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New program about shoemaking
in the 18th century. Page 2
"News front Next Door”
MARCH 10, 2010 - MARCH 16, 2010
Electrocution kills Belvidere man
2nd man burned
in home accident
By CATHY WILSON
Stajjf Writer
One man was electrocut
ed Saturday afternoon and
a second man was burned
while trying to install a CB
antenna in a tree in Belvi
dere.
According to Perquimans
Sheriff Eric Tilley, Wilbert
Smith, of 488 Sandy Cross
Road, was climbing an alu
minum ladder and trying
to install a cross-shaped CB
antenna on a tree when the
antenna got too close to a
power line causing electric
ity to flash. A second man,
William Park, was standing
on the ladder below Smith
and was burned on his
hands, police said.
Smith’s son saw the acci
dent occur and immediate
ly tried to revive his father
at the scene, said Tilley
Perquimans EMS respond
ed and continued CPR as
they transported Smith to
Albemarle Hospital where
he died.
Park was also transport
ed to the Elizabeth City hos
pital and later transferred
to Sentara Norfolk General
where, hospital spokesman
say, he was treated and later
released.
Tilley said Smith was
standing at the top of the
aluminum ladder when the
antenna he was carrying
got too close to the power
line that provided electrici
ty to the home. The electric
ity flashed from the line to
the antenna, knocking both
men off the ladder, TOley
added.
Chief Bernie Winslow
with the Belvidere-Chappel
HOI Volunteer Fire Depart
ment, said workers from
Dominion North Carolina
Power responded and cut
the power.
“We were told the anten
na never came in'fcontact
with the electrical wire,”
Winslow said.
According to informa
tion provided by Dominion
North Carolina Power, you
must stay at least 10 feet
from power lines when
working with ladders or
other equipment like an
tennas.
“Dominion should al
ways be notified anytime
you are working within 10
feet of a power line,” noted
Charles Penn with Domin
ion Power. “This is the
time of year people start
trimming trees, doing re
pairs and spring cleaning.
See DEATH, 2
Yacht Club Builds Optis
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PHOTOS BY CATHY WILSON/PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Members of the Osprey Yacht Club are building three small sailboats to help teach youngsters how to sail. Bruce Hobson,
(l-r) Teriy Facey, Jim Colyer and Vic Galgano have been working on the boats daily in Hertford.
Boat builders helping youth learn to sail
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
I embers of the Osprey
Yacht Club are building
three small sailboats to
help local youngsters learn the
sport of sailing.
The local sailors from Albe
marle Plantation are construct
ing Optimist dinghies; small
wooden sailboats better known as
“Optis” that are sailed by youth
age 8-15. Located in a Hertford
workshop, construction of the
small boats is known amongst
the club members as the Opti
Factory, nm by two shifts of four
volunteer workers each day
Bob Halter said the boat-build
ing project evolved from the
club’s desire to find a project that
woidd help the community as
well as engage its membership.
“One of our members saw a
completed Opti in the back of an
art store in Edenton and asked
about it,” remembered Halter
when explaining how the club
initiated the project. “We found
out that the Edenton Yacht Club
had bunt three Optis with the
assistance of College of the
Albemarle’s boat-building expert
Bob Baker. We made some phone
calls for information, and then
made a club decision to fund at
least one Opti.”
However, management at Al
bemarle Plantation heard of the
project and agreed to fimd a sec
ond boat and managed to land the
workshop in which to construct
the boats. In addition, the group
learned that a local Boy Scout
troop could earn badges for small
boat sailing.
“With all the necessary pieces
in place, we decided to proceed
with the project, organizing
morning and afternoon volunteer
work teams, and using Baker as
our expert consultant,” added
Halter. “We expect to complete
three Optis before spring, and we
are currently setting up safety
See BOATS, 2
Three Optimist Dinghies, better known as
Optis, are under construction by members
of the Osprey Yacht Club. The small sail
boats, one shown here with Bruce Hobson,
will help teach youngsters how to sail.
Grant funds
fanner market
in Perquimans
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Perquimans County is
on track to have a farm
ers’ market operating
here beginning in May.
The Perquimans
Coimty Restoration As
sociation has received a
$30,000 grant from Rural
Advancement Foim-
dation International
(RAFI-USA) to fund the
project for one year. A
market director must
be hired, and a place to
hold the market must be
chosen.
Glenda Maynard, site
manager for the New-
bold-White House, said
a team of volimteers
from around the com
munity has worked for
the past year to develop
a local farmers’ mar
ket that wtU offer fresh
fruits and vegetables, as
well as a host of other
goods, for sale during
the summer.
Sites under consider
ation include the ARP-
DC building/lawn, 2020
Vision lot, and Missing
Mill Park. Maynard said
the ARPDC building
lawn is available only
short term.
“We wUl have to es
tablish a revenue source
and other funding pos
sibilities to continue the
market a second year,”
noted Maynard.
A decision on where
to hold the market wUl
be made at a later date.
The group’s efforts
to formulate plans for a
farmers’ market includ
ed research and infor
mation gathering from a
variety of resources in
cluding an organic food
buyers club, commu
nity-based agriculture.
See MARKET, 2
Census jobs
still available
Census forms to
go out next week
From staff reports
More than 1,000 Cen
sus jobs are still avail
able in the eastern part
of North Carolina par
ticularly in Gates and
Currituck counties.
The Rocky Mount
Local Census Office,
which covers 16 coun
ties including Perqui
mans, Pasquotank and
Chowan, continues to
hire temporary Census
workers. Census forms
wHl be mailed to local
homes March 15-17. An
accurate coimt is criti
cal as recent estimates
indicate the state will
receive approximately
$15,000 in federal fund
ing per person counted
over the next 10 years.
To qualify for tempo
rary Census employ
ment, you must be: able
to read, write, and speak
English; a US. citizen;
a legal permanent resi
dent, or non-citizen with
an appropriate work
visa, and you possess a
See CENSUS, 2
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 63 Low: 44
Thunder Showers
Friday
High: 59 Low: 40
Showers
Saturday
High: 58 Low: 40
Showers
Seniors want more room, newer facility
■ PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Sidney Perry tries
his hand at pool
as Marvin Kreutler
watches. The pool
table, a popular
activity at the
county Senior
Citizens Center,
is located in the
center’s nutrition
site (dining room).
Local seniors have
asked for a new or
larger building, cit
ing lack of space
and parking.
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Local senior citizens have asked
county commissioners for a larger
or new center.
James Griffin, member of the
county’s senior citizen board, re
minded county commissioners re
cently that their current building
and nutrition site located on Grubb
Street is outdated and inadequate.
Limited parking at the current
building is a major problem, he
noted, forcing some to park across
the busy street which is a safety
hazard. Griffin also said some el
derly patrons feel vmcomfortable
parking adjacent to the tennis and
basketball courts, especially since
several cars have been broken into
over the years and one physical as
sault has occurred.
The building used now has a
very small ofiice for staff, and no
storage space. The nutrition site’s
dining room also doubles as an ac
tivity room for seniors.
“We feel like seniors pay more
taxes to the county than any other
age group,” Griffin said. “We feel
like we deserve more consider
ation in our golden years.”
Commission Chairman Mack
Nixon assured Griffin both the
senior citizens building and the
county library are on their radar
screen.
“We do realize the fact that se
niors need a new facility,” Nixon
told Griffin. “We will be looking
diligently this year to find some
way to accomplish that.”
See CENTER, 2