*arr«ntonNem.Library X
117 S.Ma In St.
*»rrenton, N.C. 27589
- iiarrai Stecarb
Volume 87 25* Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, January 25, 1984 Number 4
Wintered Words Along The Way
The lettering was added, but the rustic barn is a rendering of
the old Katzenstein barn at Warren Plains. The acrylic paint
ing is one of two entered in the 16th annual C. M. Russell Auc
tion of original western art in Great Falls, Montana by Warren
Plains artist Dianne Rodwell. The auction will be held in late
March and Mrs. Rodwell will fly there for a two-week stay in
order to attend the auction, and conduct painting workshops at
two Montana locations. The Katzenstein barn painting is en
titled "Wintered Words Along The Way."
Second One In Progress
Block Grant Application Is Made
With the county's ap
plication for a $750,000
community develop
ment block grant almost
complete, Warren Coun
ty commissioners last
Wednesday authorized
the application for yet
another block grant.
The application for
the first grant is "sub
stantially complete,"
Warren County In
dustrial Developer Jim
Whitley told the com
missioners, and will be
filed by the Feb. 1 dead
line.
The grant will be used
to entice industry to
Warren County and
could take such forms as
low-interest loans or site
development.
The second of two
public hearings requir
ed before submitting the
application was held
Wednesday before the
commissioners' mid
monthly meeting, but no
members of the public
sector appeared to
comment.
Whitley has said that
he expects final word on
the grant around April 1,
after a 60-day review
period for all applica
tions submitted.
The second grant is
being sought by Com
munity Developer Willie
Griffin and is similar to
a grant now being used
for improvements to the
Red Hill community on
the eastern outskirts of
Warrenton.
Griffin told the com
missioners that the
$340,707 grant project
now underway should be
completed by April 15.
That grant funded the
installation of water and
sewer lines to 40 homes
in the area and has
rehabilitated five
homes.
Several areas were
cited by Griffin as
targets for future im
provements, including
the Baltimore Road,
Quick City, Perrytown
and Afton communities.
The first public
hearing for this grant
application will be held
Monday, Feb. 6 at 9 a.
m. Deadline for the
grant application is
April 15.
In other business, the
commissioners heard
Agricultural Extension
Service Director Russell
King request additional
space for the extension
service.
The federal Agricul
tural Stabilization and
Conservation Service
currently housed in the
basement of the Agri
cultural Building ad
jacent to the county
courthouse, is in the
process of looking for
other quarters due to the
general deterioration of
the building.
King said his depart
ment, which employs 11
people and currently oc
cupies the top floor of
the building, could use
the offices vacated by
ASCS. v
The board postponed a
decision on the matter
until the time when
ASCS makes a decision
on relocation.
The board also ap
proved a request by
County Planning Board
Secretary Butch Meek
that the county's
current subdivision
regulations be
to conform with the
latest state regulations
Meek add this week thai
among the changes is •
lessening of the 60-foot
right-of-way required
before a road can be
dedicated to the state. In
some cases, Meek said,
the requirement will
now be only 40 feet.
In other business, the
board appointed John
Hawkins to the Town
Board of Adjustments to
replace Charlie Fitz.
This was done on the
recommendation of
Warrenton Mayor B. G.
White.
Charles Worth, county
manager, was appoint
ed contact person for the
revenue sharing handi
capped discrimination
regulations and the
sheriff's department
was appointed to head
the Search and Rescue
Coordinating Agency for
the county.
A public hearing on
"spotlighting" by local
hunters was scheduled
by the commissioners
for Wed., Feb. 15 at 7 p.
m.
Rites Scheduled Today
For Retired Principal
Funeral services for
William Owen Reed, 82,
of Norlina will be con
ducted today at 2 p. m.
at Norlina Baptist
Church by the Rev. Jack
Little. Burial will be in
Warren Dale Cemetery.
Mr. Reed died Mon
day in Durham Com
munity Hospital.
