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November 20,1997
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The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 65, No. 46
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Inside
Information
highway runs
through PCHS
Page 7
Alzheimer’s
group offers
support
: Page 3
Perquimans County
an
Ail of Us
Community
November’s theme:
Show a positive
attitude.
Ground broken on school projects
Event marks
new Winfall
school, fix-up at
Hertford site
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Perquimans County Schools
celebrated an historic occasion
last Wednesday when the dis
trict broke ground for the first
new school to be built here in
over 40 years.
School and local govern
ment officials joined represen
tatives of Boney ARchitects
and M.B. Kahn Construction
Company on the front lawn of
Perquimans Central School to
mark the occasion.
The groundbreaking was
the S5nnbolic beginning of two
projects, the new school in
Winfall and the addition/reno
vation project at Hertford
Grammar School.
School board chairman
Wallace Nelson called the
occasion “the beginning of a
journey.”
, “We’re excited about what
we’ve got in front of us,”
Nelson said.
Paul Boney of Boney
Architects, designers of the
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
School and county officials joined representatives of the student body from Perquimans Central
School to break ground for the new elementary school to be built in Winfall and renovations at
Hertford Grammar School last Wednesday in front of the present Perquimans Central School.
Schools superintendent Randall Henion said the community will gather again in about one year
for a grand opening at the two facilities.
construction at both sites, said
his company works with
schools because of the sense of
history for the company begun
by his grandfather and
because the architects work
for children.
“We have the greatest job in
the world,” Boney said.
Boney’s grandfather
designed the original
Perquimans County High
School building, constructed
in 1924.
William W. Cram of M.B.
Kahn said a lot of hard work
has already gone into planning
for the $9.1 million construc
tion program.
“More than starting a build
ing today, we’re starting the
future,” Cram said.
County commissioners
chairman Charles Ward said
local and state officials are
committed to education. He
Open Door
needs a
visit from
Santa
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The Open Door has a holi
day wish. The ministry would
like to be added to the
Christmas lists of county resi
dents.
’According to director
Rosemary Rosenburg, the
Open Door needs donations of
food, money and time.
Especially needed in the food
line are juices and fruits, she
said. The food pantry can also
accept store packaged meats as
freezer space is available,
Rosenburg said. Re-packaged
meats cannot be accepted.
At present, the Open Door
has only seven volunteers to
take client applications, shelve
donations and pack food boxes
that meet dietary guidelines to
provide nutritious meals.
Space constraints and low
volunteer numbers forced the
Open Door board of directors
to cease operating the thrift
store which offered used cloth
ing and small household items,
Rosenburg said.
“We just don’t have the
space or the personnel to do
that (operate a thrift shop),”
she said. “It would be nice if
we could.”
People continue to drop off
clothes, she said, although the
thrift shop hasn’t operated for
well over a year. Rosenburg
said the Salvation Army in
Elizabeth City accepts dona
tions of clothing.
Rosenburg has been with
the Open Door since its reorga
nization and reopening in
February. Since then, she said
2,790 meals and $2,191 in emer
gency financial assistance has
been disbursed through the
agency. Clients are referred to
the Open Door by the
Department of Social Services.
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
The new elementary school in Winfall will look much like the present Perquimans Central School.
School facilities to improve
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Facilities at both Central
and Hertford Grammar
schools will improve signifi
cantly as a result of the con
struction/renovation projects
now underway.
The new school in Winfall,
which will serve pre-kinder-
garten-grade 2 at its comple
tion, looks similar to the pre
sent Structure with a central
entry and two wings. It will
feature a multi-purpose room
which can function as an audi
torium, space to hold physical
education classes in bad
weather and other activities.
The exterior plans will
increase safety and alleviate
morning and afternoon traffic
jams. Staff parking lots will be
located on both sides of the
building. There is a separate
•area for bus pick-up and drop
off. A fourth area will serve for
visitor parking and student
pick-up/drop-off.
The central building will
house a cafeteria, the multi
purpose area, media center
and administrative offices.
Two wings on either side of
the central building wdl house
classrooms, restrooms and
resource rooms.
