j Farmers rally to save FSA office
jf State director:
| Money not a factor
By ritchie Starnes
I Editor
Chowan County stands
| to lose its Farm Service
| Agency because it has
| only two employees and
| sits within 20 miles of an
| other FSA office.
Those are the two deter
H mining factors, not money,
as to why Chowan could
lose its primary tenant in
the agriculture building in
favor of relocating servic
1 es to Perquimans County,
| according to Aaron Mar
| tin, FSA’s state executive
I director. Martin delivered
PHOTO BY RITCHIE STARNES
State Farm Service Agency representatives field questions about
a proposed office closure in Edenton-Chowan. Seated (l-r) are
Pat Mabry, district director, Aaron Martin, state executive direc
tor, and Mike Eaves, administrative officer.
the news during a public “The secretary (U.S. Ag
meeting Monday night. • ricultural Secretary Tom
Vilsack) did not want to do
this. I didn’t want to this.
The budget is driving it,”
Martin told an audience
of about 30 that attended
the forum held at the agri
culture building.
As a result of the 2008
Farm Bill, the U.S. Depart
ment of Agriculture has
identified those offices
with two or fewer employ
ees and within 20 miles
of a neighboring FSA as
targets of consolidation.
It has also prevented the
hiring of replacement
personnel when FSA of
fices lose employees to at
trition, Martin said.
Chowan is one of six
counties listed as tier 1,
SeeFSA,4A
FARM SERVICE AGENCY
Chowan
County
Perquimans
County
Salary and Benefits
$146,704.30
$504,202.69
Annual Rent
$16,848
$22,165.50
Total Admin Cost
$167,829.58
$545,565.60
Number of Farms
578
523
Number of Operators
272
240
Number of FP Payments
2,460
2,890
Number of FLP Borrowers
18
33
Number of FLP Loans
24
62
Total Program Benefits
$7 million
$7.3 million
Admin Costs/Benefits Ratio
.02
.08
GRAPHIC: THE DAILY ADVANCE/SOURCE: USDA STATE INPUT SEPT. 30,2011
j Judge
I rules
r ■ • .
tape
public
Order sides
with Bertie
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
A N.C. Superior Court
judge ruled Monday that
Bertie County does not
have to release an au
dio recording of a closed
session commissioners’
meeting whereby its then
county manager was given
a 42 percent annual pay in
crease. He also ruled, how
ever, that the audiotape
is a public record and or
dered it sealed, pending a
possible appellate review.
During a civil court trial
in Windsor, Judge Richard
L. Doughton issued a sum
mary judgment in favor of
Bertie County’s refusal to
release the audiotape from
the Aug. 17, 2009 closed
session meeting. A grass
roots group - Friends of
Bertie - filed suit in April
2011 against Bertie in
hopes of learning how the
commissioners reached
their unanimous decision
to give Lamb a pay raise
from $101,725 to $144,000
and a travel allotment
hike from $6,000 "to $9,000.
[ Details^ of the raise did
not become public until 18
I months later.
After hearing argu
ments from lawyers rep
| resenting both sides and
before rendering a final
decision, Doughton opted
to listen to the recording
outside of the courtroom.
“It does contain person
nel information and the
county shouldn’t have to
release it,” Doughton said
| afterward.
Because the recording
contained confidential in
formation, Doughton said
See BERTIE, 2A
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Edenton Campus Opens
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The ribbon was cut at the Edenton-Chowan Campus, which was attended by (from l-r) Elouise White, member,
Foundation Board of Directors’ Roger Lambertson, chairman, Board ofTrustees; Edward Goodwin, chairman, Chowan
County Commissioners; Kandi Deitemeyer, president, COA; Keith Nixon, vice-chairman,<fhowan County Commission
ers; and Deborah Lee.
COA ribbon cutting marks new era
From staff reports
After more than a year of
planning that included
several obstacles, some
controversial, College of The
Albemarle officially celebrated
the opening of its new Edenton
campus with a ribbon cutting
last Wednesday.
