New softball coach at PCHS
Rage 2
Mediation program funded
Page 7
Hoops update
Page 7
January 24, 2007
Vol. 75, No. 4 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
--UJ ,
Perquimans
Weekly
Wells steps down as superintendent
Dr. Kenneth Wells
SUSAN HARRIS
After six years at the
helm of Perquimans
County Schools and 30
years in education,
Supererintendent Dr.
Kenneth Wells announced
at Monday night’s school
Navy sets OLF
hearing here
MARGARET FISHER
A public hearing origi
nally planned for the fall
concerning an outlying
landing field may be taking
place this March.
Perquimans County
Schools confirmed that the
U.S. Navy has requested the
use of the high school
auditorium for a public
meeting on March 21 from
4;30 to 9:30 p.m.
Ted Brown, U.S. Fleet
Forces Command
spokesman in Norfolk, Va.,
also said that March 21 is
correct, at least for now.
“We’re considering that
tentatively scheduled,’’
Brown said.
The Navy wants to build
a practice landing strip on
30,000 acres for F/A-18
Super Hornet aircraft to
practice manuevers.
Since the Fourth Circuit
Appeals Court found that
the Navy’s original
Environmental Impact
Study was deficient, the
Navy must hold public
hearings in five counties,
including Perquimans,
once the Supplemental
Environmental Impact
Study is completed.
More than a year ago, the
Navy planned to finish col
lecting data for their SEIS
by Aug. 2006 and hold pub
lic hearings by fall.
Brown said in December
that the Navy had tentative
ly planned about nine
dates, including Jan. 9, for
the hearing. However, earli
er dates were cancelled
because the Navy had not
completed their SEIS by the
expected time period.
“We anticipate the
release (of the draft SEIS)
to be in late February,’’
Brown said.
Currently, biologists are
in the field continuing to
study through the winter.
Brown said. Also, the SEIS
is presently being revei-
wed.
In addition to
Perquimans County, the
Navy is also studying
Washington, Craven, Hyde
and Bertie counties as
potential OLF sites.
The Washington Daily
News reported on Sunday
that the Navy has requested
April 4 or 5 for a public
hearing at the Vernon
James Center in Plymouth.
Washington County is
the Navy’s first choice for
an OLF because it is a
remote spot and ideal for
pilots to train for carrier
landings and take offs away
from city lights. .
However, the area is situ
ated near Pocosin Lakes
National Wildlife Refuge, a
wintering spot for snow
geese and tundra swans.
This year held record num
bers of waterfowl.
Environmentalists say that
jet noise could harm the
birds and the bird popula
tion could pose a risk to air
craft. A flight early in the
study was cancelled
because of the large num
bers of waterfowl in the
area. Brown confirmed.
Last year, at least eight red
wolves, an endangered
species, were also spotted
in the area.
If the Navy does not find
Washington County suit
able to build an OLF, No
OLF supporters believe it is
possible that they wiU con
sider Perquimans as their
next choice because of its
midpoint location between
Oceana Air Base in
Virginia Beach, Va., and
Cherry Point — where
Hornet squadrons are
based.
Added to the dilemma is
the complications of
whether the Navy will relo
cate Oceana. In late 2006, a
Korean development firm
offered Virginia Beach a $4
billion proposal that would
include two 40-story towers
and condominiums and
hotels under Oceana’s
flight path.
At the hearings, the
Navy will listen to public
comments. They will
include those comments, as
well as emails and letters,
in their Final SEIS expect
ed to be published in the
fall of this year. Any new
information that biologists
collect through the winter
will not be in the draft
SEIS, but will be in the
Final SEIS, Brown said.
board meeting that he will
retire at the end of this
school year.
“I have mixed feelings
about retiring, but I am
comfortable with my deci
sion,’’ Wells said. “Working
in Perquimans has been
the highlight of my career.
I know I have never been
treated as well anywhere as
I have been here.
