P8/C8****-‘CAR-RT LOT * * C u02 D0112 l"lll,lll,llll,,|'l,|l,,ll,|||l||||1|.|'|||l||l|.|,|l|l..l|.l|.l SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY 106 W WATER ST EDENTON NC 27932-1854 482-4418 5QC Wednesday, June 29, 2016 HOME GAMES I \mt; K'S i 11 :•(, July 1 vs Peninsula Pilots (Kids Run the Bases. Open Door Church Night) July 2 vs Wilson Tobs (Post Game Fireworks, Military Appreciation Night) July 6 vs Gastonia Grizzlies (Wayback Wednesday: Big Hit Country of the 80's, 99.3 The Bull Night) Meeting planned to explain wind permit process BY REGGIE PONDER Editor Chowan County staff will hold an informational meet ing in a couple of weeks to explain to the public the process for .considering the conditional use permit application for the Timbermill Wind Project The project, proposed by Char lottesville, Va-based Apex Clean Energy Inc., would be a utility scale wind energy generation fa cility in Chowan and Perquimans counties. The company also has filed a permit application with Perqui mans County. The Chowan County Board of Commissoners is expected to hold its hearing on the CUP application in late August The exact date had not been set as of this week, main ly because the county has not yet hired the consulting firm that will review the application from Apex. The commissioners are expected to vote on hiring the consultant at their meeting Monday night. The Chowan County Planning Board is slated to meeting on the CUP application July 26-27. The planning board meeting will include a presentation by Apex, comment from the public, and dis cussion by the board. The planning board discussed See PERMIT, 4A PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB HOPKINS This close-up photo shows missing portions of the covering over the Fresnel lens that traditionally I rested atop I the historic ft 1886 | Roanoke P River £ Lighthouse. H Repairs p will need Ifr to be made || before the | lens can j be installed | which will soon be on display at the Historic Edenton Historic Site Visitor Center in Edenton. [ PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB HOPKINS i Madison Phillips with the [ Fresnel lens belonging to the | historic 1886 Roanoke River ■ Lighthouse. Custody of the lens ’ was officially transferred to the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. The lens will remain on permanent display at the Historic Edenton Historic Site Visitor Center in Edenton until such time as it can be reinstalled atop the lighthouse. Town transfers lighthouse lens to state BY REBECCA BUNCH Staff writer The town council voted unanimously at its June 14 regular monthly meeting to transfer custody of the Fresnel lens that is part of the historic 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse to the North Carolina Depart ment of Cultural Resources. As the department’s agent, Bob Hopkins, who manages all the state-owned historic properties in the community including the lighthouse, will oversee the cre ation of a display at the Historic Edenton Visitor Center so that the public can have the opportu nity to view it up close. Madison Phillips of Edenton will create a base to support the lens while it remains on display, as Hopkins said in an April 29 memo to Town Manager Anne-Marie Knighton. “We would like to place the Fresnel (currently in storage on town property) on exhibit here at the Historic Edenton State Historic Site Visitor Center,” Hopkins wrote. “Madison will construct a base unit to support the Fresnel and we would be delighted to exhibit the artifact within the ‘cross-over’ area here at the Visitor Center for Edenton’s visitors to see,” he continued. “Of course, our goal would be to install the Fresnel into the Lighthouse whenever appropriate.” Knighton responded with an April 29 note back to Hopkins saying that she would assist in the endeavor. “It has always been the town council’s intention to officially donate the lens to the State,” Knighton said in her reply. The lens in question is of French origin and dates back to 1888. No tax increase on town budget BY REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer The town council on a 5-1 vote Monday night adopted the proposed 2016-2017 town budget ordinance. It contains no tax increase, keeping the property tax rate at 38.5 cents per $100 of property valuation. Councilman Steve Biggs, who chairs the finance com mittee for the council, cast the sole “no” vote. He did not offer a reason and attempts to reach him after the meet ing were unsuccessful. See BUDGET, 4A Vandais strike bus garage From staff reports Vandals have struck at the county’s school bus garage. During the early morning hours of June 25, unknown persons slashed the tires of numerous school buses that were parked inside the fenced area of the bus ga rage located at 218 Dicks Street in Edenton, accord ing to police. MORE INSIDE ■ Recent reports of vandal ism - 2A This is the second inci dent involving this type of senseless vandalism that has occurred in the last several weeks, according to Edenton Police Chief Jay See VANDALISM, 4A Steinburg: Restrictive wind law not likely to pass BY PETER WILLIAMS The Perquimans Weekly A bill that would severely limit new wind power proj ects in the state will not be come law this year, predicts Rep. Bob Steinburg. The N.C. Senate passed the Military Operatioas Protection Act on Monday with the support of Sea Bill 6 0 ©2009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved STEINBURG Cook. It still has to be ap proved by the House. Stein burg said the bill was pitched to the Senate as a pro-nuiiiary .measure designed to protect the vi alrility of military bases and training in the state. How ever he said a map used to convince Senators to sup port tiie bill was inappro priate and the Department of Defense already lias a system in place to deal with 7 can't support this bill, regardless of where I am on wind energy and solar energy. The fact of the matter is this bill (HB 763) was presented and sold under false pretenses and those that passed it didn't have all the facts. The fact is ethically knowing what I know, I can't support a bill going over to the house that was not properly vetted." Bob Steinburg Rep., N.C. General Assembly wind power projects. energy,” Steinburg said Fri “I can't support this bill, day. "Hie fact of the mat regardless of where 1 am ter is this bill (HB 763) was on wind energy and solar presented and sold under false pretenses and those that passed it didn’t have all the facts. The fact is ethi cally knowing what I know, I can’t support a bill going over to the house that was not properly vetted. “I do, not flunk HB 763 will be considered in its present form. It’s not going to happen. Some of HB 763 may be turned into a study where all the stakeholders have a seat at tire table.” Sen. Cook maintains that more rules are needed. “In several cases, NC coastal wind energy devel opment has come in direct conflict with preserving and protecting North Carolina’s military installations and their mission of maintaining the operation of NC military bases,” Cook said last week in an e-mail. Both Steinburg and Cook agree that there have been issues regarding airspace for Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro. However Steinburg rejects that idea that the U.S. Coast Guard in Elizabeth City would be impacted by pro poser! wind projects. One Perquimans resident made See WIND, 4A COME TO IDENTON’S WATERFRONT EAT DINNER AND ENJOY p _ i -lh . , , NORTH CAROLINA'S LARGEST Fabulous 4th of July "Over the Water fireworks Show” 37th ANNUAL Entertainment by DJ COWBOY (Adam Evans) of Edenton MECHANICAL BULL RIDING T LOTS OF FOOD, FUN, CRAFTS, RAFFLES AND GAMES FOR CHILDREN!!! Please Support Our Fabulous 4th of July WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL HELP! MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO CHOWAN EDENTON OPTIMIST CLUB 108 Meadow Lark Dr., Edenton NC 27932 IRS Tax Exempt ID # available upon request