2021 April

The Edenton Town Council will hold a Special Called Joint Electronic Meeting along with the Chowan
County Board of Commissioners & the Perquimans County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, April
21, 2021 at 4:00 pm.

The meeting will be held remotely hosted by WebEx. The Edenton Town Council will gather at the Town Council Chambers 504 South Broad Street, Edenton, the Chowan County Board of Commissioners will gather at the Chowan County Public Safety Center, 305 West Freemason St., Edenton. The Perquimans County Board of Commissioners will join individually.

The purpose of the remote/electronic meeting is to allow the three Boards to meet jointly and allow for proper social distancing due to COVID-19.

Seating will be available at the Chowan County and Town of Edenton locations and is limited. There is no public comment session for this meeting. The Special Called Joint Meeting is to receive a report on the Preliminary Regionalization Feasibility Study that looked at long-term Regional Water Supply and Treatment Options for Chowan County, Perquimans County, and the Town of Edenton and consider next steps.

Information to view the meeting electronically:
Join from the meeting link:
https://chowancounty.my.webex.com/chowancounty.my/j.php?MTID=m6d881e17e776f730a1dc52e01ca13933
Join by dialing in: 1-408-418-9388

The EDENTON GAZETTE – CHOWAN EDENTON ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP SPRING SURVEY will close for submissions this Friday. April 23, 2021!

We are looking for everyone to participate this year. We have good input so far but need more responses to be as comprehensive as we can with community input, which we will review and report on after the survey has completed.

We will also be sending for every 10th submission a Chowan Edenton Environmental Group give away 10 CEEG canvas tote bags with their logo. Please be sure to add your contact information in the survey, we will reach out if you will receieve one.

Based on the latest meetings and recent recommendation by the Chowan County School Board of Education, has formally recommended that the county commissions should use a USDA loan of $35 million dollars to fund Phase 2 of the proposed $50 million dollars high-school construction project. Keep in mind that the Edenton Gazette reported earlier that a Dallas high school renovated an older school in support of 2,000 students for $46 million dollars.

As the county prepares to assume new debt which needs to be repaid by the taxpayers until 2053, there remain many questions concerning this project, which have not been answered. Why does it cost Chowan County $50 million dollars for a declining student body of 600 high school students? What does the cost of renovating the high school cost over tearing it down and building a new high school when the cost of materials is sky high due to the pandemic?

Did the North Carolina state legislature understand that an administrative word change in lottery grant funding language would be interpreted by construction firms and/or boards that grants could ONLY be used for new school construction and used as a basis to only look at new construction for the high school? A well-architected renovation could be seen as new school construction if that was the end goal of the renovation.

To add more clarity to the current policy in draft from our earlier article, after a brief discussion with Anne-Marie Knighton, Town Manager, and our previous article – Edenton, North Carolina – an open and friendly town built on travelers and tourists leaning towards more restrictive policies against short-term rentals. Edenton’s short-term rental policy has been in the making since 2017, including assistance from UNC Shcool of Government to assist in drafting policy for a small town like ours. Please take time to read the updates concerning how they would apply to specific rental properties (listed below).

The remaining elements of this policy being finalized centers around Whole-House rentals, where the owner is not on location, where additional requirements are asked for such as a local responsible contact who can ensure that the policies and house rules are followed. The end result of the policy will be a body of work shaped by citizens if you have contributed your input and professionals concerning town planning and policy. Many of Edenton’s newest residents stayed in an Airbnb in Edenton, fell in love, purchased a home, and moved here.

Chowan County, known as the “cradle of the colony” today relies on tourism and travelers to generate over $24 million dollars worth of impact in 2019, with dedicated agencies working to present Edenton and Chowan County such as VisitEdenton.com, Destination Downtown, Edenton Chowan Partnership, and other aligned organizations and groups.

The Edenton town council wants and needs to hear from you concerning support of Airbnb and Vrbo rentals in Edenton without overly restrictive policies or acting as a proxy to existing HOAs and areas which already have restrictive covenants such as for the Cotton Mill Village or the Historic District.