Little Theatre
additions
are sot—2-A
Mario’s now
serves in 1 in
expanded quarters_4-B
Somerset Homecoming
Festival of Family
and Friends nears __.... 6-B
I
fjp JJ g Wednesday, August 1,2001
CHOWAN HERALD
\lo\. LXVIII, No. 30 Published in historic Edenton,.. The prettiest town on the North Carolina coast. Single Copies 50#
Residents oppose proposed truck route
BY HELEN KERR OUTLAND
Staff Writer
About 60 concerned citizens,
residents of the Old Hertford
Road area, and community
leaders met Tuesday night with
representatives of the North
Carolina Department of Trans
portation at Union Grove AM?;
Zion Church Tuesday evening.
The purpose ofthemeetingwas
to discuss proposed upgrade of
Old Hertford Road that would
serve as a truck route for the
airport.
The proposal, should it ever
become a reality, is slated for
construction in 2006. One such
route would impact those liv
ing in Edenton Manor and
along Old Hertford Road.
A report from the office of
Town Manager Anne-Marie
Knighton states that back in
the early 1990’s the town up
dated its Transportation Thor
oughfare Plan. That plan called
for the construction of a new
road, to help improve access to
and from the Airport Indus
trial Park.
The proposed road would
basically extend Soundside/
Base Road to the north, and
connect to the US 17 By Pass.
This would create a much
needed north/south connec
tion and reduce through-traf
fic of trucks within the city lim
Doug Jeremiah of the North Carolina Department of
Transportation talks with Old Hertford Road residents. (Staff
photo by Helen Kerr Outland)
its.
Atpresent, many of the large
trucks making their way to the
Airport/Industrial Park on
Soundside Road use Highway
17 or 32 as a direct connection
with Yeopim/ Soundside. How
ever, both routes bring the
large trucks through down
town Edenton and, according
to residents of Edenton Manor,
down Old Hertford Road that
runs adjacent to the apartment
complex.
“There are times when these
big trucks pull into the park
ing lot, park, the drivers sleep,
then crank up the trucks at 4
o’clock in the morning and pull
out,” says one resident who
wished to remain anonymous.
“The thing that bothers me is
we don’t even have sidewalks
and now they want our street, ”
said another.
Doug Jeremiah, engineer
from the Development and
Analysis Branch of DOT, con
ducted the meeting. Although
Jeremiah reassured the gath
ering that the road proposals
were just that, a proposal only,
emotions were sensitive. The
initial atmosphere of the meet
ing was a little tense. “This is
not set in stone,” Jeremiah
went on to say. “However, we
need your comments, in writ
ing.”
Town Manager Anne-Marie
Knighton reassured the crowd
that the meeting was an infor
mational opportunity designed
so that the neighborhood could
ask questions and offer input
regarding the proposal. “These
men are not our enemies,” said
Knighton. “Don’t attack these
folks. They are doing their job.
They are here to help.”
Knighton went on to remind
those assembled that the rep
resentatives were not there
to tell them there would be a
road built, ever, but to encour
age feedback in verbal and
written form from as many
residents as possible.
Part of the review process
for any new road construction
project requires state and fed
eral environmental permitting
agencies to review and com
ment on the proposed project.
Several of the reviewing agen
cies have expressed objections
to the Base Road Extension
project. Doug Jeremiah stated
the main objection centered
around the potential loss of
wetlands. Therefore, NCDOT
must look at alternatives. One
such alternative proposed by
the reviewing agencies was
that of an upgrade to Old
Hertford Road.
Some citizens had expressed
concern that no matter how
they felt, or what they said, that
the road would be constructed
anyway. Knighton responded
by saying adamantly, “We have
been, working a long time on
identifying a new route, but
should for some reason this
insane proposal to use Old
Hertford Road become a real
ity the town would oppose it.”
The Old Hertford Road pro
posed truck route would bring
the highway and the eighteen
wheelers within a hundred
yards of Edenton Manor.
Arnette Forehand, manager for
the complex, is not pleased with
the possibility. “We have 111
apartments that have families
with three children. The side
walk on one side, the side
street, and the fields across the
road are where the children
play. They don’t have a play
ground.”
Some of those present asked
Jeremiah why the trucks could
not use alternate routes al
ready available. “For most of
the drivers the alternate route
would be another five or six
miles oftravel,” said Jeremiah.
“For others it might mean an
additional 15 or 20 minutes of
driving time. You have to un
derstand there is legislation in
place that says we can not make
these drivers do anything.”
Jeremiah did assure the gath
ering that some of the drivers
were just as concerned about
the issues as the citizens were.
Town Manager Ann-Marie
Knighton reiterated the posi
tion the town was taking con
cerning the proposal. “There
is a route that we have been
looking at for some time now,”
See PLAN On Page 5-A
Hill: A lifetime of growing things
BY HELEN KERR OUTLAND
Staff Writer
Fred Hill sits in his old ford truck that
he has parked in the shade. He reads
some of the New Testament then gently
stores it away in the glove compartment
as he cranks the truck and goes to Check
his fields.
“I farm about 25 acres,” he begins. “It
ain’t a big farm, but I don’t see any.need
of ha ving more than I can handle. ” Hill is
74 years old and arthritis has caused him
leg problems. “I love farming,” he says
with a big smile. “I left it for two years
while in the service and couldn’t wait to
get back to it.” He figures he did all the
traveling in the military he wanted to do.
“I plan to stay right here in the fields,”
says Hill. “My wife says to come on and
let’s go somewhere. I tell her to go right
ahead.”
