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Wednesday, May 22, 2013
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By RECMME PONDER
Staff Writer
Gov. Pat McCrory
extended birthday
wishes to Edenton
Saturday.
“Happy birthday,” Mc
Crory said as he began an
address,to the crowd as
sembled on the 1767 Court
house Green for the Gov
ernors’ Day event, part of
Edenton’s 300th anniver
sary celebration.
More On This Story
Officials pleased with event
— 3A
Locals, visitors enjoy big day
— 1B
, McCrory also welcomed
the town’s namesake, Gov.
Charles Eden, to the day’s
festivities. Eden, who was
appointed governor in
V113, was portrayed by a
History interpreter in pe
riod costume.
: “It’s great to have the
governor back in town,”
McCrory said, referring to
Eden.
The celebration began at
the town docks around 11
a.m. Saturday, when Mc
crory greeted Eden — por
Ponder
named
Herald
editor
-v.
From stuff reports
Reggie Ponder, a reporter
for The Daily Advance since
2008, has been named edi
tor of the
Chowan
Herald.
Ponder,
49, will
Ce place
1$ itch ie
Starnes,
who re
signed the
position last month to take a
job in Charlotte.
' Ponder has been serv
ing as interim editor of the
Herald while retaining his
duties as education reporter
for The Daily Advance. He
joined The Advance in Au
gust 2008 as the Elizabeth
City-Pasquotank County
government reporter and
was reassigned to education
coverage earlier this year.
Ponder said he is excited
about the new opportunity
in Edenton.
“I love community news
papers and have looked for
ward to being an editor of a
great community paper,” he
said. “The Chowan Herald is
the perfect place to live out
my passion for community
and for community news.”
> He previously reported
for community newspapers
to Henderson, Fremont and
liouisburg.
>A native of North Caro
lina, Ponder is a 1986 gradu
ate of Wesleyan College in
Rocky Mount. He and his
Wife, Jane, have a son, Na
than, 25.
> He will assume his new
£
0
02009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
STAFF PHOTO BV REBECCA BUNCH
Gov. Pat McCrary waves to the crowd assembled at the downtown Edenton waterfront as a carriage takes him to the 1767 Chowan
Courthouse where he addressed a crowd of several hundred citizens, Saturday. s
trayed by the historical re
enactor — as the colonial
governor arrived at the
town docks aboard the Sil
ver Chalice wooden sailing
boat.
Tata seeks to find solution for hydrilla spread
By REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
The state’s top trans
portation official said Sat
urday that he will talk to
ports officials this week
about how the state can
stop the spread of hydrilla
in waterways.
Secretary of Transpor
tatipn Anthony Tata, who
was in Edenton Saturday
for the Governors’ Day
event as part of the town’s
300th anniversary cel
ebration, said he will talk
to the State, Ports Board
about hydrilla during
the board’s meeting this
week.
One of the members op
erates barges and should
be especially knowledge
able about the potential
impact on barge traffic,
Lamb presents county budget proposal
By REOGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
The 2013-14 recommended bud
get that Chowan County Manager
Zee Lamb presented to the county
commissioners Tuesday main
tains the property tax rate, water
rates and solid waste fees at the
current level.
Chowan’s property tax rate is
68.5 cents per $100 valuation.
The recommended budget is
Officials confident in future of partnership
By REQOIE PONDER
AND WILLIAM F. WEST
Staff Writers
Local and state officials
say there are confident
the Edenton-based North
east Commission will re
main strong amid moves
to reorganize the state’s
economic development ef
forts.
Senate Bill 127, which
has already been approved
by the Senate, eliminates
the state’s seven economic
development commissions
and delegates their func
“Governor, you have
aged well,” McCrory said as
the colonial figure stepped
off the Silver Chalice.
There were brief periods
of rain but the weather gen
Tata said.
Tata
said keep
ing wa
terways
navigable
is an im
portant
part of his
job.
U0ur river waterways
are so important for com
merce and recreation and
tourism,” Tata said.
Tata acknowledged that
the N.C. Department of
Environment and Natural
Resources, through its Di
vision of Water Quality, is
the lead agency in dealing
with hydrilla.
But because there is a
potential transportation
impact to the aquatic
weed, his department also
will pay attention to the
subject to a public
hearing and ac
tion by the Chow
an Board of Com
missioners. State
law requires the
county to adopt a
balanced budget
by June 30. , .
