Newspapers / The Chowan Herald (Edenton, … / Feb. 5, 1987, edition 1 / Page 1
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THE CHOWAN HERALD __ Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast Volume LLIII No. 6 Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, February 5, 1987 Single Copies 25 Cents CHAMBER GALA—The annual membership dinner-dance of the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce was held at the new National Guard Armory Saturday night. One of the features of the evening was the presentation of awards. In the left photo, last year’s president, Chuck Smith, presents the Volunteer of the Year Award to Luther Parks as his son, Jerry Parks looks on. In the right photo, Alton Elmore is presented with the Business Person Award by current president, Beth Taylor. Taking The Right Step We want to commend Gil Bur roughs and other members of his group for moving ahead with plans to convert a block of water front property into an attractive recreational park. It appears that the first step in the project will require the expen diture of about $15,000, which is to be raised by the community from private sources. We believe this is not too big a task for Edenton business and individuals. We here at the Chowan Herald will do our part. We also like the spirit of the organizers of this waterfront beautification project, reflected in their desire not to involve either the town or state in the drive. All too often citizens are inclined to push such projects off on somebody else, with a let-George do-it attitude, *We believe that the preserva tion and beautification of the waterfront is the key to Edenton’s future as the prettiest little town in North Carolina. Let business and industry expand to the north, east or west, but keep the water front clean and attractive for the enjoyment of the people. That is the sort of protection we think the community owes the downtown district. We believe it is inevitable that shopping malls, motels and other tourist-oriented businesses will develop around the northern perimeter; but there will always be businesses peculiarly suited to the downtown area—Old Edenton, if you please—and it will continue to survive and become more attractive. For that reason, we do not feel zoning regulations should be used for too long to restrict growth in the perimeter area. Of course, the type of business permitted should be regulated. But there should be provided a place for everything and everything should be required to be in its place. Two Offices Broken Into Two doctors’ offices were broken into Monday night and an undetermined amount of money was taken from each office. Edenton Police Chief J.D. Par rish said office workers at both places discovered the break-ins when they reported for work Tues day morning. One illegal entry was made at the office of Dr. Bernie B. Baker on Mark Drive after a back door was forced open. Offices were ransacked and a money bag was stolen. The second break-in was discovered at the office of Drs, Hornthal and Sieck at 103 Mark Drive when then burglar entered after forcing open a side door. Some of the offices were ransacked. Parrish said no drugs were missing from either office and in vestigation is continuing by Of ficers L.C. Brothers and C.C. Alexander. Site For Proposed Center Considered By JEANETTE WHITE Chowan County Commissioners endorsed plans Monday night to investigate the possibility of establishing a teen center in Edenton. Swain School Auditorium basement is being eyed as a possible site for the center. County Manager Cliff Copeland said small meetings have been held to look at the establishment, but endorsement of the county board was needed before plans went too far. Invitations will soon be mailed to local leaders and organizations for a February 16 meeting to determine viable options for the center. Copeland said the Swain loca tion would be large enough to allow dancing, a large-screen television, ping pong, pool tables and other activities. Space would also allow an arts area and maybe a dance studio. Planners are look ing at a minimal membership fee for teenagers. The commissioners heard discussion on a revenue bond is suance for Chowan Hospital to refinance an old loan at a lower in terest rate and construct a nurs ing home annex and laundry. The new construction is planned at $2.4 million and the old loan, $2.5 million, was used for expansion at the rear of the hospital. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 re UP AND IN—A piece of heavy concrete rubble is loaded into the steel bed of a truck Thursday. The use of heavy equipment such as this was donated in the cleanup of the Rocky Hock Grocery debris. Volunteer Effort Underway By JACK GROVE George and Shirley Drawdy found out just how many friends they really have in the Rocky Hock community. A fire leveled their Rocky Hock Grocery on Monday of last week. By Thurs day afternoon, all traces of the fire had been swept away. Volunteers of the community, variously estimated to number from 75 to 100, gathered at the site Thursday morning and began a massive cleanup effort. About a dozen large trucks, several front end loaders and a bulldozer were used in cleaning the rubble and carting it away. The volunteer effort began Wednesday night when Shorty Bass and Melvin Harrell each called about 50 men. “I didn’t call anybody that made an excuse for not helping,” commented Harrell. Bass nodded in agreement. “It’s going to be built back,” Bass added. “This is a community thing,” Bass explained. George was real ly down in the dumps. We decid ed to do something. I don’t know of a community anywhere that would pull together like this,” he said. Owners of local companies and farmers offered their equipment, their employees and themselves for the cleanup. Others took a day off from work and local women, the Rocky Hock Rescue Squad and Byrum Farms provided food for the noon meal. Betty Bass commented, “We’ll have a lot more meals until the store’s rebuilt.” While worried that they might miss giving credit to someone, Bass and Harrell listed the follow ing as providing trucks, heavy equipment and employees: Chowan Septic Tank Co., Earl Nixon’s Machine Shop, Byrum Farms, Murray Nixon’s Fishery, Donald Riddick and J.C. and LeRoy Nixon. In addition, Byrum Farms provided a dump site for the rubble. A pancake and sausage dinner is planned for Saturday, from 5 to 7 p.m. to benefit the rebuilding of the grocery. Sponsored by the Rocky Hock Ruritans, the supper will be at the Rocky Hock Com munity Center. Tickets are $3.50 per person for all you can eat. Drawdy expressed his feelings Thursday morning. “I’ll tell you one thing, this is a wonderful coim munity. You don’t know how valuable neighbors are until you need them.” Magazine Cites Edenton Historic Edenton