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The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 64, No. 33
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Krause
issued
DWI
By GINGER LIVINGSTON
The Daily Advance
A veteran police officer was
charged with driving while
impaired Aug. 4.
Police officer Newton
Bradford “Brad” Krause,
whose address was listed as
903 Raleigh St., Elizabeth City,
was stopped shortly before 1
a.m. on U.S. Highway 17
Bypass near the intersection of
Foreman Bundy and Simpson
Ditch roads.
According to court docu
ments, Krause was given an
intoxilyzer test. The results
showed he had a blood-alcohol
‘content of .16 — twice the legal
limit for driving while
impaired. He was released
under a $300 secured bond.
According to police offi
cials, Krause has not worked
sihce the ticket was issued.
When a person receives a
DWI ticket his drivers license
is automatically suspended for
. 10 days. Hertford Police Chief
Bennie Murphy said without a
license Kraxise could not work;
however, he will return to
duty Friday evening.
“He will be working until
he’s scheduled to go to court. I
believe everyone is innocent
until proven guilty,” Murphy
said. He said the Hertford
Town Council supported his
position.
While Krause has not
worked he has continued to be
paid. Murphy said Krause is
using his vacation time.
Krause has worked with the
Hertford Police Department
for seven years. He has 23
years law enforcement experi
ence, most of it with the
Elizabeth City Police
Department.
Murphy would not specu
late about Krause’s future
with the department.
However, if Krause is convict
ed of DWI, he would automati
cally lose his law enforcement
certification.
County schools
reopen Aug. 22
The countdown until the
first day of school has begun.
Students will return to class
on Thursday, Aug. 22.
Assignment notification meth
ods follow:
• Hertford Grammar
School: 8:30 a.m.-2:40 p.m.
Teachers will call parents with
classroom assignments begin
ning this week.
• Perquimans Central
School: 8:30 a.m.-3:05 p.m.
Letters will be mailed this
week with classroom assign
ments and school supply lists.
• Perquimans Middle
School: 8:20 a.m.-3:20 p.m.
Homeroom/class and supply
lists will be posted in the
school lobby windows on
Friday, Aug. 16.
• Perquimans Hi^h School:
8:05 a.m.-2:55 p.m. Freshmen
may pick up schedules during
orientation on Aug. 19 and 20
at 5 p.m. Schedules for all
other students will be mailed
this week.
PCHS band/Philadelphia bound
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Members of the 1996-97 Marching Pirates Band learn this a trip to the 77th Channel 6 Thanksgiving Day parade in
season’s show, “Caribbean Holiday.” The band will take the Philadelphia, Penn. The band is directed by David Ziemba.
show on the road several times before Christmas, including Drum majors are Melissa Elliott and Summer Warden.
Marching band honored with invite
Marching Pirates
to perform in
Philadelphia
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
What do turkeys, Santa
Claus, the Liberty bell and
the Perquimans County High
School Marching Pirates
have in common?
All four will spend
Thanksgiving Day in
Philadephia.
The Marching Pirates
have accepted an invitation
to perform in the 1996
Channel 6 Thanksgiving Day
parade. Parts of the 77-year-
old parade will be televised
on ABC.
Band Director David
Ziemba said the band was
invited to apply to partici
pate in the parade. The appli
cation process included sub
mitting videotapes, newspa
per articles and photographs
of the band. He began the
application process last
spring, and was rewarded
with an invitation earlier
this summer.
“I’m very thrilled about
our invitation,” Ziemba said.
“Any time you participate in
a major event like this you
bring a lot of exposure to the
community and to the school.
It’s a real honor to be cho
sen.”
Ziemba said parade offi
cials probably got the band’s
name from the list of partici
pants in the 1989 Presidential
Inaugural Parade, when
Perquimans performed for
former president Ronaid
Reagan.
Ziemba and the Band
Booster Club plan to make
the three-day trip to
Philadelphia educational for
the 84 band students, as well
as fun. In addition to per
forming in the parade, the
group will tour Independence
Square and other places of
historic and cultural signifi
cance, as well as attend the
Broadway musical classic,
“Hello, Dolly.”
“This is probably one of
the more educational trips
we’ve ever taken, with the
exception of the inaugural
parade,” Ziemba said.
This year’s band show,
“Caribbean Holiday,” fea
tures music with a calypso
rhythm. Band students are
braving the elements this
week to put the show togeth
er. On Friday at 1 p.m., the
public is invited to the
show’s first performance of
the season.
And it will be the first of
many performances. In addi
tion to home football games,
the band will perform at the
Indian Summer Festivai,
Bayside High School compe
tition, Edenton Peanut
Festival, Washington
Colonial Classic and East
Carolina University home
coming parade before travel
ing to Philadelphia. The next
weekend will find them back
in Hertford for the annual
Perquimans County
Christmas parade.
Last year, the band added
numerous awards to its
packed trophy case, and has
consistently earned superior
ratings at competitions.
Anyone interested in mak
ing a donation to help defer
expenses of the Philadelphia
trip may contact Band
Booster co-presidents David
and Celeste Gray, Booster
treasurer Shirley Manley or
director David Ziemba.
Town may recast bridge fishing ordinance
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
“Reconsideration had start
ed before tonight,” Hertford
Town Councilman Erie Haste
told a delegation opposed to
the town’s new ordinance ban
ning fishing from the town’s
bridges at the council’s
Monday night meeting.
