Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / Nov. 16, 2005, edition 1 / Page 1
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'Catfish' sign gets facelift f^e3 Safety Night hosted F^ge7 Schools staff get flu shots F^8 November 16, 2005 Vol. 73, No. 46 Hertford, North Carolina 27944 Perquimams Weekly Honoring a local hero with no races From Staff Reports With no races, last week’s municipal elections in Hertford and Winfall drew few voters to the poUs. Only 137 went to the poUs in Hertford, while 20 took advantage of early voting. There are 1,319 voters regis tered in the town. In Winfall, 70 voters went to the poUs, with 13 one- stop and 13 maU-out votes tallied. That means that 96 of the town’s 417 voters indicated a preference in the race. Incumbent Horace Reid, presently serving as mayor pro temp, received 128 votes in Hertford. Former coun cil person JoAnn Morris got 96 votes in her bid for the seat vacated by Marvin Hunter Sr. Both will fill seats. Winfall Mayor Fred Yates, now the subject of an SBI investigation and unop posed in his bid to retain his seat, got 81 votes. There were seven write-ins in Winfall, including three for Continued on page 4 Holiday meal to share Some people have a need for a nourishing meal on Thanksgiving. Others have a need to be with others on this holiday. For both, those needs can be met at Hertford United Methodist Church. There will be an open door Thanksgiving meal served from 1-4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Turkey and all the trimmings will be available at no charge. Meal coordinator Murielle Harmon said those who receive home- delivered medls in Perquimans and Chowan counties may also have a meal delivered on Thanksgiving. Harmon said that dona tions of cash and/or food items, including desserts, would be appreciated. She said that even fresh pro duce — a bushel of beans, a box of sweet potatoes — will be accepted. ' Canned foods, produce and cash donations may be dropped off at The Perquimans Weekly through Friday, Nov. 18, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Desserts may be brought in on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. For information, call Harmon at 426-7361. PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER Perquimans County School bus driver Zita Privott Ferebee was honored Saturday at Melton Grove Baptist Church for her efforts to save the 40 students on board bus 102 when it was hit twice by a truck and burst into flames last month. Saturday was declared Zita Ferebee Day in the county and the towns of Hertford and Winfall by proclamation. During the ceremony, Hertford Mayor Sid Eley presented Ferebee with a Teddy bear. Ferebee honored Saturday MARGARET FISHER Zita Privott Ferebee, 30, was the honored guest for a special presenta tion at Melton Grove Baptist Church on Saturday. The presentation was held after the towns of Hertford and Winfall and county officials proclaimed Saturday as “Zita Ferebee Day.’’ Ferebee, a school bus driver, was honored because of her heroic efforts to assist 40 students off a burning Perquimans County Middle School bus after a work truck had collided with the bus on Oct. 24. “I just thank God that all of us made it through,” Ferebee said. “When 1 said ‘don’t panic, stay calm,’ (the students) did exactly as I told them.” Winfall Mayor Fred Yates, one of the speakers at the church, asked the members and visitors of the church if there were any parents of the school children present. No one raised his or her hand, bringing sighs of disap pointment to those present. Ferebee is currently on a 12-week leave from the school system because of experiencing pain down the left side of her body and a number of ver tebrae out of place, she said. “She got hurt and didn’t even know she was hurt,” Yates said. Winfall councilperson-elect Jean Whedbee read the proclamation and Ferebee was given a plaque in her honor. Olga Simpson, who lives on Ocean Highway near the location of the accident, said her daughter normally rides the bus, but she was not feeling well that day and stayed home. Simpson also said that she heard the commotion and went out to see what happened. By the time she went into her house, called central commu nications and went back outside, Ferebee had seen to it that all the chil dren were off the bus and heading to Simpson’s house, Simpson said. Continued on page 4 water tankin N.H(^ Margaret Fisher Perquimans County will begin construction of a 300,000 gallon elevated water storage tank in New Hope. In addition, the coun ty plans to construct about 10 miles of new water lines in the area. The estimated $3.5 mil lion project includes the construction of the new tank close to Muddy Creek and New Hope roads. It will be located about five miles south of an existing tank. Caldwell Tank out of Kentucky