The Hoke County News - Established 1928
The News-Tournal
Established 1928 ~ ? - -
Cost of new school pegged at $8 million
A new middle school in Hoke
County could cost over $8 million
to construct, members of the
Board of Education were told
Monday night.
Facility, which is being studied
by local officials in an effort to
meet the county's changing school
needs, would accommodate about
1,200 students, Superintendent Dr.
Robert Nelson said.
The construction figures were
provided during recent discussions
with state School Planning Direc
tor Darrell Spencer and were based
on a projected cost of $55 per
square foot, Nelson said.
"I found my conversation with
Darrell very disheartening,"
Nelson said.
Nelson also checked with other
superintendents who had recently
built facilities and found that the
estimates were correct.
Projections provided by County
Manager William Cowan show
with the current one-half cent sales
tax, a bond issue of $2 million
could be supported without addi
tional ad valorem taxes.
Even with the addition of a pro
posed one-half cent sales tax, the
county could only retire a $5
million bond issue without a tax in
crease.
"We are facing enormous facili
ty problems and everywhere you
turn you run into the dollar
mark," Nelson said.
Discussions during the meeting
ranged from getting around the
lack of funds by renovating Up
church School into a K-5 elemen
tary school; building additions to
existing schools; shifting students
to different locations; building
cinder block structures with good
insulation qualities; and increasing
the number of students in each
classroom.
"We need to take some positive
steps and what we do we should do
it right," Nelson said.
No action was taken on any of
the suggestions and board
members agreed to wait for sugges
tions from various committees
studying the facilities problem.
In other action, a new system
wide school health policy was
unanimously approved during the
meeting.
The policy is designed to define
the responsibilities of school
employees, set procedures for
handling emergency health situa
tions and administering medica
tions to students and for providing
health screenings and referrals.
The adoption of the policy was
recommended by the superinten
dent.
School Nurse Kathy Ellis and
Associate Superintendent Dr. Gin
ny Hayes developed the policy
because no standardized plan ex
isted in the county's seven schools.
Over the years, each school has
developed its own health care pro
gram.
"We had some gaps in practices
in our schools," Nelson said.
Included in the new policy are
emergency health agreements be
tween parents and the schools.
The agreements specify what ac
tions may be taken by school per
sonnel in the event of emergencies.
"The main problem has been
what to do when you can't locate a
parent or guardian when an acci
dent occurs," Ellis told the board.
The new agreements authorize
personnel to seek emergency care
elsewhere when a parent or the stu
dent's physician can not be
located.
Parents are requested to fill out
forms listing persons other than
themselves who may be contacted
in the case of emergency.
Also, the agreements authorize
personnel to administer medica
tions to students requiring them.
Although the medication forms
parents are required to sign have
been in use in the schools for a
(See SCHOOLS, page 3A)
Council takes oath ,
swaps city property
After taking the oath of office
Monday night, newly elected
members of the Raeford City
Council gave final approval to an
exchange of municipal property to
allow a local church to build a
manse.
A final OK was given to ex
change a small tract of land owned
by the city on state Highway 211
west with a similar tract owned by
the Church of God of Prophecy.
The swap will allow the church
to "square up" its property and to
use the tract as a site for a new
church manse, City Attorney
Palmer Willcox said.
The properties were each valued
at about $250, and the exchange
had been discussed in previous
meetings.
During the first regular meeting
held since the November 5 elec
tion, an oath of office was ad
ministered to each councilman by
District Court Judge Warren Pate.
Newly elected Councilman Earl
McDuffie took a seat on the board
for the first time Monday.
McDuffie replaces Graham
Clark, who was not reelected.
A resolution was passed com
mending Clark for his 16 years of
service to the city.
Clark held the post of mayor pro
tempore for 12 of his 16 years.
Councilman Bob Gentry, who
lead the balloting during the
November 5 election, was elected
to succeed Clark as mayor pro
tempore.
Mayor John K. McNeill was also
named to represent the city on the
Lumbee Council of Governments
Board of Directors.
