.
At the groundbreaking
ceremonies, Bob Adams, Director
of the Medical Foundation, ECU
Medical Center, said that nearly
half of the $1.2 million has already
been raised.
“The facility is dedicated to
people not living in Pitt County,”
said Adams. “Children receiving
outpatient treatment can stay
here and live with brothers and
sisters. It will truly be a home
away from home.”
Actual construction of the
Ronald McDonald House in
Greenville is due to begin in Oc
tober. When construction is com
pleted there and at another House
in Chapel Hill, there will be four
Ronald McDonald Houses
statewide.
For more information about the
“Chowan” bedroom campaign,
call 482-4939 or 221-4312.
ditions at Chowan Beacn. ftRJSe
alternatives are:
1. the enactment of deed restric
tions for all lots located in the
subdivision;
2. the establishment of a service
district whereby district taxes
could be used to generally
upgrade roads and drainage;
3. the establishment of a
drainage district to improve
drainage in the area;
4. zoning this one particular
subdivision;
5. the feasibility of obtaining a
CDBG grant for the subdivision;
and
6. any other options that might be
available to the County and
Chowan Beach.
Criminal
Calendar
Chowan County District Court
was in session on August 6; the
Honorable J. Richard Parker
presiding over the criminal
calendar.
Douglas Louis Hill was found
guilty of DWI. He was sentenced
to 90 days suspended for 2 years
on the condition he pay a fine of
$200 and cost of court. He is to per
form 72 hours of community ser
vice and surrender his drivers
license. Hill was also found guilty
on a charge of failing to yield right
of way and fined $25.
Willie Percy Perry was found
guilty on charges of having no
motorcycle endorsement; reckless
driving; failing to stop for a blue
light and siren; speeding in excess
of 55mph to elude arrest; and
driving without a license. The
charges were consolidated for
judgement and Perry was
sentenced to a minimum of 10
months, maximum of 12, suspend
ed for 2 years on the condition he
pay a fine of $300 and cost of court.
He is to surrender his drivers
license and serve an activer
Continued On Page 4
John Bunch
First Area
Inspector
In compliance with state law,
Chowan County hired its first
building inspector last month. The
new inspector, John Bunch, has
been spending his first month on
the job preparing a fee schedule
for building inspections.
The new fee schedule, approv
ed Monday, August 5, by the coun
ty board of commissioner, is bas
ed on the fees currently charged
by the Town of Edenton.
The inspection fee schedule is
divided into seven parts: elec
trical; plumbing; building; in
sulation; heating and air condi
tioning; farm building (exempt
unless covered by plumbing or
electrical permits); and in
dividual inspections. Fees range
from $1.50 to inspect individual
plumbing trap units to $295 to in
spect a building costing from
$100,000 to $500,000.
Anyone planning to build in the
county must first get a building
permit from Bunch, who is work
ing out of the County Office
Building on East King Street.
“The building permit includes the
inspection involved,” said Bunch.
Bunch, a native of Chowan
County, will be conducting his
building inspection duties during
mainly during the morning hours.
He plans to continue farming,
something he has done in the
county since 1969.
Bunch may be reached at
482-8487.
New Regulations Approved
The N.C. Wildlife Resources
Commission and the N.C. Marine
Fisheries Commission recently
approved new regulations on legal
size and creel limits for striped
bass. Sport fishermen should be
aware that these regulations are
now in effect in the coastal region
of North Carolina.
In the coastal sounds, rivers,
and creeks (not including im
pounded waters), hook and line
fishermen may keep only three
stripers per day. On waters
designated' as “Inland” and
“Joint” the size limit for striped
bass is 16 inches. According to
Division of Marine Fisheries
regulations, in waters designated
as internal “Coastal”, the legal
size limit for stripers is 16 inches
until Sept. 30,1985. After that date,
the size limit in internal “Coastal”
waters will be 14 inches. Striped
ROTARY— Edenton Rotary Qub President Frank L. Fagan (right)
accepts a key from J. William (Bill) Stone, Governor of District 771,
Rotary International, during a Rotary meeting last week. The key
designates Fagan as “key man” of the club.
bass caught on hooK and line can
not be sold, regardless of where
they are caught.
Throughout the coastal region
of North Carolina, inland, joint,
and coastal waters boundary lines
are marked with prominent
orange signs. For a complete
listing of these boundaries, write
to N.C. Wildlife Resources Com
mission, 512 N. Salisbury St.,
Raleigh, N.C. 27611 or N.C. Divi
sion of Marine Fisheries,
Morehead City, N.C. 28557.
These new regulations were
enacted by the Wildlife Resources
Commission and the Marine
Fisheries Commission in order to
conserve dwindling stocks of
coastal striped bass.
Body Found:
No Foul Play
The body of Elton Junius Mor
ris, 78, of Rt. 1, Chowan Beach
was found by Chief Deputy Glenn
Perry at 2:25 p.m. Tuesday,
August 6. Perry said he
discovered the corpse on the floor
of Morris’ home; Morris is believ
ed to have been dead approx
imately two weeks.
According to a Chowan County
Sheriff’s Department report,
Perry entered the house to check
on Morris after a neighbor called
officials and informed them that
a mail carrier had noticed that
Morris had not picked up his mail
recently.'
After discovering the body,
Perry called in Deputies Wayne
Rice and Joe Byrum and Chowan
County Medical Examiner Dr.
Leibert DeVine. No signs of foul
play were in evidence and the ex
aminer determined that death
was from natural causes.
Morris moved to Chowan Beach
from Virginia in 1982. He lived
alone and had no relatives living
in the immediate area. He was
described as a hcrmii by his
neighbors.