The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXXIV NUMBER 26 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
$8 PER YEAR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1982
Survey Backs Facility
McCain Hospital Fate Still Undecided
No decision has been made by
the State of North Carolina about
the future of McCain Hospital,
Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. told
members of a Hoke County dele
| gation Friday.
Four county residents, along
with state Senator Robert Byrd
Jordan III and Senator - elect
David Parnell, met Friday in
Raleigh with the governor and
Department of Human Resources
Secretary Dr. Sarah T. Morrow
about McCain.
The local group presented the
. results of a recent survey conducted
9 of North Carolina hospital adminis
trators and doctors, which showed
that the McCain facility should
remain open.
Following the suggestion of Dr.
Morrow, state officials are con
sidering closing the hospital and
transfering all tuberculosis patients
to community hospitals.
County residents Tom Howell,
Betsy Ann McNeill, Dr. Ramnik
k Zota and Earl Fowler met with the
* governor. AH serve on a joint
Raeford, Hoke County and Cham
ber of Commerce committee set up
to study the McCain problem.
Committee members presented
the findings of the survey which
showed overwhelmingly that there
is a need for the McCain facility.
Letters were mailed to 82 doctors
and of the 59 that responded 56
thought that McCain should stay
open, the survey showed.
Of the 26 hospital administrators
that responded to the 42 letters
mailed out, 19 in favor of the
hospital remaining open, five were
negative and two had no opinion.
Following the presentation, the
governor agreed to consider the
committee's recommendation that
McCain be funded as a 75-bed
tuberculosis facility and the
balance of the beds be used for
other state medical cases, Howell
said.
"We were pleased. Our presen
tation was good and he listened."
Howell said.
The final decision on the future
of the hospital will probably be
made next spring when the state
legislature reconvenes.
For the last five years, the human
resources department has been
considering closing McCain, how
ever, Dr. Morrow admitted during
Friday's meeting that tuberculosis
cases are on the rise in the state,
Howell said.
"Our main concerns are for the
hard core tuberculosis patients,
most of whom are on the very
bottom of the economic strata, are
resistant to drugs and are treat
ment failures in community hos
pitals," Howell said.
Many of the patients at McCain
are alcoholics or for some other
reason cannot be trusted to take
prescribed drugs, he added.
It is the state's responsibility to
care for these infectious patients.
A two-thirds majority of a Spe
cialty Hospital Task Force of 1978
which was mandated by the 1977
General Assembly recommended
after an extensive study that the roll
of McCain should be expanded.
North Carolina is still ranked
third in the nation in the indicence
of tuberculosis, the committee
report said, noting that the cost per
patient day including doctors' ser
vices was $1 65 during the last Fiscal
year.
The hospital is surveyed every
two years by the American Hospital
Associations Joint Commission ,on
Accreditation of Hospitals and has
never failed to be accredited as an
acute care facility, the report says.
Remains of the car Bobby Williams was reported driving Friday afternoon. [Staff photo by Pam Frederick. |
Two Hurt In Truck-Car Collision
Both drivers were injured when a
car and a truck collided about 1:30
p.m. Friday on U.S. 401 about
eight miles north of Raeford, the
State Highway Patrol reported.
Bobby B. Williams, 26. of
Raeford, driving the car, and
Michael Anthony McQueen, 21, of
Wagram, driving the truck, were
treated at Cape Fear Valley Hospi
tal in Fayetteville, the investigating
officer. Trooper Bill Bowden said.
The officer said Williams was
chargcd with driving left of center.
He said Williams was driving a
1976 Chevrolet north when the car
ran oft the lett side of the road,
then went back on the pavement
into the south-bound lane into the
path of the 1975 International
truck, and the vehicles collided
head on.
Bowden estimated the damages
at about S8.000 to the truck and
about $2,500 to the car.
City Doing Part F or Pound
Raeford has had a citV animal
control operation independent of
the Hoke County program but the
city cooperates with the county in
the operation of the dog pound and
the control work.
About a year ago. the city
installed a water and sewer system
at the pound, and in recent weeks
new aluminum feeding troughs
were installed for the pound's
animals. City Manager Ron Mat
thews said the city and county each
paid half of the $300 bill. He said
the troughs were ordered in August
and showed the reporter a state
ment listing the troughs and their
costs.
The troughs were ordered and
installed a couple of months ago.
before The News-Journal's report
on conditions at the dog pound and
before a letter stating the troughs
were installed as a result of the
newspaper's report were published.
The city also repairs the un paved
, road to the pound when repairs are
' needed, putting on a fresh coat of
gravel, and scraping the road
. smooth, filling in places washed out
C
by rains, Bill Sellars, city public
works director and city manager,
said.
He also said that last year the city
ran in a two-inch water line and
installed a wash-down trough. The
trough empties into the sewer
system.
The city also splits the cost of the
maintenance materials evenly with
the county, he added.
Matthews agreed with County
Health Department Director Lloyd
Home's statement in the newspa
per's October 7 report that the
animals in the pound are being
treated as humanely as the present
conditions at the pound permit.
He, like Home, said the essential
problem is the need for improve
ments to the facilities. The animals
need protection from the cold, for
one thing. The pound now has no
shelters that can be heated. Part of
the pound is roofed with metal,
providing shelter from rain and
sun.
