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The Hoke County News - Established 1928 The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
VOLUME LXVII NO. 31 RAEFORD. HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA S5 PER YEAR THURSDAY. DECEMBER 4. 1975
Around
Town
By Sam C. Morris
Last week in this column I had an
item about the last snow in
November was in 1938. It was also
stated that if the date was not
correct please correct it.
Now Mrs. Betty Wood, assistant
clerk of court for Hoke County,
states that it snowed November 25,
1950. The reason she is so postive of
the date is that she was married that
day. So if anyone has an earlier date,
please come forward.
^Thanks, Betty for the information.
^ The Bicentennial celebration of
the USA will be next year. The 50th
anniversary of the Raeford Fire
Department will also be next year.
The Raeford Fire Department was
organized in 1926. This came about
after the big fire of December 30.
1925 when about one - third of the
business district was destroyed by
fire.
There was a volunteer fire
department here at the time, but
after this fire the town and citizens
of the town decided that bigger and
better equipment was needed, so the
department was organized in 1926.
Maybe someone could give us a
history of the department between
now and next year.
The Christmas decorations have
been put up on Main Street and the
lights within them were turned on
this past weekend. It certainly adds
to the looks of the city and should
help to get each of us in the
Christmas spirit. It is about time, for
it is only three weeks until that old
man will arrive.
Everyone that donated or helped
with the lights should be
complimented, but special praise
should go to Theresa McBryde and
James Wood. They have done much
begging and asking to get the project
to a successful conclusion, and it is a
success. Thanks, Theresa anJ James,
for a job well done.
Nov* lor something that was not a
success. A phone call Tuesday
morning told me of a project that
was not successful.
About a year ago the Home Life
Department of the Raeford Woman's
Club undertook to beautify one of
the entrances to the City of Raeford.
It was at the triangle where North
Mam Street extension runs into US
401.
The city aided by grading and
leveling the strip and preparing it lor
the planting of shrubs and flowers.
The department recently spent 2'.
days planting six shrubs in the plot.
It was an improvement to the site
and the ladies were proud of their
work. But in a few days only one of
the plants were still on the plot.
Person or persons had stolen all but
one of the plants and it could be
gone now.
So these ladies have seen a project
turn out to be a failure because of
someone who should spend
Christmas in jail.
It takes only one hour to teai up a
year's work of planning and
bcautification.
Favorable Auditor's Report
City Gives 5% Salary Hikes
UF Drive
The Hoke County United Fund
drive has readied 62% or the goal, up
from a previous 56% total. The
current figure is $13,738.70.
Recent contributors are: McCain,
S50; individuals, S25; commercial
businesses, S208; Carolina
Telephone, SI65; and A&R, $15.
Figures have not come in front
Knit ? Away, Tex - Elastic, Raeford
Turkey Farms, and various other
sources at this time, according to co -
chairman Gene Carter.
No Charges
In Accident
No charges have been filed in an
accident which hospitalized a Rae
ford area man with both legs
fractured Nov. 22.
Stewart Smith, 36, was listed in
fair condition at Moore Memorial
Flospital after being struck by a
vehicle near the North Raeford Fire
Department station.
Trooper C. A. Bennett gave this
account:
Smith left his car improperly
parked while at a turkey shoot near
the fire department and a car
operated by Wilbert L. McQueen
struck the auto which was partially
on the travel part of the road.
While Smith was inspecting the
damage to his car. he was standing
in the roadway and a vehicle
operated by Carl Lee Odoms of
High Point struck Smith, and then
hit Smith's vehicle.
Bennett said Odoms told him he
slowed down when he saw the
crowd but could not avoid hitting
him when he suddenly appeared in
his lane of travel.
The Hoke County rescue squad
assisted at the scene. Bennett said.
$59,000
Bid
Southeastern Asphalt of
Rockingham was low bidder on
the Title X storm drainage
project by submitting a
$59,066.80 propo ll, acting
city manager Bill SeUars said
after bids were opened
Tuesday at 2 P.M.
A total of 13 bids was
received on the Harris Ave. -
Bethel Rd. drainage project,
ranging up to $87,807.16 from
W.E. Garrison Grading Co.
from Garner, N.C.
The city council is expected
to meet to act on the bids, but
no date for a meeting was
given.
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IMPACT AREA - 77ie jtata/ area in the uppermost part of the square outlining Raeford details the low income
neighborhoods picked for water and sewer extensions on the community development application for federal funds.
