J
THE CHOWAN HERALD
PUDiisnea in i ne most tjeaumui Lime ciTy un i ne North Carolina Coast
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, July 10, 1986 _
Volume XLX - No. 28
Single Copies 25 Cents
Protests over pending tax in
creases in Chowan County are
typical of what is going on in coun
ties, cities and towns all across
North Carolina.
In Iredell County, for example,
Statesville residents are facing a
12.5 per cent increase, not only in
their ad valorem taxes, but in
their utility rates as well. Rural
residents face a 10 per cent in
crease in their property taxes and,
if the legislature approves it, a 100
per cent boost in their local sales
tax, which, of course, will apply in
towns as well.
And all this on top of a property
revaluation which, just one year
ago, almost tripled the tax value
of their property.
There may be a few fortunate
areas in the state where special
circumstances will make it un
necessary to boost local taxes, but
they are not typical. They are the
exceptions. And the reason for this
widespread upward movement of
local taxes is, almost without ex
ception, the loss of federal
revenue sharing funds.
Continued On Page 4
Water Emergency
Declared In County
Chowan County officials
declared a water emergency
Tuesday and are asking water
customers to implement a volun
tary water conservation program.
Persons on the county system are
being asked not to water lawns
and gardens, wash vehicles, or to
refrain from any other non
essential use, such as filling swim
ming pools.
Graham Farless, head of the
County Water Department, said
that a million gallons a day had
been pumped on Monday and
Tuesday of this week. He said,
“That’s 60,000 gallons more than
we’ve ever pumped during a 24
hour period.”
The county is currently buying
140,000 gallons daily from Eden
ton, Perquimans and Gates Coun
ties under an emergency buy-sell
agreement. Farless said that the
county lines are tied in with those
systems and all that is required is
opening the appropriate valves.
The water department official
said that two of the county’s six
water pumps broke down Monday
night, adding to the system’s
woes. “When it rains, it pours,”
Farless said.
County Manager Cliff Copeland
said that the county’s population
growth has outstripped the size of
the current system. A new water
treatment plant is under construc
tion at the site of the present plant
in Valhalla. The new plant will
have a capacity of pumping 800
gallons per minute, compared
with the present system’s 200
gallons per minute.
Copeland said that the new
plant, a $1 million project, will be
tested next week and should be in
operation by the first of Septem
ber or possibly sooner. The much
larger plant will replace rather
than supplement the present one,
he said.
The county manager said of the
present water emergency, “In the
past, the county’s calls for volun
tary conservation have been very
effective.’’ He said that while he
expects that the public will heed
this call as well, mandatory
restriction on water use would be
implemented if necessary.
Farless said that "a 25 per cent
reduction in water usage is need
ed immediately if an adequate
water supply is to continue to be
provided.’’
SET ROAD IMPROVEMENT PRIORITIES—DOT officials met with Chowan County Commissioners
Monday morning to set priorities for $102,779 in county road improvements. Arrowhead Beach got the
largest slice of the funding pie this year, receiving $50,000. Shown left to right are District Highway Engineer
Earl Moore, DOT Board Member Kenneth Roberson, Commissioner C. A. Phillips and Commissioner Clara
Boswell.
Secondary Road Improvements Discussed
Kenneth Roberson, state
L Department of Transportation
r board member for this district,
met with Chowan County Com
missioners Monday morning to
discuss secondary road improve
ment priorities. The DOT’S budget
for the county program contains
$102,779.
The Arrowhead Beach subdivi
sion will come in for $50,000 of the
total, with $42,000 going toward
1 completing the base and paving
Pocahontas Trail. Another $8,000
was set aside as the state’s mat
ching funds for improvements to
Shawnee Trail and Huron Trail.
Property owners on Shawnee
Trail will be assessed $9,600 and
those on Huron Trail, $9,424 as a
result of their petitions to the
| county for road improvements.