has contracted to build the storage tank, said County Manager Bobby Darden. “There’s only a handful of companies that do that t5q)e of work,” Darden said. The new 12-inch water line will run along existing right-of-ways on Ocean Highway to Union Hall and New Hope roads. The old lines, which will still be in use, are 6-inch capacity. The new lines wiU more than double the capacity, Darden said. New lines were recently put in from the tank site to almost the end of New Hope Road by a developer, Darden said. The result of the new lines and tank will be greater pressure and sup ply capacities in New Hope and the lower part of Durants Neck, but the whole eastern half of the county should notice Continued on page 4 Attracting business tough in today’s economy This is Part 3 in a three- part series on the Commerce Centre. MARGARET FISHER The economy has plum meted and made scanty recoveries since Sept. 11, making the sale of lots in the Commerce Centre on Harvey Point Road difficult to promote. Efforts to market the Centre began with the hir ing of an economic devel opment director, Robert Baker Jr., in 1995. When the focus changed from indus try to retail, the position was eliminated and the marketing efforts became one of a number of respon sibilities of the county manager. Bobby Dardin said that his responsibili ties as county manager leaves little time to devote to promoting the Centre fully. “Harvey Point Road is the third busiest traffic road in the county,” Dardin said, adding that “the Economic Development Center is just beginning to talk about having someone fill that role.” But having a full time marketing director in a rural county may not make the best sense, said Mack Nixon, county commission er and chairman of the Economic Development Commission. “It’s a lot of money to put into a position,” Nixon said. “Probably not enough to warrant a full-time posi tion.” The position could possi bly be a dual-role position, he added. The Northeast Partnership in Edenton handles the marketing efforts and advertises coun ty properties on the Department of Commerce’s Web site. This month, commis sioners agreed to an increase of land sale prices to take effect immediately. The three or four business es that have expressed seri ous interest in buying prop erty have until Jan. 1 to purchase at the former prices. Land on the west side of Harvey Point Road increased from $10,000 to $15,000 per acre, while land on the river side increased from $17,500 to $25,000 per acre. The waterfront property is especially attractive to certain specialized busi nesses, such as restaurants, hotels, a marina and cer tain types of retail shops. Some of the current busi nesses don’t quite measure up to the vision of a tourist- friendly business center. Protective covenants were drawn up and adopted for the Centre in April 1999. The covenants state that all-metal buildings are allowed when used in com bination with brick or dec orative block or concrete panels or other exterior materials as approved by the developer or its succes sor. A year earlier, land was conveyed for the building of the Perquimans Business Center, an incubator for start-up businesses. The incubator opened in April 2000. In addition, the county completed construction of a shell building in the spring of 1999 that sold to Branwick Associates in 2001. Both buildings have metal siding exteriors that reflect the initial concept of light industry, though' the Branwick Center does use stucco in its exterior. Both buildings appear to have been planned and con structed around the same time that the covenants were being devised. Because the Perquimans 2020 Vision Coalition, a nonprofit organization with limited funds, planned and managed the Business Center, some leniency was allowed, Nixon said. “I think we were a little lenient to give (2020) some time to do what they said they would do,” said Nixon, who was a county commissioner at that time as well as now.Also, the covenants require that aU streets and parking areas that are visible from the streets must be paved, and outside electrical equip ment should be screened or painted to match the build ing. Landscaping with lawns, trees and shrubs where buildings, parking and walkways are not locat ed is also required. Also, the covenants require that all streets and parking areas that are visi ble from the streets must be paved, and outside electri cal equipment should be screened or painted to match the building. Landscaping with lawns, trees and shrubs where Continued on page 4 Weekend Weather Thursday High: 56, Low: 33 AM aouDS^PMsuN Friday High: 53, Low: 34 Sunny Saturday High:59, Low: 39 Sunny
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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Nov. 16, 2005, edition 1
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