Commissioners, Council Decide
On Tri-purpose Application
By Mike Steadman
After much deliberation and
many suggestions, the Hoke
County Commissioners got the
backing of the Raeford City
Council and passed a motion to
apply for funds through the office
of Housing and Urban Develop
ment (HUD) and divide them so
that there would be an extension of
sewers, rehabilitation of existing
housing, and the construction of a
multi-purpose neighborhood
center.
Commission chairman Ralph
Barnhart explained the purpose of
the meeting to the crowd of 23 and
then read some of the comments
and suggestions made at the two
previous citizens meetings.
Barnhart said he thought there
were three things that should be
considered in their effort to put
together an application that would
be as acceptable to HUD as
possible.
He said sewers, rehabilitation of
existing houses and something in
the form of recreation should be
considered.
J.H. (Buddy) Blue, Jr.. pointed
out that rehabilitation of houses
could get "hairy" and offered a
suggestion of condemning houses
to be rehabilitated instead of
buying them.
Acting city manager Bill Sellars
then asked what was to be done
with the people who were living in
the houses.
State Department of Natural and
Economic Resources senior planner
Susan Cheek mentioned that loans
could be made to the owner -
operators of the houses to be
rehabilitated. She said the money
could be put out through the city
and county.
"HUD would rather see an area
concentration rather than going
county-wide because of the in
experience in rehabilitation," she
said.
She said the rehabilitation
project carried a three point value.
Mayor J.K. McNeill, Jr..
brought up a fee that would need to
be charged for the tap-on of the
sewers that would be charged like
the water bill.
He said the David Jones Hill area
would reach more people if there
had to be a decision made on which
area should receive sewers if the
rehabilitation project was done
also.
"The county commissioners are
going to decide which of these
projects to take," said McNeill.
He pointed out that one of the
problems would be to get the
people to tap on.
"We could include the price of
tapping on to the rehabilitation
price is the same area was in
volved," he said.
"We've talked about sewers and
we've talked about rehabilitation.
Let's talk about the multi-purpose
centers," said Barnhart.
County commissioner James A.
Hunt expressed the need to help the
people out in the county. He said if
all the money was spent for sewers,
it would not help too many people.
"Sewage is a good project, but I
think we should think about some
of the people in the county. 1 feel
we should maybe purchase some
land out in the county and make
use of it for recreation for the rest
of the people besides just these
sewage people. If we go all the way
with the sewage, it's not going to
help that many people." he said.
Barnhart said he saw three
possibilities for a motion for the
project.
"I personally see three possible
motions that we could consider.
One is to apply for all sewer
extensions and the extension of
water to the Shawtown area. The
second is to include the re
habilitation project and cut out the
needed amount on the sewer
extension. The third is to take out
two sewer extension areas and
include the rehabilitation project
and one multi-purpose neighbor
hood center in a high point area of
the county." he said.
After Barnhart asked for sug
gestions from the city council, the
two groups went into separate
caucus sessions for about fifteen
minutes.
After the groups returned.
McNeill requested that if the sewers
were approved, a tap-on fee could
be collected by the city and a
monthly fee for the use of the
See APPLICATION, page 15
The city council gave Us
unanimous approval to five per cent
salary increases for city workers
effective Jan. I. acting on a promise
made last June to boost pay if the
yearly audit results are favorable.
The action came during the regular
monthly meeting Monday night, in
which the board took up a 22 item
agenda after being sworn in to their
terms by Clerk of Court Juanita
Edmund.
Newcomer David Lovette,
replacing Robert Weaver, joined
Mayor John K. McNeill, Jr.. and
councilmen Graham Clark, Sam C.
Morris, Benny McLeod, and
Crawford Thomas, Jr., for the over
three and one half hour meeting.
The council went into executive
session at the close of the regular
meeting to go over applications
received for the vacant city manager
position. McNeill said the city had
gotten 39applications.
The identities of the applicants
were not disclosed, however, one
councilman said after the closed
session the list had been trimmed to
less than ten. who are being actively
considered.
The five per cent pay hikes will
add $15,000 to this year's budget. A
three per cent Christmas bonus,
already put into the budget, will also
be in city workers' pay envelopes this
month.
Ken Davis, accountant with A.K.
Lovin and Co., presented the 40 ?
page audit report for the year ended
June 30, 1975, and told the council
the city had gotten an excellent tax
collection for the year,
approximately 98 per cent of the
levy.
Revenues outstripped
expenditures in the General Fund,
leaving a surplus of $207,198.28.
according to the report. The city
handled approximately 3.7 million
dollars, with over $900,000 in
investments, drawing interest rates
which ranged from six per cent to a
high of just under 12 per cent
Landfill, Turkey Plant
A proposal to open the landfill
after hours for use by industry,
tabled from an earlier meeting, took
up much discussion, with county
sanitarian M.R. Mills and Division of
Health representative Terry Dover
giving their views.
