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THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume S3, No.19 USPS 428-080 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, May I, 1986 25 CENTS
i? PIP?
Livestock Show Held
Jeff Williams and Leah Har
rell were among the 59 local
youth that participated in the
4-H Livestock Show and Sale
last week. Perquimans 4
Hers claimed numerous
awards at the show. See re
lated story on page nine.
(Photo by George Wilmore.)
Hertford named as site for
Brian Center nursing home
By JANE B. WILLIAMS
The State of North Carolina
Department of Human Re
sources has selected Hertford as
the site for a nursing home fa
cility to serve the residents of
Perquimans and Gates Counties,
as well as the surrounding area.
Last week Brian Center Man
agement Corporation, a Hickory
based firm, received a Certficate
of Need from the State to con
struct a 78- bed nursing home fa
cility in Perquimans County.
Brian Center, formerly known as
Unifour Medical Management,
applied to build the facility in No
vember, 1964.
Initially, another firm, Powell
Roberson of Rocky Mount, was
recommended to construct the
facility on a Gates County site by
the Eastern North Carolina
Health Systems Agency. That
recommendation was overruled
by the North Carolina Depart
ment of Human Resources Cer
tificate of Need Division and
Brian Center, along with Perqui
mans County, were chosen re
spectively as the builder and the
site during the Spring of 1965.
That decision was followed by
an appeal filed by Gates County
requesting a re-evaluation of the
decision. That appeal was re
cently withdrawn, and on April
28 the N.C. Department of Hu
man Resources issued a Certifi
cate of Need to Brian Center.
The new facility will create ap
proximately 100 jobs in Perqui
mans County, 80 to 85 of which
will be full-time positions. Ben
Setzer, Executive Vice-President
of Development for Brian Cen
ter, stated last week that in addi
tion to the permanent jobs that
the facility will create, the cor
poration will also use, whenever
possible, local contractors to con
struct the facility.
Setzer predicted that the con
struction of the $l,168,603-facility
will begin within the next 90 to
100 days. He stated that it will
take ten to 12 months to complete
construction of the home, and
that the company anticipates a
Spring 1987 occupancy.
A site for the facility has been
selected on the Joe Towe White
property near Don Juan Man
ufacturing Corporation. Accord
ing to Setzer, a ground-breaking
ceremony will be held at the site
as soon as plans can be finalized.
Setzer stated that the Brian
Center organization is delighted
that the appeals have been with
drawn and very excited about of
fering this new service to the peo
ple of Perquimans and Gates
Counties and nearby areas. "We
are privileged to have been the
company selected to build the
first nursing home in either of
these counties. We'd like to thank
the many local people that sup
ported us in this endeavor,"
Death claims Long,
Building Inspector
ELIZABETH CITY-William
Samuel (Sam) Long, age 77, of
Route 2, Box 91, Eden ton died
Monday, May 5th, in Albemarle
Hospital.
A native of Perquimans County
he was the husband of Delia Mae
Twine Long, and the son of the
late William F. and Sallie Evans
Long.
Prior to his death, Mr. Long
was employed by the Town of
Hertford and Perquimans
County as Building Inspector. He
was the former building inspec
tor for the Town of Eden ton.
He was a member of Woodville
Baptist Church; Unanimity Ma
sonic Lodge 7 in Edenton, where
he served as past Master; a
member of the York Rite Bodies
of Elisabeth City; and a Shriner
of Sudan Temple, New Bern.
Surviving besides his wife are:
two daughters; Mrs. Larry (Eu
gena) Voorhees of Ahiline, Texas
and Mrs. Larry (Patricia)
Crowder of Raieigh: one son,
Sdfto
1
Masonic graveside services
will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Fri
day in Cedarwood Cemetery in
Hertford. The Rev. Kendall Hast
ing will officiate.
The family will be at the home
of Sherman Long at Route Four,
Hertford.
Williford-Barham Funeral
Home of Edenton is in charge of
arrangements.
Setzer added.
Mr. Donald C. Beaver, presi
dent of the Brian Center Corpora
tion, emphasized that the Brian
Center Corporation looks for
ward to being part of the health
care service in the area and will
start immediately to develop this
needed facility.
Following a luncheon meeting
with Setzer after the announce
ment was made last week, Hert
ford Mayor W.D. (Bill) Cox said,
"This is one of the most impor
tant things that has happened to
Perquimans County and Hert
ford in a many years. The facility
is needed, it will increase the tax
base and it will provide many
needed jobs for our people. I
think that the decision rendered
by the Department of Human Re
sources shows us what can hap
pen when members of a commu
nity work together towards a
common goal."
Lothian claims popular vote
for sheriff seat in Primary
Broughton undecided as to run -off
By SUSAN HARRIS and
JANE B. WILLIAMS
Winfall Police Chief J.L. (Joe)
Lothian claimed the popular vote
for the Democratic nomination
as Sheriff of Perquimans County.
