Extension
Master
Gardener
Spring garden tips — 4A
482-4418
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
50*
Recreation Department set to relocate
Ag Center offers
better offices
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
,Editor
Add the Recreation
Department as the latest
county office on the move,
which probably won’t be
its last.
No longer will the Rec
reation Department be
located at the former D.F.
Walker School campus
on N. Oakum Street that
is also the future hub for
College of The Albemarle’s
Edenton Chowan campus.
In a 6-1 vote, the Board of
Commissioners voted to
relocate the department
into the vacated space left
by the departed Farm Ser
vice Agency, which as of
last year moved to Hert
ford as part of a cost sav
ings consolidation by the
U.S. Department of Agri
culture. .
Efforts are under way to
move the department into
the county’s Agricultural
Center at 730 N. Granville
Street.
“The current location
(N. Oakum) is lacking in
appearance and profes
sionalism that this new
location would provide,”
said County Manager Zee
Lamb who recommended
the move.
Lamb said the new loca
tion would also be more
efficient in terms of utility
costs.
Jason Petersen, recre
ation director, spoke be
fore the board at its Feb. 4
meeting and detailed prob
lems such as repeat van
dalism, a blighted environ
ment, and a lack of office
privacy. He welcomed a
possible move, but added
that he could continue to
work at the current site if
the board so decided.
“We don’t get excited to
come to work because of
our office; we get excited
because of the work we
do,” Petersen said.
Board Chairman Keith
Nixon, the lone dissenting
vote, said he preferred the
recreation department re
main where the gym is lo
cated. He also questioned
storage space for athletic
equipment at the ag center
as well as potential park
ing issues.
“I have a concern mov
ing from that campus,”
Nixon said. “We need to
look long-term.”
Other concerns included
whether vandalism at the
campus would worsen
once the Recreation De
partment vacates. Also, by
not being on the campus,
there are concerns of a dis
connect between adminis
tration and gym activities.
Board Vice Chairman
Jeff Smith, a farmer, said
he preferred the Agricul
tural Center remain des
ignated solely for agricul
ture.
See MOVING, 3A
Extension
loses
county
director
Smith takes job
withAvoca
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Chowan County lost its
agricultural agent to the
private sector.
Friday marked the last
day on the job for Tim
Smith as the local director
for the N.C. Cooperative
Extension Service. After
two years at the helm,
Smith began his new gig
Monday as an agronomic
manager for Avoca, Inc.
in Merry Hill. There he’ll
- oversee the company’s $x
‘ - panded sage production.
Smith said he labored
over the decision to change
careers because he wasn’t
unhappy with his job.
“I wasn’t out job hunt
ing or anything like that,”
Smith said. “But, it was
too good an opportunity to
turn down.”
Smith, a native of Chow
an where he and his family
will continue to live, said
the Extension afforded
him a great job.
■ “The Extension is such
a great organization to be
a part of,” he added. “It’s
meaningful work and you
feel you are bettering the
, community.”
Amid plans to increase
its acreage for sage produc
tion, Avoca reached out to
Smith to serve as a liaison
between the company and
1 producers so he can pro
vide useful information
to the growers. Avoca has
already increased its sage
production over the last
• three years with more ex
pansion still ahead, which
requires more support,
Smith said.
Smith, 35, called the op
i portunity at Avoca an ideal
match with his strengths.
Although the new post
provides Smith the chance
to advance his career and
provide greater financial
security for his family,
leaving the local group at
the Extension still stings.
“The right decision is
not always the easiest,”
* Smith said.
Local farmers will not
have totally bid farewell,
See EXTENSION, 2A
02009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Investigators probe arson cases
Three fires set
over two days
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
State and local Authori
ties suspect arson in three
fires set within two days,
two on the same night.
Firefighters were back
on the scene Thursday
morning of last Monday
night’s (Feb.4) fire of the
former White Oak El
ementary School after
shifting winds appar
ently reignited smolder
ing embers, according to
Sheriff Dwayne Goodwin.
