June 8,1995
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The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 63, No. 23
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
County to
collect
town tax
Inside
Central School
honors achievers
Page 6
Band students
earn honors
Pages
Middle school
athletes awarded
Pages
Classifieds....page8
Celebrating world cultures
County and municipal offi
cials reached a compromise
Monday on a contract that
calls for the county to collect
ad valorem taxes for the towns
of Hertford and Winfall.
In negotiations for several
months, the commissioners
put their final stamp of
approval on the contract,
which calls for the towns to
pay 2 percent of taxes collected
as the county’s fee for perform
ing the service.
Beginning this year, resi
dents in the towns of Hertford
and Winfall will receive only
one property tax bill. The bill
will list the amounts owed to
the county and towns. The
municipalities will no longer
collect taxes at their respective
town halls.
County Tax Supervisor
Tony Jordan presented the
commissioners with projected
costs to the county tax depar t
ment associated with collelct-
ing the taxes, as well as the
savings to the towns. The esti
mates were based on both
towns’ 1994 tax rates and esti
mated assessments for 1995.
Jordan projected that the
county will receive $4,133 from
Hertford at the 2 percent fee.
He estimated that it will cost
the county $2,400 to collect the
taxes. Jordan further estimat
ed that the town will save
$6,650 in mailing and labor
costs, resulting in a net sav
ings to the town of $1,517.
Jordan estimated that the
county will lose money on
Winfall collections. With pro
jected revenue of $723, the tax
supervisor estimated that it
will cost the county $1,100 to
coEect Winfall taxes, resulting
in a net loss of $377.
The contract originally
caEed for the towns to pay 2.5
percent as a collection fee. The
commissioners approved the 2
percent rate, but directed
Jordan to try to keep up with
the staff time and expense
associated with collecting for
the towns so that the commis
sioners WEI have that informa
tion next year when the con
tract wiE be renegotiated.
In addition to the 2 percent
fee, the towns wEl pay the one
time cost of transferring the
towns’ records to the county’s
computer system.
Hertford Town Manager
John Christensen told council-
men last month that having
the county collect the town’s
taxes will not cut personnel.
Christensen said that remov
ing tax coEection responsibEi-
ties wiE allow the town to hold
off on hiring additional
employees and free up time for
other duties.
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
First graders hosted Hertford Grammar School’s first ies of countries around the world. Each class chose a differ-
Multicultural Festival last week. The festival culminated stud- ent country and presented native songs and dances.
Veterans look to Flag Day
Ceremony will be
attended by vets,
guests from across
United States
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
There will be no competi
tion on the Perquimans High
School Athletic field on June
14. Those involved in the huge
Flag Day ceremony have
already won one of the tough
est battles life can offer: They
survived World War II.
Part of Perquimans
County’s World War II com
memorative observance, the
ceremony will bring together
World War II veterans from
across the country, as well as
honoring those who served
during other eras. According
to Jack Hoffler, State
Commander of the Veterans of
Underage Service and a
Perquimans County resident,
the ceremony is meant to
honor all veterans, not just
those who served during
WWII.
The ceremony wEl open at
2:30 p.m. with a 50-person color
guard bearing flags stepping
onto Memorial Field. AE mem
bers of the guard are World
War II veterans from
Perquimans County.
Dewey Spencer, United
States Deputy Secretary of
Veterans Affairs, will be the
principal speaker.
JUNE 14, 1995
HERTFORD, NC
50lh ANNIVERSARY of WORLD WAR n
COMMEMORATIVE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
HONORING ALL WORLD WAR H
SIGN VETERANS
SPONSORED BY ▼ j. u
SMITH’S JEWELRY WOODARD’S PHARMACY
SWINDELL FUNERAL HOME
VETERANS OF UNDERAGE MIUTARY SERVICE
Billboards on U.S. Highway 17 Bypass and signs in store win
dows announce the Flag Day observance planned by veterans
groups for next Wednesday at Perquimans High School’s
Memorial Field. The afternoon program is part of Perquimans
County’s 50th anniversary of World War II Commemorative
Community Program.
The U.S. Marine Corps 2nd
Division Band from Camp
Lejeune will perform during
the event, as will the 82nd
Airborne Division American
Chorus. Also on hand, wiE be
the Junior Air Force ROTC
Drill Team and color guard
from Northeastern High
School, a U.S. Coast Guard
color guard, a U.S. Marine
Corps color guard and a U.S.
Army color guard from Fort
Bragg.
