School belli rang once
again on Monday,
marking the beginning of
the 1984-'85 school year in
Perquimans County.
These student* at Hertford
Grammar School seemed'
fairly excited about seeing
old friends once again
after their summer
vacation, as Principal Bill
Tice stood by to offer
assistance and directions.
The enrollment for the
first day of school county
wide reached 1,689
students. (Photo by Cindy
Leicester.)
School officials set goals for 84- 85
By JANE WILLIAMS
Students in the Perquimans
County School System
returned for the 1984-'85 term
Monday to find new goals in
education that will further the
systems theme of
commitment to caring,
sharing and learning.
The focus of the school
system for the past few years
has been Perquimans County
Schools: Committed to
caring, sharing and learning.
This year Superintendent of
Schools, Pat Harrell, has
announced that two major
goals have been set that
directly relate with this
theme.
The first goal is to institute
a written plan for
instructional improvements
and the second is to identify
activities that will focus on
developing in the students a
greater sense of pride and
patriotism.
Teachers will be
encouraged to plan patriotic
activities for their students,
such as using patriotism as
the theme for assembly
programs. Music teachers
will be encouraged to
concentrate on teaching
patriotic songs, etc.
Other objectives for the
year will include more
informal visits to the
classroom by Board of
Education office personnel
and the school's principals.
According to Harrell these
visits will aide school officials
in obtaining an overall view
of classroom activities.
During these visits personnel
will be looking for major
functions of the teaching act;
focusing on classroom
organization, classroom
management, instructional
presentations, effective
planning for instruction and
monitoring student progess.
Harrell stated that they
would be looking very
carefully at the amount of
time devoted to the basics,
and will work to identify a
minimum amount of time
that elementary level
teachers will spend on
teaching basic subjects.
The schools will also be
working toward the
instituting a county-wide plan
for the development of
writing skills.
Another planned activity
for the year will be more
direct communications with
parents and the community.
The- idea of a monthly
newsletter to parents has
been discussed to keep them
up-to-date with what is
happening in the schools, and
reports to parents regarding
subjects studied during each
six-week grading period is
also an objective of the
schools.
School personnel will also
be looking at the
characteristics of an effective
school system, and will be
looking to see what can be
done to make local schools
more effective.
Rocky Mount based
firm seeks land for
nursing home site
By JANE WILLIAMS
A representative of a Rocky
Mount based firm met with the
Perquimans County
Commissionrs last week to
discuss the possible acquisition
of county owned land to build a
nursing home facility in the
county.
Doug Suddreth, a health
planner with Autumn
Corporation, told the
Commissioners that his company
was interested in the prospect of
constructing a 78-bed nursing
home on the land adjacent to the
Albemarle Commission Building
on Church St. in Hertford.
Suddreth told the Board that
the estimated cost of the facility
would be $l-million, and that it
would employ about 80 people,
most of them locals.
Suddreth told the Board that a
decision had not been made
whether to add beds for 'rest
home' patients, and that they
would talk with other rest home
operators in the county as well as
the county Social Service
Department before making that
decision.
He stated that the company
would need about five to six
acres of land to house the facility
if the state would allow them to
build in the county, and that the
location of the Albemarle
Commission site would be ideal
for their plans.
County Commissioner Lester
Simpson questioned whether
there was sufficient land
available at that site since the
building had been constructed
near the center of the property,
but added that a nursing home
facility would be in keeping with
the county's original plans for
the land.
"Originally the land was
purchased to construct a medical
facility that would include a
nursing home," Simpson said.
"But those plans were not
followed through when the
county could not find a doctor
interested in locating here to run
the project."
The Commissioners displayed
an interest in giving an option on
the land, but questioned the
amount oi land available at the
site.
A check of the county's plat
books showed that there were
only about one and one-half to
two acres of land left available st
the site, which would not be
sufficient for the construction of
the facility.
The Commissioners mentioned
other land possibility in the
county, including a 6.2 acre tract
owned by Commissioner Charles
Ward on U.S. 17 across from
Wynn Fork Court in Hertford.
W ard said early this week that
he had offered the company an
option on the land, but at that
time they had not responded.
Suddreth told the Board that
the decision whether to construct
a facility in the county would rest
with the Certification of Needs
Section of the Department of
Human Resources.
"The state allocates beds by
county," Suddreth said. "They
have indicated that in 1984 there
will be 78-beds allocated in Gates
and Perquimans Counties for a
nursing home. We have
determined that the beds need to
be in Perquimans County
because it has the greater area of
concentrated population."
Suddreth said that the state
would look at several factors
before deciding which company
would be allowed to construct the
facility, including the financial
strength of the companies.
He told the Board that his
company presently operated ten
nursing home facilities in North
Carolina and Virginia, and that
while they were not a "large
company" they were larger than
some of the other companies
interested in locating in
Perquimans.
Residents of Holiday Island community get Fire Brigade
By JACK GROVE
A fast response fire unit has
been set up at Holiday Island,
near Hertford. The unit, dubbed
a 'fire brigade,' includes fire
fighting apparatus on a pick-up
-truck and twelve volunteers.
/ This unit is no spur-of-the
-moment idea according to
^Pferquimans County Fire
^Marshall Charles T. Skinner, Jr.
