Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / Oct. 23, 1980, edition 1 / Page 1
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a THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY Volume 36, No. 43 USPS 428-060 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, October 23, 1980 20 CENTS Fuel assistance checks expected to shrink this year Perquimans county residents who got .tyel assistance checks last winter will t^robably find that this year's check is going to be a lot smaller. County social services director Paul Gregory reported to the board of com missioners Monday night that the checks would probably range from $90 to |75, depending on various factors. Gregory attended a meeting on fuel assistance this past Friday and learned that the county will get some $80,000. County checks will be smaller than in some areas of the state because of a zone arrangement based on severity of the winter. In the mountain region, for instance, the maximum check will be $330, Gregory said. Another reason for smaller checks is that the state will assist everyone who is eligible for the program this year. Last winter, applicants were turned away after funds were exhausted. Gregory stressed that the program is not designed to provide all of a recipient's fuel needs, but is merely a supplement. The county will get $6,800 to ad ministrate the program, and Gregory said that figure would be enough if social services is allowed to charge time spent on energy assistance to existing programs. He also said that the social services staff will probably have to work on "a couple of" Saturdays to get the program completed. Gregory said that each of the an ticipated 1,000 applications will take from 20 to 30 minutes to fill out, and appeals could take two to three hours. Those persons receiving Supplemental Security Income, Aid to Families with dependent children or food stamps will be processed automatically. Social services hopes to begin Odd entrance mJoe Williams makes an unusual entrance to remove an item from his overturned ear. The accident occurred at about 3 p.m. last Tuesday on Center Hill Hertford Road (S.R. 1110). Williams was attempting to pass his brother's car when an oncoming vehicle forced him back into his lane. He skidded into a ditch and his car overturned, causing about $600 in damages. ~ , Until Dec. 1 JTJT9 ) i ? ... ? 1 own to delay rate hike The Hertford Town Council has decided to delay the 15 percent electrical rate increase until the Dec. 1 billing because of Virginia Electric and Power Company's prediction that fossil fuel charges for the month of October will increase markedly. The council took action last week to r ; increase electrical rates IS percent in ' an effort to generate funds to cover the some $43,206 deficit in last year's general fund and to inflate a nearly depleted cash flow. The increase was to come Into effect with the Nov. 1 billing. According to Hertford Mayor and Town Manager Bill Cox, Vepco predicts that while the fossil fuel charges will soar to $13.92 per 1000 kilowatt hours used during October, the charge for usage will go back down considerably in November. "Having found this out (the in crease in the fossil fuel charge) prompted the town council to hold off on the increase until Dec. 1, because Vepco predicts that the cost will come down," said Cox, who added, "It's a 'tremendous fossil fuel charge, and that's why we're delaying the in crease." The trend in Vepco's fossil fuel charge to the town reflects a marked increase over the last two months: in August the fossil fuel charge was $6.57 per 1000 kwh and in September it was $12.30 per 1000 kwh. According to Clayton Gentry, Vepco's District Manager, the in crease in the fossil fuel charge is directly related to the amount of nuclear power and coal utilized by the utility company. "The more nuclear and coal and the less oil we use lowers the possibility of the fossil fuel charge clause being used," said Gentry. He explained the fossil fuel charge as an additional charge the Federal Power Commission allows all utility companies to utilize based on a consumer trend. "Fol? municipalities, we estimate the average usage and adjust that cost to the actual usage later," he said. ARPDC elects officers ; search ^or director is still underway Raleigh Carver, Pasquotank County Commissioner, was elected chairman of the Albemarle Regional Planning and Development Commission at the regular meeting held in Hertford last Carver fills the position of outgoing chairman Donald Bryan. Also approved as ARPDC officers for the 1M1 year were Hertford Mayor Bill Cox as vice chair man and C.ll. Stokes of Washington County, as secretary-treasurer. The newly-elected chairman an nounced his intentions of eliminating the by-laws committee and his plans to establish a chairman's committee to assist him in an advisory capacity. Although no executive director has yet been selected to fill the position left vacant by Robery Whitley who resigned in June, acting ARPDC director Ray McClees said this week that a personnel committee was expected to begin in terviews immediately and continue until Nov. 20, the date of ARPDC's next monthly meeting. "They will probably make a recom mendation to the commission at that time, (Nov. 20) and if the commission is pleased, I imagine they'll proceed with the hiring procedures," said McClees, who added that he didn't think the position would be filled before Jan. 1. Other business at last week's meeting included the endorsement of a $264,000 Comprehensive Employment and Training Act program at the request of the Roanoke Skills Training Center. Although the project's approval on the state level was pending as of press time, and the availability of federal funds is still uncertain, ARPDC's approval was deemed necessary in order to proceed with the application procedure. If funded, the project would teach work skills to some 160 low-income people through a cooperative work-study program offered in conjunction with College of the Albemarle. The commission also moved to finance Chowan Hospital's request for 10 hospital beds. Counseling program outlined at Union The Perquimans County School Board heard an outline of counseling services available at Perquimans Union School at the regular monthly meeting Monday. Union School counselor Lueta Sellers told board members that while the program was initially feared toward individual counseling when it began in jfrr-rT of 1M0, this school year has seen H expand to include net only individual counseling, but group and classroom work as well. described the program as it nature, geared toward Ing