Local officials continue to work on noise problem
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Managing Editor
Despite a number of delays,
local officials remain optimis
tic that a solution to the prob
lem of excessive noise due to a
high volume of truck traffic is
on the horizon. That solution
is expected to come in the form
of an alternate route that
would take the trucks away
from the historic district and
the downtown area.
According to Town Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton, the
closest the town has come to
resolving the issue was in the
fall of 2001 when a proposed
extension of Soundside Road
was the route of choice. How
ever, that route did not win the
approval of one of the re
quired permitting agencies,
the U.S. Army Corps of Engi
neers which expressed con
cerns over potential wetlands
related issues.' The Corps,
Knighton noted, expressed a
preference instead for another
route that it said could be de
veloped along Old Hertford
Road. Local officials believing
that option was not the best
one, spent one and a half years
fighting it.
“Finally, last year, we were
able to convince the Corps that
the Old Hertford Road option
was not a good idea,” Knighton
said, “and it was taken off the
table.”
Instead, the Corps, at the,
urging of Knighton and
Chowan County Manager Cliff
Copeland, agreed to move for
ward with three design alter
natives. “Since then,” Knijght
on said, “DOT has been work
ing on designs for those three
alternatives.”
By November 2004, she said,
DOT should have the designs
finished. Environmental im
pact studies will then be under
taken.
Knighton said that a meet
ing to review those designs is
scheduled for January 2005.
“Hopefully, at that point,
there’ll be a decision made on
which is the best of the three,”
she said. Once the decision is
made, there will be another
meeting scheduled like the one
held in 2001 to receive input
from local citizens. Provided
those comments are positive,
the project can begin to move
forward. Land acquisitions
would then begin with all the
land scheduled to be acquired
by 2007. The current timetable
calls for preparation of bid
specifications and design cri
teria to follow with construc
tion tentatively set to begin in
the spring of 2009.
“This has really been a
lengthy process,” Knighton
acknowledged. “This was one
of the first projects I began
working on when I came to
Edenton as Town Manager in
1988. Over the years, Cliff
(Copeland) and I have both put
a tremendous amount of time
and effort into making sure
this project stayed before the
DOT, that they did not forget
about us. We are both commit
ted to seeing this project
through to completion,” she
said.
Still, Knighton said she
could certainly understand the
frustration of those who live in
neighborhoods most impacted
by the noise of the passing
trucks. Homeowner George
Bradham, who lives on Gran
ville Street, said that everyone
living on one of the major
streets in town (Queen, Broad,
Church and Granville) can, in
his words, “attest to the con
stant and growing number of
trucks, and their impact on the
quality of life of the citizens,
both day and night.”
Bradham, who is a Libertar
ian Party candidate for Cho
wan County Commissioner,
said that he feels strongly it is
time for more decisive action
to be taken. If the town and
county are unable to move the
project forward on their own,
See NOISE On Page 3-A
Arrest
follows
chase
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
A Gates County man was
arrested May 14 after leading
local law enforcement on a
high-speed chase through two
counties.
Nicholas F. Ellis, 19, of 201
35 Hazelton Road, was slapped
with four charges in both
Chowan and Gates counties
after the 30-minute chase that
reached speeds of 100 mph.
“His license was revoked
and he didn’t have any insur
ance,” Edenton Police Chief
Greg Bonner said of Ellis’ at
tempt to elude arrest, “and he
did not want to be detained by
law enforcement.”
Ellis was jailed at the
Chowan County Detention Fa
cility under a $34,000 bond. His
next court date in Chowan
County is June 22. He is set to ’
appear in a Gates County -
courtroom May 24. Bonner
said the eight charges could all
be heard in Chowan since the
chase began in Edenton.
Ellis had been travelling
north on North Broad Street
when Officer Joseph Felton
See CHASE On Page 3-A
Community Music and Water Festival
planned at Edenton Waterfront Park
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Managing Editor
A lively day filled with
sports and musical entertain
ment awaits local residents on
June 19 at a free Community
Music and Water Festival.
That Saturday, from 10 a.m.
until 9 p.m. the Edenton Wa
terfront Park will be filled
with locals and visitors enjoy
ing a wide range of events.
Kicking off the day’s activi
ties will be the East Coast Flat
Water Canoe and Kayak
Races. Registration begins at
8:30 a.m. with the races get
ting underway at the water
frort at 10 a.m. Beginning at
11 a.m. there will be paddling
demonstrations, followed by
guided paddle tours starting
at 1 p.m. At noon, music pro
vided by DJ Eugene Byrum
will fill the park. That after
noon at 3 p.m. Sunfish races
will start. And, from 3 p.m.
until 9 p.m. live musical per
formances will delight the
crowd.
Robbie Laughton, director
of Parks and Recreation, said
that the event represents
about six months’ worth of
planning and organizing on
behalf of the steering com
mittee for the festival, of
Musician Fred Hi!! will he among the performers at this
year's Community Music and Water Festival in June.
which he is a member. Other
agencies involved include the
Chowan Arts Council, Chowan
County Tourism Development
Authority (TDA), Sunfish Sail
ing Club, NC Division of Parks
and Recreation, Albemarle
RC&D, Boy Scout Troop 164,
Eastern NC 4-H Environmen
tal Education Center, Trestle
House Inn, and Peter Boehling.
Laughton noted that the fes
tival “offers something for ev
eryone, for people of all ages
and skill levels that they can
enjoy.”
' Headlining the musical por
tion of the festival will be spe
cial guest Meghap Carey.
