The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people
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Spruce up for spring
pages 9,10,11
The
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD NC 27944
Perquimans
April 6, 2000
Vol. 68, No. 14 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
EEKLY
County proposes sewer system
System would
. serve
Plantation,
Holiday Island
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Perquimans County has
applied for grant funding to
cover most of the cost of a pro
posed $4 million sewer system
that would serve Albemarle
Plantation and Holiday Island.
. At a public hearing held last
Tuesday in compliance with
grant application require
ments, speakers were over
whelmingly in favor of the pro
posed project.
Dick George, interim direc
tor of the Albemarle
Commission and a consultant
on the project, said the county
will apply for $3 million in
state money to fund a sewer
system to serve a portion of
the Bethel community known
as Harvey’s Neck. The county
would chip in about $330,000,
and the remaining funds would
come from hook-up fees from
prospective customers. George
said the estimated tap-on fee is
$2,400 per dwelling.
The first step in the process
would be to create the Minzie’s
Creek Water and Sewer
District, which is larger than
the area that would be covered
by the $4 million project.
George said the grant would
provide sewer service for aU of
Albemarle Plantation and
existing dwellings in Holiday
Island, and would represent
what he tagged Phase I of the
Minzie’s Creek project.
At this point, he said, it is
not projected that the system
would allow for the develop
ment of vacant lots in Holiday
Island which presently cannot
be developed because they will
not perk.
The project would entail the
county purchasing the present
septic system from Albemarle
Plantation. Mark Bissell, an
engineer from Kitty Hawk who
is designing the project, said
several components of the
Plantation’s system would be
used, primarily the storage
and irrigation pond. A treat
ment plant would be added to
treat the effluent, then put it
back in the wetlands to seep
back into Minzie’s Creek. The
spray field used with the
Plantation system would be
used as back-up only, he added.
The system would work
using residents’ present septic
tanks and installing new
pumping stations and lines
back to the plant.
George said the monthly fee
would be based on operating
costs, but wovild be at least $30
per month.
George stressed that the
final plans, tap-on fees and
other information will be dis
cussed at a second hearing if
the grant is funded. He expects
an answer around July 1.
Author visits
jPerquimans
SEAN JACKSON
' The Daily Advance
Luis Rodriquez was once a
lot like one of his audiences: a
poor student, constantly in
trouble and dead-set on leading
“la vida loca” - “the crazy life.”
A gang member by the age of
11 and a drug user by the age of
12, Rodriquez grew up in the
fast lane of East Los Angeles in
the 1970s, spending half his
time in a drugged-out haze, the
other half behind bars.
“I got to the point where I
didn’t care about anybody,”
Rodriquez, now in his 40s,
recalled Saturday. “The street
called me.”
Rodriquez believes he was
headed towEird almost certain
death when a strange but also
very ordinary thing happened:
He discovered there was more
to life than taking drugs and
being a gang banger. He also
fotmd he had a hidden talent:
he covdd write.
- Today the author of three
books of poetry as well as an
award-winning memoir.
“Always Running, La Vida
Loca: Gang Days in L.A.,”
Rodriquez travels the United
States, Europe and Latin
America, lecturing and read
ing his poetry.
Although he left the gang
banging streets of East Los
Angejles long ago, he still
enjoys meeting and talking
with youth who’ve gotten into
trouble and are on the verge of
spending the rest of their lives
in incarceration.,
Saturday, as part of his
seven day visit in the
Albemarle, Rodriquez made
such a visit to the Perquimans
Juvenile Detention Center in
WinfaU and the library
“You have to find out what is
your particular passion in the
world,” Rodriquez told the
detention center’s six young
inmates, each of whom was
garbed in gray sweat clothes
and orange sandals. “Most peo
ple are told they are never
going to amount to anything.
Please see AUTHOR, page 16
Keeping kids safe
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Hertford Police officers had a full morning Friday performing child safety seat inspec
tions, demonstrating the proper way to secure the seats and children, and offering
replacements for seats that did not meet current safety standards or had been
recalled. The safety seat inspection/replacement program will continue on the last
Friday of each month from 8 a.m. until noon as long as funds last. The safety seat
inspection/replacement program is funded through a grant from the Governor's
Highway Safety Program.
White, Barrett honored by Chamber of Commerce
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The Perquimans Chamber
of Commerce honored two
local businesses at its annual
membership meeting last
week.
