Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / June 25, 1987, edition 1 / Page 1
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State Completes DSS Investigation From SUlTReporti State official* have apparently given the Madiaon County Depart ment of Social Services a clean bill of health on its handling of the Andrew "Junior" Chandler child sexual abuse case. Several representatives of the Div ision of Child Protective Services of the N.C. Department of Human Re sources were in Marshall on Monday to determine if county Social Services employees acted properly in their in vestigation of accusations against Chandler. Although state officials say they have not yet completed a report on their findings, Anita Davie, DSS di rector in Madison County, said She has been told that her department did what it should have during its inves tigation erf Chandler and another child abuse case. "I do not have their written report, but in leaving they gave me a verbal statement that, in the two cases they reviewed, they found no problems and they complimented me on the work that my employees had done on the cases," Davie said Wednesday . "They reviewed all the files in volved in the cases to make sure we followed state law and DSS regu -Continued on back page Harald Wallio . . .face* charges Falcons May Fly Over WNC Again By BILL STUDENC Editor Hikers on the Appalachian Trial as it snakes along Madison Coun ty's border with Tennessee will have to have to make a slight detour during the next few weeks. Tennessee and federal wildlife officials are in the middle of a pro ject designed to re-introduce peregrine falcons, an endangered species, to the eastern United States. And one of the sites from which young falcons will be released is near the Appalachian Trail on the North Carolina-Tennessee state line. Wildlife officials are trying to teach the young birds, raised in captivity by a national organiza tion, to fend, for themselves And they want the falcons to have as little exposure to human beings as possible, said Bill Yambert, en dangered species coordinator for the eastern region of Tennessee. Six of the birds have been atop a mountain in the Unaka range bordering Unicoi County, Tenn., and Madison County since June 2, Yambert said. The falcons, now nearly two months old, are learn ing to fly and hunt for their own food. And that, Yambert said, is the most critical stage of the whole process. "These birds have just been released," he said. "We don't want to do too much to disturb them right now. We don't want a bunch of sightseers up there." That's why officials, working with the Appalachian Trail Con ference, have temporarily move the trail away from the "hacking site." The project is part of a national effort to return perigrine falcons to the eastern United States. Several birds have been released elsewhere ia Western, ^torth Carolina, including Shindig Rock in Haywood County, Picken's Noae in Macon County and Potato Knife near Mt. Mitchell. So far, so good, wildlife officials say. But they admit they've got a long way to go. "The peregrine falcon popula tion was completely extirpated in the east," said Gary Henry, coor -Continaed on back page Peregrine falcons, like this young bird, are the subject of an on-going project. Weaverville's Water Woes May Hinder Future Growth By BILL STUDENC Editor The biggest problem facing future industrial development in Weaver viUe is the lack of an adequate water supply. That was one of the findings of a re cent economic appraisal of Weaver ville completed by a city and regional planning student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Susan C. Glen, who visited Weaver ville earlier this year to gather infor mation for her report for a college course, recently shared her economic appraisal with town officials. Glen's overall view of Weaverville's economic future is op timistic, but she say* that the lack of sufficient amounts of water may pre vent new industry from moving into the area. "Lack of an adequate water supply is cited by nearly all development of ficials in the greater Asbeville area as the biggest factor hindering growth in northern Buncombe Coun ty," she said in her report. Although QTI, the last est industrial addition to the North Buncombe area, has supplied its own water through the use of wells, most potential in dustries would not be willing to do that, she said. And although other industrial recruitment tools are in place, Weaverville's attempts to attract new industry will be hampered by the town's water supply problems, she said. Weaverville, since 1874, has had a moratorium on the extension of new water lines outside the town limits because of its water supply woes The town -- along with Mars JU11 and the Woodfin Sanitary District- is looking at a 910.5 million project lhat would tap the Ivy River a* a water source (or all three participants. But, because of the high price tag of that project, Weaverville officiate are also looking at other options, in cluding tapping the French Broad River and signing of a long-term con tract with the Asheville-Buncombe Water Authority. Weaverville officials, who recently approved a 27 percent increase in municipal water rates to help pay for a new water supply system, are cur rently examining all of those options What ever option the town takes, it will be several years before water if flowing through a new system - and that meant industrial development should be slow for the next several years, Glen said. "The industrial recruitment strategy will be severly hampered for the next five or six years by the lack of adequate water supplies," she said. Lightning Kills 1, Injures 3 Workers hospital's coronary care unit Thurs day and was releaasd Sunday, 11m spokesman said. Tbe (our men were working K n site >rry Inn Road to the ; area late last Thursday i = -s^aj=1 a when .1 started to U got under a I (I*, (tlttl Dr. rlarold Tax Collector Faces Four Charges By SBI By BILL STODENC Editor Ttoe State Bureau of Investigation has charged Madison