sz
By ROBERT KOEN1G
Third in a series
Madison County commissioner James T.
Ledford's Exxon service stations have stop
ped furnishing gas and repairs to county
agencies
Emergency Medical Service director
Mildred West told The News Record that the
EMS ambulance assigned to Mars Hill is now
being serviced by Brown's Service Station on
Hwy. 213.
Until recently, repairs to Madison County
Transporation Authority vans were being
made by the stations operated by Ledford
Enterprises In the Mars Hill area. Transpor
tation Authority director Delba Jean Roberts
said Monday that small repairs were now be
ing made by mechanics at the county landfill.
The commissioner has also begun to comp
ly, to some extent, with state Taw that re
quires the amount of business he conducts
with county agencies be publicly posted in a
conspicuous manner. A listing of the total
monthly business conducted with county
agencies has been posted on the wall in the
county commissioner's office in the county
court house.
According to the figures on that list, Led
ford has again surpassed the legal limit of
business he is allowed to conduct with county
agendas. The list indicates that Ledford
Knterprises stations did $6,016.82 in business
with the Madison County Emergency Medical
Service and Transportation Authority in the
current fiscal year.
State law limits the amount of business
elected officials may do with government
ageneies to $5,000 in any 12-montn period.
The list appearing on the county commis
sioner's wall includes payments made direct
ly to Ledford Enterprises and those made to
Exxon, USA. Many purchases at the Ledfbrd
owned stations were made by using an Exxon
credit card.
If the $6,016.82 is correct, it would mark the
second year in a row that Ledford has exceed
ed the legal limitation on business with county
government. The annual audit of county
finances for the 1983-84 fiscal year revealed
that Ledford did some $5,241 in business with
county agencies during the fiscal year which
endea on June 30, 1984.
Vol. 85 No. 18
Marshall. N.C.
May 1, 1985
i
Proposed Condos Spark Concerns
Story On Page 5
, hi toiiSr; M $
Community
Calendar
The news record
7 . ? .;'\f \A V ? ? V-v ;?>. ? ? ?" I '? ??, ? '-1. '
SERVING THE PEOPLE ( WNTY SINCE 1901
May Day Festival Set For May 3
The fifth annual May Day Festival will be held at Madison
H.S. on May 4 from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. Games, pony rides,
crafts fair and dance are part of the festivities.-More informa
tion on the fair appears on Page 2.
Laurel VFD Pig Roast Planned
The Laurel VFD will sponsor a pig roast on May 5 from noon
until 2 p.m. Charges are $3.50 for adults, $2 for children under
12. Proceeds from the roast will benefit the fire company's ac
tivities.
Ebbs Chapel VFD Supper
The Ebbs Chapel Volunteer Fire Department will hold an
old-fashioned box supper and men's fashion show with a $50.00
prize for the winner on May 4 at 6 p.m. at Upper Laurel Com
munity Center. Cake walks and door prizes will also be award
ed. Everyone is invited to attend.
American Legion To Meet
The American Legion Post 317 will hold their meeting on
May 2 at 7 p.m. All members are urged to attend
Greater Ivy May Day Festival
The Greater Ivy Community will hold an old-fashioned May
Day celebration complete with May pole on May 5 at 2 p.m.
Sack races, relay races, horse shoe pitching and a tug-of-war
will be featured, along with a gospel singing.
On Saturday, there will be an elimination softball tourna
ment with the winners advanced to a championship game on
Sunday.
Democrat Women To Meet
The Madison County Democratic Women will meet at 6 p.m.
Tuesday, May 7 at the new Western Steer in Mars Hill for a
dutch dinner and a short planning meeting. All women are
urged to attend.
Parenting Class Offered
Parenting classes are being held at the Senior Citizen Center
on Long Branch Road at 7:30 p.m. on May 7. The discussion
topic will be "the teenager." For more information call
649-2367.
Commissioners
Approve
Land Sale
By ROBERT KOENIG
The Madison County Board of Com
missioners approved the sale of 3.9
acres of land in the Madison County
Industrial Park last week. In a rare
special called meeting, the commis
sioners unanimously approved a
resolution for the sale of the tract to
Kenpak Converters, Inc., a
California-based manufacturer of
medical supply packaging
Approval of the land sale is just the
first step in a process that may bring
a new plant and jobs to the Marshall
area. A number of erndHiwts will
have to be met before the sate is com
pleted and construction of a plant can
begin.
If approved, Kenpak Converters
plans to build a facility to manufac
ture medical packaging that will
employ 40 workers initially. Future
expansion of the planned facility
would eventually raise the number of
jobs to more than 100.
Kenpak Converters. Inc. has
presented a deposit of $1,000 toward
the purchase price of $36,000 for the
3.9 acre site adjacent to property
owned by the American Greeting
Card Co.
The purchase agreement approved
by the county commissioners last
Wednesday calls for Kenpak Con
verters, Inc. to complete the pur
chase of the property by May 31.
