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Lady Pirates fall in playoffs
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November 3, 2004
Vol. 72, No. 44 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Weekly
35 cents
Isabel repairs continue on bridge fenders
ERIN RICKERT
Work to the fender sys
tem on Hertford’s S bridge
that boasted extended clo
sure of the roadway just
two weeks ago is running
smoothly, according to offi
cials.
Waff Contracting from
Edenton recently began
work on the system, which
not only serves as a guide
for boats, but essentially
protects the bridge from
being hit by water traffic.
Division Bridge
Engineer Chuck Brown
said the fender system, or
the wooden structure that
juts out from the bridge,
was extensively damaged
in Hurricane Isabel when
the storm surge lifted the
wood and separated the
joints — leaving large gaps
between each plank.
Now Waff Contracting is
working to replace the
entire system.
“It is going to be the
same size, shape and con
figuration as the older fend
er system,” Brown said.
Pat Wemple, an estima
tor with Waff Contracting,
said the company has a
crew of four to six men
working on repairs from
sun up to sun down.
“We are taking off fend
er timbers and replacing
them with new piles and
timbers,” Wemple said.
The company has been
periodically closing the
bridge while school is in
session to bring 55-foot pile
timbers and the 10—12 inch
boards into the work site.
Wemple said the compa
ny was concerned they may
run into problems with
repairs due to the
amount of debris
under the water
Isabel.
“So far it is going okay,”
Wemple said. “There has
not been anything unex
large
still
from
pected.”
Brown said that due to
the extensive work that will
be done, the project would
not be finished until
January 2005.
During that time, close
to 200 new pilings wUl be
driven underwater to help
support the nearly $562,000
project.
The North Carolina
Department of
Transportation will cover
the cost of repairs because
the bridge is part of US 17.
Brown said the federal
highway system will reim
burse the NCDOT a per
centage of the cost, but he
could not say how large a
percentage would be
returned.
Residents will be noti
fied of any closures related
to repairs of the fender sys
tem, but Brown said travel
on the bridge should con
tinue as usual with only a
few delays.
Civics lesson
Newbold-White
fundraiser set
ERIN RICKERT
PHOTO BY ERIN RICKERT
Students at Hertford Grammar School participated in a mock election Tuesday. The election was run by the
Student Government Association, and included voting and a lessons about the popular vote and electoral col
lege. Results were expected to be released at the end of the school day.
Conservation work on
the New-Bold White House
is expected to resume after
proceeds from the Nov. 13
Albemarle Plantation Gala
are presented to the his
toric site.
Ann Jones, site manager
at the New-Bold White
House, said the famous
brick home was tested to
determine what areas wiU
receive conservation work
once funding is in place.
The Gala will begin at 6
p.m. with cocktails and con
tinue through midnight
with dinner, dancing and
an auction.
Chris Lane, president of
the Perquimans County
Restoration Association,
said there are only 180 seats
at the Albemarle Plantation
Clubhouse, so those inter
ested in attending must
make their reservations by
Nov. 6.
Tickets are $75 a person
and black tie dress is
requested.
“I have had a lot of
phone calls,” Lane said.
“People are hungry for
something fabulous.”
Organizers held a simi
lar event two years ago and
raised $19,000, but they said
this year they hope to sur
pass that toted, and raise
$25,000 for work on the his
toric site.
Lane said a silent auc
tion with small items wiU
be at the event and a live
auction later in the evening
will feature larger items
like a handmade canoe and
a sunset cruise on a sail
boat — all donated by indi-
vidueds in the community.
“The Society of Seven,”
a band out of Virginia, will
close the evening with
dancing music from 9 p.m.
until midnight.
“Pm a real preservation
ist,” Lane said. “I think it is
important to preserve the
past for the future of our
children.”
For more information or
to make reservations, con
tact Ann Jones from the
New-Bold White House at
426-3534.
Grant could help
upgrade housing
ERIN RICKERT
A Community
Development Block
Grant could mean better
living conditions for
some Hertford residents
next year.