The new structure will be
located behind the present
school.
At Hertford Grammar
School, the project will include
a new building behind the
west wing, replacing all exteri
or doors and windows,
restroom upgrades, electrical
upgrades and interior renova
tions.
The new building will house
a cafeteria, multi-purpose
room, two large restrooms and
four classrooms.
In the central building at
the site, the cafeteria will
«» ‘
The dark areas show the new building and areas of extensive
renovation at Hertford Grammar School (above). The exterior
layout at the new Winfal site (belpw) will increase safety.
become the media center.
Administrative offices and
conference rooms will be cre
ated from the present media
center.
Restrooms in the west wing
will become teacher work
rooms.
Work will also be done on
the bus parking area.
Canopies in front of the
added thatj both the county
commissioners and school
board had worked hard togeth
er to upgrade school facilities
without raising taxes.
“You can be sure that the
county commissioners of
Perquimans County are com
mitted to education,” he said.
Schools superintendent
Randall Henion said that the
building program represents
an assurance to county resi
dents that the school system
and county commissioners
seek to provide a safe, quality
learning environment for both
students and staff.
Henion said everyone
involved in the project from
elected officials to the taxpay
ers deserve thanks “for believ
ing in and investing in the
future of children.”
The community will come
back together in about one
year to celebrate the comple
tion of the projects, he said.
Henion; assistant superin
tendent Jake Boyce; school
board members Nelson, Walter
Leigh, Helen Hunter, Marjorie
Rayburn, Tommy Riddick and
Helen Shaw; county manager
Paul Gregory; county commis
sioners Ward', Mack Nixon,
Bert Hayes and Evelyn
Stubbins; and Perquimans
Central School Student
Council representatives
Jonathan Boyce, Devin
Mallory, Lauren Nelson,
Brittany Perry, Jasmine Price
and Amy Tunnell donned hard
hats and symbolically broke
ground on the project. The
groundbreaking was orga
nized by the school system and
M.B. Kahn. Kahn is the con
struction management firm
hired by the board to oversee
the projects.
Funds sources
State school bond
$4,133,112
State school bond/small counties
$2,038,450
Total state funds
$6,171,562
County land transfer tax
$1,000,000
County loan
$2,000,000
Total local funds
$3,000,000
Total project cost
$9,171,562
Projects top $9.1 mil
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Perquimans County will
spend over $9 million on the
building projects at Cental and
Hertford Grammar schools
School administrators and
board members looked long
and hard for years to find
funds to replace Central
School and renovate Hertford
Grammar School. Then the
Public School Building Bond
Act of 1996 was approved by
voters statewide in November
1996. Perquimans County rej-
ceived $4,133,112 as an immedi
ate result. Lobbying by local
school officials helped bring
another $2,038,450 of the bond
funds to the county through
the small county bond funding
portion of the act.
With $6,171,562 in state
funds, the school board and
county commissioners began
looking at ways to complete
projects at both schools. The
commissioners’ goal was to
find a way to secure funds
without raising taxes.
Last Wednesday, one year of
redesigning buildings and
number-crunching resulted in
a final vote by the county com
missioners at a joint commis-
sioners-school board meeting
held after the groundbreaking
ceremony to fund an addition
al $394,000 from land transfer
taxes to the project. The funds
will allow both building pro
jects to be completed if bids
come in on target. It has been
reported in school board meet
ings over the last several
months that preliminary work
bid has come in on budget.
The additional monites
brought the total county dol-
laijs earmarked for the project
to $3 million. Land transfer
taxes will account for $1 mil
lion. The county will borrow
$2 million, which will be
repaid with sales tax and other
revenue sources already ear
marked for schools. In addi
tion, the county will hold local
dollars contributed to the
school system in its mainte
nance budget to $250,000 for
five years.
Outside
building, surfacing the east
parking lot, improving the
front drive and painting in the
existing buildings were taken
out of the contract due to fund
ing restrictions. If bids come
in under budget, items will be
added back as funds allow,
school board members said
last week in a joint meeting
with county commissioners.
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