482-4418
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
50*
Chowan to get $2M from Golden LEAP
Money must be used for jobs, development
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Chowan County will be
come the second area county
to receive $2 million as part of
a Community Assistance Ini
tiative started by the Golden
LEAF Foundation in Rocky
Mount. Chowan’s ranking as
a Tier I county has made it eli
gible for the funds, which will
Council
asked to
back grant
for wells
Town already has
$40K for project
From staff reports
Chowan Herald
Town Manager Anne-Marie
Knighton is encouraging Town
Council to seek more than
$105,000 in grant funds for the
first phase of a proposed well
field expansion project.
The council
is expected to
consider the
request at its
October board
meeting.
The expan
sion, in its
earliest stage,
would involve
identifying
three test well sites.
Knighton noted in a presen
tation to the council last week
that during 2006-07, when the
community was expecting a
surge in residential growth,
Richard Spruill, a noted hy
drologist, and the Wooten Com
pany were asked to provide
a long-term analysis of the
town’s water supply needs.
“We recently asked the Woo
ten Company to update the wa
ter supply demands based on
a revised projected build-out
and population growth,” she
said.
“The projected growth rate
has diminished significantly,
but we still need to be planning
. for more capacity,” Knighton
added. “After taking with the
engineers, it is our recommen
dation that we move forward
with phase one of the water
supply expansion plan.”
Knighton noted that the
town will has “good informa
tion and data” .from Spruill on
where the test well sites have
the best chance of producing
the yields and qualify of wa
ter to meet the community’s
needs.
To pay for phase I, Knighton
and her staff have put together
a budget “that would take ad
vantage of Rural Center grant
finding and a USDA low-inter
est loan.”
She said if the council ap
proves, the town would re
quest a $108,000 Rural Center
grant to supplement a $40,000
grant that has already been
received.
“To go forward with this
first phase, we estimate need
ing only a $72,000 low-interest
loan from USDA,” Knighton
said.
0
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Knighton
be available in the spring.
Golden LEAF President
Dan Gerlach and the orga
nization’s vice president of
programs/community assis
tance and outreach, Patricia
Cabe, were on hand at Monday
night’s Board of Commission
ers meeting to explain the how
the grant process works.
Gerlach said Golden LEAF
officials will host a series of
Peanut festival
PHOTOS BY JUSTIN FALLS/THE DAILY ADVANCE
Gretchen Bass, 7, waves to the parade members at the Peanut Festival Parade on South Broad Street in Edenton, Saturday, Oct. 3.
Bands, cars, riders
entertain at annual parade
From staff reports H
Chowan Herald
I
It was a day made for a parade, and the annual Peanut ;
Festival Parade didn’t disappoint. «
As local citizens and visitors watched from the i
parade route along Broad Street, they were treated to the
lively music of three bands: John A. Holmes High School,
Chowan Middle School and Bertie High School.
A group of classic cars including a 1955 Crown Victoria
was a big hit with the crowd. 1
So was a teal-colored pick-up with Sam the Grand Slam
Clam, mascot of the Edenton Steamers, aboard and waving
enthusiastically.
There were also riders on horseback and a group of j
bright green classic John Deere tractors — some dating 3
back to the 1940s — that drew applause from parade-goers '
of all ages. i
Andy’s Restaurant staff and its mascot handed out I
candy to kids wfto.were wearing big smiles. I
See PEANUT on Page 2
West Graven wins the Battle of the Bands
Hundreds watch 16
bands in competition
From staff reports
Chowan Herald
Musical styles from around
the globe were part of this
year’s "Battle of the Bands”
competition.
Mixed in were some clas
sic rock, pop classics made
famous by the Jackson 5, a
tribute to Civil War songs
and even compositions de
county meetings after the first
of the year to gather public
input on how the funds should
be spent. Identifying the coun
ty’s strengths, weaknesses,
and setting goals will be part
of the process, he said.
“We have a lot of work to
do,” Gerlach said.
Cabe said the public discus
sions will be “a key compo
nent” of the goal-setting ses
voted to outer space.
