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Volume 87 25c 'Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, April 4, 1984 Number 14
Department of Transportation officials in
Warrenton Monday to present the 1984-85 Warren
County secondary road improvement program to
the county commissioners were not encouraging
about prospects for residents of Minnie Yancey
Road at Soul City (shown above). Residents have
appeared before the commissioners repeatedly to
request assistance in securing the signature of Per
due Industries, property owner on the road, on a
petition granting the right-of-way needed for DOT to
take over the road. However, DOT officials told the
board that it would take $100,000 for DOT to take
over the road and that the traffic on the road did
not justify that ty pe of expenditure. (Staff Photo)
Warren Road Help Is Seen
By KAY HORNER
Staff Writer
Almost two miles of secondary roads in Warren
County are scheduled for paving under the proposed
1984-85 N. C. Department of Transportation road
improvement and construction program presented
to Warren Couhty commissioners at their regular
meeting Monday.
DOT Division Engineer C. C. Painter and District
Engineer S. R Ross, along with N. C. Board of
Transportation member Joe Hamme, made the
presentation to the commissioners and explained
that they anticipated allocation of at least $449,782
Subdivision Plans
Get First Approval
Preliminary plans for
a 34-lot subdivision on
the north side of Lake
Gaston in Warren Coun
ty were given approval
Thursday night by
members of the Warren
County Planning Board.
The proposed subdivi
sion, to be built on a 27
acre tract owned by
Tanglewood land Com
pany, was described by
Marvin Crutchfield,
surveyor and engineer
from Boydton, Va.
Crutchfield said the
proposed subdivision, to
be known as Creekside
Shores, will be
developed in Roanoke
Township near the
Northampton County
border.
Final approval was
given plans for a five-lot
subdivision to be built
adjacent to State Road
1512 near Grove Hill in
Fishing Creek Town
ship. The development
will be handled by Scott
C. Pittman, Warren real
estate developer.
No action was taken
on a request that
property of Norman E.
Booker in River Town
ship be approved for
development as a three
lot subdivision. The
property, located ad
jacent to State Road
1344 next to Olive Grove
Church, was described
on a map whose details
were not adequate for
approval, planning
board members
decided. It was tabled
for lack of information.
Unemployment Rate Is
Down In Warren County
February unemploy
ment rates decreased in
Warren and 80 of the
state's other 100 coun
ties, according to Glenn
Jernigan, chairman of
the N. C. Employment
Security Commission.
The figures just
released reflect a
significant drop in
unemployment which
was 7.6 in February,
down from 8.1 percent in
January.
Warren County's
jobless rate continued to
run considerably higher
than the state average.
Warren's unem
ployment rate in
January was 13.1 per
cent, as 800 of the coun
ty's 6,130 labor force
were without jobs.
In February,
Warren's jobless rate
had dipped to 12.7.
Jobless figures for
February for Warren's
neighbors showed
Vance with a 12.2 jobless
rate, Franklin with a 9.2
jobless rate, Halifax
with a 12.5 jobless rate
and Northampton with a
10.8 jobless rate.
Jernigan noted that
employment was up
14,400 over January of
this year, and 119,400
over February 1983.
More than 2.7 million
North Carolinians were
employed in February
of this year, the highest
jobless level for any
February during the
past 15 years.
for work on roads in Warren County, but that the
exact amount of the allocation would not be known
until the new budget is approved on June 30.
A total of $195,000 has been earmarked to grade,
drain, and pave .57 mile of SR 1318, Vaughan Mill
Road near Vaughan, and 1.4 miles on SR 1101, Kim
ball Road, from U. S. 1 to SR 1100 near Soul City.
Painter told the conunissioners that roads are
targeted for paving according to a strict priority
system in which points are assigned for homes,
schools, churches, businesses, and school bus traf
fic. Volume of traffic on the road and length of the
road is also taken into consideration.
Roads are rated every two years by DOT, and a
road may move up or down on the priority list
depending on how the characteristics of the road
have changed, according to Painter.
Several residents of SR 1110. Snow Hill Road
south of Norlina, were at the meeting to protest
their road's changing status.
"In 1982, we were 21st on the priority list for
paving, now we're 24th on that list, and I can
remember when we were 18th on the list," Mrs.
Jessie Walton told the group. "I think something is
rotten in Denmark."
