4 Archdale-Trinity News
THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010
Does Congress know what they voted for? ArchdaleS Eddie Trinity en. Kay Hagan disappointed with bickering. Well, doesn’t that headline just say it all!
News Founded in 1978 Kathy Stuart Editor Phyllis East Reporter Betsy Feldman Reporter Robyn Hankins Reporter Debbie Hightower Reporter Elizabeth Saunders Reporter Lynn Wagner Advertising Director 888-3545 Elizabeth Hyde Advertising Manager 888-3567 Donna Prawel Ad Sales 888-3596 dprawel@hpe.com 3407B Archdale Road Archdale, NC 27263 Phone: 434-2716 E-mail: atn@hpe.com www.archdaletrinitynews.net Submit letters to the editor at the above address. Please include a local address and telephone number.
With all this talk about health-care reform, I decided to do my own research. In a newspaper article, Sen. Hagan said she was disappointed about health care bickering and that it could be easily be solved if representatives would spend more time in D.C. and less time in their home states. Apparently she wants less time here in North Carolina. In an e-mail to Hagan, I wrote that I don’t want more Washington influence here at home, I want less. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, H.R. 3590, is a fiscally responsible plan that will reduce the deficit by nearly $132 billion in the next 10 years,” her e-mail reply stated. She wrote nothing about the cost, $848 billion over the next 10 years, which will be offset by new taxes and revenues. Hagan reiterated that the cost of malpractice insurance would save money, that no rationing of health care would occur, and I should go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ for a better understanding of the facts. Well how about that! All this time I thought that we were still under a representative government! The majority of North Carolinians never backed this bill and the facts were never dis-
Constituent praises Coble’s stand To the editor, I want to thank my Congressman Howard Coble for standing up against the Obama Healthcare Plan this past weekend. At a time when Americans are outraged at their government because it seems the majority of our legislators do not listen to the people they are supposed to represent, I am proud that Congressman Coble listens to his constituents and votes accordingly. Congressman Coble comes home every weekend to be with the people he represents so well. He can be found
at parades, barbeques, town meetings, grand openings, meeting with constituents, eating breakfast at the local restaurant, and he is never too busy to say hello and ask how you are doing. He cares, at a time when it feels like no one else does. I wish we had 434 Representatives just like him. I am pleased and honored to call Howard Coble my Congressman, and that is why I will vote for him on May 4.
Letter
to the editor
MOVIE
Kathy Huffine Greensboro, NC
closed. Many representatives voted for this bill without reading it, because the bill was held back in Congress. I called and talked with Rep. Howard Coble, Sen. Richard Burr, as well as others in Congress and all said that this was a bad bill! Reform is needed, but this was not the way to do it. The bill is too expensive, it is not well thought out and just not the right time. This nation is in the middle of hard times. Neighbors are out of work and losing their homes and benefits. The nation’s deficits are astronomical and ballooning out of control to the point of destruction. Spending another trillion at this time is criminal. The number of unemployed is hovering around 12 percent in North Carolina. However, that number does not give a clear picture. People have run out of benefits and have given up trying to find a job. Some are underemployed, and are no longer counted as being unemployed. A more likely number is about 20 to 23 percent. Who will pay their insurance premiums? It will probably take two to three years to regain the employment numbers that we had, but without employers like GM, Ford and the aircraft industry, all the manufacturing jobs will never come back, and that’s where wealth was made. My job is in transportation. The company has fewer employees and has no intention of hiring in the near future. Until trucking picks up, our economy will not, and unem-
Hightower My View
ployment will not improve. And, well, I don’t feel that requiring small businesses to provide insurance benefits for their employees is going to stimulate job growth. Like many good southerners, I like to drink tea but I am not at all interested in attending a tea party. My belief is that the proper way to communicate my opinion is to contact my representatives. Their recent decision takes Congress from a representational government to a dictatorial government. I want my country back and our jobs back from China, Mexico and other countries. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening. I’m done. I’m getting off my soapbox. I know that there are no easy answers. Now I have something in common with Kay Hagan — I’m disappointed, too.
Archdale-Trinity Chamber’s ‘Lunch with Lawmakers’ April 12 ‘D
o you have questions for your lawmakers?’ asks the ArchdaleTrinity Chamber of Commerce. ‘Then join them for lunch.’ The Chamber will host “Lunch with the Lawmakers” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday, April 12, at Crossroads Family Restaurant, 10210 N. Main St. in Archdale. The lunch provides an opportunity to meet elected officials in the N.C. Legislature — Rep. Pat Hurley, Rep. Harold Brubaker and Sen. Jerry Tillman — and find out what is happening in the state government.
Rep. Hurley represents District 70, which includes Archdale. Rep. Brubaker represents District 78, which includes Trinity. Sen. Tillman represents District 29, which includes Randolph County and part of Montgomery County. The cost is $10 per person for Chamber members and $15 for non-members, which includes lunch. The event is open to the public, but space is limited. To reserve a seat, call the Chamber at 434-2073 by Wednesday, April 7. For more information, visit www.archdaletrinitychamber.com.
