THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 36, No. y < USPS 428-060 . Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, Feb. U, 1980 20 CENTS
Stuck truck
wed out of going to school,
youths lend a hand to
Joe Bivens, Jr., who, along
with his companion Pam
Alexander, was stuck in the
snow on Grubb Street. Scenes
like this one were not un
familiar as the county was
bombarded with its biggest
snowfall in recent history
(Photo by MIKE
MCLAUGHLIN).
County board considers hiring manager
The Perquimans County
Board of Commissioners
discussed the need for a
Kounty manager at a special
meeting Monday night.
With the volume of paper
work, changes in rules and
regulations, and number of
grant programs available to
ebuntios today, board'
members argued that a full
time manager is needed to
keep Perquimans County
government operating at
^naximum efficiency.
The bottem line, however,
was cost Most of the com
missioners agreed that an
administrator would benefit
the county, but wanted to
weigh cost of the program to
insure that it would be af
fordable.
Commissioner Lester
Simpson, however, argued
that a manager was not
needed. He said it is the
business of the commissioners
-to, operate the county and
management program would
cost the county at least $40,000
per year.
"What's wrong with
spending 40 to get 60,"
responded commissioner
Marshall Caddy, alluding to
possible grant benefits that
might accrue to the county if
an administrator was able to
keep up with available
programs.
Joe Nowell, commission
chairman, noted that Gates,
Chowan, and Pasquotank all
have management programs.
"I feel like we're at least
comparable to Chowan and
Gates," Nowell said. "I've
-ttfleetl to commissioners who
have county managers and
they say they don't know how
they got along without 'em."
The commissioners will
seek more information on
benefits versus cost before
making any decision on
county management.
The commissioners also
discussed rennovating the
Blanchard Building on Church
Street, and the possibility of
putting farm related county
offices there. There was also
some mention of moving
school system offices into the
building.
Rennovating the building
will jwiffee wi fctBWMiy*
proposition. Simpson ad
vanced the notion that it would
cost signifigantly more than
the $40,000 required to
renovate the Social Services
building on Dobbs Street.
In the only action of the
night, the commissioners
voted unanimously to require
that county tax supervisor
Keith Haskett give advance
notice before visiting the
property of county residents to
take measurements.
A proposal that would
require the reading of county
water meters every three
months rather than each
month received favorable
Board members said that
the plan would free up water
department employees to
perform other duties and
would save on gasoline.
They stressed that they are
not disappointed with the work
of department employees, but
are looking for ways to keep
expenses down.
Fire guts home
on King Street
Fire raced through the
home of a Hertford woman
Sunday afternoon, completely
gutting the five room struc
ture.
Four persons occupied the
re at 322 King Street when
fire broke out under a
kerosene store in the living
room.
Connie Modlin, her daughter
Jessica, a nephew, James
Carter, Jr., and another
unidentified individual got out
of the house when they spotted
the fire, according to Ms.
Modlin.
'The Hertford.Volunteer Fire
Department responded
quickly to the alarm, but the
house was already engulfed in
flames when they arrived on
the scene.
Ms. Modlin was renting the
house from Mrs. Rosie B.
Gibbs of Hertford, but all of
her personal effects, including
furnishings, were destroyed in
the blaze.
Both the Hertford VFD and
the Bethel VFD responded to a
Monday afternoon fire at the
home of John Blount of Rt. 1,
Lowes Beach.
That fire began in the dining
room of the house and was
believed to have been ignited
by a gas heater. One room was
destroyed and there was
smoke damage throughout the
house.
The Hertford VFD received
two additional fire calls on
Monday.
Where there's smoke there's fire
Smoke pours from the home of
Connie Modlin of King Street
as Chief Charlie Skinner
directs Hertford firemen. The
Sunday afternoon blaze
completely gutted the five
room structure. (Photo by
MIKE MCLAUGHLIN)
Land use update starting here
' Steps to update Perquimans
County's Coastal Area
Management Act Land Use
Plan are presently underway,
with members at the citizen's
advisory committee busy
developing a questionaire
designed to reflect public
gk Under CAMA regulations,
^he county Is required to
upgrade the plan every five
years. Its parpoae is to
identify problems and issues
feat wffl confront the county in
the next five years.
The citisen's advisory
Committee has beeo formed in
prder to gain public par
drawing up tit.
and distribution of a
question aire.
Members of the committee,
appointed by the Perquimans
County Commissioner! and
the Hertford Town Council,
are presently developing the
surrey, which will be mailed
to nearly every household in
the county before March IS.
, According to community
assistance planner Dan Tew,
the anonymous survey will
deal with such issues as
four-lanlng of HWY UA IT,
whether residents wouM like
to ace more development, and,
if so, in what areas, aai what
thtr like, dislike, and would
like to see changed about the
And according to few, the
results of the survey will have
a very definite impact on just
how such issues will be han
dled in the future.
"If people would like to see
the county reflect their views
u to how Perquimans should
grow and develop, this
questionaire win give the
greatest voice possible," said
Tew, who added that past
results have helped In decision
making and pointed to such
improvements as the Hert
ford-Perqulaans Senior
Center as proof.
The plan must reflect
present land use ia the county
and project an overall picture
of deeirod land use in IMS.
The county's initial land use
plan was drawn up in 1975,
following the state's adoption
ofCAMAinl974.
CAMA was designed
primarily to protect the
coastal region from poorly
planned development that
would damage its fragile eco
system.
According to Tew, members
of the citisen's advisory
committee are: Walter White
Jr., Rev. Walter Lee, Mrs.