Perquimans County is a
special community. The col
laboration among schools,
community agencies,
churches and businesses is
phenomenal.”
Wells, 53, came to
Perquimans in 2001 from
Dare County, where he
served five years as interim
superintendent and assis
tant superintendent.
He began his tenure in
education in Charlotte,
where he spent six years in
the classroom before
becoming an assistant prin
cipal, then a principal. He
ended his 18 years in
Charlotte as executive
director of secondary edu
cation for the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools.
Continued on page 7
Ducky weather
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
Ducks enjoyed a break in the rain earlier this week, as they explored along the Perquimans riverbank, and
did a little close-to-shore fishing.
Forum addresses school needs
$10 biillion
needed for
facilities in
region
MARGARET FISHER
At least eight counties
were represented at last
week’s forum where offi
cials brought school facili
ties needs to the forefront.
Rep. Tim Spear D-N.C.,
was present to hear the
school and county officials
discuss their facility needs
to about 110 people.
The Education:
Everybody’s Business
Coalition will be seeking a
$2 billion public school
facilities bond referendum.
If approved, it should go
before North Carolina vot
ers in November. Ten years
ago, a $1.8 billion bond ref
erendum was approved.
The state lottery has gen
erated about $38 million in
2006. However, the needs of
the region total nearly $10
billion, said Gerry
Hancock, coalition member
and former chairman.
“Even if we get the $2
billion, local counties will
still be strapped to meet
their needs. But this will
help,” Hancock said.
Perquimans County
Manager Bobby Darden
and Perquimans County
Schools Superintendent
Kenneth Wells both
addressed the local needs
for PCS.
Perquimans County
ranks in the bottom 10 for
such areas as population,
income and sales tax rev
enue, Darden said. In addi
tion, the two cent property
tax has just scratched the
surface of school needs, he
said. In addition, the public
school funds may disap
pear.
“The counties are run
ning out of fund options,”
Darden said.
Wells said that even after
PCS has borrowed $11 mil
lion for high school proj
ects, there are still more
needs to address.
“We’ll still be using the
auditorium constructed in
1924,” he said. “We’re
proud of it, but we can’t
continue in an auditorium
as dated as that.”
Economic development
starts with the quality of
the schools, he said. Wells
said that one coUege stu
dent asked him what the
status of the facility at PCS
will be in three years. With
retention of staff an issue
across the state, teachers
can pick and choose the
best and most appealing
schools.
“The effort we’re provid
ing (now) simply can’t keep
up with the demands of the
21st century,” Wells said.
Continued on page 2
Harris Landing Road repair delayed; homeowners frustrated
MARGARET FISHER
One road slated for
$35,000 of improvements by
the N.C. Department of
Transportation is still wait
ing as the Dec. 31 deadline
has passed.
Harris Landing Road in
Woodville was approved by
courity commissioners last
August to be added to
DOT’S secondary road
improvement list. All of
the roads on the list that
were slated to be paved met
the deadline.
Harris Landing Road, a
dirt road, was to be brought
up to minimum standards -
- meaning graded and cov
ered with rock.
That didn’t happen
because once the county
approved funding for the
road, the road has to be
approved as part of the
state system before repairs
can be done, said Gretchen
Byrum, District I engineer
for DOT.
The request was submit
ted in December to the
Board of Transportation in
Raleigh. Sterling Baker,
DOT engineer, said that he
expects the BOT to review
it when they meet the first
week in March. If
approved, the road will be
placed on DOT’S spring
work schedule. Byrum
said.
County Manager Bobby
Darden said that residents
had been trying to get DOT
to pave it, but DOT needed a
right of way in order to do
so. When Bay Landing was
developed there in 2004,’ the
developer, Carolina Coast &
Lakes in Greenville, donat
ed a portion of right of way,
Darden said.
Continued on page 2
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 47, Low: 25
Parry Cloudy
Friday
High: 40, Low: 28
Sunny
Saturday
High: 57, Low: 39
Mostly Sunny