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The News Record r-~"~|
Open County
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY Meetings ... On Page 2
76th Year No. 6 PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL. N C. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10. 1977 15* Per Copy
Old Hunter Creek Gives Water Relief
But Shortage Still Considered Critical
By JIM STORY
Marshall citizens were given
relief, at least temporarily,
Monday when town officials
were given permission to
reactivate the Hunter Creek
impoundment area, for
Cage
Tourney
Opens
The newly-organized
Mountain Basketball Tour
nament will begin next
Wednesday ' at Mountain
Heritage High School it was
announced this week.
Teams participating will be
Mitchell High Mountaineers,
Avery High Vikings, Madison
High Patriots and Mountain
Heritage High Cougars. The
tournament will include the JV
boys and girls and the varsity
boys and girls.
Semi-finals will be played on
Friday night and finals are
slated for Saturday night.
Pairings for the tournament
' were not made in time fat
publication this week
The tournament was
organized on Jan. 31 by
coaches from Mitchell,
Madison and Yancey Counties.
The name Mountain
Basketball Tournament is in
honor of the mountains where
we live, it was stated.
countless years the source of
water storage for the Town of
Marshall and condemned in
1975 when leaks around the
dam were ruled hazardous. An
engineer from the Department
of Human Resources told local
officials to reconnect the pipes
at the lake which supplies
water to the reservoir, located
on the mountain between the
Marshall Shopping Center and
the Community Building.
This action was taken when
it was found that about 40 feet
of water were in the large lake.
The Marshall Elementary
School on the Island and
Madison High School were
dismissed at 10 a.m. Monday
due to the critical water
shortage but reopened
Tuesday after the reactivation
of the Hunter Creek supply.
EDWARDS MAKES
STATEMENT
Supt. Edwards stated
Tuesday morning that he is
hopeful that the two schools
can operate on a "full
schedule" but stated that this
would depend on water con
ditions. He stated that he is
cooperating with state health
officials as well as town of
ficials in a day-to-day
schedule, including school
meals. If possible to give the
children meals in paper plates.
we will be glad to do so if it
meets the approval of health
offlcals, Edwards said. He also
expressed his appreciation for
the fine cooperation he is
receiving under these
emergency conditions.
Local residents and Arms
are urged to take every step
possible to conserve water
since the town is still in a
critical situation.
The critical water shortage
in Marshall has added to the
discomfort and agony of local
citizens who have been victims
of the worst winter freeze in
the town's history
The latest crisis occurred
this past weekend when
ruptured water lines leading
from wells failed to supply
water to the million-gallon
reservoir. Those fortunate
enough to have running water
in their homes naturally let
water "trickle" to keep their
pipes from freezing. This
added demand for water plus
the normal consumption
:ausing the water level in the
-eservoir to reach record lows.
William Perrigo, area F.
coordinator for the Division of
3ivil Preparedness, said that
the last time an emergency
situation existed, the water
level in the local reservoir was
11 feet. The level last Sunday
afternoon was only three feet.
This was less than a 24-hour
supply.
Realizing the situation, it
was decided to ask for
assistance from the National
Guard after a meeting Sunday
with Mayor George Penland,
Vice Mayor James Penland,
Alderman Donald Ramsey,
Madison County Supt. Robert
L. Edwards, Marshall Fire
Chief Charles Crowe, County
Commissioner James T.
Ledford and Perrigo.
As a result of the meeting
Sunday, National Guardsmen
from Lenoir were alerted and
immediately made plans to
use two 5,500-gallon tanker
trucks to begin transporting
water.
MARS HILL HELPS
Mars Hill officials were
contacted and agreed to
donate its water supply "for as
long as it lasts." This generous
offer was oniric] v accented and
by 7a.m. Monday, the National
Guard trucks and 13 guard
smen were in Mars Hill loading
up ready to transpot water to
the Marshall reservoir.
In the meantime, workmen
are making efforts to have the
water lines from the wells to
the reservoir repaired.
| Approximately 60,000
gallons of water were hauled
from Mars Hill Monday to
provide an emergency supply;
despite difficulties in freezing
lines from the trucks to the
reservoir.
"We will always be grateful
to Mars Hill for assistance
during this crisis," town of
ficials stated.
f
State requirements,
however, dictated that the
supply of water from Mars Hill
be discontinued Monday af
ternoon to prevent a shortage
of water at Mars Hill.
