►
Pork Barrels Again
Back during the campaign Gov.
James Martin got a lot of mileage
out of "pork barrel” money ap
propriated by the legislature for
pet projects of its members. Re
cent disclosure that the governor
v spent $34,000 in tax money to
throw a party in Hollywood raises
the question of whether the legis
lature put too much money in his
pork barrel.
It’s true, as he said, that he was
attempting to induce Hollywood
filmmakers to come to North
Carolina to shoot more motion pic
tures ; but that leaves unanswered
D the question of whether the gover
nor was justified in putting up his
staff in $300-a-day hotel rooms and
engaging in other extremely ex
pensive things.
As we have said before, nobody
in state government has a pork
barrel the size of the governor’s.
All sorts of nice little goodies are
tucked into his budget, as are all
|) sorts of big goodies, such as
“discretionary funds” in the
D
D
0
transportation department, wnicn
is under the governor’s control.
How wisely all these funds are
spent becomes more and more
important as revenues fall behind
projections contained in the 1987
fiscal year budget. With the year
now half gone, revenues are fall
ing some $50 million short of
estimates. By next June 30, the
shortage could be twice that or
more.
This is important because of the
impact it will have on 1987-89
budget making, which the legis
lature will undertake after it con
venes in February. Under the cur
rent system, departments start off
with their 1985-87 budgets as a
base. Depending on how hard the
times are, the base budget com
mittee can usually whittle a few
millions from the base budgets,
but usually cuts don’t overmatch
small inwoopoa hereandthoret
All funds left after the base
budgets are funded are for the ex
pansion budget, which can vary
from $500 million down. At pres
ent, budget committee spokesmen
can see only about $250 million for
Continued On Page 4
THE CHOWAN
HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume HI • No. 47
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, December 11, 1986
Single Copies 25 Cents
Water Quality Discussed
By JACK GROVE
A procession of experts told
lawmakers from two states on
Thursday and Friday about the
water quality in the Chowan River
and what could be done to im
prove it in the future. The first
meeting of the Chowan River
Interstate Study Commission was
held at the Edenton Municipal
Building. The commission is com
posed of eight legislators each
from the General Assemblies of
Virginia and North Carolina.
An official of the N.C. Dept, of
Natural Resources and Communi
ty Development told the group
about blue-green algae bloom, the
main problem that surfaces on the
river periodically. Using color
slides, he pointed out that the
worst recent years for the bloom
were in 1972, 1978, 1979 and 1983.
He said that these years had “just
the right conditions—a wet spring
and a dry summer.”
These algal blooms, caused by
nutrient runoff into the river rob
the water of oxygen, produce fish
kills and spoil the recreational use
of the river. He said that the fre
quency of these blooms is every
four to five years. “I don’t want
you to think that the problem has
gone away just because we
haven’t seen it in the last three
years.”
He said that a state program
has the goal of reducing phos
phorous going into the river by 30
to 40 per cent. Experts from both
states agreed that phosphorous
was the main culprit in blue-green
algae bloom. Of the phosphorous
that gets into the river, 49 per cent
comes from agriculture, .5 per
cent from urban runoff and 18 per
cent from municipalities.
The commission was told that
by the end of its water control pro
gram, the state of North Carolina
will have spent $27.5 million. Some.
$10 million has been spent to
eliminate treated waste water
from nine upstream N.C. munici
palities. The only two remaining
on the river to move to a land ap
plication system are Edenton and
Ahoskie and their new plants will
be operational in 1988.
Virginia Sen. William T. Parker
asked when N.C. reaches its goal
of 37 per cent reduction in phos
phorus input into the river, what
would be the impact on the total
solution? He was reminded that
N .C. comprises only 25 per cent of
the total river basin. The Chowan
rises in Virginia and is fed by the
Nottoway, Blackwater and
Meherrin Rivers.
“We’ve got 75 per cent of the
deal? Virginia seems to be the
culprit,” Parker mused.
Richard Burton, Executive
Director of the Virginia Water
Quality Control Board, gave his
state’s view of the problem and
what is being done about it. He
said that the use of agricultural
best management practices
seemed to have the most promise
of reduction of nutrient additives
to the river.
