P8/C8 I, ?r.. 002 AO2 1 j A <c., EDENTONNC 27932.,S54 / Wednesday, November 11, 2015 Albemarle Magazine. inside NEXT WEEK 482-4418 Board, county weigh options for high school BY REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer During a joint meeting Monday night the school board and county com missioners considered a variety of scenarios for improving conditions for students attending John A. Holmes High School. Those included rehab bing the current school built in the 1950s or considering other pos sible sites for the school including adjacent to Chowan Middle School. Architect Jim Copeland of Moseley Architects in Morrisville said that more often now school sys tems are moving toward a trend of locating more than one public school at adjoining sites. Copeland, whose firm in 2008 conducted a fea sibility study that looked at possible plans for ini provements at Holmes at its current location, said that many school sys tems are now using build ings that house grades 6-12 at adjoining loca tions perhaps because of the economy. He^added that modern, telhnol ogy-driven classrooms have a need for different room configurations than their predecessors to be used to their best advan tage prompting the move toward building new schools. Commissioner Keith Nixon questioned wheth er building a new school for a dwindling student population was the best use of the county’s mon ey. “I still keep going back to the question, do you need a whole new school,” he said, “or is See HIGH SCHOOL, 3A Battle of the Bands blAht- HHUIU tJY KtBECCA BUNCH Members of the Perquimans County High School Marching Pirates Flag Corps perform during Saturday's rescheduled Edenton-Chowan Peanut Festival Battle of the Bands. Moved inside the gym at John A. Holmes High School due to rainy weather the event nevertheless drew a nice crowd from area counties. The annual event, sponsored by the Edenton-Chowan Band Parents Association, was postponed from its original Oct. 3 date due to the threat posed by a hurricane approaching the area. Results from the competition will be published in next week’s Chowan Herald. County to end water softening at plant ■ State officials order changes to ensure compliance with groundwater standards From staff reports Chowan County soon will begin phasing out its water-softening process at the Valhal la Water TYeatment PI tint in order to comply with state groundwater quality standards. The county softeas Hie water at the treat ment plant. But in order to comply with a recent mandate from the Division of Water Resources, the county must discontinue soft ening the water. Beginning Dec. 1, the county will gradually start to reduce softening the water. All soft ening of the water will he stopped by March 1, 2016, in order to comply with the North Carolina Groundwater Standards. Hard water Ls safe to drink so softening of the water is not required by the EPA. Among key points noted by county offi cials: • Water will be safe to think • Water supplied will be much harder • Soap will not lather as well. Customers can elect to use the water as provided or can install a home water soft ener or other type of treatment system. Additional information will be provided with customer water bills. By Permit from the State of North Carolina, tlie Valhalla Water Treatment plant's soften ing system has operated without a discharge to the Chowan River. Instead, the treatment plant has collected brine, a byproduct of soft ening, in a lagoon that has seeped into the groundwater. The groundwater has been im pacted by the chlorides in the brine, and now because of changing groundwater standards the N.C. Division of Water Restnirces - Water Quality Regional Operations Section has or dered the Chowan County Water Treatment Plant to cease softening operations until an alternative treatment can be built that will not increase chloride levels in the ground See SOFTENING, 4A Officials still seeking second grocery store BY REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer The search for a second grocery in Edenton goes on. Last nigiit Edenton Chowan Partnership Executive Director Frank Miglorie updated members of the town council during their regular montlily meriting on efforts by the ECP to secure a second gnx ery store for the community. He said that given the length of time tliat the search lias continued those involved — the ECP, Elec tricities and Town Manager Anne Marie Knighton — believe hiring a 0 ©2009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved specialized marketing consultant who focuses on grocery chains would be a positive step. Miglorie confirmed tiiat Ills of fice lias had ongoing discussions with tiie Gemini Group that man ages the Edenton Village Shop ping Center. He said a contact within the Gemini organization had reaffirmed the interest of sev eral grocery chains in the location currently occupied by Food Uon. However, he said, he has learned that Food Lion recently signer! to renew its least* at the site. “We’ve had no indication from them tiiat tiiey are going to relin quish their hold on the present site,” Miglorie said He said that when ECP officials have been in contact with Food lion representatives and raised the issue, Food Lion lias refused to respond Miglorie added tluit efforts to interest a grocery retailer in build ing a store m the community have so far not met with success. He said that Jennings Gray of ElectiCities, who is assisting the ECP in the search, had reached out to Carlie ("s IGA, a Wake County base<i operation that watited the building Fcxxl Lion currently (x* cupies. “They had expressed interest in coining to Edenton but when they found out they would have to build a store here, they barked off," Miglorie said. He said that those working to secure a second grocery store for Edenton liad also been in touch with Wal-Mart regarding its small town grocery operation. “We learned they are still inter ested in Edenton but have no sjx* cific plans at this time,” he said. Miglorie said that the market consultant tiiat would be lured would lx* experienced m attract ing grocery stores to small com munities like Edenton. He said funding from Electricities would be sought to pay for the position should die town council approve the idea Miglorie added that should those working on this project succeed in attracting a grocery chain that would welcome the op portunity for a freestanding store, the ECP has identified a three- to four-acre trad inside the town limits on die north side of Broad Street owned by two specific landowners who have indicated they would be willing to sell if it would help the town attract a sec ond grocery store*. “So far they’ve lieen very coop erative,” Miglorie said. Students could get new role with board BY REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer Students may one day have a greater voice in the Edenton C’howan Schools. That influence could come from a proposal the school board is considering that would create a student advisory council at John A. Holmes High School and perhaps name a couple of students to sit on the school board in an ex-officio capacity — not ;is voting members but as advisors to the board members on , particular issues. Superintendent I Rob Jackson told [the school board at its Nov. 3 monthly meeting that two area school sys tems — Currituck JACKSON and Camden — al ready utilize the advice and input of students on their school boards. Jackson told the board he felt the involvement of students would allow for “a richer discussion” of issues that come before it. Jackson said that the students’ presence would allow for new and different perspectives as well See NEW ROLE, 3A EOCKWrHOCK FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4th, 7:00PM Tiek«ts $10.00 V m U W^E.A. SWAIN ^AUDITORIUM ilENTOH, M E SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5th, 7:00PM Tickets Available at various locations or call 252-221-4875 or 252-340-3438. Email rockyhock opry@live.com

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