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Commercial growth on the rise
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Although last year’s build
ing permits generated more
than a $2 million property tax
base increase from 2008, any
signs that an economic recov
ery beckons the construction
industry remains a mixed
bag.
Chowan County issued
155 building permits in 2009,
compared to 120 in 2008.
While residential growth re
mained stagnant, commercial
growth swelled. Ten commer
cial building permits Were
issued last year, compared to
only four in 2008. ^here were
16 commercial additions or
alterations while 10 were is
sued the year before.
Residential declines were
evident among the dips in per
mits for single-family dwelh
ings, singlewide and double
wide mobile homes.
“There was substantially
less on the residential side,
but the commercial really
helped us out,” said Holly J.
Colombo, Chowan County
code enforcement officer.
He points to the recent com
pletion of Walgreens and the
current building of Wendy’s
restaurant as examples of
new commercial projects that
bolstered the county’s prop
erty tax base. Chowan Hospi
tal additions also represent a
sizable chunk of local com
mercial growth.
Despite the dip in residen
tial construction, home ad
ditions marked a significant
increase with 68 permits last
year, compared to 37 in 2008.*
There were also moderate in
creases in permits for garages
and accessory buildings.
Builders agree that com
mercial construction is cur
rently outpacing residential,
which has been mostly depen
dent on remodeling projects.
“Residential is a lot slower,”
said Chris Layton, Layton
Home Builders. “We’re tak
ing on a lot of home additions
and renovations.”
Layton said he believes
See CONSTRUCTION, 3A
PHOTO BY RITCHIE E. STARNES
Walgreens, which officially opened for business on Sunday, represents a re
cent trend of new commercial construction. Commercial growth is currently
outpacing residential construction.
A Rough Landing
, PHOTO BY RITCHIE E. STARNES
Pilot Mike Flynn balances the wing of his 79 Cessna that he skidded 450 feet down a runway at Northeastern Regional Airport without the
airplane’s landing gear activated Monday afternoon.
Pilot forgets landing gear, skids plane down runway
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
A pilot belly flopped his
airplane at Edenton’s
Northeastern Re
gional Airport Monday
afternoon after he appar
ently forgot to activate his
landing gear.
Mike Flynn of Win
terville skidded his 1979
Cessna 450 feet down the
runway during his 2:30
p.m. landing, according to
Edenton police Capt. Tim
Hickman. Flynn, who was
flying alone, was unhurt
in the mishap that closed
the runway for about two
hours.
“(Flynn) failed to take
the proper steps to make
sure the landing gear was
down,” Hickman said.
Harry Davis, airport
manager, said the mishap
did not appear to an equip
ment malfunction.
“The lever was up inside
the plane,” Davis said. “He
just forgot to put the gear
down.”
Police said Flynn de
clined to be interviewed for
this story.
. In addition to the bottom
of the airplane scraping
the runway, the aircraft’s
three-prong propeller was
bent from pounding the
asphalt during the landing.
Davis said Flynn talked
With Federal Aviation
Administration represen
tatives after the incident.
The Flight Standards
District Office (FSDO)
in Greensboro was also
contacted, Davis said. It
was the FSDO that released
the plane so that it could
be winched onto a rollback
before being towed away
and the runway reopened,
Davis said.
Flynn was reportedly
arriving in Edenton from
Greenville for business.
His skid occurred on
the same runway and near
the June 7 fiery crash that
killed William Thomas
Jordan, 69, of Edenton.
CAC move
to Municipal
Building
nears vote
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer 4 ! '
The Edenton Town Council could
vote on Chowan Arts Council’s possi
ble relocation to the former Municipal
Building as soon as next month.
During a committee meeting Mon
day night, CAC President Wanda Ross
man shared the arts organization’s vi
sion for the future with town council
members.
At the end of the discussion, the
councilors agreed to forward the pro
posal to the full council for additional
discussion and action.
Rossman noted that the CAC’s pres
ent “out of the way” location has been
a problem.
“Should the move to the Municipal
Building become a reality, (we) will
prosper along with the downtown
businesses and sites such as the Bark
er House, the Cupola House, the Light
house, the Shepard-Pruden Library,
Chero’s, Waterman’s, Edenton Bay
Trading Company and those business
es along South Broad Street by being a
cohesive and active partner in down
town activities,” Rossman said.
Rossman also outlined a number of
benefits should the new location for
the CAC be approved. They include:
• Opening shows/local activities
having a kitchen suitable for provid
ing finger foods; no kitchen is avail
able at its present site.
• Bathroom facilities, since limited
facilities are available only outside the
CAC’s gallery.
• Programs for teaching new skills
for adults and children will find a
See CAC, 4A
Grants to speed broadband
Area counties to
benefit from project
By REGGIE PONDER
AND BOB MONTGOMERY
Staff Writers
Gov. Bev Perdue and the
U.S. Department of Com
merce announced Wednes
day that North Carolina
has received $115 million
in five federal recovery
111
813
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
grants — money that will
extend high-speed Internet
service across much of the
state, including the north
east.
Local counties among
the 69 statewide that will
benefit from the future
broadband service include
Camden, Chowan, Curri
tuck, Gates, Pasquotank
and Perquimans.
“Increasing broadband
access will create new jobs
up front and provide a
boost for local economies
to create even more jobs
and a better quality of life
in the near future,” Perdue
stated in a press release.
“These improvements are
especially important to
rural and underserved ar
eas of North Carolina.”
The giants are part of the
second^round of federal
stimulus funding for ■
broadband projects from
the U.S. Departments of
Commerce and Agricul
ture, Perdue said.
The largest grant
awarded, $75.75 million,
was awarded to non
profit Microelectronics
Center of North Caro
lina, which follows the
$39.9 million awarded to
MCNC in January, ac
cording to a statement
issued by U.S. Sen. Kay
See BROADBAND, 4A
BUS-eum to display
area’s POW camp history
From staff reports
Most Edenton resi
dents may not know, and
perhaps never knew, that
Edenton housed as many
as 300 German prisoners
of war during the 1940s.
Locals will soon be able
to get a history lesson
next month about Eden
ton’s World War II POW
camp that was located on
the grounds of the former
military base where the
Northeastern Regional
Airport now. Some 100,000
German POWs lived
among 17 camps in North
Carolina during the war
and Edenton had a branch
camp under the larger
Camp Butner. Typically,
branch camps housed
250-350 prisoners. The 65
year old story is coming to
Edenton by bus, officially
dubbed BUS-eum.
“Held on the Home
front: German POWs in
the U.S.\ 1943-46,” will be
on display for free visits
on Saturday, Sept. 18, in
a bus in the parking lot
opposite the Shepard
Pruden Library, frqjn 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. The driver,
Irving Kellman, is also a
docent for the BUS-eum,
and knows many stories
about the camps across
the state. The Edenton
visit is sponsored by the -
Friends of the Library
and the Edenton-Chowan
Tourism Development
Authority.
“Had we only knew
to go back 65 years for a
time all but forgotten
said Bill Haley, Friends
of the Library. “I think
See BUS-EUM, 3A
HRINERS Annual FISH FRYwR?JE*»
• SEPT 2“ • II • 2 / 4 ■ 7«■M8S0WIC LODGE 218 E. WATER ST.
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