[' THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 3?, No. 31 USPS 428-060 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, August 4, 1983 rem
With new tax revenue
I* County schools could receive funds for capital needs
By VAL SHORT
The Perquimans Schools could
receive 167,000 in new funds if the
county implements the one-half-cent
sales tax approved July 21 by the
North Carolina Legislature.
Projected on last year's revenue,
the county allocation of funds would
be 1167,700.
^ Upon hearing this during its
meeting Monday, the county Board
of Education approved a resolution in
support of the additional sales tax
and voiced their support later at The
Perquimans Board of Com
missioner* meeting.
Under the bill, tax money will be
disbursed on a per capita basis.
County commissioners had a choice
of raising the local sales tax
following either a public hearing or
county referendum. Perquimans
Commissioners set a public hearing
on the tax issue August 15 at 7 p.m. at
the county courthouse.
In its resolution, The Board of
Education requested all county
revenue from the tax increase be
earmarked for construction and be
used in a capital reserve fund for
future school construction. Forty
percent of the county funds must be
allocated for schools.
In other action, the employment of
four teachers and one aide was ap
proved by the board members during
the Monday meeting.
Approved to teach agriculture at
Perquimans High School was Harrell
Thach of Hertford, a 1982 East
Carolina graduate in social studies.
Superintendent of schools Pat
Harrell told the board Thach would
be required to take at least six credit
hours per year for certification in
agriculture.
Approved as fifth grade teacher at
Perquimans Union was Lisa Talley,
a graduate of UNC at Wilmington.
Wanda Jones, a Sampson County
native, and a N. C. Central graduate,
was approved for the fifth grade
position at Hertford Grammar.
For the math-science position at
Perquimans High School, Robin
Ward was selected. She is a graduate
of The University of South Florida.
Also approved for employment
included a Chapter 1 aide at Central
School, Brenda Harrison, and two
lunchroom workers, Louise Lamb
and Diane Trotman.
The board approved the con
tinuation of the general liability and
professional legal liability insurance
for all employees.
Harrell announced a $2.5 million
state program which will allocate
one teaching position in each county
for a new and innovative math,
science, or computer science class.
Harrell also announced the
Programs of Excellence Conference
in Raleigh, in which the Perquimans
exceptional children's program will
be one of 30 in the state to receive
recognition.
Also at the meeting, Paul Ward
presented a report of capital im
provements made during the sum
mer. Improvemnts included
waterproofing, painting radiators,
roofcoating and wiring.
Catholic Social Service*
Slater Barbara Gerwe, left,
and Jane Kolb, right,
received certificates of ap
preciation from the
Albemarle Commission for
) ?
their contributions to the
area. Both will be leaving
Hertford to pursue other
positions. Sister Barbara will
be working at Seton Center in
Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Sitter Jane will assume a
parish ministry in Lyn
chburg, Virginia. Presenting
the awards were Bill Cox,
center left, Albemarle
Commission chairman, and
Lee Riddick, area aging
administrator. (Photo by Val
Short)
Local thefts reported
Wreck injures three
By VAL SHORT
Three people were injured
following an accident which occurred
July 23 at the intersection of U.S.
Highway 17 bypass and Church
Street in Hertford, in which both
vehicles were totaled.
According to Hertford Chief of
Police Marshall Merritt, Anthony
Jerome Banks, 22, of Route 3, Box
643-A, Hertford, was cited for failure
to yield the right of way in the ac
cident.
According to the report, the ac
cident occurred around 6:45 p.m
when a 1972 station wagon, traveling
north, driven by Banks, turned into
the path of a southbound 1974 sedan,
driven by Franklin D. Spruill, 38 of
Virginia Beach.
Treated and released from Chowan
Hospital were Banks and two
passengers in his vehicle, Ronnette
Smith, 15, and Theresha Smith, 10,
both of Wynn Fork Court, Hertford.
Patrolman Robert Harvey in
vestigated the accident.
In other investigations, an 11 year
old juvenile was arrested and
charged in the larceny of a motor
bike, taken from the shop of James
Roosevelt Burke of Stokes Drive,
Hertford.
According to Merritt, Burke was
repairing the bike before it was
reportedly stolen. The bike, which
has been recovered, was valued at
$50, said Merritt.
A coat valued at $104 was taken
July 28 from Whites Dress Shop in
Hertford. According to Merritt, the
size 6 coat was discovered missing
around 2 p.m. Merritt has a suspect
in the case and the investigation
continues.
Over $40 was reported missing
from the cash register of the Little
Mint in Hertford, July 26. Merritt's
investigation revealed that no for
cible entry had been made.
No arrests have been made and the
investigation is continuing.
In other police investigations, the
following reports were made:
?$10 was reported stolen from the
concessions at the Hertford Fire
Department.
?Locks on the coin boxes at the car
wash at Harris Shopping Center were
broken and $3:50 was stolen.
?A gray 10-speed bike valued at $50
was reportedly stolen from the
Crescent Drive residence of Tripp
Brown.
?A $75 value bicycle was reported
missing by Cindy Biggs of Woodland
Circle.
?O. B. Rawls of 213 Dobbs Street
reported the theft of a 26-inch Murray
bicycle valued at $60 with a child's
seat on the back.
