THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 39, No. 23 USPS 428-080 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, June 9, 1983 20 CENTS
Final bell
Happy faces are shown by
students at Perquimans High
School as they leave school
after the final bell of the year.
Summer jobs, summer camp
jJijH * ?C,
and plenty of fun and
relaxation will on tap until
school convenes again in
August. (Photo by Val Short)
1 W ater quality still a problem in county
?6
By SUSAN HARRIS
Poor quality water Uttifiooe of the
moat pressing problem facing the
cmttty Board of Coml il UM?r*r
was evidenced by a c aunty resident
at the board meeting Monday
morning.
After five years of operation, there
is an undetermined problem at the
water department. None of the
commissioners, nor Ron Sessoms of
the engineering firm Rivers and
Associates, can say where the
problem lies.
Diane Riddick blasted the com
missioners for their failure to have
the water clean after such a long
period of plant operation.
Riddick reminded the board of her
April 18 appearance before them. At
that time, she said that her water
was unclean on Fridays, Saturdays,
Sundays and Monday mornings,
cleared by Monday afternoons,
--4kMMd clean UMeagb Thursdays, and
the cycle began again.
She reported that her water stayed
clean after her April complaint until
May 28, when the old cycle resumed.
Riddick also noted that one com
missioner had stated publically
several days after the meeting that
he did not believe she had bad water.
The board was told by Riddick that
they are elected officials and because
of this "it's your job to know and
care" about the dirty water
customers are paying for.
Riddick also told the board that the
problem is not only a nuisance, but is
an expense when clothes are ruined
or must be rewashed, and water
must be gotten from another source.
Commissioners honored
The Perquimans Extension Ser
vice honored the Perquimans County
Board of Commissioners at a lun
cheon at the county office building on
Monday.
Commissioner William Wray
Chappell was the only board member
at the annual luncheon. Board
secretary Jeanne White and county
finance officer Durwood Reed also
attended.
- Agricultural Agent Bill Jei?*r
"welcomed the board representatives,
Hertford mayor Bill Cox, extension
committee members and other
quests to the meal at fried fish, potato
?Had, cole slaw, hushpuppies and
lemon pie.
Bill Jester and Jeff Cope land,
Livestock Agent, presented slide
shows depicting programs they had
been involved in during the past
year.
Both expressed great satisfaction
in the accomplishments of county
farmers and 4Hers in recent months.
A written annual report which
highlighted the activities of the Home
Economics, Expanded Food and
Nutrition and 4H departments was
distributed.
Extension committee chairman Ed
Nixon relayed his appreciation on
behalf of the Extension members to
the Commission for their financial
sur^ort.
"We're paying for water that's not
even clean," Riddick said.
"It makes me so mad," she con
tinued,' after* telling the com
missioners that her daughter drank
the water during the time it was dirty
before Riddick could stop her. "The
cup was filthy," Riddick said.
"Give me your opinion," Riddick
charged board members after filing
her complaint.
"There's no doubt in my mind that
you've been getting dirty water,"
Commissioner Lester Simpson said.
"There's still a problem. We have
done all I know to do to find out,"
Simpson added.
Commissioner Welly White told
Riddick that an outside engineering
firm was hired by the county to in
spect the water plant, but could find
no reason for the poor quality water.
Water department manager Russ
Chappell and Keith Haskett have
recorded names, dates and times of
all complaints of bad water for the
past few months.
Commissioner Charles Ward
suggested that these logs be
reviewed by the commissioners at
their next regular meeting.
Ron Sessoms updated the board on
Phase II of the county water system.
The well driller was scheduled to
begin on June 7.
Sessoms said if good weather
prevails, the second plant shoul4 be
operational by late fall.
Asked his opinion on the bad water
from the Phase I plant, Sessoms said,
"I just don't know" what the problem
is.
Ferquimans 4UUth scheduled
By VAL SHORT
Among the activities on the
statewide schedule of events for
America'! 400th anniversary of
English colonisations, will be a
Quaker homecoming at the NewboM
White House and a baseball camp,
led by Jim "Catfish" Hunter.
The Perquimans 400th committee
1907 will murk the end of the event,
which it the 400th anniversary of the
birth of Virginia Dare on Roanoke
Island, the first child of English
parentage born in America.
The 400th will begin in Perquimans
August 5, 1W4 with a baseball camp,
tentatively scheduled at Camp Cate.
Led by Perquimans' own Jimmy
Hunter and other volunteers, the
camp will follow the theme of history
and baseball. The six-day camp will
be held for boys ages nine through 14
for ooe week.
A special exhibit of the N.C.
Baseball Hall of Fame, which In
cludes Hunter, will be featured at the
Museum of the Albemalre in
Elisabeth City daring the camp
The "Quaker Homecoming," set in
October 1M4, will commemorate the
1(73 beginning of Quakerism Ur North
will take place primarily at the
Newbold-White House in Hertford
and will include religious services by
well-known Quaker ministers and an
old fashioned dinner.
A special Quaker exhibit will be on
display at Museum of the Albemarle
during that time.
Also slated in 1964 will be the
design and construction of a quilt
depicting local history by the
Perquimans Quitters Club.
Education will be stressed during
the 400th, according to Mrs. White,
and the county schools will be asked
to participate. The Yeopim Indians
and other coastal tribes, as well as
the Roanoke voyages will be studied
in the schools. Students will also bury
* time capsule, to be opened in the
year *00
Four hundred years of music will
be the theme of band concerts by the
(Coatiaatdoapagfi)
School budget
approval given
Sessoms did say that the well is
serving more households than it was
designed to service.