He was the son of the
late William Baylus and
Violet Kinkerdal Reed,
and was principal of
Norlina High School
from 1943 until
1906,when he retired.
Mr. Reed did his un
dergraduate work at
Wake Forest College
and received his
master's degree from
Appalachian State
University.
He was a member of
Kappa Phi Kappa and
Phi Delta Kappa, as
well as a member of
Francis Packard'
Masonic Lodge in
Norlina.
He is survived by his
wife, Mrs. Anne Woods
Reed of the home; a
daughter, Anne Reed
Boone of Rock Hill, S.
C.; a brother, Frederick
Reed of Murphy; and
two grandchildren.
W. 0. REED
Valentine Is Here
To Announce Bid
Congressman I. T.
"Tim" Valentine of the
Second Congressional
District paid a short
visit to Warrenton on
Thursday afternoon
following filing for re
election in Raleigh on
Thursday morning.
Congressman Valen
tine was met in the court
house at 5 p. m. by a
small group of his sup
porters, and when his
county manager, Brad
Carroll, explained that
several persons were
prevented from attend
ing, Valentine said that
the meetings being held
over the Second District
were not intended as
rallies. He explained
that he had decided that
when he filed as a can
didate in the spring
primary, that he should
at least show himself in
every county in his
district and in O'Neal
Township in Johnston
County even if no one
but the courthouse keep
er were present.
Congrawman Valen
tine was accompanied to
Warrenton and other
counties in his district
by A. B. Swindell of Ox
ford, his administrative
assistant, and by Frank
Wright of Nashville, a
member of his staff, and
a former agricultural
agent in Nash County.
Congressman Valen
tine expressed his ap
preciation during a
short speech for the
kindness of Warren
County people and said
he was happy to believe
that he could again
count upon their sup
port. He said that at
times representing the
Second District in
Congress was arduous,
but at the same time he
found it very reward
ing; and that while he
was his own man he
realized that his first
responsibility is to the
citizens of the Second
Congressional District.
The Congressman
said that he had Joined
with other congressmen
from North Carolina
and Virginia in an effort
to prevent water from
Gaston Lake being
piped to Virginia Beach,
Va., and that he had alao
worked hard with other
congressmen to retain
the tobacco industry in
(Continued on page 13)
Warren General
Obstetric Ward
Is Sought Again
By KAY HORNER
Staff Writer
The first step toward
re-establishment of an
obstetrical ward at
Warren General
Hospital was taken last
Wednesday night when
hospital trustees gave
administrator Frank
Hinson the go-ahead in
making application to
the N. C. Department of
Human Resources for a
certificate of need.
Obstetrical services
have not been offered at
the hospital for about a
decade, Hinson said.
The state approval is
necessary if the services
have not been offered in
the past 12 months.
According to Hinson,
the obstetrical ward
would entail no ad
ditional beds, and would
involve minimal ex
pense to outfit.
Warrenton physician
Cosmos N. George,
whose specialty is ol>
stetries and gynecology,
said in an interview last
week that the hospital
basically has the
facilities needed for de
liveries.
He cited two essential
pieces of equipment, a
fetal monitor and new
born warmer, that
would have to be pur
chased, but added that
he thought the ob
stetrical services were
needed in the county and
that the plans for the
ward were "very feasi
ble."
During 1982, there
were 207 live births to
Warren County
mothers, according to
Joe Lennon, Warren
County health director.
Of this number, 102, or
about half, were pa
tients of the health de
partment who delivered
at Duke Hospital or at
other area hospitals.
Dr. George estimated
that about 60 percent of
the babies born to
Warren County mothers
could be delivered
locally.
He explained that
ideally mothers would
seek pre-natal care and
could be screened
before the time of
delivery for possible
complications. Those
more complicated cases
could then be sent to
Duke Hospital or other
facilities better equip
ped to deal with
emergencies.
