Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / Sept. 15, 1988, edition 1 / Page 1
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MADISON COUNTY LIBRARY GENERAL DELIVERY MARSHALL NC 00039 Vol. 88 No. 37 RECORD 29753 n /\na Buncombe Counties Thursday, September 15, 1988 9RC To Get $1.6 Million Grants Four Sources Tapped Xo Expand Marshall s ^1 By H.D. KOONTZ III The New* Record Editor Marshall's proposed sewage treat ment plant expansion project is ex pected to begin within one year and quadruple the overloaded plant's capacity. N.C. House Speaker Liston B. Ramsey sent the news to the town this week that fl, 603, 262 for the project has been approved. The money is sorely needed, Ramsey said, because the town has been under a state moritorium pro hibiting new residential or industrial sewer hookups. The present system, with its 85,000 Board Of Ed Endorses Plan State Board Next Stop For Consolidation Plan By H.D. KOONTZ III The News Record Editor A resolution endorsing Madison County's controversial school con solidation proposal was approved by the Board of Education Tuesday night. The vote was unanimous. Nearly SO visitors waited two hours while the board dealt with routine agenda items before emerging from a closed session to vote on the con solidation proposal, which must now be approved by the state Board of Education. No time limits are included in the proposal, as some parents and others had believed, concerning the closing of Spring Creek Elementary School ra aM the reduction in enrollment af other elementary school*. Board member James L. Baker Jr., a former board chairman who resigned that position earlier this year, read a prepared statement prior to the vote in which he called the past few months "...the most frustrating, agonizing and difficult situations I personally have endured." Madison County stands to receive about $5.5 million in state aid if a new consolidated middle school in the Walnut-Marshall area is built for grades 6 through 8 throughout the county. No site has been selected and no timetable has been established for such a transition. The proposal also calls for the even tual closing of Spring Creek Elemen tary and the consolidation of that school's elementary K through 8 enrollment, now just more than 90 pupils, with the Hot Springs Elemen tary School. Again, Baker and Board of Educa tion lawyer Forest Ball emphasized no timetable has been established for closing Spring Creek. It had been believed earlier that the Spring Creek sthool would be dosed at the out of this school year. Pupils in grades 6 through 8 at the new proposed consolidated school at Hot Springs will be allowed to attend the new middle school, when built, in the Marshall-Walnut area upon re quest by parents or guardians. Also, the proposal calls for the reduction of Marshall Primary, K through 3 only. Mars Hill, Laurel, -Continued on back page gallons a day treatment capacity, cannot handle what wastes the towr produces now. The proposed project will expant the plant to a capacity of 400,000 gallons a day. Ramsey's leadership got some of the money from the last General Assembly session, to the tune of $365,000. The Speaker said three other fun ding sources will be tapped to com plete the financial end of the project. "It's a very cpmplicated pro cedure," Ramsey said. Besides the state money Ramsey pushed through the legislature, the town has won approval of $449,578 from the U.S. Environmental Protec tion Agency. Also, the town will get <620,000 from the U.S. Department of Commerce, division of Economic Development Administration. And, another $200,000 will be sup plied by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Bill Gibson, director of the Region A Land-of-Sky Regional Council at Bryson City, said it was the "team ef fort" with the Region B office in Asheville that made the project possi ble. Gibson said the General Assembly money and EPA funds "are secure" and that mere "technicalities, or red tape," must be ironed out on the other two sources. "We expect the rest of the money by the end of September," Gibson said. "Certainly, within the next 60 days or less ; it may slide into the next federal fiscal year. Washington said Tuesday it would be done, but that's verbal, not in writing." Assuming all the pieces of the financial pie fall into place, final specifications and plans lor the ax i , k J1 " ' ? ? "I pansion should be prepared within 60-90 (lays. Then, the town can advertise for competitive bids on the construction, probably around the first of the year. Then, bids can be reviewed during the first of February. ? >, "In reality, we're talking about ma jor construction beginning in March, or a little later, depending on the weather," Gibson said. Governor Hikes Arson Reward By H.D. KOONTZ III The News Record Editor The ante has been increased in the reward