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SOUTHERN PITT COUNTY — A moratorium placed on
the towns of Ayden and Winterville in June 2004 poses a lingering
threat as the towns enter 2005 and is the top story in Southern Pitt
County for the past year.
In June 2004, Ayden and Winterville were notified by the North
Carolina Division of Water Quality (DWQ) that they would be put
under a sewer moratorium on July 5, 2004. The moratorium came after
frequent spills at the N.C. 11 Pump Station were reported. The
spills caused excessive inflow and infiltration (I&I) and sewer
lines were in desperate need of replacement. The moratorium
threatened to stop all future sewer connections for both of the
rapid-growing towns.
The Town of Ayden had worked five years prior to the moratorium to
get grant money to replace aging sewer lines but were consistently
turned down. However, the grant was again applied for on March 30,
2001 and awarded on June 12 in the amount of $3.0 million. A total
of $400,000 would be used for the CMSD project with the rest going
to replace old sewer lines down Third Street in Ayden.
Although, the CMSD and town of Ayden received the award, the project
was continuously delayed, causing the scope of work to be limited
because of rising construction prices.
Ayden and Winterville asked for an extension on the moratorium but
were denied. However, the State Division of Water Quality (DWQ) said
that the towns could avoid the moratorium if they could develop a
short-term solution and develop a written long-term plan. That plan
was adopted.
A Special Order by Consent (SOC) was put into place at the end of
June and superceded the moratorium. The SOC is a temporary solution
to a problem that had haunted the CMSD for years. A consensus was
reached during a meeting held on June 17, 2004 between
representatives of Ayden, Winterville, The Wooten Company, CMSD as
well as DWQ that future connections could tap into the town’s sewer
services.
The SOC is an agreement between the CMSD and the DWQ that problems
relating to CMSD including distribution lines and pumps at various
location will be fixed. The SOC will be in effect until November 30,
2006. All projects with building permits as of July 2, 2004 can
connect to municipal collection systems without regard to the
additional flow allocations to be included in the SOC.
If the CMSD does not fix problems in the time allocated, the
moratorium could effect the towns again in 2005.
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The Town of Ayden saw several big events in 2004, including a start
on Phase I of their infrastructure study, which is a part of a
Sanitary Sewer Improvement Project and ties into the I&I problems
the CMSD was facing.
Because of the inflow and infiltration (I&I), spills were frequent,
which created severe wear and tear on the sewer system. Phase I of
the project, which is underway now, will go down Third Street, Lee
Street, Juanita Street, West Avenue and many others. Currently, work
is being done on Third Street. Once the sewer work is done in all
areas, the streets will be repaved throughout town.
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The Southwest Bypass, which was the top story for 2003, was still a
big story for 2005, as it lingered in the air, threatening to
disrupt business life by coming in at the intersection of NC 102 and
NC 11. In January of 2004, Ayden’s Board of Commissioners acted by
putting together a committee to discuss the pros and cons of the
bypass alternatives. One of the three proposals, presented by H.W.
Lochner Consulting Firm took the road around the Pines to Snow Hill
Road while the other two proposals took the route to the north of
Ayden. The latter two both affected the intersection of 102 and 11
but in different ways.
A new, better alternative was presented to citizens and Ayden’s
Board of Commissioners in August of 2004, an alternative which was
named the "Avoidance Alternative" because it goes west of the Pines
and ties in south of the NC 11 and Highway 102 intersection. It also
avoids the Renston Historic District, which was also affected by the
original bypass plan. This alternate was more supported by Ayden and
hopefully will be the choice of H.W. Lochner and the Department of
Transportation. A final alternate, however, is not expected to be
chosen until June of 2006, at the earliest.
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Ayden also saw some positive changes in their Zoning and Subdivision
Ordinance as the Planning Board, along with Planners Dale Holland
and Chip Holland, worked diligently to create a more detailed
ordinance, which included a definition section. The Planning Board
received the draft ordinance in May of 2004 and spent several months
tweaking the draft to perfection.
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Other big events in Ayden included a change in leadership, as former
Mayor Michael House chose to not run for re-election. Instead,
former commissioner Steve Tripp took over the reins and serves as
Ayden’s Mayor. House was mayor of Ayden for eight years. Tripp had
served as commissioner for 10 years.
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Ayden also faced several devastating losses this year as an Ayden
resident lost his life in the war in Iraq. Sgt. Rodney Murray was
killed in a Humvee accident in May of 2004 in Iraq.
An early morning fire in Ayden on November 21, 2004 left three dead,
including two children and their grandfather. Seven-year-old
Ashleigh and three-year-old Tucker Ewell and their
seventy-one-year-old grandfather, Harold Ewell, died in a fire in
their temporary Eighth Street home. The grandmother survived the
blaze. It is still unknown what started the fire, but fire-fighters
responded to the blaze in four minutes.
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Ayden-Grifton High School saw big events in 2004 as well, as
Journalism and English teacher Dawn Garner Everett was named Pitt
County’s Teacher of the Year in March of 2004. Everett was named
Ayden-Grifton’s teacher of the year in September 2003 and went on to
compete for County Teacher of the Year. Everett not only won the
recognition, but also a car from Greenville Toyota for one year as
well as gas from Trademart, car insurance and about $1800.
A-G Guidance Counselor Travis Lewis was also named the first
recipient of the Barry Gaskins Pitt County Schools Ambassador Award,
which is named in honor of former Public Information Officer, Barry
Gaskins, who died in 2003 with 29 years of service.
A-G also faced a change in leadership again as Dr. Barbara Mallory
retired with just a year as A-G’s principal and 31 years in public
education. Bill Frazier took Mallory’s place.
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Grifton experienced many big events as well as they began Phase One
of their street widening project. The project was funded by the
North Carolina Department of Transportation and will widen North
Highland Avenue from McCrae Street to Patrick Street, put down curb
and guttter and sidewalk. Phase two of the project will do the same
thing, but from Patrick Street to River Road. In a potential third
phase, the work would go from river Road to Forest Acres and
eventually all the phases would tie in together.
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A proposed bridge which will connect Grifton’s newest parks was
shown to members of Grifton’s Creekside Committee in July of 2004.
The bridge was a drawing presented by Cynthia Rice of Landscaping
Architecture and Planning in Raleigh. The board chose one of three
bridges for a more detailed study, which would connect the Creekside
Overlook Park to the east end of the RV Park.
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Grifton also received TreeCity USA Status in 2004, an accomplishment
which will help make the town more attractive. Obtaining the status
took the town almost three years because of the standards required
to become a TreeCity. A lot of trees were planted in Grifton parks,
especially in Grifton’s two newest parks.
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Several new organizations were formed in Grifton in 2004, including
an Optimist Club and a Red Hat Society.
The Grifton Optimist Club was chartered in February 2004. The club
is known for their positive service projects, which mostly focus on
the youth of the community.
The Grifton Red Hats was also chartered in June 2004 and is for
females who want to celebrate in the aging process.
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