Fred Hill is a third-generation
Chowan County farmer of the same land
his granddaddy and daddy farmed. He
grows butter beans, half an acre of wa
termelon, some soybeans, etc. Up until
some recent soaking rains Hill says he
J
For Fred Hill and his family, as with a other farmers of the
time, many hours were spent behind a mule digging a living
out of the land. Hill grins broadly as he relates the story of one
Fred Hill
mule in particular, mat mute was
smart now,” he says. “He’d work all
morning but, when it got close to lunch
time he’d stop dead in his tracks and
wouldn’t plow another row till I fed
him.”
Hill says he and the mule had been
working one field all day. 11 was hot and
the walk back to the house was a long
one. “I decided I was going to ride that
mule home,” adds Hill “The mule de
cided I wasn’t and he dumped me quick
the first time I got on him.” Hill says he
took a good look around to see if anyone
was watching. After many more dumps,
lots of bucking and spinning from the
mule but he rode the mule to the house.
“He was a pretty mule too,” says Hill. “I
have never, seen a mule with white
“socks” like that mule had.”
Hill has known hard work all his
life. Because arthritis has gotten the
best of his knees and he now spends a lot
of time sitting in his truck. “Farming
and surviving is hard work,” he says.
had been a little concerned about his crops. “ We got some good
rain last week and we need more,” he adds.
The house Fred Hill grew' up in sits next to his field. It is a
two-story frame house that has long since been empty. But*
Hill has some memories of that house, the people in it, and
growing up there. “Kids now a days couldn’t take the way we
had to work when we were young’ns,” says Hill. “We worked
before we went to school and when we got home. “
“Not many young folks getting into any more. They can make
a good living out of playing sports.” Hill points to the two
tractors parked behind the house. Neither of the tractors is
new. “I got to go get a filter for the big one,” he says. Hill still
does all his own mechanic work
For Fred Hill there were no choices when he was young,
See HILL On Page 4-A
Literacy push to
be major initiative
for school system
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Editor
Beefing up literacy skills
among children will be the cor
nerstone of the Edenton
Chowan Schools’ program of
work for the coming school
year, according to Dr. Allan
Smith, superintendent of
schools.
Smith, in fact, has set an
ambitious goal for local school
personnel. “By the fall of2003, ”
he declared, “we are aiming
for a literacy rate of 100 per
cent among our students by the
end of third grade and beyond. ”
By meeting that goal, he said,
each child in the local school
system would at least be able to
participate in learning activi
ties with in a regular classroom
setting.
He said that, to be success
ful, teachers would need to re
emphasize a balanced ap
proach to teaching reading.
“Nothing we do in school is
more important than develop
ing solid reading skills among
our students,” he said. Smith
also vowed to help provide a
“framework for a systemwide
emphasis on reading” through
staff development opportuni
ties for teachers over the next
few years.
“Teacher s are the key to the
success of our efforts,” he said.
Smith’s remarks came dur
ing the traditional “Back to
School Breakfast” held at
Nixon’s Catering and hosted
by the school system with local
dignitaries as invited guests.
The theme was “Excellence
Through Innovation.”
Keynote speaker was Dr.
Dwight Pearson, section chief
for the statewide “Closing the
Gap” initiative.
Dr. Pearson explained some
of the reasons for the educa
tion gap that exists among dif
ferent races and cultures, and
outlined some strategies for
eliminating the barriers and
closing the gap.
“Can/this gap be elimi
nated?” he asked. “Research
shows the answer is ‘yes’.”
Prayer Walk set
\
Rocky Hock Baptist
Church invites all members
of the Board of Education,
the administration of
Edenton - Chowan Schools,
principals, teachers and
other school staff to join an
Aug. 5 service of prayer and
consecration for the upcom
ing school year.
“Our purpose,” said Pas
tor Ron Cava, “is simply to
surround all of our school
personnel and students with
thie prayers of God’s people
for wisdom, protection,
health, safety and a produc
tive educational environ
ment.”
The brief service will be
gin at 6:30 p.m. and the public
is welcome to attend.
Following the service, at 7
p.m., members of the congre
gation will go to the campus
of each school and conduct a
. -V*
See PRAYER On Page 4-A
Honoring Williamson commission’s goal
At its May 7 meeting, the
Chowan County Board of Com
missioners,-with the support
of the Eden ton Tea Party Chap
ter of the Daughters' of the
American Revolution, created
a commission to study ways to
honor former Eden ton resident
Dr. Hugh Williamson. Dr.
Williamson was one of North
Carolina’s three signers of the
United States Constitution.
There is currently a monu
ment in Edenton paying trib
ute to former resident Joseph
Hewes, one of North Carolina’s
signers of the Declaration of
Hugh Williamson
Independence.
The Hon. Terrence Boyle has
been selected to chair the com
mission. Other members will
include: Virginia Wood, Beth
Taylor, Ross Inglis, Margie
Hollowell, Linda Eure, Louis
Belfield, Peter Rascoe, Cliff
Copeland, Anne-Marie Knigh
ton, Mike McArthur and Cliff
Copeland.
(The Edenton Tea Party
Chapter of the Daughters of the
American Revolution will
sponsor a short ceremony on
Constitution Day, Monday,
Sept. 17, at noon to honor
Williamson and the Chowan
County Commissioners for
choosing to memorialize one
of the county’s most famous
residents. The N C Society D AR
State Regent, Mrs. Richard A.
Boyd, will speak at the cer
emony scheduled to take place
in front of the 1767 Chowan
County Courthouse on East
King Street in Edenton.)
According to commission
member Peter Rascpe, who
serves as Special Projects Of
ficer for Edenton and Chowan
See GOAL On Page 5-A
DEADLINE TO
COMPLETE AND
RETURN
AUGUST 3
DoA'f 'for^e/f -fo -fil ia your svr\/<zy
SEE
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