Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Nov. 6, 1991, edition 1 / Page 1
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\ The ews I'he 30th issue of our 83rd year RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA 25 CENTS Wednesday, November 6,1991 City okays Extension, not recreation use of Turlington School City councilmen approved Hoke County’s request to put Cooperative Extension and Veter ans’ Services offices in Turlington School Mon day night, but turned down a request to use the school’s gym to house a recreation center. 'I'he proposed recreation center drew protests from many of the school’s neighbors at a Plan ning and Development Commission (PDC) hearing last month on the county’s request. Tlie county asked for a conditional use permit to place extension and veterans’ offices, a recre ation program and Sandhills Community College on Turlington’s campus. The county has to get a permit because the neighborhood is zoned for residential use. The county will get Turlington from the Hoke County School Board when middle school stu dents and teachers move to a new school over winter break. County Manager Barry Reed said the County needs the office space at Turlington to make room in the T. B. lister Building (where exten sion and vet services offices are now) for six new, state-mandated social services offices. The PDC voted 4-2 to recommend City Coun cil approve the county’s request. “You can grant all, none or some” of the proposed uses, Reed said Monday night. Reed appealed to the council’s taxpaying instincts: if the county can’t use Turlington for offices, it will have to build them, he said. “'The bare minimum would be 4(X) to 500 thousand dollars,” he said. But it was the proposed recreation center that had neighbors up in arms and which drew the most pointed questions from councilmen. Reed tried to calm fears — expressed during the PDC hearing — the center would draw bored youths to hang around the neighborhood outside Turlington’s gym. The center would have an annual user fee — as much as $100 per family, Reed said. “Because of that...the facility won’t have any (See'TURLINGTON, page 11) Election leaves Hedgpeth, McDuffie out Booker, Phillips gel seats Kim Howell and Jim Guy monitor the results of election returns last night at the offices of The News-Journal. Christinas help apphcations to be taken Share Your Christma.s, an an nual drive to make Christmas spe cial for Hoke families who can’t do so for themselves, will take appli cations next week. Needy families may apply No vember 15, 16, 22, and 23 at the Hoke Reading/Literacy Council on \V. Elwood Avenue in downtown Raeford, said organizer Kay Tho mas. Share YourChristmas, which ran into a crisis last year when no civic (See CHRISTMAS, page 8) Military land use plan rejected County commissioners turned down a plan placing restrictions on develop ment near military bases. The board denied a request to adopt recommendations of a report issued by a joint military-local government study group. Tlie Join tCompatible Land Usc Study recommends, among other things, that Hoke County change its building codes to resuict development in areas near Fort Bragg where noise from exploding artillery shells is particularly bother some. “1 sec this as trying to shift some of the responsibility for tlicir noise on our doorstep,” said Lewis Upchurch, presi dent of Upchurch Milling Co., which owns land and developments in north ern Hoke County. The study group also suggested changing the county building code in those noisy areas to make new buildings more soundproof. Upchurch said he doubted builders could soundproof buildings near Fort Bragg; he said he owned an old house with walls 14-inches thick and still the vibrations from Bragg artillery rattle the windows and crack the plaster. Patric Zimmer, planning director for Raeford and Hoke County, doubted the county could Uike any reasonable steps to satisfy the study group’s recommen dation. “\Vc could possibl y put together some regulations later on,” Zimmer said, “but to enforce anything, from what they say, would Just about be impossible.” Commissioners showed concern that a regional committee, which die study group recommended, could take some of their authority away. “I wouldn’t be comfortable if 1 Uiought we were relinquishing any con- uol over our latid,” said Commissioner Tom Howell. Army and Air Force representatives have already refused to accept the study group’s recommendation they reimburse land owners and developers for lower ing land values near bombing ranges and