The 13 guardsmen and 2
captains were provided
quarters and meals at Mars
' Hill College. They loaded
water from a fire hydrant in
Mars Hill, Perrigo said, and
hauled it approximately 11
miles with icy cold weather
making hauling and unloading
difficult.
Town officials said that
Marshall usually uses between
250,000 and 300,000 gallons a
day. R. L. Edwards,
superintendent, stated that
Precinct
Meetings
Changed
Democrats throughout
North Carolina will hold their
precinct meetings at 8 p.m.
Thursday, May 5, instead of
Feb. 10, as originally planned.
In a letter from Mrs. John L.
McClain, state chairman, to
Zeno H. Ponder, Madison
County chairman, the change
of date was made in keeping
with Gov. Hunt's statement on
the energy crisis and the
possibility that most polling
places might not be available
on the original date. Makeup
date will be on Thursday, May
12.
County conventions will
convene at 12 noon on Satur
day, June 18.
Letters from Ponder to
precinct chairmen and vice
chairmen, requested them to
"Please call as many of your
Democrats as possible and
advise them of the change to
Thursday, May 5, when it will
be daylight at 8 p.m. and
winter will be over. Let me
respectively request that each
of your chairmen or vice
chairmen drive to the polling
place, and not necessarily
open it but stay until 8:30 or 9
p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, and
advise those Democrats who
may appear that the date has
been changed by our state
chairman."
approximately 10,000 gallons
at L tZ
This latest crisis follows 18
rrve days that more
MnrLh? fl0meS one Section Of
Marshall (across the river
from Main Street) have been
without water due to frozen
Pipelines. Countless other
homes in the Marshall area
have also been without running
water during this record
freezing weather.
Although there are still
't**8 ? ^e main
Pipeline beneath the bridge
across the French Broad
er, this does not affect
water to the school on the
island, it was reported.
Work crews have toiled
around the clock1' in efforts to
get water to many of the
waterless homes but until the
temperatures rise it is almost
a useless task.
Marshall firemen and others
have been busy hauling water
to homes as well as answering
fire calls and keeping fire
fighting trucks and equipment
ready "for the next call."
Although some of the ice has
gradually washed down the
n9W'y 'armed ice covers
the river during nights when
temperatures drop in the
single figures.
Marshall citizens are asked
to take very step possible to
conserve water. Perrigo said
"We realize that they have to
try to keep their pipes from
freezing but it is hoped that
they will conserve in every
way possible until the situatior
is relieved."
STANDING BV
In the meantime, th?
National Guard is standing by
ready to transport water from
Aeneville or some other
location should the system
from Hunter Creek falter
Certification Needed
For Pesticide Use
Environmental Protection
Agency regulations require all
farmers using restricted use
pesticides to be certified
before purchasing these
materials prior to Oct. 21. The
law does not aftect any pur
chases needed for the 1977 crop
year.
All pesticides having the
words danger and poison on
the labels are restricted use
pesticides.
Madison County fanners
using methyl-bromide
(tobacco bed gas), dasanit.
mocap, warfarin, arsenate, or
other materials on the
restricted use list will need to
become certified for their use.
Schools for people to become
certified for the use of
pesticides will be scheduled in
all sections of the county
during 1977. TTiose needing to
be certified to purchase
pesticides will be notified by
letter and through the
newspaper of dates the schools
will be held in the different
communities.
President Of State Baptist Convention
Privette To Preach At Upper Laurel
The Rev. Coy Privette,
president of the N. C. Baptist
State Convention, will preach
at Upper Laurel Baptist
Church, Route 3, Mars Hill
(Highway 33 North) at the U
a m worship hour this 8unday
REV COY PRfVI'TTF
The announcement waa made
by the Rev. Charles Rogers,
pastor of the church.
Rev. Privette, born
Jan. 31, 1933, the youngest of
six sons of a Statesville textile
worker, enrolled in Wake
Forest College on a football
scholarship, playing guard on
the team. He received his B.A
degree from Wake Foreat In
1966 and received his M.D
degree from Southeastern
Baptist Theological Seminary
In 1963.
Ha Is married to the former
Betty Shoaf of Kannapolis and
they have four daughters.
