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Yates elected chairperson
of Education, R 7
JULY 27, 2011 - AUGUST 2, 2011 2 7 2011
County to seek OK to buy ex-AEMC building
By CATHY WILSON
Staff' Writer
County commissioners
have started the ball roll
ing on two major building
projects.
Monday night, commis
sioners agreed to apply
to the Local Government
Commission, an agency of
the state treasurer’s office.
for approval to borrow up
to $1.4 million to buy the
former Albemarle Electric
building on Creek Drive in
WinfaU.
The actual purchase
price is $840,000 for the
larp office building, ad
ditional storage buildings,
and four acres of land.
Commissioners plan
to renovate the build
ing to house the county’s
emergency services and
emergency management
agencies, and 911 commu
nications center.
Local governments are
required to seek LGC ap
proval when borrowing
to purchase real estate or
engage in loans with terms
over 60 months.
County Manager Bobby
Darden said some renova
tions would he needed to
transform the large garage
area into bays for EMS am
bulances.
“We are hopeful we can
borrow $1.1 mUlion, de
pending on the renovation
cost estimates that come
in,” he said. Renovation
bids are due Aug. 3 and
county bank proposals
will be in by Aug. 5. The
county plans to submit its
application to the LGC in
September.
Darden pointed out that
the property has lots of
storage space along with a
fenced-in yard.
“This is a very good
deal,” he said.
Chairman Ben Hobbs
said one cent of the coun
ty’s recent two-cent tax in
crease would fund repay
ment for the loan.
Darden said EMS offi
cials have measured the
distance that might affect
response time for ambu
lances moving to WinfaU
from the current location
just off South Edenton
See BUILDING, 2
Animals seized from local kennels
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Joyful Blessings Ken
nels may not have been
such a blessing for the
animals that lived there.
Last week, officials
raided a suspected pup
py miU at the kennels lo
cated at 1260 Chapanoke
Road and removed about
90 dogs, cats, and rabbits
from what they termed
deplorable conditions.
The kennel, which ad
vertised grooming and
cleaning services for
dogs in addition to seU-
ing select smaU breeds,
was operated by Robin
Hardesty who lives at the
residence.
The Humane Society
of the United States’s
Animal Rescue Team
was caUed in by District
Attorney Frank Parrish
to assist in the rescue of
approximately 80 dogs,
five, cats and four rab
bits trom the property
Thursday around 10 a.m.
in near 100-degree tem
peratures. Many of the
dogs were housed in un
sanitary conditions and
lacked proper socializa
tion and medical care,
said officials.
Accordingto the HSUS,
the dogs, mostly poodles,
Yorkies and Maltese, were
found packed in smaU
wire feces-encrusted cag
es, many with severely
matted fur and suffering
from open wounds, flea/
tick and parasite infesta
tions. Ages ranged from
two weeks to eight years.
Mother dogs and sev
eral litters of puppies,
some as young as two
weeks, were found over
heated in under or un-
airconditioned sheds or
dehydrated in outdoor
cages, officials said.
Local mobile veteri
narian Robin Stamey,
who is also president of
Perquimans Animal Wel
fare Society, first alerted
Parrish of the suspected
puppy mill back in June
after she received photos
Tn
pOKtW
per
PHOTO COURTESY NORFOLK CHAPTER OFTHE SPCA
Dogs were found living in dirty cages inside of one of the unairconditioned buildings found at 1260 Chapanoke Road.
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sent to her anonymously
On Thursday, she volun
teered along with her as
sistants, members of the
Norfolk SPCA and USHS
in triaging the animals
found at the scene. After
about six hours, the ani
mals were transported to
the Norfolk SPCA where
they were cleaned, medi
cally treated, and will be
offered for adoption.
“I had suspicions about
that place for some time,”
said Stamey “I have
cared for some of the
animals that have been
purchased from there by
other people, and saw»
questionable health con
ditions in those dogs.”
When she received the
anonymous tip along
with photos, her suspi
cions were confirmed.
