Madison County Llbrtry
Marshall, N . C. 28753
VOl.l'ME 71
MARSHALL. N. ('. Thursday, July 6, 1972
NUMBER 25
The 1972-73 fiscal year budget
estimate was adopted by the
Board of Commissioners at
their regular July meeting on
July 3. The commissioners set
the tax rate for the year at $2
per $100 valuation
A spokesman for the Board
called attention to several
factors which necessitated the
10c increase. Among the factors
which were beyond the control
of the Commissioners were
increases in Social Services of
approximately $20,000, in
creases in the Health Depart
ment of $5,000 and a $17,000
increase in Aid to Dependents
and Disabled. Also noted was
the Revaluation of Property
program which is reauired by
state law to be conducted each 7
years. This program called for
an increase of $40,000 in current
appropriations. There was also
a $35,000 increase in ths School
Capital Outlav Fund to be
funded by taxes, to provide for
necessary repairs, ex
penditures, and additions to the
various schools of the countv.
The commissioners noted that
in accordance with their
promises and campaign
pledges, they were meeting the
$57,000 Reouirement for the
Debt Retirement Fund in
Shadowline Announces
Plans For M. H. Plant
Shadowline, Inc., today an
nounced the purchase of a 34
acre tract at Mars Hill as the
site of a new plant.
Sherrod Salsbury, president
of the nationally known lingerie
manufacturing company said
the architectural firm of Six
Associates, Inc., of Asheville
has been retained to begin
immediately plans for a modern
plant designed to hold some 200
sewing operators.
In the meantime, Salsbury
said, training operations will
be started at once, without
waiting for the completion of
the building. Some sewing will
begin the week of July 10 in the
community building at Mars
Hill, which will serve as a
training center until the plant
can be completed.
The products of the new
Madison County plant will be
basically the same as those
made in the present plants at
Morganton, Boone and Fa lis ton
The 34-acre site, known as the
D. W. Ramsey property and
purchased from Mrs. Octavia
Ramsey, is on the northern
outskirts of Mars Hill on N.C.
2313. A one-story building to be
erected there will contain ap
proximately 20,000 sauare feet,
the exact dimesions being
contingent upon detailed plans
from the architect for a facility
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PLANT MECHANIC Jim Orders discusses operations of the new Mars HOI
plant of Shadowline, Inc. with two newly selected employees. They are Mrs.
Frieda Robinson (seated), sewing machine operator, and Mrs. LoretU
Ballard, instructor. Orders comes to the Mars Hill plant from Shadowiine's.
Morganton plant. Mrs. Robinson resides on Route 2, Mars Hill. Mrs. Ballard
resides on Stony Knob Road at Weaverville." -. -
County Tax Rate Set
connection with the new
Madison County High School
from the lc sales tax
Attention was called to the
Ph one Rate Hike Is
Rapped At Hearings
More public witnesses ex
pressed opposition to a
proposed rate increase by
Westco and Western Carolina
Telephone Companies as
Asheville hearings by the State
Utilities Commission concluded
Friday
The commission has set July
11 as the date for the review of
company testimony in Raleigh.
A Murphy businessman
testified Friday that while he
must show a profit to stay in
business, "a utility can be
inefficient, and with a rate
increase still stay in business."
John Rogacz, a vice president
of Clifton Irecision Co. of
Murphy, said his company's
annual telephone bill is $30,000
and that the service has been
very poor.
A Weaverville resident
contended that the reauested
to accommodate 200 sewing
operators.
Actual start of construction
will depend upon completion of
plans and specifications for
awarding a contract, and
Salsbury declined to predict an
exact timetable.
Key positions in the new Mars
Hill plant will be filled by
employees from the Shadowline
organization. Plant manager
will be Grant Jones who has
been plant engineer at Boone.
He joined the company two
years ago.
Plant mechanic will be Jim
Orders of Glen Alpine, who has
been mechanic at the
Morganton plant for five years.
Mrs. Gloria Norris has
been picked for the popsition of
forelady. She currently holds
the position of section girl at the
Boone plant and has had teb
years experience.
All three will move to Mars
Hill to take up their new duties.
Before deciding on a new
plant in Madison County,
Shadowline conducted a survey
of Mars Hill area to determine
the availability of labor,
Salsbury said. Surveys of the
site have just been completed,
including topographical studies
and soil borings.
