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Wednesday, January 14, 2015
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Board appoints Tamer assistant superintendent
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Chowan Middle School
Principal Tanya Turner has
been named assistant super
intendent of curriculum and
instruction for the Edenton
C ho wan Schools effective
July 1.
The school board gave
its approval dunngit.s Jan. 5
monthly board meeting. Su
perintendent Rob Jackson
recommended Turn
er for the position at
the conclusion of a
month-long applica
tion and selection
process, school offi
cials said.
“I am very pleased
nouncing her new
position. “I am
excited about the
leadership and ex
pertise Ms. Turner
will bring to our K
12 curriculum and
instructional pro
that Ms. aimer will
serve the school
TURNER
gram as she works
with our teachers,
system as tne assistant su
perintendent of curriculum
and instruction,” Jackson
said in a news release an
principals and directors
in continuing to move our
school system forward.”
Turner said she felt “hum
bled” to have been chosen
to fill the position that has
been vacant since Rob
Boyce’s retirement in the
fail of 2009.
“I feel incredibly blessed
to have the opportunity to
serve the staff and students
of our county in this role,”
she said.
Turner said that her role
would involve providing
leadership in strategic plan
ning at the school and sys
tern-wide level to improve
curriculum development
and delivery.
“This will also involve
helping individual schools
and teachers to analyze and
use assessment data to im
prove staff and student per
formance,” she said.
Michelle Maddox, human
resources director for the
school system said no ad
ditional funds would be re
quired as a result of Turner's
hiring.
“The position was re-es
tablished by the Edenton
Chowan Board of Education
through a reorganization of
existing positions and as
signments made possible
through attrition,” said Mi
chelle Maddox, the school
system’s human resources
director. “The position does
not add additional staff
See TURNER, 2A
New push underway to restore preservation tax credits
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
T T Assembly session
scheduled to convene in
Raleigh today (Wednesday),
many Chowan County resi
dents and state officials are
hoping legislators will make
restoration of historic pres
ervation tax credits a prior
The tax credits that had
been in effect since l!)t)8 ex
pired Dec. 31, 2014.
But support for their
return voiced by Gov. Pat
MeCrory has led to hope
that they will be restored in
some form.
Rep. Bob Steinburg, R
Chowan, has seen firsthand
how the tax credits have
benefited Chowan County
residents and says he will
continue to “strongly sup
IKirt” them as a way to en
courage th(* rehabilitation
of historic homes and build
ings in the community.
Jennifer flarriss, director
of Destination Downtown
Edenton Inc., said the DDE
Board would be discuss
ing a potential resolution in
support of the tax credits at
its meeting tliis week.
"Historic tux credits have
been instrumental in Eden
ton’s success in historic
preservation thus far and ar e
crucial for the preservation
and economic development
of our historic properties in
the future,” Harriss said.
Harriss, who represents
the Northeast Region on
the N.C. Downtown Devel
opment Association Board,
said NCDIiA encourages
everyone to sign the online
(X'lition in support of the
tux credits at www.historic
ith the 2015 North
Carolina General
ity.
STAFF PHOTOS BY REBECCA BUNCH
Brigid Bohl points out some of the work being done
at the Mill office building that houses the Cotton Mill
Museum. She and her husband Dan used both sets of
state tax preservation tax credits, one for their condo
and the other for the historic Mill office.
taxcredits.org.
According ter Reid Thom
as, restoration specialist
with the Eastern office of
NC' State Historic Preserva
tion in Greenville, the tax
credits have made “a real
difference in the preserva
tion and reinvestment of
historic properties in Eden-1
ton and throughout north
eastern North Carolina”
“Fully embraced by the
residents of Edenton, the
numerous successful tax
credit projects have encour
aged revitalization of older
;md historic properties in
surrounding communities
and rural areas,” Thomas
added. “Beyond the eco
nomic benefits of historic
The old Mill office building that also houses the Cotton
Mill Museum is among the Edenton projects that have
benefited from state historic preservation tax credits.
Local residents are watching the NC General Assembly
as the 2015 legislative session convenes this week and
hoping the tax credits will be restored.
preservation, reinvestment
in older buildings is a su
perb tool to help communi
ties with local challenges
such ;is public safety and
healthcare us related to di
lapidated buildings.”
Thomas noted that the
non-economic return real
ized from investing in older
and historic properties “con
nects with real living issues
adding to economic benefits
and preserving places that
matter.”
