THE CHOWAN HERALD
’ Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
$ Volume LLV - No. 14
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, April 6,1989
Single Copies 25 Cents
nf
On Rewarding
Quality
We support Gov. Jim Mar
tin's call for a one-cent in
crease in the state sales tax "to
provide for salary increases
and performance incentives
for teachers, community col
lege instructors, university
professors and state em
ployees."
There are those who contend
that the sales tax bears most
heavily on the poor; but the
other side of that coin is the
fact that the poor are the prime
beneficiaries of this and other
broad-based taxes. Middle
and upper income people pay
many taxes from which they
receive little or no benefit.
So, we have no problem with
the equity of a sales tax to sup
port upgrading of the public
school system; but we would
not endorse the governor's
current proposal if he had not
linked it with performance
incentives for teachers, oth
erwise known as the career
ladder. The time is long past
when the state should do
whatever is necessary to re
ward quality in teaching
above mediocrity.
As might have been ex
pected, there are among the
governor's own party a large
segment opposed to the tax in
crease. It would be easy to go
along with tjiem and attempt
taembarrass the govpj3Bnr; Jttit.
the improvement of pur public
school system is too important
to play petty politics with. We
hope that enough Democrats
will fall in line with Gov.
Martin to put his plan over.
In his proposal, the governor
suggests a salary base for
1989-90 ranging from $19,121
for teachers with no experi
ence to $31,380 for veterans
with 29 or more years of expe
rience. By 1990-91, this scale
would move to $19,730 for be
ginners and $33,970 for the top
bracket; and in 1991-92 the
scale would range from
$20,500 to $36,400.
Above that, career level one
teachers, with a minimum of
three years of experience,
would be paid 5 per cent more
than the state base; and career
level two teachers, with 10 or
more years experience, would
receive 10 per cent more than
career level one teachers, or 5
plus 10 per cent above the base.
Thus, career level one
teachers would receive from
$20,890 up to $32,950, depend
ing on years of experience, for
1989-90; and those figures
would rise to $22,840 and
$38,220 in 1991-92. And career
level two salaries would
range from $26,120 to $36,240
in 1989-90 and $28,860 to
$42,050 by 1991-92. None of
Continued On Page 8
* Accident Leaves One
Seriously Injured
A one-vehicle accident ser
iously injured one person and
did extensive damage to a
1988 Ford car at 8:08 p.m.
Tuesday.
U Acting Police Chief C.H.
Williams said Wednesday
that the driver, Mona Lisa
Fleming, 24, of 207 E. Eden
St., lost control of the car after
becoming HI. The ear veered
off the roadway in the 200
block of E. Queen Street and
struck a tree.
^ Both Ms. Fleming and her
W passenger, Becky Davenport,
19, of Chowan Garden Apart
merits, were injured end were
- a:
transported to Chowan Hos
pital by the rescue squad.
A hospital spokesman said
Wednesday that Ms. Fleming
was treated for minor injur
ies and released. Ms. Daven
port Sustained a leg fracture
and multiple abrasions and
was transferred to Pitt Mem
orial Hospital for further
treatment.
Investigating officer, Pat
rolman W.L. Forehand, est
imated damage of $12,000 to
the automobile.
Williams said that no
charges have been filed pend
* .1*4
Roadsides And Waterways Cleanups Set
By JACK GROVE
The state Division of Wa
ter Resources is sponsoring a
cleanup around the state's
streams, rivers and lakes on
May 20 and 21. The trash
cleanup is in preparation for
North Carolina Rivers Month
BOUND FOR THE SOUND?—This trash, mostly beer bot
tles and cans, was left on the ground surrounding a half-empty
trash container about fifteen feet away from the mill race at
Bennett's Mill Pond. Discarded bottles could be seen in the
water below the race feeding into a stream that connects, via the
Chowan River, with Albemarle Sound.
in June, involving a series of
outdoor recreation events and
celebrations along the state's
inland waterways.