pot for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the per son or persons who set fire to the Madison County Courthouse Labor Day eve. The office of Gov. James Martin in creased the amount by 93,000 Mon day, Sheriff Dedrick Brown said after receiving a letter from John C. Hunter, counsel for the governor. Tbe N.C. State Bureau of Investiga tion earlier offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or per sons who broke into tbe courthouse through the tax collector's office and set fires in the Register of Deeds of Oce and the County Clerk's office and the main courtroom The fires set in trash cans inside the two offices extinguished themselves. but the blaze inside the courtroom caused extensive damage to the drapes, judge's bench, walls and floor. Smoke and water damage was evi dent throughout the building. No records were destroyed; nothing has been reported stolen. Even small change sitting in coffee fund cans inside the offices was not touched, which puzzled law enforce ment officers investigating the blaze No motive for the act has been established. Brown speculated the fire might have been set by someone who felt he had been treated unfairly by the county court system. The Are was initially spotted by junior fireman Jackie Ramsey, Brown said. The call came in at 12:14 Sept. S. Ironically, the fire was started in a -Continued oa back page Junior Livestock Show The Western District Junior Livestock Show and Sale held last weekend at Fletcher included the participation of some Madison County youths: Renee Tweed, Jennifer Tweed, Ricky Allen, Keith Griffin, Andy Bridges, Jason Stone, Eric Allen, Laura Ponder, Shawn Lesley, James Carver, Stephen Carver and Joel Fluty. The Madison group won the Herdmanship trophy. . - Uti! el h m< . wm | retort to an was endorsed by the Madiwx donda; i. ot Back, g the Wolf jn n I'rof rty uwwrs / wiation aid tl?er are morr than 60 year raaidi nti at lie w ((finally developed tyy Htrn a < NX Beck uid Ito property owners group would approach the Yancey Board of Commissioners for a similar resolution of support next isociation represents 424 land and t in the resort area and there are about m homes now at Wolf Laure John Jtpian, presideni f the nent residents are faced With operating the resort area and pro Wing services needed by t*. per manent and pert-time residents," fiarman wrote. The fair and practical way to do this is th fh incorpora tion/he said The new municipal^ known as Wotf Laurel Village. the. Bjobs and adding base if the ar?a becomes a town Beck told the commissioners there was a handful of permanent residents opposed to the move ?The biggest fear is ?? increase in taxation" should the area become ia sr, HUGH KOONTZ PHOTO Sheriff Dedrick Brown shows some of the more than 13,000 plants seized Pot Haul Growing State, Local Effort Sweep# Madison County By H.D. KOONTZ III The News Record Editor Law Enforcement authorities are catting the grass on Madison County's mountains. But this summer it's the illegal type - marijuana - that state agents and county deputies are clearing from some of the most remote and rugged areas of the county after spotting the bright green crops from a state police helicopter. To date. 108 plants a day since May have been cut by Madison County deputies working with A.L.E., state Wildlife and Forest Service agents. Madison County Sheriff Dedrick Brown said this summer's marijuana clearing operation was coordinated with the Crime Control Office at Raleigh. More than ll.OM plants have been cut and burned since the operation began. N.C. Highway Patrolmen helicopter pilots flew It days over the ragged, mountainous terrain, with Madison Chief Deputy Dal Peek spot ting plants from the air. MarijMna plants stand out like Christmas lights amid the natural foliage of the area apd a crop with just one or (wo plants can be seen. Brown saM there were few A.L.E. agents, two Wildlife officers and one * * 'vv H j^pnis in \ 01 v pu $25, HO," Brown iahL About 20 rim tout Dlivt IrvoIvmI In this summer s operation. I Thr bul llMUollt UMI. 4th grade, and through cutting the availability." he laid, referring to this year's new DARE program aim ed at educating elementary school aged children about the pitfalls of drag abuse. "And, we've been more successful than any other coanty in North Carolina," Brown said. The most recent marijuana field was discovered in Max Patch, where 7M plants were seized last week. In connection with that seizure . deputies arrested Donald Anderson , 22, of Clyde, and charged htm with manufactnrlag ? controlled substance. In the Hot Springs area. Jimmy Brown Jr., 32. and Breads Lee McGowen, 3*. both of 17S$ NW U.S. -Continued on back page Hot Springs Musi Conserve Water Supply
The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
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