Dr. George and the
nursing staff from
Warren General
Hospital have met twice
with a team of nurses
from Duke University
Medical Center who
assist county hospitals
in training nurses for
obstetrical duty. The
service is offered free of
charge to the county,
Dr. George noted.
The training involves
three phases: a review
of basic science, clinical
exposure at Duke
Hospital, and initial
assistance in gearing up
an OB ward locally.
Dr. George said the
birthing center concept,
in which a mother can
deliver and be back at
home in about 12 hours,
is still being pursued by
local health profession
als.
"However, this is a
high-risk area," he said.
"Many expectant
mothers here would not
qualify for the birthing
center set-up because
they must be able to
take care of themselves
and the baby before they
go home."
He said current plans
call for the birthing cen
ter option to be avail
able to mothers who are
prepared to utilize it,
but noted that the obste
trics ward will focus
primarily on the
traditional delivery with
the three-day hospital
stay.
County May Take
Collection Steps
By KAY HORNER
Staff Writer
If Warren County's percentage of 1982 ad valorem
tax collections doesn't improve significantly after
the second tax notices are sent out in March, the tax
collector's office may dip into delinquent tax
payers' paychecks and take its rightful due.
Susan Whitley, county finance officer and tax
collector, told Warren County commissioners last
week that garnisheeing of wages - the deduction of
up to 10 percent of a delinquent taxpayer's monthly
paycheck until his taxes are paid in full - is one of
the options her office has by law in collecting taxes.
Warren County's collection rate was down by an
estimated 2.3 percent in 1982 compared with
average collection rates for the previous three
years.
Ms. Whitley said this week that collections in
June were about $45,000 shy of what was needed to
match previous collection rates.
"Since June, we've received about (20,000 on the
1982 levy,'' she said. "But the N. C. Local Govern
ment Commission feels we should have it by June
30."
It is that commission that expressed concern
recently in a letter to county commissioners over
Warren's 90.3 percent collection rate in 1962. The
commission functions under the state treasurer and
each year reviews local government audit reports
for signs of financial and budgeting problems.
Ms. Whitley attributed the lower collection rate to
the general state of the economy and the unem
ployment in the area.
"The problem is that we have few large corporate
taxpayers," Ms. Whitley said. "Our two largest
bring in only about 4 percent of the levy with a little
over (100,000. We have to count on a lot of small tax
payers."
Two notices are sent from the county tax collec
tor's office for tax payment.
In the past, the first has been mailed in late sum
mer or early fall and the second in April.
Ms. Whitley told the commissioners last week
that she planned to begin sending out the second
notice several months earlier to allow additional
time for the taxpayers to make arrangements to
pay taxes due before the fiscal year ends in June.
Other measures the tax collector may take to
collect delinquent taxes, in addition to garnisheeing
of wages, include freezing of bank accounts and
withdrawal of the tax payment, and prosecution of
delinquent taxpayers by the district attorney.
Wages of delinquent taxpayers in Warren County
were garnisheed two years ago, Ms. Whitley said,
and about $15,000 in payments resulted.
The county commissioners gave Ms. Whitley
their approval to implement any of the methods she
felt necessary to bring in the needed revenue.
Mailing Scheduled
\
Copies of "Sketches of
Old Warrenton," which
is being reprinted under
the auspices of the
Bragg-Ransom Chapter
of the United Daughters
of the Confederacy,
should be in Warrenton
by early February, ac
cording to Mrs. Robert
Kotal, project director.
Mrs. Kotal said this
week that the publisher
has notified her that the
books will be shipped
next week.
"Most of the IN books
have been reserved, and
I am still receiving or
ders from as far away
as California, Texas and
even Canada," she said.
"This has been a very
interesting project
because many ef the
people I hear bona In
form me of their family
ties in Warrenton, or
other comments of their
pleasure that the book is
being reprinted."
For further Informa
tion, call Mrs. Kotal at
257-1224.
t A