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PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
514 S CHURCH ST
HERTFORD NC 27944-1225
What if farmers took 45 days off?, A6
“News from Next Door”
NEWS
Habitat’s ReStore gets facelift — A5
FARMING
Cotton planting conditions could be
better — A6
THURSDAY, MAY 14,2020
CHURCH
State senators question church meeting
regulations — Bl
$1.00
KID’S CORNER
Agency: Don’t touch wild animals — B2
Council OKs Plan Tackling Vacant Properties
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Monday’s marathon Hertford
Town Council meeting addressed
many issues ranging from blight to
budget woes.
Main takeaway - council ap
proved hiring Zachaeus Legal
Services to go after eight vacant
properties that are owned by out-
of-towners or by corporations.
The initiative is part of council’s
plan to reduce blight.
Also Councilman Quentin Jack-
son addressed concerns his ap
pointment to the ABC Board at
the tail end of the meeting near
midnight. More on that in a future
story.
Pending space demands and ac
cess to teclmology, matters from
this multi-hour meeting will ap
pear in two editions, today’s two
stories and another poised for the
next edition.
Long evening started off with
Councilman Frank Norman spar
ring with Mayor Earnell Brown
about where and/or how Monday’s
meeting would take place because
of restrictions for public meetings
that remain in place to prevent the
spread of COVID-19.
Norman was concerned about
providing proper public notice for
where the meeting and inquired
whether Monday’s meeting should
move forward.
Brown asserted that there was
a plan in place to hold the meet
ing - the details to be determined
by Governor Roy Cooper’s Phase
1 Executive Order. She explained
in detail how plans for the meet
ing evolved - plans that relied on
guidance for Jackson.
“Bottom line - this is how we
got to where we are,” she said.
Norman asked the Town Clerk
Shoniqua Powell to read the min
utes from last Thursday’s meeting.
After Powell read the minutes
confirming what Brown said,
Norman apologized and meeting
inched forward. This would not be
the last exchange between Brown
and Norman during the tense eve
ning.
Next, council approved plans
to shut a portion of Dobbs Street
between Hyde Park and Edenton
streets between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
July 25 for a family gathering.
Pending guidance from the state,
folks attending this annual func
tion will be required to practice
social distancing and wear masks.
By a 4-1 vote, council approved
Historic Hertford Incorporated’s
request to host the fourth annu
al Toast the Perquimans on town
property - marina and marina
parking lot - on Sept. 19.
“We were very pleased that the
Town Council approved the use of
the marina area for Toast the Per
quimans,” said Lynne Raymond of
HHI after the council meeting.
Fundraiser provides money to
purchase planters, banners, assist
with building facades and support
Grand Illumination.
As the sole dissenting vote,
Jackson noted “past grievances”
between Town Hall and HHI.
Next up, Perquimans County
Tourism Development Authority’s
See COUNCIL, A3
Graduation
Ceremony to
be on July 31
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Commencement exercises for
Perquimans and John A. Holmes
high schools will move forward,
but in slightly different directions
so as maintain precautions to pro
tect everyone during the COVID-19
pandemic while preserving the es
sence of what it means to turn the
tassel on graduation day.
Perquimans Superintendent
Tanya Turner said Pirates’ com
mencement will be rescheduled
from June to July 31. She said high
school staff called seniors and
their families and asked them if
they wanted to keep the original
date in June or move the date to
July 31 with the hope of less re
strictions and a more traditional
ceremony. The seniors’ families
chose July 31.
“We will most likely have for
mulated aplan a, b, and maybe c
for this date,” Turner said. “One
plan would be a traditional cere
mony and other plans would be
revised based on restrictions.”
Pirates may also be doing an
“early graduation” of a smaller
magnitude for military students
See GRADUATION, A2
Memorial Day
Observance
is Cancelled
BY STAFF REPORTS
American Legion Post 126 Post
Commander Rick Caporale has
announced that this year’s annual
Perquimans County Memorial Day
Observance, Monday, May 25, has
been cancelled.
He further stated, “first-ever
cancellation was made based on
the current Federal and State man
dates established for gatherings
and the safety of both participants
and attendees. The
servance is usu
ally presented
by Post 126
with the assis
tance of Hert
ford American
Legion Post 326. '”«»"
o b -
However, he related, “the cus
tom of placing flags at veterans’
gravesites in our local cemeteries
will be conducted.”
The Ladies Auxiliary Unit 126
will also be conducting their annu-
See OBSERVANCE, A3
6
89076 47144
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Vol. 86, No. 20
@2020 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Stacey Pierce (left photo), of Perquimans Central School, and Darius White (right photo with PCMS
mascot), of Perquimans County Middle School, are Hertford Rotary Club’s Educators of the Year for
their respective schools.
Rotary Club Honors All-Star Educators
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Last Thursday, leaders of the
Hertford Rotary Club and about
10 educators met via Zoom when
the HRC presented Educator of
the Year award to four outstanding
teachers.
Teachers who were recognized
were Stacey Pierce, Lisa Sawyer,
Darius White and Kim Tyson - see
their bios printed below.
