THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 57, No.32
USPS 428-0*0
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, August ?, 1987
30 CENTS
FEATURE
Methodist plan celebratioi
see pg. 5|
COMMUNITY
COA holds registration
see pg.
Welcome home!
' A sign located on the courthouse green in downtown Hertford
welcomed Jimmy Hunter and his family home this past week
following his induction into the National Baseball Hall of
Fame on Sunday, July 26th in Cooperstown, New York.
School board visits construction project
Members of the Perquimans
County Board of Education got an op
portunity Monday evening to tour the
high school construction project
) prior to it's final inspection.
Pat Harrell, Superintendent and
Richard O'Neal who is head of school
maintenance and facilities took
members of the board on a guided
tour through the new facility on Mon
day thus providing them with an op
portunity to see the new facility, and
to discuss 'some of the problems
which still exist regarding construc
tion of the project.
Although the project is approxi
I mately 95 percent completed, there
are several problems which must be
resolved before the board will accept
the building as being complete from
the contractor.
Harrell showed members of the
board several places where defective
tiles have been laid which will have
to be replaced, the air conditioning
system is still not in operation, the
music facilities are yet to be com
pleted, and several other minor
things must be done before the build
ing can be used to house students.
Harrell and O'Neil were instructed
Monday evening by the board to iden
tify the all the problems which exist
in the project and to make a punch
list of those things for the general
contractor so that they could be
taken care of quickly and efficiently.
It is the hope of the board that the
majority of the problems can be han
dled prior to the opening of school on
August 24th.
The new facility will provide much
needed additional space for the stu
dents including the remodeled audi
torium, art and music facilities
which will be the envy of everyone in
the area, several large conference
rooms which will be available for use
by the community, and an art gallery
which will be used to display students
artwork throughout the school year.
The board hopes that by the end of
this week some parts of the project
will be released, and that furniture
can be moved into some the class
rooms and other areas in preparation
for school's opening.
Overall the project has gone well
according to board members, and
they seem very pleased with the re
sults.
In addition to discussing the high
school construction project members
of the board also discussed the new
office and warehouse facility con
struction project for the school sys
tem.
Earlier this summer members of
the board learned that bids on the
project were way over the allotted
budget of $200,000.00.
On Monday evening members of
the board decided to have new specs
and drawings done to separate the fa
cility into two projects in an effort to
reduce the costs. The projects will be
completed in phases, and at this time
the board has indicated that the of
fice complex would be completed as
phase one of the project.
Originally the office building and
warehouse complex were to be con
structed as a metal building adjoin
ing one to the other. Harrell told
board members on Monday that the
new design would probally be more
residental in appearance with wood
studs, and brick veneer walls.
The floor plan for the new facility
will remain basically the same and it
was originally designed.
The board also discussed the use of
school vans for transportation of stu
dents. Harrell reviewed with the
board a letter he received which
states that school vans can not be
used to transport students for activ
ities because they do not meet school
bus safety standards. The letter
dated October, 1978 from the U.S. De
partment of Transportation was in
response to a question regarding the
use of vans for this purpose by the
Director of Pupil Personnel of Glas
gow, Kentucky. The letter states than
any van which is older than 1977 can
not be used for this purpose because
it does not meet school bus safety
standards. The letter also states that
any dealer who sells a van which
does not meet these standards for
this purpose is also in violation of the
law.
Harrell stated Monday that the
school system will discontinue use of
their vans for this purpose, but he
and members of the board strongly
indicated they will fight this action as
they deem necessary. The board
feels that this letter and the action
hold statewide significance, and will
cause hardships statewide on school
systems.
The board also adopted Youth
Guard Insurance for the upcoming
school year which will be made avail
able for students and faculty to in
sure them if they choose against acci
dents. Information on the insurance,
it's premiums and benefits will be
available at the opening of school for
those who are interested in obtaining
a policy. This company will also be
providing football insurance for
those players who are interested in
additional accident insurance.
Under other business conducted by
the board Monday: Four student re
leases were granted, and the resigna
tion of Phil Barnes was accepted by
the board.
Dept. of Transportation announces its decision
RALEIGH? After nearly three
months of study, the North Carolina
Department of Tans porta tion has an
nounced it will set a speed limit of 65
miles per hour on 528 miles of rural
interstate highway. The depart
ment's decision will increase the
speed limit on about 60 percent of the
states's interstate highway network,
while maintaining a limit of 55 miles
per hour on the remainder of the in
terstate system.
All North Carolina portions of In
terstate 95 will be zoned for 65 miles
per hour, along with sections of Inter
state Highways 26, 40, 77 and 85. The
speed limit changes are the result of
an extensive study of the entire inter
state system in the state. The study,
which included consultation with the
North Carolina Highway Patrol, fo
cused on safety considerations.
