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Volume 87 25* Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, November 7, 1984 Number 45
Democrats Claim Victory In Warren
Two members of the Warren County Board of
Education whose terms expire at the end of this
month were presented with tokens of appreciation
for their service at the conclusion of the November
meeting of the board Monday night Being presented
engraved plaques by Supt Mike Williams,
left, and Board Chairman Henry Pitchford, right,
are Mrs. Kathy H. Wilson and Henry Bobbitt. Mrs.
Wilson served on the board for four years, while
Bobbitt served for eight years. Neither was a candidate
for re-election this year. In addition to his
engraved plaque, Bobbitt was given a perfect attendance
certificate acknowledging the fact that he
never missed a meeting and was never late for any
meeting. (Staff Photo)
Norlina Commissioners Consent
To Property Request From Firemen
By KAY HORNER
News Editor
The search by the
Warren County Fireman's
Association for a
tract of land suitable for
conversion into a
training ground for
volunteer firefighters
neared its end Monday
night when Norlina town
commissioners gave
their approval in substance
to the
association's plans to
lease the area around
the former Seaboard
Railroad Pump Pond on
Oine's Creek on the
western outskirts of
Norlina.
The approval was
given subject to the
signing of a contract
satisfactory to both parties,
but the board was
unanimous in its assent
to a 25-year lease agreement
at $1 each year
In commemoration of almost a decade of service to the Area Mental Health,
Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Program Board of the Area Mental
Health Program, Warren County Commissioner W. J. (Jack) Harris (left) was
presented a plaque recently by Area Mental Health Director Tom McBride.
Harris has served as a board member from 1975 to the present and for the last
four years has served as the board's chairman. The presentation was made at a
gathering of Area Mental Health Board members from Warren, Franklin,
Granville, and Vance counties held at McBride's home in Henderson.
(Staff Photo)
with a provision that the
lease can be broken by
either party with one
year's notice.
The proposal was presented
by 0. L. "Butch"
Meek, Norlina fireman
and member of the
County Fire Commission.
Meek was accompanied
by Walter
Gardner, Warrenton
Rural fireman and also
a commission member.
The commission, an exofficio
arm of the
association, has been
assisting the association
in its search, Meek said.
Only two or 2.5 acres
of the eight-acre tract
would have to be cleared
for the training ground,
Meek estimated.
How the land would be
cleared and the timber
disposed of has yet to be
decided, but Meek told
the board that the
association was agreeable
to a third party,
such as senior citizens,
benefitting from the use
of firewood cut from the
tract.
Champion International
Paper Company
appraised the value of
the timber on the entire
tract of |1,500, Meek
(Continued on page 3B)
Mental Health Building Help Asked
By KAY HORNER
News Editor
In 1975, the Warren County Mental Health Clinic
was given "temporary" housing in two mobile
homes located on the Warren General Hospital
campus. Today, the clinic is still housed in those
facilities, a situation that Tom McBride, executive
director of the Area Mental Health Program, finds
disturbing.
In comments before Warren County commissioners,
McBride said Monday that the layout and construction
of mobile homes made it difficult to insure
safety of clients and staff and confidentiality, as
required by law.
In addition, neither of the facilities is equipped to
accommodate wheelchairs, and McBride noted that
some clients must be counseled in their automobiles.
"This is an unacceptable situation," McBride
said. "The space problem has reached a critical
stage."
The commissioners, who in recent months have
attempted to address problems caused by
deteriorating county buildings and increasing demands
for office space, were sympathetic to McBride's
plea, but had no immediate solution.
"You've presented your case persuasively,"
Board Chairperson Eva M. Clayton said. "We don't
want to wait until there Is a crisis and then say we
wish we had done something, but our options are
limited."
Mrs. Clayton, who recently appointed a Capital
Development Commission to evaluate the longrange
facility needs of county government, continued,
"We keep putting out little fires and
plugging up leaks and we don't get around to longrange
plans."
The board discussed the feasibility of using the
basement of the Old School Administration building
on the hospital campus, which on the ground level
houses the office of Dr. Cosmos George, for the
clinic.
McBride responded that such a move would be an
improvement, but would "quickly be outgrown."
Warren General Hospital also has rooms which
are currently unoccupied because of low patient
census and damage from roof leaks. The roof is
being repaired, and Mrs. Clayton suggested that
some of those rooms might be used to eliminate the
clinic's overcrowding.
The board agreed to give the request further consideration,
but took no action.
In a related matter, the board approved a resolution
urging the North Carolina Association of County
Commissioners to adopt legislative goals for the
1M6-87 biennium which would substantially Increase
state funding for community-based mental
(Continued on page 4B)
But Reagan, Helms, Martin Win
As GOP Landslide Is Reported
Warren County voters
Tuesday bucked a
strong Republican tide
that swept President
Ronald Reagan and U.
S. Senator Jesse Helms
back into office and
gave North Carolina
only its second Republican
governor of this century.
While Republicans
were scoring impressive
gains all around,
Warren County stayed
solidly in the
Democratic fold, voting
in the main for all
Democrats from Walter
Mondale down to a host
of local candidates who
were running without
opposition.
Nowhere was a
majority of Warren
voters more out of step
with their Tar Heel
counterparts than in the
race for governor,
where Congressman
Jim Martin, a Republican,
defeated Attorney
General Rufus Edmisten
in statewide
voting.
In Warren County,
Edmisten led by more
than a 2-1 margin, getting
a majority of the
votes in 13 of Warren's
•$4 precincts. Only
Roanoke Precinct, the
least populous of all,
gave Martin a majority
of its votes.
