THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 61, No.38
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, September 17,1992
35 Cents
Feature:
Indian Summer Festival
preview: Weekend will
for everyone: Page 7-11
Sports:
Pirates play tough
football, but Edenton gets
lucky break: page e
County gets
CDBG funds
By SUSAN R. HARMS
Edttor
Some Perquimans County
residents will have improved liv
ing conditions thanks to a
$362,500 Community Devel
opment Block Grant recently
awarded to the county through
the North Carolina Department
of Economic and Community
Development, Division of Com
munity Assistance.
The grant funds will be used
to install water lines to six
dwellings on Feny Road not
presently served by the county
water system and to rehabilitate
16 dwellings in die Woodville
Road/Ferry Road community.
According to Earline Sulli
van, Community Services Diiec
tor at the Albemarle
Commission, a preliminary pre
grant application survey indi
cated severe housing needs in
the area. Most of the 16 units
will require substantial repairs.
The renovations will include up
grades to roofs, electrical sys
tems, plumbing, septic systems,
foundations and other areas
deemed necessary to bring the
dwellings up to at least the Sec
tion 8 Housing Standards of die
U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development
Sullivan said once grant
funds are approved and cleared,
a detailed study of each unit to
be rehabilitated commences.
Work recommendations are
made including complete cost
estimates. That phas is followed
by the renovations.
The county matched the
grant with a $20,000 local share
to be funded over two fiscal
years.
The county applied for a .
$600,000 grant last year which
would have included rehabilitat
ing houses along U.S. Highway
17 in addition to the Ferry
Road /Woodvllle Road project.
The funds were not awarded.
At die advice of Dick George,
Assistant Community Services
Director at Albemarle Commis
sion, the county lowered its
grant request and doubled its
matching funds share. George
told the county commissioners
that the grant would stand a bet
ter chance in the competitive
grant application process with a
larger county share.
According to 1990 census fig
ures, almost 5 percent of Perqul
mans County’s 10,447
population lives in substandard
housing.
Community revitalization
funds are used to rehabiliate
substandard housing. Improve
water and sewer services to
households and finance other
community Improvements in low
and moderate-income neighbor
hoods.
The Division of Community
Assistance, which administers
the state’s GDBG program, re
ceived requests for community
revitalization funding from 109
applicants. These requests total
led in excess of $82 million.
Forty-three requests totalling
Over $31 million were funded.
-A *
CDBG community revitaliza
tion grants must meet mtnfmum
eligibility requirements including
benefit to low- and moderate-in
come people. Local governments
may request a maximum of $1
million during any one program
year.
CONTEST
SEE PAGE
12
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It’s fair time!
A new ride graces the midway at the Jaycees six county
fair which opened Tuesday in Elizabeth City. The Giant
Wheel is a 105-foot tall ferris wheel and is said to be the
tallest ride ever erected In Elizabeth City. The ride will
seat 120 adults or 160 children and cost over $1 million.
(Photo by Susan Harris.)
Hertford to sell water
outside the town
By TRACY E. Q ERLACH
The Dally Advance
The Hertford Town Council
agreed to provide water to a 34
lot development outside its
boundaries Monday.
As part of the agreement,
however, developers Preston Ste
venson and Gene Meads would
have to pay for the extension of
the town's water line, which ends
at the Brian Center Nursing
Home and voluntarily annex any
further phases of the project into
the town limits.
Town Manager Bill Cox said
the town would prefer to have
the development inside its bor
ders and receive the tax revenue,
but felt it necessary to work with
the developers and encourage
them to locate in Perquimans
County.
“The fact is we need a subdi
vision." Cox said. “We need the
houses, although they’re not in
“The fact is we need a subdivision...We need to
grow and this is part of the growth process.”
W. D. "Bill" Cox
Hertford Town Manager
the city limits. It will benefit the
town and the county. We need to
grow and this Is part of the grow
ing process.”
Phase one of a proposed 250
home development on the 70
acre Stevenson farm will begin
this fall. Once all the phases are
complete, the area near the
Brian Center Nursing Home will
house single-family and multi
dwelling homes, offices and insti
tutions.
One section of the devel
opment plan includes upscale
townhouses.
The developers will have to
agree to voluntarily annex the
second phase of the project be
fore the town will sell them wa
ter. Town Council members
agreed that water customers liv
ing outside the town should not
get their water at the same cost
as those living within the limits,
but no rate was set.
“We need to cooperate with
the developers for the growth of
the county,” Cox said. “It’s cer
tainly better than saying we’re
not going to cooperate at all.”
Town of Hertford looking for
volunteers to build boat house
From Staff Reports
A 1920 Shad boat the town received from Rep.
Vernon James last month Is sitting in the old fire
station awaiting a home.