The D.O.T.'s action results from
enabling legislation passed by the
U.S. Congress and the N.C. General
Assembly earlier this year. In March
the Congress passed a highway fund
ing bill that authorized 65 mile per
hour limits on those portions of the
nation's interstate system that are
outisde urban areas of greater than
50,000 population. In May, the Gen
eral Assembly enacted a bill direct
ing the department to conduct an en
gineering study and to raise the
speed limit whore it was determined
Annoying callers Increase
ELIZABETH CITY, NC? Noting
that annoying telephone calls are be
coming an ever-increasing problem
for citizens of the area, Terry F. Dan
iels, district commercial manager
for Carolina Telephone, today issued
jr list of several suggestions that
usually discourage such callers.
* Daniels said that a large number of
such persistently annoying callers
have been reported to telephone com
pany officials in recent weeks and
that special equipment has been uti
lized in an effort to pin down the call
?f?>
; He said that a cooperative effort
bfetfreen the law enforcement agents,
the telephone company and the pub
lic has resulted in several cases
where the callers have been identi
fied
Daniels' suggestions about means
to discourage annoying callers are as
follows :
? |* "Always use the telephone on
your tarn, not those of the caller.
Don't talk to anyone unless you so de
gin.
i. "Make the caller identify him
self. When asked, "Who is this?"
don't answer: ask instead "What
number did you dial? or "With whom
would you like to speak?"
3. "Instruct children, babysitters
or anyone else in the home not to talk
to anyone they do not to talk to any
one they do not positively recognize.
An innocent remark like "Daddy's
out of town" would be helpful to a
burgular. Teach them to ask for a
number to call later."
If a caller remains silent after you
answer, hang up. Some callers like to
listen to your reaction when they re
main silent. They do not enjoy listen
ing to a dead line."
Daniels pointed out that annoying
telephone calls of any type are in vio
lation of state law and punishable by
fines and-or imprisonment. He re
minded would-be violators that local
law enforcement agencies wort clo
sely with the telephone company per
sonnel to apprehend such callers
"Just remember," be concluded,
"If you get such a call and give the
caller ne satisfaction, they usually
will give up after a taw attempts.
that a higher speed limit would be
"reasonable and safe."
In announcing the department's
decision, Secretary of Transporta
tion James E. Harrington said strict
guidelines had been developed and
followed for higher speed limit areas.
"North Carolina's speed limit study
was probably more detailed than any
other state's review of this issue,"
Harrington said. "Safety was our
main concern. We approached the
study with the idea that any error
would be on the side of caution. Too
much is at stake to do otherwise."
The department's study consisted
of a number of principal factors, in
cluding:
Accident Rates: Sections with high
accident rates were disqualified.
Traffic Denisty : Sections with high
traffic counts during peak travel
times were disqualified.
Construction: sections undergoing
major repairs were disqualified.
Length: Sections other wise eligi
ble but less than 10 miles long were
disqualified.
All total, 150 miles were disqual
ified by the study. Another 170 miles
of the interstate system was auto
matically disqualified because it is
within urban area boundaries and is
ineligible.
The 528 miles approved for a 65
mile per hour limit is 62 percent of
the entire North Carolina interstate
system, and is 78 percent of the rural
interstate system that was eligible
under federal standards for zoning at
the higher speed.
The new speed limit will not be in
effect until about 400 new 65 mile per
hour signs are erected. The depart
ment hopes to have the signs up by
mid-August.
In addition to the new 65 mile per
hour signs, about 250 more 55 mile
per hour signs are being made for
areas remaining at that speed. Those
signs are now needed because more
signing is required when speed limit
vary.
Area weather forecasters
are calling for warm, dry
weather for the remainder
off the weeh and the week- >
end.
Highs art txpccttd to
b? 1b ths 90s with lows in
th? upper 70s.
Commissioners discuss
the county water system
Many Perquimans County residents
may soon notice a change in their wa
ter as the result of improvements to
the Bethel area water plant.
Wayne Floyd of Rivers and Asso
ciates, who has been serving as engi
neer for the county on this project
told the commissioners Monday that
rennovations and repairs to the plant
should be completed by the middle to
the end of next week.
The project which was begun last
year has been a problem since it's
conception. County residents have
complained about dirty, smelly wa
ter for some time, and county offi
cials have had to deal with almost
five months of delays caused by the
contractor doing the work.
Orginally the contract called for
the work to be done on the plant dur
ing the slow season of January and
February, but several delays have
postponed doing the work until now,
the peak season for water usage.
The work which is being done was
considered necessary by county offi
cials last year to repair the nine year
old plant, and to employ several new
and efficient engineering techniques.
Paul Gregory, Perquimans County
Manager, stated Monday that the sit
uation of the county's water is bad,
and he hopes that the new rennova
tions and improvements will bring to
an end a bad situation.
