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"News from Next Door"
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
75 cents
Groundbreaking for athletic complex set
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A symbolic groundbreak
ing will be held Saturday at 2
p.m. for a new athletic com
plex at Perquimans County
High School.
The new facility is across
the street from the high
school on 32 acres donated
by Dr. William Nixon. Nixon
is a Perquimans native.
Nixon is expected to be
on-hand Saturday along
with family of the late
Charles Ward.
Ward, a businessman and
long-time county commis
sioner, left $600,000 in his
will for either an athletic
complex or a new library.
County commissioners de
cided to use it for an athletic
complex since they had al
ready financed the library.
An anonymous donor also
stepped forward. Originally
the donor pledged $250,000
towards the field house, but
later amended the gift to
say the donor would build
and pay for the field house
and no dollar figure was at
tached to the gift.
Actual construction
should start in mid to late
April and school officials
hope the football field will
be ready for the start of the
football season on Aug. 17.
Superintendent Mat
thew Cheeseman said he’s
excited to see things mov
ing forward. The school
system had been talking
about an athletic complex
for about eight years. It was
2010 when Dr. Nixon first
made the offer of the land.
Cheeseman started work as
superintendent in January
2016.
What school officials are
working on now is just the
first phase of a larger plan.
Phase I will include a foot
ball field, bleachers, press
box, lighting, a field house
and restrooms and conces
sion stands.
The larger plan will in
clude practice fields, a soc
cer field, outdoor running
track and tennis courts. The
high school doesn’t have
an on-site soccer field right
now. It uses soccer facilities
at the Perquimans County
Recreation Center, which
means that field isn’t avail
able for youth teams.
The high school also
doesn’t have a track, so lo
cal athletes can only com
pete at away meets.
The schools put parts of
the first phase out for bid
last week and is still review
ing the results.
For now Jim Davison, the
school’s maintenance direc
tor, said a lot has to happen
in the rigirt order between
now and August.
“I will be supervising
some of it, then there will be
a general contractor super-
See COMPLEX, 2
Top Democrat talks with voters
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
State Democratic leaders no
longer take voters for granted,
and know they must earn the sup
port from now on out.
Wayne Goodwin, the chair of
the state Democratic Party, made
the promise to listen more to
what voters are saying in a gath
ering last week at the historic
Perquimans County Courthouse.
The meeeting was part of a Rural
Listening Tour that took Goodwin
to Wilson, Elizabeth City and Cur
rituck County in the same day.
“I see a tremendous value in
town hall meetings,” Goodwin
said.
He said while some areas of the
state have prospered “beyond ex
pectations” while rural areas have
not. Sadly he said some elected
leaders only visit those rural areas
when they are running for office.
He said the Democratic Party
also has to recognize that it needs
to field candidates across the
state.
“Voters need a choice,” he said.
He said the state party has
made strides in organizing more
precincts throughout North Caro
lina, but more work is needed.
“Every day should be consid
ered election day,” Goodwin said.
“Our Democratic Party has learned
we can’t rest on our laurels.”
In Perquimans County, there
are 4,066 Democrats, 2,660 Re
publicans and 3,168 voters listed
as unaffiliated. But he said what
matters is the numbers than actu
ally vote.
Several of those who did attend
Tuesday’s session at the court-
house pointed out there weren’t
Wayne Goodwin, the head of the N.C. Democratic Party, speaks to party members last week at the
Perquimans County Courthouse.
many young people there. The
meeting started at 2:30 p.m. and
one speaker pointed out young
people are working at that hour.
But Goodwin said through the
Internet, the party can reach out
to younger voters in a fashion they
embrace.
Goodwin admits he never
planned on being head of the par
ty, and was happy with his job as
Insurance Commissioner until he
lost the general election in a bid
for a third term.
“It’s not something I planned
on, but you roll with the punches
and do your very best,” Goodwin
said.
Schools
ready for
walkouts
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County
School Superintendent Mat
thew Cheeseman said the
schools are working to en
sure that students are safe
if they walk out of class
Wednesday to show support
for those killed at a school
in Florida last month.
“We want to hear then-
voice and we want that
voice to be honored,” Chee
seman said.
But ultimately he said
the school system wants to
make sure students are safe
in the process.