Chowan Arts Council Execu
tive Director Sue Clark said
she was “overjoyed” to have an
artist of Carey’s caliber join
with local musicians to bring
music of all kinds to the park
that day. “She is just amazing,”
said Clark. “Those who’ve
heard her perform know she
has a unique, original quality
that makes her something re
ally special to listen to.”
Other featured musicians
are scheduled to include:
• Luke Whisnant - Blues/Bal
lads
• Andy Faircloth - Pop
• Peter Boehling - Original
Compositions
• Edenton Men’s Chorus -
Gospel
• John Francis - Finger
pickin’ guitar
• Chamblee Simonsen -
Original Compositions
• Mike Malloy - Classic Rock
• Fred Hill - Old Time Rock
‘n Rod
• Paul Platts - Gospel String
Band
• Anita and Glen Anderson -
Classic Rock
• Mark Sclafani - 40’s Clas
sics
• Albemarle Area Youth
Choir - Gospel.
“We’ve had a great time
planning this together,” said
Clark of the steering commit
tee putting together the festi
val. “We encourage every
body to come to the park,
bring a lawn chair or blanket,
and enjoy themselves.”
Food and drinks will be
available from local Scout
Troops and the Yeopim
See PARK On Page 3-A
Janet Chesson was among those enjoying the canoeing
and kayaking portion of last year's festival.
Board of Education agrees JA Holmes will remain
BY EARLINE WHITE
Staff Writer
■ At a special board meeting
Monday night the Edenton
Chowan Board of Education
voted 7 to 1 to renovate John A.
Holmes at its current site. The
three options laid before the
board were to build a new
school at a new site, renovate
and add to the current site, or
rebuild at the current site. The
approximate cost of the reno
vations and expansion is $17.8
million, without taking into
consideration the inflation of
costs within the next few
years.
Randy G. White was the first
to share his thoughts on the
options. “Originally I wanted
a new site. But listening to the
speakers and looking seriously
at the situation I have changed
my mind and decided that
renovating and expanding is
the better choice. For one thing
it would be less costly to reno
vate and it would mean more
to the community, ” White said.
What to do with the old site
if abandoned was a major con
cern for Gil Burroughs. “Ev
erything fell into place (when
D. F. Walker was moved and
COA took over the site). We
couldn’t foresee what was hap
pening- an extremely signifi
cant set of events. It is a hard
thing putting a price tag on
what can come from the cur
rent COA, Recreation Depart
ment and John A. Holmes
proximity. If Holmes were
abandoned I can’t figure out a
reasonable alternative, whe
ther it be commercial, residen
tial or industrial, to place at
the site. I vote for renovation
and expansion,” Burroughs
said.
Kay Wright held to her vote
for a new site. “There is not
enough land to expand what
we wanted to do with the high
school. I think we should look
at options,” Wright expressed.
“I consider this project to be
a community effort,” said Tom
Abbott. “We want to recreate
the high school into a commu
nity building and teach school
there as well. I am so excited
about the new media center
with all it could do. We are
making the best choice by
renovating. Recreate Holmes
into something better,” Abbott
said.
“The foundation of our com
munity is on old buildings,”
Ricky Browder said. “The
heart of Broad Street is that
land oh which sits Holmes, the
ball field and the athletic com
plex. It is encouraging to me
that the old Walker site is still
being used for educational pur
poses, but I don’t foresee that
happening to the high school.
It would be a travesty to ride
by Holmes and see the paint
fade and the weeds grow. I vote
to renovate the current site
.and give it a second life,”
Browder said. -;
John Guard suggested that
See HOLMES On Page 3-A
OLF: What will it ultimately cost region?
Third in a series
BY NITA HILLIARD SMITH
Cox NC Publications
One of the main arguments
both for and against a pro
posed Navy Outlying Landing
Field (OLF) in Eastern North
Carolina is over money.
And depending on the out
come of this battle, it could
cost either the federal, state or
local government millions.
The Navy is arguing that it
needs the additional OLF to
provide training for pilots
landing on aircraft carriers.
Eight squadrons of the Navy’s
multi-million dollar Super
Hornets are planned to be lo
cated at Naval Air Station
Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va.,
and two are headed for Marine
Corps Air Station Cherry
Point in North Carolina.
The pilots of these planes
need a place to practice land
ing on an aircraft carrier. Be
cause of the dangers of prac
ticing at sea, Navy officials say
they must have a remote land
area away from towns or even
lights to practice.
The Navy’s earlier model F
14 (Tomcats) and F/A-18 C/D
(Hornets) have been practicing
on the East Coast at Virginia’s
JAILING biros ano
57 MILLION
4 Photo by Nita Hilliard Smith/Cox NC Publications
This sign on N.C. 32/45 alludes to the potential collision
of birds at the nearby refuge with Super Hornet jets if the
proposed OLF is located in Washington County.
Fentress Auxiliary Landing
Field, a OLF that was built in
1940 in what was then a remote
area. But because of urban
encroachment, this area is no
longer remote. People at
tracted by the availability of
jobs and a good quality of life
have built closer and closer to
both Fentress and Oceana.
Cost to federal
government
But now that the Navy is
bringing in bigger and louder
aircraft, the people have begun
to protest. The Virginia Beach
government wants to keep the
See OLF On Page 5- A
INSIDE THIS WEEK
Students
keeping
busy
-8-C
EMS workers honored
for service_5-A
Renovated property
adds continuity... B-A
5K kids run, run, run
in Outer Banks