BY NICOLE LAYTON
Edenton Town Council will host a special meeting and committee meeting Monday. They will feature four public hearings and an executive session to discuss two lawsuits regarding the Confederate Monument.
The public hearings are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and will be held in council chambers, 504 S. Broad St., Edenton. They will be followed by a short meeting, a committee meeting and a closed session.
The closed session will be held at the end of the committee meeting that will feature a look at the customer service policy update regarding service order dates.
During the session, Council will consult Town Attorney Hood Ellis regarding the United Daughters of the Confederacy vs. Town of Edenton lawsuit. In that suit, the organization and several other groups sued to prevent the town from moving the statue from South Broad Street to Hollowell Park, located in a flood-prone area along West Queen Street.
Michael Dean, leader of the Sons of the Confederacy Edenton Bell Battery camp 2355, said the group will continue to picket at the statue during the weekends until a firm decision is made. The Sons of the Confederacy are among the suit’s plaintiffs.
“It’s up to the court to decide whether or not to enforce the law as written,” he said. “But we will continue to picket until a firm decision is made. It’s all about the money now.”
He noted that the town did not include the memorial in its $2 million plan to renovate the waterfront park.
Also during the closed session, Council will also consult with Ellis regarding a more recent lawsuit brought against the town and council by several members of the Move the Monument group and Edenton residents. The lawsuit seeks to prevent the town and Chowan County from arranging to move the statue to behind the Chowan County Courthouse.
In regards to the public hearings, the first two will be regarding applications for property use changes.
The first, will be for a Major Special Use Permit from the Chowan County ABC Board to do a minor subdivision at 516 Virginia Road, currently the location of the temporary Chowan County Courthouse. The board asks the council to split the land into two parcels, with the back parcel to be used for a warehouse plumbing company.
The second will be a rezoning application requesting a portion of the property at 110 Whitemon Lane be zoned a commercial highway. The 4.5-acre property is located near US 17, in an empty field close to Feyer Ford.
The request is being made by Herritese LLC, based in Kinston. According to the application, they hope to put a quick-serve restaurant and fuel station at the location.
The other hearings involve an amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance regarding lot sizes and a funding allocation for Project Teapot.
Project Teapot is an effort by the town and Mainstreet Edenton to draw an employer to Edenton. According to previous articles, the project may create as many as 150 jobs and involves the former Sears Building on North Broad Street.
Also during the special meeting, council will consider approving a memorial bench for Aiden Chase Radke, in Colonial Park. Aiden is the son of Melissa (former Chowan County tax administrator) and Chris Radke (former engineer for the town of Edenton). Aiden died on May 23, 2024, at the age of seven. The family is seeking that the bench be similar to the black marble bench located in Colonial Park in memory of Sgt. F.M. Parker, retired.
Council will also vote on approving a work authorization and budget amendment for paving and lighting at the Northeastern Regional Airport runway.
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[…] a touching moment, the council approved a memorial bench near Waterfront Park in honor of Aiden Chase Radke. Town employee Jessica Combs, who is helping the family with the bench, noted the family’s […]