*app«ntonMem.Library X
117 S.Maln St.
Warrenton, N.C. 27589
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Volume 87 25c Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, April 11, 1984 Number 15
Representatives of Owens-Illinois (0-1) joined county and state
officials for groundbreaking at the company's 20-acre site on U. S.
1 near Rldgeway Friday. Shown above tossing out the traditional
spadeful of dirt are (left to right) The Rev. W. T. Ramey, pastor,
Rldgeway Baptist Church; John Evans, project manager for 0
I's Warren County plant; Jerry Trevey, general manager of O-I's
box plant in Salisbury and consultant on new plant project;
Charles Worth, Warren County manager; Second District
Congressman I. T. "Tim" Valentine; O-I Vice President Ronald
J. Glick; Governor James B. Hunt, Jr.; Mrs. Eva T. Clayton,
chairperson of Warren County commissioners; State Representa
tive Frank Ballance; Warren County Industrial Commission
chairman Monroe Gardner; and Warren County Industrial
Developer Jim Whitley. (Staff Photo)
Local, State, Federal Officials
Break New Plant Ground Friday
Friday's ground
breaking for the new
Owens-Illinois manufac
turing facility near
Ridgeway drew a crowd
of about 350 and a con
tingent of government
officials led by Gover
nor James B.Hunt.
The ceremony took
place at the 20-acre
plant site on U. S. 1
about three miles south
of Norlina where the
Fortune 500 company
plans to erect a $15
million facility for the
manufacture of
corrugated shipping
boxes.
"In the past seven
years, I have partici
pated in literally hun
dreds of groundbreak
ings and other such
ceremonies, but without
a doubt, today's is the
most exciting...and the
one I have worked hard
est on personally,"
Governor Hunt told the
crowd.
The governor com
mended local leaders
for their efforts in
recruiting the Toledo,
Ohio-based company.
"It happened because
of your vision and
determination," Gover
nor Hunt said. "This is
the beginning of some
thing ver> important. I
know how hard you
worked because you
were often in my of
fice."
Hunt reminded
Owens-Illinois officials
that there were
"another 20 acres on the
other side (of this site)."
"Spread the word
about Warren County
where people want in
dustry and will work
hard for it,"Hunt com
mented.
Owens-Illinois Vice
President Ronald J.
Glick also addressed the
group and had high
praise for local and
state officials in their ef
forts to direct Owens
Illinois to Warren Coun
ty.
"It is a real and sin
cere tribute to a host of
Warren County govern
ment officials, both
elected and appointed,
as well as many others
outside of government
| I
| 0-1 Has Big Payroll
Owens-Illinois, a Toledo, Ohio-based For- £
•:•: tune 500 company, currently has six manufac- ijjj
jjjj turing plants in North Carolina employing jiji
jij: more than 900 people. ijij
| In 1983, its North Carolina payroll was more jij;
than $17 million. jij:
ijij The 214,000-square-foot Warren County S
jij: facility for the production of corrugated boxes jij;
ijij will, at full production, have an annual payroll jjjj
ijij of about $2 million. It will be the third box- ijij
jjjj making plant of Owens-Illinois' Forest jji
jjjj Products Group in North Carolina.
The Warren County plant is expected to em- jjj
ijij ploy a total of 82 people when in full produc- ijj
jij; tion. jjj
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who have been so instru
mental in focusing our
attention here," Click
said.
"Just eight weeks ago
today, some of us
gathered in Governor
Hunt's office to an
nounce this plant. We
said then, and it is worth
repeating, that the one
key ingredient which
convinced us to locate
here in Warren County
was the people," Glick
continued. "Now it is up
to us. Now we must get
on with providing the
jobs we said we would
by building the most
modern, high
technology corrugated
box manufacturing
plant possible."
According to Glick,
the company will initial
ly employ 82 people.
About seven of the 19
salaried employees
have been hired and he
For Senior Citizens Center
Federal Grant Sharpens Hopes
By KAY HORNER
Staff Writer
The renovation of the old vocational building on
the Hawkins Elementary School campus in Warren
ton into a senior citizens center came closer to
reality recently when the project was awarded a
$46,534 grant from the federal Title III OHnr
Americans Act. Included in the grant is $2,58 < in
state funds.