A passerby called 911
around 8 p.m. last Mon
day after flames were seen
erupting from the roof
of the vacant school on
Dillard’s Mill Road. While
firefighters from all three
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Charred remains is all that’s left of the former White Oak Elementary School after someone torched the vacant building Feb. 4.
Firefighters returned to the scene $ursd'9y after embers reignited. ^
Yillio takes businesses by storm
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Yillio, a social
global positioning
system, provides
mapping informa
tion to users on
the go in real time.
It’s available on
iPhone applica
tions with an
enhanced version
coming in the next
few weeks.
|1 Social GPS serves
[i mobile users
P By RITCHIE E. STARNES
T| Editor
Social media’s next big
g deal is among us.
Imagine traveling the
highway with plans to stop
for lunch along the trip.
Where, what, and when
I to eat just got more con
venient courtesy of Yillio.
Yillio is a social GPS that
informs users on the go of
establishments and events
along their route. In real
time, merchants are able
to post (short, concise,
relevant) messages on top
of Yillio’s map so drivers,
commuters and shoppers
can see what’s happening
along their route.
A group with ties to Eden
ton, but prefers to remain *
below the radar at this time,
has launched Yillio. Many
businesses in Edenton have
already signed on with the
local Chamber of Commerce
extending the opportunity
to its members. By signing
on, a business can put their
establishment on the map
with an easily updated mes
sage board at no charge. The
self-reporting opportunity
is the latest technological
cyber creation that enables
a merchant to receive real
time advertising.
“We want to put Edenton
on the map and keep people
coming downtown,” said
Win Dale, Chamber direc
tor.
As Edenton continues to
promote its 300th anniver
sary, the timing to list lo
cal businesses and events
couldn’t be better.
Whether it’s anyone of
seven business categories
- office, restaurant, ho
tel, retailer, gas station,
See YILLIO, 2A
Changes on the horizon for GED testing
Program to become
more challenging
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Testing for a GED will likely
become more difficult and expen
sive beginning in 2014 with the
introduction of new test that re
quires knowledge of technology
College of The Albemarle stu
dents at the Edenton campus who
are currently enrolled in its Gen
eral Educational Development
testing program are scrambling
to compete their work before the
end of this year. That’s when the
current battery of tests developed
in 2002 will end and a new, com
puter-based series of tests will
be implemented. Scores from the
current batch of tests will not
be transferable and paper-based
tests will no longer be adminis
tered.
“The big push for us is trying to
get the word out that the tests are
changing,” said Tim Sweeney,
director of Basic Skills and Tran
sitional Studies for COA. “This
whole year we are doing every
thing we can to prepare students
to go ahead and complete their
tests before December 31. The
clock is ticking here.”
Joanne Eddy, director of the
Adult Learning Center at the
Edenton campus, said that an
average of 125 students fill their
GED classes each semester.
Currently, the GED tests focu#'
on five content areas - social stud
ies, science, math, reading and
writing.
The new series will align with
the common core standards cur
rently followed in the state’s high
schools. The four content areas
See GEO, 2A
Carolina Cash 5 winning ticket sold here
From staff reports
A Wilco Hess station in
Edenton sold a Carolina
Cash 5 winning lottery
ticket Saturday night.
A Perquimans County
woman won $85,377 in the
lottery drawing.
Jean Castle of Hertford
purchased the winning
ticket at the station lo
cated at 301 Virginia Road,
according to Ryan Ken
' -i K
nemur, public information
officer for the North Caro
lina Education Lottery.
Kennemur said that af
ter taxes Castle would re
ceive $58,057 in winnings.
Castle picked all five of
the winning numbers, he
said. She beat odds of one
in 575,757 to win, he said.
Kennemur said that the
Wilco Hess station would
receive a $2,000 retailer in
centive for selling the win
ning ticket.
The station manager
said Tuesday morning
that she had not yet re
ceived official notification
of the winning ticket’s sale
there.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15th ROCKY HOCK
5:00 PM TILL 7:00 PM COMMUNITY CENTER