However, Kenpak's purchase of the
site hinges upon approval of loans
totalling $596,000 for construction
costs.
In order to finance the proposed
plant construction, Kenpak is seeking
a $198,000 low-interest loan through
the Tennessee Valley Authority's
Special Opportunity Counties pro
gram and an additional $400,000 loan
at one percent above the prime len
ding rate.
The TVA Special Opportunity Coun
ties program provides low-interest
loans for projects to bring employ
ment opportunities to the 50 poorest
counties in the TVA service areas.
Although not directly served by TVA,
as a bftrder county, Madison County
qualifies under the SOC guidelines.
Kenpak 's purchase agreement also
calls for the installation of water and
sewer services and construction of a
highway to the plant site. Water and
sewer lines are already in place.
County attorney Larry Leake said
Wednesday that he has received
assurances from DOT engineer Earl
Mclntire that the necessary road
work at the site would be performed.
Another term of the purchase
agreement states that the county
must obtain certification from a
qualified engineer that the site is
suitable for the proposed plant.
? The discovery of methane gas
beneath the former landfill site led
American Greeting Card to abandon
its plans for a plant at the site in 1962.
The county attorney also recom
mended that the commissioners have
the site surveyed before completing
the sale.
?*?"' * ijj ?.?; .
-- v
MEMBERS OF THE HAYES' RUN 4-H CLUB took part in the
Clean Streams Day effort last Saturday. Hundreds of
volunteers throughout Madison County joined together to
remove trash from local creeks, rivers and streams. -More
pictures and raffle winners appear on Pages 6 and 7.
* I
Marshall's Money
Political Dinners, Police Uniforms
And Out Of Town Trips Add To Budget Crunch
: '? * ? . ? .. .1
Where It's Gone
n By ROBERT KOENIG H
The financial pinch Marshall has been feeling for the
past several months appears to becoming worse as the
1984-85 fiscal year winds down.
Between today and the first of June, the town will have
S30.2Sl.25 in bond payments due The town's general fund
showed a balance of $34,723.78 on March 31. A report of
the town's expenses in April is expected to be delivered
when the Board of Aldermen meet on May 13.
The town still has some $70,000 in savings in cer
tificates of deposit, but it is apparent that those remain
ing bonds will have to be redeemed if the town is to meet
its obligations for the remainder of the fiscal year which
Is on June 30
In order to get some idea of where Marshall's money
has gone in the past 10 months. The News Record review
ed the town's general fund checking account ledgers last
week. The investigation uncovered a number of curious
was sworn in when it was learned that he faced felony
larceny charges in Buncombe County.
Since June, 1964, Marshall has purchased 24 shirts and
16 pairs of pants for the town's policemen.
Another large expenditure for police equipment was
the purchase of two bulletproof vests for 1460.
The town also purchased baseboard heaters at a cost of
$436 28 for a proposed police department office on the up
per floor of Town Hall. The move was never made and
Linda Dodson. the town's secretary reports that several
of the heaters were later stolen
Advertising has accounted for some $297.00 in the cur
rent fiscal year. Records indicate the town spent 1267 for
advertisements in programs offered by the American
Legion. Madison Central Optimists dub and the North
Carolina National Guard Association. Hie remaining
(30.60 was spent with The News Record for legal adver
tisements. *
The town also spent 96. 80 for a one- year subscription to
H? News Record
for
Marshall town attorney Charles E. Mashburn has
received payments totalling $2,573 55 for legal services.
Mashburn has also received $300 for rent on the former
police shack on Main Street which was placed on his pro
perty. The town has sold the shack to the Madison County
Animal Shelter and currently rents a garage from
Pioneer Ford at a cost of $125 per month.
Out-of-town trips meetings and seminars have ac
counted for $1,223.24 in the current fiscal year. The town
sent Linda Dodson and Peggy Loom is to attend a one-day
tax collection workshop in Chapel Hill in August of last
year. At Mayor Wild's direction, they stayed overnight at
the Hotel Euro pa. the most expensive hotel in Chapel
Hill, at a cost of $70.50.
In September. Mayor Wild attended a meeting in
Raleigh and stayed at the Radisson Plaza Hotel at a cost
of $47.53. In October, Peggy Loomis was sent to Raleigh
to attend a workshop and staved at the Raleigh Inn. Coats
Hendersonville held by the Land of the Sky Regional
Council in January.
Alderman Ed Niles did not attend the Ramsey dinner.
On Monday, alderman J6hn Dodson told The News
Record that he purchased a ticket to the dinner with his
own funds.
The long-standing practise of purchasing flowers for
funerals of former town officials has also accounted for
some $97 42.
Other expenses shown in the current fiscal year In
clude:
$2,500 to Herbert Hyde and Carlie Gutter for the mt-af
court settlement of their lawsuit charging the town of
ficials with wrongful dismissal and libel
$147 to Ron McBride for rewiring the upper floor of
Town Hal)
$66.20 to the Blue Ridge Court Reporting service for
work on the iMMuit