The solid waste LamD
fee is $13.50 a month for town resi
dents and $15.50 for those who live
outside the town limits. Lamb ex
tions to the N.C. Depart
ment of Commerce. The
bill further directs the
commerce department to
place an employee in eight
newly created economic
development zones across
the state.
The bill was in commit
tee in the House as the
Chowan Herald went to
press.
State Sen. Harry Brown,
R-Onslow and the primary
sponsor of SB 127, has said
he believes the legislation
will remove an ineffec
tive layer of bureaucracy
erally was comfortable for
the occasion.
McCrory referenced the
threat of rain as he walked
toward the town docks.
“All right — the rain is
problem, Tata said.
One of the current em
phases in state govern
ment is addressing issues
through a cooperative ef
fort of state agencies, ac
cording to Tata.,
“We have great team
work,” Tata said.
Residents of Chowan
County,’s Arrowhead
Beach community have
been on the vanguard in
sounding the alarm about
hydrilla — a non-native
aquatic weed that if left
untreated can choke wa
terways and harm both
commercial and recre
ational pursuits.
The aggressive water
plant was the main topic
of discussion at a recent
meeting of the Arrowhead
Beach Property Owners
Association.
plained that town residents pay $2
a month less because the town op
erates its own recycling program.
The recommend budget proj
ects $9.99 million in property tax
revenue, which is based on a 97.6
percent collection rate for real
and personal property and 85.1
percent for motor vehicles. That
collection rate is based on audited
figures for 2011-12.
Combined, with an anticipated
$416,000 in collection of prior
from busi
ness re
cruitment
and force
N.C. Com
merce De
partment
officials
to work
outside of
Raleigh.
Edenton Mayor Roland
Vaughan, chairman of the
Northeast Commission’s
board of directors, said
he and other members
of the board embrace the
idea of reorganizing the
going to stop,” McCrory
said hopefully, smiling
and waving to the gathered
crowd.
McCrory’s colonial
counterpart remarked that
STAFF PHOTO BY THOMAS J. TURNEY •
While not always visible at the surface, a nuisance weed called
hydrilla has invaded the Chowan River, and if left untreated
threatens to choke wateiways and cause problems for both
commercial and recreational purposes.
Arrowhead Beach
residents who have been
following the hydrilla
problem stress that recre
ationah boaters can help
Department of Commerce.
Vaughan said that for at
least a decade, spending
on economic development
has increased, but rough
ly the same numbers of
North Carolinians remain
out of work. At the same
time, the take-home pay
of North Carolinians with
jobs has declined.
“That’s clearly the mod
el of a failed program,” he
said.
Vaughan said if reorga
nization does take place,
the Northeast Commission
is ideally suited to con
the day should not be just
about looking back at the
town’s history. “We can
look forward to the future
of this wonderful state and
this wonderful nation,” he
Said.
McCrory told the group
assembled at the water
front that it was an honor
to be part of the 300th anni
versary event.
“We are so honored to
have your town be such an
important part of our his
tory — not only of the his
tory of our state but of our
nation as well,” McCrory
said.
McCrory said he was
impressed with the role
Edenton has played in his
tory, with the way it has
preserved that history and
with the planning that has
gone into the 300th anni
versary celebration.
McCrory and the Eden
re-enactor rode in horse
drawn carriages to the 1767
Courthouse for the day’s
main ceremony
McCrory talked about
the role of women in
Edenton’s colonial
See MCCRORY, 3A
prevent the spread of hy
drilla by cleaning boats,
motors, trailers and any
See HYDRILLA, 4A
years’ delinquent taxes and penal
ties, the total projected property
tax revenue is $10.4 million or 64.4
percent of general fund revenue
for the county
There is an anticipated $1.65
million in sales tax revenue,
which is 10.2 percent of general
fund revenues.
Water sales and fees are project
ed to generate $1.4 million. Solid
See BUDGET, 4A
tinue working to promote
economic development
in the agency’s 16-county
service area that stretches
from Dare to Halifax; He
said the commission’s
staff has been in place for
many years and that many
of those employed helping
develop the regional econ
omy grew up here and are
familiar with the region’s
nuances, strengths and
weaknesses. The com
mission also does good
work in one of the most
See COMMISSION, 4A
w i -*m wpjm 15*^1
MUSIC AND WATER FESTIVAL
Scotch Hall
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