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The NEWS RECORD
COUNTY LIBRARY
SERVING THE PEOPLE C MARPf IAI L nFJ',w"?Nc INCE 7901
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WEDNESDAY, January 16, 1985 25c
Hoi Springs VFD To Meet
The Hot Springs Volunteer Fire Dept. will hold a meeting for
all members on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Hot Springs Town Hall.
All members are asked to attend.
Parenting Help Offered
The Hot Springs Health Program and the Blue Ridge
Center will sponsor a series of parenting sessions to help
parents cope with the problems of raising children. Sessions
will be held on Tuesday evenings at 7: 30 p.m. starting on Jan.
22 at the Marshall Senior Citizens Center on Long Branch Rd.
The eight-week course is open to all parents and prospec
tive parents at no charge. For more information, contact
Marian Plaut at 649-2367 or Becky Eller at 649-2112.
GOP Committee Meets Thursday
The Madison County Republican Executive Committee will
meet on Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Madison County Court
House. Everyone is welcomed and urged to attend.
Greater Ivy CD Club To Meet
The Greater Ivy Community Development Club will hold
its monthly meeting on Jan. 28 at 7 : 30 p.m. at the Community
Center in Beech Glen. Ray Sawyer of A-B Tech will be the
guest speaker. , '
Girl Scout Cookies Sale
Madison County Girl Scouts will and purchases recreation equipment,
begin their annual Cookie Sale on Fri- The cookies are ?2 per bo* and are of
day. Orders for the cookies will be fered in six flavors.
taken until Feb. 8, with delivery if y0U are not contacted by a Girl
scheduled for March 6. Scout, you may order the cookies by
Proceeds from the cookie sales help contacting Betty Wild at Town Hall,
provide service and training for girls
Correction
In last week's story concerning the have actually been used for about a
iriai of Mars Hill police chief R.J. year anc( the break-ins were reported
Cutshall, we reported that the police in surrounding areas. There have
were using stickers on the doors of been no break-ins reported within the
businesses in response to a series of town limits.
break-ins in Mars Hill. The stickers The News Record regrets this er
ror.
Contel Plans
Public Hearing
The Continental Telephone .Co. of
North Carolina (Contel) is planning a
public meeting to discuss changes in
telephone services with Madison
County customers. The Jan. 28
meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the
conference room at the county Dept.
of Social Services offices in Marshall.
Contel vice president Turner
Rogers said the meeting was called to
familiarize Madison County
teelphone customers with changes in
the telephone industry brought about
by deregulation and increased com
petition. Contel requested a rate in
crease in October and also is seeking
permission from the state Utilities
Commission to institute a new usage
based local service rate which would
eliminate zone charges now paid by
private-line rural customers.
Rogers said the Jan. 28 meeting
will discuss these proposals as well as
answer questions Contel customers
may have regarding their service.
Tom Doyle,. Contel's state
telephone service manager, will at
tend the meeting along with Rogers
and local Contel management.
Rogers said that Contel president
John Feaster will also attend the
meeting if his schedule permits.
Rogers urged interested telephone
customers to attend the Jan. 28
meeting, saying, "We look forward to
this opportunity to meet with our
customers to discuss matters of
mutual concern or interest." ?
County Jobless 5
Rale Declines
Madison County unemployment
declined in November according to
figures released last week by the N C
Employment Security Commission
The latest figures indicate that the
county's jobless rate stood at 9.9 per
cent during the month, down from 11
percentiri October
The county's percentage of
unemployed workers decreased e\ten
though fewer Madison Countians
were employed during the month.
Madison was one of 90 counties
across the state that saw a decrease
in joblessness during the month ac
cording to the ESC. Statewide,
unemployment increased slightly
during November, to seven percent.
Nationally, the unemployment rate
stood at < 9 percent in November.
Tbe BSC's figures show that
that 850 local residents are still
without work, but that the total work
force decreased from 8,850 in October
to 8,610 workers in November.
The October ESC report states that
7,880 workers were employed, while
November's report indicates 7,700
local residents are currently
employed. "
Unemployment increased in all
three neighboring North Carolina
counties in November, according to
the ESC report. Buncombe County
saw unemployment rise to 8.7 percent
from 5.9 percent in the previous
month. Yancey County joblessness
race from October's 8.7 percent to
10.1 percent in November. In
Haywood County, joblessness climb
ed from October's 8.1 percent to 11.4
percent in November.
Sewer Project Completed
With Money To Spare
By ROBERT KOENIG
Marshall's Board of Aldermen held
a marathon three and a half hour ses
sion Monday night in Town Hall. As
has been the case at many of the late
meetings, discussion of the town's
sewer project occupied most of the
time.
Bill Lapsley, engineer on the pro
ject, addressed the board and defend
ed his firm's actions on the $1.3
million project. Lapsley presented
the aldermen with what he said were
the final costs for the project.
The figures presented Monday
night showed that Taylor and Murphy
Construction Co., chief contractor on
the project, completed their portion
of the job $94,746 under budget
Bildon Construction completed work
on the treatment plant same $12,185
over the budgetted $180,000 while
legal expenses exceeded the revised
budget figures by almost $3,000.
