News & Advertising
Deadline: Monday Noon
Harnett County News
Harnett Oo* Librarv’
Lining ton
S7646
Published Continuously Since 1919
THURSDAY. AUGUST 9,1979
TWENTYCENTS
Legal Aid Available
For Low-Income Folks
The office of Ihe Wake-
Johnston-Harnctt Legal Set
tees will have a representative
in Harnett County for several
days out of each month.
According to attorney Travis
Payne a representative will be in
Dunn the first and third Wed
nesday of each month, from 9
a.m. until 12 noon, at the tax
listing office. A representative
wiil be in Liiiington each second
and fourth Wednesday of the
month, from 9-12, at 114 W.
Front Straet.
The Wake-Johnston-Hamett
legal Services is a non-profit
corporation which receives most
of its funds from the Legai
Services Corporation. The
office is governed by a board of
directors consisting of local
attorneys and eligible clients.
The purpose of the organiza
tion is to provide free legal
representation to low-income
people. A person's eligibility
depends on his or her gross
income and family size.
For example, for a family of
four, the gross annual income
could not exceed 57,750, while
the weekly .income could not
exceed $149.03.
Persons probably eligible for
free legal services are those who
get a low income from their job,
are eligible for welfare, social
security or medicaid or are
unemployed.
Representation is provided for
people with civil legal problems.
Representation can not be
provided in cases where private
attorneys or public defenders
are available. This includes
criminal cases and trafiic viola
tions.
No information about the client
can be given without the client’s
permission.
Types of cases handled by the
office include consumer and
financial, employment, housing,
public benefits and family law.
According to Payne, the office
has handled cases of every
different type since opening in
November of 1978.
Payne said that in the future,
the office hopes to install a
toll-free line for Harnett County
citizens to call the Smithfieid
office.
For now, however, Harnett
County citizens can call the
office and give their name and
number and the Smithfieid
office will call right back,
incuring most of the charge.
Payne said most of the staff at
the office were there because
they had a desire to help people
in need. Census figures for
1970 indicate that there are
17,556 people in Johnston
County who are eligible. The
number in Harnett County is
12,427.
With an annual budget of
5157,000 for the Smithfieid
office, this provides only $5.24
per eligible client.
“We’re obviously not in it for
the money,” he said. “Bas
ically it’s because of a feeling
for social justice, a desire to
help those who are not as
fortunate as we are.”
Payne said if a prespective
client had an emergency and
needed legal advice before a
representative was in the
county, a call to Smithfieid
office will get the client an
attorney who will talk with him
or her about the problem.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Robert Morgan [left] is
pictured with N.C. Representative Bob Etheridge of Liiiington,
during a recent day of meetings at the U.S. CapitoL
Representative Etheridge joined Senator Morgan and over 20
State legislators for briefings on national issues and a visit with
President Carter and his staff at the White House.
Thermostat Control Could Mean Cut In County’s Power Bill
The Harnett County commis
sioners agreed Monday to
consider installing a thermostat
control system that could
reduce the county’s utility bill
by almost one-third in the first
year.
Rrdin Choate;-service-sales-•
man with Johnson Controls
Systems & Service, told the
'board the control is part of his
company’s automatic summer
set-up/winter set-back system.
According to Choate, the
system automatically reduces
the amount of energy in a
building during the periods it is
not occupied, such as after
working hours, during week
ends and holidays.
In addition, he said, the
system automatically reverts
control of* the energy system
back to the building’s regular
thermostat so the temperature
is at its normal setting in time
for occupancy.
Choate told the board that in
ajuixey_of two county-owned
buildmgs, the county office
building and the Department of
Social Services, his company
had determined that the county
last year had spent $39,259 for
power.
“We expect to save you at
least $12,000 in the first year
alone," he told the board, “and
about $61,000 over five years,
so our system would be paid
for in the first year.”
The Johnson Controls system
would cost $11,086 to install,
Choate said. In addition to the
two buildings mentioned, the
county maintains the Lee-
Hamett Mental Health build
ing, the Harnett County
Courthouse and the Harnett
.County.library.*.-:, • -
Board chairman Jesse Al-
phin, on a niotion by commiss
ioner Bill Shaw, referred the
proposal to a committee with
the authority to act upon the
matter. He appointed Shaw,
commissioner and county mana
ger M.H. (Jack) Brock and
county maintenance employee
Johnny Taylor to the commit
tee.
