Garden Open House
Page!
Open Door benefrt
Rage 3
Sports/School
Rage 6
P5/C4
HERTFORD, NC 27^4-1306
RECEIVED
MAY i 8 YIIU3
May 28, 2003
Vol. 71, No. 22 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
]^QL
Weekiy
Town
signs
lighting
contract
Parts of Church Street
should boast period light
ing by Christmas.
The contract for the first
phase of the TEA-21 Street
Light Enhancement project
Was signed earlier this
month.
According to Wendy
Jewett, Main Street
Program Manager, the sign
ing of the contract is the
final step in almost three
years of planning before
the installation begins.
The initial grant was
submitted in June 2000 to
the N.C. Department of
Transportation for installa
tion of period lighting
along Church Street from
Dobbs Street across the “S”
bridge. Lights were chosen
that are similar to the origi
nal lights on the bridge.
DOT awarded the funds
to the town for the project
in phases. The initial phase
of the project will start at
the corner of Dobbs and
Church streets and stop at
the Grubb and Church
streets intersection and
will include the “S” bridge.
The first award of
$240,320 from DOT was
matched by $60,000 from the
county.
, All bids received were
over budget. The project
was in jeopardy when town
officials asked for help from
Charles Ward and Stan
White from the DOT Board
and Representative Bill
Culpepper. Because of their
efforts, the town received
an additional $140,000
fenabling them to keep the
project intact.
The contract was award
ed to Lee Electrical
Construction, Inc. of
Aberdeen, the lowest bid
der. It will take 8-12 weeks
for the specially-made poles
to get to town, according to
the contractor.
The Main Street
Program will be responsi
ble for grant management
and project oversight.
Representatives from
Lee provided information
to the town outlining how
they wlU work to minimize
disruption to the business
es during the installation.
According to these repre
sentatives, power will not
be cut off and traffic pat
terns will be minimally dis
turbed.
In March, NCDOT
awarded $201,600 to the
town for the second phase
of the project, which wiU
complete Church Street by
installing lights between
the “S” bridge and the cor
ner of Grubb and Church.
A $50,400 match is required.
At this point, a total of
$692,320 has been commit
ted to this project.
Jewett said the Hertford
Main Street Program is
blessed with strong com
munity support, which is a
vital key to its success.
Close to 50 volunteers are
serving on committees that
make recommendations to
the Board of Directors.
Anyone interested in vol
unteer opportunities may
call Jewett at 426-1425.
Remembering their fallen comrades
3.
Tk,*’
..-y y,’
Local veterans place wreaths in honor of their fallen comrades at the foot of the flag pole at
Cemetery Monday during a Memorial Day observance.
Cedar Wood
4
Veterans honored
SUSAN R. HARRIS
About 75 people, many of
them veterans, gathered at
Cedar Wood Cemetery
Monday for a Memorial
Day observance.
Sgt. Major Gary Lowry,
USA Ret., Col. William
Toney, USAF Ret. and veter
an Charles Skinner took
part in the program, for
which Robert Ascher was
lead organizer.
Veterans placed wreaths
in honor of their fallen
brothers.
The Edenton
Community Male Chorus
sang during the ceremony,
while Col. and Mrs. Toney
led the audience in singing
“God Bless America.”
Lowry read the May 30,
1868 General Order No. 11
regarding honoring fallen
veterans.
Skinner said that 275
flags were placed in Cedar
Wood Cemetery on graves
that could be identified as
those of beterans. Over 75
flags were also placed in
other local cemeteries.
Andrew Bostwick played
taps to end the ceremony.
p A group of veterans
*^and patriotic citizens is
seeking to preserve histo
ry and honor those from
Perquimans County who
served in the military
with short memorials on
the first Saturday of each
month at noon on the
courthouse lawn begin
ning June 7.
^ Bob Ascher and
I Charlie Skinner are con
tact persons for the pro
ject.
Ascher said the group
hopes to create archives'
on local veterans for
future reference.
