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Volume 87 25° Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, May 23, 1984 Number 21
A preview of the Dog Days of Summer was found late Sunday
afternoon at this farm pond in the Wise Community of Warren
County. As the thermometer rose in mid-afternoon, so did the
ingenuity of these cows, who headed for the watering bole
when the going got tough. (Staff Photo)
Home Health Program Approved
A proposal by the
Warren County Health
Department to imple
ment a home health ser
vices program was
given a nod of approval
by county commission
era at their mid-month
ly meeting last Wednes
day.
The program, which
Health Director Joe
Lennon hopes to have in
operation by July 1, will
provide services fc
homebound patients ui
ier the written orders <
a physician.
In addition to des;;
nating the Heall
Department as th
r home health care agen
i- cy in the county, the
if board also affirmed its
intent to appropriate
I- $15,000 from its 1984-85
L budget for the
e program's start-up.
Hospital Administrator Dismissed
Warren General
Hospital Administrator.
Frank Hinson was dis
missed from his job by
Warren General Hos
pital's Board of
Trustees last Wed
nesday night after a four
to one vote, according to
Board Chairman
Nathaniel Davis.
Davis said yesterday
(Tuesday) that the ac
tion was taken because
Hinson was not "abiding
by the hospital bylaws,"
specifically one ad
dressing the amount
that can be spent by the
hospital administrator
without approval of the
board.
According to Davis,
the hospital ad
ministrator must get
approval for any expen
diture over $2,000.
"We had talked about
different situations con
cerning this in other
meetings in order to get
on record," Davis said
in response to a question
about whether the board
had on previous oc
casions discussed in
fractions of hospital by
laws with Hinson.
Murder Trial Slated
The trial of Hattie
Mae Kersey of Ridge
way in the shooting
death of her husband
last October is on the
docket of Warren Coun
ty Superior Court
scheduled to convene
Tuesday, May 29.
Mrs. Kersey was
originally charged with
assault after she alleg
edly shot James Kersey
in the face with a .22
Appeal Discussion
caliber rifle while he
was resting in a
bedroom of the Kersey
home on Lutheran
Road.
Charges were up
graded to murder after
Kersey died on October
6.
Judge Giles R. Clark
of Elizabethtown will
preside over the session,
which has a total of 67
cases on the docket.
Is Delayed
Hinson was employed
by the hospital in the
spring of 1982 under a
five-year contract. Ac
cording to Davis, the
contract is "auto
matically broken if he
(Hinson) doesn't abide
by the bylaws."
When asked if Hinson
was present when the
board voted, Davis said
initially that the action
was taken in executive
session and that Hinson
was not present, but
later said he would have
to check the board's
minutes to see whether
the vote was taken in
open meeting or
executive session.
According to North
Carolina's open
meetings law as inter
preted by the Institute of
Government of the
University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill,
final action on a dis
charge by a county
board must be taken in
open session.
Hinson's termination
was effective im
mediately.
. Davis last year ap
peared before county
commissioners with
charges that the admin
istrator was-., using
hospital vehicles for
personal errands and
was improperly disburs
ing petty cash funds.
The hospital board,
which was chaired by
Roy Pat Robertson at
the time, conducted an
investigation of the
allegations against Hin
son, but the matter was
later dropped.
As an outgrowth of the
incident, however,
guidelines governing the
use of petty cash funds
and hospital vehicles
were tightened.
Davis said Hinson's
dismissal was unrelated
to those earlier allega
tions.
Mrs. Amy Norwood,
assistant hospital ad
ministrator, was ap
pointed acting ad
ministrator pending the
hiring of a new ad
ministrator.
Contacted at his home
in Warrenton Tuesday
night, Hinson declined
to comment on the
dismissal.
Special Board Meeting Postponed
oyiuii nunnmi
Staff Writer
The question of whether the Warren County Board
of Adjustments is the proper agency to hear an ap
peal of a decision by the Warren County Planning
Board has led to a postponement of a special
meeting of the Adjustment Board scheduled for this
week, according to Richard Roddy, chairman.
Betsy T. Medlin of Littleton has appealed the
Warren County Planning Board's approval of pre
liminary plans for Phase 1 of Summerwood, a
development planned by River Forest Associates
Clyde P. Harris of Wilson and John T. Nelson, Jr. of
Littleton.
