482-4418
Wednesday, August 22, 2012 *
County OKs debt modification plan
Refinance to net
$9.5M in savings
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Plans are under way for
theBoardof Commissioners
to reduce Chowan County’s
debt by restructuring the
terms and payment sched
ule for a projected savings
of $9.5 million.
At its meeting Monday
morning, representatives
with Davenport & Company
Chowan
Beach
violators
cry foul
Residents ignoring
housing standards
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
On the heels of neighbors
complaining that numer
ous Chowan Beach resi
dents continue to ignore the
county’s minimal housing
standards, admitted viola
tors struck back Monday
Several residents fighting
bad( tears spoke during the
public comment portion of
theBoardof Commissioners
meeting, alleging that their
continued non-compliance
is a byproduct of econom
ics. Instead of complaining
about the violations that
have created an eyesore in
Chowan Beach, those who
addressed the board called
for empathy and assistance.
“We do everything we can
do,” said Sharon Moxley
“We need to have a heart
out there. You don’t point
fingers, you help people.”
Numerous residents live
in campers, which is in
contrast to the county’s or
dinance. Others fail to mow
their lawns or haul off trash
to the dump, instead allow
ing garbage to litter their
yards. Some homes are
boarded up or used as stor
age units. Other structures
have been demolished with
the debris piled up on the
property
Landin Holland, the
county’s contracted plan
ner, previously said he has
documented 35 existing vio
lations during a recent in
spection of the subdivision.
Brenda Ashley told com
missioners that folks can’t
afford to pay for trash
pickup. She asked that a
dumpster be placed at resi
dences for more convenient
disposal. Ashley too had a
message for those asking
the county to intervene.
"If they can’t pitch in and
help somebody, they ought
' to shut up,” Ashley said.
Concerned residents
seeking ways to clean up
Chowan Beach and protect
See VIOLATIONS, 4A
6"“89076"44813
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
presented commissioners
with three scenarios de
signed to lower the county’s
debt. By meeting’s end, com
missioners unanimously ad
opted Case No. 2, which saves
more than $1.3 million more
than the first option and less
than nearly $600,000 offered
by the third scenario.
There was general consen
sus that the second option
requires the most discipline
consistent with accomplish
ing the feat.
“I like Case 2.1 don’t want
a default that gives me an
Bumper Crop
SIS
STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT A. CLARK
Michael Gray runs the combine during the families corn harvest at Charles Gray and Sons, Inc. farms, Saturday.
Midwest drought is Albemarle’s gain
By WILLIAM F. WEST
Staff Writer
Farmer Charles Gray and his
crew have just gotten started
harvesting slightly more
than 600 acres of corn at his farm
in the Body Road area near Eliza
beth City.
Gray and many others in the
Albemarle region who make
Fire district to extend an extra mile
New zone will cut
insurance rates
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
^s©me county residents
could see a reduction in
, property insurance rates
with a new 6-mile fire dis
trict.
Chowan
County
Board of
Commis
sioners au
thorized
Edenton
Fire Chief
Craig For
lines to
proceed with submitting
a new 6-mile fire district
map to the state fire mar
shal amid plans to include
excuse to
fail,” said
Chairman
Eddy Good
win, refer
ring to the
first option
that would
allow fu
ture coun
Goodwin
ty commissioners too much
flexibility to repay early
two Rural Development
loans of more than $10.5 mil
lion. Without a set payment
schedule, commissioners
would not be required to ad
their living off the land are
either in the midst of or are
soon going to be gathering in the
golden kernels. They’ll be clos
ing out a season that started with
springtime rains, was followed
by hot weather earlier in the
summertime and was followed
by downpours of rain.
Fortunately, they haven’t
suffered the kind of drought
more rural residents in
side a zone that would
qualify them for greater
insurance savings.
“It doesn’t change the
way we respond or the
number of calls. It only
changes the insurance
rate,” Forlines told com
missioners Monday morn
ing.
The Edenton Fire De
partment already serves
the area, but the official ac
tion approved by the state
will net savings for those
residents that are within
six road miles of the town’s
North Broad Street station,
opposed to a 6-mile radius,
Forlines said.
“If it’s one foot over six
miles, the insurance rate
will not adjust,” Forlines
said.
In 2001, state officials
Nixon
2048.
hereto self
imposed
terms to
pay off
the debt
by 2024,
or before
the origi
nal matu
rity date of
Vice Chairman Keith
Nixon said he preferred to
keep future commission
ers committed to paying off
the debt with a set of new
terms and schedule. He also
they experienced last year or the
catastrophic scarcity of rain that
farmers in the Midwest and the
Southwest have suffered. And
some of the Albemarie farmers
appear optimistic they’ll get a
good deal in the commodities
market.
“You hate to say ‘a bumper
crop’ until you get it into the
bin,” Gray said when asked
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The above map depicts Chowan County’s five-mile fire districts.
Efforts are underway to extend Edenton’s district to six miles.
enacted the 6-mile desig
nation, to help rural coun-.
ties with fire coverage that
could net premium sav
ings.
Forlines said he could
not speculate on what type
of savings a typical resi
dent could net due to vari
wanted to ensure taxpay
ers and county department
heads that the money used
for the aggressive repay
ment would not come at the
expense of their budgets.
“We’re not taking away
from future budgets; we’re
actually increasing our
budgets,” said Nixon, not
ing that the Case 2 replen
ishes funds for county cof
fers sooner than originally
slated.
Both County Man
ager Zee Lamb and Kim
Woodley, county finance di
ous other rate factors.
Edenton residents with
in the 5-mile district en
joy a 5 rating. Those who
would fall between the 5
mile and 6-mile zones will
be rated as a 9S. If there’s
a fire hydrant within 1,000
feet of the residence, the
rector, also endorsed this as
the most ideal option.
Case 2 calls for refinanc
ing $20 million of the coun
ty’s debt at interest rates
nearly half of current rates,
which are all in excess of
4 percent, and at a more
rapid payment schedule.
The properties in question
include: D.F. Walker El
ementary School, Northern
Community Center and
the current Department of
Social Services building,
See DEBT, 4A
about this year’s productivity at
his farm.
However, Gray said of his situ
ation, “It looks kind of promising
right now.”
Corn prices were at approxi
mately $8 a bushel Friday.
Gray said he has got anywhere
from 50 to 60 percent of his crop
under contract, at prices
See CORN CROP, 4A
rating also improves to a
5.
All others outside the 6
mile designation receive
a 10 rating, or the highest
possible.
Fire department rat
ings are determined by the
state Department of Insur
ance in conjunction with
the state fire marshal, For
lines said. Factors such as
personnel, training, equip
ment, and water access
contribute to the assigned
ratings.
“Most rural departments
are rated as a 9,” Forlines
said. “Less than that takes
a lot of work and dedica
tion.”
Center Hill Fire Depart
ment, the county’s only
other department, enjoys a
See FIRE, 2A
t