Wednesday, December 26, 2012
See
photos
from
Edenton's
Christmas
Parade
— IB
50*
it
Edenton Shell station to close Friday
&
t
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
> /
The Edenton Shell Sta
tion is closing.
■Manager Robert Cheek
confirmed Saturday morn
ing that the North Broad
Street business will close
on Friday.
' The closure will come 13
days after the station was
robbed. A masked gunman
entered the station just
CHOWAN HERALD STAFF PHOTO
Chowan Herald’s Ritchie Starnes, editor, (l-r) Becky Carter, advertising representative, Sue Bunch, and staff writer, Rebecca
Bunch pose in front of the office Christmas tree. ,
I Chamber, TDA join
! Partnership’s office
Move to building
pn South Broad St.
9y REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
> The Chamber of Com
merce and the Tourism De
velopment Authority have
Officially moved into their
new offices at 504 South
Broad Street.
•* They are sharing office
space with Edenton Chow
On Partnership Director
Prank Miglorie in the
building that also houses
the Chowan Arts Council.
The offices adjoin a spa
cious reception area.
C Partnership Chair-,
jpan Cy Rich said that the
move would increase the
opportunity for collabora
tion that already exists be
tween the three agencies.
He said a good example of
that was the work that all
three had put into develop
ing joint proposals for pos
sible Golden Leaf-funded
projects.
'l The Partnership is sub
102009 The Chowan Herald
«£ All Rjghts Reserved
rt, :/$
after 6 a.m. on Dec. 15 and
robbed a lone female clerk.
The suspect remains at
large. Police are still inves
tigating the incident.
But Cheek said the tim
ing was purely coinciden
tal.
“My lease ran out in July,
and I decided to retire,”
Cheek, 63, said. “I’ve been
leasing it from month to
month since then, trying
to keep the station open in
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Chamber of Commerce director Win Dale (seated) gets an
update on computer installation status irvhis new office from
Chowan County information technology director Joe Sliva.
leasing space to the other
two agencies for the nomi
nal fee of $10 each per
month under the terms of
five-year leases that each
signed.
"It was a very generous
offer and a great location,
in addition to offering us
the chance to work in tan
dem with the other two
groups,” Deborah Lee,
Chamber president, said
of the offer she brought to
her board for its consider
ation.
The Partnership is re
ceiving its first year of oc
cupancy free of charge un
der a special arrangement
with the town of Edenton,
hopes that somebody would
come forward to take it
over.”
But Cheek said that ad
vertising by Quality Oil,
the Winston-Salem based
company that owns Shell,
had failed to attract any
takers. With the end of the
year approaching, Cheek
said, he decided to go ahead
and close.
“With the economy like
it is, I guess nobody’s got
Rich said. Afterward, the
Partnership would pay
$150 a month.
Rich added that the le
niency in the amount of
rent charged came hand
in hand with the Partner
ship’s promise to the town
to absorb the cost of nec
essary renovations to the
building.
Rich said that the Part
nership had budgeted
$25,000 toward building
renovation and repair but
only ended up spending
about $10,000 thanks to
considerable volunteer ef
fort from people like Keith
> J See MOVE, 2A
the money to take it over,”
Cheek said.
Taking over the business
would require signing a
three-year lease and a finan
cial investment of $15,000
to $20,000 for inventory and
operating expenses to get;
started, Cheek added.
“A young person could
come in and make a good
living,” Cheek said. “You’d
need to have a person that
could work the garage.
Cook’s retirement
marks “end of an era”
Morris known
for her desserts
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Gloria Morris vividly
remembers the day that
Katy Ebersole asked her
to come to work at a soon
to-open Edenton restau
rant.
“What? Y’all must be
crazy!” Morris said she
told Ebersole about plans
to open the place. In fact,
Morris was so unsure
about Waterman’s future
prospects that she only
agreed to work there for
one year. Almost 17 years
later, on Dec. 28, Gloria
will leave the kitchen at
Waterman’s Grill for the
last time.
She chuckles at the
memory of that day in
19%.
Gloria was the first
person offered a full-time
position at the restaurant
by its new owners — Katy
Ebersole and her husband
Rick, and their business
partner, Brian Roberts. *
"I look back now and I’m
still amazed at what a big
success it (Waterman’s)
has been,” Gloria said.
Katy Ebersole met Glo
ria while working as a
waitress at the Halifax
At this station that’s re
ally where they’re going to
make their money”
Cheek said to do that'
would probably require
working 60-hour weeks.
“The bays weren’t open
when I leased the station
in 2009,” Cheek said. “Since
I took it over and opened
up the bays it has about
doubled what (business) we
were doing.”
With regard to the inven
Town denies golf
cart exemption
Board OKs
pedicarts
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
On the same night the
Town Council unanimous
ly agreed not to make an
exception to its existing
golf cart ordinance to ac
commodate a disabled res
ident, the board OK’d the
use of pedicarts.
At its Dec. 11 meeting,
the Council refused to al
low a resident who suffers
from cerebral palsy an ex
emption to the town’s new
golf cart oi'dinance that
requires a driver’s license
and insurance
The Council did unani
mously approve an ordi
nance allowing the use of
pedicarts on town streets
at the meeting.
A local woman, Fay Agar,
made the request for an ex
ception to the golf court
ordinance on behalf of her
daughter, Ryan Fink.
But Councilman Jimmy
Stallings, who made the
motion to leave the ordi
nance as it is, said, “I just
feel we’re opening our
selves open for repercus
sions if we do that.”
In appealing to the town
for an exception Agar said
that her daughter’s condi
tion requires her to hold
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Gloria Morris, the first employee hired to work at Waterman’s
Grill in downtown Edenton when it opened about 17 years,
ago holds one of her trademark Chocolate Chess Pies.
Hotel in Virginia Beach
where Gloria was the
kitchen manager. Katy
calls Gloria’s departure
“the end of an era” at the
restaurant.
Rick Ebersole considers
the homemade pies, cakes
and homo-style vegetables
tory, Cheek said that ciga
rette sales are also a lucra
tive part of his business.
“If you stop and think
about it, cigarettes are $50
a carton right now,” Cheek
said. “It doesn’t take long
to make your (investment)
money back.”
Cheek added that with
its good location and solid
business, he hoped to see
See CLOSING, 2A
her head at an angle for her
vision to be at its best. Fink
would not be able to do that
while trying to qualify for
a driver’s license, Agar
pointed out'.
Hood Ellis, town attor
ney, had recommended
that the town not allow the
exception.
Agar, who met with El
lis prior to the start of the
meeting, said her family
would accept the town’s
decision and look into pro
viding acceptable trans
portation for their daugh
ter But, she added, she
wished the outcome had
been different.
' “I understand that they
(Council) relied on that
legal opinion in making
their decision,” Agar said.
“But I wish Mr. Ellis had
talked with the institute
before the vote took place.
It might have made a dif
ference.” ......
The pedicart ordinance
adopted by the Council
will allow for the use of the
vehicles on local streets
where the speed limit does
not exceed 35 miles per
hour.
As defined in the ordi
nance, a pedicart is a de
vice having three or more
wheels that is pedaled by
a single individual and is
capable of transporting
See PEDICARTS, 2A
that Gloria has prepared
over the years as instru
mental to Waterman’s
success.
“Guests who enjoy side
dishes like corn pudding
and stewed tomatoes
See RETIREMENT, ^ (