Mrs. Medlin, the developer of FernCliff, a sub
division adjacent to the proposed Summerwood, has
been in litigation with River Foresi Associates over
the right-of-way for the new development
Among the objections cited in Mrs. Medlin's
notice of appeal is the Planning Board's approval of
Summerwood with only a 30-foot right-of-way into
the subdivision. That right-of-way was granted re
cently in Superior Court, but Mrs. Medlin contends
in her appeal to the Board of Adjustments that a
jttdpM* hat not bean entered in the case and tf»t
uuuic vi d^di woa &i veil ui u|/cii uuui i.
According to 0. L. "Butch" Meek, secretary to
the Planning Board, subdivision regulations in the
county require a 60-foot right-of-way only for roads
that are to be taken over by the N. C. Department of
Transportation. A width of 50 feet is permitted if a
reduced width is essentially unavoidable and is ap
proved by DOT.
"Summerwood was approved because they (the
developers) do have a 30-foot right of way and
because it is a private drive that will be turned over
to a homeowners association for maintenance pur
poses," Meek said.
Roddy said yesterday that during his tenure on
the Board of Adjustment, it has "never been called
into session on a decision of the Planning Board."
"Since I've been on the board, four or five years,
we've only met when a decision of the zoning ad
ministrator has been assumed to work a personal
hardship on an individual," Roddy commented.
"There is a question as to whether we even have the
authority to rule In this matter."
Roddy said County Attorney Charles Johnson,
who also serves as attorney for the Board of Adjust
ments, is currently toaldilll^ ItoMrtllK. j.
Lennon expressed hope
that the county could be
reimbursed for its
allocation after the
program is underway.
Prior to last March,
HealthCo, Inc. of Soul
City was the county's
home health agency.
However, HealthCo was
forced to terminate its
program when it was
denied further funding
from the U. S. Depart
ment of Health and
Human Services.
Lennon told the com
missioners that about 40
patients were par
ticipating in HealthCo's
program when it ended.
With a caseload of 40
patients and a staff of
two registered nurses,
one home health aide,
and one clerk, Lennon
estimated the cost of
operating the program
at $107,000 a year.
The program will be
funded, Lennon indicat
ed, primarily from
Medicare, Medicaid and
private insurance reim
bursement.
Medvisit's home
health program, head
quartered in Hender
son, currently serves
some Warren County
residents, Lennon said,
but between IS and 20
percent of the home
health patients in the
county are not able to
pay for services.
These people "fall
between the crack,"
Lennon explained,
because they do not
make enough to pay for
the services yet they are
not eligible for Medicare
because they are not
below poverty level.
"We propose to take
care of every patient,"
Lennon said.
The commissioners
agreed that home health
programs had proven
effective and
economical in the past.
"It saves families
money and it allows
older people to stay at
home and it allows some
human things to hap
pen," Chairperson Eva
M. Clayton commented.
Holiday Scheduled
HealthCo, Inc. will be
closed Monday, May 28,
in observance of Me
morial Day. Emergency
cases should go to the
emergency room at
Warren General Hos
pital. The clinic will re
open Tuesday, May 29,
atfa.m.
Because Of Lake Development
Zoning Regulations
Come Under Study
By KAY HORNER
^ Staff Writer
Plans by a Virginia
developer to construct
townhouses on Lake
Gaston have revived
proposed zoning ordi
nance amendments that
were tabled seven years
ago by the Warren Coun
ty Board of Commis
sioners.
A public hearing will
be held before com
missioners decide how
to act on a request by J.
R. Brock of Bracey who
last Wednesday night
presented to the board
preliminary plans for
Lighthouse Harbor, a
multi - million - dollar
planned unit develop
ment at Eatons Ferry
Bridge.
The project calls for
55 separate structures
containing one-, two-,
and three-bedroom units
as well as an 18,000
square-foot indoor rec
reation center, a 12,000
square-foot yacht club,
a $1.5 million restaurant
and lounge and a
marina with 200 covered
boat slips on a 46-acre
site east of the bridge.
The lack of a zoning
ordinance addressing
construction of multi
family dwellings, such
as townhouses and con
dominiums, brought
Brock, an Arkansas
native, and his attorney,
Lewis A. Thompson of
Warrenton, before the
commissioners seeking
"direction" in how to
proceed with the
project.
Selby Benton, chair
man of the Planning
Board, told the commis
sioners, "We don't have
the authority to approve
these projects. In 1977
we spent time with the
(Region K) Council of
Governments drawing
up a zoning ordinance
that covers this fully.
