Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Dec. 4, 1980, edition 1 / Page 1
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The Hoke County News - Established 1928 VOLUME LXXIl NUMBER 32 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA - journal The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905 S8 PER YEAR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1980 Around Town BY SAM C.MORRIS Winter is here, but Monday was a nice day. We haven't received the fain information from Robert Gatlin, but we expect he will show up before we go to press. Anyway the snow in the western part of the state didn't get down this far and 7his was fine with me. Thanksgiving Day was just like any Sunday in the old town. Most of the stores were closed and most folks stayed home and watched the football games. Since church services are held on Wednesday night, most of the |churches close down for ^Thanksgiving. That is. the staff is off, just like all the other businesses in the city. When the banks and post office close down about everything comes to a stand still. One thing that most people have the feeling of, is that we have two Sundays and two Mondays in the same week. From all we can hear it was a Isafe and sane holiday for Hoke ?County. 3 Don't forget that the Raeford Kiwanis Club annual Pancake ja Supper is being held this Thursday (tonight) at the Gibson Cafeteria, $ beginning at 5 p.m. The club g advertises "all you can eat" for | $2.00 Tickets can be picked up fl from any Kiwanian or can be pur chased at the door. Remember, that you don't only help the club with their many civic f. projects, but you can enjoy the fun and fellowship with your friends and neighbors. So be on hand for the big event Thursday night. Hope to see you i there. ^ The News-Journal photographer will be out taking door scenes lor the Christmas edition of the paper on December 1 1 & 12. It' you have a scene that you would like to have published in that edition, please call the office and leave your name and address. The paper will come out on T ues day, December 23 so that it will be in the mail before Christmas. This ?wwill also give the employees a hall ?nlay off before Christmas. So we urge all news articles and ads to be in a day early for the Christmas edition. Just remember to turn your calendar up one day for the Christmas issue. Thank you. ? * ? Something we write about each vear at Christmastime is for shop jpers to be careful of packages they buy and put in their automobile. Don't just place them on seats of your car and walk off and not lock your car. This is a golden oppor tunity for a crook to walk off with your hard-earned money. The best thing to do it you must put packages in your car is to put them in the trunk ol the car, where they cannot be seen by the public, jjf you must place them in the from of the car. be sure to lock the doors. Christmas is a time lor giving and sharing, but it is for giving and sharing to whom we want to. rather than someone that is too lazy to work for something. So be careful with what you buy. and be careful with what you do with it after you buy. I Most of the time it is good to hear someone say, "Is Sam Morris in the office?" Of course it could be a salesman, a law enforcement of ficer. or maybe someone you haven't seen in several years. This happened this week. Monday morning the question was asked, and around the book cases strolled Daniel Johnson, or |to many in the county. Pig Monroe of Miami. Fla. This was the first time Daniel had been in the office | in four years. In a few minutes Sam Snead and Paul Dickson were also talking with him. Johnson left Hoke County in 1933 and went to Miami and has been there ever since that time. He has worked for Southern Bell Telephone Co. up until two years rjo when he retired. He seemed to (See AROUND TOWN, page 10) For Feasibility Study Industry Sites F ederal Grant Sought ? -a * - . ~ ~ ~ ~ ^ From Lumber River COG Counties Visiting Officials Shown Downtown Plan The Raeford city administration played host to city and county managers of the four-county Re gion N, Lumber River Council of Governments, November 26. show ing the visitors photo slides made for the Raeford Downtown Revita lization project. The visitors also were shown some of the city's equipment, which was put on display outside City Hall. The meeting, and the Thanksgiving luncheon which pre ceded it, were held in the City Council chambers. When the meet ing ended, the visitors were taken on a tour of the three-year-old City Hall by Raeford City Manager Ron Matthews. This was the montly session of the group, which also includes city and county clerks, of Hoke. Robe son. Scotland, and Bladen coun ties. None of the clerks attended, however. The county managers attending included James Martin of Hoke County. Among the other Hoke County people attending were County Commissioner Danny DeVane. who is COG chairman; heads and other employees of Raeford city government departments, and Earl Fowler, manager of the Raeford Hoke County Chamber of Com merce. Mayor Pro Tem Graham Clark, who also is secretary -treasurer of the COG board, welcomed the visitors. Matthews served as master of ceremonies and showed the slides, whose commentator was Peter Batchelor of Townscape Un ion Development Services. Inc.. director of the study of the down town areas. The study was commis sioned in April 1978. The Revitali /ation project is being conducted by the City of Raeford with the Downtown Revitalization project is being conducted by the city of Raeford with the Downtown Revi talization Committee of the Rae ford-Hoke County Chamber of Commerce. Charles "Chueh" Niedringhaus of the COG staff also participated Visiting city and county managers with Hoke County Manager James Martin [right] and Raeford City Manager Ron Matthews [sixth from left ] at city equipment display in Raeford just before going into City Hall for their luncheon meeting, November 26. in the luncheon meeting. The photos showed downtown Raeford and the commentary pointed to the detects. They also showed drawings of proposed changes the report recommends to make downtown attractive and convenient for pedestrians so they will spend more time downtown shopping. Matthews told the audience that the city will apply for federal funds to help pay for the revitalization. but that the revitalization will be done even if the city does not get the federal grant. The amount of the grant which will be sought has not been determined. The applica tion will be prepared by Nedring haus for filing January 12 following three public hearings in Raeford. The first was held the night of November 25. The others will be held December 8 and 22. Matthews also said that the improvements that have been made in recent times to the city could not have been made without the help of the three major industries here burlington Menswear, Faberge, Inc.. and House of Raeford. He referred to the industries' heavy contributions to the city's economy. An $8,200 contract to complete Phase I of the Revitali/ation project with Townseape was authorized November 3 by the Raeford City Council. Batchelor will direct the work . The recommendations listed in the presentation include essentially beaut ification of the downtown area by landscaping and by putting overhead wires and underground; diverting non-local truck traffic from Main Street between Edin borough and Central Avenues; The recommendations listed in clude. generally, among many things, beautification of the dowh town area by landscaping, restoring building fronts, and removing over head wires, which also would remove their poles; diverting non local truck traffic from Main Street, and making other changes in the traffic pattern; and esta blishing a community center with (See OFFICIALS, page 10) At First Of Th ree Public Hearings Revitalization Plans Described About 40 Raet'ord business owners and operator's heard Raeford's Downtown Revitalization project described the night of November 24 in the City Council chambers in City Hall. A slide presentation of photos and drawings in color was given to illustrate the project. The presentation described the study and recommendations made for rehabilitating the central business section to encourage people to shop at leisure. The study was made by Peter Batchelor of Townscape Union Development Services, Inc., of Board To Meet The December meeting of the Hoke County Board of Education will be held December 9 starting at 7 p.m. instead of on the regular date, the first Tuesday. Mina Townsend and Ruth Raleigh with a team of students from North Carolina State Uni versity. The project is being eon ducted by the Town of Raeford with the Downtown Revitalization Committee of the Raeford - Hoke County Chamber of Commerce. Earl Fowler, chamber manager, conducted the meeting. Batchelor also participated in the meeting with Charles "Chuck" Niedringhaus of the Lumber River Council of Governments staff; Rae ford city officials, and the Re vitalization Committee. The meeting was the first of three public hearings which will preccde December 9 McNair will be sworn in for new four-year terms on the board just before the meeting starts. They were reelected to the board in the November 4 general elect ions. Santa House Plans Are Announced The Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad depot building will be decorated and used for Santa House, sponsored by the Raeford Merchants Association. The association's regular meeting for November was held November 25. The plans were an nounced after the meeting. Santa will be in residence in the near future, and plans are being made to have a professional photographer make pictures of children with Santa. A mail box for letters to Santa also will be in the Santa House. During the meeting. Earl Fowler, manager of the Raeford Hoke County Chamber of Com merce, will cooperate with the association and contribute finan cial aid. Merchants will offer prizes, and registration will be held in all par ticipating stores. Each gift will be provided in a separate drawing from the names of people registered. Beginning December 25, most stores will remain open daily till 8 p.m. The next meeting of the associa tion will be held Dwember 23. the tiling of an application January 12 for a federal Community De velopment block grant to help pay lor the project. Niedringhaus will prepare the application. The amount the city will ask for has not yet been decided on. Fowler said the revitalization of downtown will be done, however, whether the city gets a grant or not. The November 25 meeting was principally to familiarize with the project Raeford people w ho had not been in touch with it. The City Council at its November 3 meeting adopted a motion to contract with Townscape to com plete Phase I of the Revitalization project at a cost of $8,200. Batche ior, who will handle the work, among other things will confer with downtown property owners on recommended changes to improve appearances of buildings. The other public hearings are scheduled for December 8 and 22, in the council chambers. F.ach is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. The recommendations for re vitalization include: --Restoring fronts of buildings to their original attractive states. --Placing above store fronts canopies that