In a search for a general
location for a new plant, the
fact that several losses in
valuation added to the
remiirements that necessitated
the increase These were thatthe
increase is steep, saying that on
a one-party line he would pay
$12.85 instead of $7.65 as at
present; while a business line
would advance from $15.50 to
$2.( 60 per month.
Problems in Marshall are
freuuent, Richard Wilde
testified, in calling in and out of
the town Wilde, president of the
Marshall Merchants
Association, said the hike would
be too high for the service
provided
Wilde said he was speaking
not only for the Marshall area
but for the entire county and he
emphasized that the reauested
rate "increase about 70 per
cent- was "extreme" and
unfair
"Among the chief comlaints
freciuentlv voiced in our town
company was assisted in an
introduction to the area by Dr.
Fred Bentley, president of Mars
Hill College.
Jones, who will be plant
manager, is currently residing
at 1709 East King Street, Boone.
His family consists of his wife,
Mickey, their one-year old son,
Kevin, and Jones' 15-year old
brother, Randy.
Orders now resides at Glen
Alpine and will be moving to
Mars Hill with his wife, Elaine.
Mrs. Morris, the forelady for
the new operation, has been
residing at Route 3, Boone, with
her three children Pam, age
13; Jefferv, 11, and Teresa, 7.
$216,000 Loan Approved
For Water Improvement
Rep Roy A Taylor an
nounced Wednesday that the
Farmer's Home Administration
has approved a $216,000 loan to
the town of Marshall for im
provements to its water and
sewer system.
Rep. Tayjor said project
plans include construction of a
new sewage treatment plant.
abolition of the $2 poll tax which
cost the county approximately
$4,000 and the exemptions
granted by the legislature to
and county include: Difficulty
in getting operator, noise on the
line, busy signals when phones
are not in use, listings of so
called "toll-free" customers all
printed together in directories,
people in Hot Springs and Mars
Hill having to call "long
distance" to the county seat
here in Marshall, delay in
securing phones.wastefullness
of materials, and other com
plaints "I don't see how the Utilities
Commission can approve such
an increase under the present
circumstances," Mr. Wilde
concluded
Joe (Ireen, of Route 2,
Marshall, also spoke in op
position to the rate increase,
pointing out many deficiencies
in the current telephone service
in this area.
SHOWN ABOVE IS the new Citizens Bank Drive-In
Office which will open this Saturday at Mars Hill.
The convenient structure is located at the corner of
Cherry and Anderson Streets across from the
Community Medical Center. More details
published in an advertisement elsewhere in
issue.
three lift stations and additional
lines to expand service to 15
additional users.
Water system improvements
will include approximately
17,000 feet of distribution line, a
new water treatment plant and
renovation of the existing
reservoir
A total of 350 rural families
and businesses in Marshall,
including a new high school and
GRANT JONES, plant manager for the new plant to be established at Mars
Hill by Shadowline, Inc., discusses plans with Mrs. Jean Edwards of per
sonnet. Mrs. Edwards, wife of Paul Edwards, resides on Route 2, Marshall.'
She was formerly personnel manager of Ham marl and. .,
At $2.00; Budget
certain citizens over ti5 who
were able to meet the
requirements resulted in at
least $100,000,00 being removed
from the tax base In the past,
stock of Merchandise and
fixtures had been valued and
taxed at 60 per cent of the listed
value but under the new
machinery act it is now listed at
45 per cent as is the real estate.
This removed approximately
$1,000,000 from the tax base
The Commissioners were
unanimous in their opinion that
with the completion of the
revaluation program, plus the
newly discovered property
which had not previously been
listed, together with the new
industrial and home building
that the next years tax base
would be large enough to enable
the rate to be brought back to
the 1971-72 level without
reducing services.
Attention is noted that tax
payers should not compare the
$2 rate to be in effect with the
apparently lesser rates in ad
joining counties without trading
into consideration the fact that
the Madison County rate is
applied to only 45 per cent of
valuation whereas in other
counties the percentage is much
larger.
are
this
nearby industrial park, are
serviced by the water-sewer
systems
Repayable in 40 years at 5 per
cent interest, the loan is
financed under the Rural
Community Facilities Program
of the Farmer's Home Ad
ministration, a Department of
Agriculture rural credit service.
