April 2005 The Shoreline Page 3
3 to 2 Vote Keeps Funds in Reserve
By Yvette Bannen
A CAMPUS IN COMMON - Frank Wallace of PKS (at right in back row) and other
alumni of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland were on hand to greet
these 12 current SUNY - Cortland students when they arrived on the Crystal Coast to
help build Habitat homes. Next to Wallace is his sister, Veronica, SUNY-Cortland
Alumni Help Welcome
Continued from page I
unselfishness in spending their spring
break to further the work of Habitat for
Humanity. The local Habitat affiliate is
currently building three houses in the area,
one in Morehead City, another in Havelock,
and a third in Cape Carteret. The roster of
local Habitat volunteer builders includes a
goodly number of PKS residents.
The SUNY-Cortland students
comprised the first of several groups of
collegians making their way to the Crystal
Coast this year to pitch in with Habitat.
Brophy and Kihlstrom.
Take a look at the working careers of
Bill Brophy and Bob Kihlstrom and you
come away with the feeling that this pair
is overqualified for their current jobs as
parttime maintenance men for the Town
of Pine Knoll Shores.
For 21 years Brophy was a New York
State Trooper, retiring 21 years ago with
the rank of captain.
Kihlstrom holds a degree in chemical
engineering from Case Institute of
Technology, now part of Case Western
Reserve University in Cleveland. He spent
most of his working years putting in
instrumentation and electrical control
They were followed in March by groups from
Fitchburg College in Massachusetts, Siena
College in Loudonville, N.Y., and girls from
Immaculata University in Philadelphia, returning
for their fourth straight year on Easter Sunday...
It wasn’t all work and no play for the
visitors. They had opportunities to sightsee,
take advantage of discounts offered by local
businesses and attractions, and enjoy the use of
a beach cottage and pool privileges and
accommodations provided by local hotels and
rental agencies.
systems at chemical plants, oil refineries, pulp
paper mills and fiber optic plants for some of
the nation’s largest corporations, including
DuPont and General Electric.
All in all, such qualifications are not the
kind usually found on the resumes of
maintenance personnel. But B and B, which
seems an appropriate handle for this interesting
team, bring to their current assignment the
same kind of enthusiasm they obviously
exhibited throughout their careers.
Neither is the type to sit idly by, even in
retirement. So they took up the maintenance
tasks for PKS as one means of keeping their
hands and minds busy and active.. Actually,
both maintain that they have had considerable
training in the maintenance field. Many of the
tasks he is now called upon to do, says
Kihlstrom, he does at home on a smaller scale.
Brophy delved even more deeply into the
world of maintenance before he and his wife,
Constance, moved to PKS 12 years ago. After
retiring from the state police, he worked as a
part-time pipefitter at the Veterans Hospital in
Montrose, N. Y. The job was part-time because
Brophy’s real passion in those years was
running a lobster boat off New York’s Long
Island. He worked at pipefitting when lobsters
were not in season.
At the beginning of the March Board of
Commissioners Meeting, Mayor ProTem Mary
Kany ha presented a Resolution of Appreciation
to Sandra Ehrler in recognition of her 12 years
of excellent service as PKS Rural Mail Carrier.
After much discussion, both at the work
session and at the regular BOC meeting, the
issue of paying off the loan on the Town Hall
building, as well as for a fire truck, was voted
down by a 3 to 2 vote. At this time the majority
felt it is more important to protect the Reserve
rather than drawing it down even more.
The Ocean Shore Subdivision (the old Iron
Steamer property) will receive conditional
approval after safety concerns are addressed to
the satisfaction of Chris Jones, the director of
inspections & public property.
The Commissioners formally approved the
creation of a CERTS (Community Emergency
Response Team) group that will serve Bogue
Banks, but could also serve other parts of the
county, if needed.
Before Acting Director of Public Safety
Bruce Flynt gave his report, Commissioner
Hunter praised him for the job that he has been
doing since he became the acting director.
UNHNISHED BUSINESS: There will be
a meeting this week with the consultant about
By Bill White
Boats have also been a big part of
Kihlstrom’s life. The son of a chief engineer on
Great Lakes ore boats, he has been a sailing
enthusiast since childhood and has lived near
water most of the time. Bom in Sault Ste.
Marie between Lakes Huron and Superior, he
grew up in Ashtabula, Ohio on Lake Erie. Even
when working in Tennessee he lived near and
sailed on a TVA lake.
When it came time to choose a retirement
spot, it was no contest. “Pine Knoll Shores is
the best place on the East Coast,” says
Kihlstrom, who has lived or worked just about
everywhere up and down the seaboard. “Here,”
he points out, “it’s not too hot or cold and
there’s plenty of water.”
The Great Lakes area was really important
to Kihlstrom again 10 years ago when he
returned to Ashtabula for a high school reunion.
There he renewed his acquaintance with a
grade school classmate, Laurena Fraser, who
became his wife. Between them. Bob and
Laurena count nine children living in
Connecticut, Arizona and a lot of places in
between..
Water also plays a role in the life of one of
the next generation of Brophys. Bill and
Constance’s daughter Patricia (Patty) is a
graduate of the New York State Maritime
the water system and a report will be
forthcoming soon.
Mayor Lamson is in Washington, DC with
Greg Rudolph, the county shore protection
manager, attending meetings concerning funds
for the completion of the 933 Project.
Under NEW BUSINESS, Jeanne Mays,
who is retiring, was given a plaque for her
service to Fire/Emergency Medical Services.
At the beginning of the citizen comments
period, Charles Smith came before the Board
to request a Resolution approving the placement
of four signs on Route 58 dedicating part of the
highway as the George W. Smith Highway.
Atlantic Beach and Indian Beach have already
approved this and the PKS Commissioners
passed the resolution. The next question was
“who was he” and the answer was that he built
and paved what is known as Salter Path.
A question was brought up about the wreck
of the S.S. Pevensey now that the Iron Steamer
Pier has been dismantled. The Town is looking
into getting State recognition for the site. It
was pointed out that the site will be on
navigational charts; that the Coast Guard is
aware of the situation, but that it will still be the
responsibility of boat operators to keep a sharp
lookout when they are in the area.
College and is now working toward her master’s
in exercise physiology at East Carolina
University.
These days, if Brophy finds some spare
time on his hands, the latest enterprise of his
other daughter, Shana, and her husband, Floyd
Olmstead, is providing plenty for him to help
with. Olmstead, who had been serving as the
chef at the Royal Pavillion in PKS, recently
acquired Nikola’s Restaurant in Morehead City.
It has been renamed and should be already
open or on the verge of opening just about the
time you read this. Th'e new name, Floyd’s
1921, is a reference to the year in which the
home that houses the restaurant was built..
Brophy, who has been on the PKS
maintenance staff for six years, and Kihlstrom,
with three years on the job, work well as a
team. Their duties range from maintaining
electrical and plumbing systems in public
buildings, to mosquito spraying and keeping
public beach access parking areas and roadways
free of impediments, including wildlife that
fail to make it from one side of the road to the
other.
Says old hand Brophy with tongue in cheek:
“It’s taken me awhile to clue Bob in on the
proper procedure for removing possums that
have passed on.”
Meet the Staff — The Maintenance Team