The Daily Advance Progress Edition - 2023

PROGRESS ENC

■ ECSU lab helping students pursue job-creator dreams, Page A3

INSIDE

■ ECSU lab helping students pursue jobcreator dreams, Page A3

boosts film studio, Page A6

film studio, Page A6

■ COA: New nursing facilities to grow program enroll-ment 50%, Page A3

■ COA: New nursing facilities to grow program enrollment 50%, Page A3

■ Through their work, classes artists having impact in EC, Page A4

■ Through their work, classes artists having impact in EC, Page A4

■ Leponic hoping ‘Batman: Darker Knight’ boosts

■ Leponic hoping ‘Batman: Darker Knight’

■ Page A7: New SAMC’s maternity unit to feature ‘home-like’ rooms, Page A7

■ New SAMC’s maternity unit to feature ‘home-like’ rooms, Page A7

■ Windsor taking steps to mitigate flooding, plan for future, Page A8

■ Perquimans eyes Marine Industrial Park as jobs driver, Page A10

■ Perquimans eyes Marine Industrial Park as jobs driver, Page A10

SENTARA ALBEMARLE

REGIONAL HEALTH CAMPUS

The Future of Healthcare for Northeastern North Carolina

Sentara Healthcare’s new, 135-acre Sentara Albemarle Regional Health Campus at Halstead Boulevard Extended and Thunder Road in Elizabeth City will begin opening in 2023.

Featuring a modern, efficient and patient-centric layout, the $200 million campus marks the most significant healthcare investment in northeastern North Carolina since the current Sentara Albemarle Medical Center was built over 60 years ago.

The Sentara Albemarle Regional Health Campus construction project is divided into two phases — a medical office building that will open in 2023 and a new hospital slated to open in late 2024 or early 2025. PasquotankCamden EMS will also move from the current Sentara Albemarle Medical Center location on North Road Street to the new campus on Halstead Boulevard Extended.

To learn more about Sentara in northeastern North Carolina, please visit sentara.com/albemarle .

ECSU lab helping students pursue job-creator dreams

Entrepreneurial lab gives students tools to build own biz

By Reggie Ponder Sta Writer

Blake Little believes the entrepreneurial skills he’s developed at Elizabeth City State University over the past four years not only will help him land a good-paying job when he graduates but make him a job creator as well.

Little, a senior from Fayetteville who is majoring in business and marketing, said he plans to build businesses in trucking, real estate, and clothing. He says many of his relatives have worked in trucking, helping him recognize the potential opportunities in the industry.

“I know there is money in it if done the correct way,” Little said.

During his tenure as chancellor at ECSU, the late Thomas Conway often said one of his goals was to strengthen the university’s emphasis on teaching students entrepreneurial skills. He said he wanted ECSU graduates to not only be able to get good jobs but also to become job creators.

Conway’s vision is increasingly coming into focus through initiatives

entrepreneurship lab supported by the PNC Foundation and the annual Viking Entrepreneurship Week, also sponsored by the foundation.

ECSU’s Business Department is still the university’s largest academic department, a distinction it has enjoyed for about two decades. Other large academic programs at ECSU include aviation science, interdisciplinary studies, biology and criminal justice. For Little, ECSU’s entrepreneurship lab has become a kind of home away from home as he develops a clothing line. In particular, he uses the lab’s cricut machine to cut logos from vinyl and uses the heat press to put logos on shirts, sweatshirts and other garments.

Little has been designing and selling clothes for about a year and a half. His brand, “The Unknown Clothing,” is about “navigating the unknown,” he said.

Little’s clothing brand is basically a one-man operation now, but he said “later down the line” he plans to hire people to work along with him “to make my idea greater than what it

He said much of his life right now revolves around “making clothes and homework.”

The equipment in the entrepreneurship lab has

such as a recent design for female students on ECSU’s Royal Court. Sales have been steady, he said.

Since he has been at ECSU his interest in

Jonathon Huber of Burlington, a senior aviation science major concentrating on unmanned aerial systems, also uses the entrepreneurship lab.

He’s especially interested in the automation of aircraft, noting the move by major companies to use drones as delivery devices.

“It’s going to be more effective if we have drones that can fly themselves,” Huber said.

He is working on a safe system for integrating drones with aircraft systems already in use. Air traffic control is going to be a big part of making that work, he said.

Huber enjoys working with the glowforge machine in the entrepreneurship lab. He said that in some of his aviation classes he works on building and testing drones in different configurations, and the machine is “a great tool for that.”

component of self-flying drone systems, Huber said, and while “we do dabble with that a little bit in the aviation program” he is going to need AI experts to be part of his team.

Huber said he has an idea for a system that he believes will make self-flying drones a safe participant in the airspace.

“But whether my system ends up being what is adopted, or whether it’s something else, I think it’s import that we have a lot of ideas that are vetted so we can find the best solution possible,” Huber said.

Quante Bishop has found success in the entrepreneurship pitch competition scene, and is building his clothing brand “process brings progress.”

expedited the design process, Little explained. He makes designs on his iPad, and sends them from the computer to the cricut machine. The vinyl cutouts are then taken to a heat press for the final step.

Little said he has done

entrepreneurship has grown, he said, along with skills such as networking and communication.

“The main focus as soon as I get out of school is probably going to be the clothing brand,” Little said. “I plan to use that to fund other avenues in business.”

As he builds his business, Huber says he’s going to need to work with experts like software engineers who can bring skills that will complement his knowledge of drones and drone systems.

Artificial intelligence is going to be an important

He, too, looks forward to building his business to a point where he will be an employer, not just an employee. He ultimately wants to be a large-scale employer with a team of designers and his own manufacturing division to make his clothing.

Although he is a kinesiology major, Bishop said he “fell in love” with entrepreneurship during his time at ECSU.

COA: New nursing facilities to grow program enrollment 50%

Health Sciences Center on the Elizabeth City campus becomes more and more important, COA officials say.

By Reggie Ponder Sta Writer

College of The Albemarle’s plan to expand the health sciences building on its Elizabeth City campus and add a state-of-the-art simulation center will allow the college’s nursing programs to grow about 50 percent in enrollment to meet an expected higher demand for nurses.

There is a great need for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse aides, as well as for people trained in other health science fields.

COA President Jack Bagwell said health sciences programs are already growing, but currently face some limitations — some of which will be alleviated by construction of the new $25 million simulation facility.

Current plans for the proposed expansion project would add nearly 26,000 square feet to the Owens Center. The current facility was designed to serve 170 students but now serves 253. As a result, two programs are being operated

in other buildings because of a lack of space.

Robin Harris, COA’s dean of health sciences, pointed out that COA is now offering dental assisting through continuing education. In addition, the college is beginning a partnership with Pitt Community College in Greenville to offer radiography and respiratory therapy programs.

As COA’s nursing programs grow and other health sciences programs continue to be added, the expansion of the Owens

The expansion will more than double the square footage of the building and provide students with stateof-the-art health sciences simulation technology.

While the simulation center will be an an important tool for training the next generation of nurses, it also will be a continuing education resource for people already working in the health care field.

COA will be the center of health education for northeastern North

Carolina, Harris said. One aspect of the ripple or domino effect from the COVID-19 pandemic has been the impact on higher education from pandemicrelated changes in K-12 schools.

Preparation for rigorous

programs such as the associate degree in nursing has been affected by remote instruction and other changes that took place during the pandemic, Bagwell said.

Harris said nursing programs have struggled to

retain and graduate students who weren’t prepared for the rigor.

“That is also true both statewide and nationwide,” she said. Finding and retaining

Reggie Ponder/The Daily Advance

For Elizabeth City State University senior Blake Little, the university’s entrepreneurship lab has become a kind of home away from home as he develops his clothing line, “The Unknown Clothing.” Little’s entrepreneurial dreams include building businesses in trucking, real estate and clothing.

Finding enough faculty to meet enrollee boost a challenge

Photo courtesy College of The Albemarle Chelsi Gregory, an associate degree in nursing student, is shown in one of her classes at College of The Albemarle. COA’s plan to expand the health sciences building on its Elizabeth City campus and add a state-of-the-art simulation center will allow the college’s nursing programs to grow about 50 percent in enrollment to meet an expected higher demand for nurses.

Through their work, classes artists having impact in EC

Hunger for local art helping artists create thriving biz

By Savannah Hess Correspondent

Elizabeth City has become known in recent years for its strong and vibrant arts community, one that’s continuing to grow and thrive.

With events such as First Friday Artwalk, held on the first Friday of each month for the past 12 years, and the annual RiverSplash, both local and visiting artists have had a regular venue to promote and sell their artwork.

In addition, the downtown is home to a myriad of public art pieces created by local artists.

