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CL ..K.cte iviews Coverage Of Warren County
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Volume 80 15c Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Thursday, August 25, 1977 Number 34
Wildwood Point Residents Request Lake Gaston Fire Boats
Residents of Wildwood
Point on Lake Gaston in
Warren County want inproved
fire protection on Lake
Gaston and have asked the
three counties of Warren,
Northampton and Halifax
Counties to join together in
providing a fire boat for the
lake.
In a letter under date of
Aug. 19, addressed to the
boards of commissioners of
the three counties, Nathan
E. Thomas, President of
Wildwood Point Association,
said that while he only
officially represented members
of the Wildwood
Association, that he feels he
expressed the views of other
property owners on Lake
Gaston who are well aware
of the tax base generated
from Lake Gaston and
requests that a portion be
returned for the protection
of the taxpayers. His letter
to the Warren Commissioners
reads as follows:
"Gentlemen:
"Although I only officially
represent the views of the
550 stockholders at Wildwood
Point Association,
after having talked with
numerous other landowners
around Lake Gaston, I feel
this request is also in
conformance with the views
Of property owners surrounding
Lake Gaston.
"With the great increase
in tax evaluations of Lake
property, we would like to
see a coordinated effort by
the three counties surrounding
Lake Gaston to do
something constructive for
the taxpayers on the lake.
"A fire boat on the lake,
approved by the North
Carolina and Virginia Fire
Rating Bureaus, would be a
great protection for our
citizens in the area and
would also reduce fire
insurance rates in that area
by a great percentage. The
present fire departments
and rescue squads in the
surrounding communities
are to be commended;
however, a fire boat and
rescue unit stationed on the
lake would greatly improve
the situation.
"We are aware of the tax
base generated from Lake
Gaston and we respectfully
request that a portion of this
be returned for the protection
of your taxpayers.
"Sincerely yours,
"NATHAN E.THOMAS
"President Wildwood
Point Association."
In Warrenton on Monday,
Thomas said that a fire boat
on the lake approved by the
North Carolina and Virginia
Fire Rating Bureaus, would
greatly reduce the cost of
fire insurance on the lake. In
his own case it would mean
an annual reduction of $40.
He suggested that the fire
boat be equipped with two
portable engines and hose so
that the reach of the fire
boat would be extended
beyond the lake. These
portable engines could hold
a residence or forest fire on
the lake until the rural
firefighters could arrive, he
said.
Thomas said that one
fourth of the Warren County
tax base is due to tax
generated by the building of
Gaston Lake, and that the
valuation of Wildwood Point
is nearly $5 million.
The request of Wildwood
Point is expected to be
considered at the regular
Sept. meeting of the Board
on Tuesday, Sept. 6, as
Labor Day falls on Monday,
Sept. 5.
Thomas also said that on
behalf of Wildwood Point
Association, he had requested
that the community be
given better garbage collection,
and that he had talked
with County Manager Charles
Hayes who promised to
bring the matter to the
attention of the board. At its
Aug. meeting the board
agreed to appropriate funds
for additional containers
over the county but said that
due to shortage of funds
these would be limited. How
many of these additional
containers would go to
Wildwood Point was not
stated.
Thomas said that residents
of Wildwood Point are
very much concerned about
REA's ruling that since
housing at Wildwood Point
is rated secondary residences,
that each has a 25
per cent surcharge added to
his or her monthly electric
bill. This is of deep concern
to all customers served on
the Lake in North Carolina
and Virginia and was
protested at a meeting held
at Enfield on August 18. An
account of this meeting,
under an Enfield dateline,
was carried in The Rocky
Mount Evening Telegram
on the following day. It
reads as follows:
The dispute over higher
seasonal rates charged
Gaston Lake residents
erupted into charges that
the Halifax Electric Membership
Co-operative (RE A)
is violating tne customer's
constitutional rights, after a
meeting held with the REA
Board of Directors here last
night.
Nathan E. Thomas of
Rocky Mount, president of
the Wildwood Point Association,
a group of Lake Gaston
homeowners from North
Carolina and Virginia,
charged that the REA was
"beating us like a borrowed
mule" and were unsympathetic
in listening to their
complaints.
"We are charging the
Halifax Membership Cooperative
with specifically
designing their rules and
regulation to discriminate
against Lake Gaston dwellers,"
Thomas said.
Thomas charged that the
attitude of the board of
directors of the REA was
discriminatory against people
they considered to be
wealthy.
"Mr. R. E. Booth, the
analysis expert, stated in
response to one of our
questions, 'Well, if you could
not afford those expensive
bills that you call extreme,
you shouldn't be up there
anyway.' That attitude is
quite obviously the same as
Mr. A. C. Cox, the chairman
of the board," Thomas
charged.
The meeting last night,
attended by about 30
members of the Wild wood
Point Association, was arranged
to allow a discussion
of the seasonal rates which
are about 25 per cent higher
than regular rates. The
REA customers argued that
since they were year round
residents of the lake, even
though they did not live
there exclusively, they were
forced to pay extremely
high monthly bills because
of the penalty rate.
