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PERQUIMANS
BWeekly
"News from Next Door 1 '
FEBRUARY 12, 2014 - FEBRUARY 18, 2014
50 cents
Towns may have way out of utility debt
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Hertford could get out from
under the crushing debt of own
ing a share in five power plants,
but town leaders say it’s far too
early to start counting up the sav
ings yet.
The stakes are significant. A
residential customer using 1,000-
kilowatt hours is paying $145.59
for electricity in Hertford right
now. Out of that, $40 goes to pay
the debt.
However any deal between
Duke Energy Progress and the
agency that represents the mu
nicipalities could be two years
away and any agreement will
require all 32 members of the co-
operative to agree.
Working on the side of the
customers is the N.C. Eastern
Municipal Power Agency.
That means if Hamilton — a
half-square-mile town with 500
people in Martin County doesn’t
sign off, the deal can’t go through
even if the other 31 municipali
ties like the offer.
Hamilton is the smallest par
ticipant in the power plant deal
with a .07 percent share and
about $1.5 million of the debt.
Greenville and Rocky Mount
have far more skin in the game.
Combined their debt totaled $650
million. Elizabeth City’s share
was $86 million as of last year,
more than 10-times the amount
of Hertford.
Hertford Town Manager Bran
don Shoaf said the agreement
could be a very positive thing for
the town.
“It could be very good, and
provide a lot of relief for our cus
tomers,” he said last week.
But he cautions it’s a long way
See WAY OUT, 2
Rates impact
MORE THAN
JUST HERTFORD
Even Perquimans County res
idents who don’t live in Hertford
have a stake in seeing the town’s
electric rate drop.
County offices, the industrial
park and two of toe four schools
See IMPACT, 4
Fire displaces 18 people
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A child’s Easy-Bake Oven
might have been the
cause of a fire Sunday
night that displaced 18 people
and heavily damaged a four-unit
apartment complex in Hertford.
Eighteen people were dis
placed Sunday night when fire
swept through toe one-story
complex off Wynne Fork Road
adjacent to U.S. 17.
Hertford Fire Chief Bob
Reid said toe blaze apparently
started in toe unit at 222 Wynne
Fork Drive and quickly spread
to the adjoining units. No inju
ries were reported. Nine of toe
18 people involved are students
in the Perquimans County
Schools, according to Brenda
Lassiter, a spokesman for the
system.
“The fire got way ahead of
us before we got there,” Reid
said Monday. “When we arrived
there was fire coming out one
of toe front windows. With no
firewalls between toe units, it
quickly spread.”
At least 30 firefighters from
departments in Hertford, Win
fall and Bethel responded to
the alarm about 7:30 p.m. The
housing development is in Hert
ford, but Chief Reid said it is
policy for toe nearest fire units
to also assist in a structure fire.
Firefighters remained on toe
scene until about 11 p.m.
Hertford Police Officer Ken
neth Lynch spoke with toe resi
dent of toe unit that was first
to catch on fire. Thyicka Miller
told him that she was taking a
shower and heard toe smoke
detectors beeping for about
five minutes but ignored them
because they have randomly
began beeping in the past.
She told police when she got
out of the shower she could
smell smoke coming from a
child’s bedroom and she saw
flames going up toe wall almost
to the ceiling.
She grabbed her three chil
dren and evacuated, but told
Officer Lynch she did see an
Easy Bake oven plugged into
the socket and pushed against
the wall next to the curtains.
When the brand of toy oven
was first introduced in 1963
they used two 100-watt light
bulbs as a heating source. Since
2006 some models adopted a
PHOTO BY ED LEICESTER
Fire pours from a window of an apartment at the public housing development on Wynne Fork
Road, Sunday night.
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Firefighters have their air
packs replaced during Sunday
night’s house fire.
heating element instead and
since 2011 all of toe ovens use a
heating element.
Gail White, the executive di
rector of toe Hertford Housing
Authority, said those units were
inspected just two weeks ago
and no problems were found
with toe fire alarms.
“Everything out there was
working and toe alarms do not
go off for no reason,” she said.
Chief Reid did not want to
speculate on the cause.
Perquimans County does not
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Residents stand outside a four-unit apartment complex
damaged by fire Sunday night.
have a fire marshal, but instead
uses services provided by toe
Elizabeth City Fire Department.
