Spooktacular garden plants
Rage 3
Lady Pirates win round one
Rage 7
County updating land use plan
Rage 9
Per
The
‘NS
October 25, 2006
Vol. 74, No. 43 Hertford, North Carolina 27344
Weekiy
No one
iiyuredin
bus wreck
MARGARET FISHER
A close encounter on the cause
way left a school bus marred, but
no resulted in no injuries. The
driver of the other vehicle was
charged.
This was the second accident
in about a month involving a
school bus with minor damages
where charges were filed against
a driver in another vehicle.
It also happened on Wednesday
during the N.C. Highway Patrol’s
“Operation Stop Arm,” a week
when troopers are promoting bus
safety awareness around schools
and bus stops.
At about 4:10 p.m., Anthony
Wills was driving bus No. Ill
back to Perquimans County High
School after dropping off all the
students.
He was going into a curve
when he saw an approaching
vehicle riding the center line, said
Hertford Police Chief Dale
Vanscoy. Wills edged over to the
right as far as he could when the
car crossed the center line.
The c^ir, driven by Edmond
Hegedty Sr., 54, of Hop Bottom,
Penn., allegedly hit the left front
quarter panel of the bus and
scraped the side of the bus as it
passed.
Hegedty allegedly told Vanscoy
that the bus had crossed the cen
ter line, but Vanscoy said that the
evidence on the road showed the
opposite.
Tire and rim marks on the
pavement where the car struck
the bus and the car’s left front tire
blew were on the side of the road
where the bus was traveling.
“Based on all the evidence
there at the scene, Mr. Hededty
was charged with driving left of
center,” Vanscoy said. There were
two passengers in the car, but no
injuries were reported.
Damage to the bus was estimat
ed to be about $3,500 and the car’s
damage was about $5,000.
Wills drove the bus to the
school’s maintenance garage
where it was checked out until
about 7:30 p.m. when it was
deemed fit to carry students
again the following day, said the
school’s public information offi
cer, Brenda Lassiter.
All smiles
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
A dedication of Winfall's new unmarked 4-wheel drive police car took place last Thursday at the
Town Hall where politicians and other officials gathered. John Cooper, state director of U.S.D.A.
Rural Development, presented a ceremonial check for $43,800 to Winfall Town Mayor Fred Yates.
The monies include a $28,800 low interest loan and $15,000 grant. Also pictured are Winfall
Police Chief David Shaffer, Congressman G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., Sen. Robert Hollomon, D-
Hertford, Betty Jo Shepheard, representative for U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. and Janet
Bradbury, eastern representative for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C.-
Winfall
manholes
damaged
by DOT
MARGARET FISHER
Damages caused by mowing
over the town of Winfall’s man
hole covers is causing town offi
cials to try to obtain reimburse
ment from the N.C. Department of
Transportation.
Wells noted for health programs
SUSAN HARRIS
Making healthy lifestyle choices has
become top-of-mind nationwide. Pei'quimans
County Schools has taken an active role in
promoting good health through a number of
initiatives.
For his leadership in stressing health for
students and staff. Dr. Kenneth W. Wells has
been named the North Carolina 2006 Healthy
Schools Superintendent of the Year.
The award is presented for demonstating
outstanding leadership to advance school-
based policies and progams improving the
health of students. Wells will be recognized
during a state conference.
According to his nomination information.
Wells has continued efforts already in place
when he came to Perquimans five years ago,
and has also overseen new programs
designed to promote good health. Believing
that students learn most effectively by seeing
good behaviors modeled. Wells has provided
health and wellness improvement opportuni
ties for schools staff in addition to programs
geared to students.
Students have benefitted from such initia-
fives as:
• Participation in the USDA Fresh Fruit
Vegetable Program which provides free fresh
dried fruits and fresh vegetables to students
Perquimans County Schools Superintendent Dr.
Kenneth Wells was named the 2006 Healthy Schools
Superintendent of the Year.
staff throughout the school day at Central and
Hertford Grammar schools. The program goal is to
and
and
and Continued on page 11
Wind causes Friday power outage in Hertford
MARGARET FISHER
Windy conditions. last Friday were the
cause of a power outage that affected part of
the downtown and the surrounding residen
tial area.
