November 19,1 nl^165 10/09/1999 *C2G 1k'c '■n'lMTY PERQUIMANS -OJN^ . academy ST ^ crXFORD NC 279 44 The Perquimans Weekly 350 Vol, 66, No. 47 The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people Hertford, North Carolina 27944 Hertford selected as pilot heritage community By SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor Hertford has been selected as the pilot community for her itage tourism in eastern North Carolina, according to Gordon Clapp, director of the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. Clapp made the announce ment during the conference entitled “Tourism Affecting Communities” in Elizabeth City recently. “With its tremendous amount of historic resources combined with strong commu nity interest and support, Hereford best met the criteria established,” Clapp said of the town’s designation. Now the Perquimans County Heritage Tourism Development Council, a group representing each community in the county, is working to compose a master plan for her- Council votes no to new fire truck By SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor The decision not to pur chase a new fire truck has some Hertford firefighters blazing. After what was described by some firefighters as an emo tional discussion last Monday night, Hertford Town Council voted not to purchase a $185,000 truck to replace both 1963 and 1969 pumpers present ly used by the department in addition to a 1994 truck. Council first denied the fire department’s request in September. At that meeting. Councilman Carlton Davenport said that while he realized some of the depart ment’s rolling stock was not in good shape, he was not in favor of authorizing the pur chase of the truck when the town was on the brink of bor rowing $850,000 for electric improvements and issuing up to $4.8 million in bonds for water and sewer improve ments. He recommended that council wait until after the Nov. 3 general election to see if state and local bond referen- dums were approved to make a decision. Although both bond issues were approved and council Ijas secured partial grant funding for the utilities projects, Davenport still voted against the truck purchase in November. Councilman Billy Winslow said in September that the town has gone “overboard in the fire department.” He ques tioned the department’s mutu al aid response, both fire and wreck calls. Winslow also voted against the truck pur chase, as did Horace Reid. Sid Eley, the fire chief and a councilman, said failure to upgrade equipment in the 1970s and 1980s caused the pre sent needs in the department. Hertford firefighters have raised $20,000 to put toward the truck’s purchase. Last week, the department received a $15,000 state grant through the Department of Insurance’s Volunteer Fire Department Grant Fund for equipment and supplies. (See related letter to the edi tor, page 4.) itage tourism and develop ment in the area. That plan will be submitted to the state in mid-January. It wiU then be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Smithsonian Institute, the Folk Life Center at the Library of Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency. Some funding and technical advice are among the possibil ities through Hertford’s selec tion. Hertford was one of only two communities in the state to be chosen as a pilot site, the other, as yet unannounced, in the far western region. Among the reasons the town was selected was the Hertford Historic District’s listing in the National Register of Historic Places in October, as well as the nearby Old Neck Rural Historic District and the Belvidere Historic District. State Tourism Development Officer LuAnne Pendergraft said local support and enthusi asm for the project was anoth er factor in the decision. Roughly 77 percent of the properties in the Hertford Historic District contribute to its historic and architectural significance. It is composed of a variety of architectural styles representing many time periods. It is also one of the Albemarle region’s best-pre served and picturesque towns, according to information from Clapp. The members of the local heritage tourism council are working closely with lead agencies the Chamber of Commerce and Perquimans County Restoration Association, and with the sup port of Pendergraft, who is based in Hertford at the Newbold-White House. Pendergraft said officials in both-Hertford and Perquimans County support the effort to develop heritage tourism here. Recognizing the value of National Register Historic Districts in marketing efforts, the chamber, with strong sup port from members of each community, pursued the three county districts’ designation. In addition, guidebooks were developed to assist visitors in finding and learning more about the county through a walking tour of Hertford and a driving tour of the county’s back roads. The PCRA began developing historically significant pro grams years ago, when the ca. 1730 Newbold-White House was opened to the public in 1981. It is recognized as an eminently significant site in North Carolina. The association is taking steps to broaded and expand interpretations and programs at the site. Long-range goals include transforming the his toric house museum into an interactive, 18th-century farm and living history site. An application has been submit ted to the federally-funded Museum Assessment Program for guidance. Heritage tourism could be a strong component of local eco nomic development. The North Carolina Department of Transportation reports that more than 11,000 vehicles pass by Hertford on U.S. 17 daily. It is estimated that when the four-lane expansion of the highway is completed, that number will increase by at least 25 percent. Tourism is big business. It is expected to be the country’s