College, county and town
dignitaries attended the fes
tivities that capped a campus
relocation from the Edenton
Village Shopping Center to the
former D.E Walker school site
at N. Oakum Street. Many areas
of the campus were renovated
to accommodate an increase in
classrooms, labs and programs
while also creating an enhanced
atmosphere conducive to higher
learning.
“Today, we are excited to come
together to celebrate the history
of this campus, as well as the fu
ture opportunities this campus
will provide to Chowan County
its residents, and the region,”
said Kandi W. Deitemeyer, COA
president, at the ribbon-cut
ting. “This campus has strong
roots in the community and
has a strong history of teach
ing and learning. This campus
has brought the college robust
partnerships with the county
commissioners, the chamber
of commerce, the Northeastern
Workforce Development Board,
the Tourism Development Au
thority and Destination Down
town. And we are glad for those
partnerships. They strengthen
not only the college, but this
community as well.”
Chowan County Board of
Commissioners Chairman Eddy
Goodwin echoed those senti
ments, adding that COA’s new
campus is already providing
cultural dividends.
“There’s a different attitude
on the campus and in the com
munity,” Goodwin said. “Every
one has bought in. It’s a win-win
for everybody.”
COA completed its move last
October after negotiations with
the county as well as heated
discussions with the D.E Walker
See COA, 2A
Inmate
found
hanging
in cell
Ober serving time in
grandmom’s murder
From wire, staff reports
RALEIGH — Officials
are investigating the death
of an inmate from Edenton
found hanging in his cell
at one of North Carolina’s
highest security prisons.
Carl M. Ober ID was
found Jan. 8 at Maury
Correctional Institution,
a 1,000-cell close security
prison for adult males near
Hookerton.
Ober was serving a 32-.
year sentence for an Octo
ber 2006 murder conviction
in Chowan County
Ober, 21 at the time,
pleaded guilty to charges
of Second-degree murder
and conspiracy to Commit
murder in the death of his
grandmother, Joyce Smith
Lee. He was sentenced to
a minimum of 26 years in
prison.
His accomplice, Casey
Lynn Forward, 16, was sen
tenced to a minimum of
12 years in prison for her
role.
A spokeswoman for the
N.C. Department of Pub
lic Safety said deputies
from the Greene County
Sheriffs Office are inves
tigating to determine how
Ober died.
It was not immediately
See OBER, 3A
Bylaws snag Partnership consideration
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer ; . • -
A vete that will determine
whether the Edenton Town Coun
cil will shift its support from Eden
ton Today to the Edenton-Chowan
Partnership is expected to come
next month.
During its committees meeting
night Monday evening, the coun
cil tentatively agreed to vote dur
ing its regular monthly meeting
on Peb. 14 on whether to throw its
financial support behind the ECP
in place of Edenton Today
The town’s attorney, Hood Ellis,
said Monday night that the bylaws
and articles of incorporation of
the Edenton-Chowan Development
Corporation (ECDC), now Imown
as Edenton Today, could be altered
to allow it to come under the um
brella of ECP. If that happens, the
annual $36,000 contribution the
town gives the ECDC could come
with it. Another $17,500 could be
coming from the establishment of
a solar farm.
But Ellis said that since the town
and county governments created
the ECDC both needed to review
and approve proposed changes
to the existing organization’s
bylaws before a vote takes place.
The changes would affect local
government representation on the
Partnership board. Ellis said that
current ECDC bylaws call for two
mayoral appointments and two
appointments by the county com
mission chairman. The proposed
Partnership’s bylaws call for at
least one but up to three appoint
ments each by the mayor and com
mission chairman.
Also of concern is the future
of property at the industrial park
currently controlled by the ECDC.
Town officials have expressed a
desire to ensure that title to any
industrial park property would
revert to the town should the Part
nership dissolve after taking over
the ECDC.
“It would be a good thing for
everybody to go forward holding
hands and singing from the same
hymn book,” Ellis observed.
Currently, Edenton Today main
tains control of $1.16 million in
property assets.
In addition to potentially match
ing annual financial funding by
the town to ECP, Chowan County
could offer the former county of
fice building and the jailer’s house
for the non-profit’s use, Keith Nix
on, commissioners vice chairman
previously said.
See COUNCIL, 2A
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