is one of the towns featured in a special North Carolina Food and Craft section of the March 3 issue of “Family Cir cle” magazine. The section has pictures of the Barker House on Broad Street, bald cypresses in Albemarle Sound and the picture of an Eden ton license plate, showing a teapot, the town’s trademark. The special section is divided in to three parts depicting the state’s coast, piedmont and mountain areas. Continued On Page 4 quires a public hearing prior to any revenue bond issuance. The bond would be repaid from hospital revenues and not from tax dollars. Don Flowers, executive director of the Albemarle Commission, asked commissionrs to endorse the establishment of a regional water quality council. The board endorsed the council, which would apply for grants for local govern ments that may be available to a regional committee; aid local governments in aquatic weed con trol; promote interests of local, state and federal agencies involv ed with water qualtiy; consolidate and report to local elected of ficials, the news media and any other interested parties of pro grams within the Region R area; perform other related tasks as re quested by local governments. In other action, the commissioners: • Scheduled a public hearing at the March meeting to receive public comments on the proposed adoption of a final assessment on Tuscaroro Trail Road im provements. Cost of im provements is $6,489, or $2.40 per foot. • Heard that John Taylor has resigned from the library board because of failing health. Tom Shepard, chairman of the library board, has recommended Jack Pruden to fill the seat until its ex piration October 5. Commissionrs will consider the recommendation and make an appointment at their next meeting. • Went into executive session to Continued On Page 4 Elmore And Parks Honored By Chamber Members of the Edenton Chowan Chamber of Commerce packed the new National Guard Armory Saturday night for the an nual membership dinner dance. A social hour, prime rib dinner, awards and dancing to the strains of a live band highlighted the evening. Honored by the John A. Mitch ener, Jr. Business Person Award for 1986 was Alton Elmore of Edenton Furniture Company. The William P. (Spec) Jones Volun teer of the Year Award for 1986 went to Luther Parks, retired Edenton Fire Chief. Members of the 1986 President’s Club as well as the 1987 club members were recognized in addition to chamber membership drive winners. Of the 30 past presidents of the organization since its founding, 16 were present and recognized for their contribu tions. The present chamber’s first president, Gilliam Wood, who served in 1957/58 was the even ing’s keynote speaker. At the time of the group’s reorganization, he was a member of the Bank of Edenton’s board of directors. He related how the bank underwrote the reorganization and how area merchants were recruited to form the nucleus of the chamber. An industrial committee was formed and, according to Wood, two valuable lessons were quick ly learned concerning industrial recruitment. The first lesson learned was, “Don’t give it away.” He said that companies wanting a “free ride—send them to another community.” Let them use “someone else’s shell building.” “If they want a handshake, a fair deal, give it to them in the form of: fair taxation; aggres sive, responsive local government sensitive to their needs; and, above all, a place in the com munity. We have too many cor porate citizens who have paid their own way. Industries tend to gravitate to communities who look out for the plants they already have,” he contended. Wood told his listeners that the second lesson was, “The state is not going to bring it to you. In every instance with which I am familiar, the success we have en joyed in broadening our industrial base has been the result of either our own initiative or our good for tune. “Industrial recruitment is tru ly a do-it-yourself endeavor. The talent is here in this room—it always has been,” he concluded. This year’s chamber officers in clude Beth Taylor, president; John Cuthrell, president-elect; Pete Dail, internal vice-president; and Jim Elliott, external vice president. The staff consists of Kathleen Miller, executive direc tor and Denise Parker, executive assistant. Commodity Program Cut Distribution of free surplus food commodities to low income families in Chowan County may be a thing of the past as the result of recent decisions of federal and state governments. The food, pro vided under the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Pro gram (TEFAP), is administered with funds from the U.S. Depart ment of Agriculture. Commodities provided through the program includes, honey, pro cessed cheese, butter, instant milk, rice, cornmeal and flour. With federal budget cutting underway, the USDA elected not to fund the program past March. State Agricultural Commissioner Jim Graham stated that without federal funds, the program would have to end in the state. “Funds are not available on a state level currently to fund the administrative costs of the pro gram,” he said. A federal official with the USDA said that some states may be “overreacting”. He said that if the federal government provides free food, states should be able to find funds to continue the distribution program. Chowan Social Services Direc tor Hazel Elliott said that local agencies have the option of mon thly, bimonthly or quarterly TEFAP distributions. Chowan has Continued On Page 4 Funding Discussed For School Improvements Leaders in the school system met with local legislators Friday to discuss ways to secure funding for construction and renovation of educational facilities in Chowan County. Rep. Vernon James of Pasquo tank County feels two of the best solutions would be an additional two cents per pack manufacturing tax on cigarettes and an increase in the upper income tax bracket from seven to nine percent. “North Carolina manufactures almost half the cigarettes sold in the United States. A two-cent tobacco tax per pack would bring in $340 million per year... North Carolina does not get its fair share of tobacco tax,” James said. School Supt. John Dunn said $6.5 million is needed to begin the first phase of the county’s plan to upgrade school facilities. The phase would include construction of a high school and other reno vations. “We’re not talking about a Cad Continued On Page 4 LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST— (From left) Kay Cherry, Rep. Vernon James, Katherine Russell and Rep. Pete Thompson attended a legislative breakfast Friday to discuss funding for building and renova tion in the Edenton-Chowan school system.
The Chowan Herald (Edenton, N.C.)
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Feb. 5, 1987, edition 1
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