In further business the council
approved a contract to audit the
city's tDOiJks durthg the next fiscal
year.
The local firm of Pittard, Perry
and Crone Inc. was given the con
tract for $3,500 for the audit.
In a letter to City Manager Tom
Phillips, accountant J. Frank
Baker said a price increase from
$2,500 to $3,500 was needed
because the firm had been doing
the work below cost.
Looking for a spot
Haeford Mayor John K. McNeill (left) helps newly elected City Coun
cilman Earl McDuffie find a place for his name sign during Monday's
meeting. McDuffie, who was elected to a two-year term in the November 5
election, fill the seat vacated by Graham Clark.
Courthouse bids
given final OK
Finishing touches were put on
contract negotiations Monday, as
members of the Hoke County
Commission awarded final bids
for the courthouse renovation pro
ject scheduled to begin January 2.
The commissioners also agreed
to drop a proposal to relocate the
Register of Deeds Office in the
Hoke County Library during the
renovations.
DWC Contractors, Inc. of
Fayetteville will be doing the
general contracting for the project
for $375,315, which was the lowest
of three bids.
Ellis-Walker Builders, Inc. had
the high bid of $440,873 and Cape
Fear Construction Co., Inc. turned
in a middle .bid ot $423,000.
Gene's Electric, Inc.'of Lumber
ton was awarded the bid to
renovate the heating system and to
install an air conditioning system
at $37,643.
McGrits Plumbing and Elec
trical Co., Inc. of Maxton will be
doing the plumbing for $20,250
and Bobby Townsend Electric Co.
of Lumberton will be rewiring the
building for $81,400.
The renovations are expected to
cost $610,000.
The figure represents construc
tion costs, contingency fees,
building furnishings and the in
stallation of a telephone system,
County Manager William Cowan
said.
Money to pay for the project is
coming from $528,000 budgeted
for the renovations, $62,000 in
general funds, and $20, 000 ap
propriated from facility fees, a
separate courthouse fund.
Costs for the project were
brought down when the commis
sioners unanimously voted to
delete a few of the renovations in
the courthouse's basement.
The Building and Grounds
Committee had asked the architec
tural firm of Dodge and Associates
to make deductions to the base
ment renovations.
The commissioners voted on
Monday to keep some of the base
ment renovations intact.
Although original plans to
renovate the building called for
work to be done only on the first
(See LIBRARY, page 2A)
Decision on EAS
expected
after Dec. 11 'brief
deadline
The North Carolina Utilities
Commission is expected to make a
decision early next year on the fate
of extended area telephone service
(EAS) between the Raeford and
Fayetteville exchanges, a spokes
man for the North Carolina
Utilities Commission said last
week.
Attorneys for both Carolina
Telephone Company and the
Public Staff of the Utilities Com
mission were ordered last week to
file legal briefs by a December 1 1
deadline. Utilities Commission
counselor Bob Bennink said last
Tuesday.
"I would anticipate the commis
sion will rule 30 to 60 days after
December 11," Bennink said.
Bennink deferred further com
ment on the case, but did say:
"The matter is under advisement
by the commission and the com
mission will have to review the
briefs before making a decision."
If the Utilities Commission rules
in favor of EAS, 4,700 customers
on the Raeford exchange would be
able to call over 90,000 telephones
for local rates.
EAS has been endorsed by the
Hoke County Commission, the
Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Cnm
merce, the Economic Development
Board and the Raeford City Coun
cil.
It also drew the support of near
ly 300 residents who turned out for
a community meeting on October
10 and the more than 800 residents
who attended a public hearing on
the matter before the entire North
Carolina Utilities Commission on
October 29.
Commission members said the
Raeford crowd was the largest the
commission had ever seen at a
public hearing.
Transcripts from the public
hearing held in Raeford and an ad
ditional hearing held in Raleigh the
following day were completed
before the attorneys were ordered
to prepare their briefs.
