THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16,2016 5
PERQUIMANS
Continued from 1
the audience instead of with
his fellow commissioners.
“I thought of a lot of ways
this (vote) could go, but I
didn’t see this one coming,”
Peeler said.
The only two commission
ers who voted for all four of
the aspects of the project
were Chair Janice Cole and
Commissioner Ed Muzzulin.
The final up or down vote
on the project had Cole and
Muzzulin in favor and Leigh,
Nelson and Jones opposed.
The biggest issue ap
peared to be if the Apex
project would damage prop
erty values. Both Apex and
the attorney representing
opponents of the project
presented witnesses to ar
gue their respective side. All
five commissioners said nei
ther did a good job.
“I felt that both of them
were really poor witnesses,”
Cole said.
The key word in the ordi
nance was would the project
“substantially” injuring adja
cent property owners.
Nelson questioned if
a property was valued at
$100,000 and it dropped
$10,000 was that substan
tial?
“Ten thousand dollars
could be substantial for
some people,” Nelson said.
“Ten thousand dollars is
pretty significant to most
anybody in Perquimans
County.”
Residents who opposed
the project were upbeat
with Monday’s decision.
Tommy Harrell, one of the
property owners who hired
a lawyer to fight the project
was elated.
“I’m exuberant,” he said.
“It’s been a hard, emotional
battle to protect what is
ours.”
The Perquimans commis
sion has scheduled a meet
ing for Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. to
iron out the details of then-
decision.
Monday’s hearing capped
a process started more than
three years ago when Apex
started to look at a project
in northeastern North Caro
lina. Then in August 2015,
large numbers of people
started packing county com
mission meetings to voice
their concerns. That led to
the board imposing a mora
torium on approving any
new wind project until the
planning board had a chance
to review the ordinance. The
board did and in February,
the commission made some
changes to the rules.
The actual Apex Condi
tional Use Permit (CUP) re
quest was filed in May which
prompted a review by the
planning board which signed
off on the plan. The county
also hired a consultant —
Clarion and Associates — to
review the application to
make sure it was complete.
In August the county com
mission then start a process
of quasi-judicial hearings
to review application. Un
like a typical commission
meeting, the board acted as
a court and witnesses had
to be sworn in and vetted.
Even Monday’s meeting re
sembled a court trial with
the commission seated as
the jury.
“A jury deliberates is in
private, but as a public body,
we have to do this publicly,”
Cole said.
CHOWAN
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and spending that go with
it, to northeast North
Carolina,” Giecek said in
response to the Perqui
mans vote. “
According to the
county’s own outside
consultant, our applica
tion satisfied all of the re
quirements in the county
ordinance, and our plan
exceeded all of the ordi
nance’s health and safety
measures. Wind energy is
one of the safest forms
of electricity generation
and the region is already
seeing the economic ben
efits a project can bring
in terms of local spend
ing, construction jobs,
and tax revenue. We do
have an approved permit
in Chowan County and
are evaluating options
for moving forward.”
The Chowan board
voted Nov. 4 to approve
the CUP for the Timber-
mill Wind Project. The
vote Monday night by the
Chowan commissioners
was to approve the legal
order granting the permit
and establishing the con
ditions that pertain to it.
Among the conditions
Chowan officials includ
ed in the permit was a
prohibition against relo
cating any turbine outside
the blue grid of tab 18 of
the permit application
— which would move
the turbine away from
the core project area and
potentially closer to oc
cupied houses — without
permission of the county
commissioners.
The CUP also requires
Apex to submit an Envi
ronmental Assessment
to the county before any
building or zoning permit
is issued if such an as
sessment is required by
the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. In addition, all
other required state and
federal permits must be
issued prior to any issu
ance of a building or zon
ing permit the county.
In order to ensure that
the project does not ex
ceed the noise limits in
the county’s ordinance,
the CUP requires a sound
monitoring program to
be developed by the de
veloper and the county’s
planning and zoning
staff.
The permit expires in
54 months if the project
has been constructed but
has not begun operation,
or if less than 10 percent
of the total cost of de
veloping the project has
been completed on the
site, or if Timbermill has
not applied for a building
permit.
Another condition of
the permit is that the
project developers must
provide the study of the
project’s impact on wild
life and natural resources
at the same time the per
mit application is submit
ted to state environmen
tal officials.
Apex is required to
notify county officials of
any application for state
or federal permits at the
time those permits are
applied for. The company
also must provide the no
tice of the agency’s deci
sion to the county.
ELECTION
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“Tonight is a bittersweet
because Janice Cole, who
really has been a mentor
to me, is coming off (the
board).”
Cole is chairman of the
commission and Jones is
vice chairman and hopes to
push forward.
> “I am proud to have the
chance to work with these
Two new gentlemen and
I think we’ll continue the
tradition we’ve maintained
■under Janice’s leadership
of working together and
making progress for the
’bounty.”
