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THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 61, No.33
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, August 13,1992
35 Cents
Activists
gain
momentum
Others join New
Bethel drug fight
By TRACY E. G ERLACH
Hie Dally Advance
A public meeting held late
last month to confront the area's
growing drug problem touched
more than the people who at
tended the session.
Since members of the New
Bethel community met July 29,
others have asked how they can
become involved in the effort to
stop drug traffic in the neighbor
hood and throughout Perqui
mans County, attorney J.C. Cole,
a member of the group, said
Monday.
“A number of other people in
the New Bethel community and
the county want to join in. Cole
said. “Any locality can be sub
jected to the problem.”
A second meeting will be
scheduled, he added.
The active community-based
group met to come up with ways
to culminate drug transactions
on throughout their neigh
ood on Harvey Point Road
and Lowe drive. Cars constantly
come in and out of the area and
school bus drivers are afraid to
turn their busses around on the
street, residents said. Many are
concerned for the safety of their
children.
Hertford Beach Club is said
to be the source of much of the
drug traffic.
Already, less than two weeks
after the meeting, Cole said some
of the traffic seems to have sub
sided. He attributes the lull to an
increased law enforcement pres
ence in the area.
“I think it has everything to
do with that," Cole said.
While the group has taken
some initiative on its own, by re
porting license plate numbers to
the sheriff's department, they
don't want to interfere with law
emorcemeni.
“We’re trying to work with
' law enforcement and at the same
time protect our community
without letting it get out of
hand.” Cede said.
Perquimans County Sheriff
Joe Lothian said there nave been
■ some drug related arrests In the
area since the meeting, but
agreed the activity in the area
seems to have subsided.
Lothian and two of his dep
H uties attended the group's meet
H tog.
"Looking at It from our
standpoint, we've seen a lot less
traffic.” Lothian said. "We
stopped some people. We knew
» why they were there.”
The group's next meeting will
most likely focus on ways to ex
pand law enforcement personnel
and the formation of an official
community watch program. Cole
said. .
Residents coming together to
discuss ways to eliminate drug
traffic Is becoming more com
monplace In Perquimans County.
Members of the Hertford
Housing Authority’s resident’s
association invited town officials
and law enforcement personnel
to a meeting In June to discuss a
similar problem there,
i District Attorney H.P. Wil
Bams pointed out last month
that Perquimans County, espe
cially Hertford, has been a major
distribution point for drugs com
ing from New York to North Car
olina and Virginia. - "
• • p \
LOOK
■ ON
PAGE 2
FOR
COMMUNITY
fINGS
Fishing for answers
Hertford officials are fishing for answers to deter
mine the disposition of the ca. 1920 shad boat (left)
recently presented to the town by the state. Some
have suggested displaying the historic vessel, built
by the Basnight family on North Carolina’s Outer
Banks, in a shelter at Missing Mill Park (right). With
no local money available for a building project and
M1SSHKIMIU PARK
Tewt of Mortfard
Sod CowomoOoo Sonfco KO1
SoortRWafcSnhwlCa—mioh?
Photo tv Susan Harris
state grants shrinking, town officials are asking resi
dents for their input. Where should the shad boat be
housed? Do you think individuals, businesses and
civic groups would pitch in to help? Call the Hert
ford town offices or any councilman with your ideas.
Hertford fights electric rate hike
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Hertford Town Council went on re
cord Monday night opposing electric
rate hikes resulting from problems at
the Brunswick power station.
Stock equaling about 18 percent
ownership in the plant was purchased
from CP&L by Electricities when the
organization was formed. Officials say
that costs to fix the ailing plant will ap
proach $3 million. Ana CP&L wants
Electricities to pay its proportional
share of the bill.
But Electricities board members
contend that CP&L knew that there
were problems at the plant when they
sold the stock, and therefore CP&L and
its shareholders should be responsible
for getting the plant back on line.
Hertford resident Eldon Winslow,
who attended the meeting, told town
officials that residents “will be hurting"
if a rate increase must be implemented
to cover renovations at the power
plant Winslow said that the 7.8 per
cent increase passed on to electric cus
tomers earlier this year coupled with
rising town and county taxes will al
ready have an impact on strained bud
gets. and that an additional rate hike
would be a tough pill to swallow for
some taxpayers.
Councilman Sid Eley recommended
that the town go on record poopsing
the rate hike and stating that CP&L
should pay the fix-up costs since CP&L
knew about the problems when the
stock was sold to Electricities.
Electricities officials
contend that CP&L knew
there were problems at the
Brunswick power plant
before they sold 18 percent
of the stock to Electricities.
Fellow councilman Erie Haste con
curred, and requested that the resolu
tion be detailed.
Boat ramp noise
Winslow also reiterated his concern
about the early morning noise at the
municipal boat ramps.
“I hate to be negative all the time.”
Winslow told council, but said that riv
erfront dwellers are routinely awak
ened between 4 and 6 a.m. on
Saturday and Sunday by the commo
tion at the docks.
The problem was. so bad recently.
Winslow said. “If I'd have been Irene
Towe or (Mattie) ’Pete’ Broughton. I’d
have shot a shotgun over their head.”
Winslow voiced a concern that the
town might add more ramps at the
site.
“As far as I know there are no
plans to build another boat ramp in
the town of Hertford." Mayor John G.
Beers told Winslow.
Councilman Billy Winslow said
that he has talked to residents in the
community regarding the problem, and
still feels that perhaps a parking per
mit system can be Implemented to
help quiet the noise problem. Winslow
said he has considered limiting park
ing to those persons who have pur
chased licenses to do so from the
town. His contention is that there
should be one license for county resi
dents and one for non- residents.
