Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 28, 1989, edition 1 / Page 3
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
t ly ijtfT)rir'" pur The Daily Tar HeelThursday, September 28, 1 9893 City and Campus BB8BMBBMBMBBBBBBBMB8BBBB Kemp plans measures for HUD By ALAN MARTIN Sfaff WWfer Jack Kemp, secretary of the Depart ment of Housing and Urban Develop ment, has released details of his plan to reform the department and correct the administrative failings of former de partment secretary Samuel Pierce. The details of what went wrong at HUD under Pierce are still coming to light in an investigation by the Employ ment and Housing subcommittee of the House Government Operations Com mittee. Pierce pleaded the Fifth Amend ment in hearings Tuesday and failed to clarify his testimony given before the subcommittee in May without an attor ney, which has been repeatedly contra dicted by subsequent witnesses and documents, according to Graham Dodds, a spokesman at the office of Rep. Ted Weiss, D-N.Y. Weiss is a member of the committee. The committee questioned Pierce about his management practices and possible ethical infractions that may have contributed to fraud and indiscre tion at HUD, Dodds said. In a brief statement, Piece said he could not do without counsel. "Ini tially, I believed counsel to be unneces sary because I thought the subcommittee's proceedings would be non-adversarial and non-accusatory," he said. But now, the subcommittee sees him as a target, Pierce said. One issue that has brought consider able scrutiny to Pierce involves a hous ing project in Durham. Thefederally subsidized apartment for the elderly, known as "Edgemont," was built as a renovation of the Durham Hosiery Mill. The developer testified earlier to the subcommittee that HUD had promised money to the project in 1982 but later retracted the offer. The money was later made available at Pierce's request, HUD. officials have said. The project was a great success and very effectively met the needs of the Durham area, said Jim Tabron, execu tive director of the Durham Housing Authority. But the development was a very expensive undertaking with the price coming to $70,000 per unit, he said. The committee is concerned about the project, because approval for fund ing was denied through normal chan nels at HUD. However, Pierce over rode the decision after speaking with Durham Mayor Charles Markham, a former Pierce law associate, who sup ported the program. In response to this news, Tabron said that this sort of contact use happens all the time in government and it is not bad unless someone gains an unfair advantage. Jack Price, also with the Durham Housing Authority, agreed that the project was a success but questioned the high price of its construction. The project cost $200 per foot compared with an average of $40 per foot in other housing developments, he said. This discrepancy indicates consid erable waste and financial indiscretion, including money that was used to grease political wheels, he said. The investigation has also revealed that prominent Republicans and friends of Pierce used their association with Pierce to win contracts for developers. Fees in excess of $300,000 were paid to some of Pierce's associates. The Justice Department has begun 618 individual investigations of theft and fraud involving HUD, according to a source at the Justice Department who asked not to be named. Kemp, Pierce's successor, recently released a four-point plan to reform HUD. The plan includes ending discre tionary funds, which are accounts in the HUD budget that can be used to finance projects only with the approval of the secretary. In the past, these funds were not awarded on a competitive basis. Now, Kemp plans to award these funds competitively with sealed bids, said an anonymous HUD source. Kemp also plans to publish all fund ing decisions in the Federal Register and hire more auditors to monitor inter nal accounting. He also wants to re quire all agents of HUD who deal with property valuation to be bonded to insure honesty and credibility. Fraudu lent property valuation is the focus of most of the Justice Department's in vestigation. No one at HUD would comment on whether these changes would include purging of other officials or increasing HUD's budget to pay salaries for the additional auditors. Chapel Hill wins federal foods for park By KATHER1NE SNOW Staff Writer The National Parks Service has approved a $35,000 federal grant to Chapel Hill to help develop a 50-acre park on the south side of town. "We thought this was a reasonable amount and we are very glad to get it," said Mike Loveman, director of Parks and Recreation for Chapel Hill. "We would have loved to apply for more money, but we knew there was a lot of competition." The parks service's Land and Water m i .n ..-r- . i . i t-iVivriiniii imn-rrnii 1lar"-LrYiiiiriiiiliiiiiiV'"-iriLw7rliiimm 'mirwiiiBiiiiiiiiMfiilfi - i.ir -m y . ----:---::i'iwhi,Ygw--rniiniTnii Outdoor drama Patricia McEachern takes her French 21 class outside to enjoy the mild fall weather, as they read Donations needed By CHRISTINE THOMAS Staff Writer The InterFaith Council (IFC) hopes to collect $109,000 to complete reno vations on the Community Shelter and the new site of the Community Kitchen with about six months left on the proj ect, IFC President Jim Souder said. The Old Municipal Building on the corner of Columbia and Rosemary streets, which houses the shelter, has been under renovation since Sept. 15, Souder said. The total cost of renova tion, which includes removing asbes tos and improving the interior, will cost approximately $526,000. After the Resolute Building Com pany, the Chapel Hill-based general contractor, completes the work, the IFC anticipates it will cost $993,000 to 3avie as part of By CHRIS HELMS Staff Writer The re-roofing of Davie Hall