' THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume sa. No. 11 USPS 42?-0?0 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C. Thursday, March 17, 19M 30 <
*
LOCAL
Coley to repair roof
SSfl pq. 12
FEATURE
A visit with Preston Nixon
Sftft PQ 12
COMMUNITY
? $
Adopt a
marker
program
underway
The Holiday bland Yacht Club, in
coo junction with the Holiday Island
Property Owners Association, is cur
rently sponsoring a program so that
island and area residents can "adopt
a marker".
Some months ago, the Holiday Is
land Property Owners Association
received a grant from CAIfA to
dredging in the many canals of Holi
day Island and upon completion of
the dredging project, the Holiday
Yacht Club took on the "adopt a
marker" program as a civic project
to raise money for markers, which
will be placed in the canals, and the
water areas leading up to the canals.
The yacht club is coordinating
their efforts with the North Carolina
?Department of Wildlife Resources,
Mind their goal is to have as many
markers as possible in place by the
beginning of the boating season.
Under this program, island and
area residents can purchase a
marker for $50. The markers consist
of many different kinds of aids to
navigation, including channel mark
ers, no wake zone markers and more.
The channel markers are being made
to Coast Guard and Army Corps of
llsngineer specifications, and the
other markers will conform to the in
terstate waterway marking system
specifications. All of the markers are
being made and will be placed by the
members of the yacht dub.
When a marker is purchased by
someone, the yacht club will rouder
their name in black ink on the pole,
wrncn win last forever.
At the present time, 42 markers are
needed in the waterways, but that
||iumber will be expanded according
to Ed Allen, who is heading up the
project for the yacht club. At the pre
sent time, 27 markers have been pur
chased, but more still need to be sold.
If anyone is interested in purchas
ing a marker or if they would like
more information on this project,
they can contact A1 Phillips, Commo
dore of the Holiday Island Yacht Club
at 426-8425.
? Upon completion of this project,
nthe will be flooded with mark
The Sheriff's
Department;
Providing late
and order
The Perquimans County Sheriffs
Department beaded up by Perqui
mans County's Sheriff Joe Lothian, is
(Charged with providing law enforce
ment activities for Perquimans
County.
The department, which is com
posed of four officers and Sheriff Lo
thian, has a very tough job, but they
are committed to providing the citi
?m? of our county with the best serv
ice possible.
. The officers in the sheriffs depart
ment have many duties, and they
?cover a very wide range of activities.
W Officers spend a majority of their
time serving criminal and civil pa
Mrs, which averages 250 to 300
pieces a month, but their duties just
. -begin there.
Tney also conauci investigations,
[ "both criminal and civil, assist other
law enforcement agencies with in
vestigations, transport prisoners
Jrvrn local facilities to state facilities,
transport mental patients to state
Ljypitais, take care of making sure
P^ruqners from the county, who are
?tek, receive proper medical atten
tion, open and close court proceed
ings, provide security in the court
foams, and answer complaints from
county residents ranging from very
T&aste domestic disputes to serious
tritninal Monies.
'.-Currently the department has
iotneone working 34 hours a day,
*?ven days a week, and the deputies
tiaye no regular days off. Each man
^averages working <0 hours per week,
add sometimes more.
; Jame Logan has hem with the Per
quimans County Sheriffs depart
ment for over three and one-half
'y*ars, and is the department's chief
jkiputy. Other deputies in the county
taelude Ralph Robinson, the
:lTXR.E. officer for the county who
hiil worked with the department for
" kief over a year, Eric TUley, who has
^nm with the department for appra
Plmately six months and, who is cur
rently completing the criminal Jus
tice academy for basic law
ffcrcement training in Salemburg,
North Carolina, and Homeria Jmo
as the office dep
end chief dispatohsr for the
. Jennette to a certified and
la officer and assists the do
and
enpg.*
March 13-19th is National Employ the Older Worker Week. Recently Mayor Bill Cox signed a
proclamation urging employers in Hertford to carefully consider the qualifications of persons
aged 45 years and older when seeking new employees. Above Charle T. Skinner, Older Worker
Specialist in the Edenton Job Service office accepts the proclamation from Mayor Cox.
