Littleton Eyes Possible
Block Grant For Town
By HELEN HOLT
News Editor
LITTLETON — A land use
study now about 15 per cent
complete in Littleton may
be followed by an application
for approximately $500,000
in federal rehabilitation
funds.
Such a course of action
was recommended by
George Harris, representative
with Region L. Council
of Governments, as "an
outgrowth of the study, a
natural step" at the Little
ton Board of Commissioners
meeting Monday.
Harris, along with Zeno
Gaynor, another Region L
planner now working on the
land use study, attended the
regular board meeting to
update current work and to
advise in future activities.
Harris informed the board
that new guidelines adopted
Oct. 1 by the federal
Department of Housing and
Urban Development for its
community development
program tended to favor
smaller towns.
Subsequently, Littletonif
it submits a suitable application
and proposed program-could
expect to receive
$500,000 maximum to
be used to upgrade housing
conditions.
The HUD policy underlying
its grant program is to
refurbish low to moderate
income neighborhoods, Harris
explained.
"You can do basically
anything you want to with
this HUD money," the
representative stated. "You
can match it with other
grants and put together a
package for a good program."
Although the actual dollar
limit has not been set by
HUD, Harris estimated the
figure to be about $.5 million
for small towns with less
than 2,500 population and $2
million for larger towns.
The 100 per cent grant, if
awarded, would be used primarily
to improve existing
housing in the area, Harris
said. However, the remaining
funds may also be
applied to improving water
and sewer systems, upgrading
paving and streets,
promoting recreation and
other uses.
Deadline for applications
to the Washington office is
March, 1978. Harris said
Region L workers would
give technical assistance in
the application's prepara
tion while the state Department
of Natural Resources
and Community Development
would administer the
program if approved for
Littleton.
Little or no expense would
be incurred by the community,
Harris said.
Commissioners discussed
several possible areas that
could be targeted for
rehabilitation but made no
commitments. Those present
agreed to survey the
community and reassemble
Nov. 17 for further discussion
during a called session.
If the town decides to
pursue grant funding, at
least two public hearings
will be required to give input
to the board's final decision,
Harris satf
A successful first year in
the proposed project would
assure continued funding
throughout the entire threeyear
grant program, he
added.
Zeno Gaynor, in an
additional Region L presentation,
told the board that
the land use study was about
15 per cent complete.
The 12-month work program
was initiated two
months ago and is intended
to provide the groundwork
for better land use and
future planning.
Gaynor said he has spent
much of the past two months
collecting data on population,
soils and other details.
This information will be
incorporated into a narrative
description which will,
in turn, be applied to a base
mapping program.
Aerial photographs of the
town and its immediate
environs will also be taken if
funding is available, Gaynor
said.
He said he hoped the
year-long work program
would be completed in July,
1978, enabling the town to
adopt a comprehensive land
use plan by August of the
same year.
Gaynor further asked the
board to adopt a resolution
authorizing Region L to
seek community development
funding as described
by Harris.
Middleburg Council Seeks
Highway Repairs On US 1
The State Highway Commission
will be asked to
inspect and repair US 1 in
Middleburg, it was decided
at the regular monthly
meeting of the Middleburg
Town Council on Monday
night.
Following a brief discussion
of the potholes in the
highway, the council moved
that the town clerk be asked
to write District Engineer S.
R. Ross at Henderson
requesting him to have the
inspection and necessary
repairs made as soon as
possible.
In August the board
notified, in a registered
letter, Pierson and Whitmin,
town engineers, that their
services would no longer be
required by Middleburg.
Monday night the town clerk
was instructed to write a
second letter to the engineering
firm requesting an
acknowledgment of the first
letter.
Frank Edwards and Jimmy
Hawkins appeared before
the commissioners with
checks in hand for a permit
to erect a garage and a body
shop on what is now land
zoned for residential purposes.
The zoning committee has
been requested to change
this property from residential
to business property, and
the town clerk had been
informed, but not officially,
that the zoning committee
had met and made the
changes requested.
Council member Mrs.
Donna Neathery moved that
the council not approve the
rezoning until it had
received notice in writing of
the approval of the zoning
committee.
This motion was approv:
ed, but it was then
discovered that the zoning
committee had not advertis
ed a public hearing on the
proposed zoning change.
The town clerk was asked to
contact the chairman of the
zoning committee and have
this notice published in The
Henderson Dispatch at
once.
Work on the structures to
be located on Washington
and Walnut Streets will be
started as soon as the zoning
is approved by zoning
committee and town council.
Edwards ,and Hawkins
decided to leave their
checks with the town clerk
until the zoning is completed.
