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EDENTON NC 27932-1854
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Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Partnership seeks second grocery store
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Edenton Chowan Partnership
Executive Director Frank Miglo
rie pledged during Monday night’s
town council work session that
the nonprofit would leave no
stone unturned in trying to resolve
the issue of only having one gro
cery store to serve the people of
Chowan County.
Miglorie said that one of the
strongest options for the commu
nity at this point was to identify a
site where a freestanding grocery
store built apart from either of the
town’s existing shopping centers
could be constructed, and then
work to attract another grocery
chain to open there.
“We need to be proactive,” he
said. “It’s an important outcome
we want to achieve.”
ThM shouldn’t be too difficult,
Miglorie said, since before Food
Lion inked a deal to occupy the
former Fanner’s Foods store at
Chowan Crossing Shopping Cen-'
ter, other chains had expressed
interest in locating there.
“This (building a freestanding
store) is something we do have
control over,” Miglorie told the
council. “We’re trying to respond
to (the situation) in ways that are
available to as.”
The situation to which Miglo
rie referred is that while Food
Lion has a contract to move to
Chowan Crossing, it will continue
to remain at its current location at
Edenton Village Shopping Center
until the new location is ready for
See SECOND STORE, 2A
STAFF PHOTO BY
REGGIE PONDER
Frank Miglorie,
executive
director of
the Edenton
Chowan
Partnership,
discusses the
issue of retail
“leakage" in
the grocery
industry
- money local
residents
spend on
groceries at
stores outside
their county -
at an Edenton
Town Council
meeting
Monday.
Residents call for ‘transparency’ from Food Lion
STAFF PHOTO BY REGGIE PONDER
* '
This building in Edenton's Chowan Crossing Shopping Center, which previously housed the Farmer’s Foods
grocery store, has been leased by Food Lion. The company says it plans to relocate Its existing Edenton
store to this site, near exit 227 off U.S. Highway 17.
■i
panned FOODS
. !
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
In a community known
for an 18-century tea
boycott by 51 women,
more than 375 people have
joined a social media move
ment calling for a boycott of
the Edenton Food Lion.
Local residents Lisa Bak
er and Tommy White have
worked together in setting
up the page on Facebook.
Their specific proposal is
that local residents not shop
at Food Lion on Wednes
days.
Some shoppers have
vowed to take their busi
ness elsewhere, altogether.
The two are troubled by
the company’s reluctance to
provide inforniation about
its plans for the current
store location at Edenton
Village shopping center af
ter it relocates across town
to the Chowan Crossing
space formerly occupied by
Fanner’s Foods.
In particular, they are dis
turbed by the possibility that
Food Lion might continue to
control the Edenton Village
site in an attempt to keep a
competitor from opening a
store there.
Food Lion spokeswoman
Christy Phillips-Brown,
asked about the public’s ex
pressions of frustration and
about the company’s future
plans for the Edenton Vil
lage site, issued the follow
ing statement:
“We remain in discussion
with town officials about
Food Lion in the Edenton,
N.C., community and are
committed to continuing
this dialogue as we work to
provide great service at our
current store, make plans
for- our new location and
better understand the future
needs of the Edenton com
munity for the current site
we occupy. Given that these
discussions have.just begun,
it’s too early to speculate on
the outcome of the conver
sations. We want to assure
the community that we are
See RESIDENTS, 2A
Steinburg to chair House Agriculture Committee
BY PETER WILLIAMS
The Perquimans Weekly
Rep. Bob Steinburg (R
Chowan) has been named
ehainnan of the House ag
riculture committee and a
membra of six ot hers.
The appointments were
made Monday.
Tlie last local lawmaker
to head the agriculture com
mittee was Vernon James
who served in Raleigh from
1945 to 1949 and then again
from 1973 to 1995. James
started in agriculture as
young boy on lus family’s
farm in Weeksville in Pas
quotank County. He died in
2002 at the age of 92.
"This is an appointment I
asked for above ail others,”
Steinburg said of the agri
culture appointment. “This
wasn't just something I got
at random.”
