Politic* Warming Up
With the filing deadline
nearjng, politics is getting
I underway in earnest along
If the Public Parade and
L, elsewhere in North Carolina,
a At the state level, formal
announcements by Jim
Martin that he would go for a
second term as governor and
by Bob Jordan that he would
try to move up from lieutenant
governor came as surprises to
i no one.
f Both have problems and, at
I this point, it is far from
certain which will be
successful come next
‘ November. Martin has been
! about as successful as any
Republican chief executive
could have been, what with the
national administration of
i Ronald Reagan falling apart
and both the state and
‘ national legislative branches
controlled by the opposition
I parties.
I Jordan has the problems
; which always go along with
trying to advance from
second to top spot. His
opponent enjoys the
advantages of incumbency
which provide a ready forum
' and make it easy for him to
get his message across. But
Jordan has some advantages,
too.
We feel, for example, that
the governor will find the
approximately $275,000 he has
paid his legislative adviser,
former Lt. Gov. Jim Green,
far less productive in holding
1 Democrats under his banner
; next November than he had
counted on when he hired the
sour-grapes loser of the
Democratic gubernatorial
| nomination campaign in
a 1S84. Most North Carolinians
aimply do not like a'Bore
loser.
Along the Public Parade,
* there should be general
approval of Pete Thompson's
l announcement he will seek a
second term as representative
from the first district in the
General Assembly.
Thompson, with Rep. Vernon
James and Senator Marc
Basnight gave northeastern
North Carolina strong
I representation during the 1987
session and will be able to
deliver even more when the
new assembly convenes. No
doubt they will have opposition
of one kind or another, but we
feel the voters of the First
District would do well to stick
with a proven combination.
I At the national level, there
" are as yet no clear signs of
any major trend developing.
Continued On Page 4
Edenton Snow Seen Across US
Last Thursday's snow
storm brought visitors from
I the North to Edenton. WTKR
TV, Channel 3, from Norfolk
sent their satellite van to
broadcast the storm on live
telecast that went to Norfolk
and around the country.
The station's weekend
weatherman and science ed
itor, Brian Hill, went before
the camera set up in front of
Barker House. As the flakes
drifted down and accumu
lated, a live "feed" went to
CBS and a cut-in was done on
the Phil Donahue talk show in
New York at 4:45 p.m.
Other live broadcasts went
to Channel 3's "Live at 5"
news program and the regu
lar 6 p.m. news broadcast.
The purpose was to give
Tidewater viewers a look at
the advancing storm which
moved up from the south.
The camera's eye went
blind just prior to the 5 p.m.
segment when a fuse blew in
Continued On Page 4
.r(iiiiT]inn—-f.. mtm.
IS IT?-Channel 3 weatherman Brian Hill from Norfolk tells the nation how cold
in Edcnton lost Thursday evening as he broadcasts live via the station's satcl
CBS' Phil Donahue talk show.
THE CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume LLIV - No. 2
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, January 14,1988
Single Copies 25 Cents
Water Quality Debated
Proposed actions of the
Virginia Water Control
Board brought spirited re
sponse from local representa
tives at a public hearing in
Newport News, Va. Monday
afternoon.
The Virginia board is con
sidering what waterways of
that state should be considered
nutrient-enriched and thus
strictly controlled on the
dumping of wastes. The board
had not planned to name the
Nottoway, Blackwater and
Meherrin Rivers under this
classification.
Nutrient enrichment
refers to dumping municipal
and industrial wastewater
containing large amounts of
nitrogen and phosphorus into
waterways. High concentra
tions in the Chowan River
have been identified as the
cause of blue-green algae that
have choked the river during
past summers, spoiling its
recreational use and causing
fish kills.
The three Virginia rivers
are tributaries of the Chowan.
Wastewater and farm runoff
in those streams are said to
directly affect the water qual
ity of the lower Chowan River.
Arrowhead Beach resident
A1 Howard is a member of the
Albemarle citizens committee
of the Albemarle-Pamlico
Study Commission which is
seeking to identify water
quality problems and solu
tions.
