the NEWS RECORD
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY SINCE 1901
Thursday, May 1, 1986 ^
Count-Out To Be Held
At High School
Tuesday, May 6 is Primary Election Day in Madison
County. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
Voters in the Revere-Rice's Cove precinct will cast their
ballots at the former Gunter's Grocery Store. Voters in
other precincts will vote in their usual polling place.
Democrats will select candidates for the U.S. House and
Senate, county commission, school board and tax collector.
Republicans will choose candidates for the U.S. Senate,
county commission and District II on the Madison County
Board of Education.
Unaffiliated voters may also vote in the non-binding refer
endum concerning location of a nuclear waste dump in
North Carolina.
Due to repairs to the county courthouse, the election night
count-out will be held in the cafeteria of Madison High
School beginning shortly after 7:30 p.m.
May Day Festival Saturday
The annual May Day Festival at Madison H.S. will be held
on Saturday from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. A crafts fair has been
added to this year's festival. Crafts will include chair can
ing, paintings, jewelry, wall hangings, cornhusk dolls,
candles and crochet exhibits.
In addition to the crafts fair, there will be games,
volleyball and horseshoe tournaments and refreshments.
TOere wil also be a dance held in the school gymnasium
beginning at 8 p.m.
Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Madison Coun
ty Association of Retarded Citizens.
Legion Meets Tonight In Marshall
American Legion Post No. 317 will hold their monthly
meeting tonight at 7 p.m. in the Legion Hall on Back Street
in Marshall. All members are urged to attend.
Hot Springs Reunion Planned
A reunion for all former students at Hot Springs School
from i960 through 1973 will be held on May 24 from 4 until 10
p.m. All former teachers, principals and staff, as well as
pre-1960 students are invited to attend.
The reunion is planned as an informal affair and light
refreshments will be served.
Softball Tourney In Hot Springs
The Madison Youth Softball League will hold a pre-season
tournament on May 10 for children nine through 12 in Hot
Springs beginning at 9 a.m. Everyone is invited to attend.
LISA THE ELEPHANT was the star of the Roberts Bros, cir
cus which visited Marshall for two performances on Tuesday
night.
Marshall Students Take
History Day Honors
Marshall School continued its winning ways this weekend,
taking two first place awards and one second place in the state
History Day competition held in Winston-Salem.
A first place in the individual category was won by Allen
Fisher for his display entitled "Labor vs. Management."
A first place in the media category was won by Heather
Banks and Karen Deaver for their visual arts display on nurs
ing and midwifery.
A second place in the individual performance category was
awarded to Jody Felton for her performance entitled "A Vista
Worker Comes to Appalachia."
A third place award was given to Amber Coulby and Susan
Waldrop for their group project, "The Feminist Movement in
America."
The first and second place finishers go on to Washington,
D.C. next month to compete in the national finals.
Bray Trial
Begins
Monday
The murder trial of William Bray is scheduled to begin on
Monday morning in Madison County Superior Court. Bray is
charged with the murder of State Trooper Bobby L. Coggins in
September of last year.
Although the case has been placed on the court calendar,
prosecutors are still uncertain where the case will be heard
because of ongoing repairs to the Madison County Court
House. Repairs to the building's roof have forced a postpone
ment of the trial in the past.
The contract with H and M Construction calls for repairs to
be completed in time for the May 5 trial date. However, it is
still uncertain if the repairs can be completed in time. Jackie
Davis, foreman on the project, said that subcontractors still
have to put a number of finishing touches on the repairs. Davis
expressed doubts that the building would be rerady in time for
Monday's trial.
If the courtroom is not available, prosecutors may move the
trial to Yancey County.
Because of the publicity surrounding the shooting and subse
quent manhunt, 300 county residents have been summoned as
potential jurors. Names of thise called for jury duty appears
on Page 12.
Bray remains in the Madison County Jail without bond
awaiting trial.
The other suspect in the trooper's murder, Jimmy Dean
Rios, is scheduled to face trial during the June session of
Superior Court.
IVY CREEK, above, was cleaned by Mars Hill Cub Scouts and
Boy Scouts during Saturday's Clean Streams Day effort.
Complaints Mount As Sewer Project Nears Completion
By WILLIAM LEE
One could say that the town of Mars
Hill found a tough road to pave when
they decided to install a sewer system
in their community. At the very least,
it has been a rough road.
Complaints have piled atop more
complaints from the residents in the
- usually peaceful community. While
most of the complaints have been due
to the inconvenience and annoyances
to be expected when heavy construc
tion work interupts the daily routine,
the town nonetheless finds itself in
volved in a couple of law suits.
Ed Howard, owner of Howard's
Drugstore on Main Street has filed
suit against both the town and Cooper
Construction. Howard's attorney,
Richard Miller of Marshall, was
repeatedly unavailable for comment
on the suit
The suit, however, concerns alleg
ed damages to Howard's other
business, the Mars Hill Skating Rink,
caused by flooding when construction
crews reportedly filled a ditch adja
cent to the rink. Howard also claims
that construction crews illegally
trespassed on his property, overstep
ping the legal easement he granted.