Shortly before dark, the windy conditions
caused some tree limbs to blow one of the four
circuits in the town.
It tripped out a recloser, causing an outage
of about 40 minutes, said Hertford Town
Manager John Christensen.
That’s the amount of time it took a town
lineman, Chris Warden, to drive into town,
find the problem at 207 Front St., trim back
the burned limbs and reset the recloser at the
plant, Christensen said.
A crackling noise coming from the line and
a dead branch near the power line were an
easy clue for residents and lineman to spot
where the problem originated.
Melanie James, a resident at 204 Front St,
was sitting on her porch at the back of her
house when the outage occurred.
“There was this flash and boom, and I just
grabbed the phone and called 9-1-1,” she said.
Town Councilman Carlton Davenport, who
lives at the house where the outage happened,
said that the town used to keep the trees
trimmed, but they haven’t been trimmed for a
long time.
“I can tell you, they’ll trim them now,” he
said.
Bids over budget for PCHS gymmasium project
MARGARET FISHER
The $11 million the county is
providing for Perquimans
County High School is not
enough to build the new gymnasi
um, sSchool and county officials
realized after construction bids
were opened.
A.R. Chesson came in with the
lowest bid at $11.5 million, includ
ing about $10.8 million for the
gym project and nearly $700,000
for roofing over the administra
tive offices. Equipment costs
bring the total to nearly $14 mil
lion leaving a $3 million shortfall.
Five percent of the $11.5 mil
lion needs to be reserved as con
tingency funds during the con
struction process, said
Superintendent Kenneth Wells.
Officials are left with a choice
of cutting back on the project or
obtaining additional revenue
sources. The project was cut back
earlier when construction costs
increased after months of delays.
Wells said that some portions of
the project might have to be
delayed or paid at a later time,
although delays can mean
increased costs down the road.
State bonds that helped build
Central Elementary School and
renovate Hertford Grammar
School stopped being offered in
1996 and the district doesn’t meet
the qualifications for current
grants. Wells said about obtain
ing non-loan funds.
County commissioners attend-
The mowing is contracted out
by DOT, said Kelvin Roberson,
Winfall’s public works director.
Because the grass around the
manholes, most of which are
located on the banks of ditches, is
high, the mowers are running
over the covers and damaging
them and the cement rings that
surround them, he said.
Three covers and rings have
been replaced and there are at
least five more that need repair
ing. The cost to replace a lid and
ring on one manhole is estimated
to be about $140 plus labor,
Roberson said.
The problem was spotted after
Tropical Storm Ernesto dumped
several inches of rain in the coun-
■ ty causing water to infiltrate the
sewer system. One pump ran con
tinuously for 18 hours, he said. ■
A smoke test revealed leaks in
eight of the manholes. Extra
water in the system translates to
extra costs paid to the town of
Hertford.
“We’re paying for every gallon
that goes over (to Hertford’s treat
ment plant),” Roberson said.
The town is now looking for a
way to install markers on at least
50 of the more than 70 manholes
in the town. However, they recent
ly priced markers at $50 each.
The state has required the
town to place the covers in the
ditches, Roberson said. Normally,
they are watertight. But the
state’s side mowers are rolling
over some of them and causing
the concrete to crumble away and
cause leakage.
If DOT’S contractor mowed
more frequently, they could see
the covers and avoid them,
Roberson said.
The town is taking photos of
the covers and putting together
cost estimates of repairs to be
submitted to DOT for reimburse
ment, said Mayor Fred Yates.
ed a workshop on Monday night
to discuss how to resolve the situ
ation.
The county has paid more than
$1 million for the relocation of
Jimmy Hunter Drive and part of
the architect fees, said County
Manager Bobby Darden.
“The board proposes that the
county not look to recoup those
fees out of the loan process,”
Darden said.
There are also leftover monies
Continued on page 11
Weather
Thursday
High: 60, Low: 49
Mosry Cloudy
Friday
High: 68, Low: 48
Rain/Thunder
Saturday
High: 67, Low: 42
Mostly Sunny