. THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 36, No. 2 USPS 428-000 Hartford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, Jan. 10, 1980
20 CENTS
Snow . . .
1 White stuff
blankets county
More than two inches of
mow fell on Perquimans
County Saturday causing
minor accidents and a few
) power outages.
The surprise snowfall began
oo Saturday morning and
continued into the evening as
temperatures hovered near
and below freezing all day.
Chief Marshall Merritt
reported one snow related
accident in the town of Hert
ford, a minor rear end
collision.
' In the county, two accidents
occurred, according to the
N.C. Highway Patrol, but both
were minor and no injuries
were reported.
The extreme temperatures
caused rotten wires to fall on
Whitehead Road, resulting in
power outages in that section
of the county.
The snow also caused power
outages at Nixon's Beach and
Holiday Island.
As of press time, however,
all of the white stuff had
melted and a steady rain was
falling on the county.
Winfall may get
insurance cut
-
) A recent survey by the In
surance Services Office of
North Carolina has resulted in
a lower (ire insurance
classification (or the town of
Winfall.
Insurances Services
reported that fire protection in
Winfall had been improved to
the extent that its
> ;
classification had been
lowered to I, from a previous
?A.
Winfall Volunteer Fire
Department Chief Wayne
Winslow said the lower
classification could result in a
savings of as much as ? to 10
percent to the homeowner on
fire insurance rates.
Snow ball game
Last Saturday's snow fall gave Perquimans kids an unex
pected winter wonderland to romp in. Amanda Kornegay, Jeff
Cain, David Cain, all of Hertford, and Camden visitor, Sean
Winchester (1-r), play football while Barney, the bundled up
mascot, runs interference. (Photo by NOEL TODD
MCLAUGHLIN)
Public hearing
State community assistance
j planner Keith Painter
presented a plan which would
allow the small developer to
follow an abbreviated review
procedure at a public hearing
held on Monday to discuss
possible changes in the county
subdivision ordinance.
But no action was taken on
those changes as the com
\ missioners again hit a snag on
when to require developers to
hook on to the county water
"system.
In his presentation, Painter
outlined a number of con
ditions that would have to be
met in order for the subdivider
to be eligible for the ab
breviated review process.
i If the subdivision consisted
' of four lots or lets, included no
- new streets, required no new
water line construction, and
was expected to have no
Negative impact on adjacent
property, then it could be
approved by the subdivision
review officer, rather than
requiring the approval of the
pluming board and, finally,
the county commissioners.
The property owner would
also have to secure all the
necessary certificates (such
as health department and
CAMA) and prepare a plat
that includes all required
information.
Painter said that such an
abbreviated review could be
completed in one day,
whereas the current review
process takes (ran two to
three months.
The commissioners ap
peared receptive to such an
abbreviated review process,
but the county water question
was not so easily resolved.
At issue is when the
property owner will be
required to go to the trouble
and expense of building a
connecting line to the county
water system rather than
making lots larger and
requiring the lot purchaser to
construct a well.
Currently, the ordinance
requires that the developer
connect to the county water
system where water is
available.
Planning board members
have sought a more concrete
definition of availability.
Ideas such as requiring
connection when the sub
divided property is within 300
feet of a county water line and
and requiring connection only
when a lot is adjacent to a
county line have been batted
back and forth but planning
board members and com
missioners cannot agree upon
a clear-cut solution.
In another matter discussed
at the board of commissioners
meeting on Monday, Nor
theastern Rural Health
Development Association
administrator Andy Martin
sought support from the board
for the organization's plans to
buQd a primary health care
facility in Perquimans
County.
The organization's plans
were dealt a severe blow
recently when the Eastern
North Carolina Health
Systems Agency gave its
grant application a negative
recommendation, reportedly
because of a lack of com
munity support.
Martin, however, was ap
pearing before the board in
hopes of generating un
derstanding of and, in turn,
support for NRHDA.
"We have not had a large
public relations campaign,"
Martin said, adding, "It's
really hurt us."
He said that the objective of
NRHDA is to bring 24-hour
health care to the counties it
serves.
Hospitals and private
practitioners have generated
opposition to the program
because they fear it will
detract from their businesses,
Martin said, a fear which he
feels is unjustified.
"My philosophy is take the
health care to the people,"
Martin said, "put it in the
population centers."
In addition, he said that
because of a new type of
funding program NRHDA is
seeking to operate under, it
would no longer be affiliated
with Albemarle Family
Practice (except, possibly, on
an on-eall basis). Its prior
association with the private
medical clinic has generated
criticism in the past.
Bids will be taken on
providing medical services
and lab work which cannot be
done at the clinic and the work
will go to the lowest bidder,
Martin said.
Funding would come from
the rural health initiative
program under the depart
ment of Health, Education and
Welfare and the eventual goal
of the clinic would be self
sufficiency.
The board of commissioners
also endorsed a resolution
supporting a statewide school
facilities bond referendum
which school officials hope
will be placed on the 1980
ballot.
