2 6
Annual Progress Edition
Section B
III ... I L
Albemarle Chorale set for concerts
Page 3
Sports/Schools
Page 6
Subscriber of the Week:
Donna Robinson
March 26, 2008
Vol. 76, No. 13 Hertford, North Carolina 279.44
:ar-rt Lor^c-aoi
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIQRARY
110 W ACADER1Y ST
HERTFORD, HC 27944-1306
Flowers
removed
from
graves
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
An independent contrac
tor hired by the town not
only removed unsightly
and unseasonable flowers
from the town’s cemeter
ies recently, but apparently
Easter flowers as well.
Some whose flowers dis
appeared a few days before
the Easter holiday were
upset. Others were upset
that seasonal flowers were
removed without advance
notice so they could pick up
artificial arrangements that
could have been reused.
Town Manager John
Christensen said the town
hires a contractor to re
move the flowers each year
just before Easter in order
to cut the grass around
the graves. A notice advis
ing such is usually printed
in the newspaper giving
residents advanced warn
ing However, no such ad
ran this year. Residents
were surprised when they
visited the cemeteries and
found their flower arrange
ments gone
“1 checked the grave just
the day before and the ar
rangement was in perfect
shape,” said Shirley Coon
of Hertford who looks after
a gravesite for Betty Place
of WinfaU. Place, Coon says,
can’t get out much, and de
pends on Coon to put flow
ers on her parents’ graves.
“1 went to the grave the
very next day and the flow
ers were gone,” Coon said.
“It was a $50 Christmas
basket that she put on the
grave new this year. It was
in perfect shape, and I was
going to keep it to reuse
next year. I knew it was
close to the time for taking
flowers off the grave and I
kept watching the paper to
see when the deadline was,
but I never saw it.”
Town cemeteries affect
ed are Cedarwood and the*
Roadside Cemetery.
“Usually, if cemetery
flowers are missing, it’s ei
ther because of the wind,
they’re stolen, or the con
tractor,” Christensen said.
“We teU the contractor if
the flowers are on top of
the stone and they look
good, just leave them alone.
Unfortunately, this year
the contractor was not as
discretionate as he should
have been. Several Easter
flowers were picked up,
too.”
When he found out that
Easter flowers had been
removed, Christensen
says the contractor was in
structed to bring the flow
ers back to the edge of the
cemetery where, hopefully,
owners can pick through,
find their flowers, and place
them back on the rightful
gravesites.
Some flowers may have
blown into nearby woods as
weU, he pointed out.
“I told one lady who
wasn’t able to recover her
flowers to bring us the bUl
and rU turn it over to the
contractor,” Christensen
said. “But, I’ve seen saddles
blown aU the way back into
the woods from all of the
wind we’ve had this month.
I can’t say that the contrac
tor is responsible for aU the
flowers that are missing.”
UiD
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'9
““IT
Perquimans WEekly phoio By CATHY WILSON
PLAY BALL! OFFICIALS CUT the ribbon at the new gym at Perquimans County High School following a dedication ceremony.
The new state-of-the-art facility seats 950 and includes a laundry room, weight room, concessions room, ticket booth, and
plenty of parking.
New PCHS gym dedicated
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The shine on the black and gold
floor in the new gym was as bright
as the future facing county athletes
playing in this new facility.
Last week, national, state and
local leaders dedicated and held a
ribbon cutting for the new state-of-
the art gym at Perquimans County
High School. The 27,105 sq. ft. build
ing seats 950 and includes laundry
room, weight room, concessions
room, ticket booth, and plenty of
parking.
“This place is gorgeous. I’m
speechless!” said former superinten
dent Dr. Kenneth W. Wells, who was
instrumental in getting the project
off the ground several years ago. “It
surpasses my most vivid expecta
tions...This is a first class facility.”
Wells commended the coun
ty board of commissioners who
“stepped up and took on the debt”
■ associated with the facility which is
part of a $14 million school improve
ment project that also includes reno
vation of the school’s historic audi
torium, converting the old gym into
a state-of-the-art media center, and
renovating the old media center into
administrative offices.,
“It takes a lot of hands and a lot
of effort from a lot of agencies to
make something like this happen,”
he pointed out.
Mack Nixon, chairman of the
county commissioners, called build
ing a new gym for the school system
a once in a lifetime event.
“All of us pay taxes, and we want
to make sure our citizens have nice
facilities to enjoy,” he said.
Nixon explained that the county
funded $3 million out of savings
for the school improvement project
with the remaining $11 million sup
plied by a low-interest loan through
USDA Rural Development.
Over 30 years, that amounts to
an investment of approximately $55
per citizen per year in the county
schools, he noted.
