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WE. :
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February 18, 2009
Vol. 77, No. 7 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
^^Newsfrom NextDoor*^
Hertford
seeks
sewer
■payment
from
Winfall
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Hertford officials are
turning to their attorney to
seek back payments from
the town of Winfall for
wastewater treatment.
Winfall officials are turn
ing to their attorney to try
to get Hertford to accept
what they consider reason
able compensation.
Last Monday, members
of Hertford Town Council
voted to give Winfall one
week to pay $34,867 or have
Hertford turn the matter
over to the town’s attorney,
Ben Gallop of Hornthal, Ri
ley, Ellis & Maland, L.L.P.
No payment had been
made by Tuesday morning,
however Winfall’s mayor
says a check is on its way.
Fred Yates said Winfall’s
attorney is currently draw
ing up a cover letter to be
sent to Hertfprd along with
a package detailing the
amount Winfall officials
have determined is reason
able. A check wiU accom
pany that package, Yates
added.
Hertford officials say
Winfall has not paid Hert
ford for treating their waste-
water since March, 2008.
“This has been going on
way too long,” said Coun
cilman Carlton Davenport.
“Something needs to be
done.”
Hertford and Winfall
have disagreed for several
months on how much Win
fall actually owes Hertford
for treating the town’s
wastewater each month.
Last June, Hertfordasked
Winfall to pay $7,975.09 in
past due charges for treat
ment in March and April
2008. WinfaU, instead, said
Hertford overcharged them
around $8,000 between May
2007 and Feb. 2008 and want
ed that amount applied to
their March and April bills.
Winfall believes the tem
porary flow meters at Win-
fall’s lift station No. 6 that
have measured Winfall’s
CONTINUED on page 2
UtaAUBi
Thursday
High: 59 Low: 31
AM Showers
Friday
High: 48 Low: 30
Sunny
Saturday
High: 53 Low: 36
Partly Cloudy
Perquimans Weekly photo by CATHY WILSON
JANE MCMAHON OF HERTFORDSHIRE Antiques (left)
checks the progress on one of the many items up for bids
during Saturday's 9th annual St. Valentine's Silent Antique
Auction benefitting Historic Hertford, Inc.'s downtown
beautification projects. McMahon described the auction
as "slammed at times," bringing in folks from around the
area bidding on furniture, lamps, mirrors, pictures, china,
crystal, jewelry, silver, and much more. McMahon has beeh
the backbone of the auction since its inception. The event
has provided thousands of dollarsover the years. Kevin
Sary above) of Portsmouth contemplates bidding.
County shoreline project under budget
CATHY WILSON
staff Writer
Competitive construc
tion bids will enable the
county to get more bang for
its buck in stabilizing the
shoreline behind the recre
ation center.
County commissioners
recently agreed to submit a
change order that will allow
the county to build a bet
ter nature trail and plant
larger trees and shrubs to
help stabilize the bluff arid
natural beach area behind
the recreation department
in the county’s Commerce
Centre.
The county received a!
grant from the Clean Wa
ter Management Trust
Fund to stabilize 2,000 feet
of riparian shoreline, but
a 13-month long process
to receive a needed CAMA
permit delayed actual con
struction bids until after
the local construction boom
had subsided.
“When we first started
this project, the construc
tion business was at a
peak,” said County Man
ager Bobby Darden. “But
because we had to wait for
Perquimans Weekly photo by Cathy Wilson
ABOUT 1,000 FEET OF shoreline behind the recreation depart
ment at the county's commerce centre has been protected with
rock sills. Trees, shrubs and grasses will be planted to further
protect the area from erosion. A nature trail will also be cre
ated for county residents to enjoy.
the permitting process,
building had slowed down,
allowing us to get decent
bids. They came in well un
der budget.”
CAMA basically halved
the shoreline footage to
1,000 feet which has already
been protected with rock
sills. And, approximately
450 feet of shoreline bluff
has been re-graded and
planted with winter ry6
grass.
