The News Record
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY
On thm Insld 0
Danny Quinn Works
With Miniature Battle
Scenes - See Page 9
79th Year No. 46
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL. N C
THURSDAY, November 13, 1980
15' Per Copy
Teachers, Students Lodge Complaints
Energy Standards Keep School Too Cold
"We re trying to do the best
we can and still comply with
the federal energy regula
tions." Madison High School
Principal David Wyatt said
Monday. "Sixty-five degrees
is cold when you're sitting in a
classroom. I get cold, but
there is nothing I can do about
it," he said.
Wyatt was responding to
questions posed by the News
Record after some teachers
and students had complained
recently that the school was
"too cold most of the time
The complaintants stated
generally the all-electric high
school was cold and uncomfor
table, and that many times the
hallways were dark because
the lights would be turned out
Some said they suspected the
locked and shielded ther
mostats were set lower than
the federally mandated 65
degrees, and that some of the
elements in the heating units
were purposely disconnected
to save on energy costs. One
individual said last winter a
thermometer in a classroom
was indicating only 50 degrees
during the day. and he "didn't
want to go through another
winter like that at the school.
An unannounced visit to the
school and interview with
Prin. Wyatt provided some
answers to the questions in
herent in the complaints. Ask
ed if any of the hall lights were
turned off during the day in
order to save electrical
energy, Wyatt said some of
the bulbs were taken out in the
hallways, but the remaining
lighting was still above state
required standards. "The
halls are dark because the
students switch the lights off,
Wyatt said. "You re going to
have some students who will
do that from time to time.
An inspection of three ran
domly selected room ther
mostats showed that all three
were set at 65 degrees as re
quired by federal and state
regulations. Thermostats
were checked in the media
center, room BU7 and room
B101.
The thermostats are
neumatically operated, accor
ding to J.D. Buckner, the
school maintenance super
visor. and Wyalt said each
thermostat is calibrated at the
beginning of the heating and
the cooling seasons for ac
curacy by Johnson Controls,
makers and installers of the
units.
"We have them calibrated
and checked to make sure
they are working on the
degrees indicated,'' Wyatt
said. He stated the ther
mostats were not calibrated to
function at a temperature
below that which is indicated
on the temperature scale.
Wyatt said he had afeo
received numerous com
plaints about the lack of heat
in the building, and he said the
situation had gotten worse
since the 65 degree mandate
went into effect.
"Winter before last, each
teacher was able to adjust the
thermostat in the classrooms
to suit their needs, he said
"They could have the
temperature anywhere they
wanted it. Then, last winter,
we came under the 68 degree
guidelines and had to install
Photo by N Hancock
Madison High School - Too Cold For Comfort ?
the covers on the thermostats.
This year we are under the 65
degree regulation, and that
makes the conditions even
worse, Wyatt said.
He said the coldest days are
on Mondays after the heat has
been turned down to 50
degrees for the weekends
"We are not allowed to heat
the building above that over
the weekends.'' he said.
During the regular school
days, the heal is turned on ear
ly in the mornings before 8
a.m.. and on extremely cold
days, Buckner is at "the school
to turn on the heat as early as
3 a.m., according to Waytt. He
added that Buckner often
comes to the school in the very
early morning hours to check
the heating units and change
filters before the students
report for the day.
Buckner told the News
Record that all elements in the
heating units were connected
and operating.
Wyatt said the standard
time for turning the heat off
was at 3::io p.m. in the main
part of the building, and at 4
p.m. in the offices during the
regular school day
Wyatt said the school was
built before the energy conser
vation efforts became a
necessity because of rapidly
rising energy costs The lack
of insulation over the ceilings
and the single-pane windows
contribute to a great amount
of heat-loss in the building. He
said the school has taken other
measures to reduce the
energy cost "by installing
time controls on the water
heaters, for example, to hold
our peak demand down.
He said during the last
school year the annual cost of
electricity at the school was
David Wyatt
cut by over $-t(UKXi because of
the conservation measures
planned by the French Broad
Electric Membership Cor
poration and implemented by
the school.
"I know it gets cold in here,
but we are having to face this
in our homes too. Wyatt said.
"We are trying to do all that s
possible under the cir
cumstancs
Peabody's Still Has A Problem
Photo by ScoH Lunstord
Bottles Along Highway Near Peabody's
Bv U.S. FITZGERALD
Ever since Pea body s, a
package store that opened on
the Buncombe and Madison
county lines, came into ex
istence there have been pro
blems surrounding its opera
tion.
For the first year of its
operation, the owners of
Peabody s, Robert T. Sofield
Jr. and Edward Kilpatrick,
were involved in a costly legal
battle with the citizens of the
Forks of Ivy community,
where the store is located The
Forks of Ivy residents claimed
that Peabody s was located in
Madison county and the
owners claimed it was in Bun
combe county.
After several court injunc
tions and court-ordered land
surveys, it was determined
that Peabody s was located in
Buncombe county and was not
in violation of any laws con
cerning the sale of alcohol.
The court decision was a year
ago in November 1979 The
residents of the Forks of Ivy
have since dropped many of
their charges against
Peabodys, but a problem still
remains. Today, residents still
complain of illegal parking
and foul conduct.
The business at the store
over the past year has been
Rev. Hogan
very orderly and gone rather
smoothly according to the
owners. Robert Sofield
remarked, "We ve had little
trouble since the boundary
decision. ' When trouble did
arise, Sofield said, "The police
have been very helpful in
keeping control and keeping
things running smoothly.
