I
THE CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume nil - No. SZ
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, December 25, 1986
bingle Copies 25 Cents
| We regret, as do most people
along the Public Parade, that
North American Reiss Corpora
tion has reneged on its decision to
locate a new manufacturing plant
in Chowan County. It was not
much of a Christmas present for
the community.
Just the same, we understand
the position taken by Theodore J.
fc Reiss, the company’s president.
He was asking little of the state.
He did not come with his hands
out, offering a little capital in
return for a free site, tax con
cessions and cheap labor. He
came with his own checkbook,
willing to pay the going price for
the land, build his own plant, pur
chase his own equipment and pay
• the going wage.
If he had been benefitting from
junk bonds, free land and finan
cial assistance provided by the
taxpayers, then there would have
been some obligation on his part
to make concessions to the state,
to guarantee the employment of
certain numbers of people from
^ given categories in the labor
® market.
It was the City of Edenton that
was asking the State of North
Carolina for help in providing
much-needed utilities to land it
hopes to develop into an industrial
parkfland thM*S not nowwr the
tax books and, in fact, is un
suitable for a wide range of uses.
^ Reiss would have been only an in
cidental beneficiary of these
utilities, since they would be
available to any other business or
industry locating in the park.
They are needed far jnore by the
city than by an industrial pros
pect, which will always be able to
go to other communities with sites
already equipped to take care of
9 them.
We do not know whether the
issue of fairness is valid. If ex
isting industries, which have
signed the employment guaran
tees, have in no way benefitted
from state and local governments
in locating where they are, then
fairness may be a valid position.
But what would be fairer to the
9 taxpayers of Chowan County and
the City of Edenton would be a
successful effort to get those idle
acres out at the airport on the tax
books, together with such build
ings and equipment as North
American Reiss would have
brought.
We regret the loss of this new
A Continued On Page 4
“TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS”—A little imagination could place this scene in the early
hours of Christmas morning with one creature stirring. He might even be responding to Santa’s friendly
greeting.
Holiday Sales Average, Merchants Say
Retail merchants are calling
the 1986 Christmas sales season
average and most are saying it
has not been as good as last year.
Contributing factors to sales
less than 1985 ranged from the
general economy to the weather.
At Mitchener’s Pharmacy, John
Mitchener III said, “It’s not as
good as last year, it’s just not go
ing to be there.” He thought more
people were inclined to shop
earlier, which avoids a push at
Cl)rist|iia$. _ .
Alton Elmore at Edenton Fur
niture Co. said his season had
been average. “Last year was so
good, the best we ever had, that
it’s hard to beat. But the weather
has been great,” Elmore said. He
could not determine if shoppers
were going for smaller items,
since “it’s all in the expensive
category in furniture”.
At Revco, Floor Manger Rena
Skinner said shopping was lighter,
but her store had not seen a big
difference. “We opened another
store in Hertford this year and
some of our people are not driving
over here,” she said. Toys and
fragrances have been two of her
most popular items.
John Hussong, store manager
at McCrory’s (formerly TG&Y)
said it was hard for him to judge
the season because of the
changeover in the store this year.
He said the local store was doing
as well if not better than other
TG&Y stores taken over by
McCrory’s. “We’re pleased with
the retail season so far, ” Hussong
said.
George Byrum at Byrum Hard
ware said, “It has been a very
good season, I’m very pleased
with the results so far.” Some of
his most popular items have been
televisions, VCR’s and
microwaves.
At Ben Riddick Jewelers, Rid
dick said his season was close to
1985. He thought some farmers
and related businesses had ex
perienced such a bad year, it
would affect sales. Riddick said,
- Suspects. Are
Apprehended
Petitions have been drawn for
three juveniles between the ages
of 12- and 14-years old after awn
ings were slashed in Edenton’s
business district November 27.
Edenton Police Chief J.D. Par
rish said the petitions instruct the
juveniles and their parents to ap
pear in court. Date for ap
pearance has not been released.
Parrish said Edenton Police Of
ficer Delvin Jethro was given
enough information by a citizen to
start an investigation.
The investigation resulted in
having the petitions drawn.
Although the petitions were
drawn in connection with awnings
slashed Thanksgiving Day, when
vandalism was reported at six
locations, it was the third time in
three months that downtown
businesses were victimized.
Damage estimates for the van
dalism were more than $2,500
after some merchants were vic
timized more than once.
Continued On Page 4
“They (shoppers) are going less
for the high-priced items and
more for the medium or less ex
pensive merchandise.”
Continued On Page 4
Agency Finds System
Structurally Sound
By JEANETTE WHITE
With few exceptions, a state
planning agency determined that
structures in the Edenton-Chowan
school system are sound and good
for several years’ service.