“The public art in our community has also grown exponentially, from the Coca Cola Mural to 18 public art pieces throughout downtown,” said Debbie Malenfant, executive director of Elizabeth City Downtown, Inc. “Public art, and especially clusters of public art, draw tourists and citizens to the downtown areas for those experiences.”

One prominent of piece of public art is the mural of a crane on the side of

Studio 511 Art & Soul, located on the corner of N. Poindexter Street and E. Colonial Avenue. The mural was created by Hope Malott, owner of Studio 511 Art & Soul. Malott opened Studio 511 Art & Soul in 2014; however, her journey as an artist began as a young child.

“Art was around me all my life from the work my father did in landscape design to the oil paintings my mother made, and my older siblings were always creating art of some kind,” Malott said.

Born in Pittsburgh, Mallot has called Elizabeth City home since 1979. In 1996, she joined 10 artists in the Waterstreet Art Foundry, where she had a small studio space and classroom access for teaching.

Over the years, Mallot’s studio has moved around, and her work has evolved. She has been known as a professional decorative artist, muralist, furniture painter, and teacher.

Currently, Malott paints professionally and teaches art classes at her studio. She estimates she’s painted 2,000 paintings over the past 20 years and held

4,750 art classes over the past nine years.

“My hope is to help grow future artists in our community through the classes we offer,” she said. “The children are a huge part of the future art community. We love our adult art family as well and l love seeing confidence grow in them as they continue painting with us.”

Another local artist who shares Malott’s goal of growing a new generation of artists in Elizabeth City is John Stiles, an assistant professor of graphic design at Elizabeth City State University. Stiles was born in Wilmington, and has called Elizabeth City home since 2019. He began painting as a young child and was enrolled in art classes at age 7. Stiles earned his bachelor’s degree in communications arts from East Carolina University in 1994 and his master’s degree in graphic design in 2011. His past jobs have included airbrush artist at a shopping mall, professional illustrator and graphic designer in the screen-printing industry, and instructor at several educational institutions.

Asked if he believes he’s made an impact on the community with his art, Stiles said he’d “like to think so, but, hopefully more as an educator than an artist.”

“What I have seen, and what makes me proud of what I’ve been able to do here, is our students leaving ECSU, diploma and portfolio in hand, and landing a great, rewarding job that they love. My job is to get them jobs,” he said.

In addition to teaching at ECSU, Stiles works as a freelance graphic designer and sells and displays his paintings at Arts of the Albemarle. Stiles is also currently working on his first book, a collection of around 100 paintings and drawings of different locations around Elizabeth City.

“Elizabeth City and the surrounding area has a charm and a history that captured me as soon as I

moved here,” Stiles said.

Another local artist who knows a lot about Elizabeth City’s charm is Anna Cherry. Drawn to art at an early age, the city native had an early interest in creating art that resembled nature.

Growing up, she dabbled in painting — both watercolor and oil — music and pottery.

In high school, Cherry began making cards with her family as a hobby and she continued to do it throughout her college years.

“This hobby was a great benefit to me during my college career that shifted abruptly online during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this further proved my need for a creative hobby in the world of evergrowing technology. Paper crafting is a simple and unique craft,” she noted.

Cherry decided to return home to Elizabeth City after college and

form a small business her friends affectionately call Annagrams. Cherry sells greeting cards, tags, gift card holders and other paper goods at the EC mailbox center, Pine and Porch, and online at https://annagramhandmade-cards.square. site/. She attributes much of her success to the support she has received from local retail shops such as Pine and Porch.

Asked if she’s made an impact on the community as an artist, Cherry said she’d like to think so.

“I have crossed paths with people who say they have received one of my cards and have it displayed or saved in a memory box,” she said. “It’s the little cards or scraps of paper that get saved in a shoebox for 30-plus years and the connections I help facilitate that make this hobby and small business all worth it.”

Aprender es divertido —

LEARNING IS FUN: La Casa brings together English learners and volunteers

management and other aspects of elementary education.

By Reggie Ponder Sta Writer

Students and volunteers who gathered at First United Methodist Church for the La Casa program on a recent afternoon laughed and smiled so much you might not have known they were working on English, math and other academic subjects.

La Casa is part of a larger framework of community ministry at First UMC that also includes an English as a Second Language, or ESL, class for adults and a summer literacy institute. The program serves K-12 students who are English language learners. Students benefit from tutoring provided by volunteers such

as Judy Midkiff, a retired math teacher.

Midkiff and Ariana

Hernandez, a 16-year-old sophomore at Pasquotank County High School, were working through the challenges of high school math problems and also — surprising as it was — smiling and laughing.

For Cody Marks, a 2020 graduate of Mid-Atlantic Christian University who majored in Biblical studies and elementary education, his position as director of lay ministries at First UMC — including the work with La Casa — is a perfect match for his preparation to work in both the ministry and education fields.

“It has been a big help for me,” Marks said of his training in classroom

Marks pointed out that English can be a difficult language to learn. The commitment of many of the adults from the families who participate in La Casa to learn English is an indication of the sacrifices they are willing to make for their children, he said.

The students at La Casa are bi-lingual in Spanish and English, and many of their parents also know some basic conversational English. Some of the adults in the ESL class are parents of La Casa students, which enables the church to work with entire families.

Most of those adults came to the United States

because they love and trust this country, Marks said.

There are typically 5-6 volunteers at La Casa on Thursdays and 6-7 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The program serves students in grades K-5 from Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4-5 p.m., and students in grades 6-12 on Thursdays from 5-6 p.m. Marks said the program for the middle and high school students was started because students who had aged out of the elementary grades expressed an interest in continuing to get the tutoring support.

“That’s one of the benefits of the La Casa program is that we’re responding to specific individual needs as

requested,” Marks said.

The elementary students start arriving around 2:30 p.m., and when the weather is nice they get to play outside on the playground before settling into the study time, Marks explained.

The program for grades 6-12 usually brings out 11-13 students. There are about 25 students currently

in the grades K-5 program. La Casa and the adult ESL class and summer literacy program are supported by grant funding. Marks said it soon will be time to renew the program’s funding and he will be working on applications for those grants. In the past, the program has received funding from the Elizabeth City Foundation.

Reggie Ponder/The Daily Advance

During a recent session of La Casa at First United Methodist Church in Elizabeth City, students (l-r) Pasqual Dominguez-Perez, 11, Damian Dominguez-Garcia, 12, and Aaron Dominguez-Garcia, 14, work on an assignment.

Cody Marks

Photo by Kesha Williams

Anna Cherry, an artist who returned home to Elizabeth City after college, sells greeting cards, tags, gift card holders and other paper goods through her business her friends affectionately call Annagrams.

NFL incident spurs athletic trainers to review protocols

School trainers feel equipped to respond to cardiac arrest

By David Gough Sports Editor

When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field with cardiac arrest in a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, what ensued was one of the most emotional nights imaginable in any sport.

Players on both teams were seen on their knees crying and praying, ESPN commentators were at a loss for words as the game was delayed and later canceled, and the event took social media by storm as support for Hamlin poured in.

Fortunately, Hamlin’s story had a positive ending: he recovered after being rushed to a Cincinnati hospital. He’s since made numerous speeches about the awful experience, thanking those paramedics and doctors who worked to save his life.

Hamlin’s on-field health crisis hit home for athletic trainers across the country.

Perquimans County High School and John A. Holmes athletic trainers Amanda Lankford and Courtney Phelps, respectively, were not watching the BillsBengals game, but like many around the country,

they soon learned of Hamlin’s unfolding health emergency.

Lankford, 26, and in her fifth year at Perquimans, was advised of Hamlin’s emergency via text messages from athletic trainer friends she had met at East Carolina University.

Phelps, 37, was watching something else on TV when her husband got her attention.

“He rewinds it for me to watch it and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, he (Hamlin) went into cardiac arrest,’” Phelps said. “He was like ‘How do you know that?’ ‘Because of just how he didn’t get hit in the head. It’s not anything else, it has to be that.’”

Phelps, who has been the Aces’ athletic trainer since June 2020 after 11 years at Currituck County High School, said her parents happened to be at her house that evening. She said her mother, watching the training staff and EMTs on the field scramble to restart Hamlin’s heart, told her, “that would be you.”

“I had goosebumps, honestly,” Phelps said. “I’m sitting there watching all this happen and I’m like, ‘that could easily happen to one of my athletes.’ Of course that thought crosses your mind.”

Lankford acknowledges

that her biggest fear as an athletic trainer is being in a situation similar to the one the world watched unfold on the field the night of the Bills-Bengals game.

“Me being the athletic trainer that potentially could have to give CPR in a situation like that, I just felt for that athletic trainer that went through that, I felt for the family, I felt for the (player’s) teammates,” she said. “It was hard to watch, but I feel confident that we are prepared to hopefully handle a situation like that. God forbid it ever arose.”