The sysem would raise the
temperatures of unoccupied
portions of a building to around
80-85 degrees during the
summer and would lower it to
50-55 degrees in the winter,
"leaving it just high enough to
prevent pipes from freezing,”
Choate said. -
- 7Then at a .designated, time
each morning, say 5 or 6 a.m.,
Choate said, “the automatic
control would be disconnected
and the regular thermostat
would take over operation,
bringing the building’s tempe
rature up to the proper level by
the time employees arrive for
work.”
Choates said a manual
override system would also be
installed that would be effect
ive for up to six hours, so
after-hours meetings could be
held and employees would be
able to work late.
The override would discon
nect automatically in six hours
so there would be no problem of
someone forgetting to turn on
^ the automatic system before
leaving the building, he said.
Shaw, whose responsibilities
on the board include the care of
the county’s buildings and
grounds, had invited Clhoate to
the meeting to make his
presentation to all the commiss
ioners at once.
“I’m highly in favor of it,"
Shaw said. “I'm fully convinced
it is a good investment."
Caracas Man To Speak
A man who works for the
American Embassy in Caracas,
Venezuela will speak at the
liiiington Baptist Church Sun
day night during the 7 p.m.
worship service.
Jim Leader, who has been
speaking on the topic, “A
Christian in Foreign Service.”
He is being brought to the
'Liiiington congregation by the
Rev. Boyce Brooks, pastor of
the church, who recently
returned from a missionary
assignment in Caracas.
Rev. Brooks met Leader in
South America. The liiiington
pastor encourages everyone to
attend Sunday’s service and
talk with the guest speaker.
Leader is a native of Ithaca,
New York, but was reared in
WQmington, Delaware.
He studied at Purdue
University from 1953-58 and
participated in the Junior Year
Abroad program at Allahabad
Agricultural Institute in Alla-
bad, India from 1955-56.
Leader was sponsored in that
program by the Presbyterian
Board of Missions.
He graduated from Purdue
with a bachelor of science
degfree in agriculture in 1958
and that same year married
Carillon Conelley.
The couple has three child
ren, Daniel, 19, a second year
student at the Naval Academy,
Carol, IS, a rising freshman at
Drew University, and Jane,
who lives in Caracas.
In 1962, Leader earned a
Master of International Service
degree from American Univer
sity in Washington, D.C.
While working toward his
masters, he worked as an
Internationa] labor spedalisl in
the United States Department
may be.
He will also touch on the
problem a Christian faces
reconciling his religious com
mitment and his secular
business.
Around Town
.by STEVE PLUMMER.
2 Bids Qri
Machines
Received
JIM LEADER
of Labor.
Leader joined the Foreign
Service of the U.S. in February
of 1952 and began a long and
distinguished career.
Since then he has worked as
vice consul in Madras, India, as
a desk officer in Nepal, a consul
in London, labor attache in
Colombo Sri Lanka, indian
analyst in the Bureau of
Intelligence and Research, and
desk officer for Sri Lanka and
has served on the board of
examiners of the Foreign
Service.
He has spent the past two
years working in Venezuela.
Leader was raised in the
Methodist denomination and
later joined the ecumenical
Church of the Saviour in
Washington, D.C.
One of the points he will be
making Sunday night is the
universality of Christ’s mess
age regardless of what the
culture or religious tradition
Two bids for the contract to
provide 22 voting machines to
Harnett County were opened
Monday during the meeting of
the county commissioners.
County manager and com
missioner M.H. (Jack) Brock
opened bids from Computer
Elections Systems of Greens
boro and Valtec of Tulsa, Ok.
CBS submitted a low bid of
$81,316.78. Valtec’s bid was
$84,420.16.
There was some apparent
confusion in the discussion of
the bids, since Valtec had
recorded the lowest base price
but totaled the highest total
price of the two companies.
Valtec’s base price, which
does not include taxes and
interest computed on the
balance, was $74,800. CES
submitted a base price oof
$75,553.
Action on the bids was
referred to a committee of
commissioners Brock and Bill
Shaw and Harnett County
Board of Elections chairman
Bill Randall of Liiiington. The
committee will report back to
the board at its mid-month
meeting.
