THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume)?, No. 7 USPS III Ml Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, February 19, 1911 20 CENTS
Holiday Island to be included in water sign-ups
^ The Perquimans County Water
Department has been instructed to ac
cept HO advance sign-up fees bom
Holiday bland residents that would
. reserve them the right to tap into the
county water system.
There are currently 1C petential
customers in Holiday Island, as well as a
500- site campground that would be
served as a bulk user, and including
% Jhem offers the potential of more than
doubling the number of customers ex
pected to be gained from Phase II water
system expansion.
Bringing county water to the resort,
however, would require that the
waterfront community contribute the
money I* run water lines to existing
Forest Myers, acting sutler g I the
community, cane betore the county
commissioners Monday night to ask that
residents be allowed to sign ap for water
along with thaoe county raaMaats who
are signing up for the Phase ? expansion
of the water system.
"I think they'll really be excited if we
can tell them, 'Yes, you can come in and
sign up,"' said Meyers.
"We want it bad. We need M bad." said
Meyers. "We've got water bat it's not the
kind of water we can drink," he said.
Goat estimate
A rough estimate from Rivers and
Associates, the county's engineering
firm, of the cost of running Hues to the
deveiopmwt hss been set at
At pretest, with only one water
treatment plant, the county does not
have the capability to serve the extra
customers. Bat the approval of Phase II,
which includes another treatment plant,
assures the county of the ability to
provide enough water for the com
munity.
The community has its own water
system, hut it has been plagued with poor
quality water. The county line would
hook with existing lines at the resort, and
county meters would be installed for
each individual user.
Wayne Floyd, of Rivers and
tea, told the board that the in
pressure from county water
could create some repair work in Holiday
Island. "There could be some repairs
once we put our pressure on their
system," he said.
But the major sticking point appears to
be the donation of funds from property
owners to connect the resort to the
county system.
Meyers, however, did not see the
donation as a big problem.
"What we want to do is make sure we
can get in Phase n. Then we can worry
about collecting it from the property
owners," he said.
In a related matter, Floyd told the
board that there are three tracts of land
near Winfall that may be suitable for the
construction of three wells and the ad
ditional treatment plant.
"We're trying to get as close to Winfall
as possible," Floyd said. _
Clarification
Also pertaining to Phase II, water
department head Keith Haskett sought a
clarification of a statement by Floyd that
appeared in the Feb. 12 edition of the
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY that county
residents could come in and sign-up for
water by paying a $10 fee.
Haskett had been unaware that a
preliminary sign-up period would be
offered for Phase II, just as it had been
for Phase I.
Floyd confirmed that there is a
preliminary sign-up period. Residents
who live along roads not presently served
by county water may pay $10 now, and an
additional $15 upon first billing for
county water.
Those persons living on roads already
served by county water must pay a tap
on fee, currently $200. The same will
apply for those persons on roads to be
served by Phase II who miss a not yet set
deadline for signing up.
In another matter, county social
(Continued on page 2)
?Drop out rate
slightly above
?state average
The estimated high school dropout rate
in Perquimans County was 8.3 percent
(or 54 students) last school year, a figure
slightly above the state average of 7.8
percent.
Perquimans County School Superin
tendent Pat HarreU told school board
^ members at their regular meeting
^ Monday that because of North Carolina
Governor James B. Hunt's commitment
to reducing the dropout rate statewide,
funds may be availabe for alternative
education programs designed to help
problem students stay in school.
In 1960, Perquimans County graduated
112 students. According to the State
Department g Pvfaic Instruction in
"" Rvteigh, Perquimans retained ap
proximately 74 percent of its 1575-*) high
school enrollment of 647.
Some 70,862 students graduated from
North Carolina high schools in 1980, with
an estimated 28,090 (or 7.8 percent)
dropping out.
North Carolina dropout data declined
slightly over figures compiled for school
year 1978-79; approximately 72,464
students graduated in the class of '79;
eight. percent (or some 29,431 students)
^ were estimated to have dropped out
? during the 78-79 school term.
The dropout rate was 7.9 percnet
during school year 1976-77; 7.5 percent in
1975-56; and 8.5 percent in 1974-75.
The Pasquotank County School System
had the largest percentage of high school
dropouts in the state in 1979-80, with 11.1
percent.
The school system enjoying the lowest
dropout rate in the state during school
% year 1575-80 was Chapel Hill, with only
4.4 percent of its students quitting school
prior to graduation.
Harrell told the board members that
the number of dropouts in Perquimans
County had been declining over the
years. "We're keeping more kids in
school than we were a few years ago," be
said.
In other business, the board passed a
formal resolution expressing support for
?the mo million school bond referendum.
~ which is expected to come before the
General Assembly sometime in April.
If the General Assembly passes the
referendum, Perquimans County's share
would be approximately H.5 million.
A parent opinion survey was approved.
Which it intended to be mailed out to a
sampling of parents of Perquimans
County school children. Hanrell noted
A that such a survey was successfully
completed in a neifhborins school
system, and has proven instrumental to
that county's school board hi decision
maklngmatters. i
Tri -County Career Coordinator Ken
SUUs appeared before the board and
reported that the project had received
written endorsements from North
Carolina State Superintendent of Schools
Dr. A. Craig Phillips and Joe Pell, senior
assistant to Governor Hunt
A prospectus designed to inform
funding agencies of the career center had
gone to press, and Stalls said that fun
ding could "possibly become a reality
within S-6 months."
