PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, September 25, ltM M CENTS;
Winslow receives
Telephone grant
Mrs. J. Emmett Winslow, Chair
man of the Liaison Sub-committee of
America's Four Hundredth Anniver
sary Committee, has announced a
grant from Carolina Telephone and
Telegraph Company for archaeologi
cal work in Camden, Currituck, and
Gates Counties. Matched by grants
from the National Park Service, the
funds will be used to survey and map
Native American sites which were
occupied before the coming of the
English to the Albemarle. "The grant
is especially significant at this time",
said Mrs. Winslow, "We are celebrat
ing Indian Heritage Week in North
Carolina from September 21 to 28."
1986 has been designated The Year of
the Indian in the commemoration of
North Carolina's Four Hundredth
Anniversary of the Roanoke Voy
ages.
There were heavy concentrations
of Algonkian Indians in the Albe
marle, perhaps as early as 14,000
years ago. A reservation was set
aside for them in 1704, in present day
Camden County, to help them pre
serve their way of life without inter
ference from the settlers. But they
had all disappeared by 1754, largely
because of the deadly diseases
brought them by the white m; j.. They
left nothing behind except their arti
facts, consisting mainly of dugout ca
noes, projectile points, and pottery
fragments. These, too, are being lost,
and under the grant archaeologists
will be seeking out Indian sites in
Camden, Currituck, and Gates, and
marking them (or preservation and
future study.
North Carolina Power has joined
Carolina Telephone in funding many
county programs during the Four
Hundredth celebration. Both have
contributed to the most exciting ar
chaeological discoveries in Lake
Phelps, in Pettigrew State Park. Sev
eral dugout canoes, one carbon-dated
at 2,850 years, were discovered along
with entire Indian pots and amulets.
Both helped fund an Indian Heritage
Week at the site.
Further interest in Indian life was
shown in funding a project to rebuild
the Indian village of Acquascogoc in
Belhaven, Beaufort County. This vil
lage was destroyed by Ralph Lane in
1585.
Both corporations helped fund the
Walter Cronkite Flotila which
kicked-off the Four Hundredth Anni
versary in 1984 in Pasquotank
County. A Lumbee Indian Dance
Troupe was brought in for that occa
sion.
Other counties have also shared in
grants from the two corporations.
Among these are Chowan, Craven,
Cumberland, Halifax, Hertford,
Moore, Nash, Perquimans, Pitt,
Sampson, and Tyrrell.
iBlock grant causes controversy in town!
The Hertford town council held a
special meeting last Tuesday night at
the town municipal building at 5:10
p.m.
The purpose of the meeting was to
give councilman Jesse Harris a
chance to discuss the community de
velopment block grant applied for by
Apricot Inc. in the spring of this year.
Apricot Inc. is located on Urubb
street in Hertford, and the facility is
currently operating in a building
which is owned by Mr. Harris.
Mr. Harris stated at the meeting
that the application never should
have been prepared. 'The document
is in flaw, made up, not true, and
does not adhere to the guidelines.'
stated Harris referring to the
guidelines set by the state in January
1986.
Harris has several problems with
the grant application, and sited many
at the meeting Tuesday evening.
Mr. Harris began by contending
that the audit report and the financial
statements of the principals of the
corporation are so that Apricot could
finance the building without the aid
of this grant. The principals of the
corporation are the Terranovas, Carl
and Greg, and Mr. Micheal Litsky of
Pennslyvania. Apricot, Inc. however
contends that they applied for financ
ing with and without the grant mon
ies and were turned down by both
North Carolina National Bank, and
Wachovia on the basis of the finan
cial records which are included in the
grant application.
Another bone of contention brought
out at the meeting between Harris
and Apricot, Inc. is the condition of
the present building. Mr. Harris sited
a report by Phillip Lane stating that
the building is sound, and needs mini
mal repairs to floor areas, the mens
bathroom, a manhole area, and re
pairs or a new roof to keep areas in
the building dry. Mr. Lane's report
specifically states that he found 98
percent or more of the floor to be
sound. Mr. Harris stated at the meet
ing Tuesday that the building was
built to drive trucks in.
The Terranovas argue that Mr.
Jim Mills also of Hertford has in
spected the building on Grubb Street,
and has made the following report,
he states that the roof leaks and the
holes in the floor do not align and ap
pear randomly throughout the build
ing making it difficult to assess ac
tual reusable floor space, the floor
integrity in most of the building is
questionable, there is evidence of
new leaks occurring, and the general
condition of the building leaves much
to be desired.
Mr. Harris argues that Mr. Mills is
under contract, and stands to gain
$74,600.00 from the grant for work on
the new building, and therefore
would state Apricot's position.
The condition of the building, and
repair of the building have and con
tinue to be a major problem between
the parties. The Terranovas origi
nally approached Mayor Bill Cox in
January when they felt that they
could no longer stay in the building
due to its disrepair, they came seek
ing a solution to the problem. At that
time Cox referred them to Pat Kelly
at the Albemarle Commission who
prepared the application for the
Community block grant.
