Law enforcement memorial studied

Published 8:53 am Tuesday, November 29, 2011

WINDSOR – Plans are moving forward to have a law enforcement memorial near the Bertie County Courthouse.

The idea has been discussed several times by members of the Bertie County Commission with retired sheriff and now Commission Vice Chairman J. Wallace Perry spearheading the plan.

At a recent meeting, Commission Chairman L.C. Hoggard III asked Perry to be responsible for forming a committee to get the idea moving forward. Last week, Perry reported back to the board with a five-member committee.

Perry suggested Bertie County Sheriff John Holley, Judge Cy Grant, Extension Director Richard Rhodes, Bertie County Clerk of Superior Court John C.P. Tyler and himself for the committee.

Bertie County Manager Zee Lamb suggested the board could make the committee a courthouse beautification committee and appoint them to a permanent role. The idea was well-received by some board members, but Perry said he wasn’t sure the committee, which contains no females, would be appropriate to handle all beautification requests.

Commissioner Rick Harrell made a motion to appoint the five-member group to handle the work towards getting a law enforcement memorial in place with Commissioner Charles Smith offering a second. The motion passed unanimously with Commissioner Norman M. Cherry Sr. absent.

Among the items the committee will undertake are location of the monument in the courthouse square, the monument itself and whether to fund the monument through public finances, private donations or a combination of both.

In other business, the board:

  • approved a request to make repairs to the roof of Lawrence Memorial Library in Windsor;
  • tabled the appointment of an advisory board for the Voluntary Agriculture districts;
  • agreed to a recommendation from Lewiston-Woodville EMS Captain Jim Wiggins for the disbursement of Medicaid funds;
  • had a motion for a Resolution of Support for Martin County to withdraw water from the Roanoke River die after a 2-2 vote;
  • approved a schedule of values for revaluation; and
  • tabled a request for a Memorandum of Understanding with the Moses B. Gilliam Technology and Entrepreneurship Training Center.