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"News from Next Door"
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PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
514 S CHURCH ST
Students honored by DAR, 4
HERTFORD NC 27944-1225
75 cents
Cole honored with portrait, marker
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Superior Court Judge J.C. Cole (right) applauds at the
unveiling of a portrait of his wife, former District Court Judge
Janice Cole, Friday at the Perquimans Courthouse Annex.
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The legal career of Jan
ice McKenzie Cole was cel
ebrated Friday when her
portrait was unveiled in a
courthouse ceremony in
Hertford.
In 1990 Cole won a land
slide victory to become the
first woman and the first Af
rican American to be elected
as a District Court judge in
the first judicial district. The
district includes Camden,
Chowan, Currituck, Dare,
Gates, Pasquotank and Per
quimans counties.
Cole said when she de
cided to run, she promised,
“let’s do this right.”
She joked that if two
Democrats were gathered
together, she was probably
one of them.
She said it was significant
that the barriers that were
broken, were not broken
by someone from a larger
county, like Pasquotank
County.
“The first one came out of
little old Perquimans Coun
ty,” Cole said.
She held the bench until
1994 when President Bill
Clinton nominated her to be
a U.S. Attorney in the east
ern district of North Caroli
na. She was the first female
African American to serve
in that role. It made her the
highest-ranking federal law
enforcement officer over 44
of the state’s 100 counties.
Cole said Friday that she
tried to use her appointment
to U.S. Attorney to help oth
ers.
“As U.S. Attorney, it gave
me the opportunity to give
opportunity to other peo
ple,” Cole said.
One of those who got an
opportunity was Felice Cor-
pening. Cole hired her, and
today Corpening is also an
assistant U.S. Attorney.
“She took a chance on
me, and it really has impact
ed my life,” Corpening said.
She said while Cole
seems mild mannered, don’t
let that fool you.
“You will be wise not to
confuse that quiet manner
for weakness.”
D. Cole Phelps, an attor
ney and Washington County
Commissioner, said when he
was in law school at North
Carolina Central University,
he was advised to reach out
to Judge J.C. Cole, since he
also attended NCCU. Phelps
was invited to dinner at the
Cole house.
“I found out Janice Cole
was the one I should be talk
ing to, since she was the first
Judge Cole,” Phelps joked.
J.C. Cole is now a Superior
Court judge.
Other speakers Monday
included Fondella Leigh, a
See COLE, 2
Board
looks to
future
of park
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Now that Perquimans
County is close to having the
cash to start the first phase
of the marine industrial
park, county commission
ers used part of the time at
a retreat Monday to discuss
how it will go from here.
The county owns 72 acres
near the Perquimans County
Recreation Department and
holds the permits needed to
dig a 350-foot wide, 10-foot-
deep boat basin with 4,600
feet of bulk headed shore
line.
The comity has $2.8 mil
lion from the state, $750,000
from Golden LEAF and a
grant application with the
federal Economic Develop
ment Administration for
$2.7 million. Combined that
should be enough to start
the first phase of the basin.
County Manager Frank
Heath asked the board to
think about what it wants to
do next.
“What will the organiza
tion of the park look like?
Will we sell sites? Lease
sites? If it were built today,
would we do direct deals
with each one? If the park
happens, you’re going to
be talking about this. Ulti
mately it’s county property,”
Heath said.
Heath wasn’t county man
ager when the Perquimans
Marine Industrial Park idea
first came up in 2009. None
of the current board was
on the county commission
back then.
One of them, Alan Len
non, was only sworn in De
cember. He admits he has
concerns.
“I have a hard time seeing
this with the same vision,”
See PARK, 2
Food Drive Challenge
Public works director sets goals
School
safety
report
released
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Local officials say Perqui
mans County has already
addressed many of the rec
ommendations in a state
report on school safety, but
that doesn’t mean they can
let down their guard.
“School safety is an ongo
ing process, seven days a
week, 24 hours a day,” said
James Bunch, the school
system’s interim superinten
dent.
The issue has garnered
more discussion in the wake
of the deadly shootings at
Parkland High School last
year.
