Wa^rentonMs-n .Library X
17 S .Mala St.
Warrenton, N.C. 27589
2tye Darren Eecnrb
Volume 90 25c Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, March 4, 1987 Number 9
Late winter aide* carry threatening clouds which are typical
throughout blustery March in Warren County. The dart billowy mass
hovers over a solitary farmhouse and nearby bare-limbed trees which
are profiled agalnat the lighter and friendlier horizon. The scene was
captured off N.C. 158 near Vaughan.
(Staff Photo by Dlanne T. Rod well)
Trash And Garbage
Guidelines Passed
By MARY C. HARRIS
Staff Writer
Norlina residents will receive
in a few days new guidelines for
trash and garbage collection as a
result of action by the commis
sioners at their regular monthly
meeting Monday night.
In an effort to increase the ef
ficiency and effectiveness of col
lection, Street Commissioner
Walter Newman made the follow
ing proposals which were
adopted by the board:
?The use of 55-gallon drums
will no longer be acceptable.
?Residents are requested to
place garbage in standard
galvanized or plastic containers
with tight-fitting lids and with
capacity from 20 to 32 gallons.
?Garbage collectors will not
be responsible for cleaning up
around private containers.
Residents are thereby asked to
purchase adequate storage
facilities to contain garbage be
tween collections.
Trash will be collected on the
third Thursday of each month.
Limbs should be in lengths not to
exceed six feet. Weight limit is SO
pounds. Leaves should be
bagged and placed near the
street to pick-up.
Ladies Specialty
Shop To Open Here
Warrenton's revitalization con
tinues with the expected spring
opening of a ladies' specialty
shop on South Main Street.
Lingerie and gifts will be the
features of the shop which has
been named Trifles by owners
Sarah Kearney Watkins and
Sherry Carroll. The new store
will occupy the front part of the
building now taken by the Near
ly New Shoppe. The Nearly New
will move to the rear section of
the building and will be man
aged also by Mrs. Watkins and
Mrs. Carroll.
Trifles will offer brand name
items as well as less expensive
lines of lingerie, the owners say.
Jewelry and accessories and
assorted gifts as well are on the
list of intended merchandise. .
In the meantime the owners
plan to remodel and refurbish the
store building.
* Business hours have been set
for Tuesday through Friday
from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and
Saturday from 10 aan. until 2
p.m. The shop will be closed on
Town Clerk Mae Gums was re
quested to inform Norlina
residents of the new guidelines
and to set a 60-day time period for
complying with the new
regulations.
The commissioners also heard
Monday night requests from the
business community for in
creased police protection at
night. Harold Robinson of John
Dore Amoco reported the occur
rence of four break-ins at his ser
vice station in a month's time,
including two incidents during
the past weekend. "One man
cannot handle everything,
(Continued on page 11)
Method Of Installing Perdue Pipe
Comes Under Fire At Board Meet
A veteran Warren County con
tractor who was an unsuccessful
bidder for the job of installing
water and sewer lines for Per
due's new hatchery near Manson
charged Monday that the con
tractor doing the work was not
following specifications and that
payment should be witheld until
adequate inspections are
conducted.
John Thomas Harris presented
Warren County commissioners,
meeting in the county court house
for their March meeting, with
colored pictures which he said
documented his charges that the
work was subpar.
Following Harris's allegations
of improper placement of lines,
commissioner J. T. Fleming
moved that payment be witheld
"until all inaccuracies are cor
rected." Seconded by commis
sioner George E. Shearin, Sr., the
motion was unanimously carried.
Commissioners did not express
themselves until Harris, accom
panied by his wife, who he said
took the pictures purporting to
show poor work on the part of
Nelson Utilities of Sharpsburg,
contractors for the project, had
completed his list of grievances.
Harris charged that he had
learned directly and indirectly
from Bill Neal, Warren ton water
superintendent who last week
was named inspector for the pro
ject, that the work was not pro
ceeding according to contrac
ture] guidelines, and that the
board "should be made mindful
of irregularities."
