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PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRAR
110 W ACADEMY ST , op,/-
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
November 21, 2001
Vol. 69, No. 37 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
PEROUMANt> wccr^u • • •
Perquimans
Weekly
Mugging proves need for extra caution
Woman
attacked on
Dobbs Street
SUSAN R. HARRIS
A recent mugging out
side Hertford United
Methodist Church left
church member Miriam
Haskett with a broken
pelvis.
It also brought church
members to the Hertford
Town Council last week
asking for more lighting
around the church.
Weils on
NCCAT
board
Perquimans Schools
Superintendent Kenneth
Wells was recently
appointed to the Board of
Trustees of the North
Carolina Center for the
Advancement of
Teaching.
Wells was appointed by
Senator Marc Basnight.
Wells joined
Perquimans County
Schools in July, after
serving as assistant
superintendent in Dare
County Prior to coming
East, Wells was a teacher,
assistant principal and
principal in the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
School System.
A native of
Wilmington, Wells
earned his undergradu
ate degree from the
University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill
and his Masters of
Education in Human
Development and
Learning Educational
Administration from
UNC-Charlotte.
During his tenure in
Charlotte, Wells earned
numerous honors from
education groups for his
leadership as a principal.
He is a board member
of the Chowan-Gates-
Perquimans Partnership
for Children and the
Interagency Council. He
is also a volunteer board
member for the N.C.
Aquarium on Roanoke
Island and a volunteer
with Habitat for
Humanity. In addition, he
is a member of several
professional organiza
tions.
The North Carolina
Center for the
Advancement of
Teaching, located in
Cullowhee, is touted by
Director Mary Jo Allen as
one of the nation’s most
significant edcuational
endeavors for the benefit
of school teachers. The
organization is dedicated
to advancing the art and
profession of teaching by
providing intellectual
and creative renewal
experiences for class
room teachers.
According to Mayor Sid
Eley the town has working
street lights on three sides
of the church, which fronts
Market, Dobbs and Covent
Garden streets. Town offi
cials suggested that the
church place lighting on its
property to improve securi
ty
The latest edition of the
church newsletter also sug
gests that members visit
the church in pairs to
increase safety.
Especially during the
Christmas season, local law
enforcement officials rec
ommend that everyone be
careful. They say that there
are things people can do to
be safer during the holiday
rush.
Hertford Police Chief
Dale Vanscoy said one of
the most important steps
people can take is to enter
and exit holiday events in
groups. He suggested that if
a church or other group is
hosting an event, several
males be designated as
escorts to see people in and
out of buildings.
Alternately, people can
arrange to arrive at the
same time and go in and
leave together.
Another thing people to
need to be careful of is car
rying shoulder bags.
Allowed to hang from the
shoulder, the straps allow
would-be thieves to snatch
the purse and run. It is also
unwise to carry wallets and
checkbooks in back pockets
where they are also easy
targets.
“Most of the time that
kind of stuff (purse snatch-
ings, pick-pockets) is a
crime of opportunity,”
Vanscoy said. “Someone is
walking down the street,
they’re alone, they’ve got
their bag free and it just
happens. Very little of that
type of crime is planned.”
The same holds for grab
bing purses from unattend
ed in a shopping carts.
Carrying a lot of cash
and opening a wallet filled
with cash at a check-out
counter are two more prob
lem areas.
Shoppers should be care
ful when using credit cards.
Customers should ask for
any carbons between the
sheets of credit card
receipts and destroy them
Other moves to keep
from becoming a target for
a criminal during the holi
days include locking vehi
cles and putting packages
in trunks, avoiding shop
ping alone at night, and
parking in well-lighted
areas.
Vanscoy also recom
mends that people take care
to lock the doors and win
dows of their homes.
If a crime does occur, the
most important step a vic
tim can do is report it
immediately.
“I know it’s a traumatic
thing that happens to them,
but they (victims) need to
get the best description
they can and report it as
soon as possible so officers
can get in the area and
begin a search,” Vanscoy
said.
Vanscoy said robberies
usually increase when the
economy weakens.