Harold Ponder, who owns a
automotive paint and body shop just
off Bruce Street, has also filed suit
claiming damages and a loss of
business due to the construction.
"Months went by when they had
dirt piled up in the driveway and I
couldn't even get to my house,''
Ponder said. "The road collapsed
some time after they had laid the pipe
causing more problems. I literally
had to close down my business until
things settled down."
Ponder couldn't give exact figures,
but estimated that he probably suf
fered "several thousand dollars in
lost business."
Like Howard, Ponder has also had
his share of flooding when culverts
became blocked up. He admits that
the problem had occured in the past,
but only when road construction or
plowing was done on the hillside
above him.
A quick inspection of his property
shows an obvious problem. In front of
one of the trailers Ponder rents out,
lies a large puddle of mud and water.
Every so often sewage gushes out
from the middle and flows slowly
down the middle of his driveway.
A broken septic pipe is the culprit.
The question is who is at fault.
Ponder claims that the pipe was
broken when construction crews
came in and dug up his driveway to
place the sewer lines. The town of
Mars Hill believes the septic tank
pipes had rusted through after years
of neglect and may well have been
leaking prior to any construction. The
water lines were broken in the same
manner.
"I've never had any problems with
my septic tank," Ponder said. He
pointed to where the septic tank was
located. "All one has to do is come out
here and see where the construction
crew brought heavy equipment right
across the top of the tank. It's just for
tunate it didn't collapse."
"The one trailer that has the
flooding in front of it has also had ex
tensive flood damage inside," Ponder
explained "And that's where Darryl
Boone's mother lives. You'd think
he'd see that his own mother was
taken care of."
"We've had a lot of inconveniences
to have to tolerate during till this,"
Boone commented. "Some just
couldn't be helped. You can't do a
major project like this without some
problems occuring."
Former Mars Hill Mayor William
Powell agrees. He was mayor when
the project began three years ago and
has seen how the work has progress
ed.
"Most of the citizens have tolerated
the little inconveniences caused by all
the work, and I think damages have
been minimal. Things have admitted
ly moved slowly recently. But the city
seems determined now to get on with
the cleanup and repair the roads,"
said Powell
It is the condition of the roads that
has caused the most problems down
at Town Hall in recent months
Reports of shoddy patchwork had
filtered back to Mayor Owen Tilson
and the board of aldermen. They
have in turn informed Cooper Con
struction of their determination to
withhold payment until the paving
work is completed to their satisfac
tion.
"I've seen Anderson Street so filled
with potholes it was nearly impossi
ble to drive on," said Vernon
Buckner, who lives on Chestnut
Street. "And you can see the holes
they're getting ready to fill along
here, not to mention the breakup of
the sidewalk."
A new paving crew, Hendersoovilte
Paving Company, was hired last
-CmUmhI on Page 3
Republican School Board Candidates Address The Issues
By WILLIAM LICE
Ike following arc iaterviewi con
d?cted over the pact week with
RepaMleaa candidates far the
M?il- Coonty Baard of Education.
Oiatriet II. Candidate Jim Heaalcy
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MMriet I ha* aaly two eaadidatea. at
torney Edward Kraase and Or
Leatar Stawe, there la no primary lor
Matriet I. Ml candidates were aafceri
tho u*e three aad
UMWVfft are verlMtiRi.
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and the new problems facing us as a
result of these changes cannot be
handled by old approaches. For the
effective management of our school
system, we must have a Board of
Education willing to recognise these
changes and meet them with the new
answers required. The children of
Madison County deserve nothing leu
As someone who attended a
Madison County elementary school, a
Madison County high school, and a
Madison County college. I feel a close
connection with our schools - and a
great desiifc to see that our children
BAKER: Only as a last resort, (o
raise revenue when other funds have
been exhausted, or to finance a
massive project for which funds
could not be acquired through any
other means. Consideration must be
given, when contemplating a school
bond referendum, or ANY bond
referendum, to the effects that would
have on taxes in the county's future
Before turning to a school bond
referendum I would have to be
satisfied there was simply no other
UMtMnfc .
I am not, however, opposed
County schools in the immediate
future?
BAKEK: Vou are. of course,
eliminating hy that question perhaps
the most specific immediate need
facing as - and that to the physical
condition of our schools. Many of our
school buildings across the county
are in very poor shape, due to age or
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is a stigma which
must be
DEWEY GRIFFEY. JR.
Ii a Republican candidate (or Ar
board of education. He Is a resident of
Guntertown.
State your reaioos for running for
the board of education.
GRIFFEY. I fee! I have the ability
and the knowledge to serve on the
board of education I fed that I coul<l
improve the school system because
they do need improving.
&m
MICHAEL JENKINS
ii a Republican candidate far th.
board of education. He it a resident of
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JENKINS : 1 cant think of anything
I'd rather put my time and effort Mo
than the youth of Madison County
That's basically what I'm about on
that issue