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482-4418
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Special Section in the
Nov. 27th paper!
Board backs new allowances for wind turbines
I
• SLpi
; ■
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The Chowan County Plan
ning Board last week en
dorsed an amendment that
would more than double the
permissible height for wind
turbines in the county.
The proposed amend
ment to the Chowan County
Wind Energy Ordinance
Citizens
hopeful
for bike
path
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Edenton resident Steve
Lane said he is happy with
the county commissioners’
decision to revisit the issue
of supporting a planned bi
cycle path through the Albe
marle area.
“Everybody I’ve talked
to seems to be pleased that
they are willing to reconsid
er,” Lane said.
Lane said he hoped that
after reviewing the idea
once again the commission
ers would feel the benefits
of the planned path were
significant enough to war
rant their support
Lane and fellow Edenton
ian Bill Miller addressed the
commissioners during their
Nov. 19 work session asking,
them to rethink their recent
vote not to support the pro- •
posed path running through
Chowan County. The Nov. 4
vote was split with two of
the seven commissioners
voting in favor of supporting
the plan and five against
Miller said that he like
Lane was pleased with the
commissioners’ decision to
keep an open mind on the
subject.
“I really appreciate their
willingness to look at it
again,” Miller said.
The Edenton Town Coun
cil has already announced
that it would wholeheart
edly support the Albemarle
Regional Bike Plan that
would include the town.
At its Nov. 12 meeting the
town council voted unani
mously to endorse the plan
and have Edenton become
a part of it. Councilman Bob
Quinn was absent
The vote followed an Oct
8 presentation of the plan
before the council by Steve
Lambert, planning director
for the Hertford-based Albe
marle Commission.
Lambert said that the plan
was developed by the Albe
marle Rural Planning Orga
nization with the support of
towns and counties across
the Albemarle area. He said
the process started with a
kick-off meeting held in the
summer of 2012. The plan
was finalized in the fall of
2013, Lambert said, guided
by the principles of incorpo
rating health and wellness,
and safety, into the family
oriented initiative.
See BIKE, 3A
©2Q09 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
would pave the way for con
struction of a major utility
scale wind energy facility.
The text amendment has
been proposed by Apex
Clean Energy Inc., a Char
lottesville, Va-based renew
able energy company.
The Chowan County
Board of Commissioners is
scheduled to hold a public
hearing on the proposed
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Local Boys & Girls Club kids showed their best table manners during a free sit down Thanksgiving dinner
they were treated to at the Nothin’ Fancy Cafe & Market co-owned by Gail Sing and Shannon Andersen. The
’ club members were treated to the meal in memory of Singh’s father Worth Hare who died recently.
Vigil planned for missing teens
From staff reports
The community has
been invited to gather for
prayer tonight for two
Edenton teens who have
been missing since the
weekend.
The prayer vigil for
Nicholas Beaman and
Rob Bunch will be held
today (Wednesday) at 7
p.m. at the Parish Hall
at St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church.
. Edenton police are
seeking information from
anyone who may know
the whereabouts of the
two teens.
Manufacturing holds hidden job promise
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
One of the most frequently ex
pressed concerns around Edenton
is that there is no place here for
young people to find good jobs.
But speakers at a gathering of
business and education leaders last
week at College of the Albemarle’s
Edenton-Chowan Campus insisted
the reality is much different from
the perception.
The forum focused on manufac
turing, worker training, and the role
of the local public schools and Col
lege of The Albemarle in preparing
students for jobs that are available.
Organizers of the event included
COA and the Education Commit
text amendment during its
7 p.m. regular meeting on
Dec. 2.
At the Nov. 19 planning
board meeting, a motion
by board member Allen
Nixon to recommend ap
proval of the amendment by
the county commissioners
passed with board member
Patti Kersey casting the lone
vote against it
Information received
so far is leading police to
believe that the boys may
be in Texas, according to
Edenton Police Chief Jay
Fortenbery.
