Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / Aug. 15, 2012, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
P , THE ERQUIMANS , I ^VE E K LY "News from Next Door" AUGUST 15, 2012 - AUGUST 21, 2012 50 cents Options offered for S-bridge replacement By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer A large crowd turned out Monday evening to see two new S-bridge options under consider ation by the North Carolina De partment of Transportation and its consultant. Those who attended asked questions and voiced various concerns regarding several of the seven bridge alternatives still being considered for replacement of the historic aging S-bridge and deteriorating Causeway that connects Hertford and Winfall. Concerns raised ranged from safety of the elderly population on Church Street to the safety of students on South Edenton Road Street to the continued viability of downtown businesses from road closure to the possibility of nearby historic homes suffering damages from vibrations caused during the bridge construction process. No decision has been made regarding which alternative the state will choose for construction which is slated to be funded in 2017. The current schedule calls for the route to be chosen some time in 2013 with opportunities for additional public input. Teresa Gresham with Kimley- Horn and Associates, the firm that serves as NCDOT’s consul tant on the project, presented the new alternatives and explained the impacts of both. The two new alternatives offer choices of either a swing span bridge the same height of the current bridge or a higher swing span bridge with 15 ft. of clear ance which would allow about 75 percent of current boating traffic to pass underneath the bridge. Both alternatives pose building the bridge parallel to the exist ing one with the northern end connecting with Creek Drive just south of Larry’s Drive-In and to Church Street on the southern end through an existing prop erty on Phelps Street. See BRIDGE, 4 Tree down on Dobbs Street STAFF PHOTOS BY CATHY WILSON A large branch from an oak tree broke and fell on Woodland Avenue Thursday evening, damaging a home located at 610 Dobbs St., and a pick-up truck parked on the roadway beside the house. Resident Siana Elliott (far left) said she was inside the house when she heard a big crash outside. She looked outside and discovered that the tree branch had fallen. Bystanders at the scene said this is the second time a large limb has fallen from the tree. No one was injured. Members of Hertford Police Department blocked traffic as town crews cut the debris and cleared the street. A huge tree limb fell and damaged this Chevrolet truck parked near a home at 610 Dobbs St. Branches from a falling tree limb dented this truck and knocked out the back window.Though the truck and a residence were dam aged by the falling limb, no one was injured in the incident last Thursday. Layden attends Romney/Ryan announcement From staff reports A Belvidere woman had a front row seat in Norfolk Saturday as Republican presidential candi date Mitt Romney introduced to the nation his vice presidential running mate, Wisconsin Con gressman Paul Ryan. Dianne Layden, chairman of the Perquimans County Re publicans, arrived in Norfolk early enough to find herself seated directly in front of the speaker’s podium and up close and personal with the rope-line where candidates often meet and greet. “Romney seemed to know that, while people., were there to see him, the big moment was to be his official announcement of his running mate,” wrote Layden in an email Monday. “Once he said the words every one was waiting to hear, we saw Ryan emerge from the battle ship, come down the stairs, and then approach the podium. The crowd was wild with excite ment. The best word I can use is electrified.” “Just when I thought I could not be more excited, Romney, Ryan, and their wives decided to walk the rope line,” she add ed. “There was a push from the crowd behind me to shake hands with the candidates. Mothers with their children were also 6 89076 47144 2 SUBMITTED PHOTO GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney chose Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate Saturday morning in Nor folk, Va. Dianne Layden of Belvidere, chairman of the Perquimans County GOP, was in the crowd and took this picture. trying to bring them forward. Having the opportunity to shake their hands and speak with them cannot be described. Both men listened intently as I told each I was from North Carolina. Congressman Ryan even told me about flying into Elizabeth City the night before and driving up from there on Saturday Ryan mentioned that they thought coming in from Elizabeth City was a positive sign since his mom’s name is Elizabeth and his daughter Liza’s name is a form of Elizabeth.” Published reports indicate Ryan and his family flew from Waukegan, Ill., to Elizabeth City Friday night where the son of a Romney staffer picked him up and drove him to the Fairfield Inn where they spent the night. They drove to Norfolk Saturday morning. The event was a memorable moment for Layden, one that she almost missed. Even though she had received her free ticket beforehand and was excited about going, she almost changed her mind when the alarm clock sounded at 3:30 a.m. “I began to doubt if I would go,” she admitted. “But, thank fully, I already had everything I needed in the car so I quickly dressed and hit the road. As I approached Norfolk, I started seeing reports that a vice presi dential candidate would be named.” She arrived in Norfolk at 5:30 a.m., and was interviewed by a Norfolk television station as she and others left the parking deck. She was at the front of the line waiting to enter the Naticus complex and was finally allowed in at 7:40 a.m. for the 9 a.m. an nouncement on board the USS Wisconsin. While hurrying up and wait ing, Layden says she enjoyed getting to know the people around her - strangers bound together with like interests: a 16-year-old girl who had a good knowledge of political figures; a woman who had attended the funeral of a Navy SSal who re cently died of ALS; an actor in Les Miserable’s; a woman doing genealogical studies in VA and NC. When 9 a.m. rolled around, Layden enjoyed speeches by Virginia Senatorial candidate See LAYEDEN,4 Complaints aired over police lack of diversity By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer Two members of the local Af rican-American community say the racial makeup of the Hert ford Police Department doesn’t accurately reflect the population of the small town. Gilbert Vaughn, president of the Perquimans County NAACP, told members of Hertford Coun cil Monday night that the lack of hiring blacks on the town’s po lice force appears to be from in sensitivity and, if not addressed, will breed social injustice. The town’s police force cur rently has seven full-time offi cers, none of which are African- American. By comparison, the Perquimans County Sheriffs Department includes 16 em ployees, four of whom are Afri can-American - two deputies, a school resource officer, and an animal control officer. Tony Riddick said the town’s police chief and town manager should actively recruit more black police officers for the town and participate more in See DIVERSITY, 4 Morning fire leaves 6 homeless By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer A fire early Sunday morning left a mother and five teenagers without a home on Muddy Creek Road. Durants Neck Fire Chief Jim my Spivey said firefighters re sponded to a structure fire at 469 Muddy Creek Road at 12:22 a.m. and were on the scene within 11 minutes. One end of the single- wide mobile home was in flames when firefighters arrived on the scene. “It appeared a bedroom on the end of the trailer was fully in volved when we arrived on the scene,” said Spivey. “Fire was coming out of the roof.” Spivey did not know the name of the six occupants who were at home when the fire started and managed to get out unharmed, he added. Perquimans Emergency Man agement Coordinator Jarvis Winslow said the American Red Cross provided shelter for the family at a local motel for three nights. Durants Neck and InterCounty firefighters responded as well as Perquimans EMS, Perquimans Sheriffs Office and Winslow. Chief Spivey said over half of the home was damaged by heat and smoke with the remaining part suffering from water and smoke damage as well. Winslow said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 15, 2012, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75