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HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
JUL 0 9 2003
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July 9, 2003
VoL 71, No. 28 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
111
■- - - 7J8/2003 ,
Perquimans
WEEKIY rtT.
New rec
center
almost
complete
SUSAN R. HARRIS
It stayed in the planning
stages for about three
years, and soon the coun
ty’s recreation/community
center will open its doors to
residents.
Located on the
Perquimans River in the
county’s commerce centre
on Harvey Point Road, the
facility includes a gymnasi
um/community center,
large meeting room, offices
and storage for the recre
ation department, a lighted
soccer field, a lighted Babe
Ruth Baseball field and
large parking area.
“It’s impressive,” said
County Manager Paul
Gregory. “I’m proud of it.
It’s going to be a super-nice
facility.”
i The recreation staff may
move into the offices earli
er, but the center will not be
4 ready for full use until late
faU or early winter, Gregory
said. That’s because it will
not be hooked up to the
town of Hertford’s sewer
system until that time.
. Engineering work on the
wastewater collection pro
ject was not completed
early in the building
process, and therefore, the
center is not ready to be
used by the public.
However, Gregory said
the engineering work has
now been done and the
ptate has approved the
plans, which wiU allow for
temporary wastewater col
lection at the site.
The county has applied
for a $250,000 grant from the
Rural Center to fund
extending water and sewer
lines from the pump station
in the commerce park to the
center.
The facility was con
structed with $250,000 in
grant funds, $500,000 the
county saved for the project
and $750,000 borrowed for
five years, Gregory said.
By January, county offi
cials hope the building wUl
be ready for full use. It will
be available for rent when
not scheduled for county
and recreation activities.
The only stipulations will
be that no high-heeled
shoes can be worn on the
gym floor and no alcohol
may be served.
Gregory said it will be a
nice facility for wedding
receptions and other func
tions as there are indoor
and outdoor areas which
overlook the river.
The recreation complex
is phase I of what the coun
ty hopes is a two-three
phase program.
Phase II wUl include a
ViQuest cardiovascular
center featuring a pool and
exercise equipment which
wni be available to the pub
lic for a fee.
It will also include an
extension to the existing
building in which COA will
operate classrooms.
It has not been decided
whether a par-three golf
course will be a part of
phase II or phase III.
Festive Fourth
’* • ». * a' ‘ * ' V,
Families from across Perquimans gathered at Missing
Mill Park Friday night for a hometown 4th of July,
complete with food, novelties, music and of course,
fireworks. Children of all ages lined up to buy glow-in-
the-dark necklaces and other novelties (top left). Even
those with youthful hearts, like Mary Hunnicutt (top
right) donned the glowing plastic 4th favorites. As
soon as the night sky turned dark, the fireworks show,
sponsored by the American Legion, lit up the sky over
the river. The show was shot by local volunteers with
the Hertford Fire Department on hand as a safety pre
caution. Some couples sang along, clapped their
hands and even danced (bottom right) to the tunes of
Loose Change. The festivities were organized by the
Historic Hertford Business Association.
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Early morning fire
Locals
get break
paying
estimated
taxes
New laws put
more money
in personal
pockets
Self-employed persons,
investors, and others who
make estimated tax pay
ments started benefiting
from the lower tax rates
and other changes made by
the new tax law when they
made their second quarter
ly payments. By using the
new provisions to refigure
their projected 2003 income
tax, many will be able to
reduce their payments for
the rest of the year.
The IRS Web site has an
overview of key changes to
be considered, the new tax
rate schedules to be used
and worksheets in
Publication 505, Tax
Withholding and Estimated
Tax, for computing special
items. Go to
www.irs.gov/newsroom,
click on “What's Hot” and
then the estimated tax arti
cle.
For many, the biggest
impact on quarterly pay
ments will come from lower
tax rates.
The maximum rate is 15
percent for qualified divi
dends for 2003 and for net
capital gain on sales and
installment sale payments
received after May 5. But a 5
percent rate applies to
gains or dividends that
would have otherwise been
taxed at a regular rate of 10
or 15 percent. (There are no
changes in the special rates
for unrecaptured section
1250 gain, collectibles gain,
or section 1202 gain.)
In addition to the tax
rates, other key changes
include higher standard
deductions, alternative
minimum exemptions,
business expense deduc
tions and depreciation.
Some taxpayers also saw
a slight increase in pay-
checks in June due to the
new federal tax cuts.
Stacy Jethro Jones snapped this photo of Bethel firefighters battling a garage fire
on Holly Street in the Snug Harbor community during the wee hours of Saturday
morning. The garage was a total loss, but her neighbors were able to move a truck
backed up to the garage, but not before the tail lights and bedliner melted.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 90
Low: 76
Isolated T'Storms
Friday
High:89
Low: 72
ScAHERED T'Storms
Saturday
High: 90
Low:72
Isolated T'Storms