Governor proclaims Mar. 13 -19th
older worker week in North Carolina
Governor James G. Martin has
proclaimed the week of March 13-19
as Employ the Older Worker Week in
North Carolina, encouraging busi
ness, industry, and government to
strengthen their efforts to hire older
workers.
"Many older workers do not have
the necessary job seeking skills,"
Governor Martin said, "therefore,
emphasis is placed on job search
strategies such as Job Banks, Job
Fairs, and Job Search Training in or
der to find employment."
"Celebration of this week recog
nizes the need for innovative employ
ment programs for older adults that
include job flexibility and retraining
of workers so they can participate in
the workforce," the Governor said.
Elaine Stoops, Assistant Secretary
of the Department of Human Re
sources, Division of Aging, said there
are three state administered employ
ment programs to help workers 55
and older in job placement. They are
Title V Senior Community Service
Employment Program, the Older In
dividual Job Training Partnership
Act Program, and the Employment
Security Commission.
"The employment services are
coordinated to benefit the economi
cally disadvantaged, underem
ployed, and unemployed 55 plus pop
ulation where traditional job
programs do not meet their needs."
Stoops said.
The Division of Aging administers
Title V of the Older Americans Act
which currently provides part-time
employment for more than 1600 low
income North Carolinians aged 55
and older.
Approximately 300,000 older Tar
Heels are eligible to take part in the
Job Training Partnership Act
( JTPA) also administered by the Di
vision of Aging. JTPA trains disad
vantaged adults for jobs such as
homemaker-home health aides, in
spector-packers, fast food operators
and medical secretaries. A special
feature of JTPA is on-the-job training
where the program pays up to one
half of the trainee's salary during
training.
The Employment Security Com
mission has a network of Job Service
offices which provide job counseling,
testing, and referral. ESC assisted in
placing over 6,000 older adults injobs
in 1986.
The Division of Aging and the Em
ployment Security Commission, have
developed a video tape entitled 'It's
Good Business to Employ the Older
Workers," The tape is available
through Employment Security office
and the Division of Aging, 1985
Umstead Drive, Raleigh, N.C. 27603,
919-733-3983.
Dowd & Associates to change name
Firm to be called Dowd & Twiddy, Inc.
John Dowd, President of John
Dowd & Associates, Inc. is pleased to
announce that David R. Twiddy has
recently negotiated the purchase of
additional shares of stock in John
Dowd & Associates, Inc., an Insur
ance & Real Estate Co.
John Dowd & Associates special
izes in all lines of insurance with of
fices in Edenton and Hertford, John
Dowd & Associates, Inc. is also the
parent company of Century 21-Dowd
Real Estate.
Dowd stated that he is extremely
pleased with Twiddy's hard work and
dedication to the company over the
past five years and looks forward to a
long and rewarding relationship in
the future.
Twiddy and Dowd began their
relationship in 1973 when Dowd was
the marketing teacher at John A.
Holmes High School and Twiddy en
rolled in his Distributive Education
Class. Twiddy joined John Dowd &
Associates, Inc. in 1983 as an Insur
ance and Real Estate Broker and be
came Vice-President of the corpora
tion in 1985. Twiddy is a lifelong
resident of Edenton having grad
uated from John A. Holmes High
School. He is married to the former
Carol Barnes and they have two
daughters.
The new name of the corporation
will be Dowd & Twiddy, Inc.
On Thursday, March 19th the BPW held their annual Young Careerist Night. Pictured ahove
are all the participants. L to r: Faye Wills, Cynthia Wills, alternate, Gina Jepson, Young Ca
reerist 1968, Rita Faye Bryant, and Clara Gilliam.
Jepson named BPW young career!?*
The Hertford Business and Profee
sional Women's chib selected Perqui
mans Weekly editor Gina Jepeon for
the Young Careerist Award for 1MB
last week.
Jepeon was one ot five women nom
inated for the honor and will rep
resent the Hertford BPW club in dis
I trict competition to be held in
Elisabeth City on March A.
