The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people
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The
HERTFORD NC 0794^^ ji
p: FEB 0 7 2031
February 8, 2001
Vol. 69, No. 6 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Weekly
35 cents
Dispatch department must move by Dec. 31
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The county communica
tions center wUl be homeless
in December.
County Manager Paul
Gregory said Sprint sent the
county a letter stating that the
lease between the county and
Sprint for space in the tele
phone substation on Grubb
Street wUl end Dec. 31.
Gregory admitted that he at
first thought the Sprint move
was in response to the county’s
refusal to sign a lease or pur
chase agreement for new E-911
equipment with Sprint. After
talking with some people in the
company and other govern
ment agencies using Sprint
facilities, however, Gregory
said he does not believe that is
the case.
“We’re not the only ones
(this is happening to),”
Gregory told commissioners.
“This is happening aU over.”
Last month. Sprint repre
sentatives appeared before the
commissioners to discuss E-
911 equipment options with the
county The system the county
needs wUl cost $225,000 to pur
chase, about $300,000 with
maintenance and service
agreements over a 5-year peri
od, Sprint officials said.
Leasing the same equipment
wUl cost $7,438 per month for a
60-month lease, or a total of
$446,000 over 5 years. The lease
includes equiment, training,
service and maintenance.
Sprint said.
The advantage of leasing is
the ease of upgrading to new
technology, according to
Sprint. If the county purchases
equipment, it wiU be up to the
county to replace the equip
ment to upgrade, even if tech
nology advances quickly. With
a lease, technology upgrades
can be negotiated as part of an
amended lease, officials said.
The Sprint representatives
said most agencies are opting
for rental programs due to the
rapid changes in technology
But the commissioners were
not convinced that spending an
additional $200,000 was the
right move. Commissioners
Chairman Charles Ward said
he thinks the county should go
out for bids on the equipment
to see if the lease and purchase
agreements from Sprint are in
line with the market.
Commissioner Mack Nixon
agreed. He said he can not teU
if either Sprint price package
was in line with industry stan
dards without more informa
tion.
The board opted to ask for
bids from other companies
before making a decision.
Communications Director
Homeria Jennette was at
Monday’s meeting. She and
Gregory said drawing up a bid
proposal is an overwhelming
job, and Jennette has sought
advice from a consultant to
help prepare a bid package.
In the meantime, the county
must find a new home for the
communications center.
Options mentioned Monday
included a new buUding to be
constructed near the rescue
squad building and space to be
vacated over the next 18
months by the building inspec
tion department.
Jennette said there are a lot
of needs in the communica
tions department that are
unique to its dispatching
duties. She reminded commis
sioners that there must be
restroom and kitchen facilities
in the department because
communications employees
cannot leave for meals. They
must be near the telephone
console at aU times. She said
computer floors need to be
installed in the new headquar
ters to handle aU wiring under
the floor, and there will also
need to be sufficient storage
space for the equipment.
Ward said an important fac
tor in locating the department
should be the safety of employ
ees who work alone 24 hours a
day, seven days a week.
Pilot died from crash injuries, autopsy states
NTSB: Crash off
Turnpike Road in
December due to
pilot error
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The phot of the plane that
crashed in Perquimans County
in December died of injuries
sustained in the crash.
Perquimans Sheriff Eric
Tilley said he received the
autopsy report from Pitt
County Memorial Hospital for
pilot Gordon Montgomery last
week. The report states that
the 76-year-old died of extreme
injuries resulting from the
plane cPash. The report said
that Montgomery’s right coro
nary artery was 76 percent nar
rowed, but that the problem
“played no part in his death.”
Forensic Pathologist M.G.F.
Gilliland, M.D. performed the
authopsy.
Tilley said the autopsy is
consistent with the conclusion
of the National Transportation
Safety Board that Montgomery
lost control of the plane. Jeff
Kennedy, an investigator with
the Transportation Safety
Board, concluded that the
crash was the result of pilot
error. No word has been
received from the Federal
Aviation Administration.
Just over 72 pounds of
Montgomery’s 250-pound body
was recovered at the crash site
just off Turnpile Road, where
the plane went down the after
noon of Dec. 14. TiUey said the
plane hit the ground and
'burned. A study of the crash
site and parts of the plane indi
cated that Montgomery’s head
hit the instrument panel with
great force. He was identified
from the circumstances of the
accident and dental records.
Investigators discovered
that Montgomery had spent
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A 76-year-old Florida man died in a firey plane crash off Turnpike Road on Dec. 14. An autopsy report indicates the pilot
died of injuries sustained in the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board said pilot error caused the wreck.
over $70,000 putting two
engines on the Piper in May,
but the plane was not insured.
Tilley said members of
Montgomery’s family called
here recently to let TUley know
they are making arrangements
to have the crash site cleaned
up. The sheriff said pe wreck
age stUl litters the area.
The crash occurred during
what was apparently a familiar
flight for Montgomery.
Investigators found that
Montgomery flew from his
home in John’s Island, Fla. to
his second home in South
Dartmouth, Mass, regularly.
