Residents
report
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Educator files EEOC complaint
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
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A former school ad
ministrator has filed a
complaint with the Equal
Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) amid
allegations that school
leaders have derailed her
career after repeated fa
vorable evaluations.
It's a Clean Sweep
mmm
STAFF PHOTO BY RITCHIE E. STARNES
Volunteers joined Boy Scout Troop 164 and the Chowan Edenton Environmental Group on Saturday as part of the Clean Sweep
of Edenton. They spent half of the day picking.up litter throughout town..
Consultant: Increase water rates
By REBECCA BUNCH
4 Staff Writer
“| By the summer of 2012,
| the town of Edenton should
|f increase its water rate, ac
cording to a consultant’s
> recommendation.
Cavanaugh & Associates
made the recommendation
1 at the March 9 Town Council
meeting. The firm had been
requested to conduct a water
audit and rate study in coop
eration with the American
Water Works Association.
Will Jernigan presented
the study’s findings on be
half of the firm at the board
meeting.
Jernigan said that based
on current indicators, if the
town fails to adopt what he
termed “uniform, gentle,
gradual” increases, down
the road it will find its ex
penses outweighing its rev
enues.
As a result, the town’s
Health assessment is under way in Chowan County
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Eighty randomly chosen
Chowan County residents
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Derek Felton claims his
wife, Mary Felton, has
been the victim of bullying
and harassment as a form
of retaliation after she
complained about being
passed over for a promo
tion and subsequently de
moted. After first working
for the Edenton-Chowan
school system as an assis
tant principal for John A.
ability to fund capital im
provement projects would
be adversely affected.
The result, he said, would
be “rate shock” for utility
customers with a huge jump
in rates required to keep the
town from operating in the
red.
“We definitely want to
avoid rate shock,” said
Town Manager Anne-Marie
Knighton.
Jernigan recommended
that the town adopt a plan
that would allow it to grad
ually raise the water use
rate for residential custom
ers from $6.35 to $7.70 per
month.
A similar increase for
large-scale users would also
need to be enacted, Jernigan
said.
Jernigan said that the
recommended increase was
based on a conservative ap
proach that projected flat us
age and flat revenue over the
will receive special visits
from health care person
nel and volunteers this
Friday.
The visits will be car
ried out between 2 p.m.-7
p.m.
They are part of an
effort by Albemarle Re
gional Health Services
(ARHS), area hospitals
and Healthy Carolinians
groups to collect informa*
Holmes High School for
four years, Mary Felton
was reassigned to Chowan
Middle School as a guid
ance counselor.
“(Superintendent Allan
Smith) demoted my wife
from administration,”
Derek Felton said. “He
demoted her without due
process.”
He declined to discuss
next five years, and an in
crease of 1.5 percent in each
annually after that.
The proposed plan, in ad
dition to enabling the town
to meet capital needs, would
also allow it to keep a posi
tive fund balance, have good
debt service coverage, keep
its fixed and usage fees in
line with other systems in
its region, and maintain
current revenue stability,
Jernigan said.
Jernigan also discussed
ways the town could make
its water system more effi
cient.
Those strategies would
include determining how
much water the town was
losing through such things
as meter loss and theft, leak
age from pipes, and inaccu
rate meter readings.
Councilman Steve Biggs
questioned how much loss
was typically the result of
theft.
tion on the health of local
citizens.
Similar visits will be tak
ing place in Bertie, Perqui
mans and Gates counties
through March 23. Visits
have already been carried
out in Pasquotank, Cam
den and Currituck coun
ties.
The information collect
ed will be used to deter
mine the current state of
. "... ■ ..
the specific complaint filed
with the EEOC, citing an
ongoing investigation.
Personnel confidential
ity prohibits school admin
istrators from discussing
personnel matters.
The Feltons have alleged
a series of complaints in a
March 4 letter to the school
board, specifically charges
of repeated forms of ha
Jernigan said that more
often loss was the result of
customer meter inaccuracy.
“That’s where the loss is,”
Jernigan said.
Recommendations in the
report were for the town to
utilize testing production
meters, gather and analyze
water data monthly and to
work to improve the accu
racy of customer meters.
Ongoing active leak detec
tion was recommended in
the report as a best-manage
ment practice for controlling
water loss, Jernigan said.
Knighton said that the
study was funded by a grant
from the North Carolina Ru
ral Economic Development
Center, Inc. in Raleigh.
In accordance with the
terms of the grant, the town
council was required to vote
on adopting the findings
in the report. The Council
unanimously adopted the
findings.
health in the community,
and what residents feel
are the most needed ser
vices and programs.
The survey, which is
conducted every four
years to determine health
trends and any needed
changes in services, will
consist of basic questions
such as whether people
feel they are getting good
service locally relating to
rassment for the past eight
months. Those charges are
aimed at Smith and Mi
chelle Maddox.
Hackney High, attor
ney for the school system,
sent a March 12 response
to Derek Felton indicating
that he would investigate.
“Although the Board
of Education has serious
questions as to whether
you have standing to file
a complaint under Board
policies 5125 and 5130, I
will investigate your com
plaints,” High wrote.
High also asked for any
supporting documenta
tion, adding that the probe
would be conducted within
15 days of the complaint.
See EEOC, 4A
National Guard
claims state,
region honors
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
The N.C. Army National Guard
here in Edenton is a finalist for the
U.S. Army Award for Maintenance
Excellence after earning top .hon
ors in the state and region.
Already earning first place in
North Carolina and a region that
includes nine Southern states as
well as Puerto Rico and the Vir
gin Islands, Edenton’s Company A
690th BSB National Guard Armory
is on the threshold of national rec
ognition as one of three finalists.
Military brass recently descended
onto Edenton to conduct an in
spection to determine if the local
armory would advance toward the
Army’s top honor. National honors
will be announced in June.
“They’re looking at unit readi
ness and our involvement in the
community,” said Lt. Carrie Peter
son.
Armory personnel had been
furiously working to prepare for
the inspection. While only two
unit members can be found daily
at the facility, 71 soldiers conduct
See HONORS, 4A
STAFF PHOTO BY RITCHIE E. STARNES
Lt. Carrie Peterson steps out of the cab of
a military vehicle as Capt. Neely Mahoney
takes notes. Soldiers at the local Na
tional Guard Armory were preparing for an
inspection.
their health care needs,
according to Nancy Mor-,
gan, part-time coordinator
for Three Rivers Healthy
Carolinians, which serves
Chowan and Bertie coun
ties.
Some trends are already
predictable, Morgan said.
“For instance, we know
that we are seeing a lot of
diabetes in the area," she
said.
“All of the information
that is collected will be
used in a confidential way,”
said Jill Jordan, education
director and public infor
mation officer for ARHS.
“There will be no way to
identify anyone” partici
pating in the survey.
Anyone - having ques
tions about the survey
may contact Jordan at 338
4483.
ST£
FRIDAY, MARCH 26 American Legion Post 40
BOA PUIPKFN U AM-2PM&4-7PM 1317 W. QUEEN ST, EDENTON
V./1 1 PROFITS WILL ASSIST POST 40'S efforts to support veteran and youth programs in our communities.
'700 DONATION
Tickets: Dixie Auto. Byruin Hardware, Griggs Lumber, Colony Tire, Westover Deli, Soda Shoppe, Post 40 & members or call 482-4057
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