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Volume 88 25* Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, January 9, 1985 Number 2
Additional
Jobs Slated
At Norlina
By KAY HORNER
News Editor
A Norlina textile
company which filed for
bankruptcy two years
ago is back on its feet
and planning an equipment
and work force
expansion in the near
future.
Norlina Mills,
producer of fine denier
nylon for ladies hosiery,
has paid settlements to
all creditors as ordered
by the courts under
Chapter 11 of the
Federal Bankruptcy
Act, according to company
President W.
Richard Fero.
Included in those settlements
was a payment
of $43,000 in delinquent
county taxes.
According to Susan W.
Brown, county tax
collector, the mill has
"substantially satisfied
their debt" in delinquent
taxes, and in addition,
has paid current taxes
due.
Norlina Mills, which
had a total debt of approximately
$3 million
when bankruptcy was
declared, was acquired
last summer by Glen
Raven Mills, Inc.
The parent company,
Fero said this week, is
adding equipment to the
local plant and between
17 and 20 new employees
are expected to be hired
next year.
The company currently
employs 90 people.
Last year, Fero told
county commissioners
that the company's
financial straits were
traceable to the purchase
of faulty texturing
machines from a
French company with
financing through the
French government.
The machines, Fero
said, could not produce
yarn that could be dyed
evenly.
Two new Warrenton police officers were introduced
to the Town Board Monday evening and are pictured
with Police Chief Freddie Robinson and chairman
of the police committee, Commissioner A. A.
Wood. Shown, left to right, are Chief Robinson, new
officers Olympus Richardson of the Parktown community
and Purcell Williams, Jr. of Drewry, and
Commissioner Wood.
(Staff Photo)
For Zoning Changes
Warrenton Board Denies Requests
By MARY C.HARRIS
Staff Writer
A red light flashed
before developers of
proposed apartment
complexes on the Ridgeway
Road and West
Franklin Street on Monday
evening when the
Warrenton Town Board
decided against
rezoning the properties
to allow for the construction.
Request for both
zoning changes had
come from the K and B
Walker Corporation,
which proposed to build
on the Ridgeway Road
an apartment development
for rent to paying
tenants and on West
Franklin Street a subsidized
apartment project
for senior citizens and
handicapped persons.
The vote was the culmination
of a series of
meetings which began
in early November with
a public hearing before
a joint meeting of the
Warrenton Planning
Board and the Town
Council. Present at that
meeting and voicing
their opposition were a
number of residents of
the Ridgeway Road
neighborhood.
The Warrenton Planning
Board voted on
Nov. 26 to recommend
the requested rezoning
of both properties to the
Warrenton Town Board,
whose responsibility it is
to make the final
decision.
The matter was considered
by the councilmen
at their December
meeting, but it was
decided that further
consideration should be
given the issue and that
the vote should be
delayed until a full
board was present.
Pool Halls Are Outlawed
By Norlina Commissioners
Pool halls in the Town
of Norlina became a
thing of the past Monday
night when town commissioners
adopted an
ordinance banning such
establishments.
The board repealed a
1947 ordinance governing
pool halls and adopted
one banning pool
halls or billiard halls for
which "a charge is
directly or indirectly
made."
In the past, the town
has issued licenses for
the operation of pool
halls. The new ordinance
stipulates that
anyone currently
holding such a license
may continue to operate
his business until July,
when the license expires.
However, no new
licenses will be issued
effective Monday night.
The commissioners
are also Investigating
the legality of banning
on-premises sale of
alcohol within town
limits.
In other business, the
town board:
—Authorized the
hook-up of a fire hydrant
on Darden Street at a
cost of $1,200. The
hydrant was purchased
some time ago, but hook
up had been delayed in
hopes that it might be
funded as a part of a
Community Development
Block Grant the
town applied for last
year. The grant was
denied in August, and
Commissioner Dwight
Pearce urged immediate
hook-up of the
hydrant which had been
promised by the board
to residents of the area.
—Adopted a
resolution honoring the
late R. B. "Ben" Lloyd
for his contribution to
the town as a commissioner
and his
"devotion to the community
and to his fellowman."
—Approved a franchise
agreement with
Carolina Power & Light
Company authorizing it
to operate within the
town limits for 00 years.
—Voted to reapply for
a state Community Development
Block Grant,
with the first public
hearing on th« application
to be held Feb.
4 at 7 p. m. in the town
hall.