While neither Lankford nor Phelps has experienced a situation like Hamlin’s, both feel confident they’d be prepared if one happened. Both trainers have quick access to lifesaving equipment like automated external defibrillators, or AEDs. Lankford noted that Perquimans has an AED as well as an oxygen tank available on the sideline of all sporting events at the school.

The two certified athletic trainers also take very seriously what’s called an emergency action plan.

Prior to every school year, both Lankford and Phelps meet with their respective high school’s coaches, who also must be certified in CPR, and with their county emergency medical services personnel. They discuss the steps to be taken and protocols

to be followed should a serious incident happen at a game.

Lankford and Phelps even teamed up this past summer with Bertie High School athletic trainer Marlee Sloan for a joint session that also included EMS personnel. The session, held at John A. Holmes, specifically covered what should be done in the case of cardiac arrest. “We went over several scenarios with EMS and practiced what our role was so EMS knew what we were doing and, in turn, we’d see what EMS is doing when they get here,” Phelps said. “That way we can be a fluid, functioning team and give these kids the care that they need and get them where they need to be.”

Despite feeling properly trained and equipped to deal with on-field health situations, both Phelps and Lankford said the Hamlin incident had prompted them to go back and reassess their response procedures.

“Our eyes definitely opened to it and I definitely assessed, ‘OK, where are we weak? Where are we strong? What do we need to improve?’” Lankford said. “And honestly, I feel very confident with where we are because we’ve always taken those precautions with our emergency action plan.”

Phelps noted there has

been a lot of improvement in school athletic training since 2009. Not only are far more schools in northeast North Carolina equipped with trainers, there are now better concussion protocols in place to ensure injured athletes are cleared by a medical professional before they return to the playing field.

“I have now created a new protocol because of (Hamlin’s injury),” Phelps said. “I didn’t really feel like there was a gap in anything, I just felt that it could be better.”

The new protocol involves going over her EAP and training on handsonly CPR with studentathletes, something she had never done until the lead up to this spring’s sports season. Moving forward,

she also plans to talk to student-athletes prior to every sports season.

Phelps, the representative for region 1 of the NC High School Athletic Association’ sports medicine advisory committee, noted the most serious injuries she’s dealt with in her 15-year career were a concussion and broken jaw, a lower-leg fracture and a cervical spine injury.

Lankford said she also had to respond to a case of rhabdomyolysis — treatment for a serious medical condition where damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood.

“I hope I never have to do what that athletic trainer did for Damar Hamlin, but I feel like we’re prepared if we have to,” Lankford said.

Pickleball anyone? Albemarle also caught in sport’s boom

By Savannah Hess

Correspondent

Over the last few years, the sport of pickleball has experienced a boom in popularity across the U.S., including the Albemarle. Driven largely by the need to find an affordable, social distancing-friendly sport during the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 36.5 million people now play pickleball at least once a week, according to Pickleheads, a website where people can find local pickleball courts, schedule games, and learn more about the game.

“Pickleball’s popularity exploded during the pandemic, when many Americans were looking for responsible ways to socialize and stay active,” says Brandon Mackie, co-founder of Pickleheads. “But that was only the beginning — pickleball’s growth has continued even as lockdowns have

ended and normal life has resumed.”

Pickleball is often described as a mixture of tennis, ping-pong, and badminton. The sport was created in the summer of 1965 when Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum wanted to create a fun activity for their families.

Prichard and Bell were staying at a house on Bainbridge Island in Washington state that had a badminton court. They decided to look for rackets and a shuttlecock but couldn’t find any.

Instead, they settled for tennis paddles and a plastic net. It did not take long for McCallum to see the genius of the idea and join Pritchard and Bell in creating a new game.

They named the game pickleball; however, the origin of the name is debated. Some accounts suggest that Pritchard’s wife named the game because it reminded her

of a pickle boat, where the crew is made up of leftover crewmates from other boats. McCallum, however, claimed that the game was named after Pritchard’s cocker spaniel, Pickles.

Though the rules of pickleball are based on the rules for badminton, people

into three sections. The sections include two service courts and the “kitchen,” a seven-foot non-volley zone.

Tennis courts, on the other hand, measure 78 feet by 36 feet and are divided into five sections. The sections include two service areas, two doubles alleys,

pickleball players use a solid paddle and a hard, hollow plastic ball rather than a tennis racket and tennis ball. Pickleball players also sport gloves that share similarities with golf gloves.

The rules of pickleball are vastly different from those for tennis. Pickleball is usually played as doubles with four players in total. Players can either hit groundstrokes, where the player hits the ball after it bounces, or volleys, where the player hits the ball out of the air. Volleys can be hit closer to the net but must not occur in the “kitchen.” While a volley cannot be hit in the “kitchen,” a groundstroke can.

largest age bracket of players in 2021 was 55+; however, this year, people 18-34 became the largest age bracket of pickleball players. Younger people’s interest in the sport is attributed to the fact it’s both affordable and “social” — people can easily converse while they play.

often mistake pickleball for tennis. Despite some similarities, there are several major differences. Pickleball courts, for example, measure 44 feet by 20 feet and are divided

and a “no man’s land.”

The height of the net differs in both games: pickleball nets are six inches lower than tennis nets.

As for equipment,

The increase in pickleball’s popularity during the pandemic has been attributed to many factors, including the ease of learning how to play, the fact that it can be played while social distancing, and because it’s both affordable and low impact. Many older people have taken a liking to the sport.

According to the SFIA Single Sport Participation Report on Pickleball, the

“I think the social aspect of the game is what brings people back week after week,” said Mary Sawyer, who leads the pickelball groups at the Northern Chowan Community Center in Chowan County. “The smaller courts make conversation between players easy. And when they are sitting on the sidelines waiting to play there is even more socializing.”

According to Pickleheads, there are 421 pickleball courts in North Carolina. One was located at Evangelical Methodist Church, where there’s a private indoor court. However, the sport’s organizer at the church recently stepped back from active participation and

Submitted photo

Perquimans athletic trainer Amanda Lankford (center) wraps tape around a Perquimans County High School football player’s right hand. The collapse of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin with cardiac arrest during an NFL game has prompted school athletic trainers like Lankford to review their protocols for responding to on-field emergencies.

Photo courtesy Mary Sawyer

Two players are shown recently playing pickleball at the Northern Chowan County Community Center in Chowan County. Pickleball is often described as a mixture of tennis, ping-pong, and badminton. Its popularity exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leponic hoping ‘Batman: Darker Knight’ boosts flm studio Barnes hoping for spring premiere of Batman origin story

By Chris Day Multimedia Editor

Asmall movie company

in Elizabeth City is hoping its take on the Batman story propels it to the forefront of independent filmmaking.

“I think this is what is going to put us on the map,” said Kristen Conner, social media and operations manager for Leponic Studios LLC.

“Batman: Darker Knight” features Leponic’s biggest cast yet and first-ever use of CGI in one of its films, said Malik Barnes, director and owner of the Elizabeth City-based studio.

Filming for “Darker Knight” is finished and is now in the editing process. Barnes, 24, said in late January that the movie was nearly 59 minutes into its finished production.

“It’ll probably be an hour and a half long,” he said of the film’s total run time. He is anticipating a spring premiere but said no release date has been finalized.

“We’re looking at April,” he said.

Leponic Studios became a limited liability company in June 2021 soon after the company’s previous feature film “Halloween: Revelation” was released.

“‘Halloween’ started to get a lot more traction than

we thought,” Barnes said. Leponic’s take on the Michael Myers slasher film so far has garnered more than 15,000 views on YouTube, which Barnes said was “extremely significant.”

The “Darker Knight” trailer was posted in early February and so far has been watched nearly 600 times. The trailer, along with “Halloween: Revelation” and other Leponic productions can be watched at the studio’s YouTube.com channel, Leponic Studios LLC.

“Batman: Darker Knight” is Barnes’s modern interpretation of the original “Batman: Year One” comic book. Published in 1987 by DC Comics, “Batman: Year One” tells the origin of Batman and how he came to be a crimefighter. Barnes said the movie will follow that story and will serve as an introduction for people not familiar with Batman’s history.

“This could literally be how you discover Batman, and you wouldn’t miss anything,” he said.

“Darker Knight” takes place long before the introduction of popular characters like James Gordon, the Gotham City police commissioner. In Barnes’ telling, Gordon is still patrolling the streets as a police captain.

“Darker Knight” also marks a step up in Leponic’s use of special effects, according to Barnes.

“This will be our first project with CGI,” said Barnes, referring to computer-generated imagery that is used to add visual effects to films.

“Darker Knight” also features “hands down” the

Assisting Gordon in solving crimes is his partner Officer Merkle, played by Emily Lampe. Popular local actor Richard Merrick performs the role of former British soldier turned Batman’s butler and confidant Alfred Pennyworth.

