THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Votume 58, No.38 USPS 438-080 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, September 21,1089 30 CENTS
Famity__
Eason discovers tong
famity tree roots
*_* page 11
Feature__
A took at the
tndian Summer Festiva!
page 14
Garden
Trees provide much
more than shade
page 9
Briefs
Heating assistance
avaiiabie through
Socia! Services
The Perquimans County Depart
ment of Social Services will begin
October 16th accepting applica
tions for the Low Income Energy
Assistance Program. The LIEAP
provides a one-time payment in
February 1990 to iow income house
hoids to help them in paying their
winter heating biiis.
Some food stamp households
may be eligible to appiy for LIEAP
by mail. Those households will be
mailed an application and will not
be required to visit the county de
partment of social services.
Those food stamp households
; who are not eligible to apply by
mail will receive a notice telling
them to apply in person at the
County Department of Social Serv
ices.
All interested low income house
holds are encouraged to call and re
quest an appointment date and
time before coming in to apply for
heating assistance. Appointments
will be made beginning October 2.
Applications will be accepted
from October 16th through Novem
' ber22nd.
School closing
policy set for
inclement weather
Curing extremely bad weather it
sometimes becomes necessary for
a decision to be made concerning
the closing of schools. When a deci
^ sion is made in the eariy morning
that schools will close for the day, it
must be relayed quickly to all stu
dents and parents. A decision to
close may affect all schools
throughout the Perquimans County
System. In order to accomplish this
task efficiently and with maximum
coverage, school officials are
asking all students and parents to
cooperate by following the sugges
tions listed below:
L 1. Listen to one of the area Radio
' and Television stations (WGAI
Elizabeth City, WKJX-Elizabeth
City, WBXB-Edenton, WZBO
Edenton, WRSF-Dare County, and
WNCT-TV in Greenville) in late
evening and early morning for an
, announcement concerning the clos
ing of school.
2. A decision to close the schools
or to consider a delayed schedule
will be announced by 6:30 a m.
3. DO NOT telephone the weather
I bureau, radio or TV stations, news
reach you by radio and-or tele
vision.
4 THE ABSENCE OF ANY AN
NOUNCEMENT MEANS THAT
THE SCHOOLS WILL OPEN AS
USUAL.
When making a decision on open
ing or closing the schools, school of
ficials are primarily concerned
$ with the safety and welfare of all
students.
Loca! DMV to be
dosed on Monday
The North Carolina License Plate
Agency located at 114 North Grubb
Street in Hertford will be closed on
-Monday, September 25 to permit
employees to attend a day-long
workship on administration of the
plate's new highway use tax, it was
f) announced by William S. Hiatt,
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.
The highway use tax, enacted by
the 1989 General Assembly, will go
into effect on October 1. Beginning
that day, new and used car sales in
North Carolina will be taxed at the
rate of three percent, with a limit of
$1,000. The highway use tax re
places North Carolina's two per
cent sales tax, which is capped at
$300. The minimum tax imposed
) under the new law is $40.
Proceeds of the highway use tax
will help finance North Carolina's
$9.1 billion highway improvement
program.
Commissioners examine crumbiing schooi buiidings
HERTFORD — The Perquimans
County Board of Commissioners
met with the board of education
Wednesday night and got a first
hand took at the deteriorating con
ditions of two buildings in the
school system.
The commissioners were taken
on a guided tour of Perquimans
Middle School and the vocational
education building at the high
school. The two buildings were con
structed in the 1940s and are in an
advanced state of deterioration for
a building still in regular use.
"I already knew we needed more
funds for school construction, "
commission chairman Lester Sim
pson said, "this shows me more
than I knew. "
One of the underlying purposes of
the meeting was to promote pas
sage of the land transfer tax refer
endum. Voters will decide in
November if they want to let the
county assess up to a 1 percent land
transfer tax which is to be used to
generate funds specifically for
school construction projects.
"Both boards are whole-heart
edly behind this, " Simpson said.
"We are fortunate to have two
elected boards working for the bet
terment of public education with a
united voice," school board chair
man Clifford Winslow said. "So
many areas do not enjoy this type
of cooperation. "
On the tour the commissioners
were shown where age and over
crowding had taken their toll on the
buildings. The vocation wing,
which served as the high school at
one time, has settled about five
inches at one end of the building. At
Staff photo by Joe Southern
Perquimans County Board of Education member Wayne Howeii points to a targe crack in an outer wait at
the vocationat education buiiding at Perquimans High Schooi. The wait is separating from the buiiding
and is stowty faiiing away.
that same end the back wall is se
parating and fading away from the
building. Winslow said engineers
have recommended the building be
vacated permanently within five
years.