number one industry by the year 2000. It is already the number one industry in east ern North Carolina. Central School on target for Jan. finish By SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor Each day brings Central School students and teachers one day closer to the big move. Construction at the new Central School in’Winfall is on schedule and expected to be completed on schedule in January. That was the report M.B. Kahn Construction Company Project Engineer Derek Faulkenberry gave at the November meeting of the board of education. Faulkenberry reported that the mechanical duct installation was competed in wings A and B, with wing B near completion. The mechanical units in wing A were operational, and wing C anticipated to be operational this week. N.C. Power completed the primary power service, with temporary permanent power turned on in early October. Drywall installation is complete in all wings, with painting in progress. Floor tile was scheduled to begin this week. SUBMITTED PHOTOS Construction is on schedule at the new Central School in Winfaii, according to supervisors with M.B. Kahn Construction Company. Kahn anticipates that students and teachers wiil be abie to move into the new faciiity sometime in January or February. Heritage tourism is one of the fastest growing trends in the tourism market. National statistics indicate a growing interest in getting off of the interstates and traveling the scenic byways and highways. Heritage tourism entails travel for the purpose of expe riencing the cultural and nat ural environment of another area. It offers three primary advantages for economic development. The qualify of life is improved, the potential for business development is high and the economic base is diversified. Heritage tourism offers the opportunity to capi talize on the economic value of the unique and varied cultural and natural resources found in the community, without com promising natural resources and stressing infrastructure, schools and local government services. Holiday season gets underway Holiday events will begin here this weekend, as the Hertford Downtown Merchants Association hosts the first annual “A Christmas in Carolina” Saturday. Kicking off at 10 a.m. with entertainers performing songs of the season, the day will be filled with Christmas spirit. Apple cider, nachos and pop corn will be available from street vendors. All of the merchants will be kicking off Christmas sales with a special theme on Saturday — The Downtown Hertford Bathrobe Sale. Shop the stores in your PJs, spend a designated amount in each store, and receive a coupon for a free sausage biscuit at Frankie’s Hertford Cafe. The bathrobe sale ends at noon. The festivities run until 4 p.m. The annual chamber-spon sored holiday parade, “A Carolina Christmas,” will wind its way through the streets of Hertford on Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. Chamber organizers are asking bands, businesses, and church, civic and school groups to participate in the parade. North Carolina Representative BUI Owens and his wife, C5mthia, wiU serve as parade grand marshaUs. Applications are available at the chamber office or by calling 426-5757. Welfare reform changes the welfare system County partners with workforce board to train recipients for jobs By SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor Welfare reform legislation has dramatically changed the nation’s welfare system. Now, through federally-supported state initiatives such as North Carolina’s WorkFirst, welfare recipients are required to work in exchange for time-lim ited assistance. In addition. programs provide support for families moving from welfare to work. “The focus on moving peo ple from welfare to work is a primary goal of federal, state and local welfare policy,” Karen Clary, Workforce Development Director of the Mid-East Commission told the Perquimans County Commissioners recently. “The Balanced Budget Act of 1997, signed by the President on Aug. 5,1997, provides addition al resources to achieve this goal by providing counties with Welfare to Work Grants for transitional employment assistance to move hard-to- employ welfare recipients into long-term employment.” Perquimans County will receive $58,953 to assist TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) recipients obtain and retain gainful employment, and thus move off assistance roUs. The local program is admin istered by the Regional R. Workforce Development Board through the Mid-East Commission in joint partner ship with the Perquimans County Board of Commissioners. The Perquimans County Department of Social Services is an integral partner in the planning and implementation of services. Brian Center Administrator Joe France and Monty Spindler represent Perquimans County on the Region R. Workforce Development Board. France serves as vice-chair and chairs the board’s JobLink Committee. Spindler chairs the Public Relations Committee. Both are members of the board’s executive com mittee. Evelyn Stubbins repre sents the board of commission ers on the Region R. Job Training Consortium. WhUe updating the board of commissioners on the Welfare to Work Grants earlier this month. Clary also briefed the group on the Job Training Parnership Act activities for the last program year. Forty- two county residents received serves through the Dislocated Work Program, Summer Youth Employment Program, Youth Activities or Adult Training Activities, all compo nents of JTPA. Clary used visuals to show commission ers that average wages for graduates of the Dislocated Worker and Adult Training Programs was higher than most entry-level wages in the county, at $10.21 and $6.96, respectively.

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