Edenton Bay Challenge , Regatta results A2 Photos from event will be featured in next week's Chowan Hera|d Wm ■ ^Bw ^B^vV 1 ■ I 1 9 v B ^m.-\ A a H fifv.. all % If ■ BJ_KB 1 r B 1 WML B B - - ■ B ■ 1 ■ ■ ^K|- ■ g" a . 111 i 9 B B_^# J 482-4418 Wednesday, july 15, 2009 50c Council filings end this Friday By press time Tuesday, Edenton Town Council in cumbents Jerry L. Parks, councilman-at-large and Willis Privott, fourth ward, had filed for re-election. Political newcomer George Grother alsd filed for the at-large seat. Incumbent Phyllis Brit ton, third ward, had not filed for re-election. Parks was appointed in 1991; Britton in 2005; Privott in 1980. The filing period opened July 3 and will close Friday at noon. Absentee voting by mail will be Oct. 2- Oct. 27. Reg istration deadline is Friday, Oct. 9. Early voting starts Oct. 15; ends Oct. 31, The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3. Edenton man charged in shooting From staff reports One Edenton man is in se rious condition and another man is in custody following a shooting late Monday. Edenton police have charged Daniel Lee “Bootsie” Herrar, of the 200 block of East Gale St., Edenton, in the shooting of Deshane Sanderlin, 25. According to a law en forcement press release, Herrar fired a handgun at Sanderlin multiple times at ‘ the corner of Oakum and Freemason streets about , 10:30 p.m. Sanderlin was shot in the leg, the release states. He was transported to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville where he was listed in serious condition. Herrar is charged with as sault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious bodily injury. He is being held in the Chowan County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond. Edenton Little Theater seeking performers By Rebecca Bunch Staff Writer It’s hard enough to get Southerners to sound like Northerners, but in Edenton an even bigger challenge for the Edenton Little Theater has been finding enough warm bodies for its upcoming production. But director Carolyn Pas torek is optimistic the vol unteer group is equal to the task of bringing Neil Simon’s “Plaza Suite,” set in New York, to local audiences. Following auditions last week the lead roles in the ©2009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved County turns down loan to renovate Holmes By Rebecca Bunch Staff Writer The county government’s new policy of fiscal restraint has led it to refuse a request that would have helped jump start renovations at John A. Holmes High School. That opportunity would have come in the form of $1.7 million in interest-free financ SMALL BUSINESSES ARE FOCUS OF LT. GOV. VISIT EARUNE WHITE/THE CHOWAN HERALD From left, local pharmacist Jim Blount, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, chamber director Richard Bunch and Mayor Roland Vaughan share a light hearted moment during a talk about the national recession, unemployment, healthpare and the future of a small businesses. Meeting part of state wide tour to hear the needs and concerns By Earline White Managing Editor On Friday, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton met with three small business owners from Eden ton to discuss their needs and concerns in a difficult economic environment. Dalton’s first stop was Edenton Bay Trading Com pany, the 2009 N.C. Main .Street Champions, where proprietor Malcolm' King acted as host. King led Dalton on a tour of the eclectic waterfront REBECCA BUNCH/THE CHOWAN HERAU) Edenton Little Theater Director Carolyn Pastorek, center, explains the plot of "Plaza Suite” during auditions last Thursday evening. Reading for parts were, from left, Rena Knickerbocker, Deborah West, Antoinette “Toni" Heinz-Vega and Fraser Kelly. The group plans to present the Neil Simon classic this fall. production are close to being cast. But additional auditions are planned for this Friday evening at the First Presby terian Church, starting at 7 p.m. Particularly needed are a young man and woman, both in their twenties to early thir ing that would have allowed the project to move forward for the first time since 2005. In addition, at, the end of July, the school system will lose out on two new interest free bonds that are part of fed eral stimulus funds intended for school construction. But agreeing to accept the funds would mean the county would have to incur addition shop that continues to amaze and amuse visitors drawn to such a rural setting. “A lot of new businesses were doing fine until the cred it crunch hit in September [of last year],” Dalton said to listeners King and Edenton Mayor Roland Vaughan. “Businesses need access to capital.” Dalton recently announced the Small Business Initiative, or Small Business Assistance Fund, which would provide low-interest loans to help small businesses struggling to access capital during the economic and credit crisis. The new revolving loan fund, which will provide loans to small businesses ties. A meeting for those inter ested in working on the pro duction crew, but not acting in the play, will take place from 6-7 p.m. “If you’ve got time to spend with us building a set, or learning about props, we’d love for you to come join us,” al debt. LINES OF