No evidence was presented dur
ing the Raleigh hearing which
would detract from the testimony
given to the commissioners during
the Raeford hearing, according to
public staff attorney Jimmy Little.
Little, along with other members
of the public staff's Communica
tion's Division, is representing
supporters of extending the local
service between the two exchanges.
Carolina Telephone attorney
Dwight W. Allen, said the
telephone company is in favor of
EAS in Raeford as long as matrix
charges of $ 1 .22 in Fayetteville and
S4.25 in Hoke County are levied.
It is estimated that the charge on
the Fayetteville phones would
generate an additional $1.2 million
for the company.
Allen said those funds would be
averaged out to make up for less
profitable EAS situations.
During the hearing held in
Raleigh, public staff witnesses
testified that all costs for providing
EAS are more than covered by the
$4.25 charged for residential
customers on the Raeford ex
change.
Charges to the Fayetteville
customers are opposed by Hoke
County supporters of EAS.
Local supporters say EAS is
essential to expanding the local
community.
The service would open Hoke
County to military personnel who
do not want to live outside of
Cumberland County because of
the cost of long distance dialing,
according to local supporters.
EAS is seen as the most expe
dient way of increasing the tax
base of Hoke County and
stimulating economic growth, sup
porters have said.
Fayetteville man jailed
on drug selling charges
A Fayetleville man was arrested
and charged with drug possession
last Monday after a Hoke County
Sheriff's Department detective
received a search warrant from a
local magistrate.
According to a Sheriff's Depart
ment report, Det. C.E. Harris
received information from a con
fidential informant that led him to
seek the warrant.
At 6:30 p.m. on Monday, of
ficers from the Hoke County
Sheriff's Department, the Fayet
teville City-County Bureau of Nar
cotics and SBI agents, searched the
residence of John William
Everette, Rt. 4, Fayetteville.
The officers allegedly found
marijuana, qualudes and a .22
caliber rifle thought to have been
stolen from Cumberland County.
Everette, 33, was arrested and
charged with possession of mari
juana with the intent to sell;
felonious possession of metha
qualone; and possession of a stolen
firearm.
In an unrelated incident, a bat
tery was reported stolen from a
van belonging to North West
Water Supply on Vass Road.
Records say the battery, valued
at S38 was taken from the van
sometime last Tuesday.
Vernie Mae Locklear, Rt. 1, Red
Springs reported that a license tag
was missing from her 1963 Ford
Falcon on Sunday, records in
dicate.
Locklear said she noticed the tag
was missing at approximately 4
p.m.
Also Douglas Whitbeck, Rt. 1,
Lumber Bridge reported that
someone had broken into his home
between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. last
Wednesday, records say.
According to the report, several
windows had been broken in
Whitbeck's house and glass was
broken out of a window located in
the back of the house.
Nothing was missing from the
house, reports say.
Records also indicate that a
Chevrolet belonging to Ella Ram
(See BREAK-INS, page 3A)
Caroling
Music Director of the Raeford Presbyterian Church
Ray Harris ( with accordian) leads a community
choir and close to 150 other singers in caroling Sun
day evening. The s'nging preceded the lighting of a
Christmas tree between the Methodist Church and
courthouse, as well as other decorations throughout
downtown Raeford.
Around Town
By Sam Morris
The weather for Thanksgiving
was hot. I don't believe it has ever
been that hot in Hoke County at
this time of year. Then Friday
night we received V/i inches of
rain. It didn't stop until late Satur
day and some people reported 5 in
ches or more for the 48 hour
period.
The forecast is for the bottom to
drop out of the thermometer and
the lows to be in the 20's by Tues
day night. Also it was predicted
maybe snow by Thursday. So
maybe winter has arrived.
? * ?
According to farmers in the
county the soybean crop is in
serious trouble. The rain and warm
weather has caused them to start
sprouting again. Also the heavy
rain over the weekend makes it im
possible to get into the fields. One
farmer said some fields wouldn't
be in condition for a tractor until
next spring.
Maybe the printing business
doesn't have all the troubles.
(Sec AROUND, page 10A)