Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / March 8, 2017, edition 1 / Page 1
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MONT IFWIUE/WWW MES WWW.CAROLINACHRYSLER.COM 1 252-335-0724 1100) HALSTEAD BLVD. ELIZABETH CITY THE ERQUIMANS MAR 0 8 RETD ^Weekly Donations for Byrum scholarship top $10K, 2 ’’News from Next Door" WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 50 cents Sewer district looking to Hertford for help BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor The operators of a small sewage treatment plant that serves the camping area at Holiday Island have ap proached the Town of Hert ford to see if it can hook up with that municipal system. Building an eight-mile distribution line plus inter nal improvement at Holiday Island could cost upwards of $5.5 million. The Minzies Creek Sani tary Sewer District has been operating under a Special Order by Consent (SOC) from the state since 2015. The system was designed and built in the 1970s, and does not adequately treat the waste created by the 85 trailers and homes that are located there. Frank Page, a member of the Minzies Creek board, said the group has tried three or four other options to treat the sewage on-site without success. They hope to.get a grant to pay for link ing up to the Hertford sys tem. Page has been living at Holiday Island for the past 25 years. “The plant is aging and we have no place to get rid of the wastewater,” Page said. “We can’t have direct discharge at this point. We’re trying to get a grant to pay some of the cost and we would pay some percentage. We’ve been working hard to find a solution.” Gary Hartong, an engineer with the Wooten Company, is working with Minzies Creek on the situation. “Tire biggest issue is their current method has three lagoons that were designed back in 1992 and they were improperly designed for the amount of precipita tion eastern North Caro lina gets,” Hartong said last week. Hartong said getting 85 new sewer customers could be a plus for Hertford. The town expanded its sewer plant and has excess capaci ty and new customers would bring in new revenue. So far Hertford officials have said they’d like to see details of the plans before agreeing to anything. Hartong said just building a line from Holiday Island to Hertford wouldn’t be enough. “Right now they have a gravity sewer system that leaks and they have infil tration, which isn’t a dig deal but as soon as you start pumping that water See SEWER, 2 Town Weird weather threatens bees looks at electric rates BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor The Town of Hertford plans to pay a consultant up to $8,650 to determine how to best to pass along a reduction in wholesale elec tric costs. The town and other mu nicipalities buy power from the N.C. Eastern Municipal Power Agency. In Febru ary NCEMPA announced a 4.5 percent rate decrease because Duke Energy Prog ress lowered what they charge. The Hertford board agreed to hire UFS, a con sultant, to conduct a study. “Myself and Electrici ties staff have met with UFS already and have pro vided data they will use to See RATES, 2 BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor Tiny little honeybees have to deal with a lot in their short life, and the sudden surge in spring like weather this year could be devastating to a hive, ac cording to Paul Newbold, a. Perquimans County bee- keeper and member of a regional bee group. “It’s been warm and that can be the biggest threat to -honeybees,’’ Newbold said. “Their life’s work is pre paring all summer long to feed the brood and make enough honey to survive the winter.” A worker bee may only live about 42 days. The queen’s lifespan is two to three years, and when she’s laying, she can lay 1,500 to 1,800 eggs a day. Only about a third of bees in a hive survive cold er weather. Newbold said he leaves about 60 pounds of honey in each hive to keep the colony fed. But when the weather turns warm too soon the SUBMITTED PHOTO Paul Newbold tends one of his bee hives. queen is fooled. “She starts laying eggs like crazy.” That means more mouths to feed and the honey storage gets de pleted. A sudden return to nor mal cold weather may choke off the supply of incoming pollen and bees See BEES, 2 Jones may run forjudge BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor A House bill that would make District and Supe ¬ rior judge elections partisan again has at least one local attorney eyeing a potential bid for judgeship next year, Kyle Jones, an assistant district at torney and chairman of the Per quimans County Board of JONES Commissioners, said Satur day he may run for District Court judge in 2018. Jones, 31, a registered Republican, won re-election last November to his county commissioner seat. But he says he’s being encouraged See JONES, 3 Former sheriff Tilley returning as courthouse baliff BY PETER WILLIAMS News Editor Nobody’s going to have to train Perquimans County’s newest bailiff. Eric ’Filley spent his ca reer in law enforcement — the last 18 years as Per quimans County Sheriff. He retired at the end of Janu ary, but new Sheriff Shelby^ White reached out to Tilley to see if he’d help out part- time. White confinned Friday that he asked Tilley to help out. Typically there are three bailiffs, but two retired when Tilley did, leaving the department two short. One new bailiff has been hired in addition to Tilley, putting that department at FOWDEN TILLEY full staff. White has also promoted one of his depu ties, James Fowden, to the position of investigator —the job White held before he was named sheriff. All this brings the office up to speed in terms of ballifs, but down one position in terms of deputies, which is some thing White is working on. Tilley said he doesn’t mind working under White. “He asked for some help, and it’s the least I can do. I’ll help out for a while. Be sides I love to drive, and I said I’d be happy to handle any transports. I just said I’ll handle the metal detector (in the lobby of the court- house), but I don’t want to work in the courtroom.” Typically some bailiffs are inside the courtroom to keep order, but one bailiff handles the metal detector and screens people who go in. “Inside the court you have to shuffle papers, but out side the courtroom I know most of the people there, and it doesn’t bother me. It’s just a little extra money in my pocket.” See BALIFF, 3 Tourism director is hired Farm Expo From Staff Reports Sharon Smith has been escaping to Perquimans County for almost 20 years. When an opportunity re cently became available for her to share her love for the small town charm and peaceful natural beauty that initially attracted her, and be paid for it, she jumped at the chance. Smith re cently start ed work ing with the Per quimans County Tourism Develop- SMITH merit Authority (TDA) as tourism director. In her new 6 89076 47144 role, she will be responsible for developing a plan to at tract more tourists and visi ¬ tors to Perquimans. Smith and her husband Jim have a home on the riv ¬ er in New Hope, where they eqjoy spending time on the doik with their three dogs and five children. The TDA will be actively fundraising and recruiting volunteers to help imple ment the tourism plan and special events under her leadership. Cultivating partnerships with tourism groups throughout North- eastern North Carolina will be a main focus. “Perquimans County has so much to offer as a See SMITH, 3 STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS Farmers listen to a speaker recently at the Northeast Ag Expo Small Grains Field Day held at White Hat Seed Farm in Perquimans County. 2 Flook for it! in today's IL Edition! J
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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March 8, 2017, edition 1
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