School board approves renovations at Holmes
BY GLENDA JAKUBOWSKI
Contributing Writer
The Edenton - Chowan
Schools Board of Education
voted unanimously at its Janu
ary meeting to proceed with
“priority one” renovations at
the high school this summer.
The renovations will ad
dress immediate needs of the
Exceptional Children’s and
guidance programs at John A.
Holmes, as well as provide ad
ditional temporary classroom
space for so-called “floating”
teachers, said superintendent
of schools Allan T. Smith. The
estimated cost for the projects
would total between $138,000
and $250,000. The money would
be transferred from the
system’s Current Expense
Fund Balance to its Capital
Outlay Fund.
“The Exceptional Children’s
program is in dire need of fa
A Holmes student exits
one of the school's tempo
rary classrooms. Holmes will
add four new temporary
classrooms and renovate
Guidance and Exceptional
Children's program facilities
by the start of the 2004-2005
school year. The school
board plans to discuss long
range plans for the school at
a retreat later this month.
cilities that better meet the in
structional needs of our stu
dents,” Smith said. “This need
is particularly acute for stu
dents with moderate to severe
disabilities and for other EC
students pursuing the Occupa
tional Diploma.”
The proposed renovations
would take place in space cur
rently used for the Vocational
Agriculture program, which
will move to College of the
Albemarle facilities in fall of
2004. The renovated space will
accommodate three instruc
tional areas for the EC pro
gram: an independent living
area, a pre-vocational area,
and a traditional classroom.
Structural work would in
clude installing air condi
tioning, new lighting and
bathrooms; lowering ceil
ings; and installing handi
cap-accessible ramps to en
trances.
The board also approved
with the vote renovations to
create a “guidance suite.”
The guidance suite would
be created in the two adjoin
ing classrooms currently
used by the Exceptional
Children’s program. The
suite would consolidate all
student guidance services in
one area for a more student
centered, comprehensive
program, Smith said.
“With minimal renova
tions we can bring all of the
counselors and support per
sonnel into one area,” Smith
said. The school will restruc
ture its-guidance program to
remove much of the admin
istrative and clerical duties
from the counselors, allow
ing them to give more time
and services to the students,
Smith said.
The renovated space would
accommodate the two Hoi
mes guidance counselors, the
career center, a reception
area and storage space for
student records.
The board vote also made
way for the purchase of four
additional temporary class
rooms for the high school
campus, bringing the total
number of temporary class
rooms, or “huts,” to 10.'
“A major problem at the
high school is the lack of
available classroom space,”
Smith said. Four Holmes
teachers currently do not
have permanent classrooms
and must “float” from one
empty classroom to another
each period, toting their
teaching materials on carts.
The additional huts would
alleviate the need for more
classroom space.
“While temporary class
rooms are not ideal, they do
provide a much-needed home
Arts NC
to record
stories
BY VERNON FUESTON
Contributing Writer
Local citizens whose lives
have been touched by the arts
are invited to share their sto
ries on January 13 at the
Chowan Arts Council from 1-3
n.m. to kick off a statewide arts
awareness campaign. The
campaign will ultimately serve
to inform state and local gov
ernment of the value that the
arts play in people’s lives and
communities across North
Carolina. Prior registration is
suggested.
Arts North Carolina will be
sponsoring “Telling Our Sto
ries,” a public meeting on the
role of art in all its forms in the
lives of people throughout
northeastern North Carolina.
Five other such forums are
scheduled through February
in Kinston, Greensboro, Ashe
ville, Boone and Clayton.
Edenton’s forum will be the'
first in the series.
See STORIES On Page 3-A
New exhibition to open this Friday
The public is cordially invited to join the Chowan Arts Council for an opening reception this Friday, Jan. 9, with
Egyptian-born artist, Wasef Matias. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Chowan Arts Council Gallery in Edenton.
Renowned for his art in Europe and across Egypt, Matias now resides in North Carolina. His creative works employ the
ancient techniques of egg tempera, mosiac, and gold leaf to create icons for the Coptic Christian Church, one of the
oldest Christian sects in the world..Above, his rendering of Christ with His disciples. (Contributed photo)
Planning board
okays Coke Ave.
as practice site
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
A Gates County dentist just
needs the blessing of the
Edenton Town Council to
bring the fourth such practice
to town.
The planning board ap
proved Dr. Jerry Bradley’s
plans to build an office on Coke
Avenue. Bradley, of Hobbs
ville, is a public health dentist
in Gates who plans to go into
private practice. He would be
come the fourth dentist in
Chowan serving a population
of about 14,500. The proposed
office would be near the soccer
complex on the east side of
Coke Avenue.
