P The
ERQUIMANS
. WEEkLY
"News from Next Door 11 JUNE 25, 2014 - JULY 1, 2014
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Perquimans to see flurry of bridge work
BY PETER WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
For a few days last week
Perquimans County had two
bridges out of service and
residents can expect even
more in the next two years.
The S-Bridge in Hertford
was closed for six days
for emergency repairs and
scheduled repaving. In Beth
el area, the bridge on Burnt
Mill Road was closed June
16 so it can be replaced. The
project should take about
105 days.
The Burnt Mill Road bridge
is the first of eight smaller
bridges in a two-county area
that will be replaced between
now and October 2016. The
Burnt Mill Road bridge was
built in 1958 and is classified
as structurally deficient and
functionally obsolete.
Jennifer Garifo, a com
munications officer with the
N.C. Department of Trans
portation, said McLean Con
tracting from Maryland has
a $5.8 million contract to do
the eight bridges.
Garifo said McLean will
be using one crane for all the
projects. When the crane is
no longer needed on Burnt
Mill, it will be moved to the
next project — a bridge on
Beech Springs Road. Con
struction there is scheduled
to start July 31 and take 135
days. At any given point she
said two area bridges would
be out of service.
Next in line is a bridge
on Nixonton Road in Pas
quotank County followed
by Turnpike Road in Perqui
mans County and Dances
Bay in Pasquotank.
Muddy Creek Road,
Beech Springs Road and
Perry’s Bridge Road are the
last three on the list. Spe
cific timetables on when the
bridges will be closed largely
depend on weather and how
fast the work takes.
NCDOT is investing about
$800 million over four years
to not only replace, but also
strategically preserve or re
habilitate existing bridges to
extend their lifespan. It is the
largest bridge program in the
state’s history, according to
DOT.
The state’s contract with
McLean includes the amount
of time each bridge can be
closed and sets a penalty for
each day that it takes longer
than that. It ranges from $350
aday to$800 day
The closing of the S-bridge
was an emergency measure
after a piece of steel from
an expansion joint came
lose and wedged the swing-
span shut. The bridge was
reopened to boat traffic later
that day, however, repairs
needed to be made before
the road could reopen to ve
hicular traffic.
Garifo said while the
bridge was closed crews
made some other repairs.
DOT typically times routine
repairs so they happen when
school is out for holidays or
the summer. The last day
of school was the day the
bridge was first closed.
The long-term replace
ment for the S-Bridge is
still several years away and
some downtown Hertford
residents are asking DOT to
hold another hearing on that
plan.
Pro golf
tourney
kicks off
Thursday
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The NGA Pro Golf Tour’s
Biggs Cadillac-Buick-GMC
Classic at Albemarle Planta
tion will kick off Thursday
at 7:30 am. and run thr ough
Sunday.
Amateurs and profes
sionals are scheduled to
take to the course today in a
pro/am at The Sound Links.
The event benefits the Food
Bank of the Albemarle.
The field isn’t expected
to be as large as some NGA
tournaments in years past
—19 — but what it lacks in
numbers it makes up with
quality, according to Kenny
Saunders, the golf pro at
The Sound Links.
The NGA has served as
a springboard for young
golfers looking to make the
PGA Fourteen former NGA
golfers have gone on to win
major PGA tournaments
including Bubba Watson, a
two-time Master’s champion
in 2012 and 2014.
The field Albemarle Plan
tation includes Dominic
Bozzili who is number one
on the money list for the
NGA. Bozzili, a 23-year-old
rookie from Pittsford, NY,
has won $62,075 including
between $16,000 and $19,000
for three back-to-back first
place finishes. That puts
him in an exclusive club ac
cording to Saunders.
“That hasn’t been done
since Zach Johnson did it
and he went on to win the
Master’s,” Saunders said.
“Johnson is the only other
See PRO GOLF, 4
Wreck in Holiday Island
PHOTO COURTESY PAM HADDEN
Two men were seriously injured Friday night when the vehicle they were in crashed into trees in Holiday
Island. Matt Herba, 21, and Skip Bohren, 22, were airlifted to Norfolk Sentura Hospital in serious condition
according to N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper L.M. Hill. Hill estimates Herba was going 80 to 85 miles per hour
in a 35 mile per hour zone when he lost control. Bohren was thrown from the vehicle. The vehicle caught
fire but was extinguished by a local resident on Holiday Lane, according to Hill. The Bethel Fire Department,
Hertford Fire Department and the Perquimans County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the accident.
Man, 34,
facing
sex
charges
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Deputies arrested a 34-
year-old former Perquimans
County resident this month
on 10 charges he viewed
videos showing minors en
gaged in sexual activity.
Myron Pelech is being
held on $100,000 bond at
Albemarle District Jail. His
occupation was listed a
heating and air conditioning
technician and his current
address is listed as Kitty
Hawk.
Perquimans County depu
ties arrested Pelech on June
16.
The video material was
See CHARGES, 8
Community support sought for library
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Library supporters are ready to
turn the page and start a new chap
ter in the plan to build a new $2.5
million facility in Hertford.
A library building fund has been
established specifically for con
tributions, fundraising, and dona
tions for the new library, according
to Bill Ross, the chairman of the
library board. Grants and other
forms of support are being pur
sued, he said.
In 2009-10 a group of county
residents started the drive for a
new library. The current library is
See LIBRARY, 8
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A conceptual drawing shows the entrance to the new library
from ARPDC Street near the Albemarle Commission building.
County to absorb
water rate hike
First batch of firefighters graduates
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Buying water from its
neighbor to the east will
end up costing Perquimans
County about $36,000 more
next year but the county
isn’t passing along the in
crease to customers.
Earlier this month Pas
quotank County commis
sioners approved raising
the bulk water rate from its
reverse-osmosis plant from
$5.34 per 1,000 gallons to
$6. Pasquotank County cus
tomers and those in Eliza
beth City will also feel the
6 89076 47144 2
increase.
The hike is because the
cost to treat the water was
more than what Pasquotank
was charging. The $6 figure
was a compromise. Pasquo
tank County staff initially
proposed a bulk water rate
of $6.50 last month.
Elizabeth City City Man
ager Rich Olson and Per
quimans County Manager
Frank Heath had protested
the $6.50 rate increase
earlier this month. Heath
said last week the county
would accept the comprise
increase of $6 as a “negoti
ated” figure.
Olson argued Elizabeth
City shouldn’t have to pay
more than an eighth of
the' county’s annual debt
See WATER RATE, 8
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Five Perquimans Coun-
ty seniors graduated this
month with not only a high
school diploma but the abil
ity to get certified as a fire-
fighter.
The five have com
pleted a program the high
school started last fall. The
firefighter course, led by
Michael Cartwright, is de
signed to give high school
the training they need to
pass the Firefighter I, II and
III exams. The school does
not offer the fourth class on
hazardous materials, that
can be taken through Col
lege of The Albemarle. So
far four of the five seniors
have passed that course.
Cartwright said it’s not
that firefighting courses
weren’t offered in the area
• STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Perquimans County High School seniors Paul Cestaro (l-r), Grant Walker, Ryan
Onley, Sam Phthisic and Zack Underwood with a fire hose last week. The five
graduated high recently with not only a diploma but also certifications needed to
become full-time firefighters.
before Perquimans High
started its program. They
just aren’t offered on a reg
ular basis.
To complete the first
three levels of training
requires taking some 20
moduals.
COA does not offer
them on a regular basis,
so typically a local fire de
partment will schedule the
training if they need it and
See FIREFIGHTERS, 8