Responding to numerous
complaints about problems
with some bridge fishermen,
council told Town Manager
John Christensen in May to
find out exactly what steps
would have to be taken to ban
fishing from the bridges.
Christensen immediately
called state DOT officials for
information.
On June 11, the council
voted to curtail fishing from
the S-bridge, Skinner’s bridge
and Walter’s bridge.
Christensen said no one
showed up at that meeting to
speak against the ban. Town
attorney Walter Edwards did
report that he had received
telephone calls prior to the
meeting asking that the
bridges not be closed to fish
ing.
Monday night, Willie Felton
and George Riddick presented
council with a petition con
taining over 100 signatures
requesting that the board
reconsider its ordinance.
Riddick asked what prob
lems had occured to halt fish
ing from the bridges, and said
he and other fishermen would
be willing to help police the
area to stop whatever prob
lems had occured. He said
those fishing were taxpayers.
People who can not afford to
buy a boat have no other way
to fish except to use the
bridges, he added.
Riddick also said there was
insufficient notice regarding
the decision to ban fishing.
The Perquimans Weekly news
paper ran a front page story on
May 16 about the town council
authorizing Christensen to get
information regarding not
allowing fishing from the
bridges. Action on the matter
was not taken until June 11.
Mayor pro tern Billy
Winslow told the group that
there have been problems with
fishing from the bridges for a
couple of years.
“We have had problems,
problems, problems with fish
ing on the bridges,” Winslow
said.
He added that council is
“contemplating” the issue, but
will make no changes for the
next few weeks because the
state will close the bridge for
repairs on Aug. 19. The reno
vation is expected to take 30-45
days. Winslow said council
will reconsider at that time.
Those who had asked coun
cil to stop the bridge fishing
had cited problems such as
alcohol consumption, littering,
parking on private property,
public urination, loud talking
late at night, children running
freely on the bridges, fishing
lines being cast into passing
cars, fishermen walking into
the path of traffic and people
fishing from the side of the S-
bridge with no sidewalk.
The reconsideration will
include only the S bridge.
B&Bs
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Groans and grunts from the.
audience followed the Hertford
Town Council’s unanimous
vote Monday night to approve
the planning and zoning
board’s recommendation to
allow bed and breakfast facili
ties in R-10 zones with condi
tional use permits.
Two residents of R-IO zones
spoke against passing the ordi
nance.
JoAnne Morris said those
opposed to the ordinance
would not be so concerned if
the town did not have such a
poor track record of enforcing
its ordinances. She cited five
instances she said showed the
town had been ineffective in
forcing compliance with zon
ing ordinances.
The Market Street resident
also charged that neither the
application submitted to
change the ordinance to allow
bed and breakfasts nor the
planning board followed the
town’s ordinances. She also
said that the town has allowed
people to use properties in
violation of its ordinances.
But town attorney Walter
Edwards strongly disagreed
with Morris, backing his
assertion with the town’s ordi
nance book. He argued that
council has the, final say on
zoning issues.
Morris said restrictions in
the ordinance are too vague
and should contain stricter
stipulations. She also said
there is no guarantee that
facilities will be “upscale.”
Mayor pro tern Billy
Winslow said Christensen, in
his role as zoning officer,
would monitor bed and break
fast facilities. He said in the
past the town did not have a
zoning officer. Bed and break
fasts are also monitored by the
health department, Winslow
said.
Planning and zoning board
chairman Carlton Davenport
said tlie board acts with “good
and honorable intentions.” He
said board members realize
that their actions have eco
nomic and social implications,
and take their responsibilities
seriously. If the July 25 hear
ing was not valid, Davenport
offered to hold a second hear
ing on the issue. Edwards said
he saw no legal problems with
the hearing or the board’s
actions.
Councilman Erie Haste
prefaced his motion to accept
the planning board’s recom
mendation with support for
the planning board. Haste said
council carefully selects board
members. He said when board
members study an issue and
have “sincere recommenda
tions,” council should review
the recommendations positive
ly.'
Outside
Hertford sewer, water systems need major upgrade
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Knowing that there are sig
nificant deficits in the town’s
water and sewer plants, the
Hertford Town Council voted
to take preliminary steps
required to garner grants
and/or loans to pay for system
improvements.
Town Manager John
Christensen said F.T. Green &
Associates studied the town’s
water and sewer distribution
and collection facilities, as
well as the plants. Over $4 mil
lion in improvements were
noted, although Christensen
said about $1 million should
cover those things which must
be done soon in order to serve
present customers and the
commerce center.
The town is hoping part of
the funds for the upgrade will
come from the Community
Block Development Grant pro
gram. Dick George, grant
administrator with the
Albemarle Commission, said
the town had the best chance
of CDBG grant approval if it
applies for funds to improve
its water and sewer plants. If
no grant funds are available,
the town may have to resort to
borrowing the money.
“We can’t afford a million
dollars right now, but we have
no choice,” councilman Erie
Haste said of the upgrade pro
ject.
Funding sources will be
sought.
THURSDAY
High: Low:
80s 70s
SUNNY
High: Low:
80s 70s
PARTLY SUNNY
High: Low:
80s 70s
PARTLY SUNNY