He was known to fly into
Edenton, stay overnight, gas
up and then fly the second leg
of his trip.
The sheriff’s department
was first aware of a plane
crash when a hunter called
around 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 14 to
report that a plane was
grounded and on fire near a
drainage ditch off Turnpike
Road. Firefighters from
Perquimans County and the
Newland Fire Department in
Pasquotank County extin
guished the plane’s flames.
Tilley said he received a cab.
from the Edenton Municipal
Airport around 3 p.m. on the
day of the crash to be on the
lookout for a small blue and
white plane headed north from
Florida. The plane was report
edly scheduled to land at the
Edenton airport, but had been
lost on radar.
Montgomery reportedly left
Vero Beach, Fla. at 9:55 a.m.
heading toward
Massachusetts. As he
approached Edenton for a land
ing, Perquimans Sheriff’s
Investigator Nathan Zachary
said, he was told by Edenton
air traffic control to circle and
hold altitude at 3,000 feet.
Records indicate Edenton
airport controllers lost radar
contact with Montgomery
momentarily and then picked
him up again at an altitude of
2,200 feet.
What happened from that
point, however, is still
unknown. Parts of the plane
sank as much as 5 feet into the
ground in an open field near
the Perquimans-Pasquotank
border near the mouth of the
Dismal Swamp.
Sheriff’s officers from
Perquimans and Pasquotank
counties kept watch over the
50-yard crash area for two days
to keep the site secure for
National Transportation
Safety Board and FAA investi
gators.
Weekenti silent auction benefits Main Street Program
The Antique Dealers
Association of Perquimans
County will hold its second
annual sUent auction, a benefit
for the Hertford Main Street
Program, Saturday, Feb. 10,
from 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and
Sunday, Feb. 11, noon-5 p.m.
The auction is open to the pub
lic, with viewing and bidding
both days. The inventory at
auction will include a 9-foot
church pew, Edison Victrola,
waterfall wardrobe. Art Deco
china closet, Limoges china,
two secretaries, an Empire
mantle, an Eastlake loveseat,
and at least 100 more antique
and collectible items, includ
ing tables, lamps, mirrors,
chairs, glass and linen.
A hearty Champagne
Brunch will be offered on
Sunday, noon-3 p.m. Tickets are
available in advance ($5 per
person) at Hertfordshire
Antiques, Fancy That
Interiors, Riverwalk Gallery,
Country Flair and Hertford
Hardware (My Corner
Antiques). The Brunch menu
will feature smoked turkey,
country ham rolls, salmon
pate', pasta salad, crudites,
fruits and cheeses, sinful
desserts and other items.
Beverages include champagne
punch, sparkling punch, tea
and coffee. At 5 p.m. there wiU
be a drawing of brunch tickets,
for door prizes consisting of
$200 worth of gift certificates
from antique shops. PapiUon
Linens will present a free sem
inar on the history, care and
preservation of vintage linens
at 3 p.m. on Sunday
All three events take place at
Gregory said some county
space will become available
once the new health depart
ment is finished. That building
must be renovated to house
social services, then the social
services building will be ready
for occupancy with some
minor renovations, he said. All
that could take quite some
time, he said.
The commissioners wiU dis
cuss the issue in a work ses
sion Monday night. The ses
sion is in preparation of a joini
meeting between the county
Winfall, Hertford, the school
board, and several depart
ments and boards within those
agencies to discuss long-range
planning and ideas for the
county. The meeting is set for
March 5 at the Albemarle
Commission Budding.
rivers
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The streams in the county
are surprisingly clear, accord
ing to Rodney Johnson with
Albemarle RC&D.
Johnson said fewer prob
lems than expected surfaced
during the recent assessment
of the county’s waterways,
Still, the estimated cost ol
clearing problem areas tops
$111,000.
RC&D and Soil
Conservation officials com
pleted the survey, and looked
for areas yvith highest impact
on homes and drainage sys
tems to prioritize recommend
ed clearing and snagging pro
jects.
Johnson said the recom
mendation is to snag areas in
the upper Perquimans near
Belvidere and around Mill
Creek in Parksville first. The
cost of those two projects
would be $52,400. The county
will seek a grant to cover
$34,900 of the cost.
Remaining areas needing
snagging include Deep Creek,
Goodwin’s Mill, Upper Bethel
Creek, Upper Yeopim Creek,
Racoon Creek, Upper Sutton’s
Creek, Upper Little River
Bagley Swamp and Burnt Mill,
Heavy beaver activity was
found in the Bethel, Sutton’s
Creek and Bagley Swamp
areas.
Hertfordshire Antiques in
downtown Hertford. Bidders
may register for a bidder num
ber and view and bid in writ
ing, on bid forms attached to
each item on Saturday and
Sunday, unth 5, at which time
aU bids are final. Payment will
be accepted in the form of cash
or personal check, and no
buyer’s premium will be added
on. For further information,
call 426-3640 or 426-8222.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 66
Low: 47
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 76
Low: 50
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 64
Low: 40
Scahered Showers