Following the transaction
of these matters in a short
session, the council went
into executive session.
Child Find Survey Seeking
Special Children Underway
Warren County Schools
are participating in the
"Child Find" program during
the month of November.,,
in conjunction with Gov.
Jim Hunt's proclamation for
Council Fund Transfer To
Aid In Light Hanging Effort
LITTLETON - A transfer
of $650 in revenue sharing
funds to the Littleton Tennis
Club which will hang
Christmas lights this year
was approved by the
Littleton Board of Commissioners
Monday.
The money will go to the
purchase of materials for
putting up 27 permanent
fixture services on light
poles down main street,
Work should be completed
by Dec. 2, in time for the
Littleton Christmas parade.
Labor in the effort has
been volunteered by the
Littleton Tennis Club, according
to Fred Owen who
■lade the motion to transfer
revenue sharing monies.
Due to difficulties encountsred
last year when the
ta*n was decorated with
street lights, the
btard stipulated in the
aotfam that the lights be
takn down by Jan. 7.
Problems with last year's
Christmas decorations began
after the lights had been
Installed, using conduits.
Carolina Power and Light
Co., which owns the poles,
objected, saying that conduits
were not allowed and
that the lights must therefore
be switched off.
Consequently, the town
was without lighted decorations
even though mer
chants had footed the
installation expense. Matters
worsened when the
lights were not taken down
until long after the holiday
season had ended.
The Rev. Neal Salter,
working with the tennis
club, said the parade was
scheduled for Dec. 2,
beginning 4:30 p. m. Some 15
to 20 group commitments to
participate in the parade
have already been gained,
he said, and others are
expected.
"People are reluctant to
do anything with lights this
year because of what
happened last year," he
said. "But I think it would be
good PR for the people
traveling on US 158 to see
what the town of Littleton
does."
In other action, the board
voted to award its sidewalk
project contract to low
bidder John T. Harris, of
Warrenton, who submitted a
bid of $24,765 for construction
and repairs.
Harris' bid was lowest of
three submitted during a
third round of bid advertising
for the project. Earlier
bids from other contractors
were as high as $32,000,
several thousand dollars
more than had been budgeted.
Mayor Mason Hawfield
met with engineers and
trimmed off costs, coming
up with a reduced sidewalk
project for an amount more
in line with the town's
original allocation.
Repair work only will be
done on the east side of
Warren Street to its intersection
with US 158 while a
new sidewalk will be
constructed on the west side
of Halifax Street to Warren
Street.
The contract will be
awarded and work will
begin as soon as easements
are obtained from all
property owners along both
streets.
Littleton commissioners
also voted to:
-Purchase 20 folding
chairs for use in the town
hall conference room. Currently,
only six desks on
loan from the state Department
of Public Instruction
are available.
-Repair a cracked drainage
pipe on Mulberry Street
where rains have washed
away a portion of the road.
Installing two new 15-inch
pipes was recommended as
the most practical remedy
although building a concrete
bridge was also discussed.
-Approved monthly bills
totalling $2,442.32 for October,
as presented by town
clerk Margaret Moore.
"Child Find Month."
Mrs. Sally White of the
Warren County Social Services
Department is working
with the Board of
Education and school system
to search for the
children.
Mrs. White said last week
the survey will actually be a
follow-up on a census taken
about two years ago. At that
time, agencies in the county
contacted doctors, the
schools and mental health
programs to locate children
with special needs.
Mrs. White noted those
children found in the earlier
census are in some type of
learning activity at present.
The Child Find census is
coordinated by the Division
for Exceptional Children
and will involve governmental
agencies which
provide special education
services.
It is an effort to locate and
identify every handicapped
and gifted child, ages 0-21,
who is not now receiving
services. This effort is
designed to insure that these
youngsters receive appropriate
educational services
when they reach the age of
five years.
Individuals who know of
children who are not
receiving educational services
are advised to contact
their local school system at
257-3184.
Conclave Set
The Eastern North Carolina
Regional Convention of
the Full Gospel Business
Men's Fellowship International
will be held Nov. 10-13
at the Hilton Inn in Raleigh.
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.,
began his acting career at
age 13.
Senate Hopeful McKnight On Tour
Walking Dave McKnight
To Tour Warren Monday
"Walkin' Dave McKnight,"
the Democratic U.
S. Senate candidate who
recently completed a walking
campaign across the
state, will be in Warren
County Monday.
McKnight will spend the
day in Warren County
Monday, visiting Warrenton,
Norlina, Ridgeway,
Inez and other points in the
county. His get-acquainted
tour of Warren will open a
week of campaigning in the
area.