Darden said the work
completed to date for the
wetlands has cost about
half of what was originally
budgeted.
The county is asking to
upgrade the size of the trees'
to be planted from seed
lings to 5-9 foot trees in 7-10
gallon containers. Shrubs
will also be increased in
size from 1-gallon to 3-5 gal
lon size. Native grasses will
be planted behind the siUs,
and Bermuda grass sod will
be placed along the re-grad-
ed bank this spring.
Darden said county of
ficials believe using more
mature plants will help to
more quickly stabilize the
shoreline.
The county also wants
to install an irrigation sys
tem along the re-graded
bank section in front of
the recreation center build
ing. The irrigation system
would help ensure survival
and growth of planted ma
terials.
In addition, the. county
plans to construct an en
hanced nature trail along
the area.
“We’ll have the funds left
to build a really nice, long
nature trail,” Darden said.
SunTrust enjoys new
location off U.S. 17
' s
6''"89076”47143"' 5
SunTrust Mortgage cele
brated the grand opening of
its new office with a ribbon
cutting last Thursday spon
sored by the Perquimans
Chamber of Commerce.
The local mortgage com
pany moved to its new loca
tion at 220A Ocean Highway
the end of September.
“Wehavebettervisibility,
a better location, and more
room here,” said Manager
Darla Semonich who has
41 years experience in the
mortgage industry and also
leads the office in Elizabeth
City.
The Hertford branch,
which has done business
locally for the past eight
years, has two employees to
help customers with their
mortgage needs. The local
loan officer is Marianna
Stanton who has over 12
years of experience in the
industry.
SunTrust Mortgage is
open Monday—Friday, 9
a.m.—5 p.m. For more in
formation, call 426-2200.
Perquimans Weekly photo by CATHY WILSON
THE PERQUIMANS CHAMBER OF Commerce held a ribbon cut
ting Thursday at the new location for SunTrust Mortgage, locat
ed at 220A Ocean Highway in the new MCS shopping center.
Budget
helper
Hertford offers
budget utility
billing plan
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Hertford is now offering
town utility customers bud
get billing to help take the
stress of fluctuating month
ly bills off the consumer.
However, budget billing
may not be for everyone.
'The program averages
out utility costs for a year,
and the customer pays one
set amount for 11 months.
They make up the differ
ence or receive a credit
on the 12th month, called
“true-up time.”
"This process allows
the customer to know
what their bill will be
each month. It will save
them the cost of late pay
ments."
John Christensen
Town Manager
“This process allows
the customer to know
what their bfil wfil be each
month,” explained Town
Manager John Christensen.
“It wfil save them the cost
of late payments.”
For example, a cus
tomer who averaged pay
ing $195.98 a month for the
past 12 months would pay
$214 for 11 months. On the
12th month, that customer
would receive a credit of a
little over $1, meaning they
would have no bfil to pay
that 12th month.
The new billing process
is designed to help those
who heat and cool with heat
pumps or other electrical
systems.
Years with colder or hot
ter than usual temperatures
may impact the budget bill
ing process greatly, Chris
tensen pointed out.
How much would you
pay? Add your utility bills
for the past year and
divide by 11. That would
be your cost. On the
twelfth month, you would
get a usage adjustment.
For example, if a custom
er’s past 12 months reflects
cooler than normal sum
mer months and the cur
rent summer is a scorcher,
the customer may actually
face a higher “true-up” bill
on the 12th month.
Not everyone will want
to take advantage of the
budget bfiling process,
Christensen explained.
Customers who heat with
gas, for example, may not
want a higher utility bfil in
the winter accompanying
the gas bfil as weU.
“The program wfil al
low them to choose,” added
Mayor Sid Eley. “Every
one’s needs are different.
They can opt out if they
want to.”
Customers may sign up
in March for the volunteer
program. The sign up win
dow will be held only once
a year.
Customers may not have
a past due balance prior to
signing up for the program.