Lothian received 945 votes dur
ing the Tuesday Primary Elec
tion, carrying four of the coun
ty's seven precincts. He captured
the top votes in Nicanor, Bethel,
New Hope, and Parkville Town
ships.
Incumbent Sheriff J.H. (Little
Man) Broughton received a close
second with 912 votes. Candi
dates Donald Riddick and B.F.
(Ben) Shively received 229 and
160 votes respectively.
Lothian, who was present at
the Perquimans County Court
house for the vote tallying said,
"I'm enthusiastic that I got the
vote that I did get. I think the
people are ready for a change.
And I think that on June 3rd, if
necessitated by a run-off elec
tion, they'll make that change."
According to North Carolina
election law a candidate must re
ceive 50-percent plus one of the
total votes cast in order to be de
clared the winner. Lothian re
ceived 42-percent of the days'
vote, while Broughton took 40
percent of the votes cast.
Broughton will have one week
from the date of the Primary
Election to submit a request in
writing to the Perquimans
County Board of Election Chair
man for a run-off ballot. In a tele
phone interview on Tuesday
night after election results were
broadcast Brougton stated that
he had not decided whether or
not to call for a new vote.
In the event of a run-off the
election will be held on June 3rd.
Candidates Riddick and Shi
vely went on record following the
election in support of Lothian as
the candidate in the event of a
run-off election.
Shively spoke briefly with Lo
thian following the posting of re
sults and offering a handshake
said, "You've got my support
hard and heavy."
Riddick in a telephone inter
view also expressed his support
of Lothian for what he deemed
"good reasons".
LOTHIAN
In other local races Mack
Nixon, the incumbent Board of
Education Member from New
Hope Township, received 1264
votes, defeating challenger the
Rev. Walter Leigh by 286 votes.
Nixon was top vote getter in all
county precincts with the excep
tion of East Hertford.
Board of Education Chairman
Clifford Winslow, who ran unop
posed in his bid for re-election,
received 1471, votes.
The Honorable Representative
Vernon James claimed 1,142 lo
cal votes during his bid for re
election to the N.C. House of Rep
resentatives. District-wide
James received 10,388 of the
votes cast making him the front
runner for the two seats avail
able in that race. James claimed
well over the 25-percent plus one
vote needed to insure his pres
ence on the ballot in the Novem
ber General Election.
R.M. (Pete) Thompson ran a
close second to James in Perqui
mans County, securing 1053 votes
in his first campaign for public
office. Thompson claimed third
place in the nine-county district,
making him eligible to call for a
run-off against second place Win
nie Wood. Thompson secured
5915 votes district-wide, and
Wood received 5998 votes. In Per
quimans County Wood received
407 votes.
In a telephone interview on
Wednesday morning, Thompson
was uncertain as to whether or
not he would request a run-off
with Wood for that seat.
Other voting for the two avail
able nominations to the House of
Representatives was as follows
for Perquimans County: Audie
Simon, 376 votes; Sam Walker,
329 votes; and Harry Schiffman
197 votes.
The two Democratic contend
ers in this race will face off
against Republican Candidate
Shirley Perry in the November
General Election.
Perquimans County voters
overwhelming voiced their sup
port for former Governor Terry
Sanford as their choice for the
Democratic Candidate for the
U.S. Senate. Sanford received
1112 votes, carrying all seven of
the counties precincts.
Other voting for the Demo
cratic Candidate for the U.S. Sen
ate was as follows: John Ingram,
431 votes; W.I. Belk, 170 votes;
Betty Wallace, 84 votes; Kather
ine Harper, 48 votes; Clinton
Moore, 44 votes; Walt Atkins, 38
votes; Ted Kinney, 35 votes;
Fountain Odom, 30 votes; and
Milton Croom, 27 votes.
Republican voters in Perqui
mans County voiced their sup
port for James Broyhill as their
candidate for U.S. Senate with 58
votes. David Funderburk re
ceived 29 votes, and Glenn Miller
received 7 votes.
In the Democratic race for the
unexpired term as Judge of the
Court of Appeals Sarah Parker
received 859 votes in Perquimans
County, and Joseph John re
ceived 624 votes.
County voters rallied in opposi
tion of a referendum to permit
the construction of a nuclear
waste plant in North Carolina,
with 2038 voting against the ref
erendum and 225 voting for it.
County voters also voiced their
opposition of a constitutional
amendment that would call for
the election of state and county
officers in odd-numbered years.
The amendment was defeated in
Perquimans County by a margin
of 1185 to 954.
During the Tuesday Primary
2,385 county residents voted. Re
sults published in this article are
the unofficial tallies that were re
ported by the Perquimans
County Board of Election on
Tuesday night. Official results
will be available on Thursday,
following a meeting of the Board
and Precinct Chairmen.
