Murrays are smokin'
Page 3
PCHS teams open with wins
Rage 8
Smiley's to open here
Page 10
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August 22, 2007
Vol. 75, No. 35 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Wl^EKLV
Town
orders
house
demo
Site subject of
chronic crime
complaints
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The Town of Hertford
will tear down a con
demned house located at*
329 Market Street.
Members of town coun
cil approved the demoli
tion order last week. The
home, owned by William
T. Davis and Claudia C.
Davis of Elizabeth City,
was condemned months
ago after town officials
received numerous com
plaints of criminal activi
ty. Complaints included
open-air illegal drug sales
and murder.
Town Manager John
Christensen said he would
seek bids for a turnkey
operation from contrac
tors for the demolition
project. Once the bid is
awarded and the contrac
tor schedules demolition,
the project will include
not only tearing down the
house, but clearing the
property afterwards as
weU.
The town will pay for
the project, including tip
ping fees for disposal of
the discarded material.
The town will bill the own
ers for costs and give them
an appropriate time to pay.
If payment is not received,
the town may take a lien
on the property.
In other matters, coun
cil also approved a zoning
ordinance change allow
ing sand and gravel min
ing one mile from the
town limits. A public hear
ing on the matter was held
last week during which no
one spoke in favor or
against the proposed
changes. The ordinance
change goes into effect
immediately.
Christensen said one
person has expressed an
interest in opening an old
sand pit located off U.S.
Highway 17 south of town.
The mining ordinance
requires a buffer between
the mining operation and
any adjoining properties,
restricts hours of opera
tion, and mining traffic
cannot use the town's mar
ginal streets such as sub
division streets.
Also last week, council
members agreed to seek
cost estimates for improv
ing several streets in town
including Newby Street,
Hyde Park from Market
Street to Dobbs Street,
Perry Street from Grubb
Street to Dobbs Street, and
King Street from Hyde
Park to Church Street.
Once costs are deter
mined, Christensen said
council will decide
whether those costs will
fit in this year's budget.
All knotted up Town
PHOTO COURTESY PERQUIMANS COUNTY SCHOOLS
New teachers try to
untie a human knot
— an icebreaker to
help introduce
teachers to one
another (above).
The group then
tries to communi
cate without talk
ing. Susan Cox,
former teacher and
AD, facilitated the
sessions.
Festival stage to feature
favorites, newcomers
From Staff Reports
The 26th annual Indian
Summer Festival will feature a
variety of entertainers, from the
familiar favorites to a couple of
new melody-makers.
The ever-popular Perquimans
County High School
Marching Pirates will
kick off festival 2007 at 9
a.m. on Sept. 8. Under the
direction of Chris
Whitehurst, the band
always brings a fantastic
show and lots of fans to
downtown Hertford.
At 9:30, a new-to-the-
festival band will make
its debute. “Uphill”
brings a touch of blues,
soul and rock and roll to
the stage.
Adam Nixon, also
known as “Deacon
Blues,” is a Perquimans
High graduate known to
his classmates as a musi
cian. Nixon has played a
variety of music, but
really enjoys blues.
Isaiah Hunter and Tim
“Bighouse” Orton add
their collective talents to Nixon’s,
and the trio is sure to please for
an hour at Indian Summer
Festival.
They’ll be followed by Kim
Kalman, making her third
appearance at the Indian Summer
Festival. The acoustic guitarist
has a fantastic voice and earthy
honesty that makes her original
material come to life. Kalman will
take the stage at 11.
“Connected” will delight jazz
lovers with music from the tradi
tional New Orleans sound to the
more contemporary tunes of
Jo White of Belvidere is one of the entertainers set
to go on stage downtown during Indian Summer
Festival 2007.
today
Formerly known as Jazz
Connection, the ba'nd features
Wayne James, Dennis Figgs,
Ellard Forrester, Maurice
LeFlore, Chabra “C.J.” Mercer
and Andrea Morris. Connected is
scheduled for 12:30.
water
grants
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The town of Hertford has
received over $770,000 in grants
to help pay for its new water
plant.
The funding package has
been completed for the $4.8 mil
lion dollar project that will
nearly double its current
322,000 gallons per day capacity.
Included in the funding package
is $1,063,000 in loans from the
United States Department of
Agriculture.
Receiving the grants will cer
tainly help the town reduce its
debt service on the project.
“The grants were a great
offer,” said Town Manager John
Christensen. “We didn't project
any grants.”
Plans and specs on the proj
ect have been submitted to the
state for approval, and once the
town receives the official
authorization to construct from
the state, which could come at
any time, the town wUl then
seek bids on the project.
The new water plant will be
built on the same site as the cur
rent plant. The proposed plant
will be able to pump 610,000 gal
lons per day.
Water rates increased last
month. Town officials expect a
future increase in water rates
associated with the debt service
on the proposed plant.
Vocalist Jo White will make
her second appearance at Indian
Summer Festival, with The
Lowlanders, a country/ blue-
grass/gospel group from
Wanchese. White has a dynamic
voice and was well-received last
year. She’ll be up at 2:30.
The growing-in-
number-and-popu-
larity , Albemarle
Chorale will per
form at 4:15. The
chorale is composed
of 54 experienced
singers from the
Albemarle area,
who perform under
the direction of
Belvidere’s
Lynwood Winslow.
Jackie Copeland
accompanies the
group on piano.
Albemarle
Chorale is offered as
FILE PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRisa Continuing education
course at The
The Perquimans Weekly
staff has new e-mail
addresses.
Susan Harris, Editor &
Publisher
sharris@nccox.com
Bev Alexander,
Advertising Sales Rep.
balexander@nccox.CQm
Cathy Wilson, Staff
Writer
cwllson@nccox.com
College of The
Albemarle and class
meets each Monday
night at 7 p.m. in
Edenton.
At noon, there will be an obser
vance of the 20th anniversary of
the Baseball Hall of Fame induce
tion of Perquimans pitching great
Jim “Catfish” Hunter.
Bring a lawn chair and plan to
sit a spell in downtown Hertford
on festival day.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 89, Low: 74
Partly Qoudy
Friday
High: 95, Low: 75
Isolated rsTORMS
Saturday
High: 95, Low: 76
Partly Qoudy