Wednesday, March 24, 2004
[Vol.LXXI, No. 12
9S
in historic Edenton... The South’s prettiest town
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Town Council asked to help pay for power lines
Subdivision
owners want
assistance
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
The Edenton Town Council
wants more time and infor
mation before it decides if it
will help pay for installing
underground power lines for
a new subdivision.
Developers Paul and Janie
Waff have already an
nounced plans to build Waff
Landing, just outside of town
on the Chowan River. Prior to
Hurricane Isabel the Waffs
had approached town offi
cials about the town possibly
helping to pay costs to install
underground electric service
for Waff Landing.
Monday night, Town Man
ager Anne-Marie Knighton
said the town adopted a
policy about three years ago
that requires developers to
pay the full costs for install
ing underground electric ser
vices in new subdivisions.
Developers must also pay to
install water and sewer ser
vices, she added.
The previous policy allowed
cost sharing between the town
and developers to install un
derground power systems. The
policy allows the town to pay
for overhead systems.
“Is there any reason to
change (the policy for Waff
Landing) other than that we
were asked” to do so by the
Waffs, Councilman Jerry
Parks asked Knighton.
Seven previous subdivisions
did not receive town assistance
to pay for underground power
services, Knighton wrote in a
memo to council.
Knighton said Paul Waff
had planned to make a presen
tation on the proposed subdi
vision Monday night but was
unable to attend the meeting.
She also said the Waffs are in
terested in having the subdivi
sion being voluntarily an
nexed by the town.
She said it could cost from
$150,000 to $175,000 to install
electric services at Waff Land
ing “whoever puts it in.”
“(And) I think the estimates
are very preliminary,” she
said. The town would have to
borrow that amount of money
or pull it from cash reserves,
Knighton added.
Knighton surveyed other
towns regarding their policy
for aiding — or not aiding —
developers pay for under
ground power systems. The
results include:
• Elizabeth City pays to in
stall primary underground
service;
• Kinston, which has low
residential growth, generally
pays the costs;
• Apex, which has high resi
dential growth, determines
need if there is competition
between that town and another
electric provider to supply
power to a development
• Clayton, which also has
high residential growth, does
not pay the costs.
“So far,” Knighton wrote in
the memo, “the policy most
commonly cited is ‘it de
pends.’”
The memo also stated that
First days of spring
While the first official days of spring made a chilly arrival in Edenton this week, local residents took comfort from the
beauty of blossoming flowers in local gardens and at historic sites such as the Cupola House (above) in downtown
Edenton. The Cupola House garden is maintained all year-round by a group of dedicated volunteers. (Staff photo by
Earline White) .
Electricities, the town’s elec
tric supplier, indicated Ed
enton “cannot have one
policy for underground ser
vice for subdivisions inside
the city limits and another,
different policy for (a) subdi
vision in the (extra-territo
rial district) or outside the
city limits.”
Councilman Willis Privott
said council should review
any potential policy change
carefully, since other devel
opers would question why it
was changed for one devel
oper and not another.
“ ... They’re going to be on
our backs,” he said, “to give
an answer why we did it.”
Knighton and Mayor
Roland Vaughan said the
town could increase its reV:
enues if the Waffs’ subdivi
sion is prosperous. Knighton
said Monday there was no
way to forecast how much of
a revenue increase the town
could expect to see.
Knighton and Parks both
said not every subdivision
meets the expectations of its
developers.
“We’re taking as much risk
as the investor is to get our
money back,” Parks said.
The Waffs have said the
subdivision could have from
75-80 dwelling units as well
as a motel, restaurant, and
marina, Knighton told coun
cil.
She said Paul Waff could
make his presentation at
council’s April 13 regular
meeting.
“I think we need to wait for
him,” to make that presenta
tion, Councilman Jimmy
Stallings said.
Jennifer Harriss
is new director
for Main Street
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
Jennifer Harriss may be
young, but it’s old things that
she’s passionate about.
