U
PCHS honors list
Pages
Water safety
Pages
Weils discusses technology
Page 6
July 19, 2006
Vol. 74, No. 29 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
The
Perot JIM 4ns
Driver caught
at 96 mph
Street moving
Town
MARGARET FISHER
A Hampton, Va., man
was caught driving at 96
miles per hour on U.S.
Highway 17 South as his
pregnant girlfriend lay on
the seat behind him last
Friday. In addition, mari
juana and drug parapher-
nalia_were found in the
vehicle.
‘ Probation Officer Roger
Chipps of Hertford was
driving north when a car
flew past him traveling in
the same direction at an
estimated speed in excess
of 90 miles per hour, said
Winfall Police Chief David
Shaffer.
Shaffer, who was driving
on Wiggins Road, received
a call from Chipps and
headed out next to the N.C.
Department of
Transportation plant to
wait for the vehicle. He
clocked the vehicle travel
ing at 96 miles per hour at
about 1:15 p.m., he said.
He stopped the vehicle
with its three passengers at
Union Hall Road. The driv
er, Christopher Akers, 23,
of Hampton, told Shaffer
he was in a hurry to pick
up a relative and take her
to the airport in Norfolk,
Va.
He also told Shaffer that
he was taking his nephew,
Charles Phillips, 18, of
Wilmington, to Hampton.
Akers’ 19-year-old girl
friend was seven and a half
months, pregnant and lay
ing on the back seat with
out wearing a seatbelt,
Shaffer said.
A small glass smoking
device was found in one of
Phillips’ shoes. A search of
the vehicle found a small
amount of marijuana in a
cup in the front seat. Akers
allegedly said the marijua
na belonged to him, Shaffer
said.
Akers was charged with
reckless driving to endan
ger and possession of mar
ijuana less than half an
ounce and was placed on a
$1,500 secured bond.
Phillips was charged
with possession of drug
paraphernalia and placed
on a $500 secured bond.
Both were taken to
Albemarle District Jail and
were later released. Both
Akers and Phillips have an
extensive criminal record
of misdemeanors, Shaffer
said.
Another drug incident
occurred last Thursday at
about 5 p.m. in Winfall.
Continued on page
Construction has begun on moving Jimmy Hunter Drive south to make way for the
new high school gymnasium.
Construction begins on street move
After extensive planning
and surveying, construc
tion workers descended on
Perquimans High School to
begin Phase I of an $11 mil
lion dollar renovation and
expansion project.
Wearing reflective cloth
ing and riding dozers,
workers began work to
relocate Jimmy Hunter
Drive to allow room to
build a gymnasium for the
high school.
The project was tenta
tively scheduled to begin
last fall, but preliminary
site work and permits
backed up the relocation.
USDA Rural
Development provided an
$11,000,000 low interest
loan to finance the expan
sion apd renovations for
the Perquimans County
High School. The loan will
• •
fund a new 970-seat gymna
sium, the renovation of the
existing gymnasium into a
state-of-the-art media and
technology center, renova
tions to the auditorium and
the addition of classrooms
and administrative offices.
“This project is an exam
ple of our county's goal of
providing an environment
in which students can be
Continued on page
MARGARET FISHER
The town of Hertford
recently joined with five
other towns in a pilot proj
ect to improve economic
conditions and increase
global competitiveness by
attracting unique busi
nesses.
The Creative
Communities Initiative
involves town officials
from Hertford, Edenton,
Ayden, Murfreesboro,
Plymouth and Tarboro in
the Foundation of Renewal
for Eastern North
Carolina’s project. FoR
ENC has taken an urban
growth project and hopes
to apply the concept to
rural towns.
The idea of a creative
community is an abstract
one. A creative community
doesn’t rely on brick and
mortar industry to sustain
itself, said Laura
Williamson, director of
Venture-East at FoR ENC.