He outlines these practices
which include field borders and
Continued On Page 4
LEGISLATIVE DINNER—Colonial costumes lent an air of the
historic to a banquet honoring Virginia and North Carolina legislators
at the old court house Thursday night. Seated are (r. to 1.) Rep. Ver
non James (N.C.), Mrs. James, Rep. J. Paul Councill, Jr. (Va.) and
Mrs. Councill.
INTERSTATE COMMISSION—Legislators from Virginia and North Carolina met at the Edenton
Municipal Building last Thursday and Friday as the Chowan River Interstate Study Commission. Shown
are (1. to r.) Rep. Howard B. Chapin (N.C.), Rep. J. Paul Councill (Va.), Rep. Vernon James (N.C.),
Rep. C. Hardaway Marks (Va.), Sen. Marc Basnight (N.C.), Sen. William T. Parker (Va.), and Sen. Joseph
E. Thomas (N.C.).
Chowan Arts Council Receives Special Federal Grant
€
€)
Edenton Mayor John Dowd and
Chamber of Commerce Executive
Director Kathleen Miller accom
panied members of The Chowan
Arts Council to Raleigh last Fri
day to receive a special grant as
part of the North Carolina Arts
Council’s launching of a $600,000
program designed to strengthen
local support for artists and arts
organizations in seventeen coun
ties throughout the state with a
federal grant of $150,000 announc
ed by the National Endowment of
the Arts. The funds will be match
ed by an additional $450,000 in new
state and local dollars over the
next three years.
Anthony Turney, Deputy to the
Arts Endowment Chairman,
made the announcement at a
press conference outlining the
program. He was joined by Patric
Dorsey, Secretary of the N.C.
Department of Cultural
Resources, and by many
representatives of the state and
local arts agencies.
The federal grant to the N.C.
Arts Council is one of only twelve
in the nation — and one of three to
support statewide programs — to
be awarded this year by the Arts
Endowment’s Locals Program, a
highly successful effort aimed at
strengthening local support for
the arts through federal-local fun
ding partnerships.
Turney said, “Endowment
Chairman Frank Hodsell and Pro
gram Director Robert Canon join
me in congratulating the N.C.
Arts Council for its efforts to
develop strong local arts agen
cies. We commend the Governor
and State Legislature for their
commitment to the arts,
demonstrated by the dramatic in
crease in arts funding in recent
years.
“Through this effort, the Arts
Council and the Dept, of Cultural
Resources are making an impor
tant investment in the quality of
life in North Carolina. Such an in
vestment has a ripple effect that
is particularly noteworthy in a
ACCEPT ART8 GRANT—Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathleen Miller <left) and Eden
too Mayor John Dowd (far right) traveled to Raleigh last Friday with Chowan Arts Council President
Mary Ann Thomas (secood from left) and Board member Bruce Waqkelin (back, right) to accept one
_ of only 17 special grants awarded statewide. Also pictured are (center) Patric Dorsey, Secretary of the
w N.C. Dept, of Cultural Resources and (second from right, back) Anthony Turney, Deputy to the Arts En
dowment Chairman. (Staff photo by Gail Basnight)
time of budget constraints. The
arts serve to bring people
together, and people like to work
in and visit places that are ex
citing and vibrant. Thus the arts
enhance livability, encouraging
local businesses and tourism. In
addition, they attract new people,
new industry and new im
provements to the area, all of
Continued On Page 4
Chowan Man's Body Discovered
The body of a Chowan County
man, was found in Albemarle 1
Sound Monday. Chowan Sheriff
Fred Spruill said that Clarence
Dorsey (Chuck) Ward, Jr., 18, son
of Clarence Dorsey and Mary
(Betsy) Ward of Rt. 1 Tyner, was
reported missing Saturday.
In an investigation conducted
Monday and Tuesday by the sher
iff and SBI Special Agent David
Barrington of Plymouth, the
events leading to the death were
pieced together. Spruill said that
Ward, a senior at John A. Holmes
High School, had apparently at
Christmas
Concert Set
The Edenton Choral Society,
under the direction of Shelby
Strother, will present its 13th an
nual Christmas Concert on Sun
day, December 14 at 3:00 p.m. in
the Edenton Baptist Church.