-He said that interest in fire
^protection was expressed by the
'resort community's
.'management as far back as May
.ofl?7?.
; Distance from the closest fire
^department, the Bethel
'Volunteer Fire Department,
^brought about the organization of
;the fire brigade. The Bethel VFD
"serves the Bethel Community
Fire District. Holiday Island is
approximately four miles outside
of this district.
The community's general
manager, Forest Myers, said
that Holiday Island now has
about 250 residential structures
and 106 families as permanent
residents with more families
expected to move there before
the end of the year. In addition
there are around 300 camping
units in the campground areas.
The new unit got its start when
Skinner was invited to met with
the Board of Governors (BOG) of
Holiday Island on October 15,
1983. The Board at that time had
under consideration the
purchase of a used fire engine.
Skinner recommended a
different approach, "I suggested
something like a skid-on unit as
far as maintenance, adaptability
to a small truck, and cost," he
said. The BOG adapted the fire
marshall's recommendation and
discussed with him the formation
of a volunteer organization at
Holiday Island.
According to Myers, the truck
was purchased from Hollowell
Chevrolet. "Bobby Hollowell
helped us locate the proper truck
for our needs," Myers noted.
The truck is a one-ton 1979
Chevrolet pick-up featuring dual
rear wheels and extra-low gears
for off-the-road use along with an
over-load package to support the
fire equipment.
The skid-on pumper unit has a
250-gallon capacity tank; 150 feet
of one and one-half inch dacron
attack line; and 200 feet of one
inch rubber booster line on a
reel.
Holiday Island's Ways and
Means Committee has been
raising money for a portion of the
fire truck's equipment through a
weekly special bingo game. The
float strainer and draft suction
hose were paid for through this
fund-raiser.
The organizational meeting of
the volunteers was held last July
11. Wes Weatherington was
elected Brigade Chief at that
meeting. Weatherington is
Holiday Island's maintenance
supervisor and has the fire truck
in his custody.
Other members of the brigade
include: Mark Futrel, Mary and
Bob Ziegler, Ted Weeks, Bobby
Butler, mark and Elicia
Warrener, Burt Cullipher, Glen
Smith, Ann Weatherington and
Jack Grove. (Ziegler is a captain
with the Newport News, VA. Fire
Department.)
The organization has been
meeting every Wednesday at
7:00 p.m. at the club house for
training lectures, and "hands
on" training with the equipment.
Skinner has attended each
session. "I'm delighted with the
enthusiasm and response that
we've ad for the training in the
last eight weeks," he said.
Training and guest speakers
have included: Mark Williams,
Perquimans County Forest
Ranger concerning control of
grass and woodland fires and
mutual aid from the NC Forest
Service; Bob Brooks, operations
manager of AEMC, on electrical
hazards; Bob Ziegler and
Skinner on structure fires; and
Wes Weatherington and Skinner
on equipment use and fire attack
methods.
*
^Volunteer Appreciation Day
- -Volunteers from throughout
^Perquimans County will be
ihonored on Sunday, September 9,
Jdr their outstanding
contributions to life in the
?county.
* Recognizing the importance of
Ivolunteerism to the area the
jcOunty's volunteer selection
^committee. through the
^Governor's Volunteer Awards
?Program, has named September
'?$ as Volunteer Appreciation Day
3d Perquimans County.
' Individuals and groups that
Iwere nominated for Governor's
Volunteer Awards in
tPerqoimans County will be
-recognised at a program at
Missing Mill Park at 4 o'clock
?p.m. that day. Each person who
!has been nominated will receive
; special recognition, and the
county award winners will be
named at the event
This will be the second annual
county-wide Volunteer
Appreciation Day (or
Perquimans County. Last year's
?vent, held in June IMS, was
deemed an overwhelming
success by committee members.
The committee met earlier in
the summer to chose the county's
representatives (or the
Governor's award program, and
had originally scheduled the
Appreciation Day for mid
August. Several activities
hampered plans (or that date, so
4he event had to be re-scheduled.
The nominees (or awards in
Perquimans County are as
<oHows:
Ellen Ange, ^arry Chappell,
Carolyn Williams Modlin, Allen
and Becky Winslow and 0.
Wayne Winslow.
Also Bill Cox, Tommie Dail,
Geneva Sawyer, HaUa Wood,
Todd Tilley and Jeffrey White.
Clara Schofield, Leslie White,
Naomi Lomak, Percy Brothers,
Peggy Rohrer, Richard Bryant
and Preston Nixon.
Also Ed Nixon* John
Mansfield, Sandra (Sam)
Bennett, Bell Elliott, - Mattie
Matthews and Mary Billups.
Group Awards
Swindell Funeral Home, the
Perquimans County Senior
Center Bible Study Class, the
Perquimans County Volunteer
Rescue Squad, and each of the
Perquimans County Volunteer
Fire Departments.
Hifftifairtg ol the Wny
Island Community hire
worked together to offer
additional protection against
the threat of fire by forming a
Fire Brigade, comprised by
individuals In the retort
com inanity. Joining together
they have purchaaed a track
and equina ent that will
enable feat response to fires
thai may break -out in the
community. (Photo by Ken
CaateUoe.)
) t