“I think it’s going to be a
right nice thing,” Percy Halsey,
a Coke Avenue resident, told
Bradley and board members.
Another Coke Avenue resi
dent agreed.
“A building like that,” James
, Lewis said Monday night,
“will help the community
■fin m I.run tut
more than it will harm it.”
Bradley said Monday that he
hopes to begin work at the site
by May
“I have a lot of patients that
come from Chowan County
and Edenton to see me now,” he
said.
“It’s definitely a service that
we need in this community,”
board member Craig Miller
said of a new dental practice.
Councilors will have to ap
prove Bradley’s request for a
conditional-use permit to be
gin construction. He plans to
build a 3,500 square-foot office.
Edenton-Chowan planner
Elizabeth Bryant said Bradley
will have to provide landscap
ing at the site. He will also be
be responsible for installing a
five-foot-wide sidewalk in front
of his office along Coke Av
enue.
In June, a proposed mini
storage complex near the site
was rejected by council.
See PRACTICE On Page 3-A
Chowan County set up drop-off sites like the one above where area residents depos
ited tons of storm debris. The county also organized two rounds of pick up for every road
in the county. Unfortunately, many landowners took advantage of the service and de
posited massive amounts of debris that were not from the storm. (Photo by Angela Perez)
Convincing FEMA tough task
BY ANGELA PEREZ
Staff Writer
A major question to be ad
dressed for early 2004 is
whether or not FEMA will re
imburse 100% of the county’s
claims for Hurricane Isabel
related damage, according to
Chowan County officials. Peter
Rascoe, Special Projects Direc
tor for Chowan County, has
been assigned the arduous
task of convincing FEMA to
reimburse the county for the
maximum amount of federal
disaster funds available.
As of December 30th, 2003,
the county paid out $1,356,467
in storm-related bills. Al
though it has received
$1,639,809 so far in federal and
state aid, Rascoe stresses that
the county is still not in the
clear. “From these numbers,”
says Rascoe, “it may look like
we are ahead. But we are not.
We still are looking at about at
least $700,000 to $800,000 more
in storm-related expenses.”
Rascoe says that many of
these expenses are proving ex
tremely difficult to convince
FEMA to pay for. "We have to
See FEMA On Page 3-A
base for the floating teach
ers,” Smith said.
Smith plans to petition the
Chowan Board of Commis
sioners at its February meet
ing to authorize the transfer
of the necessary funds from
the Current Expense Fund
Balance to the Capital Outlay
Fund to finance the projects.
With the county commis
sion’s approval, the school
system can then finalize the
renovation plans with the
architect, Exceptional Chil
dren and guidance staffs and
parent representatives. The
school system plans to open
the projects up to bids in
March and award contracts
at the board’s April meeting.
Renovation work would be
gin no later than the day af
ter school lets out. The
school system plans to com
plete the projects by the start
of the 2004-2005 school year.
Shooting
involves
brothers
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
A Tyner man was hospital
ized after allegedly being shot
■ by his brother the day after
Christmas.
According to Chowan
County Sheriff Fred Spruill,
Luther Perry, 49, was at 2009
Perry Gordon Road when he
was shot with a 12-gauge shot
gun by Isaac Perry, 45, also of
Tyner, at approximately 6:24
p.m. on Dec. 26. Deputies Greg
Whitehurst and Kenny White
joined detective Andy Bunch
at the scene. The incident oc
curred after “an argument be
tween the two” brothers,”
Spruill stated in a press re
lease.
“It was just an argument,”
Spruill said Monday when
asked about the nature of the
alleged disagreement between _
the brothers.
Luther Perry, of 106-B
Center Hill Church Road, re
ceived wounds to his upper
chest and left arm. He was
initially taken to Chowan
Hospital for treatment. He
was later transported to Pitt
County Memorial Hospital in
Greenville, where he re
mains in fair condition, a
hospital spokesperson said
late Monday.
Isaac Perry, of Perry Gor
don Road, who had left the
scene of the alleged shoot
ing, was located shortly af
terwards, Spruill stated. He
was arrested and charged
with assault with a deadly
weapon inflicting serious in
jury with intent to kill. He is
being held under a $75,000
bond.
INSIDE THIS WEEK
New Year’s
baby
arrives
Dannelly teaches
us to live the
American Dream ...,5-A
Liberty Village
opens to
protest OLF.....
..5-A
Edenton Aces
claim 3rd spot......„.B-1