Keith Hasket, Perquimans County
Tax Supervisor, and the one who is
responsible for collection of water
bills came before the board Monday
and urged the commissioners to a
make a committment to water qual- v
ity. Haskett stated that recently the 1
water department has received daily t
phone calls from residents who are a
extremely upset by the quality of
their water. Haskett stated that o
many of the callers have had clothes f1
ruined from use of the water, and he b
added that he felt the commissioners tl
used extremely poor judgement in a
closing the water plant down at this
time of the year. n
Gregory and the commissioners
stated Monday that many of the prob
lems with the water have been
caused by a reverse in the flow the
water through the county's water
lines causing rust which has built up
in the pipes to break free, the county
has also been getting water from
Chowan County during the last six
weeks or so that the Bethel plant has
been down.
The board stated Monday that
when the renovations are complete
the problems with the water should
be corrected, and hopefully the reno
vations and maintenance will elimi
nate future problems with the sys
tem.
The commissioners also discussed
delays in installation of water meters
by the water department. Russ Chap
pell, Supervisor of the water depart
ment stated on Monday that due to
the current schedule of the depart
ment they had fallen behind in get
ting those meters in, and stated that
when the plant at Bethel reopens
hopefully they will be able to get
:aught up on meter installations.
Commissioners also voted Monday
? add a position to the water depart
ment in the hopes of improving their
working situation. The new position
vill employ someone to do general
naintenance in the water depart
nent, and was included in the 1987-88
>udget. The position will be adver
ised and applications will be ac
:epted for the next two weeks.
Under other business the board
tlso voted to adopt a new form which
/ill be used when registering deeds.
Tie form is designed to provide the
ax office withaddition information
bout the property being registered.
The commissioners received and
penned bids for propane gas and
uel oil at Monday's meeting. The
card will further review the bids at
heir next meeting before accepting
ny.
There being no further business the
leeting was adjourned.
New social services
director is named
The Perquimans County Depart
ment of Social Services has an
nounced that Crystal Towe will be the
new Director of Social Services for
the county.
Towe joined the department of So
cial Services in 1975 as an Eligibility
Specialist, and was promoted to Su
pervisor of Social Services when
Blanche Campen retired from the de
partment. Towe has been serving as
the Acting Director of Social Services
since July 1st when N. Paul Gregory,
Jr., former Director, became the
new Perquimans County Manager.
Towe is married to Cliff Towe, and
they make their home in Winfall,
North Carolina.
devitalization viewing set
Downtown Hertford may soon have
a new look thanks to the work of the
Hertford Downtown Revitalization
Committee.
As a continuing part of the Hert
ford Horizons project, the revitaliza
tion committee will hold a viewing of
the facade improvement proposal on
August 13th, 1987 from 9:00a.m. until
12 noon at the Perquimans County
Chamber of Commerce office.
The new facade improvement pro
posal was drafted by the commercial
art department of East Carolina Uni
versity under the direction of Dr. Fa
hadi, and outlines in detail im
provements for buildings in
downtown Hertford. The proposal is
in full color, and describes step by
step improvements which can be
completed gradually.
The revitalization committee
would like to invite all merchants,
property owners and interested per
sons to attend the viewing.
Refreshments will be served com
pliments of Darden Department
Store.
For more information on the revi
taization project or the viewing of the
facade improvement proposal con
tact the Perquimans County Cham
ber of Commerce at 426-5657.
Jaycees to host car
wash on Saturday
The Perquimans County Jaycees will
sponsor a car wash on Saturday, Au
gust 8th from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00
p.m. in the afternoon at NCNB in the
Harris Village Shopping Center in
Hertford.
For more information on the car
wash contact any Perquimans
County Jaycee.
Breakins reported
by Hertford police
The Hertford Police department has
reported several incidents which oc
curred over the past week.
On July 24th, G and S Seafood re
ceived a bomb threat at approxi
mately 9:17 p.m.. Mr. Hare of G and
S Seafood received a phone call from
someone stating that a bomb was lo
cated in the building. After conduct
ing a search the police were notified.
Officer Bouchard of the department
responded and he and Mr. Hare con
ducted a joint search. The search did
not uncover a bomb in the building.
An investigation into the matter is
continuing.
Several breaking have occurred in
the area recently. On July 28th, Patti
White, Director of the Senior Center
reported someone had broken into
the building located on Grubb Street
and stolen a stereo from one of the
rooms. The police department re
ports that they obtained several good
fingerprints at the scene, and they
are investigating.
On Saturday, August 1, 1987, Reed
Oil Company reported that they had
been broken into. Two calculators
and a few other minor things were
taken from the building. An investi
gation is actively continuing.
Senior Patrolman, Timothy Spence
also reported on Tuesday morning
that Darden's Department Store was
broken into on Sunday, August 2nd.
The breakin was discovered by an
employee of Darden's. Entry into the
building was obtained through a back
window. According to police several
items were taken along with a small
amount of money. An investigation is
continuing into this and other brea
king