M.B. Taylor, Richard Bryant,
Paul Smith Jr., Wayne
Ashley, Bobby Jones, Julian
White, L. Clinton Winslow,
Winston Lane Jr., Otis Newby,
Horace ReM, Emmitt Lan
ding, Charlie Skinner, Jr.,
WeOy White Jr., and Dr. John
Crawford.
15_to_20 inches
County buried
under snow
Some folks said it was the
heaviest since 1927. Others
said it was the worst of the
century. But no one would
argue that last week's
snowfall wasn't big.
The flakes began falling
early Wednesday morning and
by about 10 a.m., were
beginning to spread a thin
white blanket on the ground.
Before it all stopped in the wee
hours of Thursday morning,
an estimated 15 to 20 inches of
snow had been dumped on
Perquimans county.
The heavy snowfall brought
activities throughout the
county to a virtual halt, with
most government offices and
businesses closed on Thursday
and some keeping their doors
shut on Friday as well.
Schools were closed at 10:30
a.m., and were not expected to
reopen until Tuesday of this
week. Schools superintendent
Pat Harrell said the three full
school days missed would
have to be made up, but a
decision on how the school
calender would be revised had
not yet been made.
Traffic accidents in the
county were relatively minor,
according to reports from the
N.C. Highway Patrol, though
many motorists wound up in
the ditches after sliding off
snow covered roads.
The sheriff's department
spent Wednesday afternoon
and Thursday transporting
snowbound residents to and
from work, and the county
courthouse was kept open
Wednesday night in the event
that stranded persons might
need to take up residence
there.
Wednesday was a busy day
for two area volunteer fire
departements. Hertford an
swered four fire calls on
Wednesday, and firemen
spent the night at the station
on Wednesday and Thursday
nights in the event of an
emergency. The firemen also
visited elderly town residents
to reassure them and offer any
( Continued on page 2)
Winfall council
Morgan takes seat
by JACK GROVE
The Winfall Town Council
has a new member, Lloyd Ray
Morgan, owner of the Winfall
Supermarket.
Morgan, unanimously
chosen by the council at their
regular meeting Feb. 5, fills
the vacancy left by the
resignation of Douglas Um
phlett last December.
In other business, Jack
Symons informed the board
&ai.%ed Nixon, <pf utac ai J
& N Supply, is seeking state
and federal licensing to
operate a distillation plant to
produce alcohol for use in
making gasahol.
Nixon proposes to set up the
operation in the company's
warehouse in Winfall.
The council members
voiced concern about the
possible smell such an
operation might create for the
community.
Richard Bryand reported
that no action has yet been
taken by the Albemarle
Regional Planning and
Development Commission on
a grant request from the town.
The town has requested
money for the extension of a
water line to the Rivercroft
development just north of the
U.S. 17 Bypass bridge.
According to Trueblood, the
contracting firm of Tucker
Borthcrs has tfaiRjitad Jbt
cost of the water system ex
tension to be some $23,000.
Robert Whitley, director of
ARPDC, said that an informal
search for grant money is
presently being conducted,
adding that the town has not
yet submitted a grant request
in writing giving specifics on
the work to be done.
Rivercroft is a joint venture
of Robert Hollowell of
Hollowell Chevrolet and W.M.
"Wally" Knight. It is com
prised of appproximately 16
residential lots.
A proposal to increase the
size of Winfall by annexation
was taken up by the council
and approved. The proposed
annextion takes in the area
bounded by old U.S. 17 past the
Cedar Grove Church to U.S. 17
Bypass and south on the
bypass to the present Winfall
town limit sign.
..Als.Q aB?t&ved was a
resolution that the towns of
Hertford , Winfall, and the
portion of the county con
taining Don Juan Manufac
turing Co. apply for growth
center designation under
Governor Jim Hunt's
Balanced Growth Policy.
Areas designated as growth
centers would receive priority
consideration for specified
funds that support the ex
pansion of job opportunities.
Pushing to grow
The towns of Hertford and
Winfall, and the portion of
Perquimans County including
the Industrial Park and Don
Juan Manufacturing Com
pany are included in an ap
plication designating the area
as a growth center under the
governor's balanced growth
policy.
If designated as a growth
center, Perquimans County
would receive priority con
sideration for specified state
and federal funds that support
population and job op
portunity expansion.
In order to qualify as a
designated growth center a
community must:
?Define the projected growth
area within the most densley
populated area in the county.
?Include the area in which
i!".j
retail sales are the largest.
?Provide adequate water
supply and waste treatment
facilities.
?Include an area designated
as an industrial park.
?Have the approval of all the
governing bodies in the area.
According to figures
released by Hertford Mayor
Bill Cox, the population of the
area which would constitute
the growth center is 2,480.
The business districts of
Hertford (including Harris
Shopping Center) and Winfall
comprise the county's area of
largest retail sales. According
to the North Carolina
Department of A d
ministration, retail sales
totalled $28,214,804 in
Perquimans County last year.
Water and sewer services
are available to the site
defined as the industrial park,
and further expansion can be
offered through funding from
local revenues and bond
referendum. That area is
electrically accomodated by
the Virginia Electric Power
Company and by the
Albemarle Electric Mem
bership Corporation.
All governing bodies of
Perquimans County, including
the county commissioners,
and the town councils of both
Hertford and Winfall ap
proved last week the ap
plication seeking designation
as a growth center.
The application is expected
to be reviewed sometime in
early spring by the state In
terim Balanced Growth
Board.
Digging out
Postal workers clear the
parking lot of the Hertford
Post Office alter the Hf
storm. Mail carriers were
unable to aake their
deliveries on Thursday
because of the tremendous
snowfall (Photo by NOEL
TODD-MCLAUGHLIN).