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^06 IV WATER ST N LIBrARY
edenton NC
27932-1854
482-4418
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Gospel
J singer
Lauren
Talley
bringing ,
message of
hope — 6B
50*
Staff begins work on school capital projects
STAFF PHOTO r
BY REGGIE PONDER [
The administrative j
team at Chowan M
Middle School stands I
next to one of two ft
new heating and I
cooling units that 1
have been installed j"
at the school’s gym. h
Pictured (l-r) are !
Assistant Principal fe
Phillip Gatling Sr., I
Assistant Principal I
Brenda Pate, and 1
Principal John H
Lassiter. §
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
| The Edenton-Chowan
Schools maintenance staff is
installing two new heating and
cooling units for the gym and
locker room at Chowan Middle
School to replace non-function
ing units at the site.
The estimated cost of the
project is $13,300. The mainte
nance staff has removed all of
the mechanical equipment and
j condenser units and Ls working
| on installing two new mini split
systems.
The non-functioning heating
and cooling units at the middle
school gym were a focal point
in public discussion of the
schools’ critical facility needs
this past spring among the
school board and county com
missioners.
The county commissioners
made an additional $400,000
available for school capital
needs in the fiscal year that
began July 1, bringing the total
capital outlay funding for the
year to $600,000.
While some capital needs
projects identified by the
Edenton-Chowan Schools for
completion in the current fiscal
year are now underway, oth
ers remain to be started. The
school system’s fiscal year runs
from June 30 through July 1.
Edenton-Chowan Schools
Maintenance Director Brad
Bass presented a status report
on the projects at the Aug. 4
monthly school board meeting.
“We’re trying to do as much
See PROJECTS, 2A
Shrimp, By The Bay
mmm
9P
THOMAS J TURNEY,'CHOWAN HERALD
Scott Noble (right) loads shrimp onto Phil Van Dongens plate Friday at Shrimp By the Bay, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
More than 200 people took
advantage of free tours of the
188ti Roanoke River Lighthouse
Friday for National Lighthouse
Day.
Touring the historic structure
on the water at Edenton wen1
172 adults and 41 children.
And the visitation appears to
be [tart of a larger trend of peo
ple coming to Edenton at least in
part to see the lighthouse.
Figures gathered by the Tour
ism Development Authority indi
cate that 38,297 visitors toured
Edenton in Fiscal Year 2011
201'), compared with 21,720 in
2013-2014 - an increase of 11,877
MORE INSIDE
■ Historical novel adds to aura of
Lighthouse Day - IB
■ Former lighthouse resident
returns for tour - IB
or a'Ci percent.
Chowan County Tourism De
velopment Authority Director
Nancy Nicholls said tins week
that while it’s not possible to at
tribute the entire increase abso
lutely to the addition of the light
house tours as an attraction, the
lighthouse certainly seems to
have been a big part of the trend
See LIGHTHOUSE, 4A
STAFF PHOTO BY
REGGIE PONDER
The 1886
Roanoke
River
Lighthouse
as it
appeared
Friday during
the National
Lighthouse
Day
observance.
Tax
credit
still
in play
■ Steinburg: Credit might
join revenue sharing bill
BY REGGIE PONDER
Edftor
A revised version of the
state’s historic preservation
tax credit is expected to be
back on the table this week
as House and Senate law
makers work to forge a bud
get agreement, according to
Rep. Bob Steinburg.
Steinburg, R-Chowan,
said Monday “there are a lot
of interesting things going
on” as legislators negotiate
the differences in detail and
policy between the House
and Senate versions of the
state budget and other key
pieces of legislation.
Steinburg said he has
been hearing that the Sen
ate might insert the historic
preservation tax credit into
a refashioned revenue shar
ing and economic incen
tives bill in order to increase
the likelihood of the Senate
plan’s being approved by
the House.
The historic preservation
tax credit has been used
across the state, but has
been especially popular in
Edenton - where historic
preservation has long been
recognized as a key piece of
the economic development
strategy.
Preservation NC Presi
dent Myrick Howard is con
tinuing to urge supporters
of the tax credit to stay in
touch with legislators.
"Thanks so much for your
help,” Howard said in a re
cent message to supporters
of the historic preservation
tax credit. “We need your
See TAX CREDIT, 4A
Deal final, town to
revisit electric rates
BY REBECCA BUNCH
AND JON HAWLEY
Staff Writers
The Edenton Town Coun
cil could vote to reduce the
town’s retail electric rates ;ls
early as next month.
Booth and Associates of
Raleigh is conducting a study
of the town’s existing retail
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
rates and will be milking rec
ommendation for changes
in the rates to reflect a re
cent wholesale power rate
decrease, iiccording to town
officials.
'I'lie North Carolina East
ern Municipal Power Agency
and Duke Energy Progress
announced on July 31 they
l\ad closed their liistoric
$1.25 billion deal which sells
NCEMPAls shares in four
power plants to Duke.
Besides locking the pow
er agency’s 32 members,
See DEAL FINAL, 4A
Kalbach stresses airport’s economic value
STAFF PHOTO BV REGGIE PONDER
Jim Kalbach, chairman of the Northeastern Regional Airport
Commission, speaks about the airport Monday night as part of the Harry
Rosenblatt Lecture Series at the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library.
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Jiin Kalbac'h’s pride in the Northeastern
Regional Airport was on full display in the
talk he gave Monday night as part of the
Harry Rosenblatt Lecture Series at the
Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library.
“Our airport is a real asset," said Kal
bach, who is chairman of the Northeastern
Regional Airport Commission
The airport Is a “jewel in the crown" of
economic development in the region, he
said.
“It is a jewel in the crown,” Kalbaeh said,
adding “I hope my successor is better at
getting jobs out there."
But Kalbach’s self-deprecating remark
aside, his presentation revealed just how
See AIRPORT, 2A
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