should be completed within two weeks to a month depending on weather condi tions, according to University construc tion officials. Repeated patching had originally failed to stop rain leaking into Davie, so the entire roof is being taken off and replaced, said Jim King, a University building inspector. The re-roofing has closed off pathways on the New East side of the building. The Davie roof has needed repair for some time, according to psychology graduate student Ken Graetz, whose office is on the third floor of the build ing. "It had been leaking for a year and a half before they came (to repair it last month)." Graetz said that last semester expen sive electronic equipment in Davie had to be covered with plastic to keep the water from damaging it. He also said there were leaks in the psychology reading room and leaks that hit student computers. The re-roofing of Davie Hall is only part of a University project to re-roof six buildings, said Ed Willis, director of construction administration. The other buildings scheduled for repair are Chase Hall, Howell Hall, the Morehead Planetarium, the Under graduate Library and Carroll Hall. The entire project will cost $690,000, he said. The re-roofing project began in April and is expected to be completed within several months, depending on the weather, he said. The re-roofing of Chase is almost complete and work on Howell began three weeks ago. Only one end of the Morehead Plane tarium will be re-roofed; the Under graduate Library roof will be completely replaced; and the Carroll Hall roof will be partially replaced, he said. The project, originally scheduled for completion by November, has had rain delays that may push back completion into the winter. Inspector King said that Conservation Fund Program had $300,330 this year to distribute to nine North Carolina communities to improve their recreation areas. Loveman said his department had been planning the development of Southern Community Park since the land was bought in February. The city already has $450,000 to $500,000 for the park from a bond referendum passed in 1986. There may be a future bond to raise more money if it is needed. A developer for the park was chosen last fall and the town council has been DTHKathy Michel Anouilh's 'Antigone' in front of Wilson Library on Wednesday afternoon. maintain the shelter and kitchen, Souder said. One-third of this maintenance fund and a portion of the construction fund came from federal grants allocated by the town of Chapel Hill, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, the town of Carrboro and private funds. "I am optimistic about the financial success of the shelter," Souder said. "As far as the operation of the shelter is concerned, I don't see any problems. It will be better equipped to serve people." The controversial idea to renovate the old building instead of relocating the shelter was suggested by the mayor' s commission and the Chapel Hill Town Council. The council and other town groups suggested other sites, but opposition from prospective neighbors and town re-roofing progresses six-building project l ' . ' -'if'M fir it A :; if h i nikh . ' fit A 1 ' ' 1 V ' f f ' "IWlMi ' L ' i St a f X U. Elwood Thigpen works on a rain has been a problem at Davie be- cause two layers of rock will be used, and the first must be dry before a sec- reviewing and approving plans since then, Loveman said. "We have also held several public meetings to find out what the people want in the park." The park will include athletic fields, lighting, bleachers, hiking trails and a playground. It will be a place for active and passive activities, Loveman said. The $35,000 federal grant will be directed toward developing two regu lation soccer fields at the park. Love man said this was very important to him because the city does not have soccer fields available to the public now. ..$w " ' f S to finish zoning requirements convinced the council not to move the shelter. Souder said he hoped the business community would react favorably to having the shelter nearby. During renovation the homeless are being housed in two separate locations. The men's shelter is a dormitory ar rangement above the Community Kitchen on Merritt Mill Road. A tem porary shelter for women and children is being operated in the basement of the University United Methodist Church. "We're lucky the University United Methodist Church took in the female and child guests and have done a beautiful job as host to our clients," Souder said. Peggy Pollitzer, chairwoman of the shelter program, said the renovation ..-a 'i'.v.-AW.VV,', iiiWiiiTiYrti'i'iTiii-ii'iiVi-anfe'ii?- DTHEvanEile tar machine outside Davie Hall ond can be put down. King said rain was also a problem for the workers because, "If it rains, they can't work." Chapel Hill Town Council member Joe Herzenberg said the Southern Community Park would be a major recreation sight and will balance the city because Cedar Falls Park is on the north side of town. , "We welcome this federal money. It will make the park an even better place," Herzenberg said. The park site is a mile south of the intersection of U.S. 15-501 andN.C.54 headed south toward Pittsboro. Love man said he hoped to begin construc tion next fall. m I f Cost of damage bud Veoable fire not yet known By NANCY WYKLE Staff Writer Officials are piecing together dam age estimates as clean-up efforts con tinue following the fire earlier this month in Venable Hall. A damage list is being compiled, said Bobby Wilson, radiation officer of the Health and Safety Office. No equipment has been determined lost in the chemistry department so far, he said. Computers in the computer lab were damaged, however. The Health and Safety Office lost a few items such as shelves in the fire. Repair costs and paying an outside company to help in the clean-up are other expenses related to the fire, Wilson said. Most of the clean-up is finished, he said. "The chemicals that were burned, all those residues have been cleaned up." Although most of the chemicals have been packaged, they have not yet been shipped, he said. shelter renovation involved "tearing out the insides of the building." After the structural renovation is complete, the electrical system and the majority of the plumbing will be re worked. Air conditioning and an eleva tor will also be installed in the building. "We (the IFC) hope to have facilities for men and women, a commercial kitchen, a dining area which will seat about 72 people and lounge areas for people to use," Pollitzer said. 