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The Commissioners wish to economy was effected in the remnied by law and expected adoption at thre regular August
assure the people of Madison making of the budget without In the citizens. The budget meeting of the Board of Corn
County that every possible lessening the services that are estimate will be presented for missioners.
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County's First Wagon
Train Is Huge Success
By jrM STORY
Cowboy hats, boots, pistols,
holsters, thick beards, plain and
colorful shirts, tight-fitting
breeches, jaws full of tobacco,
strong, beautiful horses, uniaue
covered wagons, tight-fitting
saddles, insect sprays, easing
ointment, clippydelop sounds,
happy but tired youngsters,
brave and loyal females, robust
males, interested spectators,
open fire cooking, sunshine,
rain , dry clothing and bedding,
wet clothing ad bedding,
campfires, barking of dogs,
loud snoring by a few, little
sleep enjoyed by some, gentle
handling of horses, friendly
attitudes all these partially
describe the four-day Wagon
Train adventure from Mars Hill
to Marshall via Flag Pond,
Tenn., Mouth of Smith Creek on
Punchin Fork, Roscoe Briggs'
fish pond on laurel, Mouth of
Heck Creek on Walnut Creek
and all territory between.
This writer didn't go on the
trip but did visit the campsite
Tuesday morning on Walnut
Creek. We asked Arthur
Thomason, Wagonmaster, of
Route 1, Mars Hill, about the
trip. "Everything went great."
He smiled and said,
"...everyone behaved splen
didly and I believe everyone
had a great time."
Although this was the first
wagon train to be organized in
Madison County, things went
smoothly and on schedule. "I'm
sure this will be an annual
event," Thomason stated.
Howard Higgins, Chief Scout
of the train, along with other
leaders, complimented the
public, the State Patrol, local
policemen and firemen for the
splendid cooperation shown
during the slow but exciting trip
State Road
North Carolina will get some
$25 million dollars less for roads
during the next fiscal year than
Congress appropriated, the
State Highway Commission has
been informed.
The Nixon administration has
notified the state that it is
releasing $75.6 million for road
construction during the fiscal
year which starts July 1. North
Carolina's share in the funds
appropriated by Congress was
$99 million.
Major impact of the cut in
funds will be in the interstate
program, State Highway
Chairman D. M. Faircloth said
today.
"The national administration,
which has beeni urging the states
to complete the interstate high
way network, has now given
North Carolina $20 million less
for interstate construction this
MRS. MARY CODY left) of Route 1, Mars III'J. will
plant of Shadowline at Mars HIX She is here exarr.;: '
with Mrs. Gloria Norris who will move to Mars Hill fi
at Boone to become forelady.
Explained
When the journey began last
Saturday morning, there were
14 wagons and some 87 horses
with riders. Toward the end of
the 4-day jaunt, more horses
and riders joined the train and
when the large group entered
Marshall, it was an exciting
scene as participants, wagons
and more than 100 horses cir
cled the main block in the
business district and headed
Funds Cut
year than Congress intended,"
Faircloth said.
The state will actually get
about $47.8 million for interstate
construction during the coming
year, the chairman said. The
appropriation by Congress was
for $68 million.
"This simply means that
some interstate projects where
right of way has been secured
and for which plans have been
drawn will have to be delayed,"
Faircloth said.
Two that will be delayed, he
said, are 1-77 in Surry County
and 1-95 from Kenly to Gold
Rock.
The 12-mile section at
Hickory, one of the state's most
critical highway needs, will
take almost one-half of the $47
million, Faircloth said. The
state intends to get this project
down 'the street and across the'
bridge to the island. Soon after
their arrival, the exciting rodeo
started when more excitement
was in store.
Thus the first wagon train had
come to a successful finish and
many, who did not participate
this year, will probably join in
aboaut a year from now on
another such trek through
Madison Countv.
$25 Million
to contract during the next
vear.
He also pointed out that three
projects in Iredell County on I
77 will have to be paved, which
w ill reouire a substantial part of
the remainder of the allocation.
"The attitude in Washington
ot praising the interstate
system and urging its com
pletion, but at the same time
cutting the appropriation Is
puzzling," Faircloth said. "This
is probably going to mean that
some projects will be delayed a
year or more."
In addition to the cuts in the
interstate money, about $S
million was lopped from the
other federal allocations for
construction on the urban,
primary and secondary
systems.
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