The search for monies is aimed at
construction costs which are expected to
total about |S million. If funded, the
career center will provide advanced
voctfiaMl aqd academic needs t?
students b Perquimans. Gates, and
Chowan counties.
Stalls also reported tint the Tri-Couaty
Steering Committee has been tentatively
invited to go to Washington, D.C. to
present the project to the American
Vocational Education Association.
Because of the unique plan to "cross
county borders," Stalls said the project
offers "a lot of potential for saving
money."
Harrell reminded the board that it
would soon be time to begin preparing
the budget for the 1*142 year. The
school system is required by law to
present its tentative budget to the county
commissioners by May 1.
Perquimans Couaty would soon
recieve an indication of how much state
monies could be counted on for the in
coming year, said Harrell, which would
thai "give us an indication of how much
money we will need locally."
"I think R will be a tight year
statewide, and locally," said Harrell.
who enumerated several "foreseeable
increases," including the cost of building
maintenance, heating, and paper
products
The board moved to tour all school
facilities Monday and Tuesday mornings
of next week in order to determine
capital outlay needs and priorities to be
taken into consideration before
establishing a budget.
The board also
?Moved to purchase a range and braising
pan for Perquimans Central which will
coot the county
?Approved the use of the Hertford
Grammar School playground for girls
Softball practice and games, and.
baseball practice, so that aewly-pianted
grass at the high school field can grew.
?Learned that a girls track team may get
underway at the high school under the
direction of Pat Morgan.
?Heard a presentation on the vocational
education program available to
Perauiamns School fth and *h
graders from Mrs. Lela Duer, Mrs.
Virgie Whitehurst, and Konald Sutton.
?Loaned that a 7th and ath grade
bMeboB and softball program may get
Sunny weather fun
ImmI spriBg-tike weather prom ted
then Hertford yoongsteri to heed oat
aide for a late afternoon game of dodge
ball on the corner of Brace and King
Streets.
ARPDC director
Don Juan
shortens
work week
Because of a reduction in shirt orders.
Don Juan Manufacturing Company has
cut back its usual five-day work week to
a four-day schedule.
According to Stuart Anderson, vice
president of operations, the plant has not
received its usual number of spring shirt
orders from the some 7,000 stores it sells
to in all 50 states.
"Many (stores) are not ordering for
spring at all," said Anderson, "but are
ordering now for back-to-school gar
ments, skipping spring altogether."
Anderson attributed the lack of spring
orders to "the high cost of money."
March is the target date for resuming
the five-day work week, according to
Anderson. "Hopefully, we'll be back on
full schedule in March, but it depends on
the stores' orders," said Anderson, who
added that many stores have already
placed their orders for fall garments,
which require a June delivery.
Anderson said that it has been about
two and a half years since the plant has
had to adopt a reduced work schedule,
and that he did not foresee a lay-off of
employees.
While Hertford Mayor and Town
Manager Bill Cox said that the reduced
schedule at Don Juan would have an
impact on the local economy, it was not
as serious as "laying people off per
manently or closing down."
"When 300 people miss a day then
that's 300 people's pay cut in a week,"
said Cox, "but I think he (Anderson) is
being very fair to his employess by
cutting all of their hours, rather than
laying off a few."
Flowers stresses role o f service
If Albemarle Regional Planning and
Development Commission's recently
hired director were asked to define the
commission's role in the lfrcounty
region, he wo?id probably answer,
Dan C. Flowers, Jr., who has been
serving as ARPDCs head-hoocho since
Jan. C, does not ate the commission as a
governing body.
"We are here to serve the people. We
should not govern, but be governed,
said Flowers in on interview Friday.
"As director, m do my best to do what
the (AKTDC) board wants me to do and
to stay o?t of the areas they dont want
member governments is ARPDC's
primary daty. according to Flowers.
"We ahmM got as mneh tending as we
cm far the gmnmuli and people In
(Ms area." he said.
Altar stadyiag back (Da of local
newspapers, flowers said he had come
ta reaVae that decreasing water qaaUty
aad lack 4 tedastrial dieilapa?at are
he aaM he hoped the coaunisskxi coald
help to sot**.
Whaa asked what cha*as he had
aaia as dbaeter at AKTOC. Flowers
saM ha had tastHated waskty staff
saaettats. "to mate aa awareness a t
what everybody else b dote*" aad had
a primary concern of Flowers. "We want
to convey the attitude to local govern
ments that we work for them," he said.
Flowers did not say whether the
commission would definitely re-enter the
field of land-use planning, but indicated
that if they were asked to, they probably
would.
ARPDC was relinquished from
developing Perquimans County's land
use plan last spring for failing to meet
federally-set completion deadlines.
The Coastal Resources Commission,
under the Coastal Area Management
Act, requires an updated land-use plan
every five years to identify problems and
issues that could confront an area.
Flowers, who has served as county
manager for both Alamance and
Brunswick Counties, noted that he had
left both communities "financially
I nave yet to cost tne taxpayers any
money and I feel like that's the way a
manager should be." said Flowers, "If
he can't save mooey then he shouldn't be
on the payroll."
A graduate of Atlantic Christian
College, flowers. 40, has also done
graduate work at the University of
Detroit aad at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He It married and the father of three
driHraa. Although his wife and family
are presently living in Burlington.
Flowers said he hoped to move them "in
the not too distant Mare. "
He has not deckled whether hell settle
ha Hartford, Elisabeth City, or Bdenton
Flowers replaces former ARPDC
director Babtrt Whitley, who resigned in
Don Flower., Jr.? ARPDC. new chief
* ?