County Tax Col lector Harold H. Wallin with failing to discharge his duties by not collecting interest and penalties on delinquent taxes. According to warrants filed Tues day in the Madison County Clerk of Court's Office, Wallin "did corruptly omit, neglect and refuse to collect in terest in the nature of penalty from taxpayers which he favored." Warrants charge that Wallin failed to collect $240.60 in interest from delinquent taxpayers from July 1-31 1965 and $357.47 in interest from Feb. 1-26, 1966. Special Agent Claude Greene of the SBI filed two warrants each contain ing two misdemeanor charges against Wallin on Tuesday. Wallin has been charged with two counts of willfully failing to discharge his duties and two counts of failing to collect a penalty on delinquent tax. The latter charge violates the revenue sections of state law, accor ding to an SBI spokesman. Wallin was arrested Tuesday and released on a written promise to ap pear in court. A trial date of July 27 has been set, according to court documents. The filing of charges against Wallin comes more than a year after the former Madison County Board of Commissioners asked 24th Judicial District Attorney J. Thomas Rusher to look into Wallin's alleged tailure to collect penalties on delinquent taxes. "This investigation began at the re quest of the Madison County Board of -Continued on back page Mars Hill OKs 1987-88 Budget By BILL 8TUDENC Editor Mars Hill business owners got some good news Monday night when the Board of Aldermen approved a budget for trie coming fiscal year bas ed on the current property tax rate and on lower sewer rates. The board adopted a $399,150 budget for the 1W748 fiscal year and agreed to hold the ad valorem tax rate at its current level of 70 cents per $100 assessed valuation. The board also approved a $326,000 water and sewer fund budget, with projected revenues based on a lower sewer use rate for industrial and commercial customers. Although Mara Hill officials have yet to actually take steps to reduce those sewer rates, they will do so later in the year, Mara Hill Town Currently, industrial and commer cial sewer customers pay $4.50 for every 1,000 gallons of water used above 10,000 gallons. The sewer and water budget approved Monday is based on a rate of $2.40 for every 1,000 gallons after 10,000 gallons, Boone said. Rates for usage less than 10,000 gallons would remain at their current level, he said. Business and commercial users now pay $14 for the first 3,000 gallons used; $5.50 per 1,000 gallons for the next 2,000 gallons ; $5 per 1 ,000 gallons for the next 5,000 gallons; and, $4.50 per 1,000 for all usage above 10,000 gallons. Mars Hill officials have talked about lowering sewer rates charged industrial and commercial users since the town installed its municipal sewer system. Businessmen in Mars , Hill hive complained that the sewer rates are too high. An accounting Arm studied the town's rate system to find a way that sewer rates could be lowered without putting the town's $2 million sewer system, completed last year, on shaky financial ground. The Firm's recommendations of lower sewer charges at the top end of the rate scale are the basis (or pro jected revenues in the town's water and sewer budget, Boone said Despite the anticipated lower rates, the total budget for the water and sewer fund comes to $328,000 - $40,100 greater than last year's $285,900. That apparent discrepancy is due to the fact that the town has more -Continued on back page But after that time, "Weaverville should fare pretty well, due to its many attractions for industry," she said. Those attractions include: ? An abundance of flat, developable land. The area has one of the best sup plies of flat potential industry sites in Western North Carolina. ? Possible expansion of U.S. 19-23 north of Mars Hill to a four-lane highway or interstate, which would open Weaverville (and Asheville) up to markets in the midwest. -Continoed on back page Town Joins In County Plan By ANNE KITCHELL SUff Writer The town of Weaverville has agreed to participate in a plan designed to boast Buncombe County's economic development and create new jobs countywide. Weaverville officials agreed to pledge $3,000 annually to the coun tywide economic development pro ject for the next three years. Weaverville Town Manager Charles Horne said the economic development partnership is a product of the economic summit held in Bun combe County last fall. "The summit targeted the area's most pressing economic needs and found we need a partnership and a pool of money to advertise and recruit potential industry," Home said. Die summit - promoted by David Brown, chancellor of the University of North Carolina at AsheviUe, and the AsheviUe Chamber of Commerce - gave Buncombe County leaders a chance to discuss bow economic growth can lead to new job oppor tunities. The group determined that a pool of dollars from area communities would help the recruitment of industry. The proposed plan calls for (100,000 a year for three years from the city of Asheville and $500,000 for three years from the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Buncombe coramis sioners say they like the proposal, but cannot afford to donate a half million dollars a year to the project. -Coatlmwd on back page Hearing Likely' On Rock Quarry By BILL 8TUDKNC Edit North Buncombe to ' "Utf' iwtil i to viik? their la reeourcca, said earlier this week t bat a ubltc hearing to ] eiy< Vulcan MfeteriaLs Oo. in open t|nv?i in the Flat Creek j law. a public . r "1 Iwi pfetty otilt there will be a hearing," 1m said. "Certainly, anytime it seems there is sufficient public interest, a hearing will behekL A time or place has not yet been gan last week ?her Nortt pun< learned that Vulcan -rials Ob., rtikh also operates > p a I scsw sss: : 7 Uoo ftir 1 suri mining permit 'itl
The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
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June 25, 1987, edition 1
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