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106 W WATER ST
EDENTON NC 27932-1854
482-4418
weanesday, April 1, 2015
50*
School, county to talk facilities, budget
BY REBECCA BUNCH
AND REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writers
A much-anticipated joint
meeting of the Edenton
Chowan Board of Educa
tion and Chowan County
Board of Commissioners is
less than two weeks away.
Edenton-ChowanSchools
Superintendent Rob Jack
son announced Friday that
a joint meeting between
the county commissioners
and school board has neen
scheduled for April 13 at
9:30 am. at the Shepard
Pruden Memorial Library.
“The county manager has
asked that I draft an agenda
and send it to him to work
on,” Jackson said.
Jackson said he planned
to ask that a review of the
county’s finances be in
cluded among the agenda
items. He also indicated
his hope was that the two
boards would work toward
creating a multi-year plan
to address capital needs
and other issues. He said he
hoped the plan would cover
a three-year period.
School board member Gil
Burroughs said he felt part
of the conversation should
be sharing the history of the
two boards and their previ
ous relationship. Burroughs
said judging by comments
he has heard from some
of the commissioners it is
clear to him that some “mis
conceptions” currently exist
that need to be dealt with.
“I think we need to under
stand their position and they
need to understand ours,”
Burroughs said. “I don’t
know how we can clear that
hurdle.”
School board member
Ricky Browder agreed there
were issues to be worked
through so that real prog
ress could occur.
See TO TALK, 3A
Officials
zoom in
on jobs,
growth
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The Chowan County
Board of Commission
ers at its planning re
treat March 19 agreed on
several goals involving
economic development,
population growth and
infrastructure, and took
initial steps toward a five
year plan to grow and
strengthen the county.
The commissioners
touched on a number of
points in a brief brain
storming session led by
facilitators from the Rural
Economic Development
Division Of the N.C. De
partment of Commerce.
They indicated they would
like to develop a five-year
plan and reach consensus
on some key issues.
A high-tech workiorce
and local schools as a
magnet to draw people to
the community were held
up as goals. It also was
agreed that as much as
possible there should be
a timeframe established
for projects.
In further discussion,
the commissioners talked
about balancing heritage
preservation with growth,
taking a do-it-yourself ap
proach at the local level,
and having a welcoming
attitude toward new resi
dents of the community.
Other topics touched
on during the planning
retreat were the water
system and the need to
address an aging infra
structure; consolidation
of facilities; regional
partnership and coopera
tion; water quality as it
relates to recreation and
economic development;
recreation and senior
citizens; funding for ag
ricultural extension; and
accountability for local
See ZOOM IN, 4A

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STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
The downtown building that houses the Taylor Theater is for sale. The owner, who lives in Connecticut, says he
intends to be “an aggressive seller" who would love to see a local person or group purchase the town’s movie theater.
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
The building that houses
the Taylor Theater is for
sale.
Dr. Mike Montartaro of
Connecticut, who owns the
building, confirmed Sunday
afternoon that he is trying to
find a buyer for the historic
1925 building.
Bob Krochmal, who owns
and manages the movie the
ater business itself, said he
would love to see someone
local buy the building.
Montan
aro agreed.
He said he
realized the
importance
of having
the movie
theater in
the com
munity’s
MONTANARO
downtown and would love
to see it purchased by some
one who felt the same way.
“I’m so far away and I’d
love to have somebody who
lives in the town buy it,” he
said.
Montanaro said he
planned to be “an aggres
sive seller”. He said he paid
$350,000 for the building 10
to 12 years ago.
“I think Edenton is a
charming town with a great
history and it just appealed
to me,” he said.
When asked what he
might find an acceptable
purchase price today, he of
fered a ballpark estimate of
$260,000.
Montanaro said he had
already contacted Charlie
Creighton of Colony Tire
to see if he might have afly
interest in purchasing the
property. It was Creighton's
company that contributed
heavily to a community
fundraising effort to pur
chase digital projection
equipment a few years ago
to enable the movie theater
to stay open. ~
Creighton confirmed tjje
conversation but said he
told Montanaro he wasn’t
interested.
“I’m not going to buy it,”
Creighton said. “I have no
interest in buying it.”
Schools seek alternative space
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Chowan County and the
Edenton-Chowan Schools
are looking for a way to save
die school district more dian
$40,000 a year on office rent.
During the county com
missioners’ planning retreat
on May 19, Edenton-Chow
an Schools Superintendent
Rob Jackson mendoned the
upcoming expiration of the
lease at the school system’s
6'"■8 9 076*44 813”'0
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
current administrative of
fice. He said the school sys
tem would prefer to occupy
county-owned space and not
have to pay rent for offices.
'Hie schools currently pay
$42,000 a year to rent the
office space on West Queen
Street.
County Manager Kevin
Howard said tire only coun
ty-owned space available
right now that might accom
modate the school system’s
administrative offices would
be the old D.F. Walker Build
ing. But Howard added it
probably would take at least
six months to get that facility
ready for tire school system
to house its offices there.
Commissioner Emmett
Winbome said the Ag Exten
sion Building could accom
modate the school offices.
Jackson said that site
would be convenient to all
the schools.
Howard noted space at
the Ag Extension Building
would not become vacant
until filter the departure of
the Edenton Police Depart
ment from the Public Safety
Center, wliich Ls expected
sometime next year. County
and school officials are ex
pected to continue discuss
ing the options over the next
several months.
In the meantime, school
officials likely will seek a
short-term renewal of the
current lease.
TIP funds freeway upgrades
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The long-term vision of an interstate
connecting Raleigh with Norfolk, Va.,
got a boost in the state’s draft Trans
portation Improvement Program with
the inclusion of nearly $13 million to
upgrade a stretch of U.S. 17 in Chow
an County to interstate highway stan
dards.
The proposed interstate is cham
pioned by Gov. Pat McCrory as part
of an economic development strategy
of strengthening ties between North
Carolina and the Hampton Roads area
of Virginia.
Another project billed as strength
ening the North Carolina-Hampton
Roads connection is the Currituck
Mid-County Bridge. The draft Tip in
cludes $374 million for work on the
bridge.
Planning and design is already
underway on that project, which is
scheduled for $86.8 million worth of
work in 2019, $84.8 million in 2020:
$81.6 million in 2021, $81.6 million
again in 2022, $13.1 million in 202$
and $13.1 million again in 2024 aitd
2025.
That leaves $65.8 million in project
funding not included in the 10-year
plan. - ••
The bulk of the Mid-County Bridge
funding - some $237.5 million - is
slated to come from bond proceeds.
As for the proposed interstate
highway linking Raleigh and Norfolk,
state and federal officials generally
have agreed that the new interstate
likely would be 25 years or more in
See TIP FUNDS, 4A
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