Another major bone of contention
between the two parties which was
discussed at the meeting Tuesday
was the legality of the grant applica
tion. Mr. Harris argues that he and
the other council members did not
have enough time to review the appli
cation and that the application was
not necessary. He contends that the
grant is an intrusion of government
into the landlord tenant relationship,
and borders on being illegal.
Mayor Cox stated Monday that this
application was presented to the
state in good faith. 'The Terranovas
have been good citizens and employ
ers in the town of Hertford for 4
years. They have increased their
payroll, and I feel very strongly
about assisting them in their efforts
to enlarge their operation and re
main in Hertford.
Also brought out at the meeting
was the issue of who will pay for the
grant should Apricott, Inc. default on
the loan. According to Ms. Carver
who is public information director at
the state department of Natural Re
sources and Community Devel
opment, division of community assis
tance if Apricot, Inc. defaults then
the state would work with the town to
recoup as much money as possible
towards the grant. Mr. Harris con
tends that taxpayers will have to
bear the burden of repaying the grant
should Apricot default.
Apricot, Inc. has signed a note with
the state, and Hertford Savings and
Loan has approved the final loan for
the project, and according to Carver
unless the state could prove that the
town was fraudulant in administer
ing the money than the town would
not be responsible for paying back
the money.
The issues remain unsolved at this
time according to Harris and Apri
cott, Inc. they are working to settle
the problem.
The town has received word that
the grant has been approved, but
according to Carver the complaint is
a local matter. There is still a condi
tion on the grant until the matter is
resolved to the state's satisfaction.
Carver stated that the state has an
established process for handling
complaints, and that the state is fol
lowing those procedures. The state is
still maintaining communication
with the town in this matter, and
hopefully it will be resolved to the
satisfaction of all parties.
As for Mr. Harris, if the matter is
not solved to his satisfaction he plans
to pursue the issue in court if nec
essary.
He stated that he has never ap
proved of the application, and says
that he has done nothing that he
wouldn't have done a thousand times
over.
. Bryan center Facility set for Hertford
Brian Center Management Cor
poration officials were in Hertford
Thursday afternoon to break ground
for the Brian Center Nursing Care
Facility of Hertford, North Carolina
The faculty will serve both Perqui
i mans and Gates counties, and it is the
first nursing facility to be located in
either county.
Taking part in the ceremonies on
I) Thursday were Reverend Henry Biz
zeit, pastor of the United Methodist
Church of Hertford, W. W. White, Jr.,
chairman of Perquimans County
Coipmissiuners; and William Cox,
Mayor of Hertford. Several other
Perquimans County Commissioners,
Hertford Town Council Members and
officials from Gates County were
present at the groundbreaking. Sen
ator Mark Basnight and Representa
tive Charles Evans were also present
[) at the ceremonies.
Donald Beaver, President of the
Brian Center Corporation welcomed
everyone stating that the company is
pleased to be in Hertford, and that
the center will provide the best in
high quality nursing care possible.
Mr. Beaver also stated that hopefully
the center will become the hub of
health care in the Hertford area.
In early 1965 Brian Center Manage
ment Corporation filed an applica
tion for the certificate of need to buiki
the facility, and began working on
the project.
Construction of the facility is to be
complete by April, 1987.
The facility will house 78 beds, 39
skilled nursing beds, and 39 interme
diate cane beds.
Estimated construction costs for
the facility is $1.2 million.
r
The center will employ approxi
mately 65 full time and 15 part-time
employees. Employees will include a
full time social worker, an activities
director as well as a director of nurs
ing and an Administrator.
Bailey receives award
rs
Juanita Turner Bailey, home
economics extension agent, Per
quimans County, received an
award from the North Carolina
Aasociatton of Extension Home
Economists recently.
; The outstanding young agents
award, given to persons who
have worked for Extension less
than 10 years, but who have
made an outstanding contribu
tion, was awarded during the As
sociation's state meeting in Wil
mington. sept, li-ia.
5 ;!
Dr. Martha Johnson, assistant
director for the North Carolina
Agricultural Extension Service,
said Bailey was honored for her
innovative programs in tooaa
and nutrition.
Bailey conducted an Eat
Right? Stay Light weight man
?nent series, attended by 100
ts. Her microwave classes -
for beginners proved popular,
too, reaching 150 persons. Both
classes emphasised proper nutri
Bridge to be abandoned
Without the help of public funding
the Albemarele Sound bridge will be
abandoned by Norfolk Southern rail
road in the next few months.
Approximately 150 area officials
gathered Thursday night at the
monthly meeting of the Albemarle
Commission to learn the fate of the
deteroriating bridge from railroad
officials.
According to James McClellan, di
rector of the Norfolk Southern Cor
poration the traffic on the bridge is
not enough to justify spending $19.2
million dollars which has been esti
mated for the needed repairs. 'There
is just not enough traffic now, and we
don't project there will be enough in
the future' he said.
