Wednesday, June 21, 2000
Single Copies 500
Town green lights rezoning of 40-acre tract here
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Editor
With Councilman Sambo Dixon
casting the lone dissenting vote,
the Edenton Town Council passed
a resolution last Tuesday evening
to approve the rezoning of 40 acres
of land on Whitemon Lane adja
cent to Albemarle Motor Company
to highway commercial rather
than residential. A prior request
by the property’s owner, Dr. Lloyd
Griffin of Elizabeth City, to have a
70-acre tract at the site rezoned
was recently refused by Council.
“It’s not going to come as a shock
to anybody in this room that I’m
against this rezoning,” said Dixon,
citing concerns about the safety of
the planned rezoning and its po
tential impact on the community.
“What we’re doing, we’re doing
right,” he added. “We’ve just got
too valuable an asset to risk this.”
Also speaking against the plan
was Mayor Roland Vaughan, who
was unable to vote because there
was not a tie vote. Councilman
Steve Biggs was unable to attend
P
the meeting, leaving an uneven
number of Councilmen to consider
the proposal.
The mayor called the rezoning
bid “premature” even though he
acknowledged it “does have
merit.” Mayor Vaughan said he
agreed with the safety concerns
outlined by public speakers at the
meeting. He also called the present
configuration of businesses dot
ting Highway 32 “a monument to
no planning,” noting that those
businesses currently there won
approval based on the merits of
their individual presentations, not
because of any plan considering
the area as a whole.
And while Mayor Vaughan said
he felt confident the town’s revised
Unified Development Ordinance
(UDO) would take care of the con
cerns raised, during the meeting,
he reminded those present of the
impact that could be felt in the
downtown business district if one
more shopping center gets built.
He said that each time a new shop
ping center has come into exist
ence, an already existing one has
closed. He recalled that there have
been “periods ofblight” in the busi
ness community here, adding that
“Downtown Edenton has not al
ways been as it is now.” He said
that in the past when things needed
to get done, it has often been indi
viduals, not the town, county or
other established agencies that
have taken the lead. He said the
same proactive effort would be
needed in the future to keep a thriv
ing business community here.
Concerns about damage to the
downtown business district as well
as concerns about urban sprawl
were also voiced by private citi
zens who addressed the Council
Tuesday night.
Among them was Dr. Paul
Pridgen, a local minister and a
newcomer to the community. He
said he and his family were very
impressed when they moved here
to see a thriving downtown busi
ness district that was maintained
in keeping with the “charm” found
elsewhere in town.
See TRACT On Page 3-A
Getting an early start
Barbara King (right) and Martha Badger, Co-Chairpersons for the 2001 Edenton Pilgrimage Tour, are pictured next to one of several
signs that have been placed around Edenton, informing visitors of the area's historical heritage. King stated that the Edenton Women's
Club has announced that next year's event will be held on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21. Proceeds from the 1999 Pilgrimage
benefitted several organizations, including the Iredell House Association, Barker House, Cupola House, Locust Grove A.M.E. Zion
Church, and the Shepard-Pruden Library. King also emphasized the importance of community involvement and invites any who is
interested in being a participant in the upcoming event to please do so. (Staff photo by Derrick Armstead)
Search ends; murder
suspect is arrested
Gaylord’s to be in
court on June 20
BY DERRICK ARMSTEAD
Staff Writer
A three-week search for an
Edenton man wanted in connec
tion with the May 28 murder of
Keiwanee Powell has ended with
the arrest of 20-year-old Kendrick
Gaylord. Tristian Spencer, a sec
ond suspect in the case, remains in
Chowan Countyjall awaiting trial.
Gaylord, who is being held with
out bond, was expected to make
his first court appearance on Tues
day, June, 20, where he will be
charged with first degree murder.
Gaylord’s arrest on Monday,
June 19, was carried out by Gre
gory Bonner, Edenton Chief of Po
lice, and Chowan County Sheriffs
Deputy Lamell Valentine, at ap
proximately 11:50 a.m. in the 200
block of West Albemarle Street.
Bonner says that a tip received
by the Chowan County Sheriffs
Dept, led to the recent arrest.
“Deputy Valentine received
some information and (presented)
it to me,” said Bonner. “We then
went out to the residence
where..Gay lord was supposed to
be.”
Once the two arrived on scene,
Bonner states that they “sort of
quietly” checked the area, with
Valentine stationed at the rear of
the residence.
At that point, Bonner attempted
to obtain permission to search the
facility.
