THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 60, No. 38
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C.,Thursday, September 19, 1991
30 Cents
Pirates attempt
| pass . Aces.
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Sheriff, deputies
'visit' county drug
hotspot: Page 2
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State changes
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laws about passing
SChOOl buses: Page 6
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Briefs
The Perquimans County
Middle School PTSA will meet at
7:30 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the
school. The topic for this meet
ing is the DA.R.E. program.
Anyone interested in drug edu
cation programs is asked to
come and give us your support.
Drawing, bake sale
planned
The Behrtdere-Chappell Hill
Volunteer Fire Department will
hold a drawing for porcelain
dolls and a bake sale on Satur
day. Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at
the fire station. If interested in
purchasing a $1 ticket for the
dolls, contact Jennifer at 297
2901 after 6 p.m. You do not
have to be present to win.
E.I.C. to meet
The Economic Improvement
Council, Inc. will meet at the
Perquimans Senior Center on
Septy24 at 7 p.m. All council
menmers as well as area resi
dents are encouraged to attend.
Special guest for the meeting
will be Senator Howard Hunter
Jr. of the N.C. General Assem
bly. For more information con
tact Lois P. Smith at 426-786^.
Scholarship program un
demay
The 45th annual Voice of
Democracy Scholarship program
is now underway. Locally spon
sored by VFW Post No. 8148.
the contest offers high school
sophomores, juniors and seniors
the opportunity to voice their
opinions on citizens’ responsibil
ity to their country, and to con
vey thoughts about America.
This years theme is “Meeting
America’s Challenge.” Students
interested in entering the con
tact can contact their teachers
for information.
Pre-game dinner planned
The Perquimans School Food
Service Association will kick off
Friday evening's football festivi
ties with a pre-game dinner.
Chicken pot pie plates will be
available in the high school cafe
teria for $3.50 each. The din
ners will be sold from 5:30 -
7:30 p.m. Homemade desserts
will be also be available for an
additional charge.
Support group to moot
The Albemarle Multiple Scle
rosis Support Group will meet
at Elizabeth City's First United
Methodist Church on Monday,
Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. in the men's
bible class room. For more in
formation contact Faye Proctor
at 264- 2773.
Address change
The mailing address for the
Perquimans-Chowan office of
Farmers Home Administration
has changed. The new address
is 512 S. Church St., Box 2,
/^Hertford, N.C. 27944. The office
location remains the same.
Chicken supper oot
:* .'••HI'* -v. . • • •
*. The Durants Neck Ruritan
\Glub is sponsoring a fried
chicken supper on Saturday.
'Sept. 21 from 4-7 p.m. Tickets
“are $4.50 each. Proceeds will
."benefit the Durants Neck Volun
teer Fire Department.
t\: i:v ;v* tr;/ *•.
. \ -A,’: A ... ■ ' d
Commissioners want D.A.R.E. program
After discussing the matter
In executive session, the Perqui
mans County Board of Commis
sioners decided Monday night in
regular session to see what they
can do to put the D.A.R.E. pro
gram back in the schools. Re
sponding to public concern over
the discontinuation of the pro
gram. the commissioners autho
rized chairman Lester Simpson
to meet with Sheriff Joe Lothian
to discuss the program’s re- im
plementation. . ■
Earlier in the meeting, Fred
fates, president of the Perqui
mans County N.A.A.C.P., ap
pealed to the commissioners to
take action regarding the pro
gram’s demise.
"I’m a little shaken that
ive’re taking the D.A.R.E. pro
gram out of the schools.” Yates
said as a standing-room only
audience listened. “I appeal to
you tonight...to do something.”
Yates encouraged the com
missioners to open up the lines
of communication with the sher
iff. and offered his assistance.
“I’m a little shaken that we’re taking the D.A.R.E.
program out of the schools. I appeal to you
tonight...to do something.”
Fred Yates
“We appreciate you being
concerned about this,” Simpson
told Yates and his delegation of
10.
"There's a lot of people con
cerned,” commissioner Thomas
Nixon added.
"We need to keep that pro
gram in, gentlemen.” Yates said.
"If there’s anything that I can
do. I’ll do it. We elected you
guys and we elected the other
guy. You must communicate.”
Commissioner Leo Higgins
asked Yates how effective he felt
the program is. Yates responded
that D.A.R.E. is very effective in
helping young people say no to
drug dealers. He said that the
drug problem here is bad, and
he doesn't want to see it get
worse.
“We haven’t given up on it,
Fred, and I still hope we can get
this program started,” Simpson
stated.