But, the Madison County
Sherriff s Department reports
that the store has not posed a
major problem but there has
been no improvement in the
situation. Sheriff E.Y. Ponder
said "We've had a number of
complaints. Most of these con
cern illegal parking, blocked
driveways of the near-by
residents, and complaints of
people trespassing on private
property while doin& business
at the store.
Ponder also remarked that
everyone at the store has been
very cooperative and that
most complaints could be
handled very easily. But
Ponder did say, "The parking
problem has kept us busy.
The residents of Forks of
Ivy have remarked that the
problem of people hanging
around is disturbing parking
in people s yards and on the
church property. Rev Ralph
Hogan said that the parking
and loitering around the store
is excessive at times.
"Parking and loitering is the
biggest problem on the
weekends. The people around
the store distrub our
residents, especially late at
night."
Since the store is located in
Buncombe County, the Bun
combe County Sheriff s
Department would handle
most complaints but David
Lankford, a criminal analyist
for the Investigations Depart
ment said there had been few
complaints of major problems
involving the store.
The department ke^ps
statistics on the amount of in
cidents involving alcohol of
( Continued on Page 2)
Hollo ways Still Wait For Answer / To Educate Child
By NICHOLAS HANCOCK
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald
Holloway of Anderson Branch
Road went before the Madison
County Board of Education on
Nov. 3 to seek the board s ap
proval to educate their nine
year-old daughter at home
The school board quoted the
North Carolina compulsory at
tendence law for schools to the
Hollo ways, and offered to
phone Dr. Austin Simpson,
Chief Accreditation Coor
dinator for the N C Depart
ment of Public Instruction
Simpson told the Holloways
and school superintendent
R.L Edwards be would call
Edwards back later in the day
> them an answer regar
proved the home study course
used by the Holloways to teach
their daughter
Contacted at his office Mon
day, Superintendent Edwards
told the flews-Record he had
heard nothing from Raleigh,
but he provided the number of
Dr. Simpson in the state
Department of Public Instruc
tion.
When reached by phone, Dr
Simpson said the matter had
beeiv referred to William
Peek, an assistant to the State
Superintendent of Public In
struction. Peek was out of
town and unavailable for com
ment, but a secretary in his of
fice suggested calling/two at
torneys on tfce Attorney
General s siaf I who work with
See Letters To The Editor - Page 2
Eddie Speas told the News
Record he had no knowledge
of the Holloway case in
dicating Peek had not yet
brought the matter up wiUi
him at the Attorney General's
office. Speas did say that the
compulsory attendance law
seemed to rule out the
possibility of such an action
proposed by the Holioways.
He said the state could take
the Holioways to court if be
does not abide by the law, if it
is enforced in his case.
The Holioways have enroll
ed their daughter in the Home
Study Institute, a cor
educational pro
in tSfe by
Adveatiat
centered education program
for preschool, elementary,
secondary, college and adult
education students According
to Home Study Institute
literature, the program has
been approyed by the
Maryland State Department
of Education for kindergarten,
elementary and secondary
education, and by several
educational associations.
The Holloways contend that
"public education lacks the
element of spiritual develop
ment he feels is necessary for
children growing up in the
choose an alternative that best
suits the needs of their
children.
Mr. Holloway explained that
his daughter was studying on
the third grade level in the
home course at the age of nine
because he held off enrolling
her in any education program
feeling she was not ready to
begin the schooling process at
the traditional age of six or
?even., Holloway cited
psychologists who feel dif
ferent children are ready to
begin formal schooling at dif
ferent ages.
Last year, when the
Holioways were first ap
proached about not having
their daughter enrolled in the
quest to teach their daughter
at home. According to Mr.
Hollo way. Edwards returned
and told him that the state
department had several
similar cases before it, and
that the Department of Public
Instruction was leaving it up
to the local school boards to
decide in the cases.
Edwards said it would be up
to District Court Judge Robert
Lacey to make a decision on
the matter, Mr Holloway
said. Holloway went to David
Townsend. a juvenile court
who in turn talked
Lacey told
in the
T axpayers
' *
Perturbed
Dozens of unhappy Madison County tax
payers made the long climb Monday to the
third floor office of the County Tax Assessor
in the Courthouse to protest what some call
ed the "outrageous increases in the valua
tion of their real property.
A recent reappraisal reflected a doubl
ing or tripling of property value that has oc
curred in Madison County and many places
in the State of North Carolina since 1973
when the last appraisal was made. State
law rules that counties must reassess their
taxable property every eight years and the
notices recently received by county tax
payers are the result of that reappraisal.
A spokesperson for the Tax Assessor's
office said that many people made the trip
needlessly because they thought that the
present tax rate of $1.15 per $100 would be
applied to the new valuation.
"That is not the case said County Com
missioner James Ledford Monday after
noon. The $1.15 rate which has been in effect
for two years was applied to property
values determined by the 1973 standard.
The new property valuation will be in effect
for the fiscal year 1981-82 and the budget for
that year will not be determined until Spr
ing or Summer of 1981.
"It is impossible at this time to say
what the new rate will be, ' said Ledford,
but he stated that the county commissioners
will cut the budget as much as possible and
drop the tax rate as low as possible. The
uncertainty of the continuation of Federal
" of county
e tax rate
Revenue Sharing and the needs w ^uum;
agencies affect the setting of the
and those are unknown quantities at this
point.
Counties are required by state law tn
balance their budgets and,
Ledford, the i
be weighed
payers to |
The