Already in the works lo
cally, is the "Clean Sweep,”
on April 15 under joint spon
sorship of the town and coun
ty. Linda Edmundson at
Town Hall and Nancy Mor
gan at the County Manager's
office are coordinating sign
ups for individuals and
groups that wish to help in the
street and roads cleanup.
Mrs. Edmundson was ask
ed yesterday how the signups
were going and she replied,
"not good." She pointed out,
however, that many more
people turned out for last
year's cleanup than had sign
ed up.
Participants in the streams
cleanup will keep a tally of the
different types of trash col
lected. The results will be
used by the Div. of Water Re
sources to identify problem
areas and major sources of
litter.
Locally, A1 Howard of the
Arrowhead Beach Stream
Watch Group said of the
cleanup, "Certainly, we’re
planning to participate." He
said that his group has adopted
three miles of the nearby In
dian Creek as a target for
cleanup of "a lot of trash,
stumps and tree limbs" clog
ging the waterway. He said
that the project would stretch
throughout the summer.
In Edenton, Town Man
ager Ann-Marie Kelly said
"I'm sure we would want to
participate.” County Manager
Cliff* Copeland echoed with
"I'm sure we'll work with the
town and get a joint program
together" for the waterway
cleanup.
County farmer Carroll
Byrum took a Chowan Herald
representative on a tour of lo
cal streams, swamps, road
ways, and the mill pond at
Bennett's Mill. Ditches along
roads resembled mini trash
Continued On Page 8
Company Plans
Move To Area
A Virginia company has
chosen to expand its opera
tions to Edenton, Richard
Bunch of the Edenton Cham
ber of Commerce announced
this week.
According to a press re
lease, Highland Data Ser
vices Co. is a privately owned
corporation that was founded
in July, 1983 in Blue Grass,
Virginia. It is located in the
remote western Virginia
mountains "to attract a con
scientious labor force in an
economically disadvantaged
area."
The company currently
employs approximately 100
people in its Blue Grass and
Romney, West Virginia fa
cilities. The Romney opera
tion was opened in April of
last year to accommodate in
creased workloads and ex
pand the available labor pool.
HDS presently operates two
shifts in both locations.
Highland Data Services
has processed a variety of doc
uments for clients in federal,
state and local governments
as well as for private indus
try. HDS primarily keys
med-ically related claim in
formation, mailing lists, sur
veys and inventory records.
Currently the company keys
an average of 14 million med
ical claims a year.
The company will begin its
operations in Edenton in the
spring at the former location
of Western Gas on No. Broad
Street. The building is being
leased from A1 Cox.
Highland Data expects to
employ 22 to 25 data entry op
erators initially with plans to
grow in the future.
The company worked
closely with the N.C. Dept, of
Commerce in selecting a site.
HDS says that a variety of
factors influenced their deci
^ . .. Continued On Page 8
Ordinance Revision Evokes Comments
Chowan County Commis
sioners held three public hear
ings, during.thftir.^xegular
meeting Monday night.
The first drew attendance
and comment from residents
on B Lane who requested that
the name be changed to
Whitemon Lane. An earlier'
request that the road be named
White-Simonston Rd. was
rejected as too long to fit on a
road sign. Six of eleven fam
ilies living on the road were
represented at the hearing.
Mrs. Geraldine Coston told
commissioners that naming
the lane Whitemon "would
give the road a more personal
name." She also said that it
would be "in honor of indi
viduals that have lived in the
community since the 1940's.”
County Emergency Medi
cal Services Coordinator
Doug Belch objected, saying
that the road had been known
to emergency personnel for
"70 or 80 years" as B Lane.
Mrs. Coston countered with
"I think it's time for a
change.”
Commissioner Joe Hollow
ell asked how many families
lived on the lane and was told
that six families were pres
ent. Mrs. Coston told him that
100 per cent of the families
favored the name, Whitemon.
"We have tried to follow the
wishes of the people that live
in the community," Hollowell
said and he offered a motion
that the residents' wishes be
honored.
Commissioner Clara Bos
„well said that BXane had his
torical significance since
"We know that there was an
A, B and a C Lane.” Com
mission Chairman Alton El
more wryly reminded the
group that A Lane was "now
under the Golden Corral and
C Lane is now under the fu
neral home."