Veterans honorably
discharged are eligible
for recognition. Families
who wish to have a veter
an honored should call
Ascher at 426-1112. When
possible, the group would
like to raise the flag that
draped the veteran’s cas- #
ket during the courthouse
ceremony "i
The first veteran to be
honored will bp Lyman T.
Shepard. - 'j
The Perquimans
Weekly will participate in
the project by running a
new feature. Veteran’s ^
Corner, the Wednesday
after each ceremony
PCHS graduation set for Friday evening
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The famUiar strains of
“Pomp and Circumstance”
wiU fill the air at Memorial
Stadium Friday evening as
117 Perquimans County
High School seniors cele
brate their graduation.
Leading the way will be
valedictorian Erin
Christine France and salu-
tatorian Megan Stallings.
The top honor students will
serve as speakers for the.
occasion.
France will attend the
University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill in
the fall, where she plans to
major in English/Creative
Writing in order to pursue
a career in writing.
Instrumental music has
played a big role in
France’s high school life.
She was a member of the
Marching Pirates band for
four years, serving as sec
tion leader her junior and
senior years.
France was also involved
in concert band and the
Collee of The Albemarle
Erin France
Community Band, and was
selected for the University
of North Carolina at
Greensboro Honors Band
Festival in 2000. In addi
tion, she took private saxo
phone lessons.
Frances participated in a
variety of activities,
including roles in drama
department productions,
Science Club and Quiz
Bowl, Governor’s School,
Beta Club and mathematics
symposiums.
Megan Stallings
She has also been active
in church and community
activities.
France is the daughter of
Joe and Rebecca France.
Stallings will attend
North Carolina State
University in the fall.
She earned accolades
during her high school
career for her exploits on
the volleyball court, being
named to both All-
Conference and The Daily
Advance Sweet 16 Team, as
well as the All-Academic
Team.
She was also honored by
the North Carolina High
School Athletic
Association with the
Lowe’s Hometown Hero
Award.
A percussionist,
Stallings was a member of
the marching band for four
years, and served as cap
tain her senior year.
Stallings’ other school
activities included SURGE
Team, class officer,
Governor’s School, and
Governor’s and House of
Representative’s Page.
In addition, Stallings has
been actively involved in
church and community
projects.
She is the daughter of
Dwayne and Kathy
Stallings.
Graduation is set for
Friday at 8 p.m. The com
mencement exercises are
open to everyone.
In the event of rain, the
ceremony will move inside,
where only those with tick
ets will be admitted.
PCHS
teacher
recovering
from stab
wounds
BEN DECK
The Daily Advance
and
SUSAN R. HARRIS
A well-respected
Perquimans County High
School teacher remains in
intensive care in Albemarle
Hospital recovering from
stab wounds inflicted by
her ex-husband on May 17.
Tonya Little-Williams
was attacked early on
Saturday morning by Avis
Lenear Williams, said Sgt.
Jason Banks, head of inves
tigations at the Elizabeth
City Police Department.
The altercation took
place in the back yard of
Little-Williams’ Brookridge
Drive, Elizabeth City home.
Little-Williams had a
domestic violence protec
tion order against her hus
band, and it is not clear
how the two came into con
tact.
Police found Little-
Williams and Williams
after being called by a resi
dent who had heard
screaming, Banks said.
Little-Williams had been
stabbed and Avis Williams,
36, of 1472 Lambs Grove
Road, Camden, was “still
there with the knife in his
hand,” Banks said.
Williams dropped the
knife and was arrested
after a brief struggle with
police. Banks said.
Wflliams was charged with
felony assault with intent
to kill and with violating a
domestic violence protec
tion order, and he was
placed at Albemarle
District Jail in lieu of a
$51,000 secured bond.
With Little-WiUiams hos
pitalized, a retired science
teacher has been called in
to handle her classes, said
PCHS Principal Dwayne
Stallings.
“She’s doing a lot better
according to the nurses I
talked to (this weekend),
although they can’t teU me
much because of the new
privacy laws,” Stallings
said.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 76
Low: 58
PM T'Storms
Friday
High:75
Low: 58
Isolated T'Storms
Saturday
High: 77
Low:66
Isolated TStorms