Yates said he was not at the
meeting to debate who's right
and wrong in what appears to
be a stand-off between the com
missioners and the sheriff, but
rather to ask that the lines of
communication be re-opened to
benefit the children. “The reason
they're (drugs) in this area is be
cause it’s so easy for them to
get. I mean, there's nothing
done about it," Simpson suid.
"Ralph (Robinson) did a good
job (with the D.A.R.E. program).
The children like him. 1 think we
can get this program started
*>' | ** - ' , > Photo by Susan HBrilf
The Live Wire Band, composed of -ceal teen musicians, performed Friday evening durfrjjjgj
the Indian Summer Festival. The group, led by singer Bi-ian Jones, was well-received, all
|>ecia!!y by their friends who turned out in large number to support Live Wire. ill
'• ^ : ■ v :..v:
Indian Summer Festival is success !
Indian Summer Festival ’91 brought two
Pjjwvk of fun to the streets of Hertford last Fri
TPtty and Saturday, as record numbers of pa
ti n 1 d -he downtown area and Missing Mill
f; :
The 'festival was kicked off with storytime
pTor kids sponsored by, the Perquimans County
ng.
.irary, While the preschoolers enjoyed the li
fferarv activities beneath .the oak trees, shoppers
jjlpufid - bargains f at the sidewalk sales, and
UnsanV were rewarded with prizes courtesy of
jlthe local merchants. Historical window dis
| plav.s. an antique car display and the Albe
C^jnarte Fire Safety House were also enjoyed. ; -
i Entertainment began at noon with music
JSbv the award-winning Perquimans High School
■Parching Pirate Band under the direction of
l-Davki Ziemba. Other performances by local
:mu
•Wir
s Included Edgar Lane and the live
by Jim Bridges and Ann Deytcn, the
Aerobic Team and a. Hurst Tool uem
i by the Hertford Fire Department and
as County Rescue Squad rounded out
oon's entertainment. ..,v> :
riialc of Overtime band filled rtburch
during tire annual street.
an.
Grilled iavontos.
cuds. Ukcd i
homemade sausage bis
and fried chicken wqre
consumed by hungfy festival-goers during thef
day- 'iam
Rain threatened to cancel Saturday's active
Itles at Missing Mill Park, but after a short
rooming shower, the show went on as planned!
Early
run and
Hospital.
Then it was fun. games, food and ente:
ment on tap for the rest of the day. Out int thftj
Cold. Wild Streak and Second Wind bands en-»
tertained the crowd, along with the FlatiandO
Cloggers. the Perquimans County Recreation^
Department Aerobics team, and die Holiday Ip
land Chapel Chimes
The waterfront was popular with a ski sh
by the Hertford Ski Club. Yamaha Wave Ru:
ner demonstrations and a visit by the Sil*
Chalice. The festival ended with a junior hi.
dance at the Senior Center. ' .* ^
From shiskkabobs to chicken pot pie to
crab sandwiches, festival-goersate .their
Satmdav. wish »> ’ .or-d v-udoi . ,,
that they s .‘Id out
: ■ ■\ Although rain - caused. a' flurry of activity
patrons and vendors hurriedly packed die®
wares late Saturday evening, festival organises"
tagged the two-day evenj a,.success*
: j
Countv needs new wells in Winfall
i u>
Perquimans County needs to
took for new wells to feed its
Winfali water plant, Bill Deal of
Deal & Phillips engineering from
Gaiy told the county commis
sioners Monday night. ' '
i According to Deal, the iWto*»
fall plant is in good condition,
but the wells that feed the plant
are not as productive as they
need to toe. On the other hand.
Dead said, the Bethel plant is
loo small, tout there is ample
water available. , , =•
After much discussion Mon
day night, the commissioners
asked Deal to submit a cost pro
posal on drilling test wells In the
Wlnfall area. , ' V ', ,
" Deal said part of the prob
lem In Wlnfall may be that the
four wells are too close together.
He added that the static water
level Is. decreasing In the wells,,
indicating overpumping of the
acquifer. Deal said tha he did
not believe the present well field
Is in a good location. i
“I don't know where a real
good location for a well field up
in that area of the county Is.
rsald Deal, who has worked with
the county water department for
about three years. "The well
field is only going to get worse.”
. ' ■ When asked how long the
county water system can con
tinue to operate at Its present
| fate of growth. Deal replied. “I
Can go as far as saying that in
\ hot weather it’s touch and go.
Ybu don't have a whole lot of ca
• pacity left In your system.”
