THE
ERQUIMANS
.X .WEE K LY
’’News from Next Door" WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017
Club awards scholarships, 4
JU\ REC'D 50 cents :
New budget funds upgrading EMS services
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The proposed Perqui
mans County budget for
next year includes money
to improve the level training
and equipment for EMS staff
responding to accidents and
medical emergencies.
Perquimans will be em
ploying more trained para ¬
medics.
Perquimans County Man
ager Frank Heath said the
county has wanted to up-
grade for some time.
“Now was just time to do
it,” Heath said.
“We’ve been focusing on
seniors and a more respon
sive EMS for several years
and this is just a culmina
tion of that,” Heath said.
It doesn’t come without
cost.
To get the program start
ed is expected to run about
$250,000. EMS Director
Jonathan Nixon said about
$125,000 of that is for equip
ment. The plan will be im
plemented halfway through
next fiscal year, sometime
See EMS, 2
Tax gap widens
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County has tradition
ally offered the lowest property tax rate
among surrounding counties and the gap
is expected to grow even wider next fiscal
year.
The actual vote on the budget is sched
uled to take place on Monday at 7 p.m. ,
but based on the proposed county budget,' -
keeping the tax rate at 57 cents per $100,
Perquimans will be 21 cents lower than
Pasquotank, 20 cents lower than Gates,
17 cents lower than Chowan, and 14 cents
lower than Camden.
That means Perquimans property own
er with a “typical” house may pay $855 in
See TAX, 2
PCHS grads look to future
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
More than 130 Perquimans
County High School students
closed one chapter of their lives
and looked ahead to the next page
during graduation ceremonies
held Friday on the football field.
Valedictorian James Parker
Robertson said what happens next
falls on each of the 134 graduates.
“Today marks a giant stepping
stone in our lives, the step you
take next is for you to decide,” he
said. “Whether it be college, trade
school, military or the workforce,
the future is what you make it.”
Robertson said he especially en
joyed his time playing baseball but
more importantly the bonds that
were forged on the diamond.
“We won the conference and
the year 2017 will always be on the
sign on the press box. Although
our season may not have ended
with a state championship, it did
end with a far greater prize. This
year we had nine seniors on the
team, including myself, and I am
certain that I can call every one
of them a lifelong friend. They say
that most good things come to an
end, but I know these friendships
never will.”
There were also darker times.
“We have also been through
times of sorrow like when Madelyn
Byrum passed away, but with help
of each other we made it though.”
Byrum had just finished ninth
grade when she died in an ATV
accident in July 2016. The death
galvanized PCHS students and the
community. The outpouring cre
ated a scholarship in her honor, an
endowment that so far has grown
to more than $13,000 - enough
See GRADS, 2
STAFF PHOTOS BY PETER WILLIAMS
Top, Perquimans County
High School Valedictorian
James Parker Robertson
and Salutatorian Brooke
Suermann listens to a
speaker Friday during
graduation. More pictures
from the ceremony will
appear in the June 21st
issue of The Perquimans
Weekly. Right, Autumn
Bateman, Christopher
Harley, and Sarah Baker
pay their respects during
the National Anthem
during Perquimans County
High School’s graduation
Friday.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The 2017 Marshals for this year were Jenson Hunter, Megan Trueblood,
Gabrielle Corprew, McKenzie Twine, Tylar Workman, and Destiny Evans.
Top juniors recognized
From Staff Reports
Six 11th grade students
who have earned the high
est weighted cumulative
grade point average through
the end of the first semes
ter of their junior year are
named as Marshals for
Perquimans County High
School’s graduation.
Gabrielle Corprew
earned the highest grade
point average and served
as the chief marshal. She
plans to attend UNC Cha
pel Hill to study physical
therapy.
Destiny Evans plans to
attend NC State University
to study computer science
and then plans to join the
Navy.
McKenzie Twine would
like to attend Western Car
olina University to study
forensics and learn to be
come a paramedic.
Megan Trueblood would
like to attend Duke Univer
sity for chemistry followed
by medical school.
Tylar Workman would
like to attend the Universi
ty of Pennsylvania to study
nursing.
Jenson Hunter would
like to attend UNC-Chapel
Hill or Campbell to study
pharmacy.
Nursing
home plan
proposed
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The Town of Hertford will
hold a hearing Monday night
to consider plans for a nurs
ing facility in the 500 block
of South Church Street.
The Hertford town board
recently approved rezoning
the property to allow for the
project. Monday’s hearing
before the Hertford Plan
ning and Zoning Board of
Adjustments is simply just
to consider allowing a build
ing that is 6,000 square feet,
said Town Manager Bran
don Shoaf. The meeting is
scheduled for 7 p.m. at town
hall on Grubb Street.
A Hickory-based com
pany, Meridian Senior Liv
ing, applied for a certificate
of need for a $6.2 million
50-bed adult care home in
Heitford in early 2016.
See NURSING, 2
Friends
to honor
Matthews
From Staff Reports
The Friends of the Per
quimans County Library will
hold a reception on June 21
to honor Skip Matthews as
their 2017 Friend of Perqui-
I mans County.
The event is scheduled to
last from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.
at the library on West Acad
emy Street in Hertford.
The Friends seek out
nominations for the award,
and the one for Matthews
stood out, said Murielle Har-
. mon, the president of the
Friends of the Library.
“It’s norrunated by the
people,” she said.
In addition to coordinat
ing the annual Salvation
Army bell ringing effort,
Matthews is also active in
Habitat for Humanity and
Historic Hertford, Inc.
“It’s for the body of work
he won the award,” Harmon
said. “And he’s such a hum
ble man. He said he didn’t
feel deserving of it. But it’s
the committee that makes
the decision.”
Water safety program marks seventh year
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The latest class of Perqui
mans County Kindergarten
students has learned how to
be safe around water.
The group of 130 students
joins a group of900 previous
graduates of the program
6 11 89076 47144
2
who learned the life-saving
lessons, said Brenda Las
siter, the executive director
of the Perquimans County
Schools Foundation.
The program started in
seven years ago in response
to a number of childhood
fatalities in the region. The
program is building on
previous efforts. The first
Kindergarten students to
go through the program
are now in sixth grade at
See WATER, 3
SUBMITTED
PHOTO ^
Swim
instructor
Brother
Akbar
Stembridge
works with
Mychal
Moore and
Cadence
Moss during
a WATER
Turtles class.
Public invited
to solar seminar
From Staff Reports
The public is invited to attend a solar
education meeting on June 26 at 6:30
p.m. at the Perquimans Extension Cen
ter, 601A South Edenton Road Street.
As solar energy sites become estab
lished across Northeastern North Caro
lina, area residents may look at the ar
rival of these unusual additions to the
landscape and have questions about
the who, what, when, where, and why,
said Extension Director Jewel Winslow.
See SOLAR, 2