Both buildiings on the tour were
uncomfortably warm, even in the
coo! evening air. There is no air
conditioning in either building ex
cept in computer rooms. Board
members also commented about
the unp&asent odors in almost ev
ery room.
Superintendent Mary Jo Martin
and Simpson both agreed that the
meeting was productive. Members
of both boards indicated they wouid
iike to meet again to further discuss
the issue. Winsiow invited the com
missioners to come to a breakfast
at the schools so they could see for
themselves how serious the over
crowding problem has become.
State history museum begins
tocai membership drive
The North Carolina Museum of
History Associates began their 1989
Membership Campaign with a lun
cheon and orientation session for 60
volunteers from eastern North Car
olina at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
William R. Roberson in Bath on
September 13. Attending the meet
ing were members of the state his
tory museum's Perquimans County
Committee, Mary Alice Brinn,
Sharman Haskett, and Paige Un
derwood. Committee member
Jeanne White was unable to attend
The Museum Associates, a 13,000
member, statewide support group
for the North Carolina Museum of
History and 24 state historic sites,
provides funds for museum exhib
its, artifact purchases, educational
programs in every county of the
state, and private sector financing
for die new Museum of History
building.
Constrution of the new $29.5 mil
lion museum facility is underway,
and campaign volunteers received
an update on the building's pro
gress, including a description of a
10,000 square foot Folk Art Gallery
on the museum's main floor.
Several recent purchases were
announced for this gallery which
will be dedicated to the display of
North Carolina's finest crafts, in
cluding three Cherokee Indian
baskts, each woven by an outstand
g Cherokee craftswoman. Mary
ice Brinn, local county chair
man, reported that the highly
prized baskets were made by Eva
Wolfe, Emma Taylor, and Rowena
Bradley of Cherokee.
"Membership dues are used to
purchase outstanding contempo
rary crafts like the baskets for the
new museum in addition to histori
cal artifacts," Mrs. Brinn said. She
noted that works by North Caroli
na's finest artisans must be pur
chased now in order to show
museum visitors in the future ex
amples of craftsmanship from the
iast decades of the twentieth cen
tury.
The state history museum's As
sociate collections curator Betty
Tyson described the three award
winning Cherokee Indian women as
"among the most creative, talented
basketweavers in the United
States. They are keeping alive a
craft tradition that was taught to
them as children. "
Volunteers heard about numer
ous audiovisual and video pro
grams which the Museum
Associates are providing for social
studies classrooms and adult
groups across the state.
00-00 0129 "The Museum Asso
ciates are pleased to return mem
bership funds directly to every
county of the state through these
programs," Mrs. Brinn stated,
and it helps me in my job of recruit
ing members in Perquimans
County when people can see a di
rect benefit here at home.''
Mrs. Brinn noted that museum
memberships begin at $20 and may
be obtained by calling any member
of the Perquimans County Commit
tee. Committee members may also
be contacted for further informa
tion about obtaining programs
from the museum.
Outstanding programs and dis
plays are offered in this area at the
Museum of the Albemarle in con
junction with the North Carolina
Museum of History. Students in the
Perquimans County Schools sys
tem enjoy visiting the museum to
view various historical displays,
and also are fortunate to have some
of the displays come to Hertford,
such as last year's kite exhibit at
Hertford Grammar School.
LHMAKY
BUtLMMG
FUW
Funds are add!ng up
John Biggers adds more red paint to the iibrary buiiding fund ther
mometer on the courthousegreen as Mrs. Katherine Biggers, a ti
brary committee member, and Denise Peckham, community
deveiopment vice president of the Perquimans Jaycees, took on. The
dinner/auction heid iast month by the Jaycees on behatf of the iibrary
raised $3,000, bringing the totat raised to $18,655.36. The goat is
$25,000.
Stay a!ert as
hurricane season
approaches us
Weather forecasters pre
dict that hurricanes could
head our way as early as
late this week. Perqui
mans County Emergency
Management personnel
are preparing for the pos
sibility of a storm hitting
our area.
All four county schools
will be open as emergency
shelters should the
weather necessitate. Resi
dents should go to the shel
ter nearest their homes
when seeking a safe place
tnstav
To prepare for a storm,
stock up on non-perishable
foods. Bottle water. Check
your supply of batteries,
candles and matches. Fill
your car up with gas. Tape
doors and windows.
Mobile home dwellers
should be especially cau
tious, checking tie-downs
carefully as soon as a
storm warning is issued.
Mobile homes are not safe
harbors during hurricane
force winds.
