Lady Bulldogs 7-2, 7-0 in the conference
Edenton native inducted into National Assoc,
of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame
County to choose
T| W% between building a
I It |l I $2.75 million
pipeline or not
50« softening water m
482-4418
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Edenton
f" ■ a • ; • • £
Commons
downsized
Initial phase will be
cut in size to attract
small businesses
‘ By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
The loss of Lowe’s as its
anchor store.won’t keep the
Edenton Commons shop
ping center from being built,
its developer said Friday.
However, it will be smaller
in scope until the economy
improves.
Plans now call for the
shopping center to be down
sized to 80,000 sq. ft. during
its initial phase, and to fo
cus on attracting small busi
nesses.
Originally, including side
walks and parking space, it
was to occupy over one mil
lion square feet.
* Developer Jon Wheeler, of
ihe Wheeler Group, said his
company remains excited
about having a strong pres
ence in the community
And, he said, previously
announced tenants like Pee
bles and CVS remain com
mitted to relocating to the
new shopping center.
“We’re very optimistic
about this project,” said his
associate, Susan Pleasants.
“We’re in it for the long
haul,” she said, “because we
know that, like earlier reces
sions, this, too, shall pass.”
Starting work
Wheeler said he expects
work at the site to begin
in the fall of 2010, with the
shopping center opening
in the spring or sumnter of
2011.
In the meantime, the
Wheeler Group will con
tinue to work to be a good
neighbor within Edenton,
“a community we love,”
Wheeler said.
- Z Adding on
* Wheeler emphasized Fri
day that the shopping cen
ter would be constructed in
a “stair step” manner that
would allow Lowe’s and oth
er larger stores to be added
to the mix once the economy
improves.
He also said that specula
tion the town had focused
too much on restrictive sig
nage and landscaping which
had caused Lowe’s to pull
out was simply wrong.
Unfortunately, he said,
the poor economy resulted
in a cutback in the number
of new stores Lowe’s could
commit to build. But, Wheel
er said, his development will
continue working to attract
other top-notch tenants.
"We would love to see a ho
- tel component” added to the
mix, Wheeler said, “a Holi
day Inn Express or some
thing with a similar price
point.”
6"-89076"44813B,"0
©2006 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
During tense times, Herman jernigan quietly put
himself between the high school he loved
and those who might do it harm
VERNON FUESTON/THE CHOWAN HERALD
Herman Jernigan at his home, remembering an Edenton during times of racial tension.
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
Ken Stalls remembers
Herman Jernigan as one
of the good guys during
tough times.
“He took his job very
personally,” Stalls said
of the custodian who
tended John A. Holmes
High when he was princi
pal. “He had the greatest
work ethic of anybody
I’ve ever worked with.”
But Jernigan’s dedi
cation to the school he
maintained was tested
during extraordinary
times of racial tension
back in .1972 and 1973.
A popular band direc
tor’s firing sent shock waves of racial tension
through the town, placing Jernigan between his
school and those who might do it harm.
Stalls said Jernigan’s face was always the first
one he saw each morning when he opened up
the high school and the last one he saw when he
locked up at night.
Citizens-respond to park proposal
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
About 60 citizens packed
Edenton’s council chambers
Feb. 10, eager to comment
on plans for a new park on
the town’s east side.
The park, which will in
crease the town’s designat
ed “green space,” would be
purchased and constructed
using funds from two state
agencies totaling $1.1 mil
, lion.
Before taking public
comment, Mayor Roland
Vaughan said he wanted to
set the record straight on
some items.
“There appears to be at
least some knowledge gap
as to what is going on here,”
Vaughan said. After review
ing the project’s finances,
he stressed the park would
not require any cash from
the town and would be built
using state money
“These are restricted
pools of money from the
Nobody's
Going To
Hurt My
School
“The state is taking money back
from our schools because the state is
broke. The county is broke and I’m
broke.” — resident
state,” Vaughn said. “The
money can’t be used for
anything else. Since these
are restricted funds, if we
decide not to participate,
the money will go to the
next county on the list.”
