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 $5.95 lunch special so people can eat here as economically as possible,” said Gail Singh, owner of Nothin’ Fancy. Singh said that her restaurant depends on a strong lunch crowd. Although Nothin’ Fancy does serve dinner, it’s the turnout at lunchtime that is “make or break” for them. The slowdown as the economy has worsened has required cutting hours for some of the staff, but none have yet been laid off, she said. One thing that has stayed strong at Nothin’ Fancy, she said, is the back room they rent out for special oc casions. “We still seem to have quite a lot of special occa sions like family birthday parties, anniversaries, as well as meetings and other types of get-togethers go ing on,” she said. “It still seems to be a use ful room,” Singh added. “I’ve been very happy with that.” Staying close Trying not to cut jobs also remains a challenge at Chero’s, said owner Lisa Douglas. “Everybody here has See ECONOMY, Page A2 &JE§ n^n-pte VH^ij3g'Jp*>*¥^'*Kr~?'AS l,&*'H "' ^ Js»i i.’M «$* I" «.«& uAd Maas

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