1717VT V
ILILivLj IL
"News from Next Door”
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020
$1.00
PAGE A5
Perquimans Arts
League looks back on
2020
PAGE B6
This week in
North Carolina history
Hertford’s Bell Takes Job
in Elizabeth City
BY REGGIE PONDER
AND MILES LAYTON
Adams Publishing Group
The city of Elizabeth City recently
hired a new public utilities director, a
familiar face to many Hertford
Interim Elizabeth City Manager
Eddie Buffaloe announced Tues
day (Nov. 24) that City Council con
firmed his appointment of Dwan A.
Bell as city public utilities director.
Bell, who succeeds former public
utilities director Amanda Boone, is
BELL
slated to begin his
duties Jan. 5.
Hertford May
or Earnell Brown
praised Bell’s ser
vice to the commu
nity-
“Congratula
tions to Mr. Dwan
Bell, the town of
Hertford Director,
Public Works,” she said. “I am per
sonally saddened that we will be los
ing one of our premier employees.
However, as much as I am saddened,
I am equally elated, proud and very
happy for his new career opportuni
ty. I am sine Mr. Bell will display the
same work ethic and be a mqjor as
set to Elizabeth City.”
Bell has 19 years of experience,
including 17 in Elizabeth City’s Pub
lic Utilities Department and recent
stints as public works director in
the eastern North Carolina towns of
Selma and Hertford, where he has
worked since July 2019.
“Mr. Bell joined our Hertford or
ganization approximately 18 months
ago,” Brown said “Since that time
he has successfully pursued and
obtained grants to support Pub
lic Works operations, enhanced
the ability to clean our streets, ac
quired much needed equipment
and managed an outstanding cadre
of employees. I am confident he
will extend the same level of exper
tise, professionalism and zeal as he
aspires to reach his fullest career
potential. Again, congratulations,
Dwan, you will be truly missed.”
Bell’s annual salary will be $90,000
when he starts working for Eliza
beth City. As public works director
in Hertford, Bell earns $67,200 annu
ally.
Hertford Town Manager Pam
Hurdle said she will be announcing
who will serve as interim public
works director soon. She said Town
Hall will conduct ajob search to hire
someone to fill the position.
Buffaloe noted that Bell was
See BELL, A3
Scholarship
Honors
Higgins
FROM STAFF REPORTS
The Michael Steven Higgins
“Changing the World” Scholarship
pays tribute to a young man who
departed this world too soon.
Higgins was
1 a 2016 graduate
I of Perquimans
? . I County High
■ ^ •• J School and
■ graduate of East
Carolina Univer-
\ sity where he
\ j received a bach-
HIGGINS elor’s degree in
Criminal Justice 1
and a minor in
Security Studies.
Higgins was serving as an in
tern in the N.C. State Highway Pa
trol’s college internship program
and was tragically killed in the line
of duty while riding as a passenger
in a law enforcement vehicle in
August in Pitt County.
Perquimans Schools Founda
tion Executive Director Brenda
Lassiter said school officials ad
mired Michael’s determination,
resourcefulness and kindness.
“Michael always found ways to
be a part of something bigger and
better,” she said “If he couldn’t
find one way to do something,
he’d find an alternate route - al
ways finding the way that most
benefited others.”
Foundation President AJ.
Moore said that Higgins found his
place in life by helping others.
“Michael touched so many peo
ple in his short 22 years of life and
it is the hope that this scholarship
will continue and encourage oth
ers to make this world a better
place, as he did,” he said
One of Higgins final accom
plishments was working with a
panel of students to revise the
Emergency Operations Plan for
Bertie County. This work has
been acknowledged and has
been named as one of the 2020
NADO Impact Awards spanning
19 states.
The project was selected due
to students’ creative approach to
advancing regional economic de
velopment and improved quality
of life through the revisions of the
Emergency Operations Plan for i
Bertie County.
Higgins made an impression
everyone he met
“I teach many students, so Fm
sorry, but I can’t always put a
name to a face. Mr. Higgins is one
of the students I do remember,”
said Chad Jordan, an instructor at
East Carolina University. “On the
See HIGGINS, A3
89076 47144 " 2
Vol. 86, No. 49
@2020 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
Safety With Santa Claus
Drive-thru Christmas Parade
Saturday in Hertford
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
First, lets give a shout out to San
ta Claus, who is working the front
lines during this COVID-19 crisis.