He also plans next week to
visit Franklin County on
Tuesday, Vance County on
Wednesday, Granville
Thursday, Caswell Friday
and Person County on
Saturday, Nov. 19.
McKnight spent nearly
seven months this year
walking the state to open his
bid for the 1978 Democratic
senatorial nomination.
He began the campaign
walk April 2 at Manteo on
the coast and completed it
on Oct. 22 at Murphy in the
far western corner of the
state.
He covered 1,650 miles
and walked through 60 of
North Carolina's 100 counties.
He also wore out six
pairs of shoes.
Now that he is back on
wheels, the candidate is
touring Warren and other
counties not included on the
walk.
McKnight, who will be 30
years old in December, is
the youngest in a field of
candidates for the Democratic
nomination for the U. S.
Senate in 1978.
He announced his candidacy
last January and has
campaigned on a theme of
"doing more with less."
He undertook his walking
campaign last spring "as a
way to meet the people of
North Carolina on their
terms-in their communities."
Delegate Needed To
Compete For Grants
By HELEN HOWARD
Staff Writer
NORLINA - Norlina
board members were informed
they needed a
delegate to pursue help from
Region K at the regular
monthly board meeting
Monday night.
Don Everett of Council of
Governments of Region K
was questioned at length on
how the town of Norlina
could receive better benefits
from Region K.
Ben Lloyd, board member
who had invited Everett to
the meeting, noted Norlina
had never received any
money through grants from
Region K.
It was pointed out that
Norlina has only two CETA
employees while other
towns in the area have far
more.
Everett stressed Region
K's view that the community
and citizens should be
aware of what is available.
He told the group newletters
were sent out and regular
meetings were held when
opportunities were studied.
Everett told the board
they needed to appoint a
delegate to attend the
meeting. That delegate
should then relate any
available funding opportunities
to the board.
"What and how you want
to do something is the first
step," Everett said. He
explained that the Region K
staff would help with any
problems in filling out
grants, but the kind of grant
needed should be determined
first.
"Technical assistance is
available," he noted. "We
have resource people on our
staff to assist with the community,"
he continued.
Everett said he sympathiz
ed with Norlina in that it is a
small municipality.
He said so often the small
municipalities are in far
greater need of help than
larger ones but the federal
agencies do not always view
the problem that way.
In the absence of Mayor
Bill Perry who is in the
hospital, the members decided
to table the appoint^
ment of a delegate until
Perry's return
The discussion continued
on the need for water and
sewer connections on new
street extension. Everett
said Norlina "should be
eligible for an EDA grant"
for this work
He also said Region K
could offer no help with curb
and gutter on the same
extensions.
In relation to the CETA
employees, Everett said
when the grants for additional
laborers were available,
it was a question of
"who is at the door first."
Several citizens attended
the meeting to oppose
apartment complex construction
in the residential
section. The board explained
they had only heard a
proposal on a multi-housing
unit for Norlina and no
decision had been made.
Direct questioning followed
to individual board
members. The question of a
zoning ordinance was aired
Jimmy Overby, member
of the board, said Norlina
would eventually have a
zoning ordinance but usually
an ordinance restricted
mobile homes. He noted that
Norlina would have little or
no housing if mobile homes
were restricted in residential
developments.
The citizens were informed
no action would be taken
on approving a multi-housing
complex without proper
notification for citizens.
Thomas Buxton appeared
to request a street light «■
the corner of Liberty Str<.
and US 158. H:
requested to be notified
when water would ' turned
off so he coiiid >osl signs in
his lanr.dromat The boird
agreed to study the st.eet
light possibility and offered
to heed his request on the
water.
The board voted to grant
Mrs. Mae Gums a week's
vacation from Dec. 10-17.
Ben Lloyd notified the
board that Seaboard Railroad
was fixing the track on
the Portsmouth side.
Discussion of an ordinance
for Halloween was
begun by Wallace Stallings
but the board decided to
consider the plan before
next Halloween
Jerusalem UMW Hear
Sub-District Topic
"Dependence - Interdependence"
was the topic of a
program for the Sub-district
meeting of the Raleigh
District UMW on Nov. 2 and
3. The meeting was held at
Jerusalem United Methodist
Church.
Mrs. Becky Ftooker, president
of Jerusalem UMW,
welcomed the 85 women who
attended from various
churches in the district.
Mrs. Martha Gould and
Mrs. Lilly Harton presided
over the meeting.
Catharine Vice, conference
vice-president, and
Tibbie Roberts, conference
mission coordinator of supportive
community, gave
the program.
The host church served a
light lunch.