P jjjE 2 ^ 2011
ERQUIMANS
Weekly
m.
"News front Next Door"
APRIL 27, 2011 - MAY 3, 2011
Perquimans High AD Horwat to be
honored with NCHSAA award, Page 7
50 cents
Schools seeking $2.6M in local funds
By CATHY WILSON
Staff" Writer
The Perquimans County
Schools plan to ask county
commissioners for $2.6
million in local funds for
the 2011-2012 school year.
That amount is about
12 percent more than last
year and reflects increases
for fuel, hospitalization,
and retirement costs.
In addition, the schools
will seek $218,204 in capi
tal outlay funds to pay for
school projects, the same
amount funded last year.
The regular instruction
budget shows an increase
of $150,000 for two teacher
positions as well as two
teacher assistants. Other
teacher and teacher assis
tant positions in the school
system are funded through
state, federal, and grant
funds.
The proposed budget re
flects nearly $40,000 more
next year for diesel fuel,
just over $19,000 more for
plant maintenance,'an in
crease of $7,500 in plant
operations, nearly $5,000
more for athletics, a $4,500
increase' for the schools’
community relations bud
get, and nearly $4,000 more
for executive administra
tion (increase in cost of of
fice supplies and employee
benefits).
Budget items seeing a
decrease from last year
include office of the prin
cipals ($2,700 less), and vo
cational programs ($1,000
less).
The proposed budget
will be presented to county
commissioners for consid
eration on May 9.
The local expense budget
was approved contingent
upon current information
that workman’s compen
sation, tort liability, etc.
See SCHOOLS, 4
SUBMIHED GRAPHICS
An artist’s rendering of the field house for the proposed new athletic complex at Perquimans County High School.
Leaders see plans for athletic complex
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
A detailed design for
the high school’s
proposed outdoor
athletic complex was pre
sented to county leaders
recently Now, they just
have to find the money to
build it.
James Overton, Sr.,
with Albemarle and Asso
ciates, Ltd., showed.both
county commissioners
and county board of edu
cation members a detailed
design that includes
separate football and soc
cer fields, an 8-lane track,
1,500 seat bleachers, six
tennis courts, field house,
concessions, ticket booth,
parking, storage, rest
rooms, and two practice
fields for both football
and soccer. The proposed
athletic complex would be
built on 33 acres located
across the street from
Perquimans County High
School.
“This design is a reflec
tion of what the commu
nity is looking for,’’ said
Overton in presenting the
design concept.
Designers are expected
to develop cost estimates
for the proposed project
next month. The project
is expected to be built
largely from donations
and future fundraisers.
“We need to start those
fund-raising efforts,” said
Amy Spaugh, chairman
of the Perquimans Board
of Education (BOE).
A fund-raising commit
tee for the high school
athletic complex has been
formed. BOE members
Susan Cox and Arlene
Yates wfll serve on the
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committee as weU as ey raised recently during
representatives of county a track meet sponsored
commissioners, commu- by PCHS track stand-out
nity organizations, and Laroya Banks as part of
local businesses. her senior project. “This
offers separate entrances
and parking for football
and soccer, as well as a
bus parking lot located
near the field house. A
“We already have $750
for the project,” added
Cox, referring to the mon-
is a great design. It’s com- larger concession stand
munity friendly as weU. ” and larger bathrooms
The proposed concept would be located at the
An artist’s rendering from an
aerial view of the proposed
new athletic complex at
Perquimans County High.
football entrance with a
smaller concession stand
and smaller bathrooms
located at the soccer
entrance.
The field house would
provide separate locker
rooms for men and
women with showers,
a training room, team
rooms, storage, and
offices for coaches. The
press box would provide
storage space underneath
and offer even more rest
rooms.
Including the current
parking spaces located
at the high school, the
proposed athletic com
plex would bring the
number of parking spaces
available for high school
events to 400. Overton
pointed out that the num
ber of high school stu
dents having to cross the
road to use the athletic
facility during the day
woifld not be significant.
“I’ve been told that the
facility won’t be used
during the school day
for physical education,
except tennis,” he said.
“When used after school
horn’s, the kids wfll drive
over to the facility.”
County commissioners
provided $35,000 to the
BOE earlier this year to
begin the design process
on the project after BOE
members agreed to a
five-year option on the
property across from the
high school. The 33 acres
is owned by Dr. William
Nixon of Wilmington, a
PCHS graduate.