Hertford Town
Manager John
Christensen said the
town is currently work
ing with The Wooten
Company out of
Greenville to put togeth
er an application to
receive money from a
federal CDBG grant to
repair low to moderate-
income housing.
If the CDBG applica
tion were accepted,
$700,000 would be avail
able to repair 10-15
homes in the area.
Christensen said
Hertford has applied and
won the grant four times
in the last few years for
housing repairs on King,
Dobbs and Market
streets. This year, they
are looking to mainly
repair homes on Market
and Dobbs streets.
Donald Harvey, project
manager with The
Wooten Company, said
Hertford would be com
peting with hundreds of
other towns for the grant
money.
“There is lots of red
tape and bureaucracy,”
Harvey said. “It is very
competitive.”
In the meantime, a
crew from The Wooten
Company will survey
Market and Dobbs
streets and assess which
structures are in need of
attention.
Harvey said their
assessment would
include looking at things
like water and sewer
problems, crumbling
sidewalks and drive
ways, along with other
structural issues.
Once the assessments
are finished, The Wooten
Company will go door-to-
door and speak with the
owners and the occu
pants of each property.
“We will be in the area
any time for that [vis
its],” Harvey said.
Continued on page 3
Gustafson to step down as CIS director
ERIN RICKERT
Those who recognize the
name Barbara Gustafson
know a vibrant individual
who has helped shape the
community and the school
system in so many ways.
An individual who took
upon the challenge of start
ing the Communities in
Schools outreach program
and has made it the only
functioning program east
of Rocky Mount for nearly
six years.
She is a person many in
the community regret to
see stepping down from her
position as executive direc
tor of CIS this December,
when she passes the reins
onto someone else in the
November Board of
Education Meeting.
“I feel like I just need to
be home more,” Gustafson
said.
Gustafson’s husband
Don was diagnosed with
Alzheimer’s five months
ago and she said she just
wants to spend more time
with him.
“I have seen the other
end of this [Alzheimer’s],”
Gustafson said as she
remembered her more than
15 years as a nurse. “Don
needs time with his family
while he can appreciate it.”
Gustafson said most of
Barbara Gustafson
the infrastructure is ready
for a new director, and that
it was important for her to
be around to provide a good
transition for her predeces
sor.
She said the new direc
tor would still have the
challenge of maintaining a
program, as she did, with
little or no budget.
This, year the CIS pro
gram, which relies heavily
on volunteers and in-kind
donations, was running on
only $14,000 due to state
budget cuts of more than
$10,000.
Gustafson said she
recalls how she once
received a call from the
North Carolina
Community in Schools
office in Raleigh. They had
called to ask her if she
wanted any free books from
First Books, a division of
Random House.
“They asked if I wanted
one pallet or two,”
Gustafson remembers. “I
was so excited to get free
books I said two, not know
ing how many was in a pal
let.”
Gustafson soon found
out that she had volun
teered to take more than
4,000 books.
“We had to get a U-Haul
to get them aU here,” she
said. “Donations like the
books allowed the program
to continue.”
Gustafson and her fami
ly relocated to the area
from Jamestown, New
York where she spent close
to 12 years as a public
health nurse.
Upon moving to the area
nearly 18 years ago,
Gust^son began work as a
nurse in the intensive care
unit at Chowan Hospital.
She and a few others later
went on to help start the
Brian Center.
At the request of her
daughter Janine,
Gustafson began work
with the community and
the schools when she and a
few neighborhood volun
teers started an after
school program, which ran
nearly 12 years before its
end.
Gustafson said when she
retires in December she
will not be out of sight. She
said she plans to get a part
time job that will allow her
more flexibility.
She said she also hopes
the extra time wUl allow
she and her husband to
continue their work with
silver.
The couple, who own
Viking Silver Workers in
WinfaU, had to close shop
recently due to complica
tions with Don’s illness, but
they are hopeful for its
reopening.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 68
Low: 52
Scattered T-storms
Friday
High: 62
Low: 37
Mostly Sunny
Saturday
High: 58
Low: 41
Sunny