A study by the state’s Division
of School Planning began in Jan
uary after Supt. Dr. John B. Dunn
requested a' comprehensive study
in December 1985.
A like study forced closing of a
school in Pasquotank County this
school year, leaving students
without classrooms.
The study rates schools on a
scale of I to V. Schools receiving
a rating of I are in excellent con
dition with a life expectancy of 30
years plus. A IL rating is very
good, with a life expectancy of 15
years plus; III is good, with a 10
year plus life span; IV is fair, five
years plus; V is poor, has a three
year life expectancy and phasing
out should begin.
“The building we are most con
cerned with here is the two-story
structure at Chowan Junior
High,” Associate Supt. James Ki
nion said last Thursday.
Structures at White Oak and
D.F. Walker Schools rated from I
to III. At John A. Holmes, all
facilities rated III. The board of
education has developed a master
plan for that facility which will en
compass the entire block.
At Chowan Junior High, the 1936
classroom building and the
1949/72 gymnasium ranked in
category IV, with the former
shop, bandroom and teacherage
in category V.
Kinion said the new year would
see the beginning of a detailed
curriculum study involving pro
fessional school staff, parents, the
board of education and hopefully,
the county commissioners.
Results of such studies will help
the board of education determine
if a new facility is built or an ex
isting facility renovated.
Gov. James Martin has offered
to lend counties state funds for
capital improvements in school
facilities. The loan is available at
lower than normal interest rates.
Kinion said, “That’s why we
want the county commissioners
involved in the project. We need
a long range plan that the county
can support and the people want.”
Another source of revenue for
Continued On Page 4
DISCUSS PLACEMENT—Jimmie M. Parrish (left) and son, Frankie (right) discuss with SCS techni
cian Stanton Harrell the placement of four flashboard risers on Parrish property. The drain pipe is 30
feet long, 42 inches in diameter and the risers are six feet high.
Farmers Adopting New Management Practices
By JACK GROVE
Soil Conservation Service (SCS)
technician Stanton Harrell says
that an increasing number of
Deadlines
Announced
In observance of New
Year’s, The Chowan Herald
will be closed all day Thurs
day, January 1. Accordingly,
an early printing schedule has
been set for next week’s
edition.
Classified and legal adver
tising for next week’s issue
should be submitted no later
than 12 noon on Monday, Dec.
29. Display advertising should
be turned in before 2 p.m. on
Monday, Dec. 29. Exceptions
will be made for ads which do
not require composition.
News items and photo
graphs intended for publica
tion in next week’s edition
should be turned in by 2 p.m.
on Monday, Dec. 29.
Those who can have ads,
news items or photographs
brought in prior to these
deadlines are encouraged to
do so.
Your observance of these
deadlines will be greatly
appreciated.
Chowan County farmers are par
ticipating in government pro
grams to protect the fragile water
environment of the area.
The programs involve Best
Management Practices on farms
that provide the farmer up to 75
percent reimbursement for imple
menting them. These practices in
clude flashboard risers, field
borders, animal waste application
on cropland, grassing waterways
and critical area stabilization
(seeding with grasses).
A prime example of protecting
waterways from pollutants is the
use of flashboard risers that con
trol water levels in drainage dit
ches. By damming up the water
flow, pollutants settle to the bot
tom and the clean water is al
lowed to flow into nearby streams
that connect with the Chowan
River and Albemarle Sound.
These water control devices also
assist the farmer in maintaining
the water table bordering his
fields.
Four risers were installed on
Parrish Farms property on Pax
ton Lane on Monday, Dec. 15. Har
rell said that they will control
runoff from some 2,500 acres of
watershed that involved both
point and non-point pollution. In
dustrial runoff (point) is from the
Peanut Dr. area and non-point is
from the adjacent farmland.
The cleansed water feeds into
Cable TV Sale Is Approved
In special called meetings Mon
day, the Chowan County Commis
sioners and Edenton Town Coun
cil approved the sale of Albemarle
Cable TV to C-4 Media Corp.
County Manager Cliff Copeland
said investigation has shown the
new company, based in Arlington,
Va., to be financially secure.
Scott Madison, regional
engineer for C-4, said his company
has an “agressive marketing
department" which would active
ly seek new areas to which cable
can be provided. Areas being eyed
now include Arrowhead, Chowan
Beach and Snug Harbor.
Madison said the general rule to
provide cable to new areas need
ed 20 houses per mile, but the rule
is tempered with actual amount of
saturation in the area reached.
His company normally secures
about 65 per cent of customers
contacted the first time it enters
a new section.
The Town of Hertford and Per
quimans County have already
passed ordinances endorsing the
sale.
In other action, the county com
missioners passed a 13,500 annual.
budget to help hire personnel
through the Soil Conservation Ser
vice to work with farmers and Ian
Continued On Page 4