iC.
July 16, 2008
Vol, 76, No. 29 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
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1 110 W ACADEMY ST
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Reaves
murder
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Hertford police have
arrested Travis Donnell
Reaves, 25, in connection
with the murder of his first
cousin, Jamar Fletcher, on
July 6.
Interim Police Chief
Brian Riddick said Reaves
is charged with first degree
murder and is currently be
ing held in Albemarle Dis
trict Jail with no bond.
Reaves’ last known ad
dress was 107 Pine Ridge
Mobile Home Park in
Hertford. He was unem
ployed, police said.
Reaves turned himself
in at the Hertford Police
Department last Thursday
afternoon without incident
about 30 minutes after po
lice issued a warrant for
his arrest. Police believe
the shooting stemmed from
an argument between the
two cousins earlier that
evening while attending a
party in Hertford.
Police said Reaves had
a prior police record that
included only misdemean-.
ors and minor traffic viola
tions.
Riddick said police iden
tified a person of interest in
the case as early as Monday,
and executed a search war
rant in the investigation
which was conducted by
Hertford police and mem
bers of the State Bureau of
Investigation. Police were
not able to find Reaves to
question him about the
shooting.
Riddick said Reaves said
he had been walking the
streets in Elizabeth City un
til he called a family mem
ber to pick him up to turn
himself in.
Fletcher was shot around
3:40 a.m. at the intersection
of King Street and Stokes
Drive. Police are stfil wait
ing on an autopsy report,
but police believe he was
shot once in the chest with
a small caliber hand gun.
The investigation is con
tinuing.
Fletcher was buried in
Cedarwood Cemetery Sat
urday following a funeral
at Melton Grove Mission
ary Baptist Church, where
a large crowd gathered to
remember and mourn the
loss of Fletcher.
Thursday
High: 88 Low: 68
Mostly Sunny
Friday
High: 95 Low: 72
Isolated Storms
Saturday
High: 91 Low: 73
Isolated Storms
6 "“8 9076"
7143
Photo by PHIL HARRIS
SOLOMON AND NOAH CARROLL of Whispering Pines enjoy splashing around in their backyard pool while visiting their
grandmother, Virginia Miller, on Front Street Monday. The boys said they were in town to celebrate their granny's birthday.
Commissioners mull landscape plan
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
A plan to improve the
landscaping on the coun
ty’s courthouse green was
presented to commission
ers last week.
Donna Jackson, chair
man of the courthouse
landscape committee, pre
sented the proposal that
includes several new side
walks, plantings, seating,
and lighting. Cost of the
proposal totals $73,000.
Commissioners took no
action on the proposal at
their July 7 meeting.
“1 think the commission
ers will take it under advise
ment for now. It’s a compre
hensive plan, so it will have
to be accomplished in phas
es, which 1 think everyone
recognizes,” said County
Manager Bobby Darden.
The landscape commit
tee asked that commis
sioners take into consid
eration that the county
courthouse is a beautiful
historic building and im
provements to the grounds
of the building should be of
the quality to make county
residents proud. The front
yard “green space” on the
courthouse area is unique
to small towns in the state
since it is directly in the
center of a town, Jackson
pointed out. Jackson said
the committee also feels
that the added landscap
ing improvements would
Perquimans Weekly photo by CATHY WILSON
IF APPROVED BY COUNTY commissioners, a landscaping pro
posal would eliminate the current footpaths across the court
house green and provide additional seating and lighting to the
unique green area in front of the county courthouse.
increase local tourism and
help in the effort to attract
new businesses.
The committee worked
with a landscape design ar
chitect who developed the
proposal that incorporates
several new sidewalks that
mimic the current traffic
flow around the courthouse
grounds while maintain
ing the green area in front
of the building. Additional
seating and added appro
priate plants are also in
cluded. A new side walk
way would provide easier
entry for the handicapped,
and the committee strongly
recommends that a handi
cap ramp be added to the
outside door to the Register
of Deeds office.
The plan also calls for
new low voltage lights in
the front landscape beds,
which will provide up light
ing and enhance the ap
pearance of the building at
night.
The committee recom
mends that U.S. and North
Carolina flags be installed
on either side of the front
sidewalk; that a yearly tree
maintenance program be
implemented; and that a
drip irrigation system in
landscape beds and piping
for a water sprinkling sys
tem be installed.
