Vol. LXXIII, No. 24
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Single Copies: 50c
Biggs says
I he won't
f vote for
:S tax hike
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
At least one Edenton town
councilman said Monday
night that he would not vote to
approve a tax increase recom
mended in ToWn Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton’s pro
posed fiscal year 2006/07 bud
get.
“I’m
not go
ing- to
vote for a
tax hike
of any
sort,”
Council
m a n
Steve
Bifif8 Biggs
said dur
ing Monday’s Finance Com
mittee meeting.
Knighton has proposed a
hike of 1.26 cents above the
rate needed to generate rev
enues equal to the current rate.
That rate, 43 cents per $100 of
property value, would have
had to drop to 27.74 cents after
property values increased due
to a recent land revaluation.
However, Knighton has called
f for a new rate, which would
become effective July 1, of 29
cents in her $3.9 million bud
get.
“A lot of people are going to
pay a lot more taxes this year
because their property (val
ues) went up,” Biggs said.
Fellow finance panel mem
bers Willis Privott, Phyllis
Britton and Jerry Parks did
not state any opposition to
Knighton’s proposed tax hike.
Privott and Parks said the
proposed increase is needed
for the town to continue to pro
| vide the services it currently
gives to residents. And Privott
| said that the 1.26-cents hike
would offset the need to impose
a potential 4-cent hike in the
future, if council backed off
smaller increases like the one
See BIGGS On Page A3
| '_
! INSIDE
Calendar.C2
Church....C7, 8
Classifieds..... D1-4
Editorials.A6
Obituaries.C6
School.A4
Society.C3
Sports.B1-4
School.A4
Society.C3
Sports.B1-4
Contact us
Call 482-4418
©2006 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Planning Board nixes rezoning request for development
Miller casts lone vote
in favor of granting
rezoning bid, says
there is ‘real need for
this type of housing’
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
Among the newest proposed
subdivisions, Silver Companies:
Active Adult Communities,
reached a bump in the road dur
ing Monday’s Planning Board
meeting when the conditional
use rezoning request failed to re
ceive a recommendation from the
Planning Board by a 5-to-l vote.
This was the second time that
the developers of the community
went before the Board. Following
the initial meeting in May Plan
ning Board members asked the
developers of the subdivision for
more information, in particular
information on the traffic impact
and the possibility of public
rather than private streets and an
ungated rather than gated com
munity Following the presenta
tion Monday night and public
comment, the Board went into de
liberation, which resulted in the
failing vote.
The conditional use rezoning
request was to change the area
bordered by Pembroke Creek,
West Queen, Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Ave., and Boswell Street
from R-A (residential -agricul
ture) to R-5 (high density residen
tial) and CN (neighborhood com
mercial). Because of the negative
recommendation on the condi
tional use rezoning the next step
- a vote for a conditional use per
mit - became a moot point
Board member Craig Miller
cast the lone vote in favor of the
subdivision. “I think there is a
need (for this type of housing in
this community),” Miller said
Thursday “I understand there
are concerns such as gates and I
think this can be worked on over
time. I am for controlled growth,
and I think we need to look into a
continuum of health care. A lot
of our citizens are retirement
age so we need to consider look
ing into assisted and indepen
dent living communities.”
Board member Carolyn Burns
voted against the rezoning be
cause of her concerns about the
possible traffic problems that
may result “Ifeelthatit(thecom
munity) is too high density for
the location and there would be
traffic problems with the (traffic)
outlets established on the map,”
Burns said. “I also feel that our
sewage and water system would
be put under stress, even though
future plans are to increase the
capacities. The gated part does
not bother me although it did
bother others. I think it (the com
munity/rezoning) needs more
consideration, thought and plan
ning.”
Steve Lane, also a Planning
Board member shared concerns
over the health, safety and wel
fare of the public if the rezoning
were to take place. Lane felt that
rezoning the area to R-5 would be
too high a density (for the area)
and not compatible with what we
see in town. Lane added that the
strain on the water quality and
quantity was also a factor in his
decision to vote against the rezon
ing.
The recommendation hum the
Planning Board will go before the
Town Council within the next
few months and a public hearing
on the applications will be likely
be held in September after the re
sults of the hydrogeological
study is complete, Town Manager
Anne Marie Knighton said in an
email to The Chowan Herald on
Friday
“The Town Council recognizes
that in order for the Town’s wa
ter treatment system to be able to
adequately serve 600 additional
residential units, we will have to
expand our capacity,” Knighton
said. “The hydrogeological study
will evaluate the feasibility of us
being able to add additional wells
to our system and draw water
from the aquifer that is suitable
for our treatment process. We
have to be careful about salt-wa
ter intrusion, as high chlorides
mean a whole new treatment pro
cess that will be very very expen
sive (reverse osmosis).”
‘06...
Over
and
Out
Sean Jackson/The Chowan Herald
At far right, Kyle Belton begins to celebrate graduating from John A.
Holmes High School Friday night even before the ceremony began.
