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Wednesday, September 26, 2012
JA Holmes homecoming
pictures — 6B
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Town considers way to reduce outages
New device would
contain power loss
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Widespread power outag
es in Edenton could become
a thing of the past with the
purchase of a device that
cuts the potential for such
occurrences.
Town of Edenton Elec
tric Director Glenn Ander
County
eyes
reduced
debt
Plan could save
taxpayers $10.2M
By PETER WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
With rebuilding the
reserve fund all but com
plete, Chowan County
Commissioners are shift
ing gears to paying down
debt — ultimately saving
taxpayers $10.2 million.
The board voted last
week to refinance seven of
the loans it has, with a goal
of being debt free by the
year 2024.
As it was, a child born
in Chowan County today
WQuld be 36-years-old by
the year 2048 — when the
last of the current debts
were scheduled to be paid
off.
“This debt was going
to strangle us, and it was
going ,to
strangle us
for a many
years,”
County
Manager
Zee Lamb
said last
week. “So
the board Lamb
decided to
come up with a way to refi
nance some of this debt.”
In 2008, the board found
that its reserve fund had
vanished. The state recom
mends the board have at
least three months of op
erating income on hand in
case of an emergency.
At that time, the board
agreed to earmark 1.5 cents
of the property tax rate to
rebuild the reserve fund.
At the moment, it’s up to
$3.8 million.
In 2008, the board also
lengthened the terms of
existing loans to ease fi
nancial pressure on the
county. The action taken
last week reverses that,
and reins in the length of
time it will take to satisfy
the debt.
Some of 10 loans the
county has won’t be refi
nanced because it makes,
no since to do so, Lamb
said. The $2 million it
borrowed for renovations
at John A., Holmes High
School and the $75,000 for
%
See BONDS, 2A
4 813’" 0
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
sen told the town council
Monday evening that the
purchase and installation
of a recloser device had the
potential to limit outages to
a particular area where, for
example, a tree had fallen
across a power line rather
than affecting an entire cir
cuit of the town’s electric
distribution system.
A recloser, in layman’s
terms, is a circuit breaker
that comes equipped with a
mechanism that automati
Fair Time
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
This fair booth created by the Chowan County Extension staff features some unusual musicians as members of the Chowan ECA Animal Band.
Fair officials pay attention to details
Organizers always
looking for new ideas
By PETER WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
To the casual observer, the
Chowan County Fair that
started Tuesday is about
rides, cotton candy, animals and
crafts.
To the trained eye, it’s all
about balance, cleanliness and
safety.
While the crowds vary based
on weather, as many as 27,000
people have attended the annual
Chowan County Fair remains a family affair
4
Generations pass
down tradition
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
■ When Rich Miller of
Merry Hill looks at the
historically accurate
black and white milk de
livery truck he created to
enter in this year’s Chow
an County Regional Fair
his wife always crosses
his mind.
Miller’s wife Gloria died
of a sudden heart attack at
age 50 last fall, two years
after the couple moved
from Edenton to Merry
Hill. .
In early February of
caUy closes the breaker once
it has been opened due to a
problem with the electrical
system, Andersen said.
“It would limit the num
ber of customers who are
left without power and
help us troubleshoot a lot
better,” Andersen told the
council.
Andersen recommended
that the town start by pur
chasing three of the de
vices for the areas of the
town’s electric distribution
five-day event. The last two years
have been hard on attendance,
but the attention to detail hasn’t
been lost on people like E.C. Top
pin and John Chilcoat.
Toppin is president of the fair
board, a post he’s held since the
1990s. Chilcoat is vice president
in charge of advertising.
New this year will be an ex
otic petting zoo and a high wire
motorcycle demonstration. Back
this year will be a puppet show,
which has proven a hit with
kids.
“Most fairs all have the basic
things, exhibits, the midway and
entertainment,” Chilcoat said
this year he began work
ing on the milk truck that
she had encouraged him
to begin prior to her death
as a way to deal with his
grief. There are remind
ers of her everywhere,
Miller said. The lettering
on the truck — a replica of
a 1929 Ford Model A deliv
ery truck — proclaims it a
Partners Milk vehicle.
“That’s what we always
called each other, part
ners,” Miller said with a
sad smile, remembering.
The license plate num
bers on the vehicle are
the couple’s wedding date,
July 28, 2007. And an oval
attached to the front of his
project carries the name
Gloria written in his
system most often struck
by outages during stormy
weather. Additional pur
chases could be made at a
later date, he said.
In response to a question
hum Councilman Steve
Biggs, Andersen said the
town currently has none of
the small, pole-mounted de
vices. The cost of the devic
es would be about $18,000
each, Andersen said, but it
would be a worthwhile in
vestment.
last week. “We put a lot of effort
in this and we really make a
point on cleanliness.”
The efforts haven’t gone un
noticed. For three of the past five
years, the Chowan Fair has won
the Image Award presented by
the N.C. Association of Agricul
tural Fairs.
“It’s a big award for us,” said
Bonnie Holloman, the executive
director of the association. “The
award shows they have a good
balance. It’s very prestigious. In
Chowan they have a very strong
organization and Mr. Toppin
has always been super to work
with.”
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Rich Miller of Merry Hill demonstrates the workable parts of
a handmade old-timey milk delivery truck he completed as a
tribute to his late wife Gloria.
wife’s own handwriting,
Miller said. It was as close
as he could come to giving
Councilman Willis Priv
ott, who is a member of the
town’s utilities committee,
said while he agreed with
the concept he thought the
town should start with the
purchase of one recloser
and gradually purchase
others. Privott spoke on be
half of the committee Mon
day night.
“I don’t recommend buy
ing all of them at one time,
as the economy is now,”
Privott said. Funds for the
her a part in the project.
Although this was a
second marriage for both
purchase would come from
the electric and water de
partment’s budget.
Privott’s fellow commit
tee member Bob Quinn
agreed that the recommen
dation for the purchase of
one recloser should be for
warded to the full council
for consideration during
its next meeting on Oct. 9.
Councilmen Jimmy
Stallings and Sambo Dixon
were absent from Monday
night’s meeting.
While Chilcoat didn’t bring it
up, Holloman did. Last year Chil
coat won the Holmes McBride
Award for his outstanding ser
vice to the fair association and
Chowan Fair over the years.
Fairs can opt out of the compe
tition for awards, but Holloman
said about 95 percent do partici
pate. The purpose is to make a
weak fair stronger and a good
fair even better. Given Chowan’s
current attendance, it ranks as
a Category 1 Fair. That goes to
fairs with an attendance of 15,000
or less. In the past, it’s been a
See FAIR, 2A
of them, Miller said, his
wife’s love and devotion
meant everything to him.
“I’m here for her sake,”
Miller said. “I’d like to see
it (milk truck) do well in
the judging.”
In 2009 Miller’s hand
created depiction of an
old abandoned farmhouse
won best in show at the
Chowan County Regional
Fair and at the State Fair
as well, making his wife
very proud, he said. Miller
has equally high hopes for
this piece.
The milk truck is steer
able and its hood opens
from both sides to meet in
the middle.
See FAMILY, 2A
CENTER HILL
Cmmmlty
EMS Let’s have some Fun! j_et>s cat
FIRE DEPARTMENT ^ -- —
SMART 5TART
MUSIC 1:00 5:30pm TENT MEETING 6:00pm
Drawing for *50 Gas Card Mutt bt present to vt»
Caka Walk •Sllant Auction
Inflatables • Optimist Train
GAMES • Plo Throwing
Craft Tables
Funnel Cakes
BBQ
Sweat Treats
Beverages
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