West Craven High School
Marching Band of Vance
boro, N.C., ended the day tak
ing top honors as Band of the
Day with the highest overall
score.
Class AAAA West Craven
also won the Gebhardt Award
for the best overall marching
score.
The Strother Award was
won by Greene Central High
School Marching Band for
good sportsmanship and pro
fessional attitude.
m
sions.
“It’s a unique discussion,”
she said. “It’s sometimes a
little messy but always pro
ductive.”
The funds can be used to
fund efforts such as.job growth
and economic development.
But there are restrictions.
None of the funds can be
awarded to private individu
als for the purchase of land or
The show, which began at
4 p.m. at the Holmes Athletic
Complex in Edenton, found
parents and other family
members, along with fans,
tapping their feet and keep
ing time with the music.
Among them was Bill Hal
ey of Edenton. Haley said he
and his wife enjoy coming to
he.ar the bands even though
they don’t have any family
members performing.
“I played in the band when
I was in high school and col
lege,” he said, “and if we are
buildings.
Camden County also re
ceived $2 million from Golden
LEAF as part of the initiative
earlier this year. Camden of
ficials decided, after holding
a series of community meet
ings, to use its Golden LEAF
funding developing water and
sewer infrastructure on U.S.
Highway 17 North.
Golden LEAF, created by
Residents watch
the Peanut
Festival Parade
make it's way
down South
Broad Street in
Edenton, Satur
day, Oct. 3.
in town, we like to be here.”
Also among the hundreds
crowding into the stands was
Connie Coker of Roanoke
Rapids who said she had
come to cheer on Roanoke
Rapids High School’s March
ing Yellow Jackets.
“My daughter, Ashley, is
part of the color guard for
the band,” Coker said. “They
were in their first competi
tion last week, and they won
first place.”
First up were the March
ing Falcons of South Central
*V* r 'f
the Legislature a decade ago;
uses proceeds from the stated
settlement with tobacco com;
panies to fund economic de;
velopment projects in rural,
tobacco-dependent communi
ties and Tier 1 counties, those
categorized by the N.C. De
partment of Commerce as ec
onomically disadvantaged. As
part 6f its Community Assis-:
tance Initiative, Golden LEAF
has set aside approximately $2
million for use by each Tier 1
county, including Camden and
Chowan.
Boys&
Girls Club
to partner
with CMS
Power Hour to replace:
SOS program
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer :*
The Boys & Girls Club in
Edenton will soon expand its
“Power Hour” and other activ
ities to include students from
Chowan Middle School.
Allan Smith, superinten
dent of the Edenton-Chowatt
Schools, said
the part
nership is
extremely
important to
children and
their families.
“We feel
everyone can
benefit, espe
cially the stu
dents," he said.
Smith said that the school
system will be using Power
Hour to replace the SOS (Save
Our Students) initiative that
was eliminated this fall when
the state cut its funding.
Smith explained that “Pow
er Hour” focuses on encourag
ing students to do their home
work in a supervised setting,
thereby developing good study
habits.
He said that CMS students
who participate in the pro*
gram at their school will be
come Boys & Girls Club mem
bers, and after Power Hour
is completed each Monday
through Thursday they can go
to the club’s new headquarters
on Morristown Road to take
part in other activities.
Transportation will be pro
vided by the school system.
Meanwhile, elementary and
high school students who join
the Boys & Girls Club can take
part in Power Hour at that lo;
cation.
Smith said that after talk
ing with Jerome Levisy, Boys
& Girls Club director, he felt
the club’s involvement with
See PARTNER on Page 2
Smith
High School in Winterville;
N.C., making their first ap?
pearance at the competition.;
With “Flight” as theii;
theme, they performed “Fan-;
fare for the Third Planet,”
“Into the Light,” and “As
cend." >
They were followed to the
field by the Columbia High
School Marching Wildcats
and their “Spanish Fire” preJ
sentation which consisted o£
“Aztec Fire,” Chips & Salsa,”;
See BANDS on Page $