Newspapers / The Pilot (Southern Pines, … / May 30, 1979, edition 1 / Page 1
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Sidewalk Sale is scheduled in downtown Southern Pines on Saturday. See story on Page 9-A. ■LOT Index Books, 2-B; Church News, 3-B; Classified Ads, 8-15-D; Editorials, 1-B; Entertainment, 4-7-C; Obituaries, 13- A; Pinehurst News, 1-3-C; Sandhills Scene, 2-8-A; Sports, 1-5-D. Vol. 59, Number 31 78 Pages Southern Pines, North Carolina 28387 Wednesday, May 30, 1979 78 Pages PRICE 15 CENTS K' Town Tax Rate; $3.8 Million Budget Gov, Hunt Picks Carthage For Rural Health Center SUNDAY AT WEYMOUTH — More than 400 persons turned out for the Sunday at Weymouth Festival and heard music by the Pinecrest Band (in foreground), watched skydivers, played games, ate barbecue and, in general, relaxed and enjoyed it.—^jPhoto by Emerson Humphrey). School Issue Sparks Board Meet; Budget Requests Top $12 Million BY FLORENCE GILKESON Monday night when they plunged With budget requests ex- into preliminary details of the ceeding $12 million, the Moore 1979-80 budget. County Board of Commissioners Drawing the most heated entered into spirited debate comment were the subjects,of Board Head Has Answer On Information Demand Board of Education Chairman Lou Frye responded Monday night to criticism from a county commissioner who was denied Flag Day It has been announced that Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Band will appear at the local Flag Day celebration June 10 at the National Guard Armory. Local patriotic organizations are jointly preparing a program to honor the flag’s 202nd. birthday. The public is encouraged to attend and join in on this celebration. The Southern Pines Lodges of Elks and Does, American Legion Post 177, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7318 and other groups will participate. access to school personnel information. Mrs. Frye’s comments prefaced the school board’s formal presentation of its 1979-80 budget request to the Moore County Board of Commissioners. It was the first time the controversy had been mentioned at a public board meeting. Noting that through the years the two boards have had a good relationship, Mrs. Frye explained that her board had chosen not to respond to “a recent request, or demand” because of advice from an attorney and because “some of the questions were confusing.” She was referring to a request from County Commissioner James M. Craven for budget, (Continued on Page 12-A> 275 Grads Hear Dr. Owen At Sandhills Exercises Dr. Francis L. Owens, prominent physician, member of the Board of Trustees of San dhills Community College, and a leader in civic projects in Moore County, was the speaker for the commencement ceremonies at the college Friday evening. May 25. His message to the 275 can didates for graduation was a , challenge-“The words com mencement and graduation, although used interchangeably, one means to begin and the other means to end. So what are you doing tonight? Are you starting or finishing?” Developing the theme Dr. Ownes said T think a fair ap praisal would be-graduation is commencement with limited experience and limitless goals (Continued on Page 12-A) the school budget and petitions for property valuation relief from a group of Whispering Pines residents. Examination of approximately 40 petitions for property valuation relief reached a climax when the board voted 3-2 to deny relief requested by the Whispering Pines taxpayers. Chairman Lee Williams joined Commissioners Arthur Purvis and Carolyn Blue on the vote to Downtown Tax Talked At Meeting BY JENNIFER CALDWELL A slim representation of the town’s merchants and businessmen attended a meeting Thursday night with the down town revitalization steering committee to discuss the proposed municipal tax on commercial property. Chairman John May said “We are not interested in doing anything in downtown Southern Pines that the people don’t want to be done. The steering com mittee can’t revitalize Southern Pines, only the people can.” Property owners in Southern Pines have been asked to pay a tax of 25 cents on each $100 of (Continued on Page 13-A) deny a request for a reduction in property valuation based on the noise factor from the nearby Southern Pines-Pinehurst Air port. Commissioners Tony Parker and James M. Craven cast the dissenting votes. All issues discussed by the conunissioners at this special study meeting related directly to the budget, right down to a final rash of heated comments about the school budget. Not on the agenda, the school budget issue arose spontaneously just as the board was preparing to adjourn at about 11:40. A motion made and seconded by Craven and Parker died more or less from lack of action because it appeared that the motion was made after the meeting was (Continued on Page 13-A) Governor Jim Hunt today designated Carthage as the site of a rural health center. The Carthage Medical Center will provide additional primary care resources to the town, as well as to residents of the central Moore County area. Community leaders have worked for several years to meet