COMMUNICATION Dr. Allan Smith, super intendent of the Edenton Chowan Schools, said he re cently asked Chowan County Manager Peter Rascoe for the chance to meet with the coun ty commissioners’ finance committee to discuss the op portunity with fewer than 100 employ ees or annual receipts of less than $1 million, received $3 million in funding in the budget passed by the Senate recently Unfortunately, the propos al has stalled in the House. The fund is modeled after the disaster loan programs the state implemented fol lowing natural disasters like hurricanes Fran and Floyd, which were administered by the Small Business and Tech nology Development Center (SBTDC). In the last 10 years, small businesses have accounted for 70 percent of the coun try’s new jobs, and 86 percent of businesses in North Caro-. Pastorek said. “There’s a lot to do, there’s a lot to learn, and we need ev erybody to come and help us with this.” The play is' scheduled to be presented on Oct. 9-10 and again the following weekend, Oct. 16-17. Smith said after getting feedback from the Local Gov ernment Commission and some of the commissioners, Rascoe told him the county could, not help; the meeting never took place. Rascoe said that for the current fiscal year the board of commissioners adopted a budget that reflected a sub stantial reduction in the lina have fewer than 100 em ployees. Chamber director Rich ard Bunch briefed Dalton on Chowan’s current economic situation — numerous boat manufacturing layoffs, stag gering unemployment, and the county’s fiscal crisis. Dalton agreed that the sto ry rang true throughout the state — manufacturing clos ings, statewide unemploy ment exceeding 11 percent, slowing housing markets. After all, this was Dalton’s tenth “listening tour” since taking office. Steve Brown of Byrums voiced his concerns over a See DALTON on Page 2 Mentoring program must go oh By Rebecca Bunch Staff Writer With their funding fro zen, many Governor’s One on One programs across the state are turning to vol unteers to keep assisting at risk youth. That will continue to be the case until the state budget is passed, accord ing to William Lassiter, Di rector of Communications for the N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice and De Unquency Prevention in Raleigh, which oversees the program. “Under the continuing resolution that is currently See ONE ON ONE on Pag* 2 county’s operating expenses. “After much evaluation during the budget process,” he said, “one operational ex pense which was not able to be reduced was the county’s debt obligations. “If the board of commis sioners was to decide to au thorize more debt of any type, then the budgets for forthcom ing years would have to be in creased to accommodate the cost of paying the debt back.” Commissioner Kenny Good win, who chairs the finance committee, expressed sym pathy for the school system’s predicament. “I wish we could build them a brand new school,” he said. Goodwin said he was not aware until Monday after noon that Dr. Smith had asked to meet with his committee. If he had known, he said, his inclination would have been to grant Smith’s request so the committee could at least have been informed about the available funds. “I think it’s important to keep the lines of communica tion open,” he said. But, in the end, Goodwin .added, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference. “It doesn’t seem to me that this is the time for the county to incur any more debt,” he said. “As much as we would like to help them out, we just can’t do it right now.” FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Dr. Smith said that in 2004 the school system applied for and received a $2-million QZAB (Qualified "Zone Acad emy .Bond), the maximum amount allowed, through a competitive application pro cess. “The bond was issued by the county commission and was used for renovations at the high school, primarily the renovation of the National Guard Armory,” he said. The $1.7-miUion QZAB fi nancing currently in ques tion, he said, has already been awarded to the school system and the county com mission “but has not been issued through a private lend ing agency.” Smith said the intent of the school system was to use the funds as part of a major reno vation and expansion of the high school, “which has been shelved.” Much remains to be done there, he noted. “Of greatest concern are those renovations to protect the integrity of the building - the gym roof, windows on the front of the main building, etc. If the bond is not issued by Dec. 31, it will be lost.” THE PLAN The school system will be faced with the same dilemma when it comes to two new in terest-free bonds that are part of the federal stimulus pack- ''; age. Those funds are earmarked for school construction, and Chowan’s allocation totals al most $1.2 million. “The deadline for both is July 31,” Smith said, “and would require board of edu cation and county commis sion commitment.” ;; “It seems like forever,” Dr. ;,'; Smith said, when asked how *'.; long the effort to get renova- ■; • tions done at Holmes had been going on. He said the school system ; began discussions with the county in 2003.

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