Local officials make request for four-lane
improvements at transportation meeting
By JANE B. WILLIAMS
HERTFORD-Stating that
"there is life east of Raleigh,"
Perquimans County Commission
Chairman W.W. (Welly) White,
Jr. was one of many elected offi
cials that addressed local trans
portation needs at a gathering
here last Thursday.
Approximately SO officials
from the Department of Trans
portation Division I area assem
bled at the Albemarle Commis
sion Building in Hertford last
week to discuss priority projects
during a public meeting on the
D.O.T.'s 10-year Transportation
Improvement Plan.
Spokes people from the group
repeatedly asked for four-lane
improvement projects along U.S.
17 from Elizabeth City to Wind
sor, and Highway 64 from Tar
boro to Williams ton. In addition
to these projects numerous re
quests were heard for im
provements to U.S. 158 and 168.
Kenneth H. Roberson, D.O.T.
Board Member from Division I,
presided over the two-hour meet
ing that consisted primarily of
requests from city and county of
ficials regarding needed im
provements in their communities
as well as improvements to ma
jor roads throughout northeast
ern North Carolina.
Division I of the North Carolina
Department of Transportation is
cotuprised of 14-counties located
in northeastern North Carolina.
Prior to opening up the floor
for statement, Roberson an
nounced that the Highway 64 pro
ject in Plymouth had been de
layed for 30-days due to problems
that occurred in obtaining a
CAMA Permit. Roberson stated
that the project is now scheduled
to be let in June. He also added
that the U.S. 17 four-lane project
from Woodville to Hertford was
on schedule and should be let in
June, 1988.
John Q. Burnett, D.O.T. Board
Member, was the guest speaker
for the meeting. Burnett stressed
the importance of the legislature
passing Governor James Mar
tin's "Roads to the Future Plan".
He stressed that the D.O.T. was
out of money, and that the only
ways to create funds for highway
improvement were through
D.O.T. savings, a gas tax in
crease and expense transfers
from the Highway Patrol and
Drivers Education Funds. He en
couraged those in attendance to
"be vocal" to state representa
tives.
Hertford Mayor Bill Cox, on
behalf of the Highway 17 Trans
poration Association in North
Carolina, stressed to the group
that this is a particularly critical
time for Highway 17 and its
needed development. "It now ap
pears that a managed upswing in
tourism activity is the only solu
tion to the agricultural economic
crisis that has struck eastern
North Carolina," Cox said.
Coat continued, saying that the
upswing completely changes the
emphasis pattern that needs to
be placed on the transportation
system of the east. "Long a key
highway for tourism, Highway 17
has become the specific focal
point of the transportation sys
tem because of the need to en
courage tourists to come to east
ern North Carolina. This means
that the deveopment of 17 into an
adequate four-lane roadway is
essential."
Cox told the group that "In Di
vision I, the Highway 17 Trans
portation Association in North
Carolina wishes to make only two
new update requests, they are:
From the northern City Limits of
the Town of Hertford to the Cho
wan County Line, a distance of
approximately seven-miles, we
request four-laning of 17; and we
request four-laning from the Cho
wan River Bridge, southward, to
the northern City Limits of the
Town of Windsor, a distance of
approximately 16-miies."
The Honorable Senator Marc
Basnight addressed the mem
bers of the D.O.T. and stated that
if the board would make a strong
committment to a portion of the
needed improvements that he ad
dressed he would give total com
mittment to support Governor
Martin's plan. Basnight added
that if he could not obtain
"strong" committments to some
of the needed improvements in
his district he would vote" no"
for tM plan.
Improvements listed by Bas
night for consideration by the
board included working out a
v?
plan to resolve the bottleneck of
traffic on U.S. 17 at the Virginia
Line, a new bridge over the Per
quimans River, 4-laning of U.S.
17 to Windsor, a by-pass in Wind
sor, a new bridge over the Cho
wan River, four-laning of U.S. 64
from Tarboro to the new Albe
marle Sound Bridge and numer
ous other straightening, rebuild
ing, and replacement projects in
the First District.
Basnight also added an additio
nal request from Perquimans
County to his list, asking that the
State not move their shop from
the present locality on U.S. 17 to
Ahoskie.
The Honorable Representative
Vernon James told the group that
70-percent of all the calls he re
ceived from his constituents
dealt with roads. He addressed
Roberson and board member
Earl Rountree of Sunbury and
told them that they had to learn
to get along better. "As long as
I'm in office I request that you
divide funds as they ought to be.
You requested and got $1 -million
in pork barrell money," James
continued, "now you've got to
learn to work together."
James assured the group that
he would favor the Governor's
plan, if he could be assured that
"we'll get our fair share." He
then told Roberson and Roun
tree, "I want you to do your fair
share in seeing that we gat our
fair share."
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