Harris's wife noted that "as a
taxpayer and resident of Warren,
I expect to get a first-class job if
I am paying for it."
Among the irregularities noted
by Harris was the fact that the
contractor allegedly was not in
compliance with affirmative ac
tion plans expected to pertain to
the Perdue project.
Mrs. Eva M. Clayton, chairper
son of the Warren County Board
of Commissioners, said there is
"no use having these (affir
mative action) programs if they
are not complied with."
Mrs. {larris, together with Mrs.
Floyd McKissick, a resident of
the area where construction is
proceeding, said there were no
signs and no barricades to pre
vent persons or cars from falling
into construction holes, and Mrs.
Harris said she had observed no
caution signs along the entire
route of construction.
Mrs. Cathy Wilson, Warren in
dustrial director, told the board
that the engineer for the project,
Talbert, Cox and Associates of
Wilmington, was scheduled to
(Continued on page 11)
Warren Democratic Party
Planning Precinct Meets
Warren County Democrats
have scheduled their first
precinct meetings since Demo
cratic victories in last Novem
ber's election.
The precinct meeting, to be
held at regular precinct polling
places, are scheduled for March
5 at 8 p.m.
County Democratic Chairman
T. T. Clayton encouraged all
registered Democrats to attend.
"Senator Terry Sanford's victory
last November proved the Demo
crats are back," Clayton said.
"People once again are proud to
say they're Democrats. We want
all Democrats to attend these
meetings, whether they're party
regulars or whether they Just
want to get involved with the par
ty again," he added.
Chairman Clayton said that
precinct meetings are the most
basic ingredient for Democratic
success. "The precinct level is
where all policy making begins,"
Clayton said. "The more that
people get involved in precinct
meetings, the better the party
can represent the views of all
Democrats."
At the March 5 meetings,
Democrats will elect precinct of
ficers for the next two years and
will choose delegates to the April
11 county conventions.
Precincts also will have the
chance to pass resolutions on po
litical and public policy issues.
For more infonnatian, call
Chairman Clayton at tf 7-3196 be
tween the hours of I a.m. and S |
pjn.
Lake Gaston Shoreline
Scene Of Prime Building
Two Warren County townships bordering on Lake Gaston
had the lion's share of new residential construction during
1986, according to a report from the Warren County Inspec
tion Department presented to county commisssioners on
Monday.
The report, compiled by zoning administrator Chester A.
Forrester, m, showed that Roanoke Township, with 23 new
houses, and River Township, with 20 new housing starts, easi
ly outpaced Warren's remaining nine townships.
In all, a total of 76 new houses were begun in the county
last year. Forrester's report showed that Warrenton
Township was a distant third place with nine starts. Others
included Nutbush/3, Sandy Creek/5, Shocco/2, Fork/none,
Fishing Creek/2, Judkins/2, Six Pound/6, and Hawtree/3.
Roanoke was the leader in garage and storage building
starts last year with 16 of the county's 53, while Warrenton
Township led in the number of additions and remodelings
with 26 of the county's 132.
Warren Jail Ruled
'Off Limits' For
Female Prisoners
By HOWARD F. JONES
Editor
A state official-following a
personal inspection of the
Warren County Jail?has or
dered restrictions in the use of
the antiquated facility, including
a provision that no more female
prisoners be held there, and a
recommendation that only
Warren County residents be
lodged in the jail.
Thomas A. Ritter, head of the
Jail and Detention Branch of the
Division of Facility Services of
the North Carolina Department
of Human Resources, issued the
new restrictions in a letter to
Warren Sheriff Theordore R.
Williams. The letter was circu
lated among members of the
Warren County Board of Com
missioners meeting in regular
session here Monday.
Ritter told Sheriff Williams
that at the request of Mrs. Linda
T. Jones, clerk to the Board of
Commissioners, he inspected
the Warren County Jail on Feb.
24 during a meeting attended by
Commission Chairman Eva M.
Clayton, Commissioners J. T.
Fleming and Francis Alston,
County Manager Charles Worth,
Chief Deputy Bobby D. Bolton
and Chief Jailer Mary Somer
ville. Williams was in Chicago
when the latest inspection took
place.