Arrowhead resident A1 Howard
told the commissioners and DOT
representatives, “We appreciate
this...to finally reach the top (in
road priorities) is great.”
Roberson and the board of com
missioners agreed to make up for
the $8,000 allocated to Shawnee
and Huron Trails by deleting a
£ planned spot stabilization to
* Meadow |taad worth $7,000 and
taking $1,000 from a reserve of
$8,779.
The only other road receiving
improvement funding is S.R. 1222
from N.C. 32 to S.R. 1217. It will
receive strengthening for resur
facing on 3.7 miles at a cost of
$45,000.
| Commissioners took advantage
W of the presence of Roberson and
district engineers to comment on
other issues and to ask questions.
Commission Chairman Alton
Elmore asked if something could
be done about N.C. 32 south from
the town limits to the Base Road.
He said, “That’s as bad a section
of major road as we’ve got.” Divi
sion engineer F. W. Adkins said
that it would be looked at for
possible resurfacing in the fall.
Commissioner Joe Hollowed
asked for an “overview” of efforts
to get area major highways four
laned. Roberson said, “That’s
what I’m trying to make happen.”
Of the four-laning of U.S. 64 from
Tarboro to Rocky Mount he said,
"The state hasn’t seen fit to match
federal funds.” He said that he
was currently trying to get fun
ding for engineering studies for
the highway from Tarboro to
Williamston.
Concerning four-laning of U.S.
17, he said that he was working on
getting a “leg” widened from
Hertford to the bypass at Eden
ton. A section from the current
four-lane south of Elizabeth City
to Winfall has already been ap
proved for widening.
Elmore asked if a portion,
perhaps one-half mile on each
Continued On Page 4
Legislature Approves Tax Bills
Two new taxes that will greatly
improve the county’s financial
position in the future were enacted
by the General Assembly last
week. Both bills were introduced
by Rep. Vernon James and en
dorsed by Rep. Charles Evans and
Senator Marc Basnight.
Special legislation introduced
for Chowan County provides a
land transfer tax of one per cent
on the sale of real estate. County
Commissioners made it official
Monday morning by passing a
local resolution putting the act in
to effect as of September 1,1986.
The land transfer tax proceeds
can only be used for capital
outlays, according to County
Manager Cliff Copeland. He
estimated the yield from the tax
at from $180,000 to $200,000
annually.
The other bill passed by the
legislature provides for an addi
tional one-half cent sales tax that
may be levied by counties across
the state. Counties already have
the authority to levy a half cent
sales tax and 99 of the counties
have opted for it Copeland said.
That tax currently yields $270,000
but Copeland said the latest half
cent was expected to bring in
about $100,000 during the first
year. The tax is distributed by
population rather than on the
basis of which county collects it.
The county manager said that
all of the new revenue would go
Continued From Page 1
■ i
PRESENTS PLAN FOR WATERFRONT—Gil Burroughs showed the Edenton Town Council last Tues
day night a schematic of a proposal to construct a recreational park on the waterfront site previously
proposed to be used as the location of a commercial waterfront inn. The park plan, presented by Bur
roughs and Ross Inglis would be implemented by area civic groups and cost some $40,000.
Inn Proposal Put On Hold
Council Hears Alternate Plan
An alternative plan was put
before Edenton's Town Council
Tuesday night for the use of town
owned property on the water
front. The plan would recruit civic
groups to adopt various projects
on the site in the construction of
recreational facilities for a park
Gil Burroughs, a teacher at
Holmes High School, presented a
drawing of the park proposal and
discussed the suggested
amenities. They would include
croquet, badminton, horse shoe,
shuffle board, hand ball and beach
volleyball courts, a boat house and
floating ramp in the existing inlet
and picnic shelters.
The site has been the center of
controversy for months due to a
proposal by a developer to buy the
property from the town and build
a waterfront inn. The location in
cludes the building currently
housing the Edenton Police
Department. The developer's plan
would necessitate relocation of the
police department. The park plan
would not.