“I feel like that way we could better
control the ramp.” Winslow said. He
added that with license purchase,
which could be shown with a sticker to
affix to vehicles or boat trailers, police
officers could tell easily whether vehi
cles parked in the lot were authorized
to be there.
“I don’t see any solution to it," El
don Winslow replied. “It’s something
we’ve go to live with.” He added that
he hopes the no-wake zone approved
by state officials recently will help.
The no-wake zone goes into effect
In October.
Beers added that the town must
determine whether licenses or fees can
be charged at the boat ramps because
federal monies were used to build the
facilities.
Parking ordinance
Emphasizing that the move had
only safety ifi mind. Beers proposed an
ordinance outlawing parking on both
sides of Berry Street Cars parked
along the narrow street which leads to
the Perquimans Village Shopping Cen
ter present a hazard to the safe
movement of vehicular traffic along the
short stretch. Beers said.
Council agreed, and the ordinance
went into effect immediately.
Town mows
through
new weed
ordinance
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Hertford residents fed up with the uncon
trolled growth of weeds and grass on neighboring
properties can measure their dissatisfaction,
thanks to a new ordinance passed by the town
Monday evening.
Council unanimously passed an ordinance in
regular session that calls for action to be taken by
the municipality when town officials receive re
ports of weeds or grass exceeding 10 inches in
height on any parcel of land within the town’s cor
porate limits.
In addition, the town can act upon reports of
the accumulation of rubbish, trash or junk which
threatens to be a fire hazard, cause water to stag
nate or provide a possible home for rats, mice,
snakes or vermin of any kind.
The ordinance was passed in response to resi
dents’ complaints about the uncontrolled growth
of grass and rubbish collection on certain prop
erties in the town. The ordinance cites the condi
tions as threats to the health and safety of those
who dwell in the surrounding areas.
Under the law’s guidelines, notices of ordi
nance violations should be reported to the town
manager. The town manager will set into motion
an investigation of the reported violation by the
appropriate health or municipal officials.
If the town manager finds that conditions out
lined in the ordinance exist, a written notice will
be delivered to the property owner stating the or
dinance violations, and a hearing will be set be
fore the town manager within 10-30 days of the
notice. If the hearing determines that the condi
tion of the property creates a public nuisance un
der the ordinance, the property owner will be
notified that he has 15 days to bring the property
to code. The town will bring the property to code
after that time and bill the property owner for the
cost. Failure to pay the bill within 30 days will re
sult in a lien against the property, and will be
treated as a delinquent tax bill.
The ordinance does not prevent the town from
initiating criminal proceedings provided for by
state general statute.
Carlyn Brown, a Hertford resident who at
tended the meeting, applauded the council for
taking action.
The new ordinance is one more in a series of
municipal laws passed by the town of Hertford in
recent years aimed at cleaning up the town and
ridding it of abandoned, substandard structures,
junk vehicles and other conditions that may prove
detrimental to the health and safely of the resi
dents.
uiniH
Photo by jantne Bunch
'' iff?'
nd local officials agrts that an interstate linking Raleigh
rfoik, Va. is needed, but the path the road will take is
tree of great discussion. Officials in Perquimans County
want the interstate to follow U.S. Highway 17 (above);
the necessity of relocating even more homes and busk
than is being required by the four-laning effort But
leaders to want the roadway to touch the county, and
lly spark some economic fire.
.. i •' '“i. * /.-s . X
County leaders behind new interstate
highway but want U.S. 17 left in tact
By TRACY E. Q ERLACH
The Petty Advance
An interstate highway con
necting Raleigh and Norfolk by
way of Perquimans County would
provide Northeastern North Car
olina with a safe route to the Ti
dewater area. Hertford Town
Manager Bill Cox said Monday.
But he and other Perquimans
County officials will ask the state
Department of Transportation to
consider constructing a new
highway bed rather than current
proposals which involve turning
U.S. Highway 17 into an inter
state.
A major concern is the dis
ruption of homes and businesses
located along U.S. 17.
If Highway 17 were trans
formed to an interstate, access
areas would be federally re-,'
stricted. Exits and crossroads
used by local businesses and
residents would be limited. Cox
said.
i Still, he said a major highway
in this area is long overdue.
% “Any highway improvement
would be a benefit for Northeast
ern North Carolina,” Cox said.
“We’re many years behind the
rest of the state in highways.”
Building a highway through
this area connecting Raleigh and
Norfolk would do two things. Cox
said. It would give local residents
a safe and accessible route to the
Tidewater area and a four-lane
highway to Raleigh.
A resolution stating the
county’s position will be for
warded to the state Department
of Transportation following the
Board of Commissioners meet
ing. County Manager N. Paul
Gregory said Monday.
"Everyone would be accessi
ble to the highway, but it would
not disrupt houses, homes, busi
nesses that are along 17," Gre
gory said. "We all need it, but in
order to be a true Interstate, It
needs to be separate from 17."
The DOT is currently con
ducting a feasibility study on the
interstate paid for with $4.8 mil
lion authorized by congress last
year.
Six alternatives for locating
the interstate are under consid
eration.
Only two of the options
would impact Perquimans
County. One would Include ex
pressway type improvements to
U.S. 17 and 104 between the
Virginia line and 1-464 In Chesa
peake.
The other would upgrade
U.S. 64 between Wllliamston
and Raleigh and U.S. 17 be
tween Wllliamston and the Vir
ginia line and U.S. 17 and 104
In Virginia to interstate freeway.
Other plans would bring the
highway by way of Bethel and
Ahoskie, Rocky Mount and Suf
folk.
Another factor that could
arise from upgrading Highway
17 is the relocation of estab
lished water lines, added Mack
G. Nixon, chairman of the board
of commissioners. The county is
in the process of settling a
$193,000 bill with the Depart-;
ment of Transportation for lines ,
moved four years ago during Im
provement work to the highway.