Vaughan said another
factor overlooked by many
critics of the park was its
environmental benefit. He
said the park’s construction
would enhance wetlands al
ready on the property, add
ing vegetation and increas
ing the natural filtration of
water entering Queen Anne
Creek.
When all is said and done,
Vaughan said the town will
have to decide whether or
not to proceed with the
project based on financial
considerations. He said the
property currently brings
Jernigan’s shift
brought him into the
high school at 4 a.m. in
the winter months to
tend its coal-fired boil
ers. He would come
back again in the eve
ning to clean.
Rumors were flying
that an-attempt might
be made to damage the
school.
“Mr. Jernigan read
the community very
well,” Stalls remem
bers. “He pretty much
knew what was gong
on. Words can’t ex
press the admiration
and respect I have for
him.”
Stalls said he recalls
Jernigan telling him, “Nobody’s going to hurt
my school.”
But it wasn’t until after the crisis passed that
Stalls realized Jernigan had gone a step beyond
the call of duty. He’d spent the night there, put
ting himself between the school and those who
See JERNIGAN, Page A2 >•
in $900 in taxes each year.
Vaughan said the town
could rent out a residence
located on the property and
also use the space for gar
dens, another revenue pos
sibility. He said two anony
mous donors had pledged
additional funds to cover
any shortfall in money to
build the park.
He said maintenance on
the park would only require
labor from two or three
town workers for five or six
hours every two weeks. He
said labor could also come
from prisoners and others
working off community
service hours.
Although public com
ments ran heavily against
the park proposal, four citi
See PARK, Page A2 ►
Expect an increase of $4 for
average home. Last increase
was 14% in August.
By Vernon Fueston
Staff writer
Homeowners and businesses in Eden
ton were voted an electric rate increase by
Edenton’s town council of four percent,
Feb. 10.
NC Municipal Power Agency, the town’s
electric supplier, handed down the increase,
which is retroactively effective Feb. 1, based
on the company’s need for larger cash re
serves and a volatile market for fuel.
, The inqrease means a. rise of $4 in the
electric bill for an average home consum
ing 1,000 kilowatts. This increase comes
after a 14 percent rise in electric rates in
August.
The new rates will be reflected on con
sumers’ March bills covering consumption
during February.
Kenneth Raber, a vice president with NC
MPA, said falling prices for petroleum have
not affected the cost of fuel for its coal and
nuclear plants.
He said the price of coal has been partic
ularly volatile, bouncing between $25 and
$68 per ton.
Raber said the utility buys its coal on
contract and has managed to sidestep the
volatility, but planning for future purchas
es has been difficult.
Raber said another factor forcing the in
crease was the need for bigger cash reserves
to see the company through periods of clo
sure when its nuclear plants re-fuel and its
coal-fired plant go down for maintenance.
And more increases will probably come
in 2010, Raber said. •
He said information on what those in
creases may be will probably be submitted
to the council this fall.
Raber said environmental regulations
restricting carbon dioxide emissions from
coal-fired plants are expected to increase
rates as much as 20 percent, if passed.
Restaurants suffer
in troubled economy
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Local restaurateurs
— some of whom have
seen their business drop
as much as 25 percent over
last year —- are doing all
they can to keep the doors
open..
Survival strategies have
become a necessary part
of doing business in a
troubled economy.
“We’ve introduced a $5.95
lunch special so people can
eat here as economically as
possible,” said Gail Singh,
owner of Nothin’ Fancy.
Singh said that her
restaurant depends on a
strong lunch crowd.
Although Nothin’ Fancy
does serve dinner, it’s the
turnout at lunchtime that
is “make or break” for
them.
The slowdown as the
economy has worsened
has required cutting hours
for some of the staff, but
none have yet been laid off,
she said.
One thing that has stayed
strong at Nothin’ Fancy,
she said, is the back room
they rent out for special oc
casions.
“We still seem to have
quite a lot of special occa
sions like family birthday
parties, anniversaries, as
well as meetings and other
types of get-togethers go
ing on,” she said.
“It still seems to be a use
ful room,” Singh added.
“I’ve been very happy with
that.”
Staying close
Trying not to cut jobs
also remains a challenge
at Chero’s, said owner Lisa
Douglas.
“Everybody here has
See ECONOMY, Page A2
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