October 12,1995
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The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 63. No. 41
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Borrowed labor
-
l-.t.
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
The Town of Hertford has taken advantage
of labor provided by inmates at the Gates
County Correctional Facility. The work crew
has spent several days in Hertford, cieaning
up in the causeway area, along some of the
town’s streets and at the sewer plant.
Economic developer hired
Robert Baker
comes from
Norfolk, Va.; has
development plan
By GINGER LIVINGSTON
The Daily Advance
To keep the county from
becoming economically stag
nant along the shores of the
Perquimans River, the
Perquimans County Board of
Commissioners has hired its
first economic development
director.
Robert Baker, 39, of Norfolk,
Va., started work Monday, one
week after the commissioners
unanimously voted to hire him
for the $30,000-a-year position.
“This is a chance to put
together all the experience and
vision I have for putting togeth
er an intelligent, rural econom
ic development program,”
Baker said. “I don’t think folks
are interested in wild, reckless
growth, but no growth also has
problems.”
“We feel like the person we
hire will have to draw on the
Hampton Roads area and have
a familiarity with the area,”
commission Chairman Mack
Nixon said in an interview last
week.
Baker is a graduate of Old
Dominion University with a
marketing management
degree. He has numerous
courses in civil engineering,
technical engineering and
served an internship with
Forward Hampton Roads. He
came to Perquimans County
from Shoreline Industry, an
architectural and engineering
firm, where he was the busi
ness development director.
Baker is the county’s first
economic development director
and will oversee the 350-acre
for Infornmiion Cal!
* «
1700’ from US 17
Perquimans County Commerce
Centre, a tract of land the coun
ty bought to promote commer
cial and industrial develop
ment.
Baker’s first duties wUl be to
develop a marketing plan for
the property, along with super
vising an environmental
assessment of the land, Nixon
said.
“He’ll help lead the (county)
commission in the planning
and direction we need to focus
on,” Nixon said.
“In between last week and
this week I’ve met with dozens
of county officials, city officials
and citizens who want to work
and are interested in working
toward that intelligent growth
strategy,” Baker said.
The Perquimans County
Commerce Centre is unique
Men slashed in fight
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Robert Baker likes the Perquimans Commerce Centre sign at
the intersection of U.S. Highway 17 and Harvey Point Road.
Baker said his goai is to bring jobs to the area without chang
ing the quality of life and the slower pace in rural Perquimans
County.
because it has three-fourths of
a mUe of waterfront property.
“We feel it’s a asset where
we’re going to need some plan
ning to really utilize it,” Nixon
said. “We don’t just want to go
out there and throw up some
thing that’s not attractive, not
useful to the property as a
whole.”
Nixon said he sees the com
merce center attracting a mix
of commercial and light indus
trial businesses — perhaps a
restaurant/marina and other
water-oriented businesses.
“I prefer to not see what is
missing in a community but
what we have. Perquimans
County has a strong work
force, strong labor and manage
ment relationships and ser
vices available through the
county and cities,” Baker said.
Fight at Hertford
night club sends
four to hospital;
suspect arrested
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
A disagreement in a
Hertford night spot sent one
man into surgery and three
others to the emergency room
early Monday morning.
Geoffrey Lee received a
deep cut across his abdomen
which required surgery,
according to Hertford Police
investigator Dale Vanscoy.
The officer said Lee was cut so
deeply during the fight that
internal organs were exposed.
He was transported by ambu
lance to Chowan Hospital,
where Vanscoy said he was
rushed into surgery.
Hertford
to study
future
water,
electric
needs
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Hertford is using one grant
to apply for another.
'The town received a $10,000
regional rural center which it
wUl use in part to apply for a
grant of over $23,000 to study
its water/sewer and electrictd
systems.
Infrastructure needs have
been on the town’s agenda
often over the past couple of
years, and the grant should
help the town determine its
future needs, including how
the town can serve the planned
Perquimans Commerce Centre
with both water/sewer and
electrical service.
Engineering studies on both
systems will be performed
which will examine the pre
sent systems, study growth
projections, determine what
type of growth Hertford can
anticipate over the next 10-20
years and pinpoint where that
growth is likely to occur, rec
ommend system upgrades and
put some dollar estimates on
its recommendations. Town
Manager John Christensen
told CouncU Monday night.
Councilman Erie Haste
said the study should include
possible funding sources to
aUow the town to move quick
ly once the study is complete.
County-wide fire drill planned for today
Fire marshal, fire
fighters stress
preparedness
Sirens will sound through
out the county this evening
(Thursday) at 7 o’clock as all
six Perquimans fire depart
ments participate in a county
wide fire drill.