flight paths. (Sec LAND USE, page 11) n 3 Good day for a walk Sotne 100 walkers took part in the March of Dimes Walk America event Saturday. The group walked nearly four miles, shown here leaving from ”Raefords got to grow” —Steve Phillips “I would like to see some recreation for the fads in this town” —Ken Booker R aeford’s City Council will sport two new members when councilmen are sworn in. Ken Booker and Steve Phillips beat incumbents Vardell Hedgpeth and Earl McDuffie in city elections last night to join returning incumbents Eddie McNeill and Joe Upchurch. Incumbent mayor Bob Gentry beat challenger Keith Ryan to stay on as Raeford’s mayor. Gentry, who was appointed to the late John K. McNeill’s seat as mayor, will fill out the last two years of McNeill’s term. Eddie McNeill, who ran unopposed to fill out the last two years of Bob Gentry’s old council seat (the council appointed McNeill to the seat after it appointed Gentry to the mayor’s seat), was the highest vote-getter with 573. Joe Upchurch got the highest number of votes for a candidate running for one of the three opposed seats with 435 (Chan, Page 4). Upchurch was followed by Booker with 409, Phillips with 367, Hedgpeth with 336 and McDuffie with 287. In the mayor’s race. Gentry beat Ryan 392 to 274. Gentry made a strong showing in all three precincts, including Ryan’s own Raeford 1. But Raeford 1 favored challengers for the council race: Ken Booker got 219 votes and Steve Phillips got 1^4, compared to 157 for Hedgpeth and 104 for McDuffie. Steve Phillips, a teacher at Fayetteville Technical Community College, said the election shows Raeford is ready for a change. “I think definitely with two new people on the board it sends a message to the board that voters are dissatisfied and are looking for a change,” Phillips said. Two of Phillips' top goals for the coming years are “cooperation with the county and recruitment of industry and businesses to Raeford.” “Raeford’s got to grow,” he said. “We’ve got to offer businesses perks.” “The market is very competitive...and if we can offer incentives for businesses to locate here, it behooves us,” Phillips said. “Our future depends on it.” “I thinJc there are a couple of industries looking right now and 1 feel if those industries were enticed, we could get one or two of them,” he said. “We don’t want to become just a bedroom community for Fayetteville.” Booker, a meat inspector for the U.S. Deparonent of Agricul ture, also looks forward to changes. He said Raeford should take an “upward direction.” He also cited cooperation with the count) as a high goal and said the city should work on cooperating with businesses, too. He (See ELECTION, page 4) Around Town Hoke High School. Money from the walk goes to prevent birth defects. 'fhe weather was fine for outdoor activities Saturday, but it was coolerand rainy Sunday. The thermometer took a plunge Monday and the high was in the low 50s. The lows Monday and Tues day nights were in the 20s. Thiscouldbe a record low. The forecast calls for temperatures to be in the 50s Wednesday and Thursday with the lows at night in the 30s. Friday and Satu rday themercurywilldropagain with the highs in the 40s. We could see lows again in the 20s for these two nights. No rain is in the forecast. Maybe w inter is arriving early. ***** Don’t forget that the Bethel Ingather ing is Thursday and serving will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Raeford United MethodistChurch will have their Happy Hobby Harvest on Saturday. There will be servings at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 5 to 7 p.m. Along with the meals will be a craft sale at 9 a.m. and an auction will be held at night. So attend both these events for food and fellow ship. t t * * Don’t forget to purchase your deket or tickets for the annual Mullet Roast sponsored by the Raeford-Hoke Cham ber of Commerce and the Committee of 100. The roast will be held this year at the Hoke Civic Center on Tuesday, No vember 26 starling at 6:30 p.m. The tickets for this affair will be on sale at the Chamber office and from officers of the two organizations. Price of tfie ticket is SIO. Remember that if you can’t eat mul led then the hosts will have cliicken for you. Theswectpotatocs willonceagain be furnished by Raz Autry and accord ing to David Smith, Raz promises to have larger potatoes this year. (See AROUND, page 6)
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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Nov. 6, 1991, edition 1
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