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Wednesday, May 26, 2010
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Edenton loses VA clinic to EC
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
After months of delays,
Chowan County officials
learned last Wednesday
that Elizabeth City would
be the new home for a
clinic designated to serve
northeastern North Caro
lina.
Chowan leaders had
hoped to lure the'VA into
using a county-owned
building
that pre
v i o u s 1 y
housed the
Albemarle
Mental
Health
Center
before its
financial Rascoe
collapse
led to the county contract
ing with another mental
health provider. County
officials had offered the
facility as a potential clin
ic site; however, the site
would have required facil
ity renovations.
“I think it was a long
shot to take our proposal
for when the government
had to do the work,” said
Chowan County Manager
Peter Rascoe. “That’s all
we could do financially, but
we gave it our best shot.”
The VA cited both Eden
ton and Elizabeth City pre
viously as possible sites
for the facility.
Rascoe received notifica
tion Wednesday in a letter
ft-om Lee Russell of the VA
office at the VA Medical
Center in Hampton, Va.
Further correspondence
indicated that the award
ed site would be located
at 1845 West City Drive in
Elizabeth City. West City
, Drive is a short connector
street that runs parallel
to Halstead Boulevard Ex
tended and West Church
Street.
Records also show that a
contract for the clinic had
been awarded to Wise De
velopments of Mount Airy
for an estimated $1.76 mil
lion.
When contacted, Russell
referred questions to VA
spokesman Bruce Sprech
er. As of Wednesday, Spre
cher had no knowledge of
the chosen site. By Thurs
day, he had confirmed the
site location in a press re
lease via email.
“Enhancing access to
health care by locating
outpatient clinics in close
proximity to where the
Veterans reside is a key
goal for the Department
of Veterans Affairs and
See CLINIC, 6A
Fishing Pier Opens TGday
PHOTO BY RITCHIE E. STARNES
Darvin Felton, 41, of Edenton gets an early start fishing off Chowan County’s new pier - the former two-lane U.S. 17, located on the northside, or west
bound lanes, of the current U.S. 17, Felton caught a yellow perch last Thursday afternoon, using a bite of scrimp. The pier offically opens today.
Nearly $220,000 structure took about four months to build
By RITCHIE E..STARNES
Editor
Today marks the opening of
Chowan County’s much
awaited fishing pier.
Just days away from the
Memorial Day weekend when
pedestrian anglers will have
free access to a 600-foot pier, a
combination of concrete and
lumber of what used to be the
former U.S. 17 that span across
the Chowan River. The pier is
located adjacent to the west
bound lanes of the current U.S.
17 off Wharf Landing Road or
what used to be Wildlife Access.
“This opens fishing oppor
tunities up to so many more
people, especially for those who
don’t have a boat,” said Robbie
Laughton, Edenton-Chowan
Recreation director. “It’s a tour
ist attraction for the commu
nity. People from surrounding
areas will be coming here.”
Proceeds from the N.C.
Coastal Recreational Pishing
License paid for the nearly
. • • * , ‘ y ■ * •
f "This opens fishing opportunities up
to so many more people, especially for
those who don't have a boat. It’s a tourist
attraction for the community. People
from surrounding areas will be coming
here.”
Robbie Laughton,
Edenton-Chowan Recreation director
$220,000 pier that took roughly
four months to build. Because
of how it was funded, the
county cannot charge for pier
access, according to County
Manager Peter Rascoe.
“It’s an outdoor amenity for
Chowan County to provide to
the public,” Rascoe said. “It
will attract people to c^me
here and fish and sigh' se.
“It’s another projecjfciat
re-establishes access f jublic
waters,” Rascoe addei
In addition to the e4Lnded
platform that includes, handi
cap ramps, pole lighting, and
extended sidewalls, the new
structure includes a cedar
building, which houses rest
rooms and a concession area.
- The project also includes
a pair of public boat ramps,
complete with an asphalt
parking lot large enough for
vehicles and trailers. No fee is
required for the boat ramps.
“We’re very fortunate to
have a facility like this at no
expense to the county,” Laugh
ton said.