"The lady at the residence said
that she had just got there,” Bonner
said. “I then asked her if it was
okay to search the premises, and
she said that she didn’t have a prob
lem with it. I then asked her again,
and she said yes for a second time.”
After the pair’s entry into the
house, Bonner said that it was all
over pretty quickly.
"The first place that I looked
when I entered the house, was the
right front bedroom,” said Bonner.
“He was standing there...and of
fered no resistance.”
As to why he had remained at
large, Bonner says Gaylord’s re
sponse was, "I didn’t turn myself
in because I was scared.”
Bonner said that with regard to
the events that occurred on May
28, “Gaylord was very cooperative
and willing to give us his recollec
tion of what took place. ”
Shelly Harrell and Ben Smith
Holmes sophomores off
to School of Math, Science
State school taps
those proficient
in science and
mathematics
Two John A. Holmes High
School sophomores, Shelly
Harrell and Ben Smith, have
been accepted to attend the North
Carolina School of Science and
Math in the fall.
The NC School of Science and
Math is a public residential high
school for juniors and sehiors
who are academically motivated
in science and mathematics. The
school was established by the NC
General Assembly to provide
challenging educational oppor
tunities for students with an in
terest in, and potential for, high
achievement in science and
mathematics.
The school, which opened in
1980, has a student body of 550
youth from across the state.
NCSSM alumni have enrolled in
colleges and universities
through the United States and
abroad. Many are enrolled in
graduate schools, law schools
and medical schools. Others have
joined the international
workforce as scientists, math
ematicians, engineers and other
related occupations.
Harrell is the daughter of
Walter and Lisa Harrell of
Edenton. Smith is the son of
Ronnie and Maria Clara Smith,
also of Edenton.
Commission
hears about
concerns
BY DERRICK ARMSTEAD
Staff Writer
After releasing the 2000-01 bud
get two weeks ago, Chowan County
Commissioners (CCC) revisited
the matter on Monday evening
during a special session designed
to gauge public response on the
issue. The good news is that the
CCC got their wish, but that fact
was tempered by the bad news—it
may not have been to the degree
that they were expecting.
On that issue, the number of citi
zens in attendance to speak was
indeed small, and to be more exact,
only singular in nature.
“I have been coming to these
hearings for eight years, and in
that time can remember no in
stance where Commissioners
modified the budget based on in
put from the public,” said John
Sams of Tyner. “Since I have no
reason to believe today’s hearing
will be any different, I have de
cided not to waste time by giving
you my detailed thoughts on next
year’s budget....”
Sams continued,". ..Through one
form of taxation or another, the
dollars you will spend in next
year’s budget were coerced from
our citizens.”
A breakdown of the 2000-01 bud
get that Sams alludes to was pre
sented during Monday’s meeting.
Included within next year’s $15.2
million expenditure total is an al
location of over $3.4 million for
See BUDGET On Page 10-A
Stephen Nugen (second from left) is joined by co-workers Brent Holt, Scott Costelloe, and Quinton McGowan.
(Staff photo by Derrick Armstead)
Nugen excited about tech talk
BY DERRICK ARMSTEAD
Staff Writer
John A. Holmes (JAH) student
Stephen Nugen is eagerly antici
pating a mid-summer trip to Aus
tin, Texas, even though this will
not be a typical fun-filled excur
sion, based on the fact that upon
arrival there will be some work
involved.
In July, Nugen will travel to the
‘Lone Star’ state where he will be
joined by 1000 other high school
delegates for a week-and-a-half
long discussion regarding the fu
ture of technology at the 2000 Na
tional Summit of Young Technol
ogy Leaders Conference
(NSYTLC).
According to Nugen, participa
tion in the NSYTLC should pro
vide in-depth knowledge of the rap
idly changing field.
“After this event, I hope to know
where technology is going,” he
said. “...I also want to be able to
learn where to look for future jobs
and future colleges.”
Sponsored by Envison, a Wash
ington, D.C.-based educational or
ganization, the NSYTLC will pro
vide instruction in web design,
robotics, artificial intelligence,
virtual reality, computer architec
ture, fiber optics, wireless commu
nication, and software design.
In addition, students will meet
with IBM, Dell Computer Corpo
ration, Apple Computer, Motorola,
and 3M.
Austin is described as the ideal
city for this event, based on a re
cent report in the The Wall Street
Journal, where it was tabbed as
“quickly becoming the number one
See TECH On Page 3-A