Continued on page
Tax appraisal being conducted in county
MARGARET FISHER
It’s not hard to spot the
real estate appraisers work
ing their way through the
county. They are driving
through neighborhoods
with revaluation signs on
the sides of their cars,
peeking behind houses
and, in some cases, measur
ing the perimeters of
homes.
Six appraisers from
Pearson’s Appraisal
Service, Inc. in Wilson
began the lengthy process
of assessing the values of
houses in the county begin
ning in late April. The
assessment process is per
formed every eight years.
With the recent boom in
real estate, the tax base is
expected to increase as it
has in surrounding coun
ties.
In Chowan County, for
example, the real estate
portion of the tax base
increased from $643 million
to $1.85 billion - a 69 per
cent increase. Historic and
waterfront communities
were hit the hardest, said
Chowan County Manager
Cliff Copeland.
“From what I know
about Perquimans, I think
it will be pretty similar (to
Chowan),” Copeland said.
However, an increase in
the tax base does not mean
that everyone’s taxes will
go up, said Robert Ezzell,
Pearson’s revaluation proj
ect manager.
“The values are up,”
Ezzell said. “In general, the
better neighborhoods will
go up more than your poor
er neighborhoods.” Also,
certain neighborhoods
eventually max out in
value. If they were near
their maximum eight years
ago, they won’t increase
much, he said.
EzzeU estimates that res
idents could see an average
increase of at least 70 per
cent, but historic and
waterfront areas could
ejcperience as much as a 400
percent increase, while the
poorest areas could see a 10
percent increase or even
depreciate.
Property can be affected
nearly overnight by such
circumstances as a plant
going up, an imposing sign
nearby, a foreclosure or
auction or a stigma, such as
a murder taking place in
the home. But usually,
there is a general trend
which varies from section
to section.
“If property appreciates
less than the average
house, your value will go
up, but the tax burden will
not go up,” said Frank
Heath, county tax adminis
trator. “It all depends on
the budgetary needs of the
county and community.”
In contrast, the tax bur
den will increase if a prop
erty appreciates more than
the average house.
The commissioners set
the tax rate based on the
tax base. If the needs of the
county remain the same
and the tax base increases,
the tax rate will actually
decrease. If the needs
increase, such as the need
to build a new school or
medical facility, the tax rate
may decrease less or stay
the same.
The new values will take
effect on Jan. 1, 2008, and
notices will be mailed out
in late 2007, Heath said.
Phase One of the revalu
ation project began with
Continued on page
PHOTOS BY MARGARET FISHER
Robert Ezzell, county revaluation project manager,
takes measurements of a house at Albemarle
Plantation. Six appraisers from Pearson's Appraisal
Service in Wilson are currently measuring homes and
verifying appraisal information with homeowners.
The field work should continue through at least
January.
Child care
now open
Margaret Fisher
Faith Child Care opened
its doors last Thursday and
celebrated a grand opening
on Saturday.
Rebecca Story, director
and owner, opened the cen
ter with the help of her
husband, Paul Story, to pro
vide faith-based curricu
lum and activities for chil
dren between the ages of
six weeks to 12 years.
Located in what was for
merly East Carolina Bank
in the old Be-Lo shopping
center, the center provides
preschool and after-school
care on Monday through
Friday from 6:30 a.m. — 6
Subway comes to town
MARGARET FISHER town that’s familiar, but
somewhat hidden. It’s a
There’s a new face in Continued on page
Four generations celebrate the grand opening of Faith
Child Care in the old Be-Lo Shopping Center (in the
space East Carolina Bank once occupied). Rebecca
Story opened the center to provide faith-based child
care for children ages six weeks to 12 years.
p.m.
The Perquimans County
native said she had no idea
Continued on page
Subway celebrated their grand opening last Thursday
in the Red Apple convenience store on Harvey Point
Road near U.S. Highway 17.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 91, Low: 77
Isolated Tstorms
Friday
High: 93, Low: 75
Isolated T'storms
Saturday
High: 87, Low: 72
Scattered T'storms