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ERQUIMANS
. BVE E K LY
Harrell wins another archery title, 8
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"News from Next Door". WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14,2015 50 cents
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County to upgrade 911 system
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County has
secured a grant that will al
low the county to update
the county’s 911 system.
Emergency Management
Director Jonathan Nixon
requested and received
$309,592 through a state
program that helps 911
systems. The county is also
drawing down $139,537
from the $166,000 it had set
aside in a state account that
is collects a monthly fee
from phone customers to
support 911 systems.
“That’s been one of the
goals, the updating of the
CAD (Computer Aided Dis
patch) equipment,” Nixon
said. “I’ve been extremely
pleased by the support
we’ve received from the 911
board,” Nixon said.
The money will pay for
a new computer server
for the CAD system and
workstations. It will also
allow the replacement of a
phone system that uses the
Windows XP operating sys
tem. XP was a very popular
software product that was
See SYSTEM, 8
STAFF PHOTO BY
PETER WILLIAMS
Anthony Johnson, a
telecommunicator
at the Perquimans
911 Center in
Winfall sits at
his terminal
waiting for a call.
Telecommunicators
and EMTs undergo
much the same
training.
Business Expo attracts buyers, sellers
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The fourth annual Busi
ness Expo drew 40 busi
nesses and more than 500
people to the Perquimans
Recreation Center last
week.
The event is held by the
Perquimans County Cham
ber of Commerce. It includ
ed an evening attraction
that brought in restaurants
and caterers from the area
that provided food to sam
ple. The Chefs and Food
Challenges raised $195.35 a
penny at a time for the Jim
“Catfish” Hunter ALS Foun
dation.
Along with some more
traditional vendors, the
expo drew two companies
with plans to build wind tur
bine projects, as well as the
contractor one of them has
hired to build the facility.
The issue has made head
lines because a couple is
trying to block construction
of one of the projects. Also
the same week as the Expo,
the Perquimans County
Commissioner approved
a 120-day moratorium on
approving any new major
wind projects until the plan
ning board can review the
current regulations.
Apex Clean Energy was
at the 2014 Expo, but Thurs
day’s event also included
Iberdrola Renewables—the
developer of the Amazon
Wind Farm U.S. East proj
ect in northeast Perquimans
and northwest Pasquotank
counties. Phillips & Jordan,
a Tennessee-based contrac
tor hired by Iberdrola, was
also on hand to answer
questions about job oppor
tunities. They also handed
out bags of free produce.
Providing the carrots,
greens and apples was
Bobby Brothers, a grower in
Elizabeth City. He grows 15
acres of specialty produce
himself and has suppliers
who can provide him the
See EXPO, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Kevin Chandler, a spokesman for Apex Clean Energy, talks to a visitor to the Perquimans County Business Expo
about the Timbermill wind energy project.
Moratorium pressed in Chowan
BY REGGIE PONDER
Chowan Herald
EDENTON — Citizens
asked the Chowan County
Board of Commissioners
last week to follow the
Perquimans commission
ers in imposing a morato
rium on the development
of large-scale wind energy
facilities.
Patti Kersey, a former
member of the Chowan
Planning Board and an au
thor of the planning board
report from April of this
year that recommended
a one-mile setback and
other stringent standards
be incorporated into the
county’s wind energy or
dinance, told the com
missioners at their Oct.
7 meeting that given the
board’s recent decision not
to approve the stronger
standards for wind energy
generation facilities, she
would suggest a different
approach.
The board should adopt
a moratorium on utility-
scale wind energy devel
opment as the Perquimans
commissioners did, Kersey
said.
Perquimans officials
decided they wanted to
ensure their wind energy
ordinance was based on
the most recent indepen
dent science, and imposed
a 120-day moratorium in
order to provide adequate
time for a review of the or
dinance, she said..
“What a refreshing con
trast,” Kersey said of Per
quimans’ 120-day review
period - noting the Chow
an commissioners allowed
the planning board only 30
days for its review.
There is recent indepen
dent data that needs to be
taken into consideration,
she said. .
“Respectfully, y’all need
to go back to school on
this topic,” Kersey said.
Kersey’s comments
came during the public
comment period at the
meeting, which had been
rescheduled from its
original Oct. 5 slot due to
weather-related concerns.
Apex Clean Energy Inc.,
a company based in Char-
lottesville, Va, has pro
posed the Timbermill Wind
Energy Project in the Bear
Swamp area of Chowan
and Perquimans counties.
The project would be the
first utility-scale wind en
ergy generation project in
Chowan County. The Ama
zon Wind Project already
is being developed by a dif
ferent wind energy compa
ny, Iberdrola, in the Desert
section of Perquimans and
Pasquotank counties.
Also during the public
comment period, Perqui
mans resident Alan Lennon
said protecting citizens’
health, safety and welfare
is the top responsibility of
county officials, and addi
tional protections for citi
zens are needed regarding
wind energy development.
The Timbermill Wind
Project would forever alter
the landscape of Chowan
and Perquimans counties
and the only ones to ben
efit would be a few large
landowners, Lennon said.
It really isn’t a technical
issue but a “heart issue,”
and the commissioners’
heart needs to be for the
See MORATORIUM, 2
Police
chief
recovering
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Hertford Police Chief
Douglas Freeman is recov
ering from injuries he re
ceived in July while helping
another officer with the ar
rest of a 35-year-old man.
Town
Manager
Brandon
Shoaf said
Freeman
has been
treated as is
recovering
well ,“but
will not be
FREEMAN
patrolling at this time. He is
still performing his adminis
trative duties.”
Freeman responded to a
call on July 14 to the 400-
block of Meads Circle in
See FREEMAN, 2
Storm
provides
a test
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County got
to experience a “trial run”
while preparing for Hurri
cane Joaquin — the Catego
ry 4 storm that never came.
All 100 counties in North
Carolina remained in a state
of emergency until Gov. Pat
McCrory rescinded the dec
laration on Monday.
“In the end, this storm
was a great “trial run”
for EOC operations,”
said Jonathan Nixon,
See STORM, 2
New Carolina Moon
play is a sell-out
From Staff Reports
The Carolina Moon The
ater Group will be perform
ing its latest sell-out perfor
mance this weekend with
the play “Bull In A China
Shop.”
The play is about a group
of older ladies who discover
that a handsome bachelor
lives across the street. The
bachelor is homicide detec ¬
Motown Music
tive Dennis O’Finn and to
get his attention they plan
a “genteel homicide with a
cup of tea.” It runs Friday
through Sunday.
The event will include
some newcomers to the
stage as well as some vet
erans.
E. Paul Hotz, who plays
Detective O’Finn, hails from
New Jersey and will be in
his first Carolina Moon pro
duction. However the for
mer cardiac catheterization
registered nurse also per
formed in three television
soap operas over a 20-year-
See PLAY, 8
PHOTO BY CHUCK PAGELS
The Rotary Club of Hertford held it’s 11th annual concert Saturday at the
Perquimans High School Auditorium. The concerts raise money for scholarships
for Perquimans High School students. Music was presented by The Difference, a
Motown tribute band.
PHOTO BY CHUCK PAGELS
Sandy German of Winfall
gets selected by one of the
singers in The Difference to
dance Saturday night at the
annual Rotary Club concert.