I "I was very honored to have been
i chosen," Jepeon sakL "All the nomi
i nee* were worthy of (be honor. I'm
Ihmii g? jl m ?? ?? m II ? laMlIw IT i la n
looninn iorwarci 10 representing cue
i Hertford BPW in the district compe
tition."
T
Jepson graduated from North Car- ?
olina Wesleyan College in Rocky
Mount where she earned degreea in |
history and political science. She has
worked for Advance Publications
since IMS. She was co-op advertising
manager for the Daily Advance i
newspaper before being named edi
tor of the Perquimans Weekly news
paper in July, IMS.
Her parents are Lt Col. John Keat
ing and Beverly Keating, of
Skrawabury, Pa. She is married to
Cynthia Wills was selected as the
alternate Young Careerist. She is a
word processing secretary for the
vice chancellor at Elisabeth City
State University, and formerly
worked as an administrative secre
tary for the Perquimans County
Board of Education. She attended
Chowan College and Elizabeth City
State University where she studied
clerical administration and hi Minnas
administration. Her parents are the
Rev. and Mrs. Joseph Leroy Wills, of
Hertford.
Other nominees were Rita Pay*
Bryant, Clara Gilliam, and Fajre
Wills.
- v
County commissioners set
meeting with NAACP
The Perquimans County Commis
sioners listened, last Monday, as Per
quimans County Attorney John Mat
thews highlighted the activities of the
committee established by the county
to look into rediatricting the county's
voting districts, and possible viola
tions of the voting rights act.
Matthews told members of the
board that the committee iiad met
several times, and at their last meet
ing had met with two officials from
the Regional Development Institute
at East Carolina University in Green
ville, North Carolina, who discussed
passible ways to collect data regard
ing the population of Perquimans
County, and possible ways to set up
voting districts, which will satisfy the
U. S. Justice Department.
Matthews told board members that
everyone concerned in this matter
must have an open mind about the
process, but added that the commit
tee was not even close to making any
kind of recommendation to the
county commissioners at this time.
Presently, he stated the committee
is looking at several things, and seve
ral different systems currently being
used throughout the state, to deal
with the redistricting issue, but they
have come to no conclusions. Mat
thews stated that several sources had
reported that the committee had de
cided to conduct a census in Perqui
mans County, but Matthews said last
Monday that was not the case. The
committee is considering a census as
a way to gain population information,
which must be updated from the 1960
census, but Matthews said no final
decisions on that matter or any other
had been reached by the committee.
Matthews went on to say that he
and County Manager Paul Gregory
had discussed by phone, the county's
problem with Mike Crowell, a Ra
leigh attorney, who is considered an
expert in these matters, and re
quested on Monday that the board
give Gregory authorization to hire
Crowell to assist the county.
Matthews said on Monday that be
just simply had not had the experi
ence in these matters, and felt Cro
well could offer the county the exper
tise needed. The board authorized
hiring Crowell, and praised the com
mittee for their hard work, and
continuing efforts to solve this mat
ter. The committee will continue
studying the problem, and is ex
pected to make a recommendation to
county commissioners at an upcom
ing meeting.
Paul Gregory also reported to the
board during the meeting that Ron
ald Penney, attorney for the NAACP
of Perquimans County had written
him a letter requesting a meeting
with the county.
In a letter addressed to Gregory,
Penney stated that he and other
members of the NAACP would like to
meet with the county commissioners
to discuss possible violations of the
voting rights act, and an alternative
solution.
The county commissioners re
stated on Monday that they are
aware that the voting system in the
county should be changed, and added
that they would be happy to meet
with Mr. Penney and members of the
NAACP at anytime to discuss this is
sue.
The meeting has been scheduled on
the next agenda of the meeting of the
county commissioners scheduled for
Monday, March 21st. The meeting
will be held in the county commis
sioners room at the Perquimans
County courthouse and will begin at
7:00 p.m.
All interested citizens pf Perqui
mans County are invited and encour
aged to attend this meeting.
Perquimans County commission
ers also gave their endorsement to
the school system's application for
critical needs money last Monday.