Privette has served New
Hope and Faith Baptist
served as president of the
of the N. C. Christian Action
League, 1970-75; served in the
U. S. Army, 1966-57; and is
currently serving as chaplain
(Major) of the U.S. Army
Reserves. He is also a member
of the board of trustees of
Wingate College.
He was a candidate (un
successful) for Republican
nomination for governor of
North Carolina in 1976 and
resigned as minister of North
Kannapolis Baptist Church
last spring when he announced
his candidacy for governor
because he wanted to avoid
any apparent conflict of
church and state. At present he
has no church, but for the past
few months he has bean busy
"
M
????????????Riir-' '' '
NATIONAL GUARD trucks and
personnel started hauling water
from Mars Hill to Marshall early v
Monday morning as the water
supply to the million-gallon
reservoir stopped due to ruptured
water lines between wells and the
? *r:* ~ ''"vMBfmBW WPBJPWWUJ
reservoir. Shown above are
National Guardsmen from Lenoir
wit? one of the 5,000-gallon
Capacity trucks pumping water
into the reservoir. Left to right,
Butch Townsend, Kenny Greene,
Terry Holsclaw and James Dula.
Vocational Eduction Week Observed
Gov. James B. Hunt Jr.,
proclaimed the week of Feb. 6
12 as North Carolina
Vocational Education Week.
Over 250,000 North Carolina
public school students loin 13
million vocational education
students in the nation in ob
servance of the week with
activities depicting the theme,
"Vocational Education Builds
the Skills of America."
Nationally, vocational
education came into being with
the passage of the Smith
Hughes Act in 1917 which
provided federal funds for
agriculture, trade, and in
iustrial education, home
sconomics and teacher
raining. Subsequent
egislation encompassed the
ireas of distribution, business
and office education, health
iccupations, guidance ser
vices and training programs
or handicapped and disad
vantaged individuals.
The North Carolina General
Assembly passed vocational
iducation legislation as early
is 1911 with the Coupty Farm
Jfe School Act which
stablished one vocational
I
school in lOselected counties to
initiate a program of teaching
agriculture and home
economics. This legislation
was a forerunner of the Smith
Hughes Act. The Craven
County Farm Life School,
located at Vanceboro, was the
first to take advantage of this
county-wide act. By 1917 there
were 21 farm life schools, some
on a county-wide basis, others
on a township basis operating
in the state.
"Vocational education is an
Important part of a well
balanced school program and
not an isolated subject," ac
cording to State Supt. Craig
Phillips. "It is part of a
program of studies aimed at
developing competent workers
and recognizing that the
American workers should also
be competent economically,
socially, emotionally,
physically, intellectually, and
in a civic sense."
Jack C. Cole is local planner
for the vocational programs in
Madison County schools which
are participating in the ob
servance this week.
TTCOO
|
To Be Discussed At Mars Hill Highway Meeting I
f _ ? -
The North Carolina
Department of Transportation
(DOT) wtU hold a public
meeting next week to discuss
proposed improvements to 178
S in Madison County from the
(intersection of U8 19 to the
Tennessee state line.
Hw meeting is scbeduledfor
tonight (Thursday, Feb. 10) at
.. *7 in (he Mars Hill Elementary
School Cafeteria, Mars Hfll
Thii project is included in
the 197S-19B3 North Carolina
Highway improvement
Program with right-of-way
acquisition scheduled for
fiscal year 1*7* and con
struction scheduled for fiscal
year IMO.
This public meeting is being
held In order to involve the
gaaeral public early in the
planning process The public
will have an opportunity to
comment on and d.scues the
pro** With ?or jpresen
natives. All alternative* vfll
be studied before a final
recommendation is made in
order to select the beet im
provement for us-n.
In 1Mb, Congress created the
Appalachian Regional
Development Pro^ im which
- -a a ? .. ????Imii iist ? ii
* 101 ?n- OfsHlI ii Mo?!
+A a transportation system
whoee primary purpose was to
development for the ration's
inhabitants North ,a la
tliis Appitiiftilfr Bcgkmai
Development Program.
Ttv ; (ropo^ed i ti) pr>>\ ??it
of US-J3 from its intersection
with US-19 to the Tennessee
state line is just one segment of I
the overall goal to complete
.
Hjg?way%i>aa>. *
Questions^ <i r ?