Pensacola News Journal from Pensacola, Florida • 3

Pcnoacola Journal slorida rt Walton WIN Tuesday, March 11, 1980 TSeacb Both sides of armament museum debate predict victory By JEFF NEWELL Journal Stoff Writer FORT WALTON BEACH Squaring off for a televised election eve debate, County Commissioner Bill Peebles and Fort Walton Beach Mayor Bob Gates both predicted voters will follow their lead today in deciding the fate of the Air Force Armament Museum. The debate, moderated by Warner Cable Public Services Director Diane Conroy, drew a spirited response from Channel 6 viewers following about 15 minutes of opening comments. Peebles, insisting the question is a financial rather than patriotic issue, has long opposed the Foundation is seeking county funds rather than money from the private sector, Gates said, "Time ran out. The Air Force has extended the time and if there are any further delays, it will be gone forever." Peebles said had the foundation pushed harder for private foundation, "it could have been a different situation for the county. The tion was allowed to enter the picture to seek private financing." "We are now faced with the immediacy of losing the artifacts," said Gates.

"We'll work as hard as we can to repay the loan as soon as possible." Responding to another viewer asking why mu expenditure of $300,000 garnered through the sale of the county hospital system in 1978 for the controversial museum. He said the expenditure ranked "far lower" in priorities than did such items as airport repav-ing, county roads and road department equipment and the much-disputed Sheriffs Office Eglin Air Force Base "the single most important factor contributing to the county's economic prosperity," Gates contended the $300,000 figure represents "a loan to be repaid from receipts and donations we know we will get." Asked by a caller why the Air Force Museum seum foundation members, who the caller said "seemed influential," would not sign a note "and gamble with their own money," Gates repeated his stance that "we're only asking for a loan and we will repay it." Asked by a viewer if county commissioners had obtained an "independent market study" of the proposed museum, Peebles said it had not. Responding to a woman caller's question, Gates said charging interest on the loan would be "the wrong thing to do. The money belongs to the people of the county and we shouldn't charge ourselves interest." Gates said an estimated 100,000 visitors per year was the "best available estimate," when a caller questioned the number of. expected visitors.

Peebles said museum foundation figures regarding the number of anticipated visitors and revenues was only a "guesstimate based on the number of people who visited without charge." Gates likened the average cost to county residents as "three gallons of gas or a pound of beefsteak" saying the $300,000 sought by the foundation represented "less than one percent" of the county's $41 million budget. Peebles said the $41 million figure cited by See DEBATE, Page JC Museum vote could boost A historic Air Force fighter aircraft from the Korean War era guards the entrance to the current Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base COUNTY LOCAL REFERENDUM Da yon ftror Okaloosa County appropriating a at Indfaf S300.000.M far the construction mi an Air Force Armament Mucus? (VOTE FOR ONE) I tyit qpMMIHnlnBMHBBMMMMIiHnll -y wmwi Kmmvm mm 1 r- fit voter turnout FOR By JIM CHITWOOD Fort Walton Bureau Chiol FORT WALTON BEACH Okaloosa County voters are expected to express their presidential preference in large numbers today, but a referendum on funding the controversial Air Force Armament Museum could boost the turnout for the primary election. "I'd hope it would be more but, I would imagine we're going to have about a 50 percent turnout," Supervisor of Elections Elsie Garrett said Monday AGAINST U.S. Air Force Photo Bombing case suspect wants access to jury records as 34 precincts readied for today's 7 a.m. opening, Garrett traditionally bases her prediction on voter showing by the more than 1,400 absentees ballots her office already has processed.

The presidential preference contest has come down to a proverbial cake-walk for President Jimmy Carter on the Democratic ledger and former. Gov. Ronald Reagan on the Republican side. "The only thing left to find out is how big a margin they get," said one Democratic party regular. "I don't know about November, but we haven't had to strain our necks to beat Ted Kennedy." While the presidential race is the focal point of today's election, voters will decide the fate of a proposed $500,000 Air Force Armament Museum which has drawn as much, if not more, flak than a convention center referendum that went down in flames two years ago.

In addition, the ballot also contains two proposed amendments to the state constitution which are given about a SO-50 chance of passing. One amendment would hike the homestead exemption from from $5,000 to $25,000 for low and middle-income homeowners. The second would reduce the case load on the Florida Supreme Court. According to Garrett, of the county's 39,913 registered voters, there are See VOTE, Page 3C By JIM C'lflTWOOD j. Fort Walton Bureau Chief FORT WALTON BEACH A Fort Walton Beach man who was re-indicted in connection with the 197S bombing of the riverboat Robert E.

Lee Monday requested access to federal grand jury records, charging government agents intimidated a prospective defense witness who also has been indicted. Al P. Quails a local motel owner and contractor, who was indicted along with a Mississippi man, Robert Pasour, in December and again Feb. 28 for the riverboat bombing, allege Army Maj. Charles Whittle was "threatened with indictment unless he changed his story." U.S.

District Judge Lynn Higby now has set a trial date for the trio for April 14. Quails and Pasour had been scheduled to go to trial this week until they were re-indicted. Whittle, a "highly decorated" Vietnam war veteran stationed at Fort Bragg N.C., was indicted along with Quails and Pasour with committing "overt acts" that led to the destruction of the stemwheeler moored at Okaloosa Island. Fort Walton Beach attorney Lloyd Blue, representing Quails, filed a motion seeking access to grand juury minutes maintaining Whittle had signed an affidavit a week prior to his indictment that Dewitt Fincannon of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms pressured him to alter his story of alleged involvement in the case. Blue's request for access to grand jury records contends that "grounds may exist for a motion to dismiss the indictment because of matters occurring before the grand jury." In the affidavit, dated Feb.

