January 14,
12 013165 10/09/1999 tC20
PERQUIHANS COUHTY LIBRARY
110 U ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD NC 27944
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Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 67, No. 2
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Sewer problems don’t flush with Hertford man
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor ^
Sewage back-ups into/tlae
showers of his rental proper
ties don’t flush wifh'Crafton
Matthews.
Matthews said that on eight
occasions over the last two
months, the town’s sewage
lines have backed up into a
single family rental cottage he
owns at the end of Perquimans
Street overlooking the river.
His son’s family, occupants of
the house, have not been able
to stay in the house on those
occasions, Matthews said. In
addition, the recently-renovat
ed house has damage to the
shower unit, vinyl and sub
floor in the bathroom, as well
as to the hardwood floors in
other parts of the house.
“It smells like a hogpen,’’
Matthews said of the days
wjjfip the sewer has backed up
/mfo the house. “There’s no
way anybody could stay in
there.”
There have also been at
least two occasions when the
sewage has backed up into the
duplex Matthews owns next
door.
Matthews said he had spo
ken with town manager John
Christensen on several occa
sions and has also called the
town’s maintenance employ
ees several times to come and
try to fix the problem.
When the back-up occurred
for the eighth time last
Wednesday night, Matthews
said he went to the home of
town councilman Billy
Winslow and also spoke with
town attorney Walter
Edwards. He said Thursday
morning he planned to contact
an attorney and the health
department before the end of
the day.
Part of the problem,
Matthews said, was a malfunc
tion at the pumping station on
Grubb Street.
In a letter to Matthews
dated Jan. 11, Christensen stat
ed that the town had been
plagued with faulty equipment
supplied by vendors, and had
spent close to $20,000 to
improve the sewer system and
its reliability.
Christensen also explained
that the town’s manhole at the
end of Perquimans Street is
very shallow and its lid is
above the level of the rental
units’ sewer facilities. If the
manhole fills, Christensen
said the sewage comes up at
the lowest point, which is
Matthews’ rental unit on the
river.
“This house would not be
allowed to be built at its eleva
tion under today’s building
codes, it would have to be buUt
at a level above our facilities,”
Christensen wrote.
Christensen added that no
other properties have been
adversely affected by sewage
back-ups.
“There are no other proper
ties on that part of the system
that have this problem includ
ing your own house,”
Christensen wrote. “Therefore
we have not had a problem
except at the end of the street
where the property is too low.”
Matthews’ house is located
on the same tract of land as the
rental properties, at the corner
of Perquimans and Grubb
streets.
Christensen suggested that
Matthews install a back flow
device on his sewer line. The
device, which costs around
$15, is designed to only let
fluid flow in one direction, and
would keep the sewage from
backing up into the rental
house.
Matthews said that
Christensen had told him
about the device, but said that
he had replaced all the water
and sewer lines running to his
property during the renova
tions. Because his lines are
properly installed, Matthews
contends that the town is
responsible for installing any
device needed to keep the
sewage from backing up into
his units.
Christensen also told
Matthews that he had not
reported all the utility prob
lems through the proper chan
nels which slowed the town’s
response time.
On one occasion in
December, Christensen said.
Matthews stopped a town
maintenance worker and
reported the problem to him.
Just following the report, the
worker’s father-in-law was
killed and he left to be with his
family. The information was
not passed along, and town
officials were unaware of the
problem until the next day
when Matthews visited the
town office to find out why the
problem was not fixed. By the
time maintenance employees
were called in, the pump sta
tion controls were destroyed
due to flooding, requiring the
$20,000 in repairs. The proper
procedure for reporting utility
problems is to call the town
office during business hours
or the communications depart
ment after hours, Christensen
said.
Matthews did not appear
before council Monday.
HGS, Central building projects almost complete
HGS moves this
week; Central
move planned
for Saturday
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Students, staff and parents
will learn some lessons as
Perquimans County Schools
prepares to occupy the new
elementary school in Winfall.
Saturday has been designat
ed Parent Move Day, and
many parents and other adult
volunteers have already
signed up to help begin mov
ing supplies, equipment and
furniture into the brand-new
facility immediately behind
the old Central School.
Volunteers will meet at 8:30
a.m. in the main haU of the old
school to get organized for the
event. The volunteers will
hand move all boxes, student
desks and other supplies and
materials. Maintenance
employees will be on hand to
assist with moving teacher
desks and other heavy items.
Work will stop at 11 a.m. for
a hot dog lunch in the spacious
new cafeteria, and end for the
day around 3 p.m.
Next Tuesday is a teacher
work day, so many Central
teachers will probably be in
their classrooms preparing for
students to return on
Wednesday.
To prepare students for the
move, each class will tour the
building and become familiar
with the location of their class
room on Friday morning,
according to Schools Public
Relations Director Brenda
Lassiter.
There will also be some
ch&nges in student drop-off
and pick-up procedures begin
ning Wednesday. Only the dri
veway that runs behind the
new school will be used for
both buses and private vehi
cles. Neither the drive in front
1 *
sMfe
'■ssasiH
■ .>
of the old school or between
the new and old facilities will
be available for use due to the
preparation for and demoli
tion of the old school, which
should begin on Feb. I.