Deal added that even If the
county decided to build another
water plant, tests, financing and
} plant construction could delay
the first day Of operation for five
years. i'-,-XK,l
'■
back. We’re not asking him to
do it free. The county wants to
pay the man.” Simpson added.
“Our neighborhood really
needs it.” Yates responded.
“Has communication im
proved between you and the
sheriffs department or is it still
at a stalemate?" resident John
Popek asked the commissioners.
Simpson replied that he has
not been in contact with the
sheriff, however he said that he
set up a committee that has
communicated with the sheriff
and that Higgins is on the com
mittee.
"I'm not prepared to commu
nicate on it," Higgins said.
Yates said, “I don’t think
that the drug program is the is
sue. There is something else be
hind the drug program and the
drug program is being used. I’m
thinking the drug program is be
ing used for a pawn on some
thing else."
The commissioners did not
respond to Yates' statement.
Yates asked the commission
ers if they'd be willing to sit
down "over coffee" and discuss
the problem with the sheriff.
Simpson said. "Yes."
“I think everyone of us - the
commissioners. Paul (Gregory),
John (Matthews) - will go and do
everything we can,” Nixon
added.
Simpson told Yates that Lo
thian has been invited to attend
commissioners’ meetings three
times, but has failed to do so.
Gregory said Tuesday morn
ing that the commissioners are
very concerned about the
D.A.R.E. program, and want to
work with the sheriffs depart
ment to put it back in the
schools.
"They support it 100 per
cent." Gregory said. He added
that both he and Lothian have
been asked to speak about the
program at the Perquimans Mid
dle School PTSA meeting on
Sept. 24. He said he hopes that
they will be able to report that
the program will be back soon.
Hertford Town Council
delays truck purchase
To buy a truck or not to buy
a truck. That is the question
that Hertford town councilmen
have debated at both their Au
gust and September meetings.
At issue is replacing a 1976
pick-up used by the electric de
partment. Mayor and city man
ager W.D. “Bill" Cox told the
councilmen at their August
meeting that the truck is "used
as much as any vehicle owned
by the town. It has over 200,000
miles on the odometer, the
steering is bad and the motor
has been rebuilt.
Councilman Jesse Harris
said he favored driving the truck
until it wears out.
Replacing the truck was dis
cussed in August because the
council had earlier authorized
Cox to get bids on a 1991 Ford
pick-up. Cox submitted three
bids to the council - $11,613;
$11,990 and $12,130 - from
Courtesy Ford, Stewart Ford and
Albemarle Motors, respectively.
After the decision to buy the
truck was tabled. Cox asked,
"Gentlemen, let me asked you,
why did you ask me to go
through the bid process?" Cox
said that the town had allowed
several pieces of equipment to
“go to pot" in the past, resulting
in the replacement of four major
pieces of equipment in a two
year period. He added that re
placing the equipment in such a
short time-span had resulted in
a financial strain on the town
coffers.
When the issue was brought
up for discussion in September.
Cox said. "The truck needs to be
replaced. It's got to be replaced."
He added that it will probably
be impossible to get a 1991
model vehicle this late in the
year, which will mean the town
will have to bid on what will
likely be a more expensive 1992
model.
“Are we going to take the po
sition that when they start rid
ing in the bucket truck that's
when we're going to make the
decision?" councilman Erie
Haste queried.
Harris then suggested
looking for a used vehicle.
Cox responded. "We don't
need something two-thirds or
half worn out in the electric de
partment."
Cox said he had looked at
used vehicles and found that a
"decent" pre-owned model would
cost approximately $9,000 com
pared to a new one with warran
ties for about $12,000.
"For the electric truck, we
need dependable equipment."
Cox said.
"It doesn’t bother me if you
want to go back and get bids
again," councilman Billy
Winslow said. Winslow made the
motion to table the purchase at
the August meeting. He said
that since that time he had lis
tened to the present vehicle op
erate. "We sure need a new
one." he said.
“If it's running and doing the
job. I vote against it,” Harris
said.
"The truck's days are num
bered." Cox responded.
"If the truck is not good
enough to do what has to be
done you need that truck moved
to a less-used department."
Haste commented.
"I just feel like let’s don’t
push it right this second." Har
ris said.
No decision was made on re
placing the present vehicle
which town electric employees
say will run at a maximum
speed of 48 miles per hour.
Brighter horizons
Plioto by Susan Hams
Dianne Banks, owner of Dianne’s Hairstyling and Tan*
ning and Toning, receives her share of the Hertford Hori
zons funds which were set aside to assist with
renovations in the business district. With Banks
Hertford Mayor Bill Cox, John Christensen and Cart Ter
ranova.
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