Howard traveled to the
meeting along with Rep.
R.M. (Pete) Thompson (who
also represented Sen. Marc
Basnight of Manteo and Rep.
Vprppn James of Wpeksville
at the meeting), Chowan
$3WWlf*sl6iier At Phillips
(representing tfee Chowan
commission along with
commissions of neighboring
counties) and Chowan County
Manager Cliff Copeland.
Each spoke at the hearing.
They asked the water con
trol board to reconsider list
ing the Chowan tributaries
along with others designated^
as nutrient-enriched.
Howard said that the board
"cordially listened" but made
no commitment.
He said that the Chowan
delegation was "bitterly dis
appointed in the lack of
participation" of top admin
istrators of the N.C. Dept, of
Cultural Resources and
Community Development. He
said that the state should have
been represented by the Sec
retary or Assistant Secretary
of the organization.
Recently, the Secretary of
the department bitterly de
nounced Virginia officials in
a press release on the issue.
Howard said that a top offi
cial should have attended
"because this was an impor
tant issue between the two
states". Allen Klimek, a
branch head in the water
quality section of the agency
represented the state and ap
pealed for the Virginia desig
nation. Howard concluded,
"A branch head doesn't carry
the political weight that a Sec
retary or Assistant Secretary
cart-ies.”
Klimek outlined tho close
cooperation of the two states in
the past to control water qual
ity. "Let's continue it,” was
his message to the board.
Howard noted that, at the
conclusion of the presentation
from this state’s delegation,
the hearing officer said "she
appreciated our remarks."
Early Meet Held
While many in the area
were just rising from their
slumbers Tuesday morning
at six, the Edenton-Chowan
School Board was meeting to
continue discussions on long
range planning for school fa
cilities.
They have before them an
interim plan that outlines op
tions for upgrading school
Geddes Blencoe Potter
WWI Vet
Expires
Geddes Blencoe Potter, 92,
of 609 N. Broad Street,
Edenton died Tuesday morn
ing, January 12, in his home.
A native of Norfolk, Va. he
was the son of the late Rufus
E. and Wortley Norfleet
Potter. He was the retired co
owner/operator of Albemarle
Peanut Company and a
member of the Edenton Baptist
Church. He was a long-time
member of the Board of
Directors of Edenton Savings
and Loan Association, a
charter member of Edenton
Lion's Club and a Navy vet
eran of WWI. Potter helped
organize American Legion
Post 40 and was instrumental
Continued On Page 5
buildings, new construction
and the funding from current
revenue without raising
taxes.
If all of the expected con
struction needs of the school
system, as projected, were
met, the cost would total al
most $14 1/2 million. Expected
revenues from a bond refer
endum, backed by sales taxes
earmarked for schools, totals
only $6.8 million.
The board is wrestling with
alternatives that fit in with
expected funding.
One option would be the
demolition of the present
Chowan Jr. High School and
the construction of a new ele
mentary school on the campus
for grades K-5, replacing
White Oak School. The sixth
grade would also be removed
from D.F. Walker.
A new middle school,
housing grades 6-8, would be
built midway between the
Chowan campus and John A.
Holmes High School and
Walker.
A second option would ren
ovate or replace the Chowan
building and house grades 6-8
there. Sixth graders would be
removed from White Oak and
Walker and White Oak
would be renovated.
Other needed construction
includes air-conditioning
and energy efficient envi
ronments for all schools,
construction of an exceptional
children facility and new
transportation facilities.
All options have funding
shortfalls, however.
Addressing these, schools su
perintendent Dr. John Dunn
said that the "critical needs"
funding provided by the
school facilities funding bill
of the General Assembly last
summer would probably not be
available to Edenton-Chowan
schools.
He and other board mem
bers conceded that additional
local funding was probably
out of the question; "If we
can't raise it locally, then we
oughta go to the legislature
and hammer for it there,"
Dunn remarked.