So far, the town has received little response to
a call for volunteers and donations to build a shel
ter for the boat. Mayor John Beers said Monday.
The plan was to house it permanently at Missing
Mill Park.
"If we leave it outside it won’t last long," Beers
said. "It's a shame to let this boat sit where it is.”
Building a shelter for the boat would cost ap
proximately $5,000, Beers said.
Town Councilman Sid Eley said the county’s
planning committee has discussed finding funds to
purchase and renovate the Morgan Building on
Church Street for a museum. The committee ex
pressed an interest in displaying the boat there,”
he said.
Purchasing and refurbishing the Morgan Build
ing could take years. Beers pointed out
Billy Winslow suggested that the town try to
create interest in building a shelter among area
contractors. He could lead a group of volunteers in
building the structure, he said.
County among first to earn America 2000 designation
By TRACY E. QERLACH
HnMyMmno
Perquimans County leaden
left the state capltol last Wednes
day with a new responsibility.
The county, along with five
other communities to receive the
North CaroUna.2000 designation,
will be expected to lead the rest
of the state in educational re
form, Gov. James G. Martin told
school and community leaders.
Six communities, named last
month as the first to adopt the
goals of America 2000 and North
Carolina 2000, were honored by
Martin at a special ceremony in
the state capitol. Among the first
communities to receive the offi
cial designation were Perquimans
County, Rosman, New Hanover
County. Hickory, Charlotte
/Mecklenburg and Catawba
County.
“Across the state, you will
serve as a good example for other
aspiring communities who have
set die same goals and are work
ing with the same kind of dedica
tion and teamwork," Martin told
officials from the six school sys
tems. "I encourage a3 of you to
keep up the work that brought
yo this far and help us to spread
the word about programs, how
things can be done and how you
made education a number
priority In your community.'*
North Carolina 2000, a strat
egy for reaching the National Ed
ucation Goals, began about a
year ago. Its purpose is to ensure
that the United States will be a
highly competitive nation during
the 21st Century. .
Board of Commissioners chairman Mack E.
Nixon, achool board chairman Wayne Howell,
county manager Paul Gregory and superinten
dent Randall L. Henlon were honored by Gov.
Jamee G. Martin laet weak for Perqidmona
County Schools’ load in ths North Carolina
2000 and Amarlea 2000 aducatlon Im
provement programs. (Photo by Tracy E. Gar
lach.)
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The program involves the en
tire community In the process.
' “Your presence today shows
that you’re not going to settle for
mediocrity. YouTe going to settle
far nothing leas than the beat
You want something better far
your children, for your commu
nity and the future of our na
tion.** Martin said. **...You've
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learned very quickly what you
have to do aa a team to Improve
education.'
Comparing the state's educa
tion system to the more than a
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A Hertford police officer re
cently completed a three-day
course of instruction on prelimi
nary Investigations at the North
Carolina Justice Academy in Sa
temburg.
Ray Jedele. a patrolman who
joined the Hertford Police De
partment in December 1991,
completed the course as part of
Ills ongoing law enforcement
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training.
> The preliminary Investiga
tions course is designed to famil
iarize the uniformed, non*
investigative officer with the ba
sic fundamentals of preliminary
investigative techniques and pro
cedures to ensure the security
and preservation of a crime
scene. Topic areas included:
Crime scene protection and secu
’SvMVfti
f ittjr. Investigative notes, evidence
end Interviewing.
Marvin Williams of the Jus
tice Academy staff was coordina
tor of the course.
The North Carolina Justice
Academy Is a division of the
North Carolina Department of
Justice under the administration
of Attorney General Lacy Thorn
burg. ' .,
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Officer Ray Jadato raoantiy at
tCsiQM investigation training
it tha North Carolina Juatlca
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century old capltol building,
Martin told community leaders It
, needs to be redesigned, retooled
and re-equipped.
School systems in the state
and the nation have settled for
average for too long, he said.
“It needs to be given exten
sive renovations and that's what
you’re prepared to do in your
own communities,” he said. “You
know that it’s not eacy to become
a North Carolina 2000 commu
nity. Certainly that’s true when
you look around and see that to
day we are recognizing the first
six.”
Another 75 communities in
the state are expected to follow
suite an adopt th goals of the
North Carolina 2000 program,
said Barbara Moore, program di
rector. Of the 100 counties in the
state, 66 are already working on
different phases of the program.
As officially designated com
munities, the six are now eligible
for a $10,000 grant from the
state program. Moore said. Addi
tional federal money is ai«n avail
able to communities which have
been recognized.
Randall Henion, Superinten
dent of Perquimans County
Schools, attributed the programs
success to a dedicated commu
nity. The county’s economic
planning committee. Perquimans
County 3000 steering mminitt**,
board of commissioners, school
board,. town council and East
2000 were all instrumental in
helping the county achieve desig
nation, he said.