Chamber helps Matthews restore treasure
SUSAN R. HARRIS
One of downtown
Hertford’s most striking
historic buildings is getting
a facelift.
The office of John V.
Matthews Jr., Attorney and
Counsellor at Law, has had
its imposing columns and
woodwork repainted. Work
is also in progress on the
capitals atop the columns.
John and Darla
Matthews purchased the
building in 1985 to house
John Matthews’ legal prac
tice. Offices were created
inside the building at that
time.
For over 2 years, the
Matthews have planned the
building’s renovation. John
Matthews’ heart surgery in
August 2000 interrupted
work on the project, but the
couple is now back on
track.
The Matthews were one
of the first businesses
downtown to apply for the
reopened Chamber of
Commerce Facade Grant
Program. The program,
which was put on hold sev
eral years ago when the
Chamber hit financial diffi
culties, provides grants to
help downtown commer
cial building owners with
facade renovations. The
maximum grant is $1,000,
and provides $1 for every $3
of project costs.
How to deal with the cap
itals atop the columns on
the Matthews’ building is
proving one of the most
time-consuming parts of
the project, both in plan
ning and actual renovation.
Chamber of Commerce
President Becky Winslow
and Treasurer Margie
Nixon present a facade
grant to John and Darla
Matthews to help with
renovations at John
Matthews' Church Street
law office. One portion of
the project is repairing
the capitals atop the
building's imposing
columns have been dam
aged by birds.
The capitals are in the
Greek style called Ionic and
thus each is in the shape of
a scroll. According to John
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Matthews, the distinctive
capitals, made of terra
cotta, have been damaged
by pigeons and other birds
pecking on them. One capi
tal was so badly damaged
that it had to be removed in
May 2000.
The Matthews have
sought advice from con
tractors and other renova
tion specialists on how best
to deal with the capitals.
They have worked with
local contractors and a
company in Wilmington on
the project.
“The work on the capi
tals will probably be the
most difficult part of the
project since it will have to
be done at such a great
height and will require the
roping off of part of all of
the sidewalk in front of the
building,” John Matthews
said.
The Matthews also hope
to include the renovation of
the rectangular area above
the columns in the project.
The couple has received
encouragement and adviso
ry assistance on the project
from Belinda Washlesky,
Program Manager of
Hertford’s Main Street
Program. They have also
received a facade drawing
prepared by Lauren
Melinoff, who works with
Main Street on the state
level.
Chamber of Commerce
President Becky Winslow
said the Chamber Board
was pleased to be able to
reopen the grant program.
Funds for the program
came from a state program
designed to help communi
ties renovate and revitatl-
ize their downtown busi
ness districts.
Funds are still available,
and Winslow said the
Chamber will hold another
application period in the
spring.
Main Street Realty opens
in Hall of Fame Square
Chamber, government and business leaders joined
Barry Wallgren for the grand opening of Main Street
Realty of North Carolina, Inc. recently. The business is
located in Hall of Fame Square in historic downtown
Hertford.
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Hertford doesn’t have a
Main Street, but it now is
home to Main Street Realty
of North Carolina, Inc.
Barry J. Wallgren, prin
cipal broker, recently cele
brated the company’s
grand opening. The busi
ness is housed in the Hall of
Fame Square at 109 N.
Church Street.
At a ribbon cutting spon
sored by the Chamber of
Commerce, Wallgren’s
guests were entertained by
a quartet from the
Albemarle Sounds. Several
people walking along
Church Street stopped to
listen to the barbershop
harmony.
Perquimans County
boasts a variety of homes
and building lots - historic,
waterfront, in town and in
country settings. Wallgren
wiU both list homes for sale
and help those looking for a
new home to find a perfect
match.
For information, call
Wallgren or his associates
at 426-9800 or visit him at
Hall of Fame Square, 109 N.
Church Street, Hertford.
Weekend
Weather
‘ Thursday
High: 60
Low: 39
Sunny
Friday
High: 66
Low: 45
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 68
Low: 44
Partly Cloudy
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