Sizeable majorities
were also posted by
Governor Jim Hunt,
'Relief' Sought
By Instructor
A veteran masonry instructor
in the Warren
County school system
Monday night called on
the Warren County
Board of Education to
provide additional classroom
and storage facilities
in order that more
potential bricklayers
could be taught and so
those now in class could
be taught more effectively.
W. E. Exum, who for
many years has turned
out award-winning brick
masons, asked members
of the Board of
Education to provide
relief for a situation he
said made him
"ashamed."
"I'm here to ask for
relief," Exum, who was
accompanied by many
of his present students,
told board members. He
said students now
enrolled in his classes at
Warren County High
School must "sit on
blocks and buckets and
borrowed chairs."
Exum said students
must now "push wheelbarrows
outside if we
want to lay brick."
The instructor recounted
the monetary
benefits which have
come to Warren County
because of a long list of
previous students now
making good money in
the masonry profession,
and he said that if he
had better facilities
more students could
now be served.
He said he has
requests from former
(Continued on page SB)
who was turned back in
his bid to deny Senator
Helms a third term, and
by Bob Jordan, who was
able to trim the president's
coattails and
overcome a challenge
by Republican John
Carrington in the race
for lieutenant governor.
Congressman Tim
Valentine, pressed hard
in each of his races thus
far, had easier sailing
this time around as he
handily outpolled
(Continued on page 3'x)
—'
Unofficial Election Table Is On Page 3-B
Whitley Leaving
Industrial Post
Warren County Industrial
Developer Jim
Whitley has resigned his
post effective Nov. 23 to
become director of the
Economic Development
Department of Franklin
County.
The news of his resignation
was received
with regret by Warren
County commissioners
who Monday voted to
commend Whitley for
his "enthusiastic willingness
to work and his
cooperative spirit."
"He was aggressive
and willing to work,"
Mrs. Eva M. Clayton,
chairperson of the
board, commented. "He
goes to (Franklin County)
far more mature
than he came to us. I
wish we could have
negotiated with him, but
he said he didn't want to
be persuaded otherwise."
Whitley submitted his
resignation to the County
Industrial Development
Commission on
Oct. 31.
A graduate of the University
of North
Carolina at Charlotte,
Whitley came to the
county post in 1982. He
said this week that the
move to Franklin County
was "an opportunity
to improve myself
professionally."
WHITLEY
W. Monroe Gardner,
chairman of the commission,
said yesterday
that he "hated to see
him (Whitley) go," and
that the commission had
not yet met to begin the
search for a successor.
Among the highlights
of Whitley's tenure was
the decision by Ohiobased
Owens-Illinois to
locate a multi-million
dollar plant for the
manufacture of
corrugated boxes in the
Ridgeway area of the
county.
A native of Warren
County, Whitley, 31, is
the son of Mr. and Mrs.
F. P. Whitley of Warrenton.
Yuletide
Parade Is
Scheduled
Plans are taking
shape for the Warrenton
Christmas Parade, according
to Walter Gardner,
chairman of this
year's event. The
parade is scheduled for
Saturday, December 8,
at 4 p. m.
Persons or organizations
wishing to participate
in the parade are
asked to contact Gardner
to reserve a slot in
the procession. He may
be reached at 257-3104 or
257-4307.
Because of the demise
of the Warren County
Chamber of Commerce,
this year's parade is
being sponsored by a
group of Warrenton
merchants.
Deadline Nears
For Assistance
Low income people
have only until Nov. 30
to apply for financial
help with winter heating
bills. No applications for
the low-income energy
assistance program will
be taken after that date.
If you have income
below the poverty level
and financial resources
of $2200 or less, you may
be eligible.
Apply at your county
(Continued on page 3B)
Increasing Growth Leads
To Special Rate Passage
A new fee schedule for
septic tank permits including
for the first time
a special rate for commercial
or nonresidential
construction
was approved by
Warren County commissioners
Monday in anticipation
of increasing
development, especially
the Lake Gaston area.
In the past, a flat fee
of $35 has been charged
for permits, which includes
soil evaluation,
design, layout and final
inspection as overseen
by the county Health
Department
The new schedule
calls for $35 for a permit
for a residence of up to
four bedrooms with $5
added for each additional
bedroom.
For non-residential
construction, which
would include townhouses
and condominiums,
the cost will be |35
for a flow of 1,000
gallons of sewage per
day and |9 for each additional
500 gallons per
day.
The request for the
new schedule came
from the Health Department
and the Board of
Health.
County Environmental
Health Coordinator
Marty Allen told the
board that while permits
for the average
residence may involve
only one or two hours on
the part of the sanitation
staff, larger projects
can take anywhere from
several weeks to several
months.
Allen urged immediate
approval of the
proposed rates so all
developers would be
treated "fairly and
equitably," as applications
begin to come In.
According to a recent
memorandum from
Allen to members of the
Health Board, the
department anticipates
in the near future
issuance of permits on
lake property for:
-Twenty-two rental
camping trailers with a
design flow of 3,000
gallons of sewage per
day at Littleton's Outdoor
World campground;
—Two 40-unit motels
combined with a 166seat
restaurant at Panda
Lawn, a lawn maintenance
and boat sales
service enterprise at
Salmon's Landing, with
11,400 gallons of sewage
per day;
—A 56-unit Lighthouse
Harbor townhouse complex
at Eaton's Ferry
Bridge with 220
bedrooms, a 400-seat
dining facility, pool and
bathhouse with 42,500
gallons of sewage per
day..
Because multi-family
housing and certain
types of commercial
construction are
prohibited in the soned
areas of Warren County
around Kerr and Gaston
lakes, Allen stipulated
that only preUmbiary
work would be doM on
the permits for that area
(Continued on page SB)