Allen Hawks, director of the Warren County
Council for Senior Citizens which i& overseeing the
project, said this week that the grant will be used
aiJdg with a county allocation of $5,171 to refurbish
the interior of the building.
"If everything goes on schedule, a contractor
should be at work on the building shortly," Hawks
said.
Volunteers have already begun to tear out un
needed walls.
"We've also secured a number of people who will
help with electrical work and with other areas of
construction," Hawks commented. "Others have
offered help with plumbing. So maybe our funding
will go further than we anticipated."
This cost of the entire renovation project, interior
and exterior, had been estimated at $130,000 by an
architect with the N. C. Division of Facility Services
who drew the plans free of charge.
Hawks is hoping that, for considerably less, the
interior of the facility will be completed and the
agency can begin activities.
"The center will provide a lot of services," Hawks
said. "Unfortunately, we've had setbacks, but now
it looks like it's gaining momentum. I want to thank
all those who put in very good words for this agency
in meetings where funding was being discussed.
And we appreciate the county's contribution. It has
shown the commitment on the part of people in the
county to support the project"
Hawks said volunteers are welcome to assist with
general clean up and with painting of the center.
Anyone who would like to ddtiate time or money to
the project should call Hawks at 257-3111 or stop by
the council office at 138 S. Main Street in Warren
ton.
New Survey Reports Drop
Warren Farms
Show Decline
By KAY HORNER
Staff Writer
Warren County farms
are declining in number
but increasing in size as
are farms throughout
North Carolina, accor
ding to preliminary
figures contained in the
U. S. Commerce Depart
ment's 1982 census of
agriculture.
As of December 31,
1982, there were 470
farms in Warren County
as compared with 591 in
1978.
However, the average
acreage on Warren
County farms increased
from 172 in 1978 to 197 in
1982.
The census showed a
large decline in the
number of tobacco
farms in the county,
from 392 in 1978 to 271 in
1982.
In 1978, 8,124,542
pounds of tobacco were
harvested, but only
6,938,477 were harvested
in 1982.
In 1982, all land in
farms in the county
totaled 92,821, an
average of 197 acres per
farm.
The Census Bureau
defines a farm as any
place from which $1,000
or more of agricultural
products were sold or
normally would have
been sold.
The county's farmers
sold $20.6 million in
agricultural products
according to the 1982
Preliminary Census
Report. The 1982 sales
figure represents an
average of $43,803 for
each of the county's
farms.
The report also in
dicates that $12.7
million, or 62 percent of
total sales, were for
crops, while $7.9 million,
or 38 percent of the total,
came from the sale of
livestock, poultry and
their products.
Preliminary data in
dicates that expendi
(Continued on page 9)
New Voters On Books
Republican Party
Slim In Warren
The two-party system
is far from strong in
Warren County with the
latest figures from the
county Board of Elec
tions office showing that
of 10,395 voters
registered for the May 8
primary, only 383 are
Republican.
According to a further
breakdown of voter
registration figures
released yesterday by
Mrs. Ruby Jones, coun
ty elections supervisor,
the number of black
voters outweighs the
number of white by
more than 1,500.
There are 5,814 black
voters registered in the
county, 4,246 white, and
335 Indian.
The figures were
compiled after Mon
day's voter registration
deadline.
Since October 1983,
794 blacks in the county
have registered to vote,
294 whites have
registered, and 78 In
dians have registered.
Of those registering
since October, 1,135
were Democrats and 28
were Republicans.
Since October, 54
voters have registered
listing no party affilia
tion.
Two Libertarians are
registered in the county.
New Filing Slated
The filing period for
candidates for State
Senate and State House
in districts reapportion
ed in 1984, including
Warren County's
districts, will begin
April 23 at noon, accord
ing to Ruby Jones,
School Is Planned
By Norlina Church
Gospel Baptist
Church in Norlina is
planning to open a
Christian school, ac
cording to an announce
ment made recently by
the church's pastor, the
Rev. Gary M. Roy.