Virginia Warren, secretary
of the board of elections, told
Continued on Page 6
LEAF GROWERS MEET
Area tobacco producers who
have exj^rienced problems
with contaminated leaf as a
result of the tainted fertilizer
from Smith Douglass this
season have an opportunity to
air their complaints at a special
meeting Friday. Aug. 10 at the
N.C. State Fairgrounds.
Harold Uoyd, Harnett Coun
ty ag^ricultural extension agent,
said three state officers, after
hearing of the numerous
complaints from affected farm
ers, felt justified in calling the
meeting.
The three officers, who will
be meeting, are state attorney
general Rufus Edmiston, agri
culture commissioner Jim Gra
ham and insurance commission
er John Ingram.
Uoyd said he understood
that growers would be able to
present sworn affidavits at the
meeting. If you are an affected
producer, don’t miss this
opportunity to air your gripes
before some people who arc in a
position to help.
BROWNIE SCOUTS
Diane Coleman, local coordi
nator of Brownie Scouts, said
this week that anyone who is
interested in helping with
Brownies in Liiiington to call
her at 893-2331 after 4:30 p.m.
She also saidt that any girls
in grades 4. 5 and 6 interested
in joining Junior Girl Scouts
should also get in touch with
her.
6 AT WATER SCHOOL
Six liiiington residents at
tended the 40th annual water
works operator’s school last
week at N.C. State University
in Raleigh.
The people and their places
County Rejects State’s
PCB Storage Request
By STEVE PLUMMER
Harnett County will not store
PCB-laden soil in a state-app
roved landfill because it could
constitute a breach of contract
with the site’s owners, county
officials told a gubernatorial
aide Monday.
Joe A. Pell, Jr., senior
advisor to Gov. James Hunt,
told county commissioners that
in a briefing session with
Herbert Hyde, secretary of the
state’s Crime Control and
Public Safety division, state
officiab discovered a problem
unique to Harnett County - the
use of leased land.
'Two of the county’s three
landfills have been found
unsuitable for the contaminated
soil. The third site was
approved by the state but it is
leased by the coun^ from Mr.
and Mrs. Paul Johnson of Rt. 3,
Dunn, who have told county
officials that they are opposed
to the soil being located there.
Adjoining property owners
contacted over the weekend
had also expressed opposition
to the proposal that the soil be
stored at the Johnson site, it
was reported.
County manager and commis
sioner M.H. (Jack) Brock told
Pell the 25-year lease agree
ment specifically states that the
Johnson site will be used by the
county only for solid waste
disposal.
Harnett County has approxi
mately 19.12 miles of contami
nated highway shoulder, which
would require about 640
trucldoads for removal of the
2,560 cubic yards of soil. A
surface area of .86 acres would
be required for disposal.
Pell told the commissioners
that it would cost the state
$65-75,000 to transport the
contaminated sob.
Board chairman Jesse Al-
phin, who said he had discussed
the problem with Hunt, said the
governor told him there was no
record of PCB doing any
damage to anyone.
“Are we chasing a ghost or a
problem that’s not really
there?” he asked Pell.
“I feel the same way." Peil
responded. “There are a few
things we have to risk for the
right to live in a free society.
This may be one of those things
we have to risk."
Commissioner Bill Shaw said
he had talked with many of the
property owners along N.C.
highway 27 where much of the
chemical had been dumped
and they were not opposed to
the soil being left where it is.
Alphin also suggested that
the state leave the contamina
ted soil where it is, saying, “it is
time we stand up to EPA and
the alarmists who say we must
remove it.”
Brock suggested that the
state look into storing the soil
on its own property.
“I know for a fact the state'
owns or leases several sand and
gravel pits in this county,”
Brock said, “and I’m sure they
own more around the state.
Maybe it could look into those
sites as possible storage areas."
Officials in five other coun
ties responded to presentations
by state officials Monday by
voting to allow the state to use
their landfills as permanent
storage sites for the toxic
chemicals.
However, the commissioners
of those counties will allow only
the disposal of contaminated
soil from their own counties.
Counties approviug the
state’s request were Granville,
Wilson, Halifax, Johnston and
Warren. Two other counties
besides Harnett - Nash and
Edgecombe - either postponed
their decisions or rejected the
state’s request.