Among other needs. The News
Journal's October 7 report indicat
ed. are more room for the animals
and is partitioning for pens, so the
larger animals can be kept separate
from the smaller, and sick animals
from the healthy.
Horne has asked the county and
city for a total of S27.000 to build a
new animal shelter. Matthews said
the city has S7.000 in its 1982-83
budget to help pay for it. The
county has been asked for the
remainder for the current fiscal
year but the county commissioners
decided the money was needed
elsewhere to help pay for roof work,
costing an estimated S63.000, at
two schools, consequently it was
not included in the county budget
that was adopted.
County Manager James Martin
has said, however, that it is possible
that money from the coi^nty capital
reserve fund could be used for the
pound, but he said that is a
decision that only the commis
sioners can make.
The city also had $5,000 for a
new pound in its budgets for each
of the previous two fiscal years.
(Sec RAEFORD. page 2)
McCain Hospital
County Zoning May Take Year
It could take 12 months before a
countywide zoning plan is de
veloped here, members of the Hoke
County Commission said Monday
night.
Prior to any plan being imple
mented, the North Carolina law
requires that "several public hear
ings be held," Commission Chair
man John Balfour said.
Balfour noted that all residents
and members of the Hoke County
Civic League, who appeared before
the commission Monday during the
regular meeting, would have ample
opportunity to comment on zoning
before its adoption.
League members attended the
meeting to go on record in op
position to strict zoning regula
tions. group spokesmen Robert
Warren said.
Zoning would infringe on the
rights of others and place a burden
on the poorer county residents.
Warren said.
All some residents can afford is a
small home or a trailer. They do
not want to be forced into a mobile
home park. Warren said, adding
that zoning would require them to
build on larger lots than they can
a ITord.
"We didn't come here to accuse
anyone, but people are upset about
not being able to build on small lots
without getting a variance. Some of
them don't even know what a
variance is." Warren said.
ymmmmss** ''Wfr
Inside Today
This is an important citizen ol
Raeford and Hoke County.
A special section paying
tribute to the county's textile in
dustries is published inside to
day's edition of The News
Journal.
The special section is publish
ed in observance of National
Textile Week.
The zoning issue came up daring
a meeting last month after a group
from the Chance Subdivision asked
the commission for assistance in
controlling development in their
area.
County Manager James Martin
was instructed to look into the
issue, and commission members
are expected to study ordinances
from surrounding counties during
the next few months.
Warren said outside the meeting
that he believed the commission
was delaying taking a stand on the
zoning issue until after the No
vember 2 election.
Monday's meeting was chosen
because league members wanted to
get the commissioners on record
about the zoning issue before the
election. Warren said.
Only Balfour and Commissioner
James A. Hunt are on the ballot for
re-election.
The <?:* io league has more than
2,000 r. ciphers, Warren said.
However. the group has never
gotten involved with the election
process anc4 !u.s never backed a
candidate in the past, he added.
"That might change," Warren
said.
Commission members would not
be responsible public officials if
they did not look at both sides of
the zoning question. Balfour said.
In the past some county residents
have been falsely promised by
unscrupulous developers that sub
division lots would have paved
roads serving them and that buyers
would be able to obtain septic tank
permits.
"I've seen people invest their
entire savings in lots where the
roads are not paved. The state
won't touch them because they are
not built up to standards," Com
missioner Daniel H. DeVane said.
"We're talking about the quality
of life in Hoke County." he added.
Warren admitted that he was not
totally against zoning, but that the
league was opposed to strict regu
lations which prohibited poorer
residents from being able to build
on smaller lots.
Audit Cleared
In other business during the
meeting, county Auditor Frank
Baker of Pittard and Perry Ac
countants told commission mem
bers that at the end of the fiscal
year on June 30 the county's
financial position was "strong."
During the last fiscal year, the
county had total revenues of over
S4.25 million and expenses of S3. 8
million.
(See COUNTY, pajie 1)
Around Town
by Sam C. Morris
I know most folks didn't get up
early enough Sunday morning to
see the frost, but they should have
seen it on Monday morning. The
temperature was in the 30s and it
was cold until the sun broke
through the clouds in mid morning.
We all hate to see the cold
weather come because it means a
fuel bill, but then again most
homes now have air conditioning
and this is also expensive with the
high cost of electricity, so maybe it
is a "can't win" situation.
* * ?
Don't forget the Ingathering
today (Thursday) at the Antioch
Presbyterian Church. There will be
both barbecue and chicken plates
and these are always the best food,
but also think about the fellowship
with all your friends.
So go out beginning at 11 a.m.
and enjoy the day with your friends
at Antioch.
? * *
The Hoke High Bucks won a
football game last Friday night
against Pinecrest. The score was
like a baseball score. 10-8. We
know that this will help the coaches
this week as they prepare tor their
next conference game.
So check your schedule and
make plans to attend the next game
at the high school stadium.
* * *
The west side of tow n is growing
and it looks as if the new shopping
center will be open before long. The
center along with the new armory
has added to the looks on the west
side of the 401 bypass.
We still haven't heard anything
definitely about the dedication of
the new armory, but we will let you
know through this column all the
details as soon as something hap
pens.
Many of the old Battery "F" men
at our fifth reunion stated that they
would like to attend the dedication
when it came and the date is set.
(Sec AROUND TOWN, page 2)