22, Whittle states that he "was threatened with certain indictment through the United States Attorney's office unless he changed his story. Major Whittle was indicted February 28 after he refused to be intimidated by government agents." The motion maintains the intimidation was "improper prosecutorial pressure'' and that "the resulting indictment strongly suggests prosecutorial misconduct in the superseding indictment of February. 28." In support of the motion for access, Blue contends the affidavit by Whittle "clearly indicates that the grand jury proceedings were used as an ment to coerce and intimidate him. Specifically, it was represented to him that the United States Attorney would arrange to have him indicted or not." "Additionally, Major Whittle was informed February 21 that the grand jury had declined to indict him and yet an indictment was issued on February 28, at the next session." See BOMB, Page 3C Garbage fee increase resisted commission to either rescind it or have a hearing to let us present our side of the case." Attorney Mike Mead, representing the association, said the board's 1978 amendment to the garbage ordinance "took apartments out of residential and distinguished them as separate." Mead said the apartments owners would like a "little relief from the recent rate hike because they are different. Commissioner Mike Mitchell, however, contended the board's action in adding the increase to the apartments was "consistent" and that the increase in the lower rate apartments receive "still gives them a break." "Why raise a homeowner in a house IOV2 percent and not raise a homeowner in a condo 10'2 percent when the primary purpose of the dwelling is a residence," Mitchell said.

"They're not meat-packing plants." But Commissioner Larry Anchors said the ordinance has created "a horrible discrepancey" with the rate paid by the apartments subsidizing other commercial service. See FEES, Page 3C By JIM CHITWOOD Fort Walton Bureau Chief SHALIMAR Angry apartment owners Monday said they will request Okaloosa commissioners rescind a 10.5 percent rate increase for franchised garbage collection because the hike applies to residential service, not apartments. Akin Vanderslice, spokesman for the local apartment owners association, complained that the increase board adopted in February excluded apartments but that commissioners later included multi-unit dwellings without a hearing. The county had earlier removed apartments and condominiums from the residential rate structure, essentially putting them on a lower commercial container rate structure and setting a per-unit price. Commissioners upped the residential rate to $6.35 a month and then tacked on the increase for apartments and con-dos.

Under the county's garbage ordinance, the board does not control commercial service rates. "We're concerned about the last increase," Vanderslice said, "because we don't fall in either category, residential or commercial. We have a separate rate." Vanderslice said the apartment owners association believes the 10.5 percent hike "is not justified. We want the Board member replaced The council deferred action on two other resolutions approval of a preapplication for 73 units of low cost rentals and whether to install street breakers on city streets where requested to discourage speeding. Both items will be taken up in special session tonight at 7 p.m.

in city hall. In other action, the city awarded Raymond Lundy, the bid for rehabilitation of the house at 496 S. Savage Street, but voted to require a certified check to accompany the bid in the future as opposed to a company check. By MARY V.JONES Journal Staff Writer CRESTVIEW The city council voted 3 to 2 Monday to replace former councilman Thomas Smith on the Okaloosa Gas District Board and named Councilman Al McLain to the post. The council also voted to ask that the Gas District refund $800,000 in "windfall profits" to the four towns within the district.

The gas company is holding the excess profits sent back from the par- -ent company under federal order to refund overcharges. Staff Photo br Jiff Where the girls are has brought many students from the neighboring state where schools have a week's holiday for the Alabama Education Association's annual spring planning session. Fort Walton Beach is where the girls are, and the guys, too, from Alabama this week. Sunny weather Washington board approves county agent's appointment cant be done now because of budget restrictions. The board hired Mike Givins of Giv-ins Givins, Tallahassee certified public accounts, to audit the accounts of conty officials for 1978-79.

The cost will be $26,000, plus $500 travel expense. Sheriff Fred Peel asked the commissioners to allocate share of the Alcohol Beverage tax that reverts to the county to be allocated to the sheriffs department for law enforcement purposes. The board discussed the request, but took no official action. the U.S. Air Force; David, Selma, Gary, a student at Chipola Junior College, and Danny, a Chipley high school student Davis accepted retirement after 32 years of service with the Extension Service.

He is a native of Escambia County who served as an assistant county agent in Santa Rosa and Manatee Counties before coming to Chipley late in 1952. In other actions, the board rejected a proposal for construction of a medical arts building near Washington County Hospital The proposed building would have been leased to the hospital for $485 per unit per month for release to physicians. Brookwood Investments, of Atlanta, had offered to build the medical arts complex. The firm is to build a 120-bed nursing home nearby. Commissioners noted the decision not to build the medical complex in no way affects plans for the nursing home.

The board responded to a request from Vernon for an ambulance to be stationed there by explaining that it retiring after 27 years as county agent. Scott has been a member of Davis' staff here for 22 years. Members of the board, who had not been presented the nomination officially, approved a motion stating that they approved the Extension Service's nomination, "if the nominee is L.M. Scott" An Extension Service representative is expected here Tuesday to officially present the nomination. The board is expected then to accept the nomination officially for the record.

Scott is a native of Jackson County and a graduate of Cottondale High School. He earned a degree in agriculture from the University of Florida before joining the Extension Service. He came here as a specialist to work in the area of rural development In the meantime, he has served in several specialized areas, including 4-H and livestock. He was a beef cattle specialist working on a multi-county basis, for several years. Mrs.

Scott is the former Helen Jean Abbott of Pensacola and Round Lake. They have four sons, Michael, who is in By E.W. CARSWELL journal Staff Writer CHIPLEY Washington County Commissioners' Monday approved the appointment of L.M. Scott as county agent, subject to official receipt of his nomination by the Florida Agricultural Extension Service. Scott has been associate county agent here since 1958, after serving two years as a member of the county agent's staff in Leon County.

He succeeds J.E. (Red Davis, who is.