On the field wEl be a list of
all those from Perquimans
klEed in WWU. There wiE also
be a roE caE of those klEed in
action.
Two wreaths will be laid;
one by underage Navy veter
ans Harrell Johnson and Paul
Nelson of Elizabeth City to
honor aE veterans, and one by
a former prisoner of war in
honor of POWs and MIAs.
Receiving the wreaths wiE be
Richard Hartman of Redding,
Penn., Harry Myer of
Brooklyn, N.Y., and Hoffler,
the only living survivors
aboard the US. LST 512 on
June 6, 1944 when Normandy
was invaded.
James J. Nemer, Cdr., U.S.
Navy retired and director of
the U.S. Navy Memorial and
Heritage Foundation in
Washington, D.C. wiE present
an American flag encased in a
box to the Perquimans County
veterans. It wiE be accepted by
the official cub cadet to the
U.S. Navy Memorial, Aaron
County’s industrial park named
Graduation
is Friday
Ebony Harris
Christopher Gregory
Hoffler, a midshipman aboard
the USS North Carolina in
Wilmington. Hoffler will in
turn will present the flag to
county commissioners chair
man Mack E. Nixon. The flag
will be on display in the court
house for one year before
being buried in a time capsule,
along with a flag previously
flown over the U.S. Capital
being sent by Rep. Eva Clayton
and other memorabilia from
the program.
A Coast Guard rescue heli
copter wEl be at the sight for
viewing.
A remembrance time will
include the dedication of
Memorial Field and recogni
tion of those who raised funds
for its construction, and mem
ories of the Harvey Point Air
Station, black-outs and Civil
Defense workers who were
here during WWII.
Also attending the ceremo
ny wiE be Spencer Jackson of
Baltimore, who enlisted in the
Army at age 14 and was deco
rated by age 16. He holds the
Guiness Book of World
Records’ distinction for donat
ing the most time to VA hospi
tals - over 48,000 hours.
National Veterans of Underage
Service Commander George
Browse of Philadelphia and
imderage veterans from as far
away as the state of
Washington wiE attend.
At least three television sta
tions are covering the ceremo
ny. It will conclude with a
Coast Guard C-130 fly-over and
two Marine Corps buglers
echoing “Taps.”
One hundred and sixteen
young adults clad in black
caps and gowns plan to walk
onto Memorial Field Friday
night to collect their reward
for 13 years of classes, home
work and tests during gradua
tion exercises at Perquimans
County High School.
Perquimans Schools Special
Assistant to the
Superintendant William E.
Byrum will address the class
of 1995, led by valedictorian
Ebony Harris and salutatorian
Christopher Gregory.
Harris is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Ken Harris. She
will continue her studies at
COA in the School of Nursing.
Gregory is the son of Mr.
and Mrs. Paul Gregory. He wiE
attend UNC-Chapel Hill next
fall.
School officials announced
this week that the gates to
Cedar Wood Cemetery will
close Friday evening at 6:45.
Those attending graduation,
set for 8 p.m., should enter the
campus from the Edenton
Road Street entrance. There
will be attendants to assist
with orderly parking.
Handicapped parking will
be avaUable behind the school.
AE other vehicles shoiEd park
in the bus parking area.
Graduation guests should
walk down the service road
behind the school and enter
the stadium at the entrance to
the rear of the grandstand.
There will be a promotion
ceremony for eighth graders at
Perquimans Middle School
Friday morning at 9:30 in the
gymnasium.
Outside
At the recommendation of
the Perquimans Economic
Development Advisory
Commission, the county com
missioners officially adopted
Perquimans Commerce Centre
as the name of the new indus
trial park on Harvey Point
Road.
The county purchased the
400-acre tract bounded by the
Perquimans River for $800,000.
A loan of $850,000 was obtained
from Centura Bank for land
purchase and initial costs
associated with the park.
Although the county owns
and controls the park, the
towns of Hertford and Winfall
are working cooperatively
with the county to plan its
development. To facEitate the
development, the advisory
board was formed with the
county having three appoint
ments and each town, two.
Serving for the county are
commissioners Charles Ward
and Mack Nixon and at-large
member Becky Winslow.
Councilman Billy Winslow
and appointee Bill Cox serve
on behalf of Hertford. Mayor
Fred Yates and appointee
Chris Lane represent Winfall.
County manager Paul Gregory
and Hertford Town Manager
John Christensen are ex offi
cio members.
The commissioners are
reviewing a job description for
an industrial developer to be
hired by the county next fiscal
year.