Wednesday, March 3, 2004
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Council cool to Legion's request for flea markets
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
Flea markets have seeped
into American culture over the
years, becoming an icon for the
bargain-hunting Saturday
morning shopper in all of us.
But it’s not something the
Edenton Town Council is keen
on seeing setting up shop on
the southwest side of town
until certain issues are ad
dressed. During a Feb. 23 com
mittee meeting, several coun
cilors expressed concern about
the idea.
The American Legion Post
r—
40 on West Queen Street is
seeking to host flea markets
every available Saturday and
Sunday at its fairgrounds.
“The reason I don’t like it,”
Councilman Jerry Parks said,
“is because I don’t like the way
(flea markets) make a town
look.”
Councilors also had con
cerns that vendors would even
tually begin to store their
wares at the fairgrounds in a
permanent fashion. Edenton
Chowan County Planning Di
rector Elizabeth Bryant said
the town’s planning board had
similar concerns.
“The planning board saw...
that you might be creating
something like a self-storage
unit,” she said. “Then on the
weekends the (storage unit)
doors would go up and people
would sell out of that.”
Councilman Willis Privott
feared that flea-market ven
dors could hurt the business at
a local farmer’s market, where
fresh local fruits and veg
etables are sold when in-sea
son.
“I’d hate to see something
that could hinder them,”
Privott said of a flea market
possibly sapping business
I sss “ S
from the farmer’s market on
Virginia Road.
Parks noted that the fair
grounds’ neighbors already
endure a week-long county fair
on Legion grounds every fall.
“The (other) 51 weeks of the
year isn’t so bad, ” he said.
But how would those resi-.
dents feel about a flea market
every weekend?
With that question in mind,
council asked Town Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton to alert
the fairgrounds’ neighbors of
the Legion’s request. Parks
said those neighbors should be
notified of the request during
the conceptual stage and not,
as required by law, have to wait
until the Legion officially
seeks a conditional-use per
mit.
Bryant also presented re
sults of queries to other North
Carolina towns’ dealings with
flea markets. Hillsborough
prohibits flea markets, while
Cary limits the number of
times they can operate there
during a year.
Both Zebulon and
Hillsborough have indicated
that a “negative effect had
been felt” for existing mer
chants when flea markets were
held, Bryant said.
The town’s Unified Develop
ment Ordinance currently al
lows for yard sales.
The Legion made its request
in September.
“The Amercian Legion was
looking at ways to generate
more revenue out there,"
Knighton said regarding the
flea markets. Plans are for the
Legion to rent space to ven
dors, but not on the scale done
in Raleigh or larger cities,
Knighton said.
Council will hold a public
hearing on the issue April 13.
BY SEAN JACKSON ;
Staff Writer
Effective April 1, Edenton residents will likely see an increase
in their electric bills and higher rates to connect or reconnect to
the town’s power system.
* The Town Council’s Utilities Committee forwarded a recom
mended 1-percent rate hike to the full council’s March 9 meeting.
Councilman Willis Privott said the board had hoped it wouldn’t
have to raise electric rates.
“It just has to be done sometimes,” he said.
Electricities, the town’s electric supplier, raised its wholesale
rate by 1.2 percent on Oct. 1. That increase boosted the cost to pur
chase power by $93,000 a year, Knighton said.
Knighton also recommended that the council approve using
monies from the town’s rate stabilization fund to pay for added costs
'from October through February due to Electricities’ rate increase.
She also recommended an increase in service-related rates, iii
I eluding: ' .. ■ . _
I * increase the fee to install underground electric servicesto$3bo
from its current $150 rate. Knighton said the town typically does
two underground installation projects a month, usually on newly
constructed homes.
• Raise the after-hours reconnection fee to $75, from its current
$40. Cost to have power reconnected during regular business hours
would not change.
• Increase tire charge for temporary power services for construc
tion projects to $40, from its current $30.
• Raise the cost to install an electric rheter to $25, from the cur
rent $5 charge.