“He’s the best Alfred I’ve ever seen,” Conner said.

Sofia, is played by Conner.

“It’s so much fun playing a bad guy,” Conner said.

In “Darker Knight” the top police officer is Commissioner Loeb, who is played by another popular local actor, Rodger Rossman. Local actor Michele Renaldi plays Sgt. Essen, the character involved in an affair with Gordon.

Finally, Mike Williams plays Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent.

Barnes said that a few of the characters who appear in his movie are not from “Batman: Year One” but originate later in the Batman storyline. He decided to introduce those characters sooner as a means to support his “Leponic cinematic universe.”

Leponic Studios is the only independent film studio in eastern North Carolina, said Barnes, who graduated from Northeastern High School in 2016.

Much of Barnes’ money for making movies comes from out-of-pocket and crowdfunding. Barnes and Conner are hoping “Darker Knight” will earn them an additional source of funding from advertising.

biggest cast so far for a Leponic production, Conner said.

Playing Batman is Jeremy Barclift, who Barnes described as “amazing.”

Nick Smith plays Captain Gordon and he is joined by Jenny Wilson, who plays Gordon’s wife, Barbara Gordon. Playing the Gordons’ daughter, Babs Gordon, is Lacey Hickman.

Barnes called Merrick’s British accent “immaculate.”

Salina Kyle, otherwise known as Catwoman, is played by Lenora Griffin. Catwoman’s sidekick Holly Robinson is played by Erin Kelley.

Batman’s enemy and mob boss Carmine Falcone is played by Brian Cebrian, and Falcone’s daughter,

Including the characters in “Darker Knight” that originally appeared later in Batman’s history will help viewers understand those characters as they appear in later Batman-themed Leponic projects.

Many of the scenes for “Darker Knight” were filmed locally, including downtown Elizabeth City and the campus of College of The Albemarle.

“COA has been a huge supporter” and “an amazing asset for us,” Conner said. With the exception of the Wilmington area,

As of Feb. 16, 956 people were subscribing to Leponic Studios YouTube channel. According to Barnes, a channel must earn at least 1,000 subscribers before YouTube will pay Leponic for embedding advertising with their video submissions. Barnes and Conner are confident that when eventually posted to YouTube, “Darker Knight” will propel them to the 1,000-subscriber threshold.

“We can do this,” Barnes said. “Batman is going to do it.”

The name Leponic dates to Malik’s youth and evolved over several years from the word “leprechaun,” he said. When he was younger his online gaming avatar was a leprechaun, and his username was Lepacon. One day a friend mistakenly called him Leponic, and the name took root.

“It was a big joke but it stuck,” Barnes said.

Green Saves Green: Making world better starts at home

them to researchers investigating the causes of algal bloom growth.

By Savannah Hess Correspondent

Alot of people want to make the world a better place in some way. For the members of Green Saves Green, a regional, volunteer-run environmental action group, making the world a better place starts at home.

“Green Saves Green is a group of friends, neighbors, businesspeople, and community leaders with like-minded goals of leaving a healthy local environment for future generations to enjoy and benefit from,” explains Marlene Greer, a Green Saves Green board member and the group’s secretary.

Green Saves Green, which is based in Elizabeth City, was formed in 2017 after a group of local residents started noticing a proliferation of algal blooms in local waterways.

Concerns about the impacts the blooms could have on residents’ health,

local wildlife, the economy, property values, and people’s livelihoods led the group to ask what it could do to help researchers understand what was causing the blooms to grow and find ways to prevent them.

Around the same time, Avangrid Renewables’ Amazon Wind Farm U.S. East was coming online in western Pasquotank County, and opinions were mixed in the community about the benefits of hosting such a large wind energy project. Green Saves Green’s founding members were supporters of the wind farm project and other forms of renewable energy.

Preventing algal blooms and supporting renewable energy projects became two principal goals of the founding members of Green Saves Green.

Later in 2017, group members started collecting water samples from local waterways and providing

The group now participates in Albemarle Watershed Watch, a monthly event where teams of about 20 volunteers, led by Rodney Johnson, collect water samples and gather other data to help ongoing research into the causes of algae blooms in local waterways. All of the samples and data collected are sent to researchers at NC State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 2018, Green Saves Green organized its first big public event, the Green Saves Green Expo, which focused on energy and the local economy. It hoped to hold an even larger expo, Save Our Rivers, several years later but was forced to cancel the event because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Besides the Albemarle Watershed Watch, Green Saves Green is currently involved in several ongoing initiatives, including litter cleanups, planting trees

and plants for pollinators, and the Student Environmental Education Outreach program. In the spring and fall, Green Saves Green organizes Litter Sweeps, cleanup events that seek community volunteers to pick up litter and trash in neighborhoods, roadsides and public parks. In addition to the Litter Sweeps, Green Saves Green holds campus cleanups at schools, getting students involved in picking up litter, as well as community cleanups involving groups such as the Boys & Girls Club. Green Saves Green also partners with the N.C. Forest Service to give away native redbud trees at “Plant A Valentine” events. In 2021 and 2022, 300 trees were given away and last year, milkweed plants as well as zinnia and cosmos seeds were handed to attendees to start pollinator-friendly gardens at home. By giving away the plants, Green Saves Green hopes to raise awareness of the importance of trees and

pollinators.

The group’s Student Environmental Education Outreach program is designed to get more youth interested and involved in local environmental issues. Students can participate in the campus cleanups, a “Roots & Shoots” program and field trips. “Roots & Shoots” is a global program that encourages students to identify issues affecting people, animals, and the environment in their community and then come up with an action plan to address those issues.

“I appreciate the hundreds of volunteers who have turned out for our events, the many students who have gotten involved, and our successful partnerships with other organizations,” said Dr. Nita Coleman, Green Saves Green chair. “I believe our membership is growing because most folks truly want to do something positive for their community — they just don’t know where to start.”

One way Green Saves

Green helps local residents “know where to start” is by showing them they can have impact on the world by starting small.

“Looking at the ‘big picture’ can be too much, so let’s focus on small actions,” Greer said. “What can I do to protect our waterways? What can I do to reduce the amount of plastic I use? What can I do to help the declining pollinator population? We try to show people that their small actions can add up.”

While some may believe trying to help the environment is tougher in places where the audience is largely conservative and more suspicious of environmental initiatives, Greer disagrees.

“One doesn’t need to appreciate the environmental aspect to appreciate the beautification aspect,” she said.

No matter what political party a person follows, they can appreciate the environment and help to improve its health, Greer says.

Chris Day/The Daily Advance

Residents performing as downtown shoppers pretend to watch a fight on a nearby rooftop during filming of Leponic Studios’ “Batman: Darker Knight” in downtown Elizabeth City in October.

Group helps in algal bloom research, hosts litter sweeps

Work to begin converting Hayes Farm into public space

Site will provide look at history, rec opportunities

By Tyler Newman Chowan Herald

EDENTON — A nearly 200-acre historic property in Chowan County that’s been called the “Mount Vernon of North Carolina” and likened to New York City’s Central Park is being touted as a future destination for both tourists and local residents.

Work will soon get underway to convert the Hayes Farm in Edenton into a public space offering visitors and locals another opportunity in Chowan County to learn about local history while also engaging in a range of recreational activities like horseback riding, walking, hiking, kayaking and swimming.

Thanks to a $6.1 million appropriation from North Carolina lawmakers, the state last year purchased the property, which features an early 19th century Palladian villa plan country house, from the Wood family who had owned it for generations.

Robert Leath, executive director of the Edenton Historical Commission, said opening the Hayes property to the public will have many potential benefits.

“Hayes has the potential to combine an appreciation of history with architecture, an unrivaled setting of natural beauty, incredible documentation, and all the discoveries yet to come through more scientific explorations like archaeology and ground penetrating radar,” he said. In recent months, “Hayes” has become even more of a buzzword around Edenton than it

was prior to the sale being announced in late 2021.

Town Councilman

Sam Dixon, who helped usher in the new era for Hayes and helps lead the nonprofit that will be managing it for the state, told colleagues at a recent council meeting that having the property just over Queen Anne Creek from Edenton will be like having a “Central Park” right next door. Edenton

Town Manager Corey Gooden agreed, saying Hayes has the potential to become an outdoor space “like no other” in North Carolina or the U.S.

“The town of Edenton could not be more excited about the opportunity to see the development of Hayes,” Gooden said. “We are so fortunate to be a part of the future of this property and the positive impacts it will have for Edenton.”

Recently, state Rep. Ed Goodwin, R-Chowan, toured the site along with officials from the State Historic Preservation Office. Goodwin and former state Sen. Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan, were instrumental in securing the state appropriation to buy the Hayes farm.

