Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / May 8, 1997, edition 1 / Page 1
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May 8,1997 12 013165 10/09/1997 * perqjimans county library 110 ^ ACADEMY ST HERTFORD NC 27944 The Perquimans Weekly 350 Vol.65. No. 19 The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people Hertford, North Carolina 27944 Inside John Beers What DO you c/o? by Sean Jackson Pages Blanche Berry is 99 years young andNa (mud mother Page 6 “It’S only money” All Over the Map Page 4 Worship in Perquimans: Great Hope Baptist Page 5 Perquimans County an All of Us Care Community April’s theme: Value and enjoy our environment focusing on Reduce, Reuse, Recyle Conserve resources Incorporate these Healthy HABITS into your daily life and help make our community a better place to live! For All of Us Care information, contact Dr. Randall L. Henion, Perquimans County Schools 426-5741 Derby Day fun .j DAILY ADVANCE PHOTO There was a good turnout for the Perquimans County Chamber of Commerce’s premiere Derby Day held Saturday at Albemarle Plantation. A Derby buffet, mint juleps and television broadcasts of the derby were highlights of this Chamber fund raiser. Open Door opens once more By SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor “We the churches of the Perquimans County area declare and establish this con stitution to govern and admin ister the Perquimans County Relief Fund as good stewards of the resources entrusted to us by the Lord Jesus Christ for the assistance of those in need. ” Board members and volun teers at the agency now known as The Open Door met last week to reiterate the message of the preamble to the group’s original constitution. A ribbon cutting sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce was held to celebrate the reopening and reorganization of Perquimans County’s ecu menical outreach ministry. Operated in Winfall, the Open Door provides food and financial assistance to those families who experience emer gencies. Rosemary Rosenberg is the agency’s director. The Open Door is a year- round program begun in 1980 in the county by ministers and laypersons. Its purpose is to provide emergency assistance on a short-term basis to those whose needs cannot be met from other sources. According to the agency’s constitution, the fund is a cooperative effort of churches to minister to the needs of individuals or fami lies which result from disas trous, difficult, destitute and disadvantaged circumstances '-5\- ' , ' PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS Volunteers, board members and local officials gathered in Winfall last Wednesday to celebrate the reopening of The Open Door, Perquimans County’s ecumenical outreach ministry. resulting from unavoidable sit uations. Churches in the area who support the services by provid ing volunteer personnel, donating food and giving financial or in-kind support are members of the organiza tion. In addition to boxes of food which are prepared by trained volunteers to provide balanced meals, the agency may help meet an emergency payment of rent, utilities, fuel or medi cine after all other resources have been exhausted. Payment is made by check to the compa ny or department which is owed. In order to more effectively provide services to those in need, clients now may be asked to contact the Department of Social Services to see if that agency can assist the family before applying at The Open Door. The ministry once received operating funds through a thrift shop that was run in conjunction with the emer gency assistance center. Problems with the operation of the thrift store prompted the board of directors to close it. The Open Door operates Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings throughout the year. Trained volunteers assist Rosenberg in qualifying clients for assistance. Let us pray The Perquimans Central School Chorus presented a program of religious and patriotic music as over 200 people from across the county gathered on the courthouse lawn for the National Day of Prayer observance. Ministers and laypersons, young and old joined hands to pray for needs of the country, state and county. Commission’s fate uncertain By SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor The fate of the Albemarle Commission is still uncertain, but the agency did get a reprieve Monday when at least two of the 10 northeastern North Carolina counties who are members of the agency tabled a resolution to dissolve it. The resolution was com posed by county commission ers in five of the counties who met in Pasquotank last week to discuss the agency, which in recent years has had numer ous financial woes and is now $97,000 in debt. Perquimans County Manager Paul Gregory was one of the managers who met to discuss the troubled agency. He recommended to the Perquimans County Commissioners Monday that they approve the resolution. He said all five managers in the meeting were in favor of dissolution, and that three other managers who could not attend the meeting also sup ported the resolution. Perquimans, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, and Pasquotank managers were in last Tuesday’s meeting, as were the managers of Elizabeth City and Columbia. Gregory told the board he has been one of the main sup porters of the commission and its new executive director, Tom Gard, but is concerned about problems and actions at the commission, including the recent firing of the agency’s assistant director, Dick George. “There is a severe problem out there at this time,” Gregory said. The county manager said he believes there should be some type of regional effort to oper ate those programs that are beneficial to the counties and towns in the region. Commissioner Shirley Yates questioned Gregory con cerning the lack of representa tion at the meeting by towns who are also members of the commission. Gregory said he was contacted and told that each county manager was responsible for contacting the towns in his or her county. Gregory said he called both Hertford Town Manager John Christensen and Winfall Mayor Fred Yates about the meeting. Gregory added that while the towns were invited to pay dues and enjoy the services of the Albemarle Commission, they were never by resolution or legislation made a part of the Albemarle Commission. Yates said immediately after Gregory made his resolu tion presentation that she thought the issue should be tabled until the June meeting to give commissioners time to study the commission’s cur rent problems. Commissioners Chairman Charles Ward told Gard that he would suggest calling a meeting of aU county commis sioners and county managers before a decision is made on whether to disban the agency. “The coimty managers don’t speak for the county commis sioners,” Ward said. Ward said there is a need for a regional organization of some kind. Commissioner Bert Hayes asked Gard what effect tabling action on the resolution would have on the commission. Gard said that he cannot hire a finance officer for the agency because he feels it would be unfair to hire someone with the future of the commission in question. Hayes later asked why there is discussion about disbanding the organization instead of dealing with the present prob lems then moving forward. Ward answered that the commission may have to be dissolved and regrouped because some members of the present commission board of directors may not agree to change the structure of the commission board and its organization. One of the major concerns about the commission is its 68- member board of directors. Complaints of too many mem bers and too few who attend on a regular basis have cropped on regularly ov£r the years. With such a large body, it seems to most who have spo ken out that true oversight is unlikely. Regionally, Perquimans, Camden, Hyde and Gates tabled the issue. Pasquotank, Dare and Chowan voted to dis solve the commision. Currituck did not discuss the resolution. The Albemarle Commission, formed 27 years ago as a planning and develop ment oranization that also administers regional pro grams for aging and nutrition, job training and small busi ness loans. Recently the commission learned that it owed the state Division of Employment and Training $97,000 for misused Job Training Partnership Act monies. After Albemarle Commission officials asked the 10 members counties to pay off the debt, the county managers called &eir meeting to discuss the organization’s future. Even if those counties that took no action Monday do not vote to dissolve the commis sion, it will be difficiilt to oper ate without Pasquotank County, the largest county member. In addition to adopt ing the resolution, Pasquotank County Commissioners voted to give notice to the commis sion that they intend to with draw their membership. That action would take two years. Outside FRIDAY High: Low: 70s 40s PARTLY CLOUDY High: Low: 70s 50s CHANCE OF RAIN High: Low: 60s 40s PARTLY CLOUDY
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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May 8, 1997, edition 1
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