Library to host summer programs
Rage 3
Webb earns national honor
Rage?
Youth League update
Rage?
May 31, 2006
Vol. 74, No. 22 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
The
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HERTFORD, ffc 279^4-1306
Weekly
Crime doesn't pay police expenses
Tight budget
won’t include
new officer
MARGARET FISHER
Gene Boyce had been
hearing other residents tell
him about break-ins, thefts
and safety concerns occur
ring around town. But
when it happened to him,
he decided to do something
about it.
He voiced his concerns
about growing crime at the
Hertford town council
meeting in May.
“Something has got to
change before someone is
killed,” Boyce told coun
cilors. “What is important
to me is the safety of our
town.”
Someone cut the bolt on
his barn door and stole
some of the contents inside
it on a Thursday in April.
Boyce reported the inci
dent to Hertford Police
Department.
When Boyce discovered,
by an anonymous phone
call of a witness, where his
stolen goods allegedly were
located, he went to the
police department to tell
them. In fact, Boyce saw his
lawnmower sitting in some
one’s yard. But he found
that police had no record of
the report he had given
over the phone the evening
before. He filed another
report.
On the following
Monday, an officer called
him and thought he had
found some of the stolen
items. But it turned out
that they weren’t Boyce’s
items. The lawnmower was
long gone, as well. When he
drove by a second time, it
had been moved out of
sight.
In a week, police had a
warrant out on a suspect,
but the goods were never
found. Boyce lost more
than $1,000 in tools, lawn-
mower and outdoor table
set.
A man followed Boyce’s
wife into their backyard as
she was mowing, told her
he was hungry and asked
her if he could mow her
lawn. A similar experience
happened to other neigh
bors, Boyce said.
Boyce related to coun
cilors a number of crimes
that have occurred recently,
including thefts from cars
parked downtown, larceny
reports and attempted
break-ins.
To find out whether
police are visible through
out the town, Boyce set out
for 10 nights in a row to
locate where officers
patrol. Between 9 p.m. and 2
a.m., Boyce drove down
town, across the causeway
and around the Food Lion
area. He never saw a police
officer, he said.
“Visibility is a deter
rent,” Boyce said. “If there
Continued on page 10
US 17 first
corridor for
committee
MARGARET FISHER
The town of Hertford recently held a
public open house to generate ideas for
developing the area around U.S. Highway
17 and Harvey Point Road.
The U.S. 17 Corridor is one of a number
of corridors that have been designated for
study by the Hertford Corridor Project
Committee. The committee is looking at
land use, transportation and future devel
opment potential for thoroughfare corri
dors and gateways into Hertford.
The committee’s goal is to develop a
plan to protect and improve the appear
ance of the roadways through Hertford
and into the Historic District. The physical
attractiveness, signage and inviting
nature are being evaluated.
“There are lots of corridors,” said Town
Manager John Christensen. “Each one has
its own characteristics. We feel (U.S.
Highway 17) is probably the most impor
tant one. We feel it’s a major gateway — a
major corridor of the city limits.”
The first phase within the town limits
and its extraterritorial jurisdiction
includes the area from Castleton Creek
south to U.S. Highway 17 and includes
Church Street, Ballahack Road and
Edenton Road Street. It also extends from
the highway south to the Commerce
Centre and includes Harvey Point Road
and Wynne Fork Road.
The U.S. 17 Corridor merits a higher
standard of zoning, or overlay zoning,
Christensen said. Certain businesses that
are allowed in C-2 zoning would not be
attractive and inviting to outsiders or con
sistent with the town’s look, he said.
Continued on page 10
Wonderful weekend
Garden
halts
erosion
A recently-constructed
rain garden at a county
office building got tested
with a downpour the next
day — and passed, accord
ing to Marjorie Rayburn,
Water quality Agent with
N.C. Cooperative
Extension.
The garden was built by
a group of volunteers asso
ciated with Cooperative
Extension’s Water Quality
Stewards program at the
Alj)emarle Commission
Continued on page 7
Volunteers with the N.C. Cooperative Extension con
struct a rain garden at the county office on Church
Street Extended, commonly known as the Albemarle
Commission Building. Hard work digging and planting
(top) resulted in a garden that served its purpose
when the next rain came (bottom): The garden col
lected water that had been eroding soil, allowing it to
be absorbed by the soil and plant materials intro
duced in the project.