The application, which outlines the
systems mo6t critical needs, will be
made to the state later this month in
hopes that the Perquimans County
School system might get some por
tion of some $90 million dollars re
cently appropriated for school sys
tems critical needs.
During a meeting last Monday with
members of the county commissin
ers Pat Harrell, Perquimans School
Superintendent stated that no one
knows who will get the money, how
many will get money, or how much
money they will get, but added that
hopefully Perquimans will be
awarded some of the money.
Harrell told board members that
the counties across the state have
been ranked in terms of per capita
income, and the per pupil tax base,
and a commission has been estab
lished to review the applications and
will make monitary award based on
several issues.
Superintendent Harrell told mem
bers of the board that Perquimans
County ranks 37th in the state based
on per capita income and per pupil
tax base, but added that the commis
sion formed by the state is currently
split regarding how the money should
be dolled out, and that other criteria
may be considered in making deci
sions about allocations.
"No one knows," said Harrell.
"We'll just have to wait and see what
happens," he added.
Harrell stated that each county,
who expressed an interest in making
an application for money, had been
assigned a consultant by the state to
help them with their application, but
no one knows how many systems will
receive funding.
He added that the consultant had in
structed him to identify the system's
most critical needs, and then to ask
for funding for them.
Harrell told commissioners that
the school system had done that, tak
ing the needs from the long range
plan they recently developed, and
that the application would be sub
mitted by March 15th to Raleigh.
The commission is expected to
make funding awards early this sum
mer.
The board of commissioners also
voted not to replace the athletic
lights at the Perquimans Middle
School field at this time. The county
will seek grant funds during the com
ing year, and will replace the lights
at a later date, when monies are
available.
In other business, board members
voted to have the necessary repair
work done on the bricks at the Blan
chard Building, stating that they
wanted to make the building as safe
as possible, until complete rennova
tions could be made there.
The board also passed a resolution
in support of a state bill concerning
retirement pay for rescue squad and
fire department members.
The proposed state bill would allow
volunteer members of all depart
ments to draw retirement funds and
still serve in the department. The bill
comes as the result of increased pres
sure on all volunteer departments
statewide.
Hertford town council
approves land transfer
for library extension
The Hertford Town Council voted
on Monday to grant a request by the
Perquimans County Board of Com
missioners for additional property
for an extension to the Perquimans
County library.
The town council instructed town
attorney, Walter Edwards, to do the
necessary work involved with the
transfer, and pending any unex
pected findings, the town will deed an
additional piece of property to the
county measuring SO x 106 feet for the
library's expansion with the stipula
tion that if the library extension is not
completed for some reason the land
would revert back to the town of
Hertford.
The council also authorized Mayor
Bill Cox to move forward with a
grant application from the Coastal
Resource Management Commission.
The grant would be for a $10,000.00
dollar matching funds grant, and the
money would be used to develop a
plan for the redevelopment of the
m ? I infi n ait
Heruora waterfront.
The grant would be split 75-35 with
a $1500 cash payment needed by the
town of Hertford.
The council unanimously agreed to
apply for the grant, and Councilman
T. Erie Haste, Jr. stated that he feels
"E
application ior uus gram snows great
initiative on behalf of the town of
Hertford.
In other business, the council also
gave Mayor Cox authorization to
seek a grant for monies to obtain the
B rough ton Building in downtown
Hertford despite opposition by Coun
cilman Jesse Harris.
If grant monies are received, the
building would be purchased by the
town, torn down, and a parking lot
would be constructed.
Councilman Harris stated on Mon
day evening that he was opposed to
the idea, stating that he felt it was not
the council's responsibility to be
come involved with the private sec
tor.
"I don't feel like its the responsibil
ity of a town government to provide
parking for given public businesses,"
said Harris. Other members of the
council stated their opposition to that
feeling, echoing that they feel the
more parking available in Hertford,
the more likely businesses will locate
there.
Harris stated that he feels parking
and sewer issues are some of the
most important tasks facing the
council, but added that he just
doesn't feel that this action should be
taken on by the council.