Jones piled up a big share
of his lead in New Hope, his
home precinct. There he
picked up 740 votes com
pared to 354 for Woodard,
209 for Hoffler and 122 for
Lennon. Jones also had the
highest totals in Nicanor
and Bethel.
Technically it was not Wo
odard’s first time running for
commissioner. He did about
20 years. Back then he was a
Republican and he lost.
Both Woodard and Len
non have been vocal op
ponents of a plan by Apex
Clean Energy to build wind
turbines in the Bear Swamp
area of Perquimans and
Chowan counties and both
are parties in group that
hired a lawyer to fight the
plan.
The issue of whether to
grant a Conditional Use Per
mit (CUP) was decided by
the current board of com
missioners on Monday. New
commissioners won’t be
sworn in until December.
But Woodard pledged to
fight any more wind proj
ects in Perquimans.
“I am glad the people
decided to support me and
show their confidence,” Wo
odard said.
The Perquimans County
native has run his business,
Woodard’s Pharmacy, for 44
years. He wants Perquimans
County to keep the rural life
style people more here for.
Woodard carried the ma
jority in four of the county’s
seven precincts. His best
showing was in the two
Hertford precincts where
got 513 votes compared to
282 for Jones. He also held
the edge in Parkville and
Belvidere.
Hoffler, a 76-year-old re
tired U.S. Air Force Lt. Colo
nel, said he enjoyed getting
out and meeting people and
finding out what they need
and want.
The answer was clear.
“They want jobs, jobs,
jobs. They are tired of young
people having to leave the
area to find jobs. That’s the
main thing they want - jobs,
jobs, jobs.”
Hoffler understands then-
point. He was 5-years-old
when his parents returned
to their native Perquimans
County where Hoffler went
to school until he graduated
high school. He went off to
college and made a career in
the U.S. Air Force. Only af
ter retirement did he return
to Perquimans County.
The need to expand the
job options is Hoffler’s top
goal.
“If you can get a job, ev
erything else falls into line.
I heard from a few people
who said lower taxes, but
mostly I heard about the
need for jobs.”
Lennon said the loss was
Spirit and Truth Ministries
206 W. Main St. Hertford, NC 27944
(252) 426-1206
spirit2truth@yahoo.com
Pastor Arthur Manigault
“a bit of a disappointment.
No one likes to lose. It is
what it is.”
Lennon, 40, left open the
door to seeking office in the
future.
“We will see what the
future holds and what God
has planned for me and my
family.”
Church News
■ Hertford UMC
Hertford United Method
ist Church will be hosting
a county-wide Turkey Drop
Nov. 18-19 to benefit Open
Door Food Pantry. Turkeys
and canned food for thanks
giving can be dropped off
each day at the church from
9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
■ Riddick Grove Baptist
Riddick Grove Baptist
Church will host a program
on the 12 tribes of Israel on
Nov. 19 at 4 p.m.
■ Oak Hill AME
Oak Hill ■ AME Zion
Church will celebrate its
161st Founders Day on Nov.
20 at 2 p.m. Guest speaker
will be Rev. Michael Gaddy
of Kadesh AME Zion Church
and his congregation.
■ Burgess Baptist
Burgess Baptist Church
will host “The Oak Grove
Boys” plus Stephanie Nov.
20 at 6 p.m. For more infor
mation please call 619-9689.
■ Hertford UMC
Hertford United Meth
odist Church will host The
Lord’s Table Soup Kitchen
every Wednesday from
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the
fellowship hall. For infor
mation call 426-5467.
Information for Church
Notes should be emailed
if possible to perquiman-
sweekly@ncweeklies. com.
The deadline is Friday at
noon. Early submissions
are encouraged. Church
Notes features special ser
vices and activities that
are open to the public. Pho
tographs of special activi
ties are also welcomed.
“We always welcome
new patients.”
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ALB E MARLE
482-5131
Dental associates 103 Mark Dr. Edenton, NC
Qenetaland Cosfnetu: Iheniishy (behind Chowan Hospital)
PAY IT FORWARD!
1 TIMOTHY 1:15-16 (NLT)
“ This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it:
‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”-and I am the
worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ
Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with
even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can
believe in him and receive eternal life.”
One of the biggest tragedies in the house of God these days is
the lack of compassion for sinners. If the truth were to be told
there are many of us who have truly forgotten where the Lord
brought us from. In our text for today, the Apostle Paul puts the
gospel in its proper perspective: “CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO
THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS! My question for you today
is this: If God had mercy on us when we were sinners, who are we
to judge anyone else? My prayer is that the people of God would
pray for the same type of compassion that the Lord has shown us.
There are hurting people who need to know that there is a Savior
who can meet their every need. Take the time out to listen to
those around you. Ask God to show you someone you can help.
Don’t be too proud to let someone know that you didn’t always
have everything together. PAY IT FORWARD! The bible says
the harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few. I want to suggest to
you that someone is waiting on you! Let them know that if God
has done it for you, he can do it for them too! God Bless!
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