Cox argued that the
majority of the lake residents
did not maintain
year-round homes there and
that those attending the
meeting were the exception
to the rule.
R. F. Booth, an electrification
engineer and consultant
to the Halifax REA,
said that the 25 per cent rate
was an attempt to spread
out the burden of expenses
incurred in installing facilities
to the customers. The
initial loan to install lines,
transformers, and other
equipment must be paid
within 35 years, he said, and
the equipment must also be
maintained and repaired.
Cox pointed out that "our
revenue per mile of line is
ridiculous when compared
to surrounding counties."
Cox said that the Halifax
REA last year had a gross
revenue of about $1,700 per
mile of line, while the
Pitt-Greene co-operative
had about $3,800 per mile of
line.
"You say you are being
penalized 25 per cent," Cox
(Continued on page 5)
SIGNS OF AUTUMN—Columns of clouds marching through Warren County,
occasionally carrying rain and accompanied by thuhderstorm, are the advance guard
of the autumn season. Here^off a field on the Warrenton-Henderson Highway, clouds
passlover a field which only days before was parched by the worst drought in years.
(Staff Photo)
Plane Lands In
Tobacco Field
A Greensboro man escaped
without injury early
Saturday morning after he
bellied a Piper seven-passenger
turboprop plane
through corn and tobacco
fields.
Fred Smith made the
emergency landing in a field
near the Cokesbury community
behind the home of
Mrs. Annie Gill. He was en
route from Richmond to
Greensboro when he discovered
he was running low on
fuel and set the plane down
to avoid a crash landing.
Major Richard L. Mathews
of the Civil Air Patrol
said that Smith did a professional
job in landing the
plane. The plane was being
repaired early this week and
Smith will probably take off
from a dirt road, Mathews
said.
The plane sustained an
estimated $500 to $1,500
damage after it bowled
through a tobacco field
farmed by Harold Stainback.
The plane stopped in a
corn field owned by Ronald
Smith.
Damages to the corn were
estimated at $500 with
damages to the half-primed
tobacco crop set at $2,000.
The plane was damaged
with small holes in the fiberglass
wings, possibly caused
by the corn.
The Vance County Sheriff's
Department and the
Civil Air Patrol investigated
the crash landing after the
pilot was reported missing.
He was. He had gone in
search of more fuel.
No charges have been
made against the pilot but
the farmers may want to file
for property damages.
Vance, Warren
Lawmen Raid
Liquor Still
Deputies Dorsey Capps
and Danny Bartholomew
joined ABC Officers H. D.
Greenway and M M. White
of Vance County and Franklin
County ABC Officer
Luther King, and Fonzie
Flower in a whiskey still
raid in northern Vance
County at 5:30 p. m. Friday.
The officers captured
some 30 gallons of 100 proof
moonshine whiskey, stored
in plastic jugs, Mason jars
and soft drink bottles. No
arrests were made.
The still was dynamited
and destroyed in the process
were a 150 gallon galvanized
boiler, two 180-gallon mash
barrels. 40 feet of copper
tubing, tubs, jars, and two
180-gallon double stills.
Town Board
Has Zoning
Meeting
The Board of Town Commissioners
met in a 45-minute
called session at 5 p. m
on Wednesday of last week.
B. G. White, Mayor Pro-tem
presided in the absence of
Mayor W. A. Miles.
The purpose of the
meeting was to consider
some proposed amendments
to the Zoning Ordinance.
Present were Commissioners
Massey, Leary,
Butler, Cliborne, and Haithcock.
A motion was made by
Commissioner Massey that
the area between the
Airport Road and Bowers
and Burrows Oil Company
be changed from Industrial
to R-12 on the East side of
the road; and that the area
on the West side of the road
from Ella Kearney's house
north to the R-8 zone be
made R-12.
That the area across the
highway from Fowler-Barham
Ford, owned by Sarah
Kearney Watkins and the J.
B. Davis Estate be changed
to C-2.
That the area around the
Lake at Peck Manufacturing
Company and extending
over to the industrial area
including the High Dollar
Warehouse should be considered
industrial.
Grocery stores and produce
markets should be
added into C-l district.
Tobacco warehouses
would be added into the
Industrial district and also
their agricultural related
uses.
These and other changes
which were included in a
suggested amendment to
the ordinance as received
from the Institute of
Government on June 9,1977,
are to be included in the
Zoning Ordinance amend(Coniinued
on page 10)
Report Of Past Year Reveals
Courts Handle Almost 3,000 Cases
By HELEN HOWARD
The Warren County District
and Superior Court had
2991 criminal cases during
1976, according to a report
by the Administrative Office
of the Courts in Raleigh.
The report indicated that
the District Court had 2682
criminal cases while Superior
Court had 309.