Whitemon won out on a
board vote of four to one with
Mrs. Boswell dissenting.
A hearing on the proposed
revision of the county's sub
division ordinance also drew
some discussion from devel
oper Tom Wood who is selling
lots around the new nine hole
course at the country club.
County Manager Cliff
Copeland explained that the
ordinance covered develop
ments that were comprised of
two or more acres. He said
that the ordinance would be
"much more readable."
He said that the revision
would contain four major
changes: a requirement of
developers that they provide
for dumpster sites; protection
of water quality by establish
ing 50 foot setbacks from the
water's edge; a provision that
interior lot owners be given
access to the waterfront; and
that the developer set aside a
county recreation area.
Wood was unhappy with the
water access provision that
stated that a 50 foot access be
provided for every 600 feet of
waterfront. He called the pro
vision "very, very costly"
since the "demand is all for
waterfront." At his new de
velopment Wood stated, "I'm
definitely going to have a boat
ramp."
Hollowell noted that the
development had 10,000 feet of
waterfront and said that the
proposed ratio might be too
great. Copeland offered, "We
can certainly have the plan
ning board take another look
at it"
Concerning the dumpster
sites, Wood said that he felt
that the requirement should
only pertain to multi-family
homes and not to up-scale
neighborhoods where they
would be unsightly. Copeland
said after the meeting, “The
thing is, you (the county) can
not find a place to put them"
and that he felt that it had to-be
a developer's responsibility.
He said that, in any case,
-- ... Continued On Page 8
GROUND-BREAKING—Bruce Jones, Sr. and Bruce Jones, Jr. man the shovels for the
ground-breaking at the new location of Albemarle Motor Co. with enthusiastic support of town,
county and chamber of commerce officials, bankers, local businessmen and other friends. The
$1 million plus project is scheduled to be completed in the fall and will give the Ford-Mercury
dealership more elbow room on the five acre site.
Dealership Prepares New Site
An Edenton car dealership
is moving to the edge of town
in order to expand and mod
ernize its facilities.
Ground was broken last
Thursday at the corner of
N.C. 32 North and B Lane,
just north of the U.S. 17 By
pass, for the new home of Al
bemarle Motor Co., Inc.
The site, which comprises
five acres, will feature an L
shaped building with approx
imately 20,000 square feet of
floor space. The building will
house the new car show room,
offices, a service facility, a
body shop and a parts depart
ment Included in the design
is space for over 18 service
bays.
The company, founded in
1945 by William Bruce Jones,
has sold Ford products from
the beginning. In 1973, the
Mercury line of cars was
added. Officers of the corpor
ation include Bruce Jones,
Jr., president, Bruce Jones,
Sr., vice-president and Mary
Lou Jones, secretary.
In an interview, Bruce
Jones, Jr. said that the com
pany presently has about 27
employees and expects to add
employees in all departments
when the new facility is
opened. He noted, "We'll be
stocking a much larger in
ventory of new and used cars
and trucks."
Jones said that construc
tion will begin as soon as the
Continued On Page 8
Iredell Descendant Dies
A direct descendant of
James Iredell has died. Ire
dell Jones, III died on Friday,
March 31. His home was
Sherwood Plantation at
Wedgefield, S.C.
Jones and his wife were the
owners of the original oil
portraits of James and Han
nah Iredell that now hang in
the Iredell House on East
Church Street. They were pre
sented to the James Iredell
Association by Mrs. Iredell
Jones, III and Mr. and Mrs.
Iredell Jones, IV in November
ofl981.
The portraits had been in
the Jones family for 50 years
but they believed that the prop
er place for them was the home
of the Jones' ancestors. The
house was purchased by Ire
dell in 1778.
James Iredell was an . As
sociate Justice of the U.S. Su
preme Court, having been ap
pointed by President George
Washington.
The portraits came to Eden
ton after being sought by the
Hall of Justice in Washing
ton, D.C. and by Iredell Coun
ty, N.C. which wanted them to
hang in the courthouse.