—Heard a report from
Town Clerk Mae Gums
that a N. C. League of
Municipalities study on
the town's organization,
management, and efficiency
of operation
would begin Feb. 1.
League representative
Woody Underwood is
scheduled to meet with
town officials on Feb. 4
at 3 p. m. The study was
authorized last June at a
cost of $3,000.
— Requested Mrs.
Gums to contact Department
of Transportation
District Engineer
Robert Ross of Henderson
regarding possible
solutions to traffic
congestion at the intersection
of U. S. 1 and
Highway 158.
All members were in
attendance for the Monday
meeting. In considering
the rezoning
request for the property
located at 305 and 307
West Franklin Street
from R-12 (medium
density residential) to
R-8 (high density), six
councilmen voted
against the change,
while Commissioner
Eddie Clayton voted in
favor of the rezoning.
Clayton stated that his
vote was based on the
fact that no one had expressed
any opposition
to him regarding the
Franklin Street project.
The vote was
unanimous against the
rezoning of property
belonging to L. C.
Cooper on State Road
1107, locally known as
the Ridgeway Road. The
request for change from
R-20 (low density
residential) to the R-8
high density classification
was denied, the
councilmen explained,
in view of the objections
which had been raised
by neighbors of the
community in question
both at the public
hearing and to commissioners
individually.
Present at the
meeting were L. C.
Cooper and Preston
Buckley, officers of the
K and B Walker Corporation,
and their attorney,
T. T. Clayton.
The three representatives
expressed their
frustration and lack of
understanding of the objections
to the projects.
Buckley noted that he
attributed much of the
opposition to disapproval
of his political preferences
and campaigning
in recent elections.
In answer to a
question from Buckley
regarding the possibility
of considering again the
proposal, Mayor B. G.
White pointed out that a
toning ordinance
Clothing Classes Set
Clothing construction
classes will begin again
on Jan. 15, at the Haliwa/Saponi
Tribal Center.
Classes will start at
7 p. m. and end at 10 p.
m. The class will last for
11 weeks ending March
28. Registration fee is
115.
Instructor for the
class is Mrs. G.
Richardson. Those interested
in attending
should contact the
Haliwa/Saponi Tribal
Center at 5864017 or 59&
governed by state law
states that the issue
cannot be re-opened for
12 months.
Also present at the
meeting was Police
Chief Freddie Robinson,
who brought with
him two new police officers
for the town of
Warrenton, Purcell Williams,
Jr. and Olympus
Richardson. The new of(Continued
on page 8)
Tax Collections
Given For Warren
According to a recent
report issued by the N.
C. Department of
Revenue showing tax
collections from the
local one and one-half
percent sales tax, net
collections for Warren
County during the
month of November
amounted to $43,854.18.
The total collected
statewide was
$39,328,288.09. Of that
amount, the report
showed collections in
neighboring counties as
follows: Franklin, $99,244.92;
Halifax, $305,375.57;
and Northampton,
$47,667.13.
For Warren Hospital
Bid For Funding
Is Turned Down
The hope that state officials
would earmark
$150,000 for medical
services in Warren
County in light of the
hospital's current financial
straits was dashed
this week when the
Council of State declined
the county's request.
Mrs. Eva M. Clayton,
chairperson of the county
commissioners, said
late yesterday afternoon
that she understood the
decision was based, in
part, on a concern that
such action might set a
precedent for bailing out
financially troubled
hospitals t lout the
state.
In addition, the council,
which also declined
funding for two other
projects, is beginning its
new term with fewer
funds than normally on
hand.
"They had $600,000
and our request was for
$150,000," Mrs. Clayton
said. "I'm obviously disappointed,
but I still
resolve that we'll find
the funds. It is unfortunate,
however, that the
state did not take the
opportunity to respond
to what I thought was a
worthy request."
The funds, Mrs.
Clayton said, were to be
used for emergency or
urgent care services in
the county.
The county commissioners
have accelerated
their monthly
allocations to Warren
General Hospital to
keep it open until Jan. 31
while a citizen's group
explores ways to keep
the in-patient facility
open.
The debt of the
hospital, which was
originally scheduled to
cease in-patient services
Jan. 1, currently
exceeds $265,000.
Mrs. Clayton said
plans now call for looking
to the federal
government for
Woman Assaulted
On Way To Work
A 71-year-old Macon
woman was assaulted
Friday morning while
getting into her car at
her home to go to work
at Norlina Middle
School cafeteria. According
to Warren
County Sheriff's Department
reports, Mrs.