One hundred forty-seven seniors turn tassels on graduation day
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
For Ashley Simons and
Heather Pippins, Friday
night’s graduation from John
A. Holmes High School was
another chapter in their long
friendship. For Shenika
Privott, it was big step to
wards the culinary world.
Simons and Pippins, both
18, said the end of their high
school days was a bit sad.
“It’s gone by so fast,” said
Pippins, who was one of the
147 seniors who graduated
here Friday night in front of
a large crowd at the Aces Ath
letic Complex.
“We’re, like, best friends,”
Simons and Pippins chimed
together when asked how
well they knew each other as
they waited in the school’s
cafeteria before heading out
to the ceremony.
“Definitely sisters,” Pip
pins added.
Both plan to major in el
ementary education. Simons
will head to Elizabeth City
State University in the fall,
while Pippins plans to attend
East Carolina University in
Greenville.
“We’ll probably call each
other every day, every night,”
Pippins said.
Privott, however, was look
ing forward to the chance to
exit Chowan County in the
fall. The 17-year-old will en
roll at Johnson & Wales Uni
versity in Charlotte. She
wants to become a chef after
graduating from the culinary
school. Privott was the first
Holmes student to graduate
hum a culinary course offered
by the College of The Albe
marle’s Chowan Copnty cam
pus.
See GRADUATES Page A3
Former Holmes
teacher arrested
for solicitation
BY SEAN JACKSON
'Ihe Chowan Herald
A former John A. Holmes High School science teacher was
arrested Tuesday morning on charges of soliciting a minor.
Thomas Leroy Longnecker, 60, of 601 N. Broad St., Aprt. 4,
Sean Jacknon/The Chowan Herald
Former John. A. Holmes High School science
teacher Thomas Longnecker is flanked by
Edenton police Det. Aaron Davidson, left,
and Det Sgt. Rhonda Copeland after his
arrest Tuesday morning on charges of sexual
exploitation of a minor.
Eden ton, was led out
of the Chowan Coun
ty Magistrate’s Of
fice in handcuffs by
Edenton police Det.
Sgt. Rhonda Cope
land and Det. Aaron
Davidson. Dressed in
a light-blue dress
shirt and dark
slacks, Longnecker
was taken to his resi
dence at the former
Habit Motel where
Animal Control offi
cials were waiting to
take away his three
cats, Copeland said.
Police conducted
an undercover op
eration early Sunday
morning, with un
dercover agents pos
ing as 15-year-old girls, Davidson said. “He took the bait,”
Davidson added.
Longnecker turned himself in Tuesday on two charges of first
degree sexual exploitation of a minor. He was jailed under a
$100,000 secured bond set by Magistrate Carlton Jackson. His
next court appearance is June 20.
See TEACHER On Pace A3
Commissioners approve bid to buy old White Oak site
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
A Pasquotank County real
estate developer’s bid to buy
the old White Oak School in
Rocky Hock was approved by
the Chowan County Board of
Commissioners on June 5.
Rick White’s offer to buy the
school, which closed in the
spring of 1998, was for $68,560,
Chowan special projects coor
dinator Peter Rascoe told com
missioners last week.
“I think we got a fair price,”
Commissioner Jimmy Alli
good said. The most recent
value given for the property
was around $58,000, Rascoe
said.
The former elementary
school sits on 9.5 acres on
Dillards Mill Road. Its entire
heating and cooling system —
including an old boiler — will
have to removed, Rascoe said.
And then White will have to
substantially improve the
structure.
“It will cost a lot to renovate
that structure,” Rascoe said.
“He will buy as-is, no warran
ties.”
Rascoe said White has indi
cated it would take approxi
mately 24 months for him to
renovate the site for rental
units.
The county received roughly
12 bids for the property,
Rascoe said last week. The
bids were advertised in news
papers in Raleigh and Nor
folk, Va.
“I don’t know what else we
could have done,” Rascoe
said, adding that many area
developers were notified of
the sale of the property, in
cluding some in Chowan
County.
The former elementary
school served young students
in Chowan prior to the open
ing of the new White Oak
School in the fall of 1998 at
the intersection of N.C. High
way 32 and Sandy Ridge
Road.
Contributed
An aerial view of the former White Oak Elementary School site on
Dillards Mill Road.
iti ita/M, imi
Ciio»/Kiyi> B Smftrii Itochu ♦ EidAtoj Dtwm» fr»kM MdhT»«n
l»wb*t T*tt* of Nortfc CvoNm * US Const Start! Sttrdt ft Una* Doom
HUS Musk to wttrtftin y*« • "OcrafeMt 0^* at Stan Audtorium (lasted ewrt)
WATERFRONT PARK, EPEHTOM ON SATURDAY, JUNE 17™
ALL BAY ICO-EXttIBITS * ROCK CLIMBING WALL
Brins • tow* chafe or btontot Fata and Art* taw local
tnuil Thtwit i [•junivil wndcut
Brought to you by
Thf Fun Starts atS:30«m WESTERN LP