Harriss, Edenton’s new
Main Street Program director,
majored in historic preserva
tion and community planning
at the College of Charleston.
Edenton, she said, in many
ways is more charming than
Charleston, even if it is
smaller.
“I think it’s one of the most
well-preserved place I’ve ever
seen,” Harriss said during a
trip into town from Lumber
ton, her current home and
workplace. She has been
Lumberton’s downtown coor
dinator for the past 18 months.
She and husband Meader fell
in love with Edenton during
their first visit. She’ll get to
continue that relationship
with Edenton in mid-April,
when she begins work at the
Edenton-Chowan Chamber of
Commerce’s offices on East
King Street.
She wants to help preserve
the town’s treasures while
helping to improve an already
vibrant downtown.
“The community here seems
to be very proactive and pres
ervation-minded,” she said. “I
think they try really hard to
make the downtown special.
It’s worth preserving.”
She looks forward to work
I_gfffi...
-i-J
Jennifer Harriss
ing with local business leaders
and public officials, as well as
the Main Street board of di
rectors. It’s a job she’s been
shooting for.
“I’m really excited about the
opportunity to be involved in
Main Street in a hands-on
way,” she said.
In the near future she just
wants to absorb how things
are done, what people down
town want.
“I think my goals should be
the community’s goals,” she
said.
A long-time advocate of the
state and national Main Street
programs, Harriss will strive
to continue the programs four
point approach: downtown re
vitalization, marketing the
downtown business district,
recruiting and working with
program volunteers, and im
proving and protecting the
downtown’s aesthetics.
She begins work at the
Edenton-Chowan Chamber of
Commerce in mid-April.
... "
Dr. Slade
% . ■ cssa
to be
honored
Dr. James Slade will be the
guest of honor at a celebra
tion on Monday, March 29
from 6-8 p.m. and the entire
community is invited to
come out and thank him for
his 40 years of selfless ser
vice to the people of Chowan
County.
The observance will take
place in classrooms A and B
at Chowan Hospital in
Edenton. All are welcome,
WkM - m
Wrecks block traffic on Hwy. 32
BT btAN JACKbUN
Staff Writer
TYNER — A tractor-trailer
overturned on N.C. Highway 32
North early Tuesday morning,
blocking and intersection,
while another mishap just
south also caused traffic prob
lems near White Oak Elemen
tary School.
The 18-wheeler reportedly
swerved to miss a dog in the road
and overturned on its right side,
blocking the Dillard’s Mill Road
intersection with N.C. 32. Work
ers with the N.C. Highway Patrol
and Center Hill Crossroads Vol
unteer Fire Department were
Emergency workers surround an overturned tractor
trailer at Dillard's Mill Road and N.C. Highway 32 North
Tuesdy morning. (Staff photo by Sean Jackson)
sun on me scene aner 9 a.m. lues
day morning.
In addition, emergency work
ers responded to a wreck at the
Sandy Ridge Road intersection
with N.C. 32 that reportedly in
volved a minivan and car That
accident scene was cleared
shortly after 9 a.m. Traffic.was
delayed earlier in the morning as
workers cleared debris from the
highway That accident occurred
at the intersection used to ferry
students and staff to White Oak
and D.F. Walker elementary
schools.
Further details about both ac
cidents were unavailable at press
time.
INSIDE THIS WEEK
Legion Post 40 J
celebrates I
85th birthday I
bash in style [
,1-C
Easter events on tap
at waterfront_7-C
Foreign language club
makes its mark._5-A
Lady Aces softball JVs
debut_1-B
Yeopim
Ruritan
Club
SATURDAY, MARCH 27th
from 11:00 AH - 2:00 PM & 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
JAYCEE/RURITAN BUILDING, SOUNDSIDE RD.
For Ticket Info, Contact:
Cleo Griffin 482-1290
Robert Halsey 482-2525