In addition to reminding the
sheriff of a growing list of struc
tural and administrative
deficiencies at the jail, Ritter re
counted meetings held between
his agency and representatives
of Warren County.
Among the corrective action
called for immediately at the
jail, Ritter listed the following:
?The leakage problems in the
upstairs single cell commodes
which are allowing human waste
to drain into and accumulate in
the downstairs laundry area
must be corrected immediately.
Until this problem can be
adequately corrected, neither of
these two cell areas shall be
used to confine inmates.
?Based upon the general un
sanitary, dirty conditions which
I observed, an immediate local
sanitation inspection of the jail
shall be requested from the local
or district health department.
?Due to the lack of there
being any secure visiting area
available at this two-level jail,
two jailers must be on duty at all
times visiting occurs. No visitor
should be allowed in the jail un
supervised while visiting an in
mate.
?Prior to the onset of hot
weather, action should be taken
to adequately cool this jail on all
levels of confinement. It was
suggested that small air condi
tioning units be installed
securely and safely throughout
the jail. I believe this could be
done to sufficiently correct this
deficiency.
In addition to putting the two
upstairs single cells off limits
until the problems with the
plumbing units are satisfactorily
corrected, Ritter informed the
sheriff that:
-Due to the age, constant use
and existing deficiencies within
the jail, the capacity of this
facility shall be reduced to a
maximum of 20 inmates from its
current capacity of 29. This cap
on the population will reduce the
burden on the jailers in meeting
the needs of the inmates and
reduce some of the abuse of this
antiquated facility.
?Because of ths
cated restrictic
should be
propriate ad
where their confinement needs
can be adequately met.
-Finally, I strongly recom
mend to you and the local
judicial officials in Warren
County, that only Warren County
residents be confined in your
jail. The practice of accepting
out-of-county commitments
should be discontinued immedi
ately.
Ritter underscored his earlier
recommendation that steps be
taken which would lead to a
major renovation and expansion
or a new construction project,
and that the Board of Com
missioners begin immediately to
address the funding require
ments necessary for such a
major project.
Sheriff Williams was asked to
inform Ritter no later than
March 13 of corrective action
taken, or to be taken, in the
areas cited in his letter.
E & R Sessions
Planned Here
The Warren County Board of
Commissioners will sit as a
Board of Equalization and
Review on April 21, and again on
April 22 if necessary, boa*d
members voted Monday
morning.
The decision to hear requests
for tax relief during the two-day
period was made after Tax
Supervisor Janice W. Haynes ap
peared before commissioners to
ask that the dates for the annual
sessions be set.
The board also set times for
two public hearings, both of
which will be held prior to the
commissioners' regular meeting
on April 6.
The first public hearing, to be
held at 9 a.m., will be conducted
to determine if a recommenda
tion that property earmarked for
the new Buck Springs 4-H Camp,
to be located on the Nathaniel
Macon homeplace property adja
cent to Lake Gaston, be rezoned
from residential to lakeside
group camp district.
A second hearing, called for
9:15 a.m., will be held to deter
mine if commissioners agree to
revise Warren County's Flood
Damage Prevention Ordi
nance?adopted in 1984?to incor
porate federal rule changes and
a new section on administrative
procedures.
90-Year-Old First
Recorded In Warren
Halifax Electric Membership
Corporation has welcomed one
new member who has lived in
Warren County for close to a cen
tury without electricity, accor
ding to the February issue of
"Hali-Facts," the company's
news bulletin.
Mrs. Isabel Milam's home was
not wired for electrical service
when it was built 30 years ago
because she was afraid of elec
tricity, the bulletin noted.
Because of her present state of
health, her daughters recently
convinced ho* of the need for
electricity.
Now will begin the transition
from ice chests, wood stove and
flat irons to appliances which will
make life easier for Mrs. Milam.
She and her three daughters and
grandson who share the home
have enjoyed battery-powered
television until now.
A refrigerator, iron and
stove top the list of 1