Mary White, owner/opera
tor of The Wishing Well on
' Church Street, was named
Outstanding Business Person.
Earning Outstanding Small
Business recognition was
-Tommy Barrett of Tommy’s
Pizza and Tommy’s Family
-Restaurant.
Chamber president Gay
JMurray said both White and
Barrett are positive influences
on the small business commu
nity. White served on the
Chamber board last year and
-has been instrumental in plan
ning both chamber and
Historic Hertford Business
•Association events designed to
promote and support economic
development and heritage
tourism. Barrett recently
'opened the second location of
his eatery at Perquimans
Centre on U.S. 17 Bypass.
'Murray said his expemsion was
one of the reasons he was cho-
^n for his honor.
The annual meeting also
included the installation of
officers for 2000, as the
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Mary White, owner/operator of The Wishing Well on Church
Street, was named Outstanding Business Person by the
Chamber of Commerce last week
The Chamber's Outstanding Small Business award went to
Tommy Barrett, owner of Tommy's Family Restaurant and
Tommy's Pizza and Subs.
Chamber chose to use this
year’s banquet as a social event
and fund raiser. In addition to
Murray, officers are Jack
Taylor, vice president; Brenda
Lassiter, secretary; Jeri
Oltman, treasurer; and board
members Doug Layden,
LuAnne Pendergraft,
Harriette Woodard, Steve
Lane, Margie Nixon and Anne
White.
The past year has been diffi
cult for the chamber, punctuat
ed by the resignation of former
executive director Sandra
Smith. An audit around the
time of Smith’s departure
revealed that the chamber was
in debt and there were no
funds with which to pay the
bins.
Board members immediate
ly ordered a formal audit by an
accountant and began meeting
each week to review records,
access the situation, and make
plans to regain financial stabh-
ity. Several chamber members,
including Perquimans County,
agreed to pay dues early in
order to increase cash flow.
The county also increased its
dues and paid three years in
advance to help the chamber
over its crunch.
Through early dues
renewals and fund raisers, the
chamber has been able to pay
its debts, improve its cash flow
and begin to repay itself for
the facade improvement mini
grant fund. Murray said the
board hopes to reopen applica
tions for facade mini-grants
soon.
During its review, the cham
ber also examined its focus and
New
hoops
court
funded
ANNA GOODWIN MCCARTHY
Correspondent
The sounds of perfect shots
swishing through the net, the
shuffling of sneakers on a con
crete court and the smack of a
blocked shot from a tight
defense wUl soon be heard on
King Street. ‘
The Board of
Commissioners approved
funding for the construction of
a new basketball court in £(
meeting Monday afternoon. ,
The idea for a new basket
ball court was prompted by thq
success of a newly buUt cour^
for the Recreation
Department. The new court,
which was huUt on a portion of
the former tennis courts on
Grubb Street, has been a hive
of activity since it opened
around the first of March.
“It has been one of the most
highly utilized areas that we
have constructed recently,”
said Perquimans County
Manager Paul Gregory
The second new basketball
court win be buUt on King
Street.
Gregory said the location
was “easily accessible and out
in the open.” Several members
of the community have asked
that the court have a fence, he
added.
The Grubb Street court is
open every day until dark. It
opens after school on week
days, around 10 a.m. on
Saturdasy and around 1 p.m.
on Sundays. Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays are
reserved for players 15 and
under; Tuesday and Thursday
for those 16 and over. There is
free play on weekends. ;
Gregory said that the con
struction of a new basketball
court will cost in the range of
$17,000 to $20,000. About
$14,000 win be allocated from
the Hertford Housing
Authority and fimds from the
Governor's Crime
Commission. The commissioU-
ers approved funding for the
remaining cost.
At the Recreation
Department site, the horse
shoe pit and equipment may
be used during business
hours, as may the automatic
machine to be used with the
tennis courts.
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
programming. Murray said
board members agree that the
chamber should offer seminars
and other programs to help
small businesses, and be
involved in community/busi
ness partnership activities
such as Indian Summer
Festival, 4th of July celebra
tion, and Christmas parade. In
addition, the chamber has re
established the community cal
endar. The calendar is housed
in the chamber office. Groups
Please see CHAMBER, page 16
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
Hioh: 7S
Low: S3
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 80
Low:S4
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 78
Loir. SO
Isolated Tstorms