I»rr#ntonM««.Library X
117 S.Mala St.
Varranton, N.C. 27989
attj e Uarren Hecarb
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Volume 87 25° Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, February 8, 1984 Number 6
Monday's snowfall lingered on the branches
framing the home of Mrs. Virginia Pearsall of
Warrenton and gave Warren County students two
days of vacation. Approximately six Inches of snow
was reported. School officials announced yesterday
that students will make up the snow days on Thurs
day, April 19, and Monday, May 28, Memorial Day.
Saturday, Feb. 11, will be a teacher workday.
■ (Staff Photo)
Warren Political Pot Bubbles
As Candidates Beat Deadline
A flurry of last-minute
filings for political office
in Warren County Mon
day has assured con
tests for key county
posts in the May 8 pri
mary, although several
office seekers will make
their election hid with
out competition.
Running without op
position will be James
T. Fleming, seeking a
seat on the Board of
County Commissioners,
and Richard Roddy,
seeking a seat on the
Board of Education.
The most crowded
field is that competing
far the register of deeds
position. Incumbent J.
H. (Jim) Hundley, who
has held the post for
many years, will have
opposition from Mrs.
Kathy H. Wilson, a
farmer member of the
Board of Education;
from Lawrence Harri
son, a Warren deputy
sheriff; and from Mrs.
Margaret J. Pettaway,
a teacher's aide at
Mariam Boyd Elemen
tary School.
Hundley was the first
to file, announcing his
bid several weeks ago.
The other three filed
Monday prior to the
noon deadline.
Three candidates are
in the race for the seat
on the board vacated by
Mrs. Wilson. They are
Mrs. Joyce Darnell
Odom, a former board
member who is current
ly employed as a book
keeper; A1 L. Cooper,
Jr., a production techni
cian for Abbott Labora
tories in Rocky Mount
and the operator of a
grocery store in Areola;
and Mrs. Cora T. Wat
son, a resident of
Vaughan and a veteran
Warren school teacher
who retired several
years ago.
While Roddy, a
Warren businessman
who operates Lake
Gaston Supply Co., is
unopposed in his bid to
replace veteran board
member Henry Bobbitt,
who did not seek re
election, there is com
petition for the third
seat up for election.
That is the seat now held
by Leigh Traylor of
Norllna. Opposing
Traylor will be Robert
Douglas Kirk, Jr., a
park ranger at Kimball
Point State Recreation
Area.
Flaming, Warrenton
businessman, has a
clear way in his race for
the seat held by W. J.
(Jack) Harris of
Warrenton, who did not
aeek reelection to the
Board of County Com
missioners. There is
however, competition
for the second seat to be
filled by voters in May.
That is the seat held by
William Skinner, who
filed for re-election.
Contesting Skinner for
the post will be Archie
D. Williams of Areola, a
Warren native and
retired lawyer and
judge.
Commissioners Hear Plea
Renewed For Road Repair
Two residents of Min
nie Yancey Road in Soul
City once again appear
ed before Warren Coun
ty commissioners Mon
day with a plea for
assistance in getting
their road upgraded.
The only hindrance to
the dirt road being ac
cepted by the state for
improvements is the
signature of Perdue,
Inc. on a petition grant-!
ing the required right
of-way.
Seven families with a
total of 24 people live on
the road, which has been
described to the com
missioners as a dirt
road with no gravel and
wide enough for the
passage of only one
vehicle.
Perdue, Inc., a Mary
land-baaed poultry in
dustry with about
1290 acres in Soul City,
has related to com
missioners in the past
that it could not sign the
right-of-way because
the road might interfere
with its proposed
building site.
Residents of the area
have indicated that their
prime concern is an
adequate road to get in
and out of their proper
ty, and that they would
have no objection to
relocation of the road
for the convenience of
Perdue.
Willie Davis, a resi
dent of the area who has
appeared before the
commissioners on
behalf of his neighbors
for the past seven years,
said that he recently
purchased a four-wheel
drive vehicle, which was
the only way to travel
the road in bad weather.
Commissioner George
Shearin, who has visited
the site, called the road
an "inhumane situ
ation" and related dif
ficulties he had
traveling the road in a
pick-up truck.
The commissioners
asked County Manager
Charles Worth to com
municate again with
Perdue representa
tives and to set up a
meeting to discuss the
plight of residents on the
road.
"We are embarrassed
that we haven't been
able to do something
about this," Chairper
son Eva M. Clayton
commented, pledging to
continue efforts to get
the needed approval of
Perdue.
Worth said yesterday
that two representatives
of Perdue had met Dec.
2 with a N. C. Depart
ment of Transportation
official about the mat
ter.
Revitalization Planned
Quick City Targeted
For New Grant Funds
By KAY HORNER
Staff Writer
Warren County com
missioners Monday
targeted the Quick City
area north of Warrenton
for revitalization should
the county receive a
positive response to an
application for a
$750,000 Community
Development Block
Grant.
Willie Griffin, Warren
County community
developer, told the
commissioners at their
regular meeting that he
had discussed the grant
with representatives of
the Warren County
Health Department and
the Town of Warrenton,
and that it was
generally agreed that
the needs of the Quick
City area should be
addressed.