Grants
for wind
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
County commissioners
approved economic devel
opment incentives Mon
day night to help locate the
state’s first commercial-
scale wind farm partially
in Perquimans County.
Following a public hear
ing during which no op
position to the project was
voiced, commissioners
unanimously approved the
annual cash grants needed
for Atlantic Wind LLC
(AW) to invest $240 million
in the county’s portion of
the Desert Wind Project.
The wind farm is projected
to build 150 wind turbines
in Perquimans County on
20,000 acres straddling the
Perquimans/Pasquotank
border in a rural farm
area commonly known as
the Desert.
“I fully support the proj
ect,” said Horace Pritchard
who owns land in both
counties that will be leased
for the project. “I was one
of the first to sign up. I
don’t know of any other
project out there that wfll
ask for any less services
from the county The com
pany (AW) says they wfll
fix the roads and drain
age out there. They have
been working hard on the
project for the last several
weeks. I have nothing but
good to say. I can only call
this project a windfall for
all of us.”
The incentive pack
age calls for the county to
pay a percentage of the
company’s real estate and
personal property taxes
back to the company up
to 30 years respectively
See GRANTS, 4
Schools save on utilities
From staff reports
Jonathan Nixon loves
to deliver good news.
Nixon, director of
maintenance, construc
tion and custodial ser
vices for the Perquimans
County Schools, did just
that recently when he no
tified Perquimans Board
of Education members
that the school system
has saved over $81,000 in
utility costs during the
first three quarters of the
2010-2011 school year.
Nixon says the school
system saved $41,290 in
electricity costs, $33,508
in the cost of natural gas,
and almost $6,500 in water
savings during the school
year’s first three quar
ters.
Conservation efforts
and implementing load
management equipment
at the high school helped,
he said.
The school system has
used nearly 148,000 kilo
watts less this school year
than during the first three
quarters of the school
year last year.
Railroads get upgrade funds
From staff reports
The N.C. Board of Trans
portation has awarded
more than $1.9 million in
state funds to nine small
freight railroads through
the Short Line Infrastruc
ture Assistance Program
(SIAP) including the rail
road that runs through
Perquimans County The
grants will be used to help
finance track/bridge re
habilitation and construc
tion projects.
The investments are
part of a statewide effort
to upgrade transportation
infrastructure required to
retain and attract indus
try and reduce truck traf
fic/maintenance on state
highways.
“These grants will re
tain jobs and support eco
nomic development in ru
ral areas,” Transportation
Secretary Gene Conti said.
“At the same time, the
grants will help modern
ize the state’s rail system
and bring about improved
capacity, reliability and
See RAILROADS, 4
Hertford police chief, sergeant face assault charges
By WILLIAM F. WEST
The Daily Advance
The Hertford police
chief and a police sergeant
are facing misdemeanor
89076
7144
assaxflt charges for alleg
edly striking a man with a
firefighter helmet dioring a
May 2010 altercation.
Police Chief Joe Amos
and Sgt. Shawn Swindell
were charged April 20 with
assault inflicting serious
injury for an incident that
required Kenneth Cas
tro Ferebee, 50, to receive
medical treatment that in
cluded seven staples to his
head, warrants state.
The warrants were filed
last week in Perquimans
County District Court at
the request of the State
Bureau of Investigation
and after District Attorney
Frank Parrish reviewed
the SBI’s report of the in
cident.
Parrish said he decided
to file the charges about
two weeks ago after ask
ing the SBI last summer
to conduct a probe. He de
clined further comment on
the charges.
Amos and Swindell, both
36, face court dates of July
6. Both were placed on ad
ministrative duty in the
police department, said
Hertford Town Manager
I
John Christensen.
Generally, the term “ad
ministrative duty” means
a law enforcement officer
is removed from patrolling
streets and other policing
tasks and instead is as
signed to a desk job.
Hertford Mayor Sid Eley
said Amos remains admin
istrator of the Hertford Po
lice Department.
Perquimans Sheriff Eric
Tilley said he found out
about the charges Wednes
day morning because the
magistrate’s office is down
the hall from his office.
Tilley said after a pair of
SBI agents took out the pa
perwork, “I kind of knew
what was happening.”
See CHARGES, 4