P The
ERQUIMANS
WE EK LY
"News from Next Door" WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016
Football coach to step
down after this season, 6
AUG RE^ cents
County to proceed with review of project
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County re
jected a request to table
plans for a wind project in
Bear Swamp, setting the
stage for the planning board
to review the document
Tuesday night.
The attorney for some
residents opposed to the
Timbermill Wind project ar
gued Apex Clean Energy did
not submit a complete Con
ditional Use Permit (CUP)
application.
Attorney Chad Essick
called on Planning and Zon
ing Director Donna Godfrey
to put review on the project
on hold.
Attorney Douglas Hanna,
who was hired to represent
the county, countered Es-
sick’s letter saying Godfrey
does not have the legal au
thority to stop the review.
“The letter requesting a
formal zoning determination
fails to cite any legal author
ity for this request,” Hanna
wrote. “After reviewing the
Perquimans County Zoning
Ordinance and applicable
legal authority, we conclude
that such a request would
be improper in connection
with the review of the pend
ing Conditional Use Permit
submitted by Timbermill. As
such, the request for a for
mal zoning determination is
hereby denied.”
The main issue Essick
brought up in his July 21
letter was noise, but he also
questioned the documenta
tion on what would happen
if ice formed on a turbine
blade and was thrown off.
He also questioned the data
See WIND, 2
Chowan Board OK’s Apex plan
BY REGGIE PONDER
Chowan Herald
EDENTON — The
Chowan County Planning
Board voted 3-2 Wednes
day to recommend that
the Chowan County Com
mission approve a condi
tional use permit for the
Timbermill Wind project.
Planning Board mem
ber Linda Peterson made
the recommendation to
approve the permit with
the conditions staff rec
ommended.
Peterson, Chairman
Warren Hare and board
member Bobby Winbome
voted in favor of the mo
tion and Jim Leggett and
Jim Robison voted against
it.
In addition to backing
the conditions proposed
by Chowan Planning Direc
tor Elizabeth Bryant, the
board also recommended
that Chowan commission
ers establish procedures to
regularly assess and adjust
the cash bond for decom
missioning wind turbines
and towers to ensure it’s
adequate to cover all de
commissioning costs.
See CHOWAN, 2
Building
inspector
honored
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County Build
ing Inspector Virgil Parrish
was honored last week as the
Building Inspector of the Year
by a state or
ganization.
Parrish, 59,
has worked
as a build
ing inspector
since 1993,
and assumed
the Perqui
mans County
PARRISH
Viviana Redondo, a volunteer
from The Hydrant Church in
Golsboro, helps clean up the
home economics area at
Perquimans County High School
last week as part of Love PQ.
Horton
facing
charges
From Staff Reports
An Elizabeth City city
councilor and Hertford fu ¬
neral home operator was
cited Thursday for driving
while his license is revoked
by a Perquimans County
HORTON
Sheriff’s
deputy
who has
just served
criminal
papers on
him and
warned
him not to
drive.
job in 1999.
The North Carolina Building
Inspectors Association made
the presentation at a banquet
held at Atlantic Beach.
Perquimans County
Sheriff Eric Tilley said the
deputy went to Darius Hor
ton’s business — Horton’s
Amy Britt, the new presi
dent of the NCBIA, said the
organization seeks out rec
ommendations for the award
when they hold regional semi
nars. A committee then makes
the final choice.
Britt works for the Town of
Clayton.
“Virgil is just a great guy,”
Britt said. “The great thing is
he’s been on both sides. He
understands what contractors
on going through. I’ve heard
that a lot. I can also say Virgil
is always willing to help out
with other jurisdictions if they
need him.”
Glenn Batten, a retired
building inspector in Kerners
ville, and ex-officio member
Funeral Home and Cre
mations, 141 South Ocean
Highway to serve Horton
with a criminal summons. A
See PARRISH, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER
WILLIAMS
Trevor Smith (right)
uses an edger at a
home on Edenton
Road Street as
part of Love PQ
Week. Dozens of
volunteers took part
on projects big and
small throughout
Perquimans
and Pasquotank
counties.
former employee swore out
warrants against Horton
for communicating threats
and assault inflicting seri
ous injury. The incident ap
parently happened in June
at the funeral home.
During the visit Thuis-
day, Horton, 29, got a phone
call, Tilley said.
“My deputy said Hor
ton told the caller ‘I’ll be
there in five minutes.’” Til ¬
ley said. “At that point my
officer said ‘you do know
your license is suspended,’
and Horton told him, ‘yeah,
yeah, I know.’”
See HORTON, 2
Perquimans hosting regional tourism workshop
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
About a dozen state tourism
officials will be on hand for a re
gional seminar in Hertford Aug.
11 to talk about what services are
available to help local tourism re
lated business.
The event at the Perquimans
County Recreation Center will
be one of four offered across the
state this year, according to Andre
Nabors, a representative with Visit
North Carolina - a business unit
of the Economic Development
Partnership of North Carolina.
The Aug. 11 event will run from
10 a.m. until 2 p.m. It’s billed as
a “come-when-you-can/stay-as-
long-as-you’d-like” opportunity
“One of our colleagues called
it ‘speed dating for the tourism
industry,”’ Nabors said of the out
reach sessions. “We each have our
own tables and people can come
and go as they please and ask
questions.”
Representatives from the Eco
nomic Development Partnership'
of North Carolina, the Depart
ment of Commerce, the N.C. De
partment of Natural and Cultural
Resources and NC GreenTravel
will also be on hand to discuss ser
vices they can provide businesses,
including strategic planning, as
sisting with identifying funding
sources and serving as liaisons
with other local, state and federal
agencies.
“It’s sometimes a little daunting
to get everybody together,” Na
bors said.
Visitors to the event can get
information about how to add or
change information to the Visit NC
web site.
The events have been held in
the past in Henderson in Vance
County, Greenville and New Bern.
“We’ve tried to get in the heart
of the areas that could use help,
including rural places and smaller
towns,” Nabors said.
For additional information or
to learn more about scheduling
a TRAC visit, contact andre.na-
bors@visitnc.com or call him at
919-447-7771.
Perquimans High fishing team wrapping up good year
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Fresh off a win near Ra
leigh, a pair of Perquimans
County High School stu
dents are poised to win big
in the season finale Satur
day in Plymouth.
Dylan Valousky and
Timothy Estep easily won
a bass fishing tournament
July 23 at Falls Lake with a
6 89076 47144
2
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grand total of 22.5 pounds
of fish. The second place
team caught 11 pounds.
Each team can record five
fish and all fish are released
after weigh-in.
The win, plus their results
in earlier tournaments, put
the duo one point out of first
place and in a three-way tie
for second, according to
Matt Leicester, the advisor
for the PCHS team.
Not too shabby consid
ering this is the first year
PCHS has fielded a fishing
team.
Fishing is not a sport
sanctioned by the N.C. High
School Athletic Association.
The tournaments PCHS
competes in are sponsored
through Fishing League
Worldwide (FLW) a group
created in 2007.
The Perquimans team
does not get funding from
the school system, but it is
See FISHING, 3
SUBMITTED
PHOTO
Dyland
Valousky
and Timothy
Estep
captured
first place
recently
for the
Perquimans
County
High School
fishing team.