Reid Thomas, a restoration specialist for the state preservation office, said in a joint statement with John Wood

and Lauren Poole that Hayes will offer visitors “a rare opportunity” to visit a “unique cultural heritage site.” They noted that a “remarkable compilation of historic buildings” remains on the property. There are also a diverse collection of original furnishings, 19th century horse carriages and “hundreds of historic

Leath described Hayes as essentially the “Mount Vernon of North Carolina.”

“It’s actually not a bad comparison — not just architecturally, but historically — as the Johnstons were George Washington’s living contemporaries and his partners in resolving many of the political issues that faced the United States in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth

the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse and the Cupola House.

The property also includes a number of structures used to house people enslaved by Hayes’ 19th century owners until the end of the Civil War.

Many local African American families can trace their lineage directly to the Hayes Farm.

The Badham family, for example, were enslaved at Hayes and went on to become Edenton’s most significant master builders in the Reconstruction era. One product of the Badham builders was Kadesh AME Zion Church, an iconic Gothic Revival Church on East Gale Street, which is undergoing its own restoration.

said last year that it is “especially excited” to work with the Southern Historical Collection and other scholars to interpret accurately the rich history of African Americans who lived at Hayes.

Leath, who besides being the Edenton Historical Commission’s executive director serves in the same role for the foundation, said the work at Hayes is just getting started.

“Over the next ten years, I believe Hayes will evolve into the historic site of national importance it is meant to be,” he predicted.

Dixon also envisions Hayes playing a significant role in the county’s future.

“I can see the youth of our community having the opportunity to learn how to sail and ride horses at Hayes,” he said, noting the foundation is seeking funding for a horse therapy program to benefit persons with special needs.

documents” at Hayes, they said.

Constructed between 1814 and 1817 by Samuel Johnston — a Revolutionary-era statesman and planter who was North Carolina’s first U.S. senator and sixth governor — Hayes was later completed by Johnston’s son, James Cathcart Johnston. The house is a rare surviving example of a Palladian villa plan country house that also features elements of both Adamesque and Greek Neoclassicism architecture.

centuries,” Leath said.

The cemetery on the property contains the graves of many of the foremost American Revolution leaders from North Carolina, including Johnston himself, James Iredell Sr., James Iredell Jr., Penelope Barker and James C. Johnston.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, Hayes also holds the distinction as being one of only three properties in Edenton that have been designated a National Historic Landmark. The others are

Dixon said that the African American story at Hayes may be one of the most well documented in America.

“Over 20,000 letters and other documents exist in the Southern Historical Collection in Chapel Hill. Many letters were written from enslaved individuals to others at Hayes,” he said. “Richard Coxe, who was enslaved at Hayes and lived well into the 20th century, was an artist. Many of his paintings still exist.”

Dixon is president of the Elizabeth Vann Moore Foundation, an Edentonbased nonprofit that will be managing Hayes for the state. The foundation

“The house will be available for use as a venue for special occasions,”

Dixon continued. “Scholars will use the property for research and artists will be able to set up thoughtprovoking art installations in the buildings.”

Dixon said he’s glad that both the Wood family and the foundation chose to protect Hayes. He noted it easily could have become a suburban sprawlstyled development, just hundreds of yards from downtown Edenton.

Leath said that standing in the Hayes cemetery, he can’t help but get goosebumps, thinking of all the history that took place on the property.

“The land and the buildings at Hayes have many stories to tell,” he said. “And it’s just getting started.”

New SAMC’s maternity unit to feature ‘home-like’ rooms

All maternity services will be provided in new LDRP unit

By Paul Nielsen Sta Writer

Rooms with a comfortable bed for mom, pullout couches for a loved one, around-the-clock attention and a celebration meal at the end of a stay are coming to Elizabeth City.

No it’s not a new hotel.

It’s the maternity unit that will be part of Sentara Healthcare’s new hospital that is currently under construction in the city. The new hospital is part of Sentara’s new $200 million Sentara Albemarle Regional Health Campus that also includes a medical office building.

The unit will be known as a Labor-DeliveryRecovery-Post Partum, or LDRP, because all the services will take place in one of 10 maternity rooms when the hospital opens sometime in early 2025. The new rooms

will be approximately 450 square feet each, up from the current 125-squarefoot rooms at the current hospital.

“You will stay in that room for your entire stay,” said SAMC Nurse Manager Cheryl Simpson.

SAMC currently has a labor unit and a separate post-partum unit.

“Patients come in and they labor and deliver and recover there,” Simpson said. “Then after their two-hour recovery they are moved to a post-partum room.”

The new LDRP unit will have large rooms with patient-friendly amenities for mothers and their loved one. The unit also includes all the necessary medical equipment for labor and delivery of the baby.

“There is a pullout sofa for dad and there is a place where they can sit and eat,” Simpson said. “There will be a space for the baby

if we need to have the baby separate if we need a warmer. There will be everything in the room that is needed for mom and the baby.”

Needham called the rooms planned for the LDRP unit “home-like.”

“All the medical equipment will be kind of hidden,” she said.

Beth Delaney is the project coordinator for the new hospital. She said each room will also have room for a laboring tub, should a mother-to-be request one.

“We are trying to bring more midwives on,” Needham said. “If we have more midwives we may have more requests for a laboring tub.”

The hospital’s C-section suite in the new LDRP will be bigger and its equipment will be updated. There will also be a nursery area in the new unit.

Needham noted that some hospitals don’t have their C-section suite close to their LDRP.

“It’s important to have a C-section suite in the unit for emergencies,” she said.

Part of the design process of the new labor and delivery unit, like all units in the new hospital, included seeking input from hospital staff and even past patients. One part of that process was improving the functionality of the rooms.

“We had some patient feedback that we were able to incorporate into the design,” Needham said. “The patients are going to love it.”

Delaney said the new unit will also have the same

extensive security system that is in place currently. It tracks newborn babies during their entire stay in the unit.

SAMC was once again named last year by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation’s best for providing highquality labor and delivery services for uncomplicated pregnancies.

“It’s a signal to our patients that they are coming here and they will receive quality and safe care,” Needham said.

ARHS: Medicaid expansion would impact opioid epidemic

Many of those struggling with addiction lack insurance

By Chris Day Mulitimedia Editor

Local health officials say the expansion of Medicaid benefits in North Carolina will provide more residents battling substance use disorders access to treatment not previously available to them.

“Expanding Medicaid will increase access to mental health and substance use

treatment,” said Amy Underhill, a spokeswoman for Albemarle Regional Health Services. “Individuals often do not receive needed treatment due to cost. Expanded Medicaid will bring needed healthcare coverage to allow for greater access to these services.”

ARHS Health Director Ashley Stoop said the opioid epidemic, which is a leading cause to the high number of fatal overdoses, has been at the forefront of

conversations among her staff. She said they have been meeting with emergency medical service providers and law enforcement officials within the agency’s eight-county service area. According to Stoop, a large percentage of residents who are struggling with addiction fall within the insurance coverage gap. By expanding coverage, more of these residents will have access to substance abuse

treatment through Medicaid, she said.

“When you have individuals with substance use disorders, we often find that they don’t qualify for Medicaid and they don’t have health insurance,” said Stoop, speaking at the Feb. 28 ARHS Board of Public Health meeting. “They are largely in this gap that we are talking about here.”

Stoop said expanding Medicaid to residents with

The new 235,000-squarefoot hospital at the corner of Halstead Boulevard Extended and Thunder Road will include around 88 patient beds and is being built to accommodate future expansion. The hospital campus will encompass 135 acres and includes an 83,000-squarefoot medical office building that is nearing completion. Sentara will be consolidating many of its physician practices in the area into the medical office building.

Photo by Tyler Newman/Chowan Herald

Work will soon get underway to convert the Hayes Farm in Edenton into a public space offering visitors and locals another opportunity in Chowan County to learn about local history while also engaging in a range of recreational activities like horseback riding, walking, hiking, kayaking and swimming. The main house on the property is a rare surviving example of a Palladian villa plan country house that also features elements of both Adamesque and Greek Neoclassicism architecture.

Photos courtesy Sentara Albemarle Medical Center

This combination photo shows (left) a room at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center’s current maternity unit and (right) a Labor Delivery Recovery Post Partum room at another Sentara Healthcare hospital. Sentara’s new hospital in Elizabeth City will feature larger LDRP rooms like the one at the other Sentara facility.

Downeast Preservations to build new homes in historic style

The Jackson Dairy homes to have Victorian-era style

By Vernon Fueston Correspondent

EDENTON — “We have our feet in the history business,” Dawson Tyler says as he points toward a vacant house half a block from his office on East Church Street in Edenton.

The Victorian-style two-story structure has the kind of gingerbread trim and turned columns that suggest it was built sometime between 1890 and 1910. It has the proportions and shape of a quality Southern home even though it’s abandoned.

