The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, January 23, 1969, Image 2
PAGE 2—The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, January 23, 1969
1218 College St., Newberry, S. C. 29108
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
0. F. Armfield, Jr., Owner
Second-Class Postage Paid at Newberry, South Carolina
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $2.00 per year in advance.
Six Months $1.25.
Nance street
Construction
is protested
The following letter protest
ing the construction of a four-
lane highway through a resi
dential area of the city was
written to Paul W. Cobh, urban
engineer of the State Highway
Department, by Miss Juanita
Hitt, a Nance Street property
owner:
Dear Sir:
What gives me the right to
write this outspoken letter of
complaint against the proposed
four lam 1 highway through the
residential and business dis
tricts of Newberry?
I feel that I have every right
because I am a Nance Street
property owner, a tax-payer a
school teacher and a citizen
who is concerned about both
the safety of the youth of our
town and for the preservation
of tiie many things which lend
to tiie beauty of Newberry.
As a Nance Street property
owner, I feel certain that my
fee!mgs ar>' the same as the
majority of my friends and
neighbors who live on the
st reel.
We love our homes. They
aren’t just houses. With the
exception of only a few places
they are well kept and cared
for, I wonder how many of you
who are anxiously soliciting
til is super lane highway have
thought of tiie unhappiness and
insecurity this will bring into
our community.
Why a four lane highway
down a residential street? It
seems to me if the town has
the kind of money it will take
to finance such a project, that
tiie amount put out for a four
lane highway could be best in
vested into widening and re
surfacing all our streets in
town. Many of our streets are
in bad condition, so why spend
all that money on a four lane
highway when many of out
st reel s need improving ?
I can cite you one street it
paitaular that WAS paved
About ! no yards of the pave
ment on this -treed ua plowed
up. leaving a strip of pavemen*
at . i: tier > nd of tile st reet w it)
t w plowed up strip in the Ceti
ter. Tins was plowed up over
1 W (i 'i K A RS ago and tins
-trip of ire' t has never been
re paved Th I - i < 'arlisle St.
Tiie New b, ! ry High Soho.d
b a -1 ■ s- and lumber trucks going
to ; tie Newberry 1.umber <’o.
u-e tiiis -treet. Heavy traffic
111 o \ e ■' on tins S' reed , and t ile
buses and truck.- are confronted
wit it lough dn\ ing over the
deep holes of a muddy strip of
street that once was paved!
I understand that over a per
iod of years tiie town of New
berry has turned over many of
its si rmds to tiie State High
way Department. Not too man\
Nance Street residents will re
call that tiie property owm rs
paid two-thirds of the cost of
the first pavement we had on
Nance Street. It was more
than 40 years ago when Nance
Street was first paved. Th<
property owner on each sid<
of the street paid one-third tht
cost, the town of Newberry
paid ONLY one-third. The side
walk in front of our residence
was paid for altogether by the
property owner!
I cite this incident for pure
ly a personal reason only—
when the town of Newberry
needed to construct a new and
more adequate water line down
Nance street in 19G7, I was
asked about the removal or the
four beautiful trees between
the sidewalk and street in
front of my home. I raised the
question—“Why can’t the wa
ter line be laid under the
Nance Street pavement instead
of tad ween the sidewalk and
street?” The answer I received
was, “We can’t lay it there be
cause of the State Highway
right-of-way.” I didn’t fail to
remember that I had paid one-
third of the cost for the origi
nal pavement in front of my
home. My three beautiful
shade trees and a bearing pe
can tree were destroyed. I was
led to believe by Mr. Riebe,
City Manager, and other city
officials that no further foot
age would be taken from my
property—and, now we are
faced with the tremendous
problem of having our entire
yards taken. I am especiall.
concerned about this for mam
of our beautiful yards and wel
kept lawns are at stake. I havt
prided i ,yself for having a
pretty yard for passers-by to
enjoy. I have always felt that
this was the one feeble way
I could be a good citizen—to
do my part to keep Newberry
beautiful.
Many years ago I planted my
yard with a purpose in mind. I
figured that by the time I re
tinal I could enjoy the full
growth and beauty of the
shrubs and bulbs I had plant
ed. Over a period of years
there is an investment of sev
eral thousand dollars in plant
ings of trees, camellias, aza
leas and rare flowering bulbs.