the need for primary medical care in their area. The area has been served by a single physician since 1970. As a rural health center site, the community will be able to receive technical and financial assistance from the N.C. Office of Rural Health Services. Assistance will include funds to match locally raised building funds, start-up assistance for the project and continuing technical assistance. Richard Blue, president of the nonprofit community corporation established to develop the medical center, said the community will conduct a house-to-house fund drive beginning June 30 to meet the goal of contributions from 750 households. Blue emphasized that the facility will belong to the 'community. Title will be held by the nonprofit corporation whose board will be elected annually in a public meeting. The fund drive’s goal is to raise $40,000 locally to match $95,000 from the state to build Play Tonight The Pinecrest Patriots, in the semi-finals for the State 4-A Baseball Championship, will play Wilmington Hoggard for the Eastern title in Wilming ton tonight. ^ , The game scheduled for Tuesday night was rained out. and equip a facility to house the center. Services at the Carthage Medical Center will be provided by a primary care team (Continued on Page i4-A) Pinehurst Rate Bid Argued At Hearing BY JENNIFER CALDWELL A proposed rate increase made by Pinehurst, Inc. to the North Carolina Utilities Commission was heard by members of the commission in a public hearing May 24. The hearing before Com missioners Fisdibach, Tate and Roney lasted most of the day at Sandhills Community College. The commissioners will study testimony presented by lawyers for Pinehurst, Inc. and lawyers for the public staff before making a decision on the in crease. Commissioner Fisch- bach, who served as chairman, said the decision will be made by July 1. The burden of proof is on Pinehurst, Inc. to show they need a rate increase. The original application of Pinehurst, Inc. for authorization to adjust its water and sewer rates and charges was filed before the state’s Utilities Conunission on November 14. In making the request, Pinehurst, Inc. offered the following rationale: “For the 12 months ended June (Continued on Page 12-A) see Seeks $1.4 Million From eounty Budget Sandhills Community CoUege instructionaTpfogram by teefing t arUierS IVlarKet With property valuation at $119,509,112 and a recommended tax rate of 80 cents, the Southern Pines Town Council will vote on a 1979-80 estimated budget of $3,798,836 at its June 12 meeting. The total is exclusive of half a million dollars in capital projects, half coming from federal Revenue Sharing. In the budget message in troducing the proposal. Town Manager Mildred McDonald acknowledges that the figure amounts to a “staggering budget total,” representing an increase of almost $1 million over the 1978- 79 budget estimate. Included in the grand total, however, are all funds serving the municipality in the coming year: General Fund, Water and Sewer Fund, Debt Service, Revenue Sharing and Reserve Fund, plus the Community Development Fund, representing a first year grant of $750,000 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The HUD grant accounts for the major part of the increase. The recommended 80-cent per $100 property valuation tax rate is down from the $1 rate in effect for a number of years and reflects the new property assessment increase. According to the town’s revised estimate for 1978-79, the assessed valuation was only $86,003,587. In addition to property valuation, this 39 (Continued on Page 12-A) Noted Horseman Cameron Dies Of Attack At Age 59 supporters appeared before the Moore County Board of Commissioners Monday night and requested $1.4 million in operating funds and capital reserve. The request is almost triple the funding allocated by the county for the 1978-79 fiscal year, which ends June 30. The college requested $500,000 in local funds to match a state appropriation to be used for construction of a vocational- technical-classroom and laboratory building. The General Assembly is expected to approve the state appropriation before the current session adjourns. In addition. Sandhills requested, for the first time, funds to enhance the up salaries and thus placing the college in a competitive position to seek more highly qualified personnel. This figure is $227,000. Oifton Blue, chairman of the board of trustees, and Dr. Raymond Stone, president, were accompanied by almost 25 people, including alumni, parents of students, community leaders, and trustees. “Education is not cheap today,” said Blue in his opening remarks. “But Sandhills Community College has the most economical education available.” Because of a lack of additional funds, the institution has found itself unable to attract some of (Continued on Page 14-A) The Moore County Farmers Market will open Friday, June 1, at 8 a.m. Producers have in dicated that they will have a variety of produce available that day. The Market is located at 5W West Pennsylvania Avenue in Southern Pines. The market will be open sbe days a week-from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Market will be operated similar to last year’s except that sellers will be required to pay a daily selling fee. Copies of the rules and regulations are available at the Extension office. Anyone wishing more in formation about the Market should call the Moore County Extension Office, 947-5371. Adelbert Charles (Del) Cameron, 59, of Pinehurst, who was inducted into the Harness Horse Hall of Fame in Goshen, N.Y. in June, 1975, died Thursday in a Philadelphia AWARDED DEGREE — Dr. Francis L. Owens, (right) the cornmencement speaker, was awarded an Honorary Associate in Humanities Degree by Dr. Raymond Stone in recognition of his service to Sandhills Community College.