SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2023
“News from Next Door”
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PAGE 3
Hertford to host
first Christmas in
July next weekend
PAGE 4
Brown:
Hertford needs
cohesive team
to continue its
progress
PAGE 7
Bodybuilder
Corprew comes
in 2nd at first
competition
Perquimans board gets first look at draft school plan
School would replace Hertford
Grammar, Perquimans Middle
BY CHRIS DAY
The Daily Advance
HERTFORD - Perquim
ans school officials got their
first view last week of a pre
liminary design for an inter
mediate school that would
replace Hertford Grammar
and Perquimans Middle
schools.
Jimmy Hite, of the Green
ville-based architecture
firm Hite Associates LLC.,
presented a preliminary
site plan at the June 28th
meeting of the Perquimans
Board of Education. Hite
directed board members’
attention to a site plan sche
matic televised on an over
head monitor.
The school district does
not have land set aside
for the proposed school,
but the design calls for a
155,000-square-foot facili
ty to be built on nearly 50
acres of land, according to
Hite.
“We don’t have the prop
erty yet, but if we did and
it was big enough, it might
look like this,” Hite said,
gesturing to the monitor.
Hite discussed several
characteristics of the plan,
which includes a looped en
trance designed to accom
modate a high volume of
traffic and to reduce traffic
congestion on the main road
in front of the school. The
entrance runs toward the
rear of the school, before
looping back to the front
to a location where parents
could drop off and pick up
See SCHOOL, A6
Celebrating the 4th
Edenton budget
includes new
stormwater fee
REGGIE PONDER/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
The first fireworks show in Hertford since the pandemic capped off a evening of food, entertainment and other
activities at Missing Mill Park on Sunday. For story on Hertford’s Fourth of July fireworks show, see page A3.
250 turn out for DAR’s July 4th event
Willis gave sketch of Hughes,
Towers read Declaration
BY VERNON FUESTON
Staff Writer
EDENTON — About 250
people turned out Tuesday
Rouse and Waters eye seats in Hertford
First-time candidates plan
to file for Nov. 7 election
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
HERTFORD — Two ac-
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for the local Daughters of
the American Revolution
chapter’s 24th annual Fourth
of July observance near the
Edenton waterfront.
The award-winning ob
servance, which includes a
reading of the Declaration
of Independence, was host
tive supporters of commu
nity development efforts
plan to seek open seats on
Hertford Town Council in
this fall’s town election.
Keith Rouse and Rhonda
Waters said they plan to file
for the Nov. 7 election during
the filing period that
opened Friday at
noon. Both said they
2 believe their experi
ence and concern for
the community would
make them strong
representatives for
citizens as members
ed by the Edenton Tea Par
ty Chapter of DAR on the
Chowan Courthouse green.
The reading was held in
front of the Joseph Hewes
Monument near the waters
of Edenton Bay. The weath
er during the ceremony
was clear, with a pleasant
of Hert
ford Town
Council,
Neither
of the in
cumbents
who cur
rently hold
the two
ROUSE council
seats up for
election will be ballot in No
vember. Jerry Mimlitsch has
said he will not seek reelec
tion, and Ashley Hodges, the
council’s mayor pro tern, has
said he plans to run for may
breeze, a stark difference
from the stormy weather
the evening before.
DAR Regent Sandra L.
Sperry gave brief opening re
marks, handing the program
over to event Co-Chair Beth
See DAR, A6
or. Eamell Brown, the town’s
mayor the past four years,
has already announced she
doesn’t plan to seek re-elec
tion.
Rouse, 68, is retired. He has
worked in a number of capac
ities including construction,
parks and recreation, adult
day programs, and teaching
and coaching. He said he is
running for town council be
cause “I just think that some
things could be better.”
He said he believes that
Customers’ electric service
fee to rise $4.40 a month
BY VERNON FUESTON
Staff Writer
EDENTON — Eden
ton Town Council has
approved a $26.6 million
budget for the 2023-24 fis
cal year that doesn’t raise
property taxes but does
increase electric service
fees and institutes a new
stormwater fee.
Town electric cus
tomers’ monthly service
charge will rise from $11.10
to $15.50. The revenue will
go toward maintaining
and expanding Edenton’s
electric grid, said Tyler
Newman, the town’s pub
lic information officer. But
even with the increase,
Edenton’s monthly ser
vice charge is lower than
what most of its neighbors
charge, he said.
The approved budget
Edenton considering
district for outdoor
alcohol consumption
Beer, wine could be imbibed
in restricted downtown area
BY VERNON FUESTON
Staff Writer
EDENTON — Edenton
officials are considering
creating a Downtown So
cial District where outdoor
consumption of alcohol
purchased at local busi
nesses would be permitted
within a restricted area.
Destination Downtown
Edenton pitched the pro
posed Downtown Social
District during Town Coun
cil’s meeting last week.
According to the presen
tation, customers could
purchase a glass of beer or
wine at a business within
the Downtown Social Dis
trict and then take it with
them when they left. They
could then legally drink
that alcoholic beverage
that took effect Saturday,
July 1, also includes a
new monthly stormwater
fee for both residents and
businesses. Residents will
pay $3 a month, business
es $8 a month, and large
commercial operations
$12.50 a month under the
fee schedule. The new fees
will generate an estimated
$99,000 next year, replac
ing dwindling monies from
North Carolina’s Powell
Bill Fund that help munic
ipalities pay for road and
street improvements as
well as maintain drainage
areas.
The town budget in
cludes $8.41 million in the
general fund, $14 million
in the electric fund, $3.84
million in the water and
sewer fund, and $329,000
for Northeastern Regional
Airport.
The general fund budget
includes enough revenue
See EDENTON, A6
while walking anywhere
within the district.
Destination Downtown
officials gave an example
of customers who might
visit Waterman’s Restau
rant, order a drink while
waiting for their table, step
outside, or visit other busi
nesses within the district
while they waited for a call
from the restaurant.
According to Destina
tion Downtown Edenton,
having the district could
help fill vacant downtown
storefronts, bring addition
al foot traffic to the dis
trict, and increase spend
ing at town businesses.
Destination Downtown
officials said 70 percent of
respondents to a survey of
town residents “favored
the idea of a Downtown
Social District”
The proposed district
See HERTFORD, A6
See DISTRICT, A6