A T TA
P8/CB* * * • » .rAR „.P
f L0T**C 002 A0116
™^ERDPRUDENL'B^Ry ,l111""
106 W WATER ST
EDENTON NC 27932-1854
482-4418
Wednesday, September 30, 201 5
50*
Town approves reduced electric rates
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
The Edenton Town
Council voted unanimous
ly Sept. 8 to lower town
customers’ monthly cost
for utilities.
“Everybody wants to
second that motion,” not
ed Councilman Sambo
Dixon after the vote.
The reduced retail rates
stem from the town’s sav
ings on wholesale elec
tricity costs in the wake
of a sale of N.C. Eastern
Municipal Power Agency
power generation assets
to Duke Progress Energy.
The plan follows a rec
ommendation from con
sultants for Raleigh-based
Booth & Booth Associates
LLC that the town estab
lish an average 9.4 percent
reduction for its custom
ers with those rates ex
pected to remain steady
for the next three years,
Town Manager Anne-Ma
rie Knighton said.
“You all wanted rate
stability,” she reminded
the council.
According to basic ser
vice rates approved by
the council at the meeting
for the town’s estimated
3,300 residential custom
ers, a basic residential
customer charge of $10.45
per month has been estab
lished effective Sept. 15
plus an energy charge of
$0.11350 to calculate each
customer’s bill.
According to town of
ficials, the rate change
will be reflected in utility
bills customers receive on
or after Oct. 10. Informa
tion concerning the new
rates will be posted on the
town’s website, they said.
Utility Director Glenn
Andersen said that small
commercial businesses,
public housing and in
dustrial power customers
should also see a reduc
tion in their rates on aver
age of about the same 9.4
percent reduction that will
be enjoyed by the town’s
residential customers.
According to town offi
cials, this marks the first
time that electric rates
charged to local custom
ers have changed since
2009.
Aces Win Big At Homecoming
THE DAILY ADVANCE
Edenon defeated Pasquotank 50-22 on the Aces’ Homecoming night. See story page 7 A.
Tax credit no
dealbreaker
for Timbermill
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor /
A representative of the company developing
the Timbermill Wind Energy Project said this
week that not having the state’s renewable energy
tax credit available would not stymie the project’s
progress.
“We’ve never counted on the state renewable
energy tax credit for this project,” said Kevin
Chandler of Apex Clean Energy Inc.
The General Assembly recently opted not to ex
tend the state’s renewable energy tax credit.
The proposed Timbermill project, a utility scale
wind energy generation facility that would be
built on farmland and Weyerhauser timberland
along the Chowan-Perquimans line, has generated
controversy in Chowan County largely because of
an amendment to the wind energy ordinance in
2013 that increased the allowable height of wind
turbines to 600 feet.
A citizens group has obtained more than 600
signatures calling for a “protective wind energy
ordinance” that would include such restrictions
as a 35-decibel noise limit, a property value guar
antee and a one-mile setback from non-participat
ing properties.
Although county officials have for the most part
rejected the proposed restrictions, last week the
county commissioners adopted a slightly modi
fied version of one of the proposals - a $50,000
escrow account to cover county costs related to
the project .
hi addition to the controversy over aesthetics,
public health concerns and properly values, there
also has been some controversy in the community
over the role of tax credits in the development of
the project.
But the state tax credit lias ended, and any local
concessions on property tax have yet to be negoti
See TAX CREDIT, 4A
Albemarle, Carolina Classic merge
From staff reports
E( lent on Boat works LL( ’
has announced the merger
of its two boat building
brands, Albemarle and
Carolina ('lassie. The new
company will be called A)
bemarle Boats, The Caro
lina Classic.
Company officials ex
plained that ;ill employer's
were being retained - and
employment applications
are being accepted - in what
they are calling "an exciting
time for Albemarle Boats.”
Albemarle Boats will take
full advantage of the com
bined bO-plus ye;irs of boat
building experience and his
tory to form a new company
with a fresh product offer
ing based on the most suc
cessful and best performing
models. “We have taken
great care to preserve the
integrity and history of both
brands by combining the
logos and marketing styles
of the companies into a
new, but recognizable look,"
states President Dell Mur
phy. The hook that formed
the C in the Carolina Classic
logo is joined with the tradi
tional script and blue marlin
from the Albemarle logo to
create the company's new
logo.
The focus of the new ven
turi1 is to build t)\e liighest
quality Express sportfish
ing boats on the market,
nuiging in size from '!■> feet
to 41 feet. The smaller ves
sels, the 2.r>, 27, and a brand
new 2!t Express, will be
offered with twin Yarmiha
outboards. Those boats w ill
be sleek, fast, and efficient.
Tlie 32,31), and 41 Expresses
will be powered by inboard
diesels and will combine
superior fishability with
the amenities of home. The
entire line of Albemarle Ex
presses will provide1 a soft,
See MERGER, 4A
Fair Fun
f i$j|; Th,e Rocky Hock
LIONS CLUB
"We Serve’”
o iMr I" rnu I Uo
BY REGGIE PONDER
The Edenton Lions
Club, Rocky Hock
Lions Club and
John A. Holmes
High School Leo
Club joined forces
; during the Chowan
\ County Regional
Fair to raise funds
for the clubs'
efforts on behalf of
| visually impaired
| persons. Pictured
(l-r) are John Guard
of the Edenton
Lions Club, Whitney
Cranford of the Leo
Club and Frances
i Jordan of the Rocky
I Hock Lions Club.
Rachel’s Challenge’ this week
By Michelle Maddox
Students, parents and
community members are
invited to join the Eden
ton-Chowan Schools this
week in a community event
known as Rachel’s Chal
lenge.
'flte school system Ls
■■■ II HvliH||l* I" '' 111 'I
*8 9076 44 813*
«J2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
partnering with Trillium
NC to offer this program to
help address the growing
problem of bullying, st udent
Isolation, and teen suicide.
"Through powerful presenta
tions, tnunings, community
events and professional de
velopment, Rachel’s C’tial
lenge provides the sustain
able solution.
Presentations will be pro
vided for students at John
A. Holmes High School on
Sept. 30. and for seventh
and eighth-grade students
at Chowan Middle School
on Oct. 1.
A free community event
will tx1 held on Thursday,
Oct. 1, at 6 p.m. in the .John
A. Holmes High School
Gymnasium. "Oils event is /
not recommended for chil
dren under the age of 11.
Students, parents and com
munity members ar e invited
to attend.
Based on the life and
writings of Rachel Scott,
the first victim of the Col
umbine School tragedy in
See 'CHALLENGE', 4A
This model
of Somerset
Plantation,
crafted by
Teddy Phelps
of Creswell,
won Best
of Show
honors at
the Chowan
County
Regional
Fair. See
more fair
coverage on
page 3A, IB.
EDENTON MOTORS PRESENTS
40th ANNUAL
PEANUT FESTIVAL 6
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Sat., October 3rd
John A Holmes
Athletic Complex
CHICKBU/BEQ PLATES 11AM-2PM & 4-7PM
$9.00PER PLATE, BY LEON NIXON CATERING
Competition Begins 2pm / $8 peh person. Kias under 10 free / Fun/Games 10am-2pm