. Of the cases tried in
District Court 109 were
pending in January, 1976,
and 2573 were filed during
the year. Of the cases
disposed of by the court,
1410 were motor vehicle
charges and 1163 other criminal
matters.
During the year 199 cases
were disposed of by judges,
447 defendants entered
pleas, 1,110 were handled by
waiver and 188 preliminary
hearings were held with 502
being taken care of by other
means for a total disposition
of 2446 cases. This left 236
cases pending as of January
1, 1977.
In criminal session of
Superior Court, 78 cases
were pending on January 1,
1976, with 231 being filed
during the year. Of those
filed 104 were misdemeanors
and 127 felonies. The
Superior Court disposed of 9
cases by jury, 106 defendants
entered pleas and 92
were disposed of otherwise,
leaving 102 still pending as
of January 1, 1977.
During the year 85 special
proceedings were filed and
115 estate cases. Also filed
were civil cases for district
court-528; civil cases Superior
Court-54; criminal
cases, district -2573; and
231 criminal cases for
Superior Court for a total
filed of 3586.
Dispositions of these cases
were special proceedings,
48; estates, 122; district
court civil, 466; superior
court civil, 54; district
criminal, 2446 and superior
court criminal, 207.
The report revealed that
159 special proceedings
were pending at the beginning
of the year, 85 were
filed and only 48 were
disposed of leaving 196
pending for 1977. This
indicates an increase in
special proceedings.
On estate cases, 256 were
pending while 115 were filed
during the year and 122
handled, leaving 243 pending
which shows a decrease.
In District Court civil
cases 235 were pending on
January 1 and 528 were filed
for a total of 763. The court
handled 466 cases during the
year and 297 were still
pending on December 31 for
an increase.
Superior Court civil cases
held over were 55 while 54
were filed and 54 disposed of
leaving 55 pending at the
end of the year. This
caseload remained the
same.
Criminal cases forsdistrict
court showed 109 pending on
January 1 with 2573 filed and
2446 were handled leaving
236 pending at the end of the
year. This is an increase.
Superior court criminal
cases were also on the rise
as 78 were pending, 231 were
filed and 207 disposed of,
leaving 102 still pending at
the end of the year.
The report also gave the
records for the other
counties in District 9 (Granville,
Franklin, Person,
Vance and Warren) but with
Warren County being the
smallest county, it was
impossible to make any
comparisons between the
counties.
Schools Receive
$454,338 Grant
Warren County schools have received a grant of
$454,338 under part A of Title I, Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, according to State School
Superintendent Craig Phillips. This grant will support
special educational programs during the school year
1977-78.
According the Robert Marley, director of the Division
of Compensatory Education for the state education
agency, "Title I provides funds to local educational
agencies for use in helping to break the cycle of poverty
through equalization of educational opportunity. These
funds must be used to expand and improve educational
programs contributing to the special needs of
educationally deprived children."
Almost all the school administrative units have used
Title I funds to support special reading programs. A few
have special programs in mathematics.
For fiscal 1978 North Carolina has been granted a total
of $59,094,099 in Title I Part A funds. This is up,
statewide, from the total of $51,885,667 received during
the 1976-77 school year.
Bloodhounds Used
In Butner Escape
Chase Near Macon
A Warren County youth,
John Dennis Harris, was
pursued through the county
Monday night by bloodhounds
and prison officials
after he escaped from a
prison youth center at
Butner last Friday.
Local law officers said
Harris had not been apprehended
on Wednesday.
Harris was sentenced to 10
years at the youth center by
Judge Maurice Braswell
during a term of Superior
Court in December, 1976. He
was found guilty of larceny
of an automobile.
Building Committee J. B. Martin turns dirt as other members wait their turn.
Pictured, left to right, are: William Lewis Fuller, Jr., J. B. Martin, Mrs. Joyce Mabry,
Mrs. Doris Reavis, and Harold Harris, chairman.
Groundbreaking Exercise Held
Groundbreaking exercises
were conducted at Providence
United Methodist
Church at Afton shortly
after 4 o'clock on Sunday
afternoon
Exercises were in charge
of the minister of the
church, the Rev. Dennis
Levin, and included brief
religious services as well as
the turning of dirt by the
pastor. Frank Grill, secretary
of the Methodist
Conference Divisions of
Ministries, the chairman
and members of the building
committee, and the Rev.
Warren Petteway, Raleigh
District Superintendent.
The Rev. Mr. Levin
sketched the work leading
up to a decision to enlarge
and renovate the church and
his gratitude in the faith
shown by the congregation
in their church and their
community. He also ex
pressed his gratitude for the
assistance rendered by
Frank Grill, secretary, and
the Department of Missions.
Plans call for renovating
the front entrance to the
church, and the building of
an addition on the southside
of the building with an
entrance. Construction is
expected to start shortly.
A social hour followed the
groundbreaking exercises
when light refreshments
were served in the Fellowship
Mall of the church.
Sketch Of New Afton Church
Other Picture On Page 5
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