.THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
. . g
Volume 35, Wo. 45 USPS 428 090 Hertford, Perquimans County , N.C., Thursday, Nov. 15, 1979 20 CENTS
Plat approval knot
is loosened slightly
The Perquimans County
Board of Commissioners and
the count? planning board
worked toward simplifying
the confusing process by
which a subdivision plat is
approved at a special meeting
Monday night.
Two hours of discussion
between the two boards
centered primarily on what
constitutes a subdivision and
the availability of county
water to newly subdvided
property.
/Mile expressing sympathy
A9nhe property owner who
has to go through the ex
pensive, time consuming
process of plat approval for
the sale of one lot, the com
missioners reaffirmed that a
subdivision is any division of a
piece of property beyond the
sale of the -first <ot.
The soie exception is that a
parent may deed a piece of
property to his child.
The problem was best
illustrated by planning board
chairman John Coston, who
cited an example of a man
who had sold a single lot for
$700 and had spent more than
$200 in getting his plat ready
for approval.
There was, however,
another side to the argument.
County attorney John Mat
thews said that the child gift
clause already puts a loophole
in the law, in that a parent can
deed the property over to his
child, who can then do
anything he wants to with it,
including sell it for his parent.
By excusing single lot sales
from the ordinance, a
property owner could sell lots
one at a time until he hafi
created a subdivision without
following any of the rules.
"If it's any good we've got to
stick by it (the definition),"
said commissioner Lester
Simpson.
The. question of availability
of county water was less
easily resolved.
The subdivision ordinance
states that if county water is
available, the developer must
hook on to the system.
Planning board members
said they need a more exact
definition of when water is
available.
"This leaves us in a bad
position," Coston said. "We've
lost , two developments that
should have had water put to
them because of a regulation
we can't interpret."
Commissioner Marshall
Caddy argued that connecting
to the system should be op
tional, and available where
the developer owns property
adjacent to a line.
"He would be responsible, if
he wanted to hook on, for
developing and putting in a
line to the point where the
county water line joins his
property," Caddy said.
The ordinance requires,
however, that the developer
hook on to the system when it
is available.
A popular definition of
availability among the
commissioners has been that
if the developer's property or
road right of way joins a water
line, water is available.
Planning board members
argued that one man might
own a road to his property that
is three miles long and have to
run a water line the entire
distance. Another developer
might be 300 feet from a
county line but with no
property adjoining it.
The 300 hundred foot
requirement was suggested as
one used by other county
water systems. Commissioner
Waldo Winslow, though, said
that Chowan County has no
distance requirement, yet has
not had any problem with
interpretation of its or
dinance.
The commissioners will
consider the matter further
before making a decision on
availability. In the meantime,
commissioner Lester Simpson
has been appointed to
determine where water is
available by working through
the commissioners.
Admiral to speak
Admiral Harry D. Train II,
U.S. Navy, will be the guest
speaker ne"xt Monday evening
al the annual banquet of the
^vquiipans County Chamber
of Commerce. Train is
currently Commander in
Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command
and U.S. ? Atlantic Fleet,
headquartered in Norfolk, Va.
The banquet will be held at
Angler's Cove with a social
hour at 6: 30 and dinner at 7:30.
Following dinner, new
Chamber officers will be in
stalled.
A' native of Washington
D.C., the four star admiral
began his Navy career at the
U.S. Naval Academy,
graduating in 1949.
His first tours of duty were
aboard destroyers in thfe
Pacific including combat duty
during the Korean War. *
In 1952, he transferred to
submarines, serving on
several, interspersed with
tours of duty in Washington,
D.C. until 1962 when he
assumed command of the
submarine, USS BARBEL. In
1967 he assumed command of
the guided missile destroyer,
USSCONYNHAM.
Admiral Train, in sub
sequent years, served in ever
increasing positions of
responsibility, including
Administrative Aide to the
Secretary of the Navy;
command of Cruiser
Desfroyer Flotilla EIGHT,
and Director, Joint Staff,
Organization of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff where he was
promoted to the rank of Vice
Admiral.