For several years the railroad has
been comtemplating abandonment of
the bridge but due to negotiations by
state, local, and federal officials the
bridge is still maintained by the com
pany. The officials along with the
railroad have been checking into al
ternatives for the rail line which con
nects Washington and Chowan coun
ties.
So far none have been found. The
railroad has been studying the alter
natives because they see the bridge
as a vital link to Northeastern North
Carolina for transportation of grain,
lumber, and other agricultural prod
ucts to markets.
According to McClellan there are
no easy answers to the problem.
It's to expensive for the private
sector to maintain the bridge, and
therefore the railroad views the issue
as a public sector problem.
McClellan stated that the problem
is difficult because it involves so
much money. 'I've never seen a pro
ject like this where it will take $19
million dollars,' he said. McClellan
commented that the railroad is hop
ing someone will come up with an
easy answer, but none seems evident
at this time.
The bridge continues to deteriorate
daily, and it appears if it's to be
saved some public effort will have to
be made.
The bridge has also gradually seen
a decline in traffic according to the
railroad, and at the present time
there are only three trains a week
which use the bridge.
Fertilizer and grain shipments
both declined 50 percent from 1984
and 1985. In the same time period pa
per products shipped via the line
showed the only increase. Weyhauser
in Plymouth was the major source of
these shipments according to McClel
lan.
McClellan also stated that the rail
road is looking into the possibility of
rerouting traffic through Greens
boro, N.C., which seems to be the
most feasible solution.
The railroad has tried shipping goods
through Greensboro before and found
it to be ouccessful for them.
The railroad has also explored the
idea of barging goods across the
sound, but it proved to be to expen
sive.
Railroad officials pointed out
throughout the discussion that clos
ing the bridge in their opinion will not
shut the link between Northeastern
North Carolina and points north such
as New York, and New Jersey. It will
however end rail service to Norfolk
from this part of the state.
Representative Vernon James was
present at the meeting and urged the
railroad to keep the bridge open. Ar
guing that rerouting the traffic
through Greensboro will delay ship
ments, and will increase costs of
shipments for the goods going to
market. He also sited industrial de
velopment as a reason to keep the
bridge open, stating that without rail
traffic to the area from Norfolk the
area was far less attractive to indus
trial developers.
The historic significance of the
bridge was also discussed, and was
sited as a reason for saving the
bridge. The railroad officials stated
that this possibility had not been ex
plored to their knowledge.
The evening ended without much
encouragement by the railroad, and
many unanswered questions.
Pirates plunder Eagles
In the biggest win of Perquimans
history the Pirates beat Northeast
ern High School in front of a fired up
crowd Friday night 26-20.
Spurred on by a superb rushing at
tack and great support by the special
teams, the Pirates managed to upset
the favored 4-A Northeastern Eagles.
Coach Flippen stated that he was
not expecting a win over the Eagles
Friday 'I felt like Art Baker (the
ECU head football coach) going
down to play Auburn.' he said. 'I told
the kids before the game if we played
super, and got a few breaks we could
be in the ballgame.'
In just seven plays the Pirates
made their first score taking advan
tage of a mishandled punt by North
eastern player Jerrod Baccus.
The Pirates recovered the mis
handled punt on the 46 yard line of the
Eagles and Rodney Welch scored
with a 13 yard drive. The Pirates
missed the extra point effort, but led
the Eagles 6-0.
The score remained unchanged un
til half time, but Perquimans domi
nated the half with their fine display
of a wishbone offense. Allowing
Northeastern to run only 11 plays in
the first half.
The third quarter afforded the Pi
rates two more breaks early on and
they took control of the game once
again.
Stanley Cobbs blocked a punt early
in the quarter, fod when the ball
Douncea into tne end zone Maiiory
fell on it for a touchdown.
Following the kick-off the Eagles
fumbled the football, and the Pirates
recovered it on the 24 yard line. At
fourth down and one Welch powered
up through the line and scored mak
ing the Pirates lead 18 to 0.
The Eagles gained their one and
only turnover following a punt. Fred
Lewis recovered the ball on the Per
quimans 30 yard line, and after 4
straight carries by Stacy White the
Eagles scored and cut the Pirates
lead to 18 to 6.
With 7:11 remaining the Pirates
scored what would later prove to be'
the winning touchdown. Driving 58
yards on a fourth down conversion
Thatch carried for 15 yards rushing,
and Johnson rushed 20 yards for the
touchdown. Welch was successful in.
making the two point conversion, and
the Pirates lead went to 26-6.
The Eagles rallied in the fourth
quarter with two touchdowns but ft
was too Uttle too late, and an excited
Pirate team woo the game.
Flippen was glad when the gun
went off 'Coach Merritt has put to
gether one of the best passing attacks
I've seen at the high school level,' Iw
said. 'If they'd had more time they
could have beaten us '
The Pirates travel to Wekion Fri
day night for their first conference
play of the season. Game time is 8
p.m..