“That house right there has great bones. If the owner restored it, it would sell so fast it would make your head spin,” Tyler said.

Tyler, his partner Burton Swain, and the company they started in 2016, Downeast Preservations, have made a name for themselves restoring old homes and historic commercial properties. Tyler points to the company’s latest project, the Herringbone Restaurant on Edenton’s waterfront. Built in 1896, the structure was originally an ice house that catered

to the local herring fishing industry.

It was a big job gutting the former ice house building and researching its history. Taylor and his company salvaged much of the cork used as insulation lining the building’s interior walls and exposed the building’s 30-foot ceiling and its scissor rafters.

They then incorporated touches that bring to mind important engines of the area’s economy a century ago: the bar’s surface is lined with tobacco leaves embedded in a layer of epoxy, and tobacco sticks from local farms form a kind of paneling that brings character to the interior.

Such creativity comes at a price. Finding skilled workers to do the work is also a challenge, Tyler said.

“We have 18 carpenters in the field doing some of the most advanced carpentry work in this area,” he said. “We found that being in such a small market, we can’t subcontract out to other firms. We have had to let people find us, or through word of mouth, we find them. We pay them well, and we take care of them. We create a sense of

purpose. That allows us to control outcomes.”

Tyler believes Edenton has successfully staved off the small-town decay that seems to be creeping up on its neighbors. He said the town’s success is something other local communities can replicate — if locals will put in the work.

“People are doers here,” he said. “There are lots of communities in this area that have old architecture and lots of things going for them, but you’ve got to have the communityinspired effort and fervor to make a difference and make your town something your children will want to return to. I’m sure the model is repeatable, but it’s really hard.”

But ironically, the success of preservation efforts in Edenton is creating a new challenge for businesses like Downeast Preservations: a dwindling number of available homes to rehab and renovate. In Edenton, in fact, there are now only five habitable historic homes for sale in the downtown.

Downeast Preservations has adjusted by starting a new line of business. It’s building new houses

that faithfully reproduce the style and elegance of Victorian era Edenton in a new development called The Jackson Dairy.

Built on 9.8 acres, Tyler said the former working dairy farm established in 1926 will also incorporate the principles of “New Urbanism.” The original farmhouse will be restored, and the two silos will be retained.

Tyler says The Jackson Dairy will be a neighborhood centered on people, not the cars they drive. Eight of the homes will face each other across a green space. Others will be constructed along quiet gravel roads.

The object, according to Tyler, is to create a sense of community where residents are encouraged to explore hiking paths and stroll to the nearby Edenton shopping district. Of course, each house will be equipped with a garage, but the community is designed to have the feel of a 19th-century village.

The gravel car paths will serve a practical purpose. They provide drainage, removing the need for retention ponds that many developers construct to capture runoff water.

The houses will be single-family dwellings for now, but Tyler said two patches of land are reserved for townhouses if Downeast Preservations determines the market is right later on.

The houses are designed to look like period homes. The effect, Tyler said, will be a neighborhood that will look like a fully-restored village from the 1890s. He said each house will be handcrafted to have an authentic look.

Making a home that conveys that appearance requires careful planning

and hard work, but it’s worth it, Taylor said. He likes to tell the story of one such new home built to old Edenton standards.

Tyler says a couple, both long-time residents of Edenton, recently mentioned seeing one of his newly built homes, the Sugarberry Cottage, on Church Street. They told Tyler they’d been trying to remember who they knew who might have grown up in the house before it was “restored.”

“That’s the best compliment I could receive,” he said.

Windsor taking steps to mitigate fooding, plan for future

Reestablishing dam at Hoggard’s Mill will slow down water

By Thadd White Group Editor

WNDSOR — When

waters

flood

first swallowed the Bertie County town of Windsor back in 1999, many described the deluge as a 500-year flood. No one believed they would see anything like it again.

But waters have risen to flood King and Granville streets, along with other low-lying areas, three more times over the past 20 years.

Officials in Windsor and Bertie County have worked tirelessly over the years to figure out a way to address flooding issues.

Windsor Mayor Lewis Hoggard — along with town commissioners Cathy Wilson, Randy Whitaker, Randy Walston, Camille Rascoe and L.C. Hoggard III — have worked hand in hand with Windsor Town Administrator Allen Castelloe on flood mitigation and resilience plans. They’re also working to improve the town’s infrastructure and a number of town services like recreation.

“There is no simple or obvious answer to stopping the floodwaters,” Hoggard said. “And, we all know $50 million isn’t dropping out of the sky to handle all of the suggestions we’ve been given.

NURSING from | A3

faculty is a challenge for nursing and other health sciences programs. COA employs five full-time faculty members in the associate degree nursing program, but each semester the college still needs 14-20 adjunct faculty to teach as well.

Harris said in addition to full-time faculty there is a need for clinical instructors.

PICKLEBALL from | A5

the games are currently on hold. The Northern Chowan Community Center, at 2869 Virginia Road, Tyner, started offering pickleball

“What we can do — and what we have committed to as leaders of the town of Windsor — is to spend our resources wisely, use whatever grant money we can find and do as much as possible to slow down any floodwaters.”

The first and possibly most significant move was purchasing 313 acres in what is known as Hoggard’s Mill. The acquisition, which comes with significant assistance from the N.C. Coastal Land Trust, should be completed soon.

“One of the issues with flooding is water getting to Windsor so fast,” Hoggard explained. “We will reestablish the dam on the Hoggard Mill property and that should help at least slow down some of the water coming from that direction.”

The mayor said approximately 25 percent of the water comes from that direction and the dam, combined with a holding area for water, would allow the floodwaters to be stopped and released after the other high water subsides.

“It is part of our water system and we want to have some control and say-so over what happens there,” Hoggard explained.

In addition to the dam, the waters from Hoggard’s Mill will be used for a

“They’re hard to find,” she said. “And they’re a crucial piece for all of these nursing programs and all of our health sciences programs.”

In practical nursing there are two full-time staff members and 10-15 adjunct staff members.

Michelle Coley is the only full-time employee in the nurse aide program. She has four adjunct staff who work

in 2018 after Sawyer heard about the sport from some friends who were playing it in nearby Perquimans County.

The community center has three indoor courts for pickleball and three tennis

canoe/kayak launch, a walking trail and other recreational opportunities. The Cashie Treehouse Village may also be expanded.

Another grant received by the town will create a voluntary buyout program for commercial properties that have been frequently flooded.

“Property owners will be given the opportunity to sell their building at an appraised value in attempt to make sure they don’t lose anything by choosing to relocate,” the mayor said.

At least eight business owners are considering accepting offers for their property and relocating.

“The key is to do something in their place other than a parking lot,” Hoggard said. “We also don’t want to have a bunch of empty spaces.”

Two of the property owners who may accept the offers, according to the mayor, are Bond’s Trucking Repair and Hammerheads Oyster Bar. Both are in the program, but no offers for their properties have been made.

“In that location, we may be able to bring Livermon Park forward to King Street in some form or fashion,” Hoggard said. “We are still working on what exactly would be the best option.”

The town could also end

with her.

Faculty pay is a challenge for the health sciences programs. Nurses can make more money working as nurses than they can teaching nursing.

That’s an issue not only for health sciences but also for many other programs at the college.

Bagwell pointed out that increasing faculty pay is an important legislative

courts that have had lines added to the court for pickleball use. The indoor courts are marked by tape and use pickleball nets. The outdoor courts use tennis nets, which are two inches higher than regulation.

up owning the property formerly known as Davis IGA on Granville Street.

“There is a possibility of putting a splash pad there and some sort of water park,” Hoggard said.

One victim of the floodwaters is the Freeman Hotel on York Street, across from the Livermon Park and Mini Zoo. It has been empty and completely gutted for several years due to multiple floods.

“We will have the opportunity to move the Freeman Hotel from its current location to Camden and Sterlingworth streets, where we have completed the purchase of property,” Hoggard said. “In addition, some of the parcels around the Freeman Hotel will be available for purchase of businesses wanting to move to higher ground.”

Hoggard said preference would be given to those businesses that are in the buyout program, but any business wanting to move to higher ground would have the opportunity to purchase property and build.

“We were able to buy the property based on the need to encourage business growth in the downtown area, but on higher ground,” he said.

One upgrade the town recently completed was to the Cashie Treehouse Village and campground. A variety

priority for the community college system.

Cole mentioned that at the same time, pay is beginning to improve in nurse aide and medical assisting programs, which could make those careers more attractive for prospective students.

Harris said increased pay for people working in those fields is a good development. “They need a

Pickleball is played at the Northern Chowan Community Center on Tuesdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. On average, around 40 people come out to play and the majority are

of grants have funded a restroom and laundry facility at the site, which now boasts four treehouses, six pull-through camping spaces, eight back-in spaces and four tent spaces.

