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EDENTON NC 27932-1854
Emerging young leaders, moms
feted by sorority — 6A
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
50<
M:
Steinburg defends school budget, calls for local action
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Rep. Bob Steinburg last
week responded to local
school officials’ criticism of
the state’s 2013-14 education
budget in part by raising the
question of whether the lo
cal school district should
have tapped its reserves in
order to retain four teacher
assistant positions.
The Edenton-Chowan
Schools is receiving more
than $170,000 less from the
state for teacher assistants
than had been included in
the school district’s “plan
ning allotment”
The Edenton-Chowan
Board of Education last
week voted to eliminate
four teacher assistant posi
tions for the 2013-14 school
year.
Steinburg, R-Chowan,
said in a written statement
submit
ted to the
Chowan
Herald
that the lo
cal school
district
has had at
one time
or another
during each of the past four
years a $2.4 million reserve.
He said the reserve is not
SMITH
required by the state but
STEINBURG
added it’s a
good prac
tice.
“Not
ail of that
money is
restricted,
so there
should be
enough
for an ample cushion when
needed,” Steinburg said.
“Perhaps the four teacher
assistants who were fur
loughed last week could
have been retained by draw
ing upon this reserve.”
But Edfenton-Chowan
Schools Superintendent Al
lan Smith said this week
that while the school dis
trict reported a June 30,
2012, fund balance of a little
more than $2.4 million, the
schools had to dip into fund
balance during the past fis
cal year in order to balance
the budget.
“We spent more money
than we brought in this past
year,” Smith said.
It is widely regarded as
imprudent to use fund bal
ance for recurring expens
es, and the board has wisely
chosen to avoid doing that
as much as possible, Smith
said. *
A big problem with using
fund balance to cover the
See BUDGET,4A
School
iSfc
open
house
From staff reports
The start of school in
Chowan County is right
around the comer.
While students will not be
back in class until Aug. 26,
open house events at local
schools have been slated for
Aug. 22.
“Faculty and staff of
Edenton-Chowan Schools
are rapidly preparing for the
arrival of students,” accord
ing to a statement published
on the school district’s web
site. “Each school is excited
to welcome parents and
students to open house as
we embark on another awe
some school year.”
If you have questions
about open house, call the
... appropriate school.
Open house will be held
Aug. 22 from 3:30-6:30 p.m.
at White Oak Elementary
School and D.F. Walker
Elementary School; from
5-7 p.m. at Chowan Middle
School; and from 6-8 p.m.
at John A. Holmes High
School.
Meanwhile, teacher
workdays are slated to be
gin Aug. 19.
The school district’s
teacher convocation will be
Aug. 20.
Farmers
Market
gets
offer
t From staff reports
The Chowan County
Board of Commissioners
last week voted to offer a
| spot on the grounds of the
1 N.C. Cooperative Exten
sion Center as a site for the
Edenton Farmefs Market
The commissioners’ Plan
ning and Enterprise Com
1 mittee had recommended
that the county make the ex
tension center site available
to the farmers market
Meanwhile, the farmers
i market plans to conduct an
other survey before decid
ing whether to relocate.
A memo about two weeks
ago to market participants
from Vero Brentjens, direc
tor of the market, indicated
that the two options at this
point are moving to the
grounds of the N.C. Coop
See MARKET, 4A
i
I
■M
,+
02009 The Chowan Herald
AJI Right* Reserved
Hotel Saved
POSTCARD COURTESY OF CLAUDIA DEVINEY/PNC
This postcard shows the Hotel Hinton in its heyday. The hotel building, constructed in 1926, most recently served as the Chowan County
Office Building.
County agrees to Hotel Hinton sale
BY BOB MONTGOMERY
The Daily Advance
Chalk up a win for history in
Edenton.
Chowan County Com
missioners have agreed to sell the
former Hotel Hinton for $125,000
to an Outer Banks developer who
plans to rehabilitate the 87-year
old brick structure next to the
Historic 1767 courthouse on East
King Street.
The building has been adver
tised for sale since April, and was
marketed by Preservation North
Carolina
The hotel is the latest among
several properties being sold by
the county in an effort to unload
debt.
The former Hotel Hinton had
been used by the county for offic
es for the past couple of decades
before the county moved to its
new complex about two years ago.
At least three suitors showed
serious interest in buying the
32,000-square-foot, commercially
zoned site from the county, said
Claudia DeViney, PNC’s executive
director.
At a special meeting Thursday,
the commissioners agreed to sell
to Saga Construction & Develop
ment of Kill Devil Hills. The agree
ment has not yet been finalized,
DeViney said.
Commissioners Chairman Keith
Nixon said he was impressed with
Saga’s presentations, and is hope
ful the company can turn the site
into a tax-producer for the county.
“Our main goal is to facilitate
downtown activity,” Nixon said.
Nixon said Saga will conduct
a six-month due diligence study
to determine the best and most
feasible uses for the old hotel.
“I’d like to see mixed use — re
tail on the bottom floor, accom
modations, rooms on the upper
floors,” he said of his preference.
Some residents have suggested
a boutique, retail shops, a restau
rant, condominiums and a confer
ence center.
“I can’t tell you how happy this
has made us at Preservation NC,"
DeViney said, noting that the prop^
erty — in the heart of the historic
district — has drawn interest from
See HOTEL, 4A
Residents, officials discuss Edenton PD location
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
A group of about 60 local resi
dents met with police and town
officials on Aug. 6 to discuss the fu
ture location of the Edenton Police
Department
During the meeting, facilitated
by Chowan County Planner Landin
Holland, citizens had the oppor
tunity to break into focus groups
where they talked about the town’s
Neighborhood Redevelopment Ac
tion Plan and looked at different
options within the vicinity of North
Oakum Street for locating the new
police station.
“It’s a good way for everyone to
work together,” Holland said.
Mayor Roland Vaughan called
the decision on where to locate the
new station “one of the most criti
cal decisions” to be made since he’s
been the mayor of the town.
Participants were cautioned not
to focus on a particular site but
to look at the overall impact on a
neighborhood should the police
station be located there. The police
station, they were told, wa$ just
J ' \
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Chowan County Planner Landin Holland answers a question from Pat
Grother (seated) during a community meeting held to gather citizen
Input about the relocation of the Edenton Police Department.
one element to be considered.
Once they broke into focus
groups, participants at each table
were asked to identify assets and
issues within each of the four areas
being considered for the new pa
lice statioa They were also asked
. ~ 'j. •••: Jf.' "'t. > ' * . A
to list what they desired to see hap
pen with regard to neighborhood
redevelopment. A group leader
was then named to report back to
the entire group at the end of the
exercise.
Well-known existing buildings
* h
such as the John R. Page Lodge,
John A. Holmes High School and
the old D.F. Walker School were
identified as assets. Other assets
were identified as the sense of
community that exists within the
North Oakum Street area
In addition to listing a safe neigh
borhood with better lighting as
among their desires, citizens also
expressed a wish for a more pedes
trian-friendly and bicycle-friendly
environment 7
“From Freemason all the way
to Walker Street is very dark,” said
Trey Thylor. “Having a community
center would be good for the Oa
kum Street area, too.”
Illegal activity — including drug
sales and use, and prostitution —
was the biggest concern among all
the focus groups.
“Fighting and guns, we know are
here too,” said Casey Atstupenas.
A desire for good jobs and a good
education for all kids was men
tioned, as was the idea that having
the police station in a neighbor
hood setting would allow children
See POLICE, 4A
>. •c ■: "