County commissioners hear more water department problems
By SUSAN HARRIS
Russell Chappell, Perquimans
County Water Department Super
? , visor, told the county commissioners
at their meeting Monday night that
r his crew found two homes receiving
water without paying while reading
meters recently.
James Banks and Curtis Shambry
had their water service discontinued
after it was discovered that
sometime between the January
meter reading and the July reading
both bad used water that was unpaid
(or.
Banks had a faulty meter, ac
; cording to Chappell, and the pipes
were plumbed to take the water
straight from the county lines to his
residence.
Curtis Shambry, who rents a
mobile home in Southern Shores
from Isaac Lowe, had used 792,000
gallons of water from the January
meter reading until the July reading.
Chappell said he had paid for about
2,000 gallons per month.
Shambry said he knew there was a
leak in his pipes, and had told Lowe
about it, although nothing had been
done.
The commissioners voted to turn
the matter over to county attorney
John Matthews.
Diane Riddick presented the
commissioners with a letter of
complaint concerning her recent
bout with unclean water. Riddick
?aid because of the water, she had
ruined a load of white clothes, had
Vandals drain water
Vandals opened a fire hydrant at
RWercroft last Wednesday night,
completely draining the Winf?ll
water system.
"If we had had a fire, we would
have been in bad shape," said
WinfaU Chief of Police Joe Lothian,
This week
Weather
who U investigating the incident ?
According to Lothian, 100,000
gallons of water was drained from
the Wlnfall system, leaving residents
without water for several hours.
Two other fire hydrants were
reportedly opened in the New Hope
area of the county, according to
Russell Chappell, county water
Chappell said he was assisting the
Perquimans Sheriffs Department In
the Investigation. "We already have
several leads," Chappell said,
i Chappell said the fire hydrant
adjacent to Steve Perry's house was
seen running around 10 p.a. Wed
nesday and another hydrant was
reported open near Berea Church.
Chappell said he and workers from
the water department cheeked other
hydrants In the county until after t
Mm. . ?. w ?
"We didn't loee that much water."
The county
8$
V
thrown away the beef tips she was
cooking, and had emptied a large
swimming pool she was filling for her
child.
The bill amounted to $28.81, which
also included the purchase of five
gallons of distilled water her family
used during the three days of unclean
water.
Riddick also requested that $10 be
taken from her next bill to cover the
cost of the water run into the
swimming pool and other water used
to continually flush the toilet to
prevent staining.
"Something's just got to be done,"
Riddick said, adding, "You aren't
going to ignore me."
Russell Chappell said he was
checking the water on Harvey Point
Road almost daily now in an effort to
find the recurring problem.
Commissioner Lester Simpson
suggested that Chappell and his staff
begin to search for interconnections
as a possible source of bad water
entering the county's system.
Two representatives from the
engineering firm Rivers and
Associates reported that the last of
the three wells in Phase II of the
water system is pumping 100 gallons
per minute, and has passed the
necessary tests for health depart
ment approval.
The foundation had been poured,
and the block and brick work was
scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
( Continued on page 2)
Perquimans recreation director resigns
By VAL SHORT
Although Bobbi Veon is happy
about what lies ahead in her
pursuit of new horizons in
education and career, she is sad
about leaving Perquimans and
her position as head of the county
recreation program.
Veon recently resigned as
director of the Perquimans Parks
and Recreation Department to
pursue a masters degree in
sports medicine at Elisabeth City
State University. She will also
work full time as recreation
supervisor with the Elisabeth
City recreation program.
"You really get attached to the
people around here. Everybody
has been so friendly. I really hate
to leave," said Veon.
Veon's resignation was ef
fective July 29, but she Is working
another week "to tie up loose
ends." She is scheduled to report
to work la Elisabeth City August
I. School starts for Veoo August
*.
Veon. a 1M1 graduate of the
University of North Carolina in
recreation administration, came
to Perquimans last December
froa the F'iiabeth City Parks
followed Mac Sligh as director of
the county recreation program.
Her greatest accomplishment,
said Veon, has been expansion. A
new soccer league, more
basketball and Softball teams,
and tennis court improvements
are all examples of growth in the
county recreation program,
according to Veon.
A project Veon will have to
leave behind will be the benefit
supper set August 20 at Missing
Mill Park. The supper is a project
of the county recreation advisory
committee, and the proceeds will
be used for tennis court im
provements.
"I've really enjoyed being
here. The hardest part will be
leaving the friends I've made,"
Mid Veon.
Veon Issued thanks to her
coworkera : "They all have been
fantastic to work with. They've
done everything they could to
make this department work. I
couldn't ask for better people to
work with," she said.
Of her community rapport,
Veon said, "I really appreciate
everyone's help and cooperation.
The sponsors have been really
good to m. Everytime I needed
someone, someone in the com
munity would volunteer."
"And Softball season would
never be the same without being
at Union field," she added.
Applications for a new director
were accepted through August 1,
and interviews will begin this
week, according to Hertford
Mayor and Town Manager Bill
Cox.
Cox said a selection committee
will choose a new director as soon
as possible.
Bobbi Veon