“We have spent about $1 million in grants and town funds” on the Treehouse Village and campground, Hoggard said. “The result has been fantastic as it has brought a lot of people to town. The treehouses are booked just about every weekend and the campground is generally nearly full.”

Windsor has also received a number of federal and state grants to make needed sewer infrastructure improvements, the mayor said. The work has included replacement of sewer pipes, some of which have been in used for 80 years.

“It has to be done, but it is expensive,” Hoggard said. “We are working diligently to keep our system up to date and provide the very best for our citizens —

livable wage,” she said.

Bagwell said there are pathways for students to start in one program and advance to ever higher credentials. That is important for growing a health care workforce, he said.

Harris explained the pathways can move in both directions. Students may start in practical nursing and continue on to

in their 50s and 60s.

When asked what pickleball players have in common, Sawyer said “I think Pickleball players have in common two things: The ability to laugh at themselves and

both for individuals and business.”

Focusing on the future is also the goal of the town’s recent grant to build electric vehicle-charging hookups. The approximately $110,000 grant, which is part of the Volkswagen Settlement, was provided by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. The charging stations will be installed in the parking lot behind the N.C. License Plate Agency.

“The idea is to have people park and walk downtown while the car is charging,” Hoggard said. “They can shop at Kaley Jase or The Opportunity Shoppe or grab a bite to eat at Bunns, Spencers, China King, Little Golden Skillet or Rachel’s Bakery.

“We didn’t want to put it on the bypass,” he continued, referring to the charging stations. “We wanted (them) downtown so people could come into Windsor and see our beautiful town.”

associate degree nursing. But they also may start in the ADN program and decide it’s too rigorous opting instead for a program such as licensed practical nursing.

Bagwell said the college is excited about growing its health sciences programs.

“It’s not about meeting the needs of today, it’s about meeting the needs of tomorrow,” Bagwell said.

their mistakes and their willingness to teach others the game.”

For more information about pickleball games at the Northern Chowan Community Center, contact Sawyer at 252-312-9825.

Lewis Hoggard/Windsor-Bertie Chamber of Commerce

Town of Windsor officials are taking steps to address flood mitigation and improve resilience following four major flooding incidents over the past 25 years.

Photo by Vernon Fueston Dawson Tyler (left) and his Downeast Preservations partner Burton Swain (right) are building new homes that faithfully reproduce the style and elegance of Victorian era Edenton in a new development called The Jackson Dairy.

Perquimans eyes Marine Industrial Park as jobs driver

Construction on project’s

By Tyler Newman The Perquimans Weekly

HERTFORD — Work is steadily progressing on what may become Perquimans County’s largest economic driver for years to come — and it’s located right along the county’s scenic riverfront.

The 71-acre Perquimans Marine Industrial Park, currently under construction along Granby Street in Hertford, has been a project long in the making, according to County Manager Frank Heath.

“We’ve been working on getting it built for the last 10 years or so,” Heath said in a recent interview.

In 2006, a strategic plan identified marine industries as one of the best potential future markets for the Perquimans County Commerce Centre, located along Harvey Point Road.

In the same year, the North Carolina Marine Industrial Park Authority conducted a feasibility study that looked at areas for future growth. At the time, its facility in Wanchese was completely leased. The authority picked the Perquimans County Commerce Centre as the best site for a new marine park.

Perquimans has made substantial progress on the marine park in recent years. The construction cranes of Charleston-based SJ Hamill rising over the site can be seen by nearly any passing boater on the Perquimans River or resident watching from the adjacent county boat ramp.

The two-phase project

currently is in phase one, according to Heath.

“In phase one, we are building a basin angled from the shoreline, while the second phase comes back some and moves parallel to the shoreline,” Heath explained.

The basin is projected to extend inland around 700 feet, with lot spaces around the basin to be leased according to business needs.

“We have no pre-recorded plat or lot lines at this time,” Heath said.

Water depth in the basin will measure around 10 feet, roughly the same as the Perquimans River.

County officials estimate the first phase alone will add close to 200 jobs, potentially making the park one of the largest sources of employment for Perquimans residents outside of the school system.

Heath pegs the cost of the marine park at $8.4 million, the bulk of which —$6.8 million — is coming from the North Carolina General Assembly. The park has also received a $1.5 millio Industrial Development Fund grant from the N.C. Department of Commerce and $750,000 grant from Golden LEAF.

“We still have some money left over for contingencies,” Heath added.

The marine park’s first phase is estimated to be completed by the end of this year. He didn’t provide a timetable for the second phase but said there won’t be a third phase.

“We are limited by the amount of land we have,” Heath said. “We will be

1 may be done this year

stopping after the second phase.”

Heath says the park offers a number of benefits to businesses and companies looking either to relocate or expand their activities to Perquimans.

One benefit is inclusion in the Port of Virginia’s expanded Foreign Trade Zone. Widened in 2016 to include any location within 60 minutes or 90 miles of the Norfolk port, the FTZ now includes northeastern North Carolina.

An FTZ is a secure area within U.S. borders that is considered to be “outside” of U.S. Customs territory for tariff purposes. Customs and Border Protection oversees daily operations in the zones, while all other local, state and federal laws still apply.

Some of the advantages to businesses located in an FTZ include duty deferral on imported merchandise, inverted tariffs and duty reduction on goods produced in the zone. Also, there are no time constraints on moving merchandise in the zone and greater protection from theft. There are fewer incidents of loss reported on cargo imported into FTZs, resulting in lower insurance costs.

“This (FTZ expansion) is advantageous for businesses wanting to get products in and out of the port,” Heath said.

The second benefit to the Perquimans park location is its proximity to the future Interstate 87 corridor. Planned to follow U.S. highways 64 and 17 from Raleigh to Williamston and then north to Hampton Roads, I-87 will run barely a

mile from the marine park. Also, an interstate-grade interchange is planned at the intersection of Harvey Point Road and U.S. 17 in the next few years.

“I think (Interstate 87) will link up very nicely with the marine park,” Heath said. “Harvey Point Road and (U.S.) 17 is a major intersection and very accessible for the future.”

The park’s location in Perquimans — on the Eastern Seaboard and roughly halfway between Maine and Miami — is also a benefit. Businesses locating at the park will have easy day-trip access to large ports in Norfolk, New York and New Jersey, Savannah and Charleston.

Heath confirmed the county has been in talks with companies that have expressed interest in locating a facility in the marine park.

“I can’t talk specifics, but some (have expressed) interest in the park,” he said. “This could have a big impact on our local economy.”

Asked if he could think of any similar parks in North Carolina, Heath said he could not.

“There are none (like this) that I’m aware of,” he said. “There are very few on the whole Eastern Seaboard that will look like this.”

While the Marine Industrial Park Authority maintains marine parks in Wanchese and Engelhard, neither is designed the same way as Perquimans’ park.

Heath said that the main goal of the marine park is to create jobs for the immediate community.

Perquimans is in an area of the state where many workers have to travel some distance to find work. The shipyards in Norfolk, the U.S. Coast Guard base in Elizabeth City, and the Outer Banks for tourismrelated jobs are among the places where they drive every work day.

“The whole genesis of the park was to create jobs,” Heath explained. “We are trying to give citizens the ability to work in the county in which they live.

Seventy percent of our citizens travel outside of Perquimans County to

Perquimans

Perquimans County

Courthouse:

County Manager – Frank Heath - 426-8484

Finance Of cer – Tracy Mathews- 426-8484

Human Resources – Casey Winn - 426-8484

Clerk to the Board – Mary Hunnicutt - 426-8484

Register of Deeds – Jackie Frierson - 426-5660

Clerk of Court – Todd Tilley - 404-5000

Tax Department – Bill Jennings - 426-7010

Location: 128 North Church Street

Courthouse Annex

Sheriff’s Of ce – Shelby White - 426-5615

Magistrates – George Long & Drew Woodard426-2201

Probation & Parole – 426-4780 or 426-7224

Location: 110 North Church Street

Cooperative Extension

Agricultural Service – Jared Harrell - 426-5428

Family & Consumer Science Education & 4-H –426-5428

Elections Of ce – Jackie Greene - 426-5598

Soil Conservation – Janet Stallings & Jacob Peele 426-5545

Location: 601 A South Edenton Road Street

Library Librarian - Michele Lawrence (252) 426-5319

Location: 310 Grandy Street

Parks & Recreation

Director – Howard Williams - 426-5695

Location: 310 Granby Street

Senior Citizen Center Coordinator – Beverly Gregory 426-5404

Location: 1072 Harvey Point Road

Emergency Services

Emergency Services Director: Jonathan Nixon

Communications - 426-5751

EMS - 426-5646

Emergency Management - 426-7029

Water Department - Nick Lolies, 426-8230

Location: 159 Creek Drive

work.”