will allow light through to sh'>w display windows (eliminating darkness). ?Diverting non-local truck traf fic from Main Street between Edinborough and Central avenues. --Establishing landscaped pedestrian walkways, shade trees, and brick crosswavs for pedestrians to use in crossing the streets, and repaving sidewalks with brick: also, establishing planters and a system of street furniture, the latter con centrated in a single /one. --Building a community center with recreation facilities in the downtown area. --Coordinating signs so they don't compete with each other. --Removing overhead wires. ?Correcting the confusion of street signs. --Establishing south of the rail road crossing Main a community park and landscaped walkways. --Establishing a service lane system for utilities and vehicles, and parking lots around the system. --Providing pedestrian walkways through buildings from Main Street to parking lots. These would encourage potential shoppers to leave their cars parked and walk in the shopping area. --Continuing to provide pedestrian walkways. -?Extending development of the business district northward and southward on Main. The report also recommends the Revitalization start on the section of Main bounded by Central and Flwood Avenues. The downtown study, coni (See PLANS, page 10) Draft Registration To Reopen The U.S. Postal Service an nounces that the local post office will continue to assist in the Selective Service registration pro gram. All males born in 1%2 will be required to register between Jan uary 5 and January 10 (inclusive), Beginning on January 5, all males will be required to register within 30 days (preceding or follow ing) of their 18th birthday. The Hoke County commissioners Monday adopted a resolution au thorizing applying for a federal grant to finance a study of potential sites in the county for new industry. The motion to adopt the resolu tion stipulated that the grant not exceed $30,000. Earl Fowler, manager of the Raeford-Hoke County Chamber of Commerce, pointed to the relation between the study and the recently approved $720,000 federal grant to Raeford to improve the city's waste-water treatment system, in expanding Hoke County's eco nomic development. He said the waste-water system improvement was aimed to change the system to one suited for industry from one for domestic use primarily (A system capable of serving industry would of course also be capable of handling residential and other non-industrial waste). The commissioners authorized County Manager James Martin to work on an agreement on the planned application with Clenton Smith, exceutive director of the Southeastern Economic Develop ment Commission, based in Eliza bet htown. The application will be filed with the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Commerce Divi sion. The EDA also is the source of the Raeford sewer improvement grant. The EDA grant will pay 75 per cent of the cost, but the county government's share of the cost will be paid "in kind." -- providing office space and services for ex amples ? rather than in cash. Of the approximate $900,000 estimated cost of the sewer system improvements, the city is applying for $90,000 in State Clean Water Bonds, will provide $65,000 through the sale of city bonds, and has $25,000 budgeted for the project. Like the industrial sites study grant, the EDA waste-water grant pays 75 percent of the cost. Smith, who appeared at the meeting with Ellen Gause. a project analyst on his staff, told the commissioner at first $24,000 in grant money and $8,000 in county "in-kind" payment constituted the figure planned for the application. The commissioners earlier agreed, however, that a $30,000 grant which would require $10,000 "in-kind" payment on the county's part, probably would be more than was necessary to pay for the study. Smith explained that the study would show among other things which sites would be feasible as locations on which to establish industrial facilities. Referring to the difference be tween the proposed figures for the grant, he said the $40,000 top (including federal and local shares) had been considered originally, and that $40,000 could be justified, but that the scope of the work would have to be broadened. The filing of an application, he also pointed out. does not commit the county commissioners to ac cepting a grant. Smith also said that the figure the EDA approves would not likely be the one specified in the application. He said that approval of the applica tion is expected. Under the procedure, he ex plained. the EDA will make the commissioners an offer of a gram, which the commissioners have the right to accept or reject. Smith in replying to a question put by Fowler, said after the grant is accepted, the commissioners then would employ a consultant to conduct the study. The contracting would be done after the commis sioners advertised for and received bids to provide the consultant service for a specified fee. He also said the consultant chosen need not be from outside the state. After being given the contract by the commissioner, the consultant would need to arrange the details of the work, Smith said. The process of choosing the consultant will take about 30 days, and after the consultant gets ready to stan work, the contractor pro bably would find four months plenty of time to complete it. Smith recommended that the commissioners review the study's findings at least twice before accep ting the consultant's report. Fowler described the study as a step towards orderly growth of the (See GRANT, page 10)
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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