Steinburg said he hopes
to use tiie position to help
tla‘ state’s farmers, especial
ly those in the northeastern
part of the state. 1 Lis district
includes Camden, Chowan,
Currituck, Pasquotank, Per
quimans, and Tyrrell coun
ties.
“What I am focused on,
;uid have been even as vice
chairman, is trying to see if
we can get some process
ing facilities here for all the
tilings that we grow here. As
“What I am focused on, and have been even
as vice chairman, is trying to see
STEINBURG
if we can get some processing
facilities here for ait the things
that we grow here."
Rep. Bob Steinburg
Chowan (R)
chairman I may be able to
have a little bigger say and
can help market the area.
"It (the chairmanship)
opens doors. 1 can talk
about ;ill the wonderful
things about this region. We
c;ui grow almost anything
here. If there is a demand
for a certain product, we
can grow it.”
“As chairman I can be a
voice for the fanners, for
burners in District I and for
fanners across the state. I’d
like to meet with them a!
least on a quarterly basis.”
Steinburg was already
scheduled to be in Perqui
mans County Feb. 6 to tour
area schools.
"Perquimans County has
always been very kind to
me," he said.
Steinburg is serv ing in Iris
second term, and held the
vice chairman’s role in his
fust term.
In addition to agricul
ture, Steinburg will serve
on committees dealing with
Commerce and Job De
vel< >pment, Environment,
Fin'ance, Judiciary 1, Trans
portation, and Wildlife Re
sources.
“These committee assign
merits mean I will be work
ing closely on the Issues
most important to our area’’
said Steinburg. “Agricul
ture is the most important
industry in our state, and
1 am committed to serve
as a friend of the farmer.
From fighting to restore
the Historic Preservation
Tax Credit on the Finance
Committee to implementing
policies that will attract new
jobs on the Commerce and
Job Development Commit
tee, few committees are as
important to the job growth
our area needs as these.
“I am especially glad to
See COMMITTEE, 3A
Council holds on housing regs
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Those interested in see
ing whether the town will
adopt new rules regarding
multi-family housing will
have to wait a wliile longer
for an answer.
The town council at its
Jan. 13 meeting was unable
to reach a consensus on
8 907 6* 44 813*
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
the plan that would remove
“multi-family dwelling" as a
permitted use in the R-40,
R-20, R-14 and R-10 zoning
districts and would pro
liibit multi-family units of
three or more in the town’s
downtown commercial/his
torie district.
The issue first came be
fore the eoiuicil at its Dec.
9, 2014 meeting and was ta
bled so that more fact-find
ing and discussion could
take place.
Following some heated
discussion among coun
cil members at the Jan. 13
meeting tluit was not lead
ing to a clear-out consensus
on tlie issue, Mayor Roland
Vaughan asked for a motion
that the council go back to
the town’s planning board
and share its concerns.
“We clearly need some
language of a different
type," the mayor said.
“What I’m hearing Ls, we’re
still not ready (to vote)-”
In a memo to town coun
cil members prior to the
meeting, Town Manager
Anne-Marie wrote, “Fol
lowing up on tiie proposed
text amendment you tablet!
See HOUSING, 3A
Jackson proposes academies
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Superintendent Rob Jackson unveiled
a proposal Monday tl\at would establish a
series of student academies at Joltn A. Hol
mes High School.
His plan, shared with the school board
during its annual retreat, would establish
academies in several different curriculum
areas starting wit It a STEM Academy, a
Public Safety Academy, a Health Academy
and a Public Safety Academy.
“It’s really taking wliat we have tutd using
it in a new way,” Jackson explained. “These
art' areas tliat would be exciting to yoiutg
people.”
'flte superintendent said the idea would
JACKSON
meet a number of needs,
including a way to halt sta
tistics that show gradua
tion rates fire 10 percent to
12 percent lower for teen
age boys than for girls.
“Here’s the opportunity
for us to do something
about that,” Jackson told
the board.
He pointed out, for example, that many
boys are typically drawn to job opportuni
ties in such fields as law enforcement and
firefighting. Offering programs that would
result in skills learned and the chance
to gain certification would benefit them,
See ACADEMIES, 3A
5
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