Amelia Robinson was
opening the door of her
car about 6:40 when she
was hit in the head and
about the shoulder with
a stick of wood.
Her screams brought
ho* granddaughter out
of the house, causing the
assailant to flee.
Mrs. Robinson, a 19year-veteran
of the
school system, was
treated and released by
her local physician.
Investigating Officer
T. H. McCaffity reported
that the department
had a suspect, but that
no arrest had been made
as of Tuesday afternoon.
The department also
reported that a Middleburg
man and a Henderson
man were
arrested Monday and
charged with misdemeanor
larceny after
filling an automobile
with gas at Country Kitchen
in Manson and
driving away without
paying.
Kenneth Bullock, 18,
of Middleburg and
George Lester Williams,
19, of Henderson were
arrested by the Vance
County Sheriffs Department
and remanded to
the custody of Warren
Chief Deputy B. D.
Bolton.
Court date for the two,
who were being held
Tuesday afternoon in
Warren County Jail under
a |800 bond, was set
for today (Wednesday).
assistance through
federally - funded
HealthCo.
"HealthCo will have
to participate and has
expressed interest in
participating to the limit
of its resources," Mrs.
Clayton said.
She has also received
inquiries from the Z.
Smith Reynolds Foundation
of Winston-Salem
and a multi-health service,
Alliance of Health
Systems, which
operates two hospitals
(Continued on page 8)
March 15 New Deadline
Board Extends
Tax Listing Time
By KAY HORNER
News Editor
The tax listing period
for real and personal
property in Warren
County was extended
from January 31 to
March 15 by county
commissioners Monday
at the request of Janice
Haynes, county tax
supervisor.
Mrs. Haynes said the
mailing of abstracts,
which list real and personal
property recorded
for the preceding year,
had been hampered by
the increased number of
taxpayers listing
property in person this
year.
Abstracts are usually
mailed to county
residents during
January.
"I don't know why,
but this year we've had
more people coming into
the office to list than
we've ever had," Mrs.
Haynes explained.
According to Mrs.
Haynes, she and her
staff of two will prepare
by hand approximately
16,000 abstracts this
year.
Those who list their
property at the tax office
will not be mailed
abstracts.
The board also
authorized an increase
in salaries for nine
professional-level employees
of the Warren
County Health Department
at the request of
the County Health
Board.
The increases for six
nurses, an environmental
health coordinator,
and health director, will
be funded by the state
and involve no additional
county appropriations.
Employees of the
Health Department,
which receives a
majority of its funding
from state and federal
sources, fall under the
state's personnel policy.
According to County
Health Director, Joe
Lennon, the increases,
which are retroactive to
July 1964, will bring employees
closer in line
with the salary ranges
recommended by the
state.
In a related item,
County Manager
Charles Worth, who was
authorised by commissioners
in October to
proceed with a review of
salaries and Job classifications
for county employees,
said this week
that he hopes to present
preliminary findings of
his study, conducted
with the help of the state
personnel office, at the
board's mid-monthly
meeting Jan. 16.
The majority of the
county's approximately
100 employees are with
the Health and Social
Services departments
and fall under state
policy. They will not be
included in the study.
The commissioners
also approved an agreement
with St.
Augustine's College in
Raleigh to provide
assistance to the county
in its application for a N.
C. Department of
Natural Resources and
Community Development
Block Grant.
The county had planned
to apply for the
grant for rehabilitation
of the Quick City area on
the northern outskirts of
Warrenton last year, but
awarding of a $750,000
NRCD grant in connection
with the location by
Owens-Illinois, Inc. of a
plant near Ridgeway
made the county
ineligible for further
grant funds until 1985-86.
The college will
provide technical assistance
in the grant application
free of charge
through a U. S. Housing
and Urban Development
grant awarded the
college for such projects.
A resident of the
Quick City community
appeared before the
board to urge the commissioners
not to
"forget" Quick City,
and the board assured
him that the community
was still being considered
for rehabilitation.
Firemen Respond
To Three Alarms
The Warrenton Rural
Volunteer Fire Department
responded to two
fires on Saturday afternoon
and early Sunday
morning, Captain
Walter Gardner said
yesterday. Both fires
were in the vicinity of
Warrenton and the
Town Volunteer Company
assisted at the
Saturday afternoon fin.
Gardner said that on
Saturday, Jan. I, at S p.
m., the call for a large
fire was received by
both companies. Upon
arrival firemen found a
4-rootn building wed to
(Continued on page SB)