Heath said that when the textile industry left northeast North Carolina back in the 1980s and 1990s, agriculture remained as the largest economic driver, alongside real estate development.

“We are looking to create a situation where companies have a venue to create jobs,” Heath noted. “We see a potential for big impact jobs in the county. That means people can work where they live, which means more sales tax generated because people are spending more locally.”

Commission Building

426-5753

Farm Services Agency – Michelle Winslow426-5802

Location: 512 South Church Street

USDA Rural Development – Travis Lassister –(252) 358-7836

Location: 305 Tyron Street, Winton, NC 27986

Social Services Director – Susan Chaney - 426-7373

Location: 103 Charles Street

Dobbs Street Building

Building Inspector – Virgil Parrish - 426-8283

Planner – Rhonda Money - 426-2027

Veteran’s Services – Preston Spear - 426-1796

Perquimans County History Museum

Stacey Layden - 404-2910

Location: 104 Dobbs Street

phase

Photo from Facebook

Construction continues on the Perquimans County Marine Industrial Park in this photo taken by a drone. The county estimates phase one of two-phase, $8.4 million project being built along the Perquimans River will be complete later this year.

Map courtesy Perquimans County

This map provided by Perquimans County shows the site of the Perquimans County Marine Industrial Park along the Perquimans River.

3rd Annual

SCRAMBLE

For information on sponsorship and teams - Contact Diane Cangemi at 252-426-5657 or email director@perquimanschamber.com

College of The Albemarle (COA) has always been much more than campuses, classes, degrees and certifcates. Our real passion is transformation. Transformation of our students as they achieve their dreams and of ourselves as we grow to better serve our communities. At COA, we provide students the support needed to reach their full potential while introducing them to a whole new world of possibilities. We know this because we’ve learned the stories, witnessed the talent and shared in the success of our students time after time. College of The Albemarle was the frst community college in North Carolina. We have four campuses across seven counties, providing excellent educational programs. We are proud of COA’s history and its strong tradition throughout the Albemarle region. College of The Albemarle ofers 40+ programs of study and opportunities for professional and personal growth through our Workforce Development and Career Readiness (WDCR), formerly Continuing Education. Above all, COA is a catalyst for transforming lives. No matter your background, whatever your goals, at COA, you’ll transform your tomorrow.

COA received funding approval in 2022 for a new Health Sciences Expansion and Simulation Center. This project is estimated at $25M with the groundbreaking anticipated in the fall of 2024.

College of The Albemarle (COA) and the Northeastern Workforce Development Board (NWBD) of the Albemarle Commission were jointly awarded nearly $2 million, approximately $975,000 and $993,000 respectively, for the development and implementation of short-term training curriculum to support workforce needs related to ofshore wind, maritime and ship/boat building.

College of The Albemarle Opportunities

Noncredit Programs Credit Programs

Church’s wellness ministry targets needs beyond spiritual

Recent forums address climate change, keeping kids safe

By John Foley Bertie Ledger-Advance

WINDSOR — With origins dating back to 1865, Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church’s roots run deep in Bertie County.

Back then, worship services were held in a brush harbor and led by the Rev. Bryant Lee, not far from where the modern-day church stands.

Today, almost 158 years later, Mt. Olive’s congregation worships in a red brick structure but its mission is little changed.

Mt. Olive’s multiple ministries are still focused on community involvement and outreach.

The church’s Health and Wellness Ministry, headed by church Deacon Linda McNair-Moore, sponsors a

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substance use disorders falls in line with the work and recommendations of the Pasquotank County Opioid Advisory Committee.

“This is a direct correlation to the conversations happening about how to use settlement funds and what we could provide for treatment and services,” she said.

The committee met in December 2022 and in January to discuss ways to tackle the opioid crisis in Pasquotank by using funds from the national settlement with pharmaceutical companies.

Pasquotank will receive $2.5 million in settlement money over an 18-year span, including nearly

wide array of educational, informational and entertainment programs.

The ministry recently hosted two forums: one focused on children’s safety and gang awareness, the other on climate change and its effects on local agriculture.

McNair-Moore attracts speakers and mentors for the programs from a cross-section of community leaders. Everyone from the Bertie County Schools superintendent to two county sheriffs and a judge participated in the children’s safety forum.

William Barber III, director of climate and environmental justice at the Washington, D.C.based The Climate Reality Project, was a speaker at the second forum. The forum, “Help Me

$300,000 in 2022. Jonathan Nixon, the emergency management director for Perquimans County, said Medicaid expansion could also benefit residents in his county.

“A major barrier for many of our patients is access to care,” he said. “This could be due to the lack of insurance, the lack of transportation to support programs or because of the limited resources in our rural area.”

On Thursday, March 2, both of the top leaders in the state Senate and House — Senate President Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland — announced the two chambers had reached a deal to expand Medicaid coverage to about

To Survive and Protect Myself,” was aimed at youth in Bertie and surrounding counties, and explored the challenges they face from peers and other pressures.

The forum also provided tips to parents on how to make sure their children know how to stay safe. Topics included the best ways to help youth respond to pressures to use drugs, join gangs and use illegal firearms. “Think before you act” was common advice.

“The decisions you make today will affect you later in life,” Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin said, speaking to young people in the audience. “So young people have to be careful with the things you do, the things you say and the friends you hang around

600,000 low-income North Carolinians who are living without health insurance. Both lawmakers said Medicaid expansion wasn’t likely to receive a final vote until late March.

Within ARHS’s 8-county service area, the number of residents who would be eligible for health insurance under Medicaid expansion is 9,262.

“ARHS is very pleased with the efforts by the General Assembly to move Medicaid expansion forward,” Underhill said.

“This will be transformative for access to health care in rural areas, for better mental health and for veterans, working adults and their families. The collaboration between the Senate and the House

with.”

Hertford County Sheriff Dexter Hayes stressed the importance of hard work and parental example, explaining he tries to set a good example for his own kids.

“It only takes a splitsecond decision to change your life forever,” he said. “The decisions you make now can haunt you for the rest of your life. So make sure you make the right decision.”

Barber, an expert on environmental and climate justice, is the son of William Barber II, president of Repairers of the Breach, co-chairman of the Poor People’s Campaign, and most recently founding director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School.

At the Climate Reality Project, Barber studies

to reach an agreement shows their commitment to the health of all North Carolinians.”

ARHS provides indirect substance abuse care by ensuring patients who express a need for treatment services are referred to the appropriate partnering agencies, according to Underhill.

The year 2021 saw the highest number of overdose fatalities in North Carolina: 4,041. That’s according to the latest numbers from N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. That marked a 22% increase from 2020 and was the state’s highest number of fatal overdoses ever in a single year.

In Perquimans County in 2021, there were six

climate change and predictions of how it will affect people in communities large and small. He also investigates reports of environmental injustice.

While the world stares at the phenomenon of climate change with varying degrees of certainty, fewer doubt that warmer temperatures are creating weather extremes that lead to drought, tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires. These catastrophic events directly affect thousands of people as residents lose their homes, possessions and livelihoods.

But climate change can also affect small agricultural communities like Bertie County, where drought conditions can lower crop yields. McNairMoore said it was concern for her own community, as well as the global one, that

reported deaths from overdose, according to DHHS. Perquimans created a Community Narcan Distribution Program to help address overdose deaths, Nixon said.

Nixon was referring to the drug naloxone, which is known by its brand name Narcan. Naloxone is an opiate-antagonist that blocks the effects of opioids, particularly in the case of a heroin overdose or overdose caused by other opiate-based drugs or synthetics. It can be administered either by an injection, intravenously or it can be spayed into the patient’s nose.

Nixon said overdoses tend to occur in several numbers at once with pauses in between.

prompted her to organize the environmental forum.

“We the people need to know how climate change has and will affect our daily lives,” she said.

“Our future is at (the mercy) of continuing major occurrences. If we as a people do nothing about ... climate change … things will be somewhat discomforting and difficult. We cannot afford not to work on the climate change.”

The Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church Health and Wellness Ministry partners with the North Carolina Council of Churches to educate its congregation and the community on how to live healthier lives. McNairMoore and the Mt. Olive Health and Wellness Ministry plan to sponsor other events throughout the year.

“With regards to frequency of overdoses, they seem to come in waves or spikes, where we help several patients that have overdosed in a short period of time,” he said.

The number of overdose fatalities in ARHS’s remaining coverage area, listed by county, are as follows: Bertie, 10; Camden, none; Chowan, four; Currituck, nine; Gates, five; Hertford, three; and Pasquotank, 20. Opioid treatment photo

credit: Chris Day/The Daily Advance Opioid treatment photo

cutline: Shown in this June 2019 photo is a 4 milligram dose of the nasal spray form of Narcan, which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

OPIOID