Norlina Christian
School will begin by of
fering K-4 for (four
year-olds) and K-5 (for
five-year-olds), the Rev.
Mr. Roy said.
A first-grade class
may also be offered
when the school opens,
with the addition of a
grade each year until
the school becomes
fully-graded to in
clude high school
seniors.
The school will be
housed in the church's
facilities located on U.
S. 158 east in Norlina.
An information
seminar for interested
parents will be conduct
ed Tuesday night, April
17, at 7:30 at the churdi.
"Joe Bowman, a
representative of A
Beka Books, will be
sharing with parents the
curriculum that will be
used at Norlina Chris
tian School and will be
answering questiohs
during the seminar,"
the Rev. Mr. Roy said.
"A-Beka Books
curriculum is one of the
highest rated and most
widely used of all the
Christian school
material. Its philosophy
is 'back to basics' with
emphasis on reading,
writing, and arithmetic.
Children under the A
Beka program will learn
number concepts,
phonics, and writing,
and they will lecrn to
read before they enter
first grade."
The school is tenta
tively scheduled to open
this fall, the Rev. Mr.
Roy said.
The public is cordially
invited to attend the
seminar and those
seeking further infor
mation should call the
Rev. Mr. Roy at 456
3385.
Warren County elec
tions supervisor.
The filing period will
end April 30 at noon.
A special primary
election for these seats
will be held June 5.
The primary for other
offices will be held May
8 as originally sche
duled, with a second
primary on June 5, if
needed.
The deadline for regis
tering to vote in the first
primary was April 9.
However, citizens may
register until May 7 to
vote in the June 5
special primary.
Those registered be
tween now and May 7
will not be eligible to
vote in the June 5 second
primary for offices
other than state Senate
and House, Mrs. Jones
said.
July 17 has been set as
the date for the second
primary for Senate and
House seats, if needed.
The deadline for is
suance of absentee
ballot applications in the
May 8 primary is May 3
at 5 p. m. This is also the
deadline for one-stop
voting at the board of
election office. May 7 is
the deadline for filing
absentee ballots.
Leaf Deadline Nears
April 16 is the deadline for tobacco farmers
to make decisions on two important items that
will affect their 1964 tobacco crop, according
to Thomas E. Watson, executive director of
the Warren County ASCS office.
All lease agreements and agreements on the
transfer of tobacco to or from farms must be
filed by the 16th, Watson said.
The 16th is also the deadline for designating
tobacco warehouses before the market opens.
"We encourage all producers to attend to
these matters before the final date," Watson
said.
noted that this week job
offers would be made to
the first group of per
sons being hired for
hourly jobs.
Training will take
place at the company's
Warrenton Training
Center in the facility
that formerly housed
High Dollar Warehouse
on the northern out
skirts of Warrenton.
Also participating in
groundbreaking cere
monies were other state
and local officials, in
cluding Warren County
Industrial Commission
(Continued on page 11)
Local Merchant
Dies On Tuesday
William Kay Lanier,
Sr., 81, of Eaton Avenue
in Warrenton, died
Tuesday at his home af
ter a long illness.
He was a layman and
active member of
Warrenton Presbyter
ian Church and a char
ter member and past
president of the Warren
ton Lions Gub. He was
past president and past
manager of the Warren
County Pair Association
and past chairman of
the county's ABC board.
He owned and operated
Lanier Hardware Co. in
Warrenton.
He was a member of
the Johnson-Caswell
Lodge 10 AF&AM, the
Scottish Rite bodies of
Enfield and New Bern
and the Sudan Temple
Shrine of New Bern.
A graveside service
will be conducted at 11
a. m. Friday at Fair
view Cemetery by the
Revs. Nancy and Clint
McCann.
Surviving are two
sons, William Kay
Lanier, Jr. and Eugene
Sidney Lanier, both of
Warrenton; a sister,
Mrs. neoecca noo*er of
Henderson; two grand
children and a great
grandchild.