If approved, the referendum
would return $1 million to
Perquimans County for the
upgrading of facilities.
In addition, the com
missioners passed a
resoloution supporting the
continuation of federal
revenue sharing, a program
which contributed $113,919 to
the county budget in 1978.
NRHDA
1 Clinic project explained
In an attempt to quell any
"lack of understanding"
Hertford's Town Council
might have in regards te the
Northeastern Rural Health
Development Association,
j Andrew J. Martin, NBHDA's
administrator, appeared
beftx* the board atit's regular
month!? meeting last lfc?day.
NBHDA is a federally
ijiStliillli group trying to
"We will search for ad
ditional monies if the federal
door is closed," said Martin
who cooeeded that/'if they
(other sources of funding)
dose their doors, then we
could potentially closedown."
Martin stressed that NRH
DA's plans to operate a
primary eare medical clinic in
Perquimans County was in no
competitive in nttvic
with existing medical
^a?i?
NRHDA's
Martin admitted, however,
that one of the possible two
doctors that have been
- * ?? - .
vJ... "
.
mhkf to a
?IM ? ??
purposes though," said
Martin.
According to Martin, it is
the M-hour aspect el the job
which makes it difficult to
recruit doctors to rural areas.
In another matter, the
council expressed their
support of Operation Over
charge, a group formed by the
local Chambers of Commerce
ia northeastern North
Carolina to combat exorbitant
electric rates charged by
VEPCO.
Ike council will endorse
Operation Overcharge's
petition effort and will also
contribute tUS toward the
|8M Perquimans Comity It
responsible for toward
Overcharge's administrative
Pig pickin' will
honor Hunt
Governor Jim Hunt will be
the guest of honor at a pig
picking on Jan. 10 in
Perquimans County.
Sponsored by the
Perquimans County
Democratic Committee to Re
elect Jim Hunt, the event will
be held at the Angler's Cove
Restaurant at 4:30 p.m. The
event is announced by Wayne
Ashley, Julian Broughton, and
Ann Young, co-chairpersons
of the local committee.
Hunt, who is seeking a
second term as governor, will
address the group during the
informal gathering and will be
available for individual
discussion as well. This will be
the governor's first visit to
Perquimans County ic his re
election bid.
The public is invited to at
tend. Ticket prices are $10 per
person and are available from
the committee chairpersons,
all of Hertford, as well as from
Hertford Mayor Bill Cox.
Cars collide ,
one injured
A head-on collision on
Friday afternoon resulted in
the serious injury of an
Elizabeth City man.
The accident occurred 8
miles north of Hertford on
U.S. 17 at 5:20 p.m., according
to a N.C. Highway Patrol
report.
Thomas Leroy Wills of
Route 3, Hertford was
traveling south in his 1975
Chrysler when a northbound
1976 Ford driven by Thomas
Bennett Jewell of Elizabeth
City turned in front of him.
Wills didn't see the car and
his auto slammed into it,
resulting in injury to Jewell
and an estimated $2,500
damage to both vehicles.
Jewell was transported to
Albemarle Hospital.
Wills was charged with
failure to reduce speed to
avoid an accident.
Dwellings burn
A pre-dawn fire in Bethel
last Sunday virtually
destroyed a three-apartment
building belonging to Hen
derson resident Charles
Gardnet*.
Insurance adjustors are
presently investigating the
cause of the blaze.
The Bethel Volunteer Fire
Department received a call at
approximately 3 that morning
but upon arrival, found the
building totally engulfed in
flames, according to depart
ment member Lee Brabble.
Brabble estimated the
building to have been totally
destroyed.
Bethel fire chief Donald
Hobbs said the apartment at
one end and the apartment in
the middle of the building
were destroyed, while the
apartment on the other end of
the building suffered smoke
damage.
The building was located off
the entrance drive of the
Bethel Fishing Center.
Suspects held
Two Hertford youths have
been arrested and charged
with second degree burglary
and larceny in connection with
a break-in at the home of
Elizabeth Gregory of 307 Gum
Street on Dec. 30.
Kent Wayne Felton, 16, of
206 King Street and Link
O'Neal, Jr., 18, of 102 White
Street are charged with the
break-in and theft, according
to Hertford Police Chief
Marshall Merritt.
A .32 pistol, a Timex watch,
and a family photo album
were taken from the home,
Merritt said, but so far only
the photo album has been
recovered.
He said that the youths were
charged with second degree
burglary, rather than
breaking, entering and lar
ceny, because the break-in
occurred at night.
A conviction on second
degree burglary carries a
minimum sentence of 7 years
imprisonment and a
maximum of life.
Both youths are confined in
the Albemarle District Jail
under $2,000 bond with ?
probable cause hearing set
Jan. 16.
New addition
The mfflfc* dollar addition to Perqaiaaaa High School ia two
third* completed and iho?id be ready lor ottnpaacy la March.
Included fa the addition an II new