The five landfills accepting
the state’s request must still be
given final certification from
EPA before PCB storage can
begin.
Gallons of oil laced with PCB,
which has caused cancer in
laboratory mice, were dumped
along 210 miles of state
roadsides last year. A state
proposal to treat the chemical
in place was rejected in June
by the EP*
of employment are Mike E.
Richardson, Liiiington Public
Works superintendent; George
L. Gomes, Mike Halas, Willie
Spence and James Donovan, all
of the Northeast Metropolitan
Water District; and Lois
Holder of the Fort Bragg water
treatment plant.
The school is conducted by
the Dept, of Civil Engineering,
School of Engineering and the
Division of Continuing Educa
tion, with the assistance and
sponsorship of the N.C. Section
of the American Water Works
Association, N.C. League of
Municipalities and the N.C.
Dept, of Human Resources
State Board of Health (whew!).
The school’s purpose is to
improve the general level of
water plant operation. The
latest developments and sound
techniques are taught to meet
the needs of operators at all
levels. '
Operators who pass the
examination meet the require
ments of the certification law
passed by the 1969 General
Assembly.
IMMUNIZA'nON CLINIC
An immunization clinic will be
held Friday, Aug. 17 at the
Colesbury Fellowship Hall be
tween 2-4:30.
Sponsored by the Harnett
County Health Department and
Cokesbury Methodist Church,
the clinic is open to the public. A
registered nurse wll be on duty
during the afternoon.
All >-outh 18 years old or under
must be accompanied a parent
or guardian. Records of pre
vious immunizations must also
be presented.
Adult tetanus shots will also be
available.
THE LEXINGTON RECREATION DEPART-
MENT is sponsoring arts and crafts classes
this summer at the Liiiington Commonity
Building. Shown abos'e are members of
grades one through three as they work on
making birdhouses. [Photo by Lorraine Mize]
Conservation, Prices
Up For Local Schools
BY NANCY BOUN’DS
Energy conservation and
price increases for school
lunches were among the issues
discussed by the Harnett
County Board of Education
Monday night.
Superintendent Alton Gray
presented to the board a three
page bulletin explaining differ
ent ways to conserve energy in
the school system.
According to the new rules,
temperatures in all classrooms
containing students 'in grades
7-12 can be no higher tlian 65
degrees in the heating season
and no lower than 78 degrees
during the cooling season.
However, the temperatures
in Mndergarten through sixth
grade classes will be left up to
the board of education.
Gray explained that the
younger children are often
asked to sit on the floor and
participate in class activities.
“Here arc some decisions
well have to make," he said.
“Some schools have cement
floors and in the winter those
floors can get very cold. In
other schools such as Coals,
sixth and seventh graders
share a building so that creates
a problem.
“We’ll have some hangars as
LIP Report
Due At Meet
The recommendation of
Project UP [Liiiington Is
Proud] wfi] be presented in
a spcdal meeting Tuesday,
Aug. 14 at 7t30 p.m. In tbe
auditorium of tbe Harnett
County Office Building.
A slide presentation,
along with copies of the
written report, will be
introduced to the Liiiington
community.
These reports are the
result of eHorts by a group
of concerned citizens, the
N.C. Dept, of Natural
Resources and Community
Development and Carolina
Telephone and Telegraph
Company.
The recommendations will
offer Ideas for the renewal
and reritallzatlon of the
Liiiington community. All
residents of Liiiington are
Invited to attend the
meeting.
we go along in trying to keep
these conservation rules."
Gray also pointed out that in
some school buildings, zone
heating will almost be neces
sary to regulate the tempera
ture.
“One part of the building
might be 65 while another is
much colder,” he said. “It will
be hard to regulate.”
The board decided that
thermostats come under main
tenance. Johnny Taylor is the
board member in charge of that
department so he was elected
to recommend temperatures
for the lower grade classrooms!
“If you go over 70 degrees, I
think you’ll have some pro
blems with President Carter,"
Gray advised.
Another conservation rule
affects school bus routes.
According to the bulletin,
transfers of buses between
regular drivers and substitute
drivers can only be done at the
school and not at the driver’s
home unless an emergency
develops.
Gray said this policy would
make it .almost impossible for
students involved in the
Continued on Page 6
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