ECPD Fire Marshal Barry Over
man was scheduled to visit toe
site Monday.
Once fire investigators wrap
up their probe, White said an
insurance adjuster would visit
the site. Based on that, White
See FIRE, 4
GOLDENLEAF FUNDS
Two
county
projects
advance
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor’
Two Perquimans County proj
ects worth more than $1.2 million
will advance to toe next round of
competition for help from Golden
LEAF
In August, Golden LEAF an
nounced it was opening up toe $10
million program to 21 counties.
They were allowed to submit mul
tiple projects, but the most a single
county could get was $1.5 million.
Now only 10 counties and 13
projects remain in toe running.
One by one, the other four coun
ties in the Albemarle area were cut.
Chowan, Pasquotank and Curri
tuck didn’t make the first cut.
Camden was dropped along with
others last week.
One of the three original Perqui
mans Comity projects is also no
longer in consideration.
“We are fortunate to have two
out of three (projects) moving for
ward,” said Perquimans County
Manager Frank Heath.
The county is looking for
$360,000 in Golden LEAF money
to build the ramp off North Granby
Street. Eventually toe county wants
to dig a boat basin at toe site to at
tractive marine industries, but that
would require $20 million.
“Because the Marine Industrial
Park is our primary economic de
velopment initiative at this time,
having our boat ramp project con
tinue is great news,” Heath said.
“The ramp has a good potential
to allow companies to locate here
now instead of waiting for toe final
construction of a basin.”
Also in the running is $860,000
for a plan that would provide tablet
computers for every Perquimans
County student in grades three
through 12.
“We still have a ways to go be
fore we can celebrate, but being
included as the field of applicants
is narrowed is very exciting,” said
Perquimans County Superinten
dent Dwayne Stallings. “Perqui
mans County Schools is dedicated
to produce the information need
ed by Golden Leaf as they make
See PROJECTS, 4
Students, staff mourn the loss of veteran teacher
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Teachers and students
were mourning the loss of a
veteran educator who died
last week.
Peggy Griffin, 55, died
Feb. 3 at Pitt Memorial
Hospital after an illness.
Griffin taught in Perqui
mans County for more than
32 years, virtually all of
them at the middle school.
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Hundreds of peo
ple attended a wake
Thursday night at
Perquimans County
High School.
“Peggy could
have worked in any
school district she
desired,” said Bren
da Lassiter, a school
GRIFFIN
system spokesman. “ She
chose Perquimans and we
are a better place (school
district) because of it.”
The school system’s
Facebook page was flood
ed with comments from
students who had taken
her math class as well as
those who didn’t but still
felt touched by her.
A common thread
was Griffin was a
teacher who cared
for everybody.
“She wasn’t even
my teacher, but
had it not been for
her taking the time
to push me and
show me someone cared,
I wouldn’t have made it
through my eighth grade
year,” wrote Heather Cart
er.
“She was just about the
only person in the world to
ever get math to make any
sense to me,” added Joseph
Webb. “She always cared.
May she rest in peace.”
“My heart is saddened
to learn this,” wrote Lisa
Klinger. “I’m glad I saw her
not to long ago to tell her
how I felt about her. She
brought math alive. She
cared.”
A funeral service was
held Saturday at New
Welch’s Chapel Baptist
Church.
School officials called
upon additional counselors,
ministers and co-workers to
assist those at Perquimans
Middle School, according
to Andrea Greene, the prin
cipal.
“There is no doubt that
Ms. Griffin touched many
lives during her 30-plus
years as an educator in our
school system,” Greene
said. “Her compassion for
students, colleagues and
all that she came in contact
with made her a favorite
of all. Her constant smile,
pleasant personality and
helpful demeanor were
qualities that made her so
loved by all.”
In 2011, Griffin was hon
ored as one of Perquimans
County’s Teachers of the
Year by the Hertford Rotary
Club. At the time, Griffin
was at Perquimans County
High School.
In 2011 Griffin said she
was just doing something
she’d always wanted to do
— teach. It was something
her mother was never able
to do.
“Teaching is a gift placed
within me for the purpose
of sharing and helping to
direct people in the right
direction, to impact others,
and make a positive con
tribution to their environ
ment,” Griffin said.
“Peggy’s influence will
be felt for generations to
come,” Lassiter said. “She
has touched thousands of
lives over her three decades
in education.” A