We presented it to the
commissioners and we
haven't heard anymore
from it. It just slid off
the burner."
Currently, only the
Lake Gaston and Kerr
Lake areas of the county
are zoned and the or
dinance addresses only
residential, lakeside
camp and business, and
neighborhood business
categories.
Eva M. Clayton,
chairperson of the coun
ty commissioners, com
mended Brock, who
presented a scaled
model of the $12-million
project, for his "vision,"
but cautioned that she
"found it inappropriate
to supersede an agency
we have given authority
to," namely, the Plan
ning Board.
The commissioners
are expected to rule on
the proposals relating to
the zoned lake area only
and then refer Brock
back to the Planning
Board for approval of
his specific project.
Representatives of
Eatons Ferry Property
Owners Association,
Inc. were present Wed
nesaay night to voice ob
jections to Brock's
proposal to locate a
sewage system to serve
his resort on an 18-acre
tract adjoining Eatons
Ferry Estates.
"We don't object to
Mr. Brock's plan if it is
done properly when the
guidelines are set,"
Marty Rooker, attorney
for the association told
the board. "We do,
however, object to him
putting the sewage in
Areola Merchant
batons Kerry tisiaies.
According to Rooker,
West Lake Develop
ment, the proposed site
of the underground
system, falls within the
restrictive boundaries
of Eatons Ferry
Estates.
Rooker said this week
that the 200-member
property owners
association has had
"problems" with Brock
and his development of
(Continued on page 8)
Hurt
Three Arrested
In Robbery Try
Three Warren County
men were arrested late
yesterday (Tuesday) af
ternoon by the Sheriff's
Department in connec
tion with an assault on
an Areola store owner
G. W. Davis Monday
night.
Avon Richardson, Jr.,
20, of Rt. 1, Hollister and
Craig Arnold Soloman,
22, of Rt. 2, Macon were
arrested at Bethlehem
Trading Post and in Ar
eola, respectively and
charged with attempted
robbery with a deadly
weapon, according to a
spokesperson for the
Sheriff's Department.
Freddie Richardson,
18, of Rt. 2, Warrenton
was arrested at his
home and charged with
aiding and abetting and
attempted robbery.
All three men were
being held in Warren
County Jail, each on
$2,000 bond, awaiting a
96-hour hearing in
District Court today.
Reports indicate that
Davis was leaving his
general store on N. C. 43
about 13 miles from
Warrenton about 9 p. m.
Monday when he was hit
over the head from
behind with a stick. He
fell and started to get up
when his attacker ran.
Davis, who lives on
Rt. 3, Warrenton, was
carrying money from
the cash register with
him, but the money was
not taken, according to
reports.
Davis was taken to
Nash General Hospital
by private automobile
where he was treated
and released, reports
indicate.
Warren County
Sheriff Theodore
Williams, and Deputies
L. E. Harrison and
Lloyd Newsome investi
gated the incident.
Closings Are Planned
A spot check by The Warren Record this
week indicated that most Warren County busi
nesses will be closed Monday, May 28, in ob
servance of Memorial Day, but retail and
grocery chains will remain open.
Monday is a legal holiday and banks and
savings and loan institutions will be closed, as
will the U. S. Postal Service and federal of
fices.
Warren County offices will also be closed,
but Warren County public schools will be open
to make up a day lost because of snow this past
winter.
Warren County Memorial Library will be
closed Saturday, May 26, as well as Monday,
and will resume regular hours on Tuesday.
Voting Aids Listed
Warren County voters
who will be out of town
or unable to cast their
vote at the polls in the
June 5 run-off election
may choose to vote
through one-stop voting
or an absentee ballot,
according to Ruby
Jones, elections super
visor.
Thursday, May 31, is
the last day for one-«top
voting in which the
ballot is marked and
sealed at the Elections
Office. It is also the last
day for requesting an
absentee ballot. Those
ballets moat be marked
and returned to the
Board of Elections Of
fice by 5 p. m. on June 4.
According to Mrs.
Jones, some voters who
cast absentee ballots in
the May 8 primary also
signed up to receive ab
sentee ballots in the
June 5 primary. These
voters will receive their
ballots in the mail.
For more infor
mation, contact Mrs.
Jones at the Elections
Office in the Hendricks
Building on Front StTMt
in Warrenton or call VI
2114.