The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people
Berry Lenz honored
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Trueblood, Smith win fire awards
Rage 5
Pirates sweep Aces
F^e7
January 25, 2001
Vol. 69, No. 4 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
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Local
named
to Bush
Work in progress
Hoilowell
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SUSAN R. HARRIS
Ralph Hollowrell traded his
usual duds for a tuxedo this
past week
end. The 34-
year-old
Democrat
was hoh-noh-
bing with the
rich and pow
erful at
Presidential
inaugural
events,
including the
swearing-in
ceremony, as a member of the
Republican Presidential
Roundtable.
The Environmental Health
Director and soil scientist for
Albemarle Regional Health
. Services admits his nomina
tion was such a surprise, he
first thought someone was
playing a practical joke. He
received a letter informing
him of his nomination to sit at
the Roundtable and had to
check it out further because it
seemed so far-fetched.
Hoilowell hasn’t been told
much about what his appoint
ment entails. What he has
been told is that he will repre
sent North Carolina on the
Roundtable, which is an advi
sory panel to President George
W. Bush from the information
he has received.
“It was an honor to be
asked,”' Hoilowell said.
“Hopefully, it’ll be a benefit to
the county, to the whole area.”
A news release faxed to
Hoilowell concerning the
Roundtable states,’’People of
the highest caliber will be
involved in making decisions,
^hich due to Mr. Hollowell’s
personal achievements he was
nominated to represent North
Carolina as part of the
Presidential Roundtable. The
one that nominated Mr.
Hoilowell was of the Federal
level, which the individuals
name can not be revealed...
“Through the year Mr.
Hoilowell will have input at
the Roundtable with Senators,
Cabinet Members and George
W. Bush to help keep our
nation on a course of strength
and prosperity. At several
points in the year Mr.
Hoilowell will be meeting with
the GOP Senators and top poli
cy makers...
“We are pleased to have him
' serve as one of the newest
American leaders who will
work with George W Bush and
Dick Cheney to put our nation
on a new course. By being a
part of the Roundtable there
will be an opportunity to share
in the rewards of leadership,
friendship, effectiveness and
exclusivity.”
Although he is a registered
Democrat, Hoilowell said he
Supported the Bush-Cheney
ticket.
As for how he was nominat
ed, Hoilowell said one connec
tion he can make is to Mary
fellen Withrow, the U.S.
Treasurer. Hoilowell said he
has talked with Withrow at
hational and international
meetings at which he spoke.
The Gates County native
lives in the Bagley Swamp
community with his wife, Lisa
Stevenson Hoilowell, 5-year-
bld son, Joshua.
Part of Hertford's ongoing infrastructure upgrades includes sewer work, which is presently
underway. Mayor Sid Eley said the town has accomplished a great deal over the last year,
and 2001 plans show more progress.
Hertford mayor reviews
“state of the town”
The President gets national
media attention for his annual
State of the Union address.
North Carolina’s major
newspapers and the Associated
Press all hear the governor’s
State of the State speech.
Hertford Mayor Sid Eley
thinks folks in his town
deserve a State of the Town
report annually, too.
Recently Eley worked with
Town Manager John
Christensen to review what
happened in Hertford in 2000,
and what the town’s residents
can expect in 2001.
During last year, Hertford
was named a Main Street com
munity. A part-time director
was hired to oversee the pro
gram, and immediately the
town began to reap the benefits
of its new status. Eley said the
town has received grants for
over $55,000 in conjunction
with the program, including a
$35,000 long-range planning
grant for downtown, funds to
refurbish and equip for use as a
visitor’s center the downtown
building donated by Robert
Earl and Chris Lane, and TEA-
21 funds to install period light
ing on the S-bridge and in the
downtown block. Town offi
cials worked with other county
organizations and local govern
ments on these grants and pro
jects.
Highway Enhancement
Funds were secured to build
multipurpose paths from the S-
bridge to the Winfall town lim
its and from King Street to U.S.
17 By-pass. County
Commissioner and State
Transportation Commissioner
Charles Ward was instrumen
tal in securing those funds.
Infrastructure improvement
and expansion has been and
will continue to be a big item
on the town’s agenda.
Last year, the town updated
its electrical system from 4KA
to 12 KW The move increased
the system’s efficiency and will
allow the town to meet future
needs, including service to the
commerce centre.
The storm water system has
also been repaired. Using
money received from FEMA
grants for damages from
Hurricane Floyd, the town
dredged a portion of Jenny’s
Gut and cleared several storm
water drains.
At the town’s request, the
state installed storm water
drainage on Grubb and
Edenton Road streets.
The town’s sewer collection
system will continue to be
upgraded. Last year, the town
used insurance awards from
hurricane damage to repair
and update three pump sta
tions.
This year will see the mod
ernization and enlargement of
the waste water treatment
plant and the addition of a land
application spray field. The
upgrade will increase the
capacity of the plant by more
than 50 percent and allow the
town to spray the majority of
the treated water on land
rather than into the river.
Grants for over $3 million
will pay for the majority of the
waste water work, including
extending the waste water
treatment system to the com
merce centre.
The water system will also
be modernized and expanded
this year, increasing plant
capacity by 50 percent. An
additional well will be dug, and
service will be run to the com
merce centre.
Last year, water and sewer
lines were upgraded and added
to Woodland and Saunders
streets.
Eley said the town has
removed old and unreliable
vehicles from its fleet, replac
ing them with newer vehicles.
Equipment was also bought,
some for the fire and police
departments with grants.