In the morning, both buses
and private vehicles dropping
off students should drive to the
back of the new building to
drop off students. Students in
grades I and 2 will be housed
in the first wing. Head Start,
pre-kindergarten and kinder
garten students will attend
class in the last wing. The cen
ter wing is home to the com
mon areas such as administra
tive offices, cafeteria/multi
purpose room, and media cen
ter.
Just prior to school dis
missal in the afternoons, the
buses will arrive and line up
on the drive behind the new
building. Students riding the
buses will exit the rear of the
building to board the buses.
Private vehicles will not be
allowed to enter school proper
ty until approximately 2:45
p.m., when all the buses have
arrived. Once all buses are
parked, private vehicles may
begin lining up behind the
buses. Private vehicles may
not travel around the buses,
but must wait until all buses
are off school property before
departing.
In addition, private vehicles
may not park on the sides of
the road in front of the school.
Winfall Police Chief David
Shaffer will be on hand on
moving day, and will also
assist with traffic control as
parents become accustomed to
the new pick-up procedures.
Once demolition is com
plete, the new parking loop
and parent drop-off pick-up
loops in front of the new
school will be constructed as
soon as weather and construc
tion completion on the new
buHding permits, according to
Schools Superintendent
Gregory Todd. Todd said the
surfaces of all the drive and
parking areas will be installed
Local fire department receives state grant
From news release
Insurance Comissioner and
State Fire Marshal Jim Long
announced that a state grant
in .the amount of $20,000 was
awarded to the Belvidere-
Chappell Hill Fire
Department. The check was
presented to Chief Jimmy
Chappell by Max powell.
Deputy Commissioner of the
Eastern Regional Office.
“North Carolina is fortu
nate to have such a large num
ber of dedicated fire and res
cue volunteers, and I am very
pleased to assist their efforts,”
said Long. “These grants help
volunteer fire personnel pro
vide essential services to their
communities by allowing them
to spend more time trainign in
the latest fire suppression
methods, and less time
fundraising.”
The Volunteer Fire
Department Grant Fund was
created by the General
Assembly in 1988 to help vol
unteer units raise money for
firefighting equipment and
supplies. The funds are match
ing grants — the state matches
dollar-for-dollar, up to an
approved amount, monies
raised locally to purchase nec
essary equipment. During
Long’s tenure, his department
has distributed over $26 mil
lion in grant money to fire and
rescue departments across the
state. The total amount of the
grants approved for
Perquimans County to date
exceeds $208,000.
“The Department of
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The new Central School will open to students next Wednesday when students return from the
Martin Luther King holiday and teacher workday. Saturday, parents wili heip move equipment,
suppiies and students desks into the buiiding.
at one time, so it may be next
school year before the areas
are complete.
Todd also said school offi
cials and Kahn Construction
Company are working with
the demolition contractor to
make available the white key
stones, two wooden archways
and bricks from the old build
ing. Todd said school and con
struction teams are working
together to try to incorporate
the archways into the new
structure.
Final plans for aUowing peo
ple in the community who
would like to have a brick or
other memento from the old
building are not in place.
However, Todd said that the
school’s PTA may be able to
offer these items at a later
date. Information will be avail
able as the demolition and
clean-up progress, he said.
In the meantime, the prop
erty will be cordoned off from
the drive in front of the old
school all the way around the
building to include the drive
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Hertford Grammar School and school maintenance staffs
worked together last week to move the administrative offices
and media center into new quarters. The extensive renovation
at that site is aimost complete.
between the two buildings. No
one will be able to enter that
area for safety purposes, he
said.
Kahn Construction held a
preview luncheon and tour of
the new facility last Thursday
for school and county officials
and staff. Todd said an open
house and formal dedication of
both Central and Hertford
Grammar schools will be
scheduled at a later date.
Last week, Hertford
Grammar staff began moving
the administrative offices and
media center into their new
homes. The media center is
housed in what was the
school’s cafeteria prior to the
renovations. The administra
tive area has been expanded to
include the former media cen
ter.
Hertford Grammar moved
into the new building, which
houses classrooms and a new
cafeteria/multipurpose room,
earlier in the year.
Todd said buses at Hertford
Grammar are presently using
both the front loop and the
new loop on the west end of the
building. He said officials are
working to improve bus traffic
at that site.
By February, each class
room at both elementary
schools will be wired voice,
data and video lines. There
will be a telephone in each
classroom to allow office to
classroom communication.
The wiring will also allow
expansion of technology to the
individual classrooms.
Weekend weather
Insurance is committed to our
fire and rescue volunteers who
provide a vital service to the
people of Perquimans
County,” said Long. “We
salute these volunteers for
their dedication to protecting
the lives of others. I am hon
ored that North Carolina is
able financially to assist local
volunteer fire and rescue
departments across the state. I
am confident that this grant
will enhance rescue opera
tions in Perquimans County.
Thursday
Friday Saturday
Jan. 14
Jan .15 Jan. 16
High 50s
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Low 40s
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Chance of rain
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Have a great weekend!