The county's insurance contract
was awarded to Business Insurance
Management, the low bidder with a
$11,042 price.
The board voted 3-2 to subsidize a
salary for an additional part time
Farmer's Home Administration
employee. Perquimans County will
match Chowan County's ap
propriation of $2200.
By VAL SHORT
The $1.2 million budget requested
for the Perquimans County Schools
next year was approved as submitted
by the county Board of Com
missioners.
The announcement was made by
Superintendent Pat Harrell Monday
night to the Perquimans Board of
Education.
"It's good to have that kind of
support from the county com
missioners," said Harrell.
The commissioners also agreed to
set aside $50,000 in a capital reserve
fund ? a fund which will be used for
school construction and renovation.
Describing this as a "smooth year"
for budget planning, Harrell said,
"It's a good feeling to go ahead and
start planning for next year. "
The 1983-84 budget calls for a 6.4
percent increase over last year or
$65,430, with increased allocations in
capital improvements.
The Board of Education approved
the vocational education program for
next year which was presented by
coordinator Ken Stalls.
The program, which operates with
74 percent state and 26 percent local
funding, will include several
curriculum changes at the junior
high and high school levels, in which
vocational classes will be rotated,
said Stalls.
"The program will broaden the
number in the vocational program
and will help the students have a
better background in making
vocational decisions," said Stalls.
Stalls reported that next year
would be the second of the three-year
program to establish a complete
computer lab at the high school.
Four computers were purchased
last year, according to Stalls. With
the decrease in prfce of computers
now, Stalls said six or seven com
puters could probably be purchased
for the same amount of money used
last year.
"These students are coming into a
generation that they've either got to
get on that (computer) wagon, or get
lost," said Stalls.
"We've got an obligation to them,"
he added.
Stalls said 15 percent of vocational
education funds must be used for
children with special needs. Most of
that allocation is used in the junior
high, Stalls told the board.
Stalls laid that vocational funds for
the county have not been cut "since
I've been on this job." "I really don't
feel they (the state) will cut
programs that teach skills," Stalls
commented.
The Board made no changes in the
school attendance policy, which
allows only 20 days of unexcused
school absences per year.
Harrell told board members that
one student will not graduate and
others will not be promoted because
of excessive unexcused absences.
Harrell told the board the school
facilities plan update should be .
complete in several weeks. He said a
team from the state office had
recently inspected the county
facilities, to update the long range
plan for Perquimans.
They found, according to Harrell,
several code violations, including
panelling at the high school and
several door locks.
Possible fire escape hazards were
found in a high school classroom and
in dressing rooms at the junior high,
said Harrell.
In other business:
?Harrell announced the roof at the
high school auditorium had been
coated with an aluminum fiber
compound. He also said gutter work
had been completed at Perquimans
Union and wood trim and gutters had
been replaced at Central.
?Harrell announced that free lunch
would be provided to anyone under
age 18 this summer at sites located
around the county. Harrell said no
eligibility criteria was required for
the program, which will be coor
dinated by LaClaire Rogerson.
?Board members voted to cancel
their June 20 meeting.
?Tammy Lane, Elizabeth Towe,
and the Perquimans Union language
arts students were announced as
winners of the Tar Heel Junior
Historian state competition.
Hertford child struck, killed
A six-year-old Hertford girl died
Thursday after being struck by a car
while she was attempting to cross
Grubb Street near her home.
Patricia Rue of 315 Grubb Street in
Hertford died at 10:45 p.m. from
multiple trauma and head wounds,
after being transported by
Nightingale helicopter from
Albemarle Hospital to Norfolk
General.
According to Marshall Merritt,
Hertford Chief of Police, the driver of
the. 1975 Toyota, Larry Abraham
Honeyblue, 22, of Route 2, Box 68C,
Edenton, was not charged.
"The accident was unavoidable,"
said Merritt.
Merritt said Honeyblue was
travelling on Grubb Street in an
Easterly direction when the child ran
from Missing Mill Park into the path
of Honeyblue's automobile.
Merritt said according to the in
vestiating officer, Michael Jasielum,
the vehicle was travelling ap
proximately 20 miles per hour at the
time of impact.
He said the driver had applied his
brakes and attempted to swerve.
A native of Fort Jackson, S.C., she
was the daughter of David and Sallie
Ann Osteen Rue and was a first grade
student at Hertford Grammar
School.
Besides her parents she is survived
by two brothers, David Lee Rue and
Robert Charles Rue, both of the
home; her maternal grrandpartents,
Mr. and Mrs. Leee A. Osteen of
Colerain; and her paternal grand
mother, Mrs. Beatrice Rue of Hert
ford.
Funeral services were held Sunday
at 3 p.m. in the Askew ville Assembly
of God Church, Bertie County, with
Mrs. Ottis Denton and rev. R. 0.
Denton. Jr. officiating.
Burial followed in the White
Family Cemetery. Swindell Funeral
Home, Hertford, was in charge of
arrangements.
Cecil Davis of Colerain,
runner for the Tidewater
Strikers placed first in
Saturday's Run for the Moon,
sponsored by the Perquimans
Parks and Recreation
Running winner
Department. The 5 kilometer,
or S.l mile race, was part of
the festivities during the
"Carolina Moon" Band
Festival. Recreation Director
Bobbi Veon greets Davis with
his first place marker. For
more on the band festival,
please see page three. ( Photo
by Val Short)