SephERDPRUPEN LIBRARY SSW' ' 482-4418 . Wednesday, )uly 10, 2013 Hospital seeks volunteer drivers for cancer project — IB 50« Preservation panel delays demolition decision BY REGGIE PONDER ■ . Editor Chowan County’s applica tion for a demolition permit for the former county office building on East King Street. will lay on the table until the next meeting of the Eden ton Historic Preservation Commission. The Historic Preservation Commission voted unani mously at its meeting Mon day afternoon to table the county’s demolition permit request for the former office bqilding, also known as the historic Hotel Hinton. The motion by member Bill Shultz called for ta bling the matter until the commission’s meeting next month. Shultz said he needs to see engineering studies and have more information before making a decision on the county’s request Preservation commission member Iibby Pope said Edenton is very historic and this is an important historic structure. “I’m violently opposed to tearing the hotel down,” Pope said. County officials empha sized at the meeting Monday that they hope to sell the - property rather than tearing the building down. Chowan County Manager Zee Lamb told the preserva tion commission that the county is trying to sell the property and is in serious negotiations with One po tential buyer. Chowan County Board of Commissioners Chairman Keith Nixon reiterated that the board hopes to sell the property. “I do hope it sells,” Nixon said. Nixon said it might even come down to the last hour and the county could get an offer on the property that would be worth consider ing. The county is simply be ginning the process of ap plying for the permit, Nixon said. He told the Chowan Herald later that county of ficials understand the pro cess could take up to 18 months. It is a time-consum ing process that is just now starting, Nixon said. Several speakers urged the preservation commis sion to reject the demolition permit application — or at least delay it until additional See DELAY, 2A Lighting up the Sky I BY REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer '1 : i Y i'^he promise of the ! I largest fireworks i JL show ever sponsored 1 bythe Chowan-Eden ton Optimist Club drew between 4,000-5,000 people to the downtown Edenton waterfront on July 4 to er\joy the show. Optimist President Da vid LaFon said he thought the club’s annual Fabulous Fourth of July celebration was a big success. “I think everything went great,” LaFon said. "The f:V * ' ' • PHOTOS INSIDE ■ See more photographs ; from the July 4 celebration in Downtown Edenton-4A community pulled together and helped us reach our goal of having the biggest fireworks show we’ve ever had in honor of Edenton’s 300th anniversary.” New events this year in cluded face painting and a softball toss, LaFon noted. But it was the fireworks show that drew the most interest, he said. “I think the crowd was a little bigger than in previ ous years,” LaFon said. Mike McArthur, who chairs the fundraising committee for the event, agreed. He said that sup port for the celebration, which cost $31,000, was stronger this year than in previous years. He said he thought that could have been because people were excited about having a big ger than normal fireworks show in honor of the See CELEBRATION, 4A PHOTO BY WAYNE WOODBURY Fireworks light up the sky over the Edenton Bay on July 4. Curtin files for Fourth Ward seat BY REGGIE PONDER Editor Neighborhood activist Lori Arm Curtin has filed as a candidate for the Fourth Ward seat on the Edenton Town Council. Also, in cumbent Third Ward Council woman Norma Simpson has filed for elec tion to the CURJ1N LlWll IAJ LllC y #>v\. seat after being appointed to fill the unexpired term of Councilwoman Phyllis Brit ton, who died in December. Simpson was sworn-in in February. Curtin, 48, who ran as a write-in candidate in 2009; said she had planned to file and run whether Council man Willis Privott decided, to retire from the council or not. Privott, the current coun cil member from the Fourth Ward, announced last week that he would not be seeking reelection. He has served on town council since 1980. Curtin said she thinks Privott has done a good job as a member of the town council. “I think that Mr. Privott \ ;• Vi & Rocky Hock farmer sees first cotton blooi BY REGGIE PONDER ' Editor ' The Carroll Peele farm reported the first cotton bloom of the 2013 growing season in Chowan County. Peele’s son-in-law, Paul Ward, discovered the bloom In a field on Rocky Hock Landing Road July 2 and reported it to Katy Shook at the Chowan County Coop erative Extension office. ; TTiat same day, Peele no ticed several blooms in an other field on the farm. $■;; Ward said having an 02009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved " * * ■ ' ‘ J V • earlier crop really doesn’t make much of a difference in terms of yield. It’s mainly a fun thing to see who will find the first cotton bloom, he said. “It’s just a big deal to see our first cotton bloom in the area,” he said. The early bloom is a di rect result of early planting, Ward explained. “It was some of the first planted,” Ward said of the cotton on his father-in-law’s farm. • Ward said they planted the cotton April 30. Cotton typically is planted in May, he Said. Sometimes early-planted cotton will run into prob lems due to cooler weather, but that was not the case See BLOOM,'2* ,/ , %l STAFF PH BY REGG PONDER; Carroll Peele a his 13 year-ok grandst Ben Wa kneel beside a cotton plant wl* the first cotton bloom reported this seas in Chow County. ;