+
+
P The
ERQUIMANS
“News from Next Door” “ March 18 - March 24,2009
MAR 1 8 20(19
Heart makes a house a home
DAILY ADVANCE PHOTO BY BREnA. CLARK/PHOTO COURTESY OFTARHEEL RREPLACE
From left, local volunteers watch clips from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition at Edenton United Methodist Church Feb. 26 in preparation for
the local family whose house will be remodeled. At right, Roy Murray, of Tarheel Fireplace and Grill in Hertford, works to install a see-through
fireplace for a Jamesville house being built for the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition television show.
Volunteers across
Albemarle step up
when duty calls
CATHY WILSON
STAFF WRITER
Now we know why Ty does
all that screaming!
Perquimans County vol
unteers who helped build a
house for a Martin County
veteran for the ABC Network
TV show Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition say their work
was rewarding and challeng
ing, but also chaotic and con
fusing.
However, they admit that’s
to be expected when hun
dreds of volunteers work
around the clock, nearly on
top of one another, in a mad
push to build a house in sev
en days.
Ty Pennington and his de
sign team with the popular
television show converged
on Jamesville last week to
makeover the lives of Jeff
Cooper and family
Cooper is a wheelchair-
bound disabled veteran who
continues to be an advocate
for veterans around the
state. He and his wife have
two children, including a son
who lost most of an arm fol
lowing an accident two years
ago.
Their double-wide trailer
was leaking and decaying,
had bad wiring, a sinking
roof and a rotting ramp.
Chowan County builder
John Norris, of Edenton
Builders, Inc., headed up the
effort to build a new home
with the help of more than
1,000 volunteers and dona
tions from hundreds of busi
nesses including several in
Perquimans County
Lyl Brown, owner of Plant
ers Ridge, workpd his crew to
help provide the landscap
ing, hardscape, and flagpole
for the homesite. For four
days, Brown worked with
Brinkley’s Lawn Care of
Gatesville and Four Seasons
Lawn Care of Hertford to
create attractive landscaping
around the property.
“The southern hospital
ity shown was just unbeliev
able,” he said. “The Coopers
are very blessed to have the
good people of this area do
so much. It’s amazing to see
what has been accomplished
there in basically four and a
half days. I think everyone
should be thankful for the
people who worked so hard
and gave so much.”
Brown said he was given
28 hours in which to get the
landscaping done. In all, they
worked over 60 hours to get
See HOME on Page 2
Wastewater wars rage on in county
Town councils call on USDA-RD to
mediate payment dispute soon
CATHY WILSON
STAFF WRITER
The federal agency that supplied
funding for the sewage treatment sys
tem in Hertford and Winfall has been
asked to help resolve a payment dispute
between the two towns.
Hertford officials say they are trying
to resolve the issue themselves, but on
' March 3 notified Wayne D. Causey, area
director of the United States Depart-
merit of Agricultime Rural Develop-
. ment (USDA-RD), that his help may be
needed to resolve a payment dispute
between the two towns for wastewater
treatment.
Winfall, on the other hand, sent Cau
sey a letter March 5 asking for help in
resolving the matter.
Officials for both towns say they hope
the matter can be resolved amicably
Hertford, however, reserves its right to
have the matter settled in Perquimans
Superior Coimt if either payment is not
received or the matter isn’t resolved
through USDA-RD mediation.
Mayor Sid Eley said the matter is
now in the hands of attorneys for both
towns and that hopefully, a solution can
be reached between them.
Hertford says Winfall owes them
$28,278.32 in addition to the $16,286.82
paid by Winfall last month. Prior to that
payment, Winfall had not paid Hertford
for treating the town’s wastewater since
March 2008.
Both towns agree that Winfall owed
Hertford $34,867.25 for wastewater
treatment as of Nov. 30.
Hertford has sought payment for past
due bills since last summer.
Last month, Winfall cut Hertford a
check for what they believe Winfall
owes minus costs deducted for engi
neering services and equipment in
stalled to accurately measure Winfall’s
wastewater volume. Winfall believes
Hertford’s past bills are based on inac
curate volume figures and therefore the
bills themselves were inaccurate.
Hertford rejects Winfall’s claim that
Hertford should offset Winfall’s costs.
“Pursuant to the contract, such costs
are associated with the furnishing, in
stalling and maintaining of Winfall’s
temporary metering equipment,” Hert
ford Manager John Christensen wrote
to Winfall Mayor Fred Yates. “The re
sponsibility for such costs clearly lies
with Winfall until Hertford has con
structed its ‘permanent, open channel
flow type facilities.’”
Winfall, however, believes they
See WAR on Page 2
Wedding chapel opens downtown Hertford
CATHY WILSON
STAFF WRITER
If you’re going to the chapel
and gonna’ get married, you
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 67 Low: 44
Few Showers
Friday
High: 59 Low: 45
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 59 Low: 44
Partly Cloudy
don’t have to go very far.
Yours Forever, an elegant
wedding chapel with aU the
trimmings, has opened its
doors in town. Located at
110 W. Market Street, up to 30
guests can attend weddings
and marriage vow renewals
in the chapel that provides
the classic wedding at an af
fordable price.