—(Photo by Emerson Humphrey). Highway Hearing Wednesday A public meeting in Southern Pines will provide area residents with an opportunity to express their views on highway needs and priorities to representatives on the Board of Transportation and the department’s professional staff. Scheduled for 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6, thte meeting for residents of Chatham, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond and Scotland counties will be held in tlie Town Hall in Southern Pines. The Southern Pines meeting is one of 14 scheduled throughout the state to solicit input from individual citizens, local officials and county leaders in the annual update of the highway im provement element of North Carolina’s Transportation Im- (yovement Program. Public meetings to update aviation and public tran sportation programs, also in cluded in the program, have already been conducted in the 14 (Continued on Page 14-A) Del Cameron Hospital from an apparent heart attack. A funeral was held Monday at 3 p.m. in the Church of Wide Fellowship conducted by the pastor, the Rev. Michael Garber, assisted by Dr. Charles W. Lowry. A native of Massachusetts, bom to a family with a racing tradition, he came to the Sandhills when he was 24 years old to drive for Octave Blake, owner of Newport Stock Farm, a harness horse stable. He worked for Newport Stock Farm for 26 years. He trained and raced horses for himself and many other owners. He was in business with his son, Gary, and his wife, Miriam, who was his bookkeeper. During his career, his horses won more than $5,000,(X)0 and he was a member of the Drivers of 1000 club. Among his most famous horses (Continued on Page 14-A) 42 Escape Serious Injuries In School Bus Wreck Friday Forty-two school children escaped serious injury Friday at 7:30 a.m. when a school bus overturned, but the driver, Brian Michael Martinsen of Cameron, Rt. 1 was charged by State Highway Patrolman W.D. Waters with careless and reckless driving. The patrolman said Martinsen was driving the bus west on RR 1001, also know as Lobelia Road, made a left turn on to 2086, and “due to inattention” overturned the bus to its side. The bus was “loaded to capacity,” he said. Patrolman Waters said that six youngsters were taken by the Rescue Squad to Moore Memorial Hospital and that all of the 42 were exaj^ed and released by the Hospital later. The case against Martinsen will be tried June 27. According to Robert Dalton, spokesman for the Moore County l^hools, damage to the bus was $1800. He said the 16-year-old driver from Union Pines had been a substitute bus driver for about two months, and had been driving as a permanent employe about two weeks. He said the bus traveled about 100 yards after it left the road (Continued on Page 14-A) THE PILOT LIGHT LEGISLATURE-It the looks like state’s biennial appropriations biU will go to a conference committee to resolve the differences between Senate and House versions. The Senate voted approval of its bill last week, and the House on Tuesday passed the Senate bill after deleting the controversial “85 rule” in respect to state employe retirement pay. Rep. T. Clyde Auman said Tuesday, however, that he expects matters to be resolved and other matters disposed of so that the 1979 session of the General Assembly can recess on June 8. SALES TAX-Moore County hit a new high for the collection of the one percent local sales tax for one month in April. Secretary Mark G. Lynch of the state Department of Revenue reported this week that the local tax amounted to $152,593.25 for April in Moore. Collections of the one percent tax in neighboring counties were: Hoke, $20,053.82; Lee, $116,852.71; Montgomery, $36,769.19; Richmond, $110,910.93; Scotland, $67,150.83. MORGAN-Senator Robert Morgan announced this week that he has joined with some 30 (Continued on Page 14-Ai WRECKED SCHOOL BUS — The driver, a 16-year-old, stands to the left of Bus 48 with Vass-Lakeview Principal Henry Hood and other school personnel, just after the bus overturned while carrying 42 students, none seriously hurt. The bus was damaged in the amount of $1800. The accident occurred off Lobelia Road. — (Photo by Barbara Danley).
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
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May 30, 1979, edition 1
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