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about 1960, when he was little. “I remember him setting me up on the hood of Joe Weatherly’s Pontiac.” Gary Lewallen had looked around at Fred Lorenzen, Richard Petty and a bunch of other drivers. “I looked up and said, ‘I’m having a good time!’” Lewallen, who is also executive producer of Red Dirt Rising, hopes that everybody has that kind of good time at the premier. After the race, Matt Dylan will perform a live concert. His song “Carolina Moonshine” is featured on the movie soundtrack and on the Archdale-Trinity News Web site at www.archdaletrinitynews.
net. At dusk, the movie will be shown on the track. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.historicnws. com/tickets. The cost is $18.25 for adults ($15 plus online fee), $11.25 for children age 6 to 15 ($8 plus fee). Tickets include all the day’s events except for the driving school. Tickets at the gate will be $20 for adults and $8 for children 6 to 15. Children under 6 get in free. Red Dirt Rising’s producers and marketing team are finalizing theatrical release and DVD release with distribution companies.
Gary Lewallen races in the No. 56 car, in the first race of the Legendary Flathead Ford series at South Boston Speedway, March 20. Photo submitted
Landfill proposal could save taxpayers some ‘cha-ching’ I
f the Randolph County landfill becomes a regional facility, it could mean a 2- to 3-cent tax decrease.
BY ROBYN HANKINS The Randolph County Commissioners discussed the possible ramifications of expanding the landfill and accepting solid waste from other counties at their annual retreat, held March 20 at Randolph Community College in Asheboro. Public Works Director David Townsend broached the subject of expanding the county landfill off of Henley Country Road. “It may be time for Randolph County to consider opening a regional facility,” Townsend told the Commissioners. “We’re only using 275 acres out of 600. There are not a lot of neighbors, no subdivisions, it has lots of natural buffers and is downstream (from residences).” Townsend added that typically the host county pays no tipping fees, and that he knew Chatham County and the city of Greensboro were looking for a new place to ship solid waste. “Internally, we don’t have enough to make (expansion) cost effective,” he added. “But if we accept out-of-town waste, that
changes everything.” “We could reduce taxes by 2 to 3 percent,” mused Commissioner Phil Kemp. “It’s already going past us,” said Commissioner Darrell Frye, who represents Archdale and Trinity. “Asheboro is the center of the state, the highways go north to south and east to west. The trucks (carrying other counties’ waste) are already passing us.” Kemp pointed out that nearby residents concerned about well contamination could be easily connected to municipal water because the pipes are in place. Those counties could save on fuel costs and vehicle maintenance by delivering their trash to Asheboro, Frye added. Moreover, by becoming a regional facility, Randolph County would not only make money, it would save money. According to its 2009-2010 budget, Randolph County pays $44 per ton, more than $2 million per year, in tipping fees. Most of this money is paid to Montgomery County, which is where Randolph County sends its 250 tons of garbage each day. The state also charges $2 per ton for administrative costs. Waste is transported out of county because Randolph County’s
landfill, closed in 1997, is unlined. The state requires landfills be lined to protect the environment, and landfills across the state had to convert to transfer stations unless they spent the money to upgrade their facilities. Townsend said to break even the county would need to receive 750 tons of garbage per day, but that as a regional facility it could make significantly more money if it took in closer to 2,000 tons per day. The permitting process for a lined landfill can take up to four years. However, Townsend said the actual construction would only take six to eight months. “We need to think 20 to 30 years down the road,” he added. “Garbage is not going away and locating landfills is getting harder.” As a regional facility, Randolph County could also produce enough methane gas to sell. “Sixty percent of Randolph County’s waste is industrial and does not create methane,” he explained. “But if we become a regional facility, it’s a whole new ball game.” The Commissioners want citizen input on this issue. To submit an opinion, call 819-3300 or visit www.co.randolph.nc.us.
PERMITS
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“The question is, can we continue to allow more than one truck? That violates our existing zoning ordinance,” Bailie explained. According to the city’s zoning ordinance, parking two or more tractor-trailer rigs on one property constitutes a trucking terminal — which is not allowed in residential areas. Bailie said City Attorney Bob Wilhoit was investigating the city’s options. “We’re either gonna allow this or not,” Councilman Robbie Sikes pointed out during the nearly two-hour long meeting. “Let’s move ahead, we’ve tied up too much time with it already.” “If we stay with the motion I made and answer the questions asked about tractors and trailers (provided by city staff), to me that’s the simplest way,” said Councilman Kelly Grooms. Grooms later added that a neighborhood can enforce restrictive covenants where tractor-trailer rigs are prohibited. Grooms’ motion, made at the February meeting, to permit existing truckers only, required that the trucker own the property and the truck. At the meeting, however, Council agreed that trucks owned by spouses or children, who can prove residency at the property and who have a valid commercial driver’s license, are eligible for a permit. The Council also agreed that leased trucks are ineligible for a permit, but trucks and trailers can be replaced. The city’s stormwater ordinances already prohibit illicit discharge or motor oil, anti-freeze and other substances, said Stormwater Administrator Rich Baker, but Council agreed to duplicate the language in the ordinance. This means that truckers cannot perform major maintenance on their trucks while parked at the residence. Baker also pointed out that trailers containing hazardous material are not allowed to park outside designated areas by federal law, so it is not necessary to include that in the ordinance. According to Bailie, the permits will have to be renewed every year. Permits will not be renewed if the driver does not own a truck at the time of renewal, if the property where the truck is parked changes ownership, if the driver loses his or her CDL or if the property owner receives two or more city zoning citations. Council will hold a public hearing on this at its next regular meeting set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 20.