Dover told the board state
regulations require the site must have
an attendant on duty at all times,
and also must be compacted and
covered at the close of each day.
Mills argued the costs would be too
much.
"I don't care how Fayetteville
See CITY, page 1 5
Barnhart Still Chairman
County Funds Yule, Garbage
County commissioners got into
the Christmas spirit and donated
$500 for Yule decorations in the
downtown area hut agreed with less
enthusiasm to pay an additional
$4,425 for more garbage containers
during their regular monthly meeting
Monday.
The o A.M. meeting began with
the election of incumbent chairman
Ralph Bamhart to another term
along with vice-chairman Tom
McBryde getting the nod tor an >thcr
term in his post. The choices were
voted m unanimously with only
commissioner J A. Webb absent.
A motion from commissioner
James A. Hunt to give S^OO to the
Raeford Merchants Association for
their outdoor Christmas lights carried
unanimously alter Association
representatives Theresa McBryde and
James Wix>d asked tor $700.
"We've paid SI,080 so far. the
town gave us SI.200 and we've
gotten donations from the
merchants. We've had to do all new
wiring, nothing has been done since
1()68. With another S700. we could
finish out firing and that would fix
us up for next year, too", Mrs.
McBryde said.
F unding for the purchase of more
garbage containers came after Clyde
Leach, operator of Pick-up
Sanitation, the county franchise
holder, told the board he was facing
"a hardship".
"I need to know what action you
plan to take, with Christinas coming,
it isn't going to get any better. We've
already moved some of the
containers to try and cut down on
the spillover". Leach said.
County manager T.B. Lester
quoted the additional cost on service
to the 15 containers as Si60 a week,
and Leach estimated the total
servicing costs including the new
ones to be more than SH.000 a year.
"We can't afford it". Barnhart
said.
Commissioner John Balfour said
"we'll buy them, if you dump them
for free as a Christmas present",
drawing laughter.
A motion from McBryde to okay
the purchase of the containers
carried unanimously after some more
discussion.
See COUNTY, page 15
$75,000 Construction
Set At Savings & Loan
Work on a $75,000 expansion to
the Raeford Savings and Loan offices
on Campus Avenue is scheduled to
begin this week, Frank Teal,
secretary ? treasurer announced.
The present building containing
2.000 square feet will be enlarged by
570 square feet by additions to the
front and east. Plans call for
increased space for teller services,
two private offices, a new vault with
storage for 360 safe deposit boxes, a
new conference room, and erection
of a canopy over the drive ? up
window. The old conference room
will be converted to lobby and
reception area space.
Architects for the project are
Hayes and Howell Associates of
Southern Pines. General contractor is
Glidewell Construction of
Rockingham, with sub ? contracting
from Raeford Plumbing and Heating
and Town send E*. 1c ct r ic in
l.umberton.
"Pic addition will not change the
driveway or parking area in any
way". Teaf said. He also emphasized
no disruption to customer service or
changes in business hours during the
construction are anticipated.
Target date for completion of the
work is mid ? April, Teal said.
The present structure vtas
completed in July, 1^64, at a cost of
$60,000. At that time, the assets of
the association were about $1.0
million, compared to a present $9.25
million figure.
"The expansion program is geared
to accommodate an expected growth
to $25 million in assets", Teal said.
The association has been growing at
the rate of over a million dollars a
year in the past three years, with
currently over 2,500 savings
accounts, he said.
J. C. Wright Succumbs
John Crawford Wright, a farmer
and member of the Hoke County
Sheriff's Department for 32 years,
died Monday night. He was 74.
Funeral services were scheduled
for Wednesday. Dec. 3. at 3 P.M. at
the Raeford Presbyterian Church by
the Rev. John Ropp.
Burial was scheduled for the
Raeford Cemetery.
Wright was a member of the
Raeford Presbyterian Church and
Masonic Lodge 306 of Raeford.
Surviving arc his wife. Ida Tapp
Wright; a daughter. Mrs. Geraldine
Wright Wall of Knightdale. N.C.; a
brother, Julian Wright of Raeford: a
sister, Mrs. Verna Stanton ot
Raeford; three grandchildren; and
two great ? grandchildren.
J C. Wright
"Rose's Office Here Dec. 5
The mobile office of Congress
man Charles G. Rose will be in
Raeford Friday, Dec. 5 from
10 A.M. to 3 P.M.
The van will be parked in the
post office lot.