The drill is held in conjunc
tion with National Fire
Prevention Week, Oct. 8-14,
themed “Watch What You
Heat.” County Fire Marshal
John M. Long said the drill
stresses the importance of
being prepared for an actual
fire. Families are encouraged
to plan escape routes and prac
tice leaving the home. A place
away from the home should be
designated for family mem
bers to meet after escaping.
Over 3,700 people die in
home fires each year in the
United States. The leading
causes of home fires are cook
ing equipment and heating
equipment. Many of the deaths
could have been prevented
with proper safety precau
tions.
All firefighters in
Lee was the most seriously
injvured in the fight which took
place outside Snook’s Casino
on Market Street shortly
before 1 a.m. Monday.
Vanscoy said an altercation
apparently began inside the
night club between a male and
a female. The two left the club
and continued the argument
on the street. The female was
allegedly arguing outside the
club with Geoffrey Lee and
Horatio Lee. One of the males
allegedly slapped the female.
At that time, the girl’s
boyfriend, Coley Ray Farmer,
30, of Route 4, Box 266,
Hertford, took a knife the girl
had and started slashing and
fighting, Vanscoy said.
Horatio Lee received a cut
from cheek bone to cheek bone
under his nose. Vanscoy said
Roy Powell, who came to aid
Geoffrey Lee, was cut on his
hand and later received 33
stitches. Both were treated and
released from Chowan
Hospital.
Farmer and the girl fled the
scene, and were stopped by
two Perquimans County
deputies on U.S. Highway 17.
Farmer was transported to
Albemarle Hospital for
injuries he suffered from being
beaten with a pole on the back
and neck during the fight.
Chowan Hospital Public
Relations spokesperson Pete
Rogers said Tuesday that
Geoffrey Lee has been released
from the hospital.
Farmer has been arrested
and charged with assault with
a deadly weapon inflicting
serious injury with intent to
kill. His bond was set at $6,000
secured.
Farmer is the only person
who has been arrested in con
nection with the incident at
this time; however, Vanscoy
said the investigation is con
tinuing.
Accident claims
life of county man
A Hertford man died fol
lowing a two-vehicle acci
dent at the intersection of
N.C. Highway 37 and U.S.
Highway 17 Bypass south of
Hertford last Wednesday.
Iredell Hoffler, 82, of
Route 5, Hertford, died
while being transported
from Chowan Hospital to
Pitt County Memorial
Hospital for treatment of
injuries he suffered during
the accident. The driver of
the second vehicle, Donald
Helms, 36, of 2801 Seahorse
Court, Kitty Hawk, was
taken to Chowan Hospital
where he was treated in the
intensive care unit.
The accident occurred
shortly beofre 2 p.m.
Highway Patrol Trooper
D.R. Oglesby said the roads
were slick and a light mist
was falling. No charges had
been filed last week.
Helms was traveling
north on U.S. 17 when he
entered a curb at the inter
section, His car, a 1993 Ford
Taurus, hydroplaned into
the opposite lane, where he
hit Hoffier’s 1974 Ford pick
up truck nearly head-on.
Hoffler was traveling south.
Damage to both vehicles
was extensive and both men
were pinned in e wreck
age,” Oglesby said.
Perquimans County res
cue units and the Hertford
Fire Department First
Response Team worked at
the scene. Both victims
were pinned in.
Holiday parade
planning in works
The Christmas holiday sea
son will officially kick off on
Saturday, Dec. 2 at 2 p.m.
when the annual Perquimans
County Christmas parade
marches through the streets of
Hertford.
The Chamber of Commerce
will sponsor this year’s event,
themed “Share the Joys of
Christmas.”
New to this year’s parade
wiU be a business float entry.
Businesses are encouraged to
share the joy of the holidays
by entering the parade.
Parade invitations are being
mailed to last year’s partici
pants this week. Invitations
and entry forms are available
at the Chamber office,
NationsBank and The
Perquimans Weekly. To have
an entry form mailed to your
organization, business or
church, call Sandra Smith at
426-5657. Completed forms
should be submitted to,
NationsBank or The
Perquimans Weekly by Nov.
30.
For further information,
call Diane Stallings at 426-5723
(days) or 426-7250 (nights), or
Susan Harris at 426-5728 (days)
or 426-5307 (nights).
Outside
Perquimans County are volun
teers. Each department must
adhere to state guidelines for
training and performance.
Departments in the covmty are
Belvidere-Chappell Hill,
Bethel, Durants Neck,
Hertford, Intercounty and
Winfall.
High:
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50s
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