P The
ERQUEVtWS
Weekly
"News front Next Door"
JANUARY 23, 2013 - JANUARY 29, 2013
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Some aspects of gun plan debated
By PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County
officials offered mixed
reviews on President
Obama’s plans to limit gun
violence.
Both Sheriff Eric Tilley
and local school officials
embraced any plan that
would provide more fund
ing for police officers in
schools. But Tilley was
somewhat skeptical that
some of the other recom
mendations Obama made
last week would make a
difference.
“The only thing about
new gun laws is it is going
to restrict those who are al
ready going to abide by the
day,” Tilley said last week.
“People are going to get
guns regardless of what
the law says.”
Obama’s plan called for
more police, tighter re
striction on gun purchas
es, more coordination be
tween agencies and better
mental health programs.
Perquimans schools are
in the enviable position in
that they have foiu’ people
on staff devoted to mental
health. Grants, not the fed
eral or state government
are paying their salaries
but one of the grants is set
to expire.
An $185,000 grant from
ECBH is at the end of its
three-year cycle and can’t
be renewed. It has paid for
a staff psychologist. The
school system got a second
$275,000 grant from the
K.E. Reynolds Trust. It is
Senior Center, Almost
An un
identified
worker
appears to
be doing
carpentry
work inside
the site of
the future
senior
center on
Harvey
Point Road.
a two-year grant and pays
for two mental health spe
cialists and one psycholo
gist. The grant expires this
year, but the schooi system
is seeking an extension.
“There has been an im
provement as far as access
See GUN PLAN, 7
County
to talk
water
rates
By PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A new water line con
necting eastern Perqui
mans County with a re
verse osmosis plant in
Pasquotank County will
give the county a new
source of superior drink
ing water, but it wUl come
at a cost.
Perquimans officials
plan to (^scuss rates this
spring as part of talks on
the new budget.
The agreement will re
quire Perquimans pur
chase 150.000 gallons a day
from the Pasquotank facil
ity for the next 20 years.
The water is better quality
than the water produced
using conventional meth
ods in Perquimans County,
but it also comes with a
slightly higher price tag.
Perquimans wili pay $5.34
for each 1,000 gallons. Cur
rent customers pay $6.
Perquimans also has to
pay off the $1.5 million it
wiU spend buiiding the
line and other improve
ments.
County Manager Frank
Heath said the benefits
are worth the cost, but the
county needs to take a look
at water rates. The last
time the county adjusted
rates was in 2007. The cur
rent water budget is $1.8
million. Just the new wa
ter charges from Pasquo
tank will be $328,000.
“It’s something we will
be discussing,” Heath
said.
He’s also not concerned
that some Pasquotank cus
tomers have higher ievels
of lead in their water be
cause of the RO system.
The lead isn’t coming from
the water Pasquotank
See WATER RATES, 7
State senator makes Hertford his first stop on town hall tour
By PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Sen. Biil Cook, fresh off
an election victory, held the
first of what he hopes to
be many town haU forums
in his district Wednesday
night.
Cook, a Republican from
89076 47144
Chocowinity, spoke to
about 15 people gathered
at the Perquimans County
Courthouse. District I cov
ers an eight-county area
from Dare west to Gates
and from Currituck and
Camden south to Beaufort
arid Hyde.
“It’s important to me to
find out what’s on people’s
minds,” Cook said Thurs
day as he drove to Dare
County to look at the in
frastructure there. “This is
one of the things I’m going
to try do more of”
Cook plans another fo
rum in Gates County on
Jan. 24 and is looking at
doing perhaps two more in
other counties before the
General Assembly session
THOMAS J. TURNEY/THE DAILY ADVANCE
State Sen. Bill Cook, R-Beau-
fort, speaks with constituents
during his first Town Hall
meeting in Perquimans
County, at the county’s court
house, last Wednesday.
starts on Jan. 30.
Dianne Layden, the
chairwoman of the GOP in
Perquimans County, wel
comed the visit and said
it was rare that an elected
official visited for a forum
when they weren’t actively
running for office.
“I can’t remember having
a town meeting like this,”
Layden said. “When you
look at this district, it was
Marc Basnight who was in
office for 20 zillion years
and he never came to small
things like this. Then Stan
White was appointed to fill
his position and he didn’t
come for things like this.”
Perquimans County
Commissioners Ed Muz-
2ulin was happy to be able
See COOK TOUR, 7
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