Should you choose to
weather a storm at home,
stay inside. You are safest
in an inside room away
from all doors and win
dows. Don't go outside dur
ing the lull in the storm -
the wind can increase in
only seconds to 75 miles
per hour.
Protect your property
without taking unneces
sary risks. Move furniture
away from exposed doors
and windows.
Keep a radio or tele
vision tune for information
from official sources. Be
prepared to leave should
the need arise.
If you go to a shelter,
emergency personnel rec
ommend the following pro
cedures:
1. Know where you are
going and leave early - in
daylight, if possible.
2. Move your most valu
able possessions to higher
points in your home.
3. Take blankets, flash
lights, special dietary
needs, infant needs an
lightweight folding chairs.
4. Register upon arriving
if asked to do so.
5. Do not take pets, alco
hol or weapons of any kind.
6. Offer your assistance
to the shelter personnel,
and help to keep it clean.
7. Turn of gas, water and
electricity. Safeguard your
home before leaving.
8. Take a first aid kit,
bottled water, a can
opener, eating utensils,
food, medications, eyeg
lasses, one toy for each
child and special needs,
such as hearin aid batte
ries.
9. Keep important pa
pers with you, i.e. life in
surance policies, drivers
license, medic-alert or
other medical information.
10. Take warm protec
tive ciothing.
Hopefully, Perquimans
will be lucky and no dev
astating storms will crash
through our area. How
ever, it's best to be pre
pared. By being fully
prepared, the loss of life
and damage to property
can be kept to a minimum.
Giover, London share their views on Hertford tssues
In last week's edition, the views
of town council candidates John
Beers, Erie Haste, Jordan Bonner
and Vance Hoover appeared in this
newspaper. Bill Glover's interview
did not appear due to a computer
transmission error. John London
was unalbe to get with the newspa
per due to a tnp and illness. Their
interviews follow.
s'
B!M Glover
Bill Glove* is disheartened to see
the apathy of the people in Hert
ford where its governmental af
fairs are concerned. Too few pe<v
le attend the meetings to see
how the business is trans
eming the town of Hertford, maybe
going to a system more like New
England town meetings," Glover
said.
Glover received his bachelor's
degree from UNC in political sci
ence. He worked for four years as a
field engineer involved in a multi
million dollar industrial construc
tion firm in Raleigh. He has been in
business in Hertford for five years.
This background, he believes, will
help him to deal with the problems
facing Hertford.
Lack of jobs is one of the prob
lems facing the town right now.
Younger people are forced to leave
the county to find employment.
Since the country's service indus
& growing faster than any
, Glover feels that Hertford
to attract low techpol
iarge debt to People Bank tor stay
ing in the downtown area, white
other businesses are migrating to
U S. Highway 17. There was once a
movement to revitalize the down
town area, which he feels has not
been brought to fruition.
Solutions to Hertford's problems,
Glover feels, will come through ac
tive promotion of the town. This
must be done by the council and by
a more aggressive Chamber of
Commerce/Glover said.
Another problem he sees is
crime. Citizens Crime Watches
may help the situation, he stated.
He said that although the police are
doing a good job, the citizens must
work in cooperation to assist them.
"1 feel the ice plant and fire sta
tion should be repaired, all decay
should be halted and reversed/'
said Glover in response to a ques
tion concerning the condition of the
old ice plant facility. "It is a tre
mendous asset for the town to use
in the future." Giover expressed
dismay that the building has been
allow&l to fali into such iii repair.
He feeis that keeping buildings in
good condition is a cheaper alter
native than major renovation or
demolition and rebuilding.
Should the offices of mayor and
city manager be held by the same
person? "The old adage two heads
are better than one' comes to mind
every time I hear this issue dis
cussed," Glover said. He feels that
the offices are very different and
are too much for one person to han
dle. He feels that the situation also
eliminates a system of checks and
balances as the mayor is answera
ble to the voters, while the town
manager is answerable to the
council.
Glover stated that his position on
the condemnation proceedings
goes hand-in-hand with the matter
of pride in Hertford. "If we can
inspire a feeiing of pride in the
town, we can eliminate much of the
unsightliness," Glover said. He
fully supports the building inspec
tor, and feeis that he is doing a
very good job. He does, however,
fee! that a structure may meet the
state's minimum building code and
still be unslightly.
"We cannot change the codes,
but I feel we can act a little more
efficiently and evenly to carry out
destruction once the condemnation
has been effected," Glover said.
"We seem to be employing a selec
tiveness in which houses are de
stroyed helter-skelter."
Glover said that the town's junk
car ordinance is too vague to be ad
equately implemented. Definite
criteria should be spelled out es
tablishing a definition of a junk
ptease see tSSUM page thirteen