How many so-called appraisers
know the value of the plants
and shrubs in such a yard?
We were informed at the
meeting at Speers St. School
on December 19, 19G8, that no
parking would hr permitted on
Nance street. If Newberry were
a city and had appropriatt
(dub houses to provide place:
of meetings for our civic aim
pat riot ic orgamzat ions a n d
our church missionary circles,
t ha'll, meetings in our resid-
ce- wouldn't be neeosary.
H o\ ever, Now berry D not a
(':! V
and
\V«
■ d
on’t have s
uch
accn
mmodat ions
, therefore \\
ho
ever
a 111
■mb
; a
me.'ting at
a
Nan
re :
0 re
et
residence
will
ha vt
1 no
place
to park! 1 s
up-
!>,> a
this
no
parking” g
o e s
fi '!'
fuller
als,
V (
aidings, doc11
it's
calls
ami
1 V
, hat
have you.
Be
'eausi
■ I
am
a teaclmr I
am
o \
ery
eoner r
nrd about
t he
\n»uth of
Nr
w!h
wry those b
1 '.vs
and
girls
w
ho
would have
to
rn is
' a
foil
r lane highway
to
get
to S
pee
■rs
Street Elemen-
t ary
Srh<
Mil
am
1 to Newbe
rry
High
i Sell
ool.
A
four-lane high
way
could 1
>ecome the perfect
speedway
f
Patrolled?
os
but here again I cite the unnec
essary added expense. It i-
very difficult now to secure
a police patrol—What would it
be to hire additional help?
What value do you place on
a little child’s life? Not even
a road paved in solid gold and
studded with diamonds eoulc
pay the price of a child's life.
As a teacher in my community
for 43 years, I have had the
Newberry youth ever present
in my heart—I will speak forth
my mind and even fight to pro
tect. them from the dangers
and hazards of a super high
way in the very doors of the
schools which they attend.
“The Best Jail in the
State” seems to be in jeopardy
also. The problem of building
a new jail is the concern of
every tax-payer in Newberry
County. My tax dollars are
hard earned and I don’t approve
using one penny of my tax for
such an extravagant move as
to build a new jail.
“The Memorial Square” is a
sacred spot. It is the small but
loving way in which the Am
erican Legion paid a tribute
to “our boys,” some of whom
sleep in honored glory in for
eign soil. I have a feeling that
taking one inch from the Dough
Boy Square would be cheating!
It is now a beautiful spot. The
town, the Civic League and
the American Legion have
spent several thousand dollars
to make it a beauty spot. Just
when the beautification of the
Square is beginning to mature,
we have those who would plow
up the space along McKibben
Street.
The Square has not always
been a beauty spot—and, I call
it the Memorial Square, altho
I understand of late the name
“Plaza” has been projecte.
Yes, the Square was an un
sightly ugly sight before the
American Legion chose to place
the Doughboy there. It was a
parking lot for mules and wag
ons. Again, I say the Memorial
Square is a sacred spot.
We should not tamper with
one inch of it!
The proposal as printed on
the various broehu:es and
maps submitted by the High
way Department read, “The
IMPROVEMENT of Nance
street”!
I challenge anyone who refers
to this as “Improvement.”
“Destruction” is a mild word
to use.
The town will be vulnerable
for many damage suits. This
is most liable to happen for
so much property along the
route involved will be cheap
ened and depreciated in value.
Suits can and will be brought
against the towm including the
council. Of course, if the town
has the kind of money it will
take to build such a highway,
it would be no problem to set
tle damage suits.
We who live on Nance St.
are certainly not happy with
the situation. This was defin
itely proven at the public meet
ing.
I trust that those in au
thority will take a long hard
look and think deeply to give
us the consideration that will
be needed to keep Newberry a
friendly, safe and beautiful lit
tle' town.
Thank you very much for
being patient and kind enough
to read a letter of complaint
from a life-long Newberry cit
izen.
Vousden named
Relocation
Coordinator
The South Carolina Highway
Department has moved toward
putting together a team to deal
with what inevitably will be a
significant part of any major
highway project from now on.