Tickets for the banquet are
$8.00 and are available at the
Chamber of Commerce office
in the Hertford Municipal
Building.
^ e? ?
Sc&redyjc&t
A frightened kitten buddies under ? branch after being
frightened by an jufemobile near Belvidere recently. The
iaHLjr
jf - ... v .??
<1
kitten was crossing the street with its motherwhtn a rumbling
,car gave it a good scare. (Photo by MIKE MCLAUGHLIN)
Coffee and politics
Speaker of the House Carl Stewart, Jr. sips
coffee and matches for quarters with Hert
ford residents at the Hertford Cafe on Friday
afternoon. Stewart was in town to boost his
campaign for lieutenant governor. (Photo by
MIKE MCLAUGHLIN)
Stewart makes campaign stop
The campaign trail of
Democratic Speaker of the
N.C. House Carl J. Stewart,
Jr. wound through
Perquimans County on Friday
afternoon as Stewart stopped
off in Hertford to press the
flesh and answer questions.
Stewart is a candidate for
Lieutenant Governor of North
Carolina and passed through
seven Northeastern counties
during Tfuflatter part of last
week to promote his cam
paign.
In Hertford, Stewart met
downtown shoppers and
merchants, introduced
himself to county employees
at the courthouse, and even
popped in{o the Hertford Cafe
to match for quarters and
coffee.
In between, Stewart
squeezed in a few comments
on his campaign and its
relevance to the Albemarle. s
In a pointed reference to his r
chief opponent, the incumbent e
Lieutenant Governor Jimmy t
Greene, Stewart said that a i
major issue in the 1980 elec
tion will be willingness to work ?
with the governor. i
"The most often heard
complaint I pick up on is that
the people of North Carolina
want a lieutenant governor
who will cooperate with the
governor. They feel they (
haven't had that in the last
three years," Stewart said.
He said that he is a not in
frequent visitor to Nor- |
theastern North Carolina and ?
expects the area to be a strong (
political base for him.
If elected lieutenant
governor, Stewart said he ,
would support balanced ]
growth policy intended to shift
industrial development into
iuch previously undeveloped
?egions as the Albemarle, thus
;xpanding tax bases to afford
he improvement of schools
ind public services.
Stewart also said that the
ivailability of good roads is
mother serious regional
problem that needs to be
addressed by state govern
ment.
As for the strengths of the
Northeastern region, Stewart
pointed to an abundance of
water and recreational
development potential, the
best agricultural land in the
state, and room for expanding
without crowding.
"I do expect industrial
activity, but I don't expect it to
be disruptive of the kind of life
associated with this region,"
Stewart said.
Zoning board is reseated
The Hertford Town Council
reappointed members to the
Zoning Board of Adjustments
ast week.
Those reappointed to the
board are: E.B. Leary and
Keith Haskett, both serving
ihree year terms; John
London and Washington
Lyons, Jr., both serving two
?fear terms; and Don Morris,
serving a one year term.
The council will appoint two
alternates at a later date.
It was determined that the
Board of Adjustments will
also serve as the Board of
Appeals.
The Zoning Board of Ad
justments has the power and
duty to hear and decide ap
peals where it is alleged that
there has been an error made
by the Building Inspector or
the Zoning Board concerning
the Zoning Ordinance.
A fee of $15 for each appeal,
paid to the town of Hertford, is
necessary* to cover ad
ministrative costs and ad
vertising.
Members of the Zoning
Board, also reappointed by the
council are: Jack Kanoy and
Moody Matthews, serving
three year terms; and William
L. Tilly and Ray Haskett,
serving two year terms.
An additional one year
member and two alternates
will be appointed later. T
Coin argument leads to shooting
A Hertford business man
was shot with his own gun by a
carnival roustabout at an
after hours dance club early
last Wednesday morning.
Gary Baker, 38, manager of
the Western Auto Store, was
shot following a dispute over a
small change gambling game
at Clinton Riddick's Dance
Hall located in his home on
King Street, according to
Hertford Police Chief Mar
shall Merritt.