suspensions, classroom and promoting healthy df conflict at Perquimans Union may be to Ms. Sellers tor individual board that students referred to her were always told who referred them, why they were referred, and what counseling is all about. Whether or not the student wants to accept the counseling service is up to him. "You cannot force counseling on anybody," said Ms. Sellers. Confidentiality is kept in all cases except in those instances which Ms. Sellers said she deemed "dangerous." "If I think a student is potentially dangerous to themselves or others, then 1 feel I must notify their parents or some appropriate persons," said Ml. Sellers. Classroom work in counseling is available at Perquimans Union upon the teacher's request, according to Ms.. Sellers. Possible topics suitable for with stress, understanding others, and improving self concept. She told that board that she planned to hold a session which would involve in terested parents, guardians, and com munity members on effective parenting later on this year. The session would focus on communication, creative and contractive methods of discipline, and deal with gender-bias. "It is important to realise that any gonder-bias communicated un consciously to children may boi them ia," said Ms. Sellers, "The problem U. they may not fit into that particular box." In summarising her program and philocphy of counseling, Ms. Sellers read a note to the board from the survivor of a concentration camp. The note rati: "I an a survivor of ? ; ? i concentration camp. My eyes saw what no man should witness: "Gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children poisoned by uucated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot and burned by high school and college graduates. "So, I am suspicious of education. My request is: Help your students become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, educated Eichmanns. "Reading, writing, arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our children more humane. " Ms. Selkl-s said, "This is where I'm coming fropi. I want to help to make our students m< re humane. " In other usiness, the board moved to I Continued on pige 2) processing other applicants by Dec. 1, Gregory said. Checks are expected to be mailed directly to recipients by Jan. 15, he said. Time limitations prevented some sort of vendor arrangement to insure that the money, derived from the windfall profits tax, goes for fuel, but Gregory said he hopes that next year's program will include vendor agreements. In other action, the commissioners: ?agreed to purchase some 11 loads of rock at $150 per load from Charles H. Ward to put on the road to the historic Newbold- White House; decided to protest a bill for some $5,775 for the county's share of two years of utilities at the ARPDC building; ?passed a resolution in support of a 10 bed addition at Chowan Hospital, and; ?took no action on a request from the Albemarle Migrant Council for support of a law making crew leaders responsible for various needs of migrant workers. Rec program boosted again The Perquimans County Board of Commissioners had to move their meeting over to the courtroom Monday night as some 55 persons turned out in a i show of support for the recreation department. At least a dozen persons spoke on behalf of recreation, attributing the program with everything from teaching children constructive use of time to improving race relations. A similar group had appeared before the financially-strapped Hertford Town Council on Oct. 6 and had been told that much of the future of recreation would be up to the county. "It bothers me a lot that when you get in a financial bind the first thing you come up with is to do away with recreation," said Wayne Ashley, a banker and a midget league football coach. The recreation program is presently funded on a 50-50 basis by the town and county. Many of those who testified on the program's behalf are community leaders. Elementary school principal Bill Tice argued that while the com missioners have no legal obligation to provide a recreation program, they do have a moral obligation. Former major league pitching star Jimmy Hunter was also among the recreation endorsers. "If we don't provide something for (the young people) there's gonna be some trouble down the line," said Hunter. "If you've got some extra money you've got to take it and give it to the younger people." High School football coach Pat Morgan expressed his support for the program, as did girls' athletics coach Carolyn Rogers. Another football coach, Sid Eley of Perquimans Union, strongly endorsed the recreation department, but said that because he is a town resident he must pay for the program through both town and county taxes. Eley felt that the county should pay the cost of the program. Hertford resident Herbert Nixon was the only speaker expressing opposition to a county takeover. Nixon argued that the program should be staffed by volunteers, noting that the fire departments and the county rescue squad are volunteer operated. "I was asked by quite a number of elderly people and some not so elderly poeple to clear up a misconception," said Nixon. "At the town council meeting it was said that a bunch of old folks are trying to knock recreation in the head. That's entirely false." Nixon 's plea for volunteerism was rebutted by those who argued that a tremendous number of persons already support recreation through volunteer efforts but that the organizational work must be done by a paid professional. Hertford resident Billy White said that he was responsible for getting the group to the meeting, even though budget making time is several months down the road. "I told them not to stand on the street corners and talk about how we want a recreation program," said White. "We've got all these young people playing together, the black and the white, there's no need to skip over it. That's the only way it's going to work ? by getting together and playing together and living together." Mrs. Willie Harvey got the last word in on recreation. "The kids are all our tommorrow," she said. "Don't write the program out. If we fall back now, we won't come ahead anymore.". Plucking fun Andy Damiani plucks away at hi* stand up bass while dolus a rousing version of "Roots ?" during the Baad Booster* Variety Show Saturday night The crowd a u was a food deal smaller than at last jrear'i show but Damianl still appear* to be having a lot of fan. y
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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Oct. 23, 1980, edition 1
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