QUIMANS
EEKLY
“News from Next Door”
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021
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jj| SCAN ME
PAGE A2
Hertford, Elizabeth
City work on renewing
mutual agreement
PAGE A6
Tri-County Animal
Shelter’s Pets of the Week
PAGE Bl
Pirates’ football
team hopes to build
on last year’s success
Vision in the Making: Developing Hertford’s Waterfront
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Progress remains ongoing in ef
forts toward formulating a plan to
improve Hertford’s historic down-
town, neighborhoods and northern
riverfront.
In an effort to reach as many
people as possible during the pan
demic, the consultant team is using
a digital platform (publicinput.com/
HertfordPlan).
The Community and Riverfront
Advisory Committee is assisting
with this effort by distributing pa
per copies of the survey, collecting
them, and entering the data on the
site.
Advisory Committee provides
outreach to the community for
the plan, and provides guidance
to assure that the consultant team
is hearing and responding to the
voices, goals and objective of the
community. Often, such volunteer
groups will continue after the plan
is complete, advocate for it, and
help to ensure its implementation
over time.
This Committee does not man
age the project, rather they advise
the consultants, provide outreach
to the community for the plan, and
provide guidance to assure we are
hearing the voices, goals and objec
tive of the community. Often, such
volunteer groups will continue after
See VISION, A2
Nominations
Open for Women
of Excellence
Awards
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Perquimans County
Chamber of Commerce in
vites residents to nominate
women for the annual Wom
en of Excellence Awards.
Nominations close at
5 p.m. March 4.
“We are doing women of
excellence awards for wom
en in business conference,”
Chamber Director Katrina
Leary Mann said. “I will
have a link on our website if
they would like to nominate
someone. I also have a Face-
book event set up with all
Lite information on it as well.
We are the ‘Land of Beautiful
Women.”’
They honor the accom
plishments of women who
have achieved success in
their careers and demon
strated commitment to the
success of other women and/
or girls. Perquimans Coimty
Chamber of Commerce se
lects honorees for their vi
sion, courage, compassion,
and proven success. Nom
inations are encouraged
from Perquimans Chamber
Members and Perquimans
Residents.
AWARD CATEGORIES
One Woman of Excel
lence is chosen for each of
the following categories.
PECO encourages nomina
tors to choose up to three
categories for which your
nominee might qualify.
Please note that PECO re
serves the right to change
the award category of your
nominee.
Woman of Achievement is
a woman who has attained a
high rank (CEO, President,
Chair) and uses her posi
tion, stature, and expertise
to break down gender bias
See AWARDS, A3
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Left photo: The Hertford Hub won the spark plug award that was presented to Pamela Morrissey,
who co-owns the business with husband Patrick. Right photo: Planters Ridge, Inc has received 2020
Business of the Year. Award which was presented to Natalie Brown, owner of popular florist and
garden center, even has a cafe.
PQ Chamber Honors Excellence
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Perquimans Chamber of Com
merce’s annual banquet paid trib
ute to business and community
leaders at Sunday’s virtual ban
quet at the Crawfish Shack.
“Our award process is we ask
for nominations from all chamber
members,” Chamber Director Ka
trina Leary Mann said. “Then who
gets most nominations receives
the award. Nonprofit of the Year
and Spark Plug award received
the most. Business of the Year was
a finished vote on from the board.
The Ambassador of the year is run
off the most points from activity
and volunteering at chamber.
The Hertford Hub won the
Spark Plug award that was pre
sented to Pamela Morrissey, who
co-owns the business with hus
band Patrick. This award goes to
a member business (usually a new
business) or a person who has
shown an extra “spark of enthusi
asm” for our community or Cham
ber in the past year through activ
ities, proactive business practices,
or forming positive relationships
that benefit the community and
the Chamber.
Planters Ridge Florist and Gar
den Center received 2020 Busi
ness of the Year. Award was pre-
See CHAMBER, A3
Perquimans Arts League received 2020 Nonprofit of the Year.
PQ Chamber Director Katrina Leary Mann (right) presented the
award to PAL President Ed Sanford and PAL Program Director
Sheryl Corr.
PQ Chamber
Director
Katrina Leary
Mann (right)
presented
Cyn Owens of
Taylor Mueller
Realty
the 2020
Ambassador
of the Year.