Painter explained that once set, the priority
rating cannot be changed without a request by the
county commissioners after a public hearing on the
matter, but he promised to "look at the road now
from a maintenance standpoint" and to try to "add
tliis for spot improvements" in the upcoming
budget.
The commissioners received a set-back in their
ongoing efforts to help residents of the Minnie Yan
cey Road near Soul City get their road accepted into
the state system for grading and stabilization.
The road, on which six families live, is vir
tually impassable according to descriptions by
residents and County Commissioner George
Shearin and Mrs. Clayton.
The residents and the county commissioners have
been unsuccessful in attempts to get Perdue In
dustries, a landowner on the road, to sign the
needed right-of-way to allow the state to make im
provements.
However conunissioners were told Monday that
even with Perdue's signature, the state could not
take the road into its system until it is brought up to
state standards for acceptance This would include,
it was estimated, at least $26,000 in gravel alone.
"The Minnie Yancey Road needs attention," Mrs.
Clayton told DOT representatives. "You need to do
something exceptional and I know creative people
can find exceptional ways to do things."
"We have problems we can't address in every
county," Painter responded. "It's frustrating."
County Manager Charles Worth told the board he
was in contact with Perdue to set up a meeting to
discuss the road.
DOT's proposed program also calls for:
-Widening SR 1357 at lake Gaston from SR 1344
to SR 1352, excluding .51 mile section at Big Stone
House Creek (A drag seal will be placed on the en
tire 2.39 miles of road, including the section at Big
Stone House Creek).
—Widening existing pavement and placing drag
seal on SR 1200 from SR 1224 at Drewry to SR 1201
(1.1 miles).
—Grading, draining, and stabilizing Dortch Road
addition near Ridgeway from SR 1112 to the dead
end (.26 mile).
—Grading, draining and stabilizing SR 1136, Pen
degrass Road, South of Afton-Elberon from SR 1134
to the dead end (1.2 miles).
The program also calls for an allocation of $90,000
for spot improvements throughout the county and
For Use By Voters
Warren Board Gives
Equipment Buy Study
Warren County com
missioners Monday
agreed to look into the
feasibility of acquiring
12 voting machines after
a presentation at their
regular meeting by L. C.
Cooper, chairman of the
Warren County Board of
Elections.
Cooper told the com
missioners that a
California-based com
pany, Aramac Tech
nical Systems, Inc., had
offered the county a con
tract for the machines
at a purchase price of
$3,475 per machine with
a discount of $1,025 per
machine if the county
acted within 30 days.
The county could also
have the option to lease
the machines for $8,500
a year at 10.4 percent
interest, with the cost of
leasing applied to the
purchase price.
The county currently
has three machines
which were bought out
right.
ATS could have the
machines in operation
for the May primary,
Cooper said, if a
favorable decision were
made by the com
missioners at their mid
monthly meeting on
April 18.
Payment could be
postponed until after the
1984-85 budget was in ef
fect in July, Cooper add
ed.
The county has 14
voting precincts, and 15
machines would be
needed so that one could
be used as a backup.
The machines would
not reduce personnel
needed at the polls,
Cooper said, but would
make the polling
Gottschalk Is
New GOP Leader
Leland Gottschalk of
Afton has succeeded
John Hawkins of
Warrenton as chairman
of the Warren County
Republican Party.
Hawkins, who had
held the past of the past
12 years resigned in or
der to "more fully enjoy
the fruits of retire
ment." Hawkins was the
first black GOP county
chairman in modern
times in North Carolina,
and had been active in
statewide party ac
tivities and had served
on various state boards.
Gottschalk has been
active in Republican
political circles in
Warren County for
many years, and is a
former candidate for
county commissioner
and clerk of court.
Active in civic affairs,
Gottschalk has served
at community, zone and
district levels in the
Ruritan organization,
and has been active in
the American Legion at
the local and district
level.
Warren County
Republicans, meeting
several weeks ago at
their county convention,
passed a resolution
thanking Hawkins for
his many years of ser
vice to the party.
operation more efficient
and would enable of
ficials to tally results
more quickly.
The county manager
and county attorney
were asked by com
missioners to examine
the contract offered and
report back at the April
meeting.
In other business, the
commissioners:
—Approved the use by
Warren County 4-H of
two Warren County
schools as a 10 percent
in-kind contribution for
the Community Based
Alternatives Grant to
conduct a four-week
Day Camp June 18 to
July 13.