“1 asked the district at-
HSUS/KIMALBOUM PHOTO
The Humane Society of the
United States’Animal Rescue
Team was called in by Dis
trict Attorney Frank Parrish
to assist in the rescue of
approximately 90 dogs, five
cats and four rabbits from
1260 Chapanoke Road last
week. This dog suffered a
serious eye infection.
torney to investigate and
he did,” she said. “As a re
sult, the sheriff’s depart
ment obtained a search
warrant for Thursday.”
Sheriff Eric Tflley said
he was notified by Par
rish about a week before
the raid that Parrish’s
investigator had deter
mined that the property
was indeed the site of
a puppy mfll. A puppy
mill is defined as a ken
nel used to breed dogs
continuously to sell for
profit. Tflley obtained
See KENNELS, 7
1930 first-graders enjoy 80-year reunion
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
For the first time since sharing
school lunches together 80 years
ago, the 1930 first grade class
at Whiteston School enjoyed a
meal together during a reunion
last Wednesday
Sitting arotmd a table decorat
ed by flowers and a balloon that
declared “It’s not the age - it’s
the attitude”, the octogenarian
classmates laughed, joked, remi
nisced, and enjoyed seeing pho
tos that brought back memories
of long ago. They also enjoyed
seeing new photos of today’s
family members.
Seven out of the original 12
class members made the trip.
Two others were not able to trav-
.1
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Seven out of 12 members of the first-grade class at Whiteston School gathered for their first reunion and enjoyed
eating at the same table, a first since eating lunch together in school 80 years ago.
89076 4
7144
el, and three have died.
Only two girls in the class with
10 boys made things interesting.
Esther Maie White Klaphaak and
Adalia Winslow Harrell, both 86,
travelled from Louisvflle and
West Point respectively to see
the classmates once again.
“This has been just super,”
said Klaphaak who eventually
became a librarian and teacher.
“I am so glad we got together.”
- It was a special time of shar
ing memories from the school
once located in the Nicanor com
munity
“Do you remember the day I
ran away from school?” asked Er
nest Winslow of Elizabeth City,
the oldest of the class at 87 who
eventually became a contractor.
“It was the first day of school and
See REUNION, 2
S-bridge
to close
Monday
From staff reports
Beginning Monday the historic
S-hridge and Causeway will close
for nearly four weeks for mainte
nance.
Randy Williams, with the
North Carolina Department of
Transportation, said the bridge
and roadway would close Aug. 1-
26.
Approximately 130 repair or
ders have to be completed before
the bridge can be reopened for
traffic, he said.
“We’re trying to get it done be
fore school begins',” he added.
Perquimans County Schools
are set to open Aug. 25.
Williams said much of the
repair work is due to damage
caused by rust.
Work crews will also make re
pairs to the Causeway while the
road is closed to traffic, he point
ed out.
While the road will be closed
to vehicle traffic, the bridge will
remain open to boat traffic. Wil
liams said Coast Guard regula
tions prohibit closing the bridge
to boat traffic without 30 days
notice.
County tax
collections
fall slightly
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Even with a tough economy af
fected by mortgage foreclosures
and job losses, tax collections in
the county only fell slightly dur
ing the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
County Tax Administrator
Frank Heath told county com
missioners last week that his de
partment collected $6.5 million
in real estate taxes and nearly
$363,000 in vehicle taxes since
last July 1. The combined figures
present a 95.46 percent tax collec
tion rate for the fiscal year that
ended June 30.
“Basically, it’s about the same
as last year,” he added.
Last year, the county collected
95.65 percent in combined taxes,
just .19 percent more than the
amount collected for 2010-2011.
“We’re trying to tread water
and hold our heads above wa
ter,” Heath told commissioners.
“We have been very fortunate in
the past, but the trend around
the state is seeing tax collection
rates going down for the past two
years.”
Collection rates for areas with
less than 25,000 in population is
averaging 94.79, he said. While
the Perquimans tax collection
rate is less than the year before,
it is still above the state average
in areas with comparative popu
lations.
He expects collections to be
come ever tougher next year, he
cautioned.
“When taxpayers have no job,
no bank account, it is tougher to
See TAXES, 2