A recent study by
Region K staff of the
Council of Governments
also named the area as
one of three in the coun
ty needing revitaliza
tion. Of the other two,
the Baltimore Road and
the Red Hill areas, the
latter is in the process of
being revitalized by
another Community
Development Block
Grant.
In a public hearing
held before the commis
sioners* meeting, mem
bers of the Quick City
community related the
problems they face with
poor drainage and rust
in the water supply.
Marty Allen, Warren
County sanitarian,
noted that sewage out
breaks in the com
munity, especially
during the spring and
fall rain cycle, were of
special concern to the
Health Department.
The population den
sity and the small lot
sizes added to problems
with the septic systems,
he said.
If approved, th; gr ..»t
would provida for
upgrading of water lines
and installation of sewer
lines to the area, as well
as rehabilitation of
targeted houses to bring
them up to minimum
standards required by
law for habitation.
Griffin told the com
missioners that in some
cases, this could involve
the county's acquisition
and demolition of houses
and relocation of
residents.
The grant is funded by
the N. C. Department of
Natural Resources and
Community Develop
ment.
The deadline for the
application is April 15,
and Griffin said he ex
pected word on the
grant shortly after the
department's 60-day
review period.
One Hurdle Is Cleared
Board Approves Issuance
Of Bonds For Expansion
Warren County com
missioners Monday
gave their unanimous
approval to plans by
Harriet & Henderson
Yarns, Inc. to seek In
dustrial Revenue Bands
to finance a portion of a
proposed $15 million ex
pansion to a facility it
owns on U. S. 1 south of
Norlina.
The Henderson-based
textile firm is seeking
bonds in an amount not
to exceed $10 million.
Marshall Cooper,
president of the com
pany, told commission
ers that the proposed
expansion would create
about 100 jobs and would
be a "state of the arts"
textile operation.
However, he joined
the firm's financial vice
president in cautioning
that the project is only
in the planning stage
and that it is dependent
on the revenue bonds
and a federal Urban
Development Action
grant.
The final approval for
issuance of the revenue
bonds must come from
the N. C. Department of
Commerce.
In response to
$6 Million In
Property Found
A recent field survey
of Warren County
property by Carroll
Phelps Co. of Winston
Salem and the work of
the county tax super
visor's staff has resulted
in about $6 million in
discovered property
being added to the tax
listings for county
residents, Mrs. Janice
Haynes, tax supervisor,
told county commission
ers Monday.
When property that
has not been listed is
discovered, the tax
supervisor is required
by law to add penalties
for each year the
property was not listed.
This penalty becomes a
part of the tax due.
Mrs. Haynes Monday
presented county com
missioners with the
names of 11 Warren
County residents who
were requesting com
promises on the tax due
°n property recently
discovered.
Mrs. Haynes recom
mended a compromise
that would lower the
total (toe from $8,696 to
(Continued on page 10)
questions about whether
the facility would be "hi
tech" and require skills
not possessed by
Warren County workes,
Ross noted that people
with "average intelli
gence" would be
"brought on line" with
training available from
suppliers of equipment
and from community
colleges. Both he and
Cooper reassured the
commissioners that
Warren County workers
would be employed and
that there were no plans
to "import" workers
from other areas.
If the necessary fund
ing is secured tor the
project, renovation and
receiving of equipment
could begin the latter
part of this year, with
production starting up
next year, according to
Ross.
Harriet & Henderson
employs about 1,600
people.
Need For Larger
Quarters Is Told
The need for larger of
fice facilities to include
an area where conversa
tions could be held in
confidence brought
Warren County Sheriff
Theo Williams before
county commissioners
at their regular meeting
Monday.
Sheriff Williams,
whose entire depart
ment currently operates
out of a single room at
the entrance to the
Warren County court
house, related the need
for an area where in
terrogations could be
handled in confidence
and where such func
tions as fingerprinting
and photographing
could be carried out in
orderly fashion.
The planned
relocation of the federal
Agricultural Stabiliza
tion and Conservation
Service (ASCS) and the
Soil Conservation Ser
vice (SCS) from the
basement of the
Agricultural Building
adjacent to the county
courthouse will provide
additional office space
for the county.
Sheriff Williams
asked the commission
ers for consideration of
his department's needs,
and the commissioners
have also heard from
Russell King, county ex
tension chairman, who
would like additional
space for his staff
already housed in the
building.
County Manager
Charles Worth and
Commissioner Jack
Harris voiced the
opinion that with minor
renovation, both depart
ments could be pro
vided space.
The ASCS and SCS
staffs plan to vacate
their current quarters
as soon as renovations
are complete on new
quarters on Main Street
in the building that
formerly housed the
Carriage House
restaurant.
Snow Interrupts
Session Of Court
Snow accumulation
throughout Warren
County forced Judge
Giles R. Clark of Eliza
bethtown to convene and
then immediately ad
journ Monday's session
of Warren County
Superior Court
Warren County Clerk
of Court Richard Hunter
said that only a few
defendants scheduled
for court appearances
were sble to make it into
Warrenton.
Court was reconvened
yesterday morning and
moat of the day was
devoted to the jury trial
of Jamea Russell Fuller
on a charge of assault
with a deadly weapon
with Intent to inflict
serious injury.
The disposition of that
case was not available
at pressttme and will ha
carried along with other
cases heard this we* In
Superior Court in next
week's edition of The
Warren Record.