—Approved the trans
fer of 10 percent from
the surplus under the
(Continued on page 9)
Groundbreaking Is Set
$750,000 Grant Received
For New Warren Facility
Last week, while
county officials were
busy putting the
finishing touches on
plans for groundbreak
ing ceremonies at the
Owens-Illinois plant site
near Ridgeway, word
came that the county
had been awarded
$750,000 from the 1984
Community Develop
ment Block Grant
program.
The grant was applied
for earlier this year by
the county with the un
derstanding that
proceeds would go to
Owens-Illinois as an in
centive for their location
of a box manufacturing
facility here.
The grant was part of
$3.4 million in economic
development grants
awarded to three coun
ties and six municipali
ties, and the amount
awarded Warren County
topped the next largest
grant by almost
$200,000.
The grants are award
ed on the basis of a com
petitive scoring system
developed by state and
local government of
ficials. Each proposed
project is rated in the
areas of community
needs, project design,
benefit to low and
moderate income per
sons, other public and
private funds to be used
for project activities,
and the project's con
sistency with state
policies and programs.
Funding is provided
from a portion of the
state's $41.5 million
federal community
block grant allocation
for 1984.
According to Jim
Whitley, county in
dustrial developer, the
grant will be used by
Owens-Illinois for the
purchase of new equip
ment for its Warren
County location.
Groundbreaking for
the $15 million plant will
take place Friday morn
ing at 11 a. m. at the 20
acre site on U. S. 1 three
miles south of Norlina.
It will be open to the
public.
Top officials with the
Toledo, Ohio-based
company will be on
hand, along with county
and state officials.
Governor James B.
Hunt is scheduled to at
tend, as well as Second
District Congressman I.
T. "Tim" Valentine and
N. C. Reps. Frank
Ballance, William T.
Watkins, John T. Chur
Watkins, John T.
Church and James
Crawford.
Governor Hunt also
will attend a luncheor in
Warrenton following the
ceremonies.
In a related item, Paul
Keck with the N. C. Em
ployment Security
Commission in Hender
son, which is recruiting
employees for the new
plant, said yesterday
that more than 300 ap
plications have been
received, with the
majority from Warren
CoWity.
The company plans to
hire about 82 persons
initially, and is
scheduled to begin
operation later this
month of a training cen
ter at the facility in
north Warrenton that
formerly housed High
Dollar Tobacco
Warehouse.
Robber Of IGA
Given 7 Years
An Oxford man
yesterday was found
guilty in Warren County
Superior Court of the
common law robbery of
the IGA in Warrenton
last July and was sen
tenced to a seven-year
active sentence in the N.
C. Department of
Correction.
A jury had already
been impanelled for the
trial when John Ran
dolph Crews, 25,
changed his plea to
guilty.
Judge Richard Alls
brook of Roanoke
Rapids sentenced Crews
and ordered that $1,446
in recovered property
be returned to IGA. The
sum of $82 also
recovered was deter
mined by the judge to be
the property of Crews as
a result of his em
ployment and was or
(Continued on page 14)
| Eatery Planned I
g The owners of The Rafters Steak and §
Seafood House, located off the Country Club i§
$ Road and serving three meals a day, are plan- £
|:j: ning to open a second restaurant on Main
Street in downtown Warrenton, which will :£
serve only breakfast and light lunch.
To be located in the former AAA Gas Com- £
pany building, the owners hope to be able to :§
open the new facility by April 15.
Sol Fleming, a partner, said this week that :£
!;i; The Rafters will continue to serve three meals |i
| a day, as well as to serve for local events. He
S said a name for the new downtown business : |
§ has not yet been selected.
Jail Needs Seen
By Grand Jurors
The Warren County
Jail was inspected by a
committee of the grand
jury gathered here this
week and was found in
need of considerable
maintenance.
In a report submitted
to Judge Richard B.
Allsbrook, presiding
over a session of Warren
County Superior Court,
the grand jury indicated
that the outside of the
jail building needs
painting, bathroom
facilities in tbe juvenile
cell needs repairs,
numerous broken win
dows and screens need
replacement, a storage
room or shelves are
needed for cleaning
supplies, an outside
light is r led on the
east side u * tail and
the heating bi». <:r is out
dated and contains
numerous cracks.
The grand Jury report
was signed by Betsy S.
Brown, foreman of the
grand Jury. Grand
Jurors also found eight
true bills of indictment
at the outset of this
1 h * k $ c on r t ,