In his opening remarks Bur
roughs said,“We're victims of the
Lazarus syndrome — we’d like
one more chance." He said that
the park could be developed in
stages by various groups and that
the property could be made
"more than serviceable.”
Burroughs threw in an added in
ducement for the town to con
sider. "I am offering you tonight
four 16-foot day sailers. We’ll
teach sailing free." He said that
this offer was made by the Eden
ton boating club.
Ross Inglis provided cost
estimates and a projected phasing
plan for the proposal. Phase I
would include stabilization (not
bulkheading) of the shoreline, and
badminton and volleyball courts
c*i a tuai ui «p/,vuu iu ^>iu,uuu.
Phase II would include shuffle I
board and hand ball courts, picnic i
shelters, a stage, the inlet building |
and a floating ramp at a cost of i
$9,000. Phase III would see the i
construction of a boat house and ;
other amenities for a cost of some I
$20,000.
Inglis summarized, ‘‘So
perhaps with $36,000 to $40,000, in
the long run it could be ac
complished. We've got the will
and the skill if the council will see
fit to consider it again.”
After the park presentation, the
council took up and quickly re
jected an offer by the developer,
Anderson-Benton Corp., to pur
chase the property. The written
offer was rejected due to a
sentence that provided that the
town must successfully apply for
a federal grant. This money would
then be made available to the
developer in the form of a low-cost 1
loan.
Mayor John Dowd appointed a 1
study committee to meet with •
Burroughs and Inglis to assess the 1
feasibility of the park plan. Town 1
council will be represented by
Mayor Dowd, Town Ad- 1
ministrator Sam Noble and coun- 1
cil members Marina Crummey 1
and Willis Privott.
Council conducted a hearing on *
a special use permit requested by 1
Claude Small to operate a coin 1
laundry and a car wash on his pro- 1
perty on Badham Road.
Residents of the neighborhood
nearby presented a petition 1
against the request signed by 76 1
persons. During the hearing, they 1
voiced concerns about traffic con- 1
gestion and late hours of such 1
establishments. They were also
concerned about possible sewer I
and storm drain stoppages from 1
water used at the site.
saying inai ne neeaeu 10 utilize
lis property for business purposes
ind on which he was paying town
axes, Small said, “I feel like a car
vash is needed. There's nothing
vrong with having clean clothes
md a clean car." He said that the
lusinesses would be supervised
Continued On Page 4
Beaman
Presides
Over Docket
Chowan District Court was in
session July 1, the Honorable
Srafton G. Beaman presiding
jver the criminal calendar.
Paul H. Jackson pleaded guilty
o DWI. He was sentenced to six
nonths, suspended for three
/ears, with the provision that he
;erve a 14 day active sentence. He
vas also ordered to pay a $500 fine
md cost of court; to attend ADET
school and pay the school fee; and
o surrender his operator’s
icense. An appeal was noted.
Richard Eugene Martin plead
:d guilty to DWI. He was sentenc
'd to six months, suspended for
hree years and placed on super
/ised probation for three years.
Je was ordered to pay a $500 fine
md cost of court; to reimburse
counsel in the amount of $150; and
o surrender his operator’s
icense.
Allyson K. Allen pleaded guilty
a a worthless check charge. The
lefendant was sentenced to 30
lays, suspended for two years
lpon payment of cost of court and
estitution to Debbie Norwood.
Finley Donell Norfleet pleaded
’uilty to disobeying a stop sign
md was assessed cost of court. An
Continued On Page 4
RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL—The Elliott Co. facade comes down from the building that is now own
ed by A1 Cox of Chapel Hill. Three businesses are currently occupying the building: Applied Business
Systems, Sandy Silk^and Express Printing. Two doors down is the former Pate’s Florist being renovated
as the new location for Colonial Real Estate. Russell Bootwright said Tuesday that both buildings are
being restored to their original condition. Bootwright is the owner of Colonial Real Estate and the brother
in-law of Cox.