Knighton said the service-related increases would generate about
$11,700 annually
Councilman Jerry Parks did raise a concern about increasing
the after-hours reconnection fee. He said the increase would place
an added burden on customers who are already havingtrouble pay
ing their bills on time.
“Put yourself in their shoes,” Parks said.
Knighton said about 30 customers per month have their power
shut off for not paying past-due bills. She said that number often
includes repeat offenders.
“It is very, very rare,” she said, “that somebody doesn’t know
they re going to be cut off”
.
Navy flyover doesn't quiet fears
BY ANGELA PEREZ
Staff Writer
Last Saturday, close to 200
INSIDE THIS WEEK
F
Lady Aces
warm up for
2004 sea
son.1-C
Edenton native dances
for charity. 7-B
Barker House volun
teers honored.......6-A
Celebration of News
papers In Educa
tion__—1-B
opponents and curious on
lookers gathered at the make
shift protest field “Liberty Vil
lage” in southern Washington
County to witness a Super
Hornet jet flyover held by the
Navy The Navy organized the
demonstration in response to
persistent opposition against
their proposed outlying land
ing field (OLF) scheduled to be
built on farmland near the vil
lage and five miles from Po
cosin Lakes National Wildlife
Refuge.
.The deafening sound of the
jets streaking overhead
through the clear blue after
noon sky brought sad tears to
the eyes of many of those in
attendance. The noise also in:
spired anger and suspicion.
“They are misrepresenting
themselves,” said a former Air
Force pilot, who shook his
head In disgust. “If they flew
See OLF On Page 3-A
Singleton new
Herald publisher
David Daughtridge Single- [~
ton of Greenville, NC has
been named publisher of The
Chowan Herald. Singleton
began work at the paper yes
terday (Tuesday).
Singleton is a native of Ra
leigh, NC. He is a graduate of
East Carolina University in
Greenville, where he earned
a degree in Marketing. Since
1990, he has worked for Cox p
North Carolina Publications
at its Greenville headquar
ters.
Singleton is no stranger to
the Herald staff, or to the
Chowan County.
“Dave has worked with the
staff of The Chowan Herald,
as AdNet Sales Manager, for
three years. This experience
gives Dave a working knowl
Dave Singleton
edge of the newspaper and
the community,” said Mark
Wilson, regional manager for
the Cox non-daily newspa
pers. “I am confident that
Dave will do a wonderful job
managing the day-td-day op
See PUBLISHER Page 5-A
1
Boat building is a rapidly growing industry in Chowan County. Unfortunately, companies are having difficulty find
ing a qualified work force to fill their staffing needs. (Contributed photo)
Better educated workforce is key
BY ANGELA PEREZ
Staff Writer
Chowan County’s economy
is doing well despite a great
need to develop a workforce,
according to a report given by
Richard Bunch, Director of
the Edenton-Chowan Chamber
of Cqmmerce, at last Monday’s
County Commissioner’s meet
ing. The top employers in the
county are medical services,
'mainly Chowan Hospital, tex
tiles, peanuts, and boat build
ing. Though these employers
are, for the most part, growing
and expanding, said Bunch,
the problem is that there aren’t
enough qualified people to fill
all of these jobs. Recent statis
tics show that Chowan County
has a 4% unemployment rate,
lower than the national aver
age. “We have people applying
for these jobs who don’t have
any of the necessary skills,”
said Bunch. “Or they-aren't
working at all. We need to
make sure that people know
what these jobs are offering
besides wages, like the ben
efits, health insurance, and
extras that are offered.” One
particular local industry that
desperately needs qualified
workers is boat-building, with
companies like Regulator Ma
rine, Carolina Classic, and
Albemarle Boats. Bunch hopes
the county will work closely
with vocational programs at
the College of the Albemarle
and Edenton-Chowan Schools
to address workforce develop
ment issues.
See EDUCATED On Page 3-A
ROTARY CLUB BREAKFAST
Pancakes, Sausage, Scrambled Eggs • Saturday, March 6, 2004
6:30am - 11:00pm * Holmes High School Cafeteria • $5 Donation • Eat-In or Take-Out
Hawnwiiiiim