Even ahead of the anticipated
passage of legislation to bring
the state into compliance with
the relocation assistance as
pects of the 19G8 Federal Aid
Highway Act. the Department
has named a relocation coordi
nator.
The relocation ass.stance op-
■ration will come under th''
right-of-way section, headed by
ROW engineer Sidney O. Hol
st ('in.
The r elocation coordinator is
John A. Vousden, a 48-year-
old native of Atlanta, who join
ed the Highway Department as
a right-of-way agent in 1958
after many years in forestry
work, including land manage
ment and land acquisition.
His years with the Depart
ment have included both urban
and rural, primary and secon
dary, right-of-way assignments.
In 1964, he was promoted to
reviewing appraiser, a title he
held until his recent promotion
to the relocation coordinator’s
job. f
“Relocation will be a ‘people
program largely, translating
the requirements of the Fed
eral Act and of our own re
location legislation into actual
practice—helping homeowners
and tenants who must vacate
their homes for a highway in
the public interest, to obtain
decent, safe and sanitary hous*
ing,” Mr. Vousden said.
It will be a “tough” assign
ment in any event, he added.
"There will be problems,” Mr.
Vousden said.
He brings to the job his ex
perience in right-of-way work
and his experience in forestry,
which was to a large degree or
iented toward land acquisition,
while with Union Bag and Pa
per Company following gradua
tion from the University of
Georgia in 1912 (and after
World War II service) with the
U. S. Forest Service, for a
year; and with West Virginia
Pulp and Paper Co. 1955-1958.
He has a bachelor of science
degree from Georgia and his
master’s in forestry from Duke
University, 1948.
In addition, he has complet
ed Course I, offered at the
University of Virginia; Course
II, at the University of Chic
ago, and Course III, at Clem-
son University, in the study
program of the American Ins
titute of Real Estate Apprai
sers. He was recently made a
senior member of the American
Right-of-Way Association, rec
ognizing his 10 years of ex
perience in the field. There are
only two others similarly hon
ored in the Department, and
only five in South Carolina.
At Greenwood, where he and
Mrs. Vousden, the former Jua
nita Shealy of Newberry and
their two children, Claudia, 11
and Helen 10, have lived for
some years, he was active in
the Masonic order, including all
the York Rite bodies and the
Shrine, and in the First Pres
byterian church. They are mov
ing to Whitehall, in Lexington
county.
CROUCH RITES
HELD TUESDAY
Charles Coleman Crouch, 60,
of Greenwood, died Sunday
morning. Funeral services were
held Tuesday with burial in
Salem Methodist church ceme
tery.
His survivors include two
sisters, Mrs. Margaret Bowles
and Mrs. T. F. Werts of Silver-
street.
BIRTH OF SON
Mr. and Mrs. Tommie Riley
of 629 Hooken Circle, West
Columbia, announce the birth
of a son, Douglas Eugene, on
Thursday, December 19. They
have two other sons, Thomas 10
and Donald 5. Mrs. Riley is the
former Miss Shirley Berley of
Newberry.
Auditor’s 1969
Tax Assessment
Notice
I, or an authorized agent, will
be at the following places on
the dates given below for the
purpose if taking tax returns
on all personal property (vehi
cles, boats, motors, trailers, mo
bile homes, farm machinery,
livestock, etc.); also real prop
erty, new buildings, and real
estate transfers. Persons own
ing property in more than one
district must make returns for
each district.
All able-bodied male citizens
between the ages of twenty-one
and sixty are liable to $1.00 poll
tax, unless in service or a stu
dent.
PROSPERITY (HAMM
HARDWARE CO.)
Thursday, January 23, 1969.
At the Auditor’s Office until
March 1st. After this date the
books will be closed for taking
returns.
JEANETTE K. HAMM
Auditor Newberry
County.
What happens when a house that has gone up in
value, goes up in smoke? As a rule, the owner
doesn t blame himself if he is under-insured.
He blames his agent!
That s why we caution our customers periodi
cally that rising replacement costs require addi
tional insurance protection. We would like to
be your agent.
“YOUR PRIVATE BANKERS”
1418 Main Street Phone 276-1422