— Wewon’treveal
Santa’s alias other
than to say he’s
got anice house at
Albemarle Planta
tion-more about
tlie big man in a
moment.
Santa would
want the Perqui
mans Weekly to
mention that there
will be a drive-thru Christmas pa
rade between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sat
urday, Dec. 5 in downtown Hertford.
Worth noting, Perquimans Cham
ber of Commerce has organized a
“Fill the Boot” fundraiser to kickoff
the parade that starts at 3 p.m. so as
to support Durants Neck, Bethel,
Belvidere, Hertford, Inter-County
and Winfall fire departments.
And do you know who the pa
rade’s grand marshal will be this
year? Answer, Dr. Anne White, chair
woman of the Perquimans Board of
Education and a longtime educator.
Back to Santa - he’s taking eveiy
precaution to to keep everyone safe.
Perquimans Weekly met up with
Jolly Old St. Nick for an exclusive
interview recently at Brew 2 Rescue
r
History’s Pulse: Shannonhouse
In Memoriam
Editor’s Note: The newspaper
will be featuring a bit of history
from time to time so as to learn
more about the past so as to un
derstand our present and per
haps our future as a community.
Maybe too, introduce folks to one
another.
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
In December of 1873, Hertford
lost a prominent physician, Dr.
James Jennings Shannonhouse,
whose legacy endures in the form
of a home he built in Hertford.
See HISTORY’S, A3
SUBMITTED PHOTO S
Inner Banks’ Santa is playing it safe and smart this year serving
on the front lines of a pandemic.
to learn more about the precautions
he and other like-minded Santas are
taking to contend with COVID-19
and the holiday season.
“Back in March when the covid
crisis began, eveiyone here in the
Santa community immediately start
ed talking,” he said. “What are we
going to do? Some guys even back
then said I’m not doing anything
this year and others were more like,
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Shannonhouse Place
how can we save this thing? So we
shared ideas for a couple of months
on virtual visits and the Santa Claus
school that I go to had classes on
doing your background and lighting
and you know, things like that. And
from there we said I know how we
going to save Christmas.”
Is the man who can transcend
See SANTA, A2
Blast from the
past, this file photo
shows last year’s
Christmas parade
through downtown
Hertford. This
year, things will
be a slight bit
different because
of COVID-19. Drive-
thru parade starts
at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Round-Up
Town Hall &
Toys for Tots
A round-up of all things Per
quimans County...
Per Sarah Williams,
there will be a Toys for Tots
‘Stuff a Patrol Car’ set up
between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the
end of Saturday’s parade at The
Landings of Albemarle. Drop off
toys at Landings and help fill a
patrol car with toys to benefit a
local child in need. Donate a new
unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots.
For more information, contact
Chowan/Perquimans Smart Start
Partnership at 252-482-3035.
Officer Dean Polumbo re
cently joined the Hertford Police
Department. Welcome to town.
This country editor’s eyes have
noticed more than a few changes
to HPD’s duty roster within the
last year. Interesting...
Even more interesting, the
state Auditor’s Office may be in
vestigating Hertford Town Hall.
Responding to a tip, Perquimans
Weekly sent an email Nov. 20 to
the auditor’s office asking for
more information.
General Counsel to the State
Auditor’s Office Judy Estevez
replied via email Nov. 23 to the
inquiry by saying, “Thank you for
your email. However, our office
will neither confirm nor deny that
such investigation is in progress.”
That kind of an answer is
enough to stir more questions, so
the newspaper will report more
as this story develops.
Let’s not forget that earlier this
year, the state Treasurer’s Office
analyzed an audit that revealed
“serious operational problems”
within the Town of Hertford’s
finances during the 2018/2019
fiscal year.
Dudley Powers of South
Africa was the guest speaker
at Rotary Club of Hertford’s
Tuesday meeting. Powers talked
about a movement to keep big
business out of small towns not
just because it harms Main Street
See ROUND-UP, A3
PHOTO BY SARA WINSLOW
Work continues on the new
bridge that will replace the
S-Bridge in Hertford.