Selections will cover a broad
spectrum of musical styles, rang
ing from classical to more con
temporary renditions of familiar
carols.
A brass choir composed of high
school students will assist the 43
member Choral Society during
the finale.
tended a party with a group of
other young people Friday night
at a site known as the “sand pits”
in the Cowpen Neck area.
He left the party later in the
evening with two companions,
ages 15 and 17, who reportedly
urged him to go home. He refused
and they took him to his car in
Edenton and escorted him to a
isolated area just outside the
Union Camp log compound on the
Base Road. Spruill said that he
was left with a sleeping bag to
“sleep it off.”
On Saturday morning, Union
Camp officials reported that their
chain link fence had been torn
down. On Monday morning an em
ployee spotted an oil slick on the
water and then saw the outline of
a submerged car.
Authorities were called and the
body was recovered from the bot
tom by diver Bill Phillips, an
Edenton Police Officer. Sheriff
Spruill said that the car may have
been driven toward the water,
turned parallel to the bulkhead at
the last moment and then tipped
over sideways into the water. The
1961 Dodge Omni was found rest
ing on its top on the sound bottom
next to the bulkhead. It was sal
vaged Monday.
The sheriff is listing the death
Continued On Page 4
t .<►
Reiss Corporation Decides
Against Edenton Location
A manufacturing company that
had announced that it would
relocate its operation to Edenton
has backed out and informed town
officials that it will instead
relocate to a town in Virginia.
The company, North American
Reiss Corp. produces molded
plastic products, such as type
writer cases at its New Jersey
plant. The company president,
Theodore J. Reiss had agreed to
purchase 154 acres of town pro
perty at the airport for $750 per
acre.
As an inducement tor me relo
cation, town officials agreed to in
stall water and sewer utilities to
the proposed site at a cost of
$858,500. The major portion of this,
some $750,000 would have come
from a Community Development
Block Grant from the state. The
state required a firm commitment
from Reiss in return for grant
approval.
The state requirement was for
detailed financial data on the
company and a written commit
ment that the corporation would
provide no less than 150 low and
moderate income jobs and $5 to $6
million in capital investment in
cluding land, buildings, and equip
ment within 24 months.
At a closed meeting on Nov. 17
attended by town council
members, Reiss, county and
Chamber of Commerce officials
as well as consultants from the
State Dept, of Commerce, Reiss
was told that an existing industry
had provided required financial
information and a letter of com
mitement to Chowan County
enabling the county to secure
$750,000 in CDBG funding for a
new raw water well. Reiss then
told the council that he would not
provide a written commitment.
Information received from
Town Manager Sam Noble in
dicates that the possibility of pro
ceeding without a written commit
ment and consequently without
the CDBG grant was discussed by
town, county and chamber offi
cials, The result of this discussion
was a determination that it would
Continued On Page 4
Sam Noble
Town Manager
Resigns Post
Edenton Town Manager Sam
Noble has announced his resigna
tion that will be effective Jan. 9,
1987. In making the announce
ment to council members in exec
utive session Tuesday night, No
ble said that he had accepted a
position as Town Manager of Tar
boro effective Jan. 19.
Noble became Edenton’s Town
Manager on October 1,1981. In an
interview Tuesday he said, “I
have mixed emotions about leav
ing. I’ve had extremely good rela
tions with the council and depart
ment heads. By working together
as a team, we’ve accomplished
quite a few objectives over the last
five years.”
Noble said that he felt that the
most notable of these accomplish
ments were the construction of a
land-application waste water
treatment plant; receipt of two
Community Development Block
Grants for the redevelopment of
Oakum and Albemarle Streets;
and the receipt of federal funding
for resurfacing of a runway and
installation of new runway
lighting at the Edenton Municipal
Airport. v
“The move to Tar boro is a
career move upward for me and
an opportunity I just couldn’t
refuse,” he concluded.