If funds are not avail
able to finance the complete
plan, the committee has
prioritized several items
for funding first. Total cost
of the priority items is esti
mated at $43,200.
“This would permit all
of the bricking work, ex
cept the Civil War Memo
rial walkway, to be finished
at one time,” the commit
tee’s proposal states. “This
woiild have a major impact
on the appearance of the
courthouse and woiild ad
dress the issues of the cur
rent footpaths across the
courthouse green area, pro
vide for completion of the
area surrounding the Vet
erans Memorial, provide
for a green front lawn, and
improve the handicap ac
cess to the front area of the
courthouse.”
The courthouse land
scape committee grew out
of an original courthouse
landscaping proposal from
the design committee of
Historic Hertford, Inc. in
March 2007. County com
missioners reviewed that
group’s proposal and estab
lished the Courthouse Land
scape Committee in May
2007. Committee members
include Commissioners
Ben Hobbs, Charles Ward
and Shirley Wiggins along
with Ed Muzzulin, presi
dent of Historic Hertford,
Inc.; Debbie Reed, register
of deeds; Katy Shook and
Lewis Smith from the N.C.
Cooperative Extension Ser
vice; Charles Skinner and
Ray Winslow, local histori-
PCHS media renovations on schedule
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Transforming the old
gym at Perquimans High
School into a new media
center is on schedule.
Work on the $11.5 million
contract, which includes
the completed construc
tion of the new gym and
turning the current media
center into office space, is
expected to be completed by
the end of the month.
Last week, county com
missioners approved
$15,539 in project contin
gency funds for the school
system to pay for elevating
two former locker rooms
which are being converted
into classrooms. School of
ficials say the elevation is
needed because of a three
inch elevation difference be
tween the two floors which
became a safety issue.
“The elevation level, as'
drawn on the blueprints,
would not pass inspection,”
explained Brenda Lassiter,
the school system’s public
information officer.
The change order funds
aU labor, equipment, and
materials to relocate a set
of doors, brick up existing
openings, demolish a wall,
install concrete ramp and
toping slab, and change
the orientation of the two
Fed-X
rooms.
Lassiter said new tables
and chairs for the media
center won’t arrive until
Aug. 22. The center is ex
pected to open for students
on the first day of school.
Road closings
Also last week, county
commissioners agreed to
permanently close a por
tion of two roads in the
CONTINUED on page 2
Board okays
land sale for
new building
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Fed-X is expected to move
its local ground operations
into the county’s commerce
center.
Members of the
Perquimans County Board
of Commissioners agreed
last week to convey eight
acres of land on South
Granby Street to Baseline
Development, LLC to es
tablish a package distribu
tion facility. According to
the agreement approved
by the county. Baseline wfil
actually own the property
and lease it to Fed-X for 10
years.
County leaders agreed
to seU the acreage for
$25,000 an acre for a total of
$200,000 with local incen
tives included to help retain
jobs within the^;ounty.
Baseline plans to erect
a 28,000 sq. ft. metal shell
building for the project
which Baseline represen
tatives describe as a quiet,
clean operation. It wfil not
be used as a storage facility,
since packages wfil ship in
and out on a daily basis.
No one spoke in opposi
tion of the proposed proj
ect during a public hearing
Jifiy 7.
According to the ap
proved agreement. Baseline
expects the project to in
clude taxable buildings and
improvements to the prop
erty totaling $2.6 million
which would make them
eligible for a local incen
tive reimbursing Baseline
75 percent of the original
purchase price if the proj
ect is completed within 24
months.
Fed-X’s local ground
operation is now based on
Don Juan Road.
Hobbs
leads
Dole
campaign
Ben Hobbs, a member
of the Perquimans County
Board of Commissioners,
has been named county
coordinator for Sen. Eliza
beth Dole’s reelection cam
paign.
“Our county coordina
tors have agreed to work on
behalf of Senator Dole as lo
cal leaders in our grassroots
organization,” said Dole’s
Campaign Manager Marty
RyaU. “They will be respon
sible for many important
tasks like organizing neigh
borhood walks, distribut
ing literature, placing yard
signs, and other activities
that will encourage North
Carolinians to support
Senator Dole in November.
Their efforts will be crucial
to our massive voter turn
out program. Senator Dole
greatly appreciates all their
hard work on behalf of her
re-election effort.”