“We have no reason
to suspect foul play,” the
police chief said. “Right
now, we’re treating this
as a runaway situation.”
Fortenbery has asked
that anyone with infor
mation that could help
his office locate the two
boys please call 482-4444
immediately.
See TEENS, 2A
tee of the Edenton
Chowan Partner
ship. The commit
tee is chaired by
Frank Palm.
Hal D. Bums Jr.,
general manager
of Hampton Farms
Jimbo’s Jumbos,
said recruiting
skilled workers can be a challenge.
Even though people who live in
Edenton recognize it as a special
place with a great quality of Me, it’s
hard to persuade a 22-year-old from
Raleigh, Greenville or Richmond,
Va, to relocate here, he said.
Bums said the situation leads to
an obvious answer. Why not train
people locally? ;
Asked later about her
opposition to the proposed
text amendment, Kersey
said anything — not just a
wind turbine — that is built
600 feet high is contrary to
the county’s vision and land
use plan.
“A 600-foot anything is
justnot consistent with what
we talk about,” Kersey said.
“All of a sudden we throw
out everything that we have
talked about in terms of our
vision.” she said.
Landin Holland, plan
ning director for Chowan
County, explained at the be
ginning of the discussion at
the Nov. 19 meeting that the
matter before the board was
not specifics of the project
but rather the proposed or
dinance amendment that
REARDON
NELSON
“There are a lot
of good opportu
nities here,” Bums
said
There are good
jobs available for
skilled workers at
Jimbo’s Jumbos,
Olam, JLA labs,
Colony Tire, Regu
lator Marine and other companies
in town, Bums said
IVaining and education not only
would help with finding skilled
workers for local companies, but it
also would provide a boost for the
recruitment of new industry to the
area, he said
COA can be a driving force in
helping local kids make a living
would bring Chowan’s wind f«
turbine regulations in line
with the rules in neighbor
ing Perquimans County. ?
“First and foremost we’re \
talking about height,” Hol
land said, noting the amend
ment allows wind turbines
up to 600 feet high.
The existing ordinance
See WIND, 3A
Edenton
joins in
marketing
effort
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer '
The town council voted
unanimously at its Nov. 12
monthly meeting for Eden
ton to participate in a mar
keting initiative with several
other smaller North Caro
lina communities.
Councilman Bob Quinn
was absent.
“I think everybody is in
agreement for us to move
along with this," said Coun
cilman Steve Biggs, who
chairs the administrative
committee.
Known as an “umbrella
marketing” plan, the pro
gram would link Edenton
with towns like Warrenton
and Tarboro.
Town Manager Anne-Ma
rie Knighton said she first
learned about the idea dur
ing a meeting of managers
and tourism directors from
the communities of Warren
ton, Murfreesboro, Hills
boro and Halifax.
“The concept being put
forth by the town of Wanen
ton is one that would create
an umbrella branding effort
for the purpose of bring
ing additional tourism and
business to these respec
tive small towns,” Knighton
said.
Knightonsaidthattheidea
was the result of Warrenton’s
participation in the North
Carolina Main Street’s Step
Program, whose mission is
to help small towns create,
opportunities for economic
development
“(Chowan Tourism Di
rector) Nancy Nicholls and
I attended the meeting in
Warrenton and came away
impressed with the concept
being presented,” Knighton
said.
Knighton said that the
joint effort would focus on
See MARKETING, 3A
here, Bums said. It also can start
as early as the STEM program at
Chowan Middle School.
The STEM program at CMS
— STEM is an acronym for science,
technology, engineering and mathe
matics — introduces middle school
students to careers and topics in sci
ence and technology.
Bums said the local food process
ing industry can help students make
the connection to local jobs by, for
example, providing assistance with
experiments that deal with pea
nuts.
Bums said, so that students real
ize if they don’t want to cook pea
nuts they can cook tires at Colony
See JOBS, 2A
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6™. 7:00m.
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HINTON, DC
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SUBMITTED PHOTO
Missing Edenton teens Rob Bunch (left) and Nick
Beaman.