Hertford holds
budget line
MARGARET FISHER
Residents won’t have to worry about tax
or fee increases at the beginning of the
next fiscal year, say Hertford town council
members.
“There will be no tax or fee increases if
we just keep on doing what we’re doing,”
said Hertford Mayor Sid Eley.
Councilors met to discuss the budget for
the second time a week ago and plan to
approve the budget at the June 12 town
council meeting after a public hearing.
Councilor Ann White asked Town
Manager John Christensen to review the
budget when they met the week earlier at a
work session. As it stood, the budget was
short $46,990 in the water and sewer
departments and $23,679 in the electric
department. General departments had a
surplus of $9,816. Christensen said that he
would look at the budget again and see
what could be tightened up.
“The public is seeing too many increas
es,” White said. The town is expecting an
increase of water and sewer fees possibly
by the end of the year after environmental
permits are obtained and construction
costs are figured. Councilors said they did
n’t want to raise rates twice within a short
period of time.
At the second budget meeting,
Christensen told councilors that the budg
et was lean. However, he shifted funds
from capital outlay to make up for the
shortage in the water and sewer funds and
from fund balance, or savings account, for
the electric shortage. The surplus was
placed in a contingency.
The decrease in capital funds is backed
by a separate account — meaning that if
an emergency requiring capital funds was
to happen next year, there would still be
money available, Christensen said.
Continued on page 10
Graduation is June 10
In 10 days, another class of high school sen
iors will officially become alumni of PCHS.
Graduation is set for Saturday, June 10 at 10
a.m. at Memorial Field, when 127 are expected
to earn diplomas. The class will be led by vale
dictorian Patrick Parr and salutatorian
LaReina Jordan. Parr is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Ron Parr. Jordan is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Quinton L. Jordan.
Speakers will be the top five seniors by aca
demic rank, Parr, Jordan, Rachel Newbern,
Brittany Davenport and Matthew Perry.
During the ceremonies, there will be a trib
ute to Shakim Walrren (1987-2005), a class
mate who lost his life in a tragic drive-by
shooting last year. His seat will don a gradua
tion cap and gown with a white rose lying on
top. His mother will accept his diploma.
Special music will be presented by selected
members of the class of 2006 under the direc
tion of Lynwood Winslow.
Diplomas will be awarded by School Board
Chair Helen Shaw.
In the event of inclement weather on
Saturday, graduation will be held on Sunday,
June 11 at 3 p.m. If inclement weather contin
ues on Sunday, each graduate will receive four
tickets and the ceremonies will be moved
inside.
Town receives grant for walkway planning
Patrick Parr
LaReina Jordan
MARGARET FISHER
The N.C. Department of
Transportation awarded a $20,000
grant to the town of Hertford for
the development of a comprehen
sive pedestrian plan.
The town approved Historic
Hertford Inc’s request for a $5,000
match, which along with the
grant, will provide the funds to
hire a consultant to create a plan
for sidewalks and walkways
throughout the town limits.
The planning grant initiative is
jointly sponsored the NCDOT’s
Division of Bicycle and
Pedestrian Transportation and
Transportation Planning Branch.
Funds came from a special alloca
tion approved by the General
Assembly in 2003 and federal
funds.
NCDOT has awarded 50 munic
ipalities for comprehensive bicy
cle and pedestrian plans since
2004, including 12 municipalities
this month. Towns submitted
requests for funds for either bicy
cle or pedestrian planning. The 12
municipalities were selected out
of 38 towns based on equitable
distribution in three regions of
the state and both urban and
rural areas.
The town has six months to
select a consultant and will
receive technical assistance from
the Division of Bicycle and
Pedestrian Transportation, said
David Bender, planning program
manager.
“The Bicycle and Pedestrian
Planning Grant Initiative offers a
comprehensive transportation
plan, as well as provides an imple
mentation tool and awareness of
bicycle and pedestrian needs,”
Bender said. '
The plan will include creating
pedestrian-friendly environ
ments, short term and long range
goals, safety considerations, inte
gration with other communities
and transportation modes, esti
mated costs and raising commu
nity awareness. The plan will con
sider current plans, such as
the Blue way/Greenway
trails and Highway 17
Corridor plans. It will also
Continued on page 7
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 84, Low: 67
Mostly Sunny
Friday
High: 79, Low: 65
Scattered T'storms
Saturday
High: 86, Low: 64
Few Showers