So the Governor’s Crime
Commission Special Com-
See SAFETY, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Perquimans Central School Principal Melissa Fields (rights) kisses a pig last week as part of a campaign to
collect food for the Open Door Food Pantry. Central collected the most followed closely by Hertford Grammar
School. The Junior WomenOs Club of Perquimans County organized the drive. Member Kim Harris is shown
holding the pig, which came from Wally Hobbs Farms. Other members present from our club were Amber
Reed, Winter Copeland and Erin Eure.
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
In the Navy, Greg Benton was in
charge of making sure what amounts
to a floating city had water, power,
and other services.
Now back as a civilian in his na
tive town, Benton is charge of the
same things but Hertford isn’t a
floating warship.
Benton, 58, came back late last
year to take the position of public
works director for the Town of Hert
ford, a town he grew up in.
“I live in the same neighborhood I
was born in. When I was born I lived
on Saunders Street and now I live on
Hiland Park Avenue.”
Benton, the son of Floyd and
Gail Benton, attended Perquimans
schools, but didn’t graduate high
school here.
“My Dad got transferred when I
was 13 and I graduated from More
head High School in 1978,” Benton
said.
He joined the
Navy and served 33
years, rising in the
ranks in an uncon
ventional way.
“I enlisted as a
non designated sea
man and I got out
as a Commander.”
BENTON Typically officers
go through the Na
val Academy or at least have a col
lege degree. Benton was promoted
from the enlisted ranks through the
( Limited Duty Officer program. His
specialty was engineering.
But after he retired, he jumped at
the chance to move back to Hert
ford.
“My father still lives in the area,
and I have family here. When I had
the opportunity to buy my grandpar
ent’s house, I jumped on it.”
Among the ships Benton served
on were the USS Wasp and the USS
Nassau. Both are amphibious assault
ships. They typically carry about
1,000 Navy personnel and when on
duty, another 1,500 U.S. Marines.
“Everything with the exception of
the combat systems, I was respon
sible for. I had 285 engineers under
me. I was like the public works di
rector, but aboard a ship. Here my
boss is the town manager and there
my boss was an 0-6 Captain.”
A lot of what a public works di
rector does people never notice un
til it stops working. There is water
and sewer treatment and network
of pipes that deliver those services.
There is the electrical system. There
is a street division that tackles road
issues.
There will be noticeable work
there. The town received a Golden
LEAF grant to replace aging sewer
lines. That includes a stretch from
Covent Garden from Dobbs to Mar
ket streets, Market Street from Cov
ent Garden to West Academy Street
and Grubb Street from Covent
See BENTON, 2
Jackson, mother
found not guilty
From Staff Reports
Both Hertford Council
man Quentin Jackson and
his mother, Marion Leary,
were found not guilty of ob
struction of justice Wednes
day by District Court Judge
Edgar Barnes.
A Perquimans County
Sheriff’s Deputy arrested
them in January during a
search of the room Jackson
uses in his mother’s home.
Jackson is under probation
and he and his possessions
can be searched at any time.
During the search, Jack-
son gave his mother a key,
which led to the obstruction
charge.
Jackson said “no com
ment” when asked for more
information.
Work starts on assisted living facility
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Site clearing has started
for residential facility in
Hertford for assisted living
and independent care that
includes a secured space
for people who might wan
der off.
The project has been
discussed for a number
of years, but construction
on Hertford House should
start in about two and a half
months, according to Hunt
er Trefzger, interim director
of development for Affinity
Living Group.
Affinity, which is based in
Hickory, manages more than
90 facilities in the southeast.
Most are in North Carolina,
including ones in Edenton,
Ahoskie and Moyock.
Depending on the loca
tion, Affinity operations can
include assisted living, mem
ory care and short-term stay
options. Currituck House
offers all three. Edenton
House offers assisted living
and short-term stays while
Ahoskie House offers only
memory care services.
The Hertford project will
be rather unique and unlike
some of the others.
Trefzger placed the proj
ect cost in Hertford at be
tween $11 million and $13
million. He said it would be
See FACILITY, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
A piece of equipment works on clearing the site for a new assisted living facility on
Church Street in Hertford last week.