The interim plan has been
sent to the N.C. Department of
Public Instruction with the
understanding that the final
long-range plan will follow
in the spring. The plan had to
be sent in order to qualify for
state funding.
The plan was devised by a
"super-sub" committee of two
school board members, two
county commissioners,
Dunn, County Manager Cliff
Copeland and local general
contractor, Ross Insrlis.
As they discussed financ
ing at the meeting, Dunn re
minded board members, "We
aren't in a decision-making
role at this point." He pointed
out that it was the board's
statutory responsibility to
identify facility needs and the
county board of commission
ers' statutory responsibility to
identify funding for those
needs.
Dunn suggested that public
hearings be held before any
final decision is made on the
plan. "Let's ask the parents,"
he suggested to the board.
STATE AWARD-Jimmy Patterson, (left) Edenton wastewa
ter treatment operator, receives the 1987 Grade I Wilbur E. Long,
Jr. Operator of the Year Award from Division of Environment
Management's Ed Warren. The state award wds presented at
Tuesday night's town council meeting.
Plans Reviewed
By JACK GROVE
Members of Edenton Town
Council at their Monday night
meeting pored over plans for
renovation of the old Peoples
Bank building for conversion
into town offices. A repre
sentative of L.E. Wooten Co.,
contracted for planning, dis
cussed alternative floor
plans, one of which reflected
the ideas of the town employ
ees who will occupy the of
fices.
The Wooten representative
pointed out relatively inex
pensive ways to eliminate
water intrusion in the base
ment, said that "electrically,
the building seems to be in
good condition" and that the
town "might want to update"
the 1963 boiler system.
On the main floor, he rec
ommended keeping new con
struction to a minimum as
well as any demolition. He
suggested a lighter wall cov
ering than the present, rela-f
tively dark, paneling. He es
timated first floor renovation
in a range from $40,000 to
$125,000.
Town Manager Phillip
Whitaker, using a board
mounted floor plan, showed
the rationale of the employee
plan with an orderly traffic
flow through to various of
fices. He said that Mike
Faircloth of Edenton Con
struction Co. had helped with
the plan. Faircloth's company
has done work on the building
in the past.
Whitaker told council that
from $250 to $1,000 may be re
quired to refurbish the heating
system although it was basi
cally in good shape.
Councilman Willis Privott
remarked that he would like
to see concrete cost estimates
on the alterfihtlvfeplans after
Whitaker had said that he
could not identify $125,000 in
the town budget for the work.
Councilwoman Marina
Crummey offered, "I like the
plan that the workers have
looked at."
After discussion of place
ment of a ramp at an entrance
Continued On Page 5
BLANKET AWARD- Michael Bunch received the Blanket
Award at Monday night's Sports Awards Banquet. He was hon
ored for leadership, scholarship and athletic ability. Bunch
leads his class in scholarship and was an offensive lineman for
the Aces.
Aces Banquet Held
Athletes of John A. Holmes
High School were honored at
the annual Aces Booster Club
Fall Sports Award Banquet
Monday night.
The 1987-88 Blanket Award
from CBS International went
to Michael Bunch. The award
recognizes leadership, schol
arship and athletic ability.
Bunch stands number one in
his class and is president of
the Honor Society.
Awards for academic
excellence (grade average of
JO or above) went to Bunch,
Beth Norvell, Melissa Bunch,
Mary Copeland, Stephanie
Creighton, Cabrielle Webster
and Cindy Ward,
Lynn Whitehurst, Penny
Powell and Allen Hornthal
were honored for
"community spirit". Horn
thal is retiring as the girls'
tennis coach.
Penny Powell, advisor to the
varsity cheerleaders, said
they displayed "unity and
harmony." Awards went to
Melissa Bunch, Most Im
proved; Beth Norvell, Most
Dedicated; and Stephanie
Creighton, Best All Around.
The Cheerleaders Coaches
Award was presented to
Melissa Swain.
Varsity football All
Conference awards went to
Mike Bunch, Deronn Felton,
Maurice Taylor, Jon Nixon,
Continued On Page 4