The town cut its work force
by two positions in 2000. The
town is on contract with the
Pasquotank Correctional
Facility to furnish four
inmates at a cost of
$l/day/inmate to help with
jobs like mowing, leaf pickup,
and trash removal.
Recreation facilities have
been improved. Through pub
lic access and RC&D grants, the
town added a canoe launch pier
and stabilized the shoreline at
Missing Mill Park. Basketball
and tennis courts have been
added through the county
recreation department, with
cooperation from the school
system and Housing Authority
Donated trees and shrubs were
planted in the Academy Square
Park to enhance the green area.
Eight residents of the town
who met requirements and
completed the application
process will get housing reno
vations using a $200,000
Housing Assistance Grant
awarded to the town.
Eley said a storm water
plan, remodeling the ice plant,
signage to direct and welcome
visitors to the town and a mul
titude of other ^projects are
being reviewed and fine-tuned.
Perfect
The Lady Pirates just keep
rolling past the competition,
even holding on to win
Friday night after a week of
the flu traveling through its
ranks. Halfway through the
conference season,
Perquimans remains perfect
in Northeastern Albemarle
action, as well as for the
season overall.
Hertford men
charged in car
thefts, arson
Four car thefts,
two fires
investigated
Two Hertford men were
arrested and charged with
playing a role in the robbery
and arson of a Pitt County car
dealership on Jan. 15. A third
was charged with possession
of a second stolen vehicle
recovered during the investi
gation. And an Edenton man
was charged with theft and
arson at an Ahoskie business.
Pitt County deputies arrest
ed Sharey Lavon Williams, 18,
of Hertford, last Tuesday for
the theft of a 2000 GMC Denali
stolen from Winner Chevrolet
in Ayden the day before.
The car was discovered
missing when law officials
investigated a fire at the car
dealership early Monday
morning. The sport utility
vehicle was equipped with the
OnStar satellite navigation
system. Us,ing the tracking
capabilities, it was quickly
determined that the vehicle
was in Hertford. Local law offi
cers found the vehicle Monday
behind a house on King Street
belonging to one of Williams’
relatives.
“While the fire was still
under way, we called the
OnStar service center and they
began to track vehicle,” said
Pitt County Sheriff Mac
Manning said.
OnStar uses global position
ing satellites to link cars with
a service center. When a car is
stolen, the center can track the
vehicle to within a 30-meter
radius, said Todd Carstensen,
a company representative.
“That is what helped us find
them as fast as we did, at the
outset of our investigation,”
Manning said. In this case,
deputies used a service center
in Charlotte.
Investigators believe
Williams stole the vehicle
Monday morning, then set fire
to the dealership on N.C. 11,
according to Manning.
Details about the fire's cause
are still under investigation.
Two other men, Calvis
Shannard Jones, 17, of
Edenton and Jermaine Terrell
Glasper, 18, of Hertford, were
arrested Thursday in connec
tion with the theft and fire.
David Chesson, 38, of Route
5, Box 346, Burgess Road,
Hertford, was arrested by
Perquimans officials Jan. 22.
Perquimans Sheriff Eric
Tilley said that the OnStar sys
tem indicated that the Denali
had stopped at an address on
Burgess Road prior to travel
ing to the King Street address.
Chesson lives at the Burgess
Road address first recorded by
On-Star.
After officers found the
Denali, they went to the
Burgess Road address, where
they found a 1993 Ford F-150
truck that was reported stolen
in Martin County early on Jan.
14. Chesson was charged with
possession of a stolen vehicle
and possession of stolen goods.
Martin County officials are
still investigating that inci
dent.
A Jeep Laredo believed to
have been used in the theft and
arson was also recovered in
Hertford last Monday. A
deputy and Hertford officer
received a tip on the Jeep, and
found it on Market Street.
Tilley said the Jeep was also
reported stolen from Martin
County, and fit the description
of a vehicle seen following the
Denali last Monday.
Jones was apprehended
Thursday by Plymouth police
after a chase in which he drove
a car stolen from Ahoskie. The
car, which Jones wrecked dur
ing the chase, was a 1999 Ford
Mustang stolen from an
Ahoskie dealership on Jan. 1.
That dealership was also set on
fire. Manning said.
Glasper was charged with
conspiracy to break and enter
and commit larceny.
Glasper was released from
the Pitt County Detention
Center on a $25,000 unsecured
bond. Jones is being held in a
Washington County detention
center. Williams is being held
in the Pitt County Detention
Center in lieu of a $150,000
bond. Chesson’s bond was set
at $7,000.
Law enforcement officers
are investigating whether the
men were involved in other car
thefts.
Manning would not say
whether more arrests are
pending in the case, which is
still under investigation.
Law officers from the
Perquimans, Pitt, Chowan and
Martin county sheriff’s
departments, Hertford and
Plymouth police departments,
NC Highway Patrol and SBI
assisted with the case.
“We often find ourselves in a
position to work with other
agencies,” Manning said. “We
cooperate to get our jobs
done.”
Several hundred stolen cars
have been recovered since the
Troy, Mich.-based OnStar went
into business in 1996,
Carstensen said.
“This type of recovery and
arrest is becoming more com
mon,” he said.
About 1 million vehicles are
equipped with the system, and
about 800,000 owners subscribe
to the system.
(This story was compiled
with information gathered by
The Perquimans Weekly, The
Times-Leader and The Daily
Reflector newspapers, all part
of Cox North Carolina
Publications, Inc.)
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 48
Low: 26
Showers
Friday
High: 47
Low: 32
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 58
Low: 35
Partly Cloudy