CHOWAN HERALD
482-4418
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2019
75$
ANNUAL
PROGRESS
AND REVIEW
EDITION
INSIDE
Proposed budget calls for half-a-cent tax increase
$28M county budget plangives
about $6M to public safety
BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON
Editor
The Chowan County Board of
Commissioners received the pro
posed budget — $28,684,635 —
for Fiscal Year 2019-2020 during
Monday’s meeting.
The proposed budget, which
would go into effect July 1 if ap
proved, calls for a half-cent tax
rate increase.
The general fund accounts for
PUBLIC FORUM
A public forum on the proposed bud
get for Fiscal Year 2019-2020 will be
held during the dune 3 meeting of the
Chowan County Board of Commission
ers. The meeting will be held at 6
p.m. at the Public Safety Building.
the majority of the proposed
budget — $15,970,840. Out of
that fund, public safety — sher
iffs office, 911 center, etc. — ac
counts for $5,928,006. Education
— school system, senior center,
library, etc. — accounts for
$4,593,006 of the general fund.
The Department of Social Ser
vices has a budget of $2,806,463;
EMS, $1,869,995; Water Depart
ment, $1,770,642; and Solid
Waste, $1,202,098.
The county’s proposed budget
includes $2,356,084 for debt ser
vice and $1,022,863 for the
school capital reserve fund.
County Manager Kevin
Howard said the proposed bud
get includes $151,285 for
salaries, a 3% increase from FY
2018-2019.
Board chair Patti Kersey
thanked Howard and the county
staff from providing more infor
mation on the budget this year.
“There’s lots more explanation.”
Howard noted that the next
step in the budget process would
be to hold a public hearing on the
proposed budget at the board’s
June 3 meeting. After the hear
ing, the commissioners can ap
prove the budget at their discre
tion.
Sheriff Dwayne Goodwin pre
sented Herman Weiss, the new
911 director, to the commission.
Weiss began his work with
Chowan County in 2010, before
splitting his time between
Chowan and Gates County,
where he served as the dis
patcher supervisor; Goodwin
hired him back full time earlier
this year.
“He’s been here for about 20
days, but he hit the ground run
ning,” Goodwin said.
Weiss has already made his
mark with the community, as
See BUDGET, A2
Memories of the Lady of Water Street
Gardener, historian Frances Inglis dies at age 90
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff Writer
F riday evening, I inter
viewed Frances Inglis
on her porch with her
daughter Susan along with
former county commissioner
John Mitchener, who helped
to arrange the meeting.
My intent was to learn
more about the Lady of Water
Street as well as some of the
history of Edenton and
Chowan County so that I
could write a tribute to her
life. I can still see Inglis’ intent
gaze as she answered my
questions while the warm
breeze blew from Edenton
Bay onto her porch at
Homestead, circa 1773.
I was shocked to hear of
Inglis’ passing Monday morn
ing at her home. Candidly, I’m
not sure how to write her
story, so bear with me as I
continue to process the news
and turn it int o prose.
Based on the best informa
tion available before our
Tuesday press deadline,
Inglis’ funeral is scheduled for
11 am. Satin-day at St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church.
From my own recollections
of Inglis as well as Friday’s in
terview, I can say with cer
tainty that she was a kind soul
who had a strong knowledge
of local people and places.
Many people held her in awe
as they spoke with her be
cause she had a formidable
grasp of time and place; quali
ties that become more rare as
people choose Oz over
Kansas. Our State magazine
even did a feature on her a
few years back about her
presence and place within the
town’s fabric.
Inglis was born in March
17, 1929, in Norfolk, Virginia,
and though she visited family
living in Edenton, she and
husband Ross settled in town
many decades ago and raised
a family.
During our conversation,
Inglis relayed how her fam
ily’s heritage is connected to
the Wood, Collins and
PHOTO COURTESY BAILEY YOUNG
FILE PHOTO MILES LAYTON/CHOWAN HERALD
NOTE
This is part of a series on
the Chowan River. The
next part will appear in
the May 29 edition of
the Chowan Herald.
Skinner families, which trace
their lineage back to the days
long ago when there was a
British flag flying over the
colonies. The Wood family
owned multiple plantations,
while the Collins family
owned Somerset Place in
Washington County. The
Skinners lived at Montpelier
on the Albemarle Sound,
three miles outside Edenton.
During the 11 o’clock Mass,
Inglis and her daughter often
sat in the front pews up to
ward the front of St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church, where her
grandfather Robert Drane
Clockwise from
left: This file photo
shows Frances
Inglis supporting
Blair Wood, an en
trepreneur from
White Oak Ele
mentary, who was
selling wrapping
paper to raise
money for field
trips and to win
herself a box of
prizes. Inglis sits
on one of the
porches of her
home, Homestead,
on Friday. Inglis ac
cepts birthday
greetings from fel
low members of
the local Racial
Reconciliation
Group during a din
ner celebrating the
fourth anniversary
of the group’s for
mation.
Council OKs
permit for
retail store
Citizens cite concerns about business
in N. Oakum St. residential community
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
Edenton Town Council’s recent meet
ing touched on many topics ranging from
a new store to future business plans.
During the May 14 meeting, council
granted a conditional-use permit for a
proposed retail store that is planned for
1111 N. Oakum St. Owners April and
Craig Garman of Tyner seek to open a
store that sells overstocked items gath
ered from various leading retail chains —
a welcome addition for customers who
dread the trek to Elizabeth City or
Greenville. The property is owned by
Pearl Smith of Elizabeth City, according
to town documents.
Council approved changing the zoning
for the property from Conditional Use
See COUNCIL, A2
Residents: Valhalla
plan bad for river
Fishermen say waterway moves slowly;
effluent will just sit, make water brackish
BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON
Editor
For hundreds of years, the Tynchs and
Nixons have lived off the waterways sur
rounding Chowan County. They have
served as a rector between
1876 and 1932. Her father was
a priest too.
“Our parish in good shape
and I’m very grateful that
Malone (Gilliam) is the
priest,” Inglis said.
See INGLIS, A4
watched the
area’s fishing
fleet grow dur
ing better times
and as it shrank
while regula
tions limited
commercial
fishing. They’ve
watched the
once unsafe
iter become
safe enough to baptize grandchildren.
Stanley Tynch and his brother own the
land along Harris Landing Road. The
property has been in his family for
See VALHALLA, A2
STATE Champions
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The John A.
Holmes High
School boys
track and
field team be
came the
Class 1A
state cham
pion Saturday
after compet
ing in Greens ¬
boro. For
more of the
team's suc ¬
cess, see
Page Bl.
'89076
44813 1
6
Ed Goodwin will
speak at ceremony
Memorial Day service to be
held at 11 a.m. May 27
STAFF REPORTS
NC Representative Ed
Goodwin will be the
guest speaker at this
year’s Memorial Day Ser
vice.
American Legion Post
40 will host the service at
11 a.m. Monday, May 27,
at the veterans memorial
at the intersection of
Court, and East Queen
GOODWIN
streets
in Eden
ton.
Good
win, R-
Chowan,
repre
sents
District
1. He is a
veteran
of the US Air Force.
He also served 21 years
in the US Naval Criminal
See GOODWIN, A2
What's Happening in Chowan County
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us on
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/TheChowanHeraid
National Honor
Society holds
induction ceremony
— Page B3
Obituaries — A3
Melanie S. Butler
Nancy Hughes Cayton
Freida Harris Durham
Calendar B4
Classifieds....B7-8
InnOY Community....A6
divlUA Obituaries A3
Vol. 84, No. 21
Opinion A5
Sports Bl