A MESSAGE
from the Mayor
Update on
Hertford
Efforts
BY MAYOR EARNELL BROWN
A s I frequently drive the
neighborhoods of Hert
ford, I see much to be
proud of. 'Hungs are quiet in our
beautiful town.
The streets are mostly clean
and citizens are safe.
Yes, we have some blighted
houses and potholes, unemploy
ment, the pan
demic, curfews,
embarrassing
Council meetings
and negative
press, but we
are not unique.
These are issues.
prevalent across
the country.
Because of
these unsettling
EARNELL
BROWN
events I believe it’s time for
Hertford to receive some good
news and provide an update
that focuses on the positive and
shares some of the initiatives
that support the progression of
Hertford.
Over the past 14 months there
were many initiatives relative to
infrastructure, housing, beautifi
cation, citizen safety, conununity
outreach, the COVID-19 pandem
ic, communications, policies and
personnel, waterfront develop
ment, Community planning and
economic development. Provided
is an update of what was accom
plished. This is the first of a series
of GOOD NEWS - Unity in the
Hertford Community updates:
Infrastructure, Housing and
Beautification:
• Approved Forgiveness Policy
that provides a fair and equita
ble process when forgiveness
of town debt is requested. We
See HERTFORD, A3
NC Association of Educators Visits PQ Schools
FROM STAFF REPORTS
MB Taylor Day Ahead
The North Carolina Association of
Educators’ We Love Public Schools
Tour visited Thursday at Perquimans
County Schools.
Listening tour session was an op
portunity for NCAE to reach school
staff and hear their stories about
why they love our public schools.
“Yes, I do believe the event was
successful despite the rainy, cold
weather,” Superintendent Tanya
Turner said. “It was great to see past
and present community leaders hon
Vol. 87, No. 9
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@2021 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
ored for their contributions to Per
quimans County. Our school system
is successful because of the partner
ships that have been built and the he
roes that have gone before us.”
North Carolina Retired School
Personnel members Brenda Dail,
Rebecca McGough and Brenda
Hollowell-White assisted with the
tour to help out Perquimans County
chapter of NCAE.
“A cold day but so exciting to
see the We Love tour’s RV pull into
the school driveways! Many lovable
leaders were recognized at each
School,” Hollowell-White said.
Beginning at Perquimans Middle,
former Hertford Town Councilman
Sid Eley and Douglas Layden were
recognized; at Perquimans Central,
Winfall Mayor Fred Yates, EMS Di
rector Jonathan Nixon and EMS
Public Information Officer/Grants
Manager Julie Solesbee; Central
School principal Tracy Gregory and
Asst principal Ginny Ambrose, were
recognized. The tour progressed to
Hertford Grammar where Hertford
Mayor Eamell Brown was hon
ored. Ending the tour at Perquimans
County High School, Superintendent
Pat Harrell and Superintendent Dr
Dwayne Stallings were honored in
memoriam as Lovable Leaders.
Other recipients were BOE Chair
person Anne White; chairperson
of County Commissioners Wallace
Nelson; former District Court Judge
Janice Cole and her husband, Dis
trict Court Judge JC Cole; and Super
intendent Tanya Tinner.
“What a breath of fresh air to see
the We Heart Our RV drive up to
each school to support public school
education and our local leaders,”
Hollowell-White said.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Mark your calendars for MB Tay
lor Day, next Thursday, March 4.
March 4, 1984, then Mayor Bill
Cox declared a proclamation in
Hertford as the “MB Taylor Day.”
Fast forward to 2021, March 4
will again be celebrated as MB Tay
lor Day!
Dr. Minnie Bess Edwards Taylor
served over 30 years as a Home
Economics Extension agent for
Perquimans County, the first Afri
can-American to serve in that role.
Before Taylor passed away in
December of 2017, she had a love
for the culinary arts and enjoyed
preparing meals for the community.
The March 4 celebration will
kickoff at 1 p.m. with a hot meal,
sponsored by her family, being de
livered to senior citizens who are
MB TAYLOR
homebound.
Then at 2:30 p.m., there will be a
food distribution and balloons will
be released in front of her home on
303 Dobbs Street
For information, contact Min
ister Connie Brothers, a former
4-Her under Taylor’s leadership, at
Ctbrothers2003@yahoo.com. 252-
3338959.
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