|
Hearing set on ISP incentives
By Randall
Rigsbee
Next month,
Chatham County residents will have a say in whether the county
should offer nearly $3 million to ISP Minerals Inc. as an economic
incentive to build a plant near Siler City.
The Chatham
County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously in a Monday
afternoon work session to conduct an Oct. 16 public hearing on the
proposed incentive. The hearing will be part of the board’s 6 p.m.
meeting in Pittsboro.
While the
hearing will allow county residents to offer their opinions on the
matter, the Chatham County Economic Development Commission (EDC),
which aims to bring new industries to Chatham County, had their say
last week. The 16-member EDC Board of Directors voted during a
Tuesday, September 12 meeting, to recommend the county offer ISP the
incentive.
According to
Tony Tucker, president of the EDC, the proposal is to offer the
Maryland-based rock mining company $525,360 annually over the next
five years.
ISP Minerals
is considering establishing a 1,076-acre quarry in Siler City’s
extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction.
Dennis
Wicker, an attorney in Lee County and former Lt. Governor of North
Carolina, is representing ISP in the matter. He said Monday that the
incentives will play a significant role in determining where ISP
locates.
more- See Thursday,
September
21
paper:
Vol 86, No.
42
Newcomers fight $1,200 water bill
By Joseph
Pardington
Mark and Lisa
Gough moved to Pittsboro in July to a new house in Potterstone
Village and a newly planted lawn.
Both never
expected, they said, to receive a water and bill of $1,280.
On Monday
September 11, the couple told the Town Board they could not believe
they had used 144,000 gallons in one month, even if their water
meter indicated they did.
They said the
original meter was replaced by a new one and wondered if this could
have caused an error in the readings.
The board
listened intently and then made its decision. The board voted 4-1 to
give the Goughs $636.44 credit for sewer but to leave the water bill
the same.
Sam
Misenheimer, town manager of Pittsboro, cautioned the board before
they voted.
"Policy does
not allow any adjustments," Misenheimer said. He also told the board
that staff is not allowed to adjust the water bill when the meter is
working properly.
"We don’t
have the authority to waive the sewer system fees (either)," he
said.
more- See Thursday,
September
21
paper:
Vol 86, No.
42 |
Lee Moody photo
At Woof-A-Palooza . . .
Sam Moulton holds her dog
dressed up in Harley Davidson garb at the Woof-A-Palooza event in
Pittsboro Saturday, Sam was just one of many that brought their dogs
for a day of fun to raise money for the Animal Control shelter.
County
resident charged with sign theft to have day in court
By Joseph
Pardington
A recent
winner in the battle of open meetings and public records laws in
Chatham County faces a new battle.
Gretchen
Lothrop of Pittsboro, who was charged August 31 with larceny, was
given a continuance of that court case until October 4.
The case
involves signs that were posted along a roadway south of Pittsboro
by a developer, said David Monroe, the Town of Pittsboro’s planning
director.
Lothrop, in
an interview with The Chatham News/Record last week,
discussed the charges she faces.
"I’ve been
accused of being a thief," she said. "I take this very seriously."
Lothrop is
being represented by Jeffrey Starkweather, an attorney and chairman
of the Chatham Coalition. Both Lothrop and Starkweather successfully
challenged the Chatham County Board of Elections regarding two
separate issues within the past two weeks.
Lothrop on
Tuesday September 12 was awarded partial attorney fees of $3,500
after filing suit against the Board of Elections for violating open
meeting and public record laws.
more- See Thursday,
September
21
paper:
Vol 86, No.
42 |
