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©2001-2005 The Chatham News Publishing Co., Inc. - All Rights Reserved

 Siler City, North Carolina  (919)663-3232   

Peaking petroleum prices peeve public

By Cara Rotondaro

Recently Dana Flynt Smoak has to put a little more thought into delivering flowers.

The owner of Flynt’s Florist in Pittsboro is battling an enemy particularly harmful to a rural area like Chatham County. But when driving is part of everyday business, there are only small steps people can take to reduce the impact of staggeringly high gas prices.

“It hurts our deliveries. It’s such a rural area,” Flynt Smoak said. “We try to consolidate. We try to group three or four deliveries together at a time.”

Drivers complaining about the price of gas lately can feel justified in their grumblings. According to AAA of the Carolinas, gas prices in August are reaching new records, and they just keep going up.

Prices are significantly higher not only compared with gas prices at this time last year, but compared to just earlier this summer said AAA of the Carolinas public relations manager Sarah Davis.

On Monday, AAA reported that the price for a gallon of regular unleaded self-serve gas averaged $2.58 in the state and $2.59 in the Raleigh-Durham metro area.

Last year at this time those prices were $1.82 and $1.83 for those areas respectively for the same type of gas.  

Diesel gas costs $2.58 per gallon in the Raleigh-Durham metro area on average so far this month, said Davis, whereas last year at the same time it only cost $1.80.

“We’re setting new records each day this month,” Davis said. Gripes from those filling up regularly aren’t just a case of prices being higher overall this year, but a steep hike in August.

“Prices are dramatically higher,” she said. She reported that a month ago the average price for a gallon of unleaded gas was only $2.27 in the state.  

 “It’s definitely an eye-opener,” Siler City town manager Joel Brower said, noting that while prices have gone up and down in the past, the recent cost hike is striking.

“It seems like it’s almost double what it usually is,” he said.

Brower said that managing gas costs within town operations is a difficult task. There aren’t many feasible steps the town can take to lower the burden, he said.

“It’s certainly going to be an issue. It will increase some of our expenses,” he said. “About everything we do involves trucks, police cars, and vehicles in one way or another.”

more- See Thursday, Aug 18 paper: Vol 85, No. 38

New cell tower to improve southwest communications

By Randall Rigsbee

To increase the county’s emergency radio capabilities and eliminate poor reception areas in southwest Chatham, the county Emergency Operations Department requested and last week received authorization from county commissioners to build a 300-foot self-supporting communication tower in the Harpers Crossroads area.

The county Emergency Operations Department has received approval from the state to use 2004 Homeland Security grant funds of $104,658 towards the construction of the tower, which will accommodate sheriff, fire and EMS antennas.

The site will also support two cell telephone company’s equipment.

The tower will be built on a one-acre portion of property off Siler City-Glendon Road.

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners last week unanimously approved a request by county emergency operations director Tony Tucker on behalf of the county to construct the communications tower.

Commissioners also unanimously awarded a bid to Sabre Communications Corporation to construct the tower.

The company submitted a bid of $168,288 to perform the work. The county will use $63,630 from the general fund, which was budgeted in the 2005/06 budget, for the portion of the work not paid through the Homeland Security grant.

To accommodate the 300-foot tower, county commissioners also approved an amendment to the county’s communications tower ordinance to allow towers up to 300 feet in some parts of the county when a public benefit is substantiated and the request is made by a government agency.

Tobacco growers cling to crop despite buyout from farmers

By Joseph Pardington

The 2004 tobacco buyout effectively ended the federal tobacco program, but it did not chase all the Chatham tobacco farmers out of business.

In fact about 75 percent of the tobacco growers from 2004 are still in business, said Claudia Alston of the Farm Service Agency, which is a part of the United States Dept. of Agriculture.

Chatham has about 15-20 tobacco farms, mostly in the southeast part of the county, and a couple near Wilsonville, Alston said. Some of the tobacco farmers have farms in Chatham and Lee counties, she said, and some have rotated their fields to Lee this year.

Before the $10.1 billion federal buyout, farmers could only grow tobacco if they had an allotment, and the federal government also supported tobacco, through quotas and price controls, Alston said. Since the buyout has come through, anybody can grow, and there is no limit on how much they can grow, she said.

But there is a catch: finding a buyer.

“Here’s the thing: you have to have a place to sell it,” Alston said. “You have to get in touch with tobacco companies. Contracts are in the spring.”

And it is not enough to grow the green leafy tobacco crop, she said.

“You have to sell it to someone who can process it. Green leaf does not do much good on its own.”

In 2004, Chatham County produced about 1.04 million pounds of tobacco, up from 929,000 pounds in 2003. It’s too early to tell what the yield will be in 2005 as the crop year started July 1 for flue-cured tobacco. The two-year trend was to grow more tobacco on fewer acres, from 2003 to 2004.

more- See Thursday, Aug 25 paper: Vol 85, No. 39

Town of Siler City acquires more customers

Beginning Nov. 1, Chatham County utility customers who live northwest of Siler City will become customers of the Town of Siler City.

Approximately 213 customers along Bish Road, Coleridge Road, Jordan Grove Church Road, N. Old 421, and Stockyard Road will be affected, according to Chatham County officials.

“Response time and the town’s expertise in sewer were our biggest considerations in reaching the decision to turn over these lines to the town,” said Chatham County utilities director Will Baker.

Earlier this year, the county and town negotiated the transfer of utility lines and the customers along them. In exchange, the Town of Siler City agreed to take over maintenance of sewer lines along Stockyard Road.

Residents should see a faster response time from the Town of Siler City. They may also see slightly lower water bills.

In order to serve this area, Chatham County had to purchase water from Siler City. Now residents will be purchasing water directly from the town.

To accomplish a smooth transition, the county and town are working together over the next couple of months. On Wednesday afternoon, the county began placing hangers on the doors of effected customers.

In September, town employees will accompany the county to help them become familiar with the location of meters.

In October, customers will receive a final bill from Chatham County. Siler City also bills monthly for utility service. Customers in the effected area will get their first town bill in November.

Customers are still responsible for paying their last county bill. Siler City will disconnect service for nonpayment.

“We hope this will be a good situation for all concerned,” Baker said.

Customers with questions may contact Baker at 542-8270 or Terry Green, Siler City public works director, at 742-4732.

The Chatham News

is Published Every Thursday by The Chatham News Publishing Co, Inc at

303 West Raleigh Street, Siler City, NC 27344, (919)663-3232

Alan D. Resch Editor-Publisher

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