• “We are pleased that USDARD
has been able to assist Perquimans
County High School with their ex
pansion and renovations,” said Ed
die Miller, a county native who is the
assistant to the state director. “US-
DARD is committed to ensuring that
every student graduates with the
skills needed to succeed in a globally
competitive workforce.”
PCHS Principal James Bunch de
scribed the black and gold gym as
a gateway through which local stu
dents can energize their lives and
work towards turning their dreams
into realities.
“Our athletic programs here have
grown tremendously, making life
better for our students and our com
munity,” he added.
Hertford’s Mayor Sid Eley, a for
mer coach at the school, talked a
little about the history of the gym.
“This is actually our third gym
at our school,” said Eley. “The first
was on the stage, the second, the
real gym, was built in 1950, and now
this new one today. This is amazing.
Years ago, we had to wash the uni
forms and hang them on the fence
outside around the football field to
let them dry. Now, we have this state-
of-the-art facility.”
Wallace Nelson, chairman of the
county board of education, thanked
the school staff who he termed more
valuable than any building.
“They are the ones who sacrifice
every day to meet the needs of the
kids,” he said. “We appreciate what
you do.”
He also said athletics is an in
tegral part of a child’s education.
Looking heyond the test scores, a
child also needs to learn how to get
along with others, work with each
other, to respect each other.
“Athletics is a great classroom in
which to learn respect and commit
ment,” Nelson added.
Superintendent Dwayne K. Stall
ings wrapped up the dedication cer
emony by looking to the future.
“Think of the countless number
of children...who will be impacted
by this bunding in a positive way
as they learn, play, and grow in
Perquimans County,” he said.
A special touch to the dedication
was the welcome offered to visitors
by the school’s senior athletes who
stood at the gym entrance and greet
ed visitors as they entered the door.
The athletes also provided tours of
the facility after the ceremony.
The project/design team for the
gym project included LS3P Associ
ates, A.R. Chesson Construction, Co,
Inc., Andrew Consulting Engineers,
PC, Cheatham & Associates, PA, and
Hyman & Robey, PC.
Riddick sworn in as interim police chief
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Brian Riddick has been
named interim chief of
the Hertford Police Depart
ment.
Riddick assumed the
responsibilities last week
after former chief Dale
Vanscoy resigned to accept
employment elsewhere.
Vanscoy had indicated he
would work until April 16,
but Town Manager John
Christensen said Riddick
was able to assume the po-
sition last Tuesday. He was
sworn in by Clerk of Court
Perquimans Weekly photo by CATHY WILSON
INTERIM CHIEF BRIAN RIDDICK
was sworn in last week by Su
perior Court Clerk Todd Tilley.
Riddick leads the Hertford Po
lice Department following the
recent resignation of former
chief Dale Vanscoy.
Todd Tilley.
Riddick, a nine-year
law enforcement veteran,
worked with the Elizabeth
35 cents
Town may be
fined by state
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Approximately 4,000 gal
lons of untreated sewage
from the town of Hertford
spilled into the Raccoon r
Creek tributary of the
Perquimans River last week
after a blockage occurred in
a collection line.
Town Manager John
Christensen said the small
spill was discovered March
17 and the state Division
of Water Quality has been
notified. There was no sign
that the untreated sewage
actually made it into the
river, he added.
A mop head was found
in the area of the blockage,
but other foreign matter
such as grease was found as
well.
“The mop head could
have caused the blockage,
or it could have been the
grease or other forei^
matter,” Christensen said.
“Please ask the residents
not to pour grease down
their kitchen sinks because
it can cause serious prob
lems.”
Christensen said there
are no food-processing
businesses on that system,
so the blockage probably
came from homes in the
area. While grease is liq
uid when it is hot, once it
cools, it forms into hard
ened clumps that can block
the lines and cause over
flows, cause problems at
the pumping station, and
even clog the homeowner’s
plumbing.
“It was pretty ironical,”
he added. “We just spent
thousands of dollars re
placing the pumping sta
tion at that site because of
problems in the past and
because of added growth.
This time, the problem was
in the line before it got to
the pumping station.”
The eight-inch sewer
main was cleaned out, and
lime is usually added to the
ground affected by the spill
age.
“We’U probably get a no
tice of violation from the
DWQ,” he added. “Whether
or not it’s a fine is up to
them.”
City Police Department
for six years before joining
Hertford nearly three years
ago. In Elizabeth City, Rid
dick gained experience as
a narcotics officer, member
of the SWAT team, and is
specially trained in both
interrogation and crime
scene photography.
A native of Camden
County, he moved to
Perquimans County in 1996.
He is a graduate of Camden
High School and basic law
enforcement at College of
the Albemarle.
Thursday
High: 76 Low: 57
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 81 Low: 59
Sunny
Saturday
High: 81 Low: 52
Scattered
T'storms