According to Thomas's
office, in Kdenton and
Chowan County there have
been 33 income-producing
tax credit projects complet
ed with a private investment
of $8,443,115. Non-income
producing projects complet
ed in Edenton and Chowan
County include 33 projects
with a private investment of
$7,086,395, he said.
Edenton attorney and
preservationist Sambo Dix
on said that to see how the
community has benefited
from histone preservation
tax credits, citizens only
needed to look around
them.
“I think if we look mound
Edenton we will see exam
ple after example,” he said.
‘Think of Edenton without
Swain School, the Edenton
Cotton Mill, the Edenton
Peanut Company ... and
See TAX CREDITS, 2A
Bridge closing re-routes
traffic through Chowan
BY GENE MOTLEY
Roanol^-Chowan News-Herald
Emergency repairs on a
bridge near Plymouth have
resulted in northbound traf
fic on Highway 45 in Wash
ington County being re-rout
ed across the Sound Bridge
into Chowan - and all the
way across Chowan County
on l .S. 17 into Bertie.
Highway 45, a major thor
oughfare connecting Ber
tie County to Washington
County, was dosed on the
afternoon of Jan. 7 due ter the
emergency bridge repairs.
According to information
sent via email by the N.C.
Department of TYansporta
tion, at this time there Is no
6
0
e®»K#ridi dir
openiitfitto^te&ietffic.
Tlie bridge, which was
constructed in 1967 and Ls 1<>
rated just south of die Three
Rivers Bridge at the Bertie
Washington County line,
spans Conaby Creek north
of Plymouth.
N.C. IK»T ix-tfonned ;ui
inspection of the bridge and
determined that it should lie
closed to traffic immediately
while crews make emergen
cy repairs to the structure.
1’lims ;tre currently being
develop'd for the necessary
work.
Motorists are advised to
use caution white traveling
in the area, seek alternate
routes ;uid to expect delays.
N.(IX fl' reminds motorists
to watch signs for construc
tion information, stay alert
and oliey the posted speed
limit.
For travel information,
visit the Travel section of the
NCDOT website, call 511, or
follow NCLXJT on Twitter.
County mulls farmland care program
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Chowan County officials tire con
sidering a proposal to work with Mt.
< )live I 'niversity on a plan for preserv
ing fannland ;uul forest in the county.
(Irace Ltwrence, coordinator of
the Kami and Forest Preservation
Program at the Mt. Olive l'niversity
Business Center, spoke to the Chow
;ui Board of (’ommissioners about the
program at the commissioners’ Jan. a
meeting.
The program is offered at no cost
to the county and includes a survey
of the current state of agriculture in
the county ;md recommendations
for preserving farmland and family
owned forest.
Chowan already has in place a Vol
untary Agriculture District, which is
.mother tool for farmland protection
or preservation.
Katy Shook, Chowan's interim
extension director, told the commis
sioners that both the Board of the
Commissioners and the Voluntary Ag
riculture District Board would need
to authorize tire Mt. Olive program to
proceed with the work on the plan.
The commissioners said they
would wait for the Voluntary Agricul
ture District Board to vote on the pro
posal before hiking their own vote.
The development of the plan in
volves identifying challenges to fam
ily farms and forests and then iden
tifying kumland preservation tools,
Diwrence said.
()ne potential benefit of the plan
is that some grant programs assign a
higher priority to counties that have a
See FARMLAND, 2A
Fund balance continues growth in 2013-14
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Chowan County grew its financial
reserves by morn than $7(K),(KK) dur
ing the most recent fiscal year.
That information was part of a pre
sentation by a representative of Mar
tin Starnes & Assixiates during the
Jan. 5 meeting of the Chowan Connt.y
B< >at (1 of Commissioners.
The county received an 'uninodi
fied opinion' or dean opinion in the
report of die audit for the fiscal year
that ended June 30, 2014.
Much of till' conmiLssioners' focus
in receiving the audit report is on
fund balance, which is generally ac
cepted as a bellwether of overall fis
cal soundness.
The available fund balance at June
30,2013 was $5,107,715. As of June 30
of last year that figure had increased
by $895,17(1 to $0,002,891.
The increase in the fund balance
for general fund only - not the “con
solidated" figure used by the state’s
1/ x al (1< >\ eminent Commission - was
$710,(XX).
The available fund baliuice is 41.2
percent of expenditures. That’s well
See BALANCE, 2A
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