Newspapers / The Chowan Herald (Edenton, … / Feb. 25, 2004, edition 1 / Page 1
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Wednesday, February 25, 2004 Public pool not a county priority riaht now BY SEAN JACKSON Staff Writer Although it’s surrounded by water to the south and the west, there’s not a public swim ming pool to be found in Chowan County. And local officials want that fact to change. But finding the money to build and operate a pool has proven difficult. “The recreation department knows there’s a tremendous need for a public swimming pool," Robbie Laughton, direc tor of the Edenton-Chowan Parks & Recreation Depart ment, said last w'eek. Currently, an indoor pool at the site of the old D.E Walker School is being considered. The county-owned property is currently being used by the recreation department and the Chowan branch of College of The Albemarle. An ambitious refurbishing of the old school — which contains a gym and cafeteria — is on the drawing board. But for some, the actual pouring of clear-blue water into a white-concrete basin can’t happen soon enough. Parents for the Edenton Aces’ swim team have la mented the fact that their chil dren face an 80-minute daily round trip during the season. They practice in a pool at Elizabeth City State Univer Local man dies after cycle crash BY SEAN JACKSON Staff Writer An Edenton man died Sat urday night after his motor cycle slammed into a con crete bridge rail on Dr. Mar tin Luther King Avenue. Kareem Jernigan, 21, of Paradise Road, was travel ling in the westbound lane when he reportedly lost con trol of his 2003 Honda motor cycle, a police spokeswoman said Monday. He died at the scene as a result of severe Injuries eccbrv'ing to <* re port filed by Edenton Police Sgt. Tim Hickman. The crash has been ruled an accident, the spokes woman said. Hickman estimated Jerni gan was driving between 50 to 60 mph at the time of the wreck. The speed limit on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive is 35 mph. A witness reported that Jernigan apparently lost con trol of his motorcycle just be fore the accident, the spokes woman said. It hasn’t been determined why Jernigan lost control of his motor cycle. The' crash occurred at ap proximately 7:30 p.m., just east of Beaver Hill Cem etery. Staff photo by Angela Perez COA Dean Lynne Bunch gestures as she talks about plans for the new college campus that will be created at the former D.F. Walker School Plans discussed on college tour BY ANGELA PEREZ Staff Writer Last week, the College of the Albemarle sponsored a tour and luncheon with local busi ness leaders to discuss the fu ture plans of the campus. The tour, lead by Lynne Bunch, Dean of the COA in Elizabeth City focused on renovation and upgrade plans for the old D.F. Walker School, where work will begin in April to create a col lege-campus feel. Renovations will begin after spring semester classes end. Dur ing the summer, supplies and equipment will be moved to the former site at the Fbod Lion Shop ping Center. “We will move as much as we can to the old site during the sum mer and plan to have renovations completed by August so that we can be back in the building by fall,” she said. “We are currently looking for additional funds to complete this.” The transformation of the former elementary school will be accomplished in phases as money becomes available. The center has already received a $900,000 grant 1rom the state to begin work. sity. Dr. Elizabeth York, whose daughter swims for the Aces and is herself a swimmer, says she has to travel to the new Elizabeth City YMCA pool to do a few laps. “We certainly do need a pool,” York said Friday. She, like others, said word of hav ing a pool in Edenton or Chowan has been circulating for years. “I hope that in the near fu ture,” she said in a recent let ter to The Chowan Herald, “the leaders of our county can com mit to the building of a pool.” County Manager Cliff Cope land said Hurricane Isabel has pushed a public pool from atop the county’s list of priorities. “It’s not an active project at this point,” Copeland said. Re vamping the county’s 911 sys tem and buying emergency gen erators are top priorities, he said. And there’s still a half-mil lion dollars in federal reim bursements the county needs to collect before a capital project like a pool can be considered. Copeland does support a pub lic pool, only not in the near fu ture. “I think the community des perately needs a swimming pool,” he said. Robbie Laughton said discus sions have been ongoing for about three years. Laughton said the county owned portion of the old D.E Walker property is suitable for an indoor pool. Forming a part nership with GOA, Edenton Chowan Schools, and the county would improve the chances of having a public pool, he said. “The only viable way for a pool of aquatic facility to be a reality,” he said. ,fis to have more than one party at the table.” Lynn Hurdle-Winslow, vice president of corporate and con tinuing education at COA, agreed. “It would make sense,” she said, “if we talked to each other and looked at each other’s plans.” But nothing has been final ized, Laughton added. “The (D.E Walker) location is not set in stone by any means,” he said. Town Manager' Anne-Marie Knighton said the Town Coun cil has included studying the feasibility of an Edenton Chowan pool in its vision state ment. The pool issue has been floating around since she came to Edenton in the 1980s, Knighton said. “Unfortunately,” Knighton said, “we have not been in the position financially to pursue” building a pool. “We need a facility where children can learn to swim,” she added. Police Chief Greg Bonner is investigating the vandalism of a church in northeast Edenton. The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith was recently the target of someone who spray-painted a series of black wavy lines along the east and north sides of the church. The church is located at the intersection of First and Broad streets, just west of John A. Holmes High School's athletic complex and just north of the old D.F. Walker Elementary School. "I have ques tioned several people about it," Bonner said Tuesday. "I believe at this point it was the act of a juvenile." Bonner planned to canvass the neighborhood Tuesday to talk to residents as well as store owners who may recall selling spray paint to a "younger person". Anyone with information about the incident can call the Edenton Police Department at 482-5144. Brush fire destroys truck trailers BY SEAN JACKSON Staff Writer TYNER - A brush fire swept by strong southerly winds en gulfed a pair of truck trailers Friday afternoon, destroying the trailers and their contents but injuring no one. The Center Hill Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire at 339 County Line Road shortly after 3 p.m. "We had a tough one here for about 45 minutes,” Chief Louis Nixon said at the scene. A man burning trash be hind a home on County Line Road was burning trash, Nixon said. The man left the site only to return later to find the fire out of control. The man unsuccessfully tried to put the blaze out, Nixon said. Fueled by wind, the fire quickly enguled the trailers, which contained clothes, the chief added. “They’re totalled,” Nixon said of the blackened trailers sitting in the backyard be tween two homes. Because the man was burn ing trash within 150 of a home, which is within the legal limit, no charges will be filed, Nixon added. "It was an accident,” he said. "Just one of those things.” The call was the fourth fire of the day to which Center Hill firefighters responded on Fri day, Nixon said. Staff photo by Saan Jackson Firefighters from Center Hijl Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department roll up their gear after extinguishing a blaze on County Line Road last week. INSIDE THIS WEEK The Herald celebrates Black History month......1-C Aces baseball team to contend in NCC.._1-D Local hero returns home---1-B Ballance says he’ll con tinue to serve_3-A SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH - 9iQQ P,M, . AMERICAN LEGION Choose a handmade bowl from a local potter... En|oy homemade pasta and keep the bowll .*• Tickets ere $25 In advance, $30 at the door, and Include light hors d'oeuvres, dinner, silent & Hve auction and full cash bar Tickets are available at the Chowan Aits Council, the Visitor's Center, the Barker House, and Selected Merchants CALL 252.4BLW’FOR INFORMATION.
The Chowan Herald (Edenton, N.C.)
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Feb. 25, 2004, edition 1
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