'There will also be offices and meeting space on the second floor." Pollitzer said she hoped to expand the medical program that already exists for the shelter. The present medical clinic is conducted one night a week by Orange-Chatham Comprehensive Health Service (OCCHS) and the City Police In Chapel Hill: A woman reported to police Tues day that a group of people had fol lowed her from South Square Mall in Durham to Time Out at University Square. She could not describe the subjects and no further action was taken. A woman informed police that after shopping at the Timberlyne Food Lion, she had discovered her wallet missing. The woman said she paid for her purchase and placed her wallet in one of her grocery bags. When she returned home she could find neither the bag nor wallet. She contacted Food Lion, but they could not locate the bag. Responding to a call at E-5 Townhouse Apts., officers found a four-foot-long lizard. The lizard was transported to the Chapel Hill Animal Shelter. A man contacted police Tuesday when he heard what he thought were gunshots on Weaver Dairy Road near Carol Woods. Officers searched the Campus Police Roundup Charles White, 36, of 120 Merritt Mill Road, was arrested at Davis Library Tuesday at 9:05 p.m. on charges of first-degree trespassing. White was belligerent and resisted arrest. Additional charges were as sault on a police officer, resisting, delaying and disorderly conduct. White was placed in Orange County Jail under $750 secured bond. A bi cycle he claims belongs to him is being stored in the UNC compound. At about 1 :45 a.m. Sunday, fight ing broke out in front of the Student Union. Crowd size was estimated at 200 to 400 people. During attempts to break up the fights, gun shots were beleived to be heard from the vicinity of Stadium Drive. University officers, with the assistance of Chapel Hill police, cleared the area of people and vehicles. No arrests were made and no injuries reported. Officers were un Omnibus! .Check It outl Dim this issye. , of the OTIH Asbestos still has to be removed on the steam lines. Wilson said he did not know how long the final stages of clean ing would take. "Our priority is to get radioactive material out of the room." To make sure there won't be a prob lem in the disposal of water and steam used in the final stages of cleaning, results from a soot sample taken in the room must be examined before crews begin. At this point, the UNC Property Office is still working with the state insurance department, said Judy Le wis, insurance manager for the prop erty office. "Until all estimates are made or some work completed, we won't have an idea of a dollar figure." The Physical Plant will do an esti mate after clean-up is complete, said James Mergner, associate director of utilities operations. The cause of the fire has not been determined, Lewis said. Family Practice unit at North Carolina Memorial Hospital. Chris Moran, staff consultant and coordinator for the shelter, said the renovation plans were going well and operating on schedule. Moran said he had two main expectations that he hoped the shelter would satisfy. "My largest expectation is to be able to operate the shelter and kitchen to gether under one roof in a facility de signed for those needing assistance. Second, I hope to keep the facility open as often as we can using the existing staff and volunteers." Moran also said he wanted the shel ter to assist visitors who need informa tion, but basically he wanted to "get people off the streets." Roundup area and found no one. There are no suspects at this time. Police received a report Wednes day from a man who said his bicycle had been stolen. The bicycle had been parked behind Spanky's in an un locked, fenced-in enclosure. The bike's front wheel was locked in place to the frame, but the bike itself was not secured to any fixed object. Evie Hsu was served a warrant Tuesday for concealing a bottle of natural fiber diet pills at the Rite Aid located on East Franklin Street. The total value of the bottle was $6.99. Hsu was released on a $300.00 unse cured bond. An employee of the Chapel Hill Public Works Department told po lice Tuesday that someone had re moved three signs and stands, and 37 cones from construction sites on Emory Road and Codridge Drive. Police have no witnesses or suspects at this time. compiled by Steven Adams able to verify who was responsible for the possible shots. Jewelry valued at $305 was stolen from an unlocked room in Teague Residence Hall while the owner was out. A missing wallet and contents valued at $80 were reported stolen from the same room Saturday at 1 1 :43 p.m. While two women were in the women's restroom of fourth floor Davis Library Friday at 9:18 a.m., someone slid a photograph under the door. A woman was bitten by a cat near Wilson Hall as she attempted to pet it. Police called the Animal Protection Society, which sent workers to catch the cat. The cat could not be located, and a trap was set for it. The woman was treated for. the bite at Student Health Service.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 28, 1989, edition 1
3
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75