Perquimans Schools Director
of Career Technical Education Jill
Cohen hosted the meeting, Karen
Throckmorton, Go-President of
HRC congratulated the recipients,
and Winfield Boyer, President-Elect
read the bios praising each teacher.
Distinguished Rotarian Frank Jaklic
gave a brief history of HRC support
ing educational leaders from the
community.
An award document and a gift
was presented to each teacher and
each were recognized for their out
standing leadership and teaching
qualities.
Citizens Question Hertford’s Budget
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Citizens’ concerns portion of
Hertford Town Council meeting
did not disappoint those dedicated
viewers who watched Monday’s
meeting via Zoom.
Martha Borders and Sara
Winslow asked tough questions
about Town Hall’s proposed
budget for 2020/21 that sought
answers about everything from
a hike in travel allowances to de
partmental wish lists.
Council is working through the
draft budget proposal of more
than $9.6 million that increases
spending by at least $2.6 million
- if there are no modifications -
from last year’s budget of around
$7 million.
In order to fund the draft budget
at the current level - no modifica
tions - Town Hall would need to
Hertford Rotary Club’s Educator
of the Year for Perquimans
County High School is Kim Tyson.
Hertford Rotary Club’s Educator
of the Year for Hertford
Grammar School is Lisa Sawyer.
“We congratulated our educators
for striving to be the best they can
be for our youth,” .Throckmorton
said. “Their love of education will
empower our children and equip
them for the future. It’s a gift that can
never be taken away. I understand
that each teacher has given above
and beyond their job descriptions
and love what they do. In return the
children love their teachers.”
raise the funds
necessary to gen
erate $2.6 million
more in revenue,
according to the
budget proposal.
Mayor Pro Tern
Ashley Hodges
has emphasized
that as the budget
process develops,
WINSLOW
council will have intelligent con
versations over tax and utility rate
changes and/or fund balance usag
es to increase revenue.
Rather than reprocess Borders
and Winslow’s remarks about the
budget, potentially leaving out
pertinent details, here are their
speeches about what they think
needs to be addressed with regard
to fiscal planning for 2020/21.
Borders submitted these re
marks May 11 to Town Hall:
Thank you for letting me speak
Superintendent Tanya Termer
congratulated the teachers and
gave supportive remarks on their
outstanding abilities and qualities as
educators.
“I am very proud of all of our Ro
tary Educators of the Year and feel
they each represent our district ex
tremely well,” she said.
See EDUCATORS, A2
tonight.
First I would
like to thank
Town Manager
Pam Hurdle for
the new utility
bill. When I first
brought up my
concerns in Feb
ruary regarding
the utility bill,
both Pam and Councilman Jerry
Mimlitsch listened to my ideas.
I like how our base charges are
now on the bill and I love how we
can see the past years usage of
our electric and water. Thank you
both.
I fully support Councilman
Mimlitsch’s idea of using Zach
aeus Legal Services to go after
delinquent real estate tax payers
and foreclosing on properties.
See BUDGET, A3
Round-up
Beauchamp
and UFOs
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things Perqui-
mans County...
XIL. First, Robert Beauchamp
Jr., a senior attending Virginia Tech,
will graduate May 15 with a bache
lor of science degree in International
Studies/Leadership/Chinese affairs.
Not only that, Beauchamp will be
will be commissioned as a 2nd Lieu
tenant in the Army on Saturday, May
16 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Robert will be the 4th generation
to serve in the US Army and is 3rd
generation Airborne.
Robert has held many leadership
positions and won many honors/
scholarships as a cadet He will be
recognized at the National Commis
sioning Ceremony as an outstanding
Cadet Leader on June 15. He will be
training in Aviation beginning June
22 at Fort Rucker, AL
Robert’s parents, Reverend
Robert Beauchamp and mom
Sherry, must be very proud.
And thank you for these kind
words that made my day Mrs. Beau
champ, ‘1 am veiy impressed with
and am enjoying the change in the
Perquimans Weekly since you have
taken over as editor. Thank you for
what you do and are doing for our
community.”
In other news, congrats to next
year’s leaders of the Perquimans
High School Marching Band.
Per Band Director Evan Copeland,
Marching Pirates leadership team
for 2020:
■ Drum Major—Rebekah Price
■ Hornline Captain—Keith
Elliott
■ Colorguard Captain—Alicen
Leary
■ Percussion Co-Captains
—Noah Stalnaker & Armando
Feliciano
■ Section leaders—Nicholas
Harris, Maura Colson & Reagan
Elkins
■ Loading Supervisor—Kayden
Stalnaker
See LAYTON, A2
Help Rotary’s
Hungry Heroes
Hertford Rotary Club is
sponsoring “Hunger Heroes”
program for food donations
to the school. HRC has a box
for collections at the Hertford
Hub, 127 N. Church St., Hert
ford.
Recently, the group gath
ered over 40 pounds of food
and two generous checks
made out to the Perquimans
School food drive.
Perquimans Schools Direc
tor of Career Technical Educa
tion Jill Cohen arranges for the
food donations to be picked up
each week for distribution.