Manager Jeannie Garrett
has put together just about
everything a bride could
want in the two-story wed
ding chapel. The upstairs
chapel offers a classic setting
of a prayer bench before a
romantic candelabra flanked
by artificial flower arrange
ments and colorful win
dows. Bride’s silk nosegays,
groom’s boutonnieres, ring
bearer’s pillows, flower girl’s
baskets...even the bride’s
garters...can all be rented for
the ceremony’s use. There’s
even an artificial wedding
cake adorned with colorful
flowers available for photo
graphing the happy couple
“cutting” the wedding cake!
Garrett offers a standard
wedding package as well as
“a la carte” items to help pro
vide that special occasion on
a budget.
They can provide the set
ting, minister, candles, use
of a silk bridal bouquet and
boutonniere, music (exten
sive tape library), photogra
pher and videographer. They
will even cater a simple re
ception of cake, punch, nuts
and mints.
See CHAPEL on Page 2
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Jeanie Garrett (center) opened her Yours Forever Wedding Chapel on Market Street recently. Last week,
^ the Chamber of Commerce sponsored a ribbon cutting to welcome her business to Hertford.
PCHS senior
Jordan Copeland
signs to piay
softball with
Louisburg College
A9
35 cents
Agriculture In Perquimans County
Based on 2002 and 2007 farm census data
Farmed acres
Number of farms
Average farm acreage
2002
84,456
193
489
2007
68,468
171
400
Market value of production $38.4 mill. $60.1 mill.*
Government payments $2.6 mill. $3 mill.
* Crop sales $29.5 mill, livestock sales $30.65 mil!.
County is
losing a
lot of farm
acreage
County currently in
top five in state in
acres lost in 2007
CATHY WILSON
STAFF WRITER
While Perquimans County
was one of five counties in the
state with the largest number
of acres lost in farming in
2007, the local market value
of crops produced on those
farms We actually increased
over 50 percent.
According to the U.S. De
partment of Agricrdture’s
2007 agricultural census
which is taken every five
years, there were 193 farms
in Perquimans in 2002. That
number dropped to 171 in 2007.
Farms in 2002 totaled 94,456
acres but shrunk to 68,468
acres in 2007, a decrease of
28 percent. The average size
farm in 2002 was 489 acres
while acreage decreased per
farm in 2007 to 400 acres.
However, the market value
of production jumped from
$38.4 million in 2002 to $60.1
million in 2007 with produc
tion averages of $351,840 per
farm, a hike of 77 percent
from the $199,192 in 2002.
Crop sales totaled $29.5 mil
lion while livestock sales to
Top crops in Perquimans
. Crop Acres grown
Soybeans
25,261
Com for grain
18,715
Cotton
12,024
Wheat
10,555
Peanuts
. 3,506
Sales toppers
Poultry and eggs
Grains and beans
Cotton
Foul, livestock inventory
Hogs and pigs
11,632
Cattle and calves
991
Goats
247
Layers
232
taled $30.65 million.
Government payments ih
2007 increased from almost
$2.6 million in 2002 to over
$3 million, an increase of 18
percent. The average govern
ment payment received per
farm decreased about 10 per
cent.
North Carolina lost more
than 600,000 acres of farm
land from 2002 to 2007. The
new census reported 8.5 mil
lion acres of farmland in the
state, compared with 9.1 mil
lion acres in 2002.
“When you lose that many
acres, it means that not just
small farms are losing land,
the large farms are shedding
See FARM on Page 3
Farm production
awards presented
About 150 county residents
attended the annual Perqui
mans Farm/City Banquet
hosted by the staff of the Per
quimans County Cooperative
Extension Center and spon
sored by local businesses that
support agriculture.
Rett Davis, retired county
extension director from Ala
mance County entertained
the audience with stories of
unusiial citizen requests that
made his career interesting.
A highlight of the evening
was the presentation of pro
duction awards to growers of
various crops grown in the
county The Ruritan Clubs of
Perquimans County, the Hert
ford Lions’ Club, and South
ern States Cooperative, Inc.
sponsored the yield awards.
Those receiving awards in
cluded:
Corn; 1st—Tommy Harrell,
199.45 bushels per acre; 2nd—
Rob Woodard, 190.72 bushels
per acre; 3rd—John Morgan,
173.78 bushels per acre.
Soybeans: 1st—Jason Pend
leton, 60.70 bushels per acre;
2nd—Hurdle Farms, 59.08
bushels per acre; 3rd—Thom
as and Wayne Rogerson, 55.37
bushels per acre.
Wheat: 1st—Ricky
Jason Pendleton, Hurdle Farms,
Thomas and Wayne Rogerson
Morgan
Harrell
Roach Winslow
Stallings, 116.65 bushels
per acre (third place in the
state contest); 2nd—Thomas
Roach, 92.61 bushels per acre;
3rd—Chad White, 91.77 bush
els per acre.
Edward Winslow, of Belvi-
dere, was named the top pea
nut producer in Perquimans
County at the recent Perqui-
See CROPS on Page 3