Laughton’s Recreation De
partment will be responsible
for maintaining the facility
that will be open from 6 a.m. to
midnight and closed between
midnight and 6 a.m. with some
seasonal exceptions. The N.C.
Wildlife Resources Commis
sion and Division of Marine
Fisheries will regulate the
property.
A valid N.C. Fishing License
is required to fish from the
pier.
No swimming or diving is
permitted from the pier. No
skateboards, bicycles, or scoot
ers are allowed on the pier.
Consumption of alcoholic
beverages is also prohibited.
“We figure there will be less
problems with no alcohol,”
Laughton said: “Chowan
County is more interested in
trying to keep this pier family
oriented.”
An official ribbon-cutting
opening is planned within a
couple of weeks.
Town of Edenton to hold line on taxes, fees
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
For the fourth consecu
tive year, the Town of
Edenton’s proposed budget
includes no tax increase.
If adopted next month,
that would leave the tax
rate at its current rate of
L
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
29 cents per $100 of prop
erty valuation.
Town Manager Anne
Marie Knighton described
it as a budget that “holds
the line,” pointing out
that it includes no fee in
creases in electric, water
and sewer rates.
The 2010/2011 proposed
general fund budget totals
$4.2-million. It contains
appropriations totaling
close to $685,000.
... “Consistent with the
policies and goals adopt
ed in the Town Council’s
Financial Management
Plan, staft continued the
practice of projecting rev
enues conservatively and
containing expenditures,”
Knighton said in her bud
get message to the mayor
and town council.
“The budget acknowl
edges the very difficult
economic times our tax
payers, businesses and cit
izens are facing,” Knigh
ton added. “We continue
to be keenly aware of the
personal financial pres
sures all are facing.”
The proposed budget
does include funding that
would allow the town to
fill a position for a patrol
officer within the Edenton
Police Department that
has been frozen since last
year.
“The police chief has
requested that the posi
tion be funded," Knigh
ton said. “The (additional
officer) will allow us to
continue to have three of
ficers on patrol, and have
a full-time investigator
to investigate and solve
crime cases.”
The inclusion of funds
for a planning position
is also being proposed.
Whether the job will be
full- or part-time has yet
to be decided.
Previously, that posi
tion was jointly funded
by the town and county. It
has been vacant for about
a year; Knighton and her
staff have been handling
inquiries concerning
town-related planning is
sues in the interim.
A public hearing on the
budget has been sched
uled for Tuesday, June 8,
at 6 p.m. in the council
chambers.
SRO gets
probation
for sex
offenses
Officer had porn
at school office
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
The former school
resource officer (SRO)
charged with sex offens
es involving a student
struck a plea agreement
Monday
that calls
for inten
Whitehurst
sive pro
b a t i o n ,
but no jail
time.
W TT
liam Greg
White
hurst, 48,
pleaded guilty in Chowan
County Superior Court
to two felonious sex of
fenses involving a female
student at John A. Holm
es High School where he
worked as an SRO. White
hurst was accused of nine
offenses that occurred
in the fall of 2005 and at
the school; but he was not
charged until nearly four
years later, according to
prosecutors.
Terms of the plea deal
call for Whitehurst to
register as a sex offender
and surrender his law
enforcement certifica
tion, records show. He
must undergo 18 months
of intensive supervised
probation along with 60
months of probation. He
must perform 72 hours of
community service and
pay fines totaling $8,570.
Superior Court Judge ‘
Jerry R. Tillett sentenced
Whitehurst to two con
secutive prison terms,
but suspended jail time
provided he meets proba
tion conditions.
“It was a fair disposition
for everyone involved,”
said prosecutor Jennifer
Karpowicz. “(The victim)
has some finality.”
Karpowicz said White
hurst took advantage of
his victim while working
as an SRO.
“She viewed him as a
father figure,” Karpowicz
said. “She would talk to
him about her personal
problems.”
The victim subsequent
ly would visit Whitehu
rst in his school office. It
was there that the visits
turned sexual, Karpow
icz said.
A year earlier, Whitehu
rst suspended the student
for an unrelated incident,
Karpowicz said.
Whitehurst began mak
ing sexual advances to
ward the student as their
relationship developed.
See WHITEHURST, 6A