One hour after the 1 a.m.
shooting Officer Robert L.
Harvey and Merrit arrested
John Junior Smith, 31, of
Goldsboro at the temporary
carnival grounds adjacent to
Harris Shopping Center on
Grubb Street.
According to Smith's ac
count, and that of five wit
nesses in the dance hall, the
dispute came about when
Smith attempted to show
Baker how a gambling game
using quarters worked (the
game is a more complicated
version of the popular
"matching").
Smith allegedly has a slight
speech impediment, and
Baker couldn't understand his
explanation of the game.
An arguement ensued, and
Baker is alleged to have gone
to his place of business, gotten
a small calibre pistol, and
returned to the establishment.
Smith said Baker pointed
the pistol between his eyes so
close that the barrel-tip was
touching his forehead.
A struggle followed, and
exact accounts of the shooting
varied slightly.
Witnesses told investigating
officers that Smith took the
gun away from Baker,
knocked him to the floor and
shot him in the back. Smith
claims that the gun went off
accidently.
Doctors say that the bullet
entered Baker's lower back,
narrowly missing the spine,
traversed around his vital
organs, and exited through his
torso, Merritt said.
Baker, on the other hand,
maintains that he was shot
from the front, Meritt said.
Baker was taken to the
Chowan Hospital where he
was treated for the gunshot
wound and released.
Smith was charged with
assault with a deadly weafXJh
with intent to kill and in
flicting serious bodily injury.
Baker was charged With
assault by pointing a gun. *.
Smith was released on $5,000
bond and is scheduled to ap
pear in court Nov. 21. Baker
was released on personal
recognizance.
Land use plan update underway
Perquimans County has
initiated steps to update its
Coastal Area Management
Act Land Use Plan.
Under CAMA, the county is
required to upgrade the plan
every five years and has been
awarded a grant of some
$7,500 to get the job done this
year.
According to community
assistance planner Dan Tew,
the purpose of the plan is to
identify problems and issues
that will confront the county in
the next five years and to get
public input on how these
issues should be handled.
"It's a mirror, reflecting to
the commissioners and to the
State the direction residents
would like to see the county
take," Tew said.
"The county could use it as a
guide," be said. "The com
missioners could go to the land
use plan for information and
to look at policy."
In order to gain public
participation in drawing up
the plan, a citizen advisory
committee will be appointed
by the county commissioners,
which will distribute a
questionaire, and collect data
reflecting public opinion.
The committee will meet
with the county planning
board, and more citizen input
will be gained through public
hearings.
Tew, subcontracted by the
county through the Abemarle
Regional Planning and
Development Commission,
ifill coordinate activities
leading up to the compiling of
a comprehensive five year
land use plan.
The plan will impact on such
issues as whether or not
county residents would back
the four-laning of U.S. 17,
whether county residents
would like to see more
development, and, if so, what
type and where, and other
questions that might impact
on the future of the county.
the plan must reflect
present land use in the county
and project an overall picture
of desired land use in 1985.
Unlike zoning, the plan
would have no teeth, but would
be used primarily as a
reference guide.
The county's initial land use
plan was drawn up in 1975,
following the state's adoption
of CAMA in 1974.
CAMA was designed
primarily to protect the
coastal region from ill
planned development that
would be damaging to its
fragile eco-sy stem.
Perquimans is one of twenty
coastal counties required to
prepare one of the plans and
some public officials have
complained about being
}
singled out for the extra pj#er
work. -I
In addition, he said, the plan
provides a process by .'which
the citizens themselves can
state what they would like to
see in their communities..
. *
Tew said the reas&lfor
drawing up the plan is so that
the county can participate in
the coastal management
program, which qualifu&tifor
a large number of federal
grants.
In the past, Tew said,
counties have often drawn. Ap
the plan because it is required,
then shelved it.
The aim for 1M0 is to
develop a usable plan which
will outline more goal* and
policies for the county And
contain leu data that is pufriy
informational.
Completion of the plan it
targeted for Aug. 31, 1*0.