The good news presented Monday
night was that $10,000 budgetted for
right-of-way purchases was unneed
ed, along with $30,000 earmarked for
contigent expenses.
The sewer project was originally
budgetted for $1,260,000. The budget
was later revised to $1,460,000 in 1984.
Final costs of the project were
$1,376, 151.01, .resulting in a surplus of
$83,848.99.
Lapsley said the surplus may be us
ed to provide sewer service to two
areas not covered by the original pro
ject. Approval for the additional work
will have to be obtained from the
Farmers Home Administration,
which provided funding for the pro
ject. ? > ?
Lapsley reviewed the history of the
project for the aldermen, saying,
"We have been subjected to much
criticism, both from the public and
the press, for our handling of the pro
ject. I would like to set the record
straight."
Lapsley said his firm, McGill,
Lapsley Associates, has lost some
$22,000 on the project. Records in
dicate the engineering firrr will be
paid $51,400 for its services, the max
imum amount provided by the con
struction contract. The engineer said
his firm's costs were actually $66,800
and did not include $6,796 in un
compensated expenses before the
project received approval.
He added that the engineering firm
helped the town receive an additional
$200,000 grant from the Farmers
Home Administration and saved
Marshall money by negotiating with
the state Department of Transporta
tion on the repaving of Walnut Creek
Rd.
Lapsley concluded his report by
telling the board members, "We have
endeavored to look out for your in
terests for the past two and a half
years. We have never shirked or
abandoned our professional respon
sibility."
Although the sewer project is now
essentially completed, town crews
still must make a number of hookups
to connect homes to the new system
and complaints of some Marshall
residents have not been addressed.
Vader Shelton came before the
board asking for compensation for
paving he had done near his Hill
Street home to stabilize a wall. The
aldermen and engineer debated
Shelton's request Monday night, but
tabled a final decision in the matter.
The monthly financial statement
released Monday night indicated that
the town's water and sewer fund is
nearly over budget with six months
remaining in the current fiscal year
Budgetted for $70,000 in July based
on estimated revenues, the water and
sewer system has run up expenses
totalling $69,127 in the first six mon
ths of the year. Money to continue to
operate the system will be taken from
the general fund as needed
in i ?iiw IMS. t .
The town had made two payments
on the sewer bond totalling about
$38,000 with funds transferred from
the general fund. Lapsley said Mon
day that those payments will be reim
bursed by the Farmers Home Ad
ministration because the project was
still under construction at the time
the payments were made. Future
bond payments, however, will have to
be made from water and sewer
revenues.
The bottom line of the general fund
report stated that the town has spent
(Continued on Page 8)
Grand
Jury
Indicts
Five
The Madison County grand jury
met in Marshall Monday morning
and returned indictments against five
defendants.
The grand jury indicted both Edd
Young and Spencer Mooney on two
counts of larceny in connection with
the theft of food from the Upper
Laurel Community Center and equip
ment from the Upper Laurel Baptist
Church.
The grand jury also returned true
bills against two men charged with
breaking, entering and larceny. Both
Danny McMahan and Robert Messer
were charged in the theft of guns
from a Spring Creek home.
Danny Cutshall was indicted on a
charge of larceny in connection with
the theft of stereo equipment from a
Hot Springs home.
A jury of six men and six women
began hearing testimony in the arson
trial of David Junior Hensley.
Testimony was heard from a State
Bureau of Investigation agent who in
vestigated a fire at the' Soufield
Apartments in Mars Hill. An earlier
trial on the charge ended in a
mistrial.
Superior Court Judge Robert D.
Lewis is presiding over the trial,
which was expected to continue on
Tuesday.
Fire Destroys
Holt Home
3
SATURDAY NIGHT FIRE destroyed
home in Mars Hill near California
Creek Baptist Church. Fire was
believed to have started in a faulty
chimney.
Jake Grigg Named CD President
Jake Grigg, the president of the
Mountain Farm Credit Service, was
elected as the president of the
Western North Carolina Develop
roent Association at the
organisation's annual meeting last
week vin Asheville. Grigg succeeds
former Congressman Roy A. Taylor
of Blade Mountain, who has headed
the lS-county organisation for the
past two years
munity Development Program.
Taylor served aa the organisation's
vice president for (our terms. Taylor
also served eight terms in the U.S.
Congress as the 11th District
representative.
Wong with Origg, F. Ed Broadwell
, president of Clyde Savings and Loan
Association, was elected as first vice
JS. Charles Dyson, viof
Franklin were elected as secretary
and treasurer, respectively.
Dr. Larry Stern of Man Hill was
elected to the organisations board of
directors along with UNC-A
chancellor David Brown, Allen Bush
of Fletcher, Robert Marcta of Mur
phy, Asheville Mayor
Mcbevitt Mac Morrow of
members, Fred Conner of Avery
County, Jerry Cole. E. Charles
Dyson, John Erichson, Linda Ford
and ^ Richard Wynne o I
County; William Parton of
Ownty; Carol White g<
County, J