“If they walk, we want to
ensur e they ar e safe,” Chee-
[ seman said.
Some student leaders are
planning a walk to the flag
pole at PCHS at 10 am. on
Wednesday. The demonstra
tion is supposed to last for
17 minutes, for the 17 peo
ple that died in Parkland.
Cheeseman said he’s
communicated with leaders
at the other three schools
in the district to also make
sure any demonstrations
there are conducted in a
safe way.
“It’s a great opportunity
for students to advocate for
a cause,” Cheeseman said.
There is a national mov-
enment for schools to host
walkouts today at 10 am.
Chamber hosting business Expo Friday and Saturday
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The Perquimans County Cham
ber of Commerce will present a
two-day event this weekend with
a Saint Patrick’s Day theme at the
annual Expo at the Perquimans
County Recreation Center.
Sid Eley, the executive director
of the chamber, said visitors will
see more new things and there
will be more local entrepreneurs.
People will also be able to buy
some of the things they see.
On Friday the event starts at 4
p.m. with vendors and then from 5
p.m. until 7:30 p.m. there will The
Chefs Challenge. For a $10 ticket
visitors can taste and vote on the
best.
On Saturday the event runs
from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Admis
sion is free.
Among the vendors will be
Small Town Trendz, Talico, Elle
Lynn Boutique, It’s
Different Jewelry, Courtney Ma
rie Boutique, Color Street Nails,
Camp Cale, White’s Dress Shoppe,
Hertford Printing & Signs, It
Works!, Peebles, Lip Sense, Eliza
beth Designs, and Valerie Caple
Inspires.
Jennifer Byrum from Woodard’s
Pharmacy will be there with her
“Made in North Carolina” display.
Tarlie, one of the newest stylists
at Cha’pel’s Hair Gallery will also
have a booth.
Saturday’s event includes spring
fashion shows from White’s Dress
Shoppe, Small Town Trends, Elle
Lynn Boutique, Camp Cale, Court
ney Marie Boutique and Peebles
with brands like HEYBO and Sim
ply Southern. Shows are sched
uled throughout the day, beginning
at 10 a.m. Also on Saturday from
10 a.m. until noon, the Tri-County
Animal Shelter, will be having an
Adopt-a-Thon. The High Achievers
4H group will be at the Expo from
10 a.m. until 4 p.m. with a dem
onstration with the United States
Equine Rescue League. They will
be bringing miniature horses.
The Durant’s Neck Volunteer
Fire Department will be at the
Expo with a fire truck and provide
a live demonstration of firefight
ing techniques.
Inside the recreation center the
See EXPO, 2
Schools pilot new
‘moving’ classrooms
From Staff Reports
The Northern Albemarle
Community Foundation
(NACF) funded a $40,000
grant to Perquimans County
Schools Foundation for a
“moving” classroom.
The project — “Moving
Minds Through Phyiscal
Movement And Activity” —
equipped two classrooms
with the appropriate fitness
equipment for students to
use during the innovative
teaching and learning pro
cess.
The classrooms and in
structional delivery is de
signed for student engage
ment through movement.
The concept is designed to
improve attention, informa
tion storage, information
retrieval, enhanced coping
and improve academic suc
cess.
Teachers recently held
an open house for the two
See MOVING, 2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Nancy McGowan (left) of Hertford was recently
recognized as the 2017 Chowan, Gates and
Perquimans County Extension Master Gardener of the
Year. Joining her in the photo is program president
Nancy Dougherty, also of Hertford.
McGowan named
Gardener of Year
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Nancy McGowan of
Hertford was recognized
recently as the 2017 Chow
an, Gates and Perquimans
County Extension Master
Gardener of the Year.
NC State Extension Mas
ter Gardener volunteers are
trained to provide unbiased,
research-based information
on gardens, lawns and land
scapes.
Katy Shook, the exten
sion director who heads
the local program, said Mc
Gowan was honored for all
the hours she put into the
program in the last year.
Master Gardener volun
teers get special training
as part of the program and
in exchange they agree to
volunteer to help others in
their community.
In 2017, 52 local Exten
sion Master Gardener vol
unteers contributed more
than 2,500 hours of horti
culture education service to
the three counties.
Projects included the
“Ask a Master Gardener”
call in service, community
See MCGOWAN, 2