THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 45 NUMBER 39 16 PAGES TOD A Y SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA APRIL 17,1974 10 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDA Y
IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN — Azalea Festival,
and although the unseasonably warm weather
during February and March has cut short the
spectacular show of azalea color, thousands of
visitors are expected this weekend to tour the
Orton Plantation gardens. The Brunswick County
showplace is located on the Cape Fear River,
about 15 miles upstream from Southport off NC
133.
Southport Aldermen Meet
Water For Subdivision;
Dosher Effort Continues
By BOBBY HILL
Southport aldermen
Thursday approved an ex
tension of city water to the
Highland Heights sub
division.
The city will extend a
“trunk line” to city limits.
The subdivision lies north of
Southport.
The measure passed only
after adoption of several
changes suggested by town
attorney E.J. Prevatte.
Only Alderman W.P. Horne
voted against the water ex
tension. “I think we’re acting
hastily,” he said.
Home asked who was
requesting the city water
services. Town Manager
Alvin Kornegay replied that
real estate developer Charles
Blake had headed the
petition.
The aldermen last month
referred a request for an
nexation by the same sub
division to the Planning and
Zoning Board.
In response to questions,
Komegay said all city
residents who request city
water can now be provided
with the service.
Alderman Robert Howard
Howard, Register Now
Senior Waccamaw Y-P’s
Robert D. Howard,
managing officer of the
Waccamaw Bank & Trust Co.
office in Southport, has been
promoted to senior vice
president of the banking
chain.
The promotion was an
nounced this week by L.R.
Bowers, president of Wac
camaw Bank & Trust Co.
Cecil R. Register, who
recently was elevated to the
position of manager of the
ROBERT D. HOWARD
office at Shallotte, also was
given the title of senior vice
president.
Upon the death of Lester V.
Lowe in 1971, Howard was
made a vice-president and
was named manager of the
Southport office for Wac
camaw Bank & Trust Co.
Also operating under the
Southport office are the
Bolivia office, the office at
Oak Island and the branch
office at Sawdust Trail.
In addition to his duties as a
bank officer Howard has been
active in community ac
tivities. Currently, he is a
member of the Board of
Aldermen for the City of
Southport. He is a former
president of the Southport
Jaycees, an organization with
which he still is active; is a
former chairman of the
Fourth of July Festival, is a
member of the Southport
Lions Club and plays a
leading role in Little League
activities.
Register is a native of
Wallace and is a graduate of
N.C. State University. Prior
to coming with Waccamaw
Bank & Trust Co. in 1968 as
:ashier he had been county
supervisor for Farmers
Borne Administration in
Hoke County.
In 1972 he was promoted to
vice-president and on March
1 of this year was made office
manager at Shallotte.
repeatedly asked If the water
system would “show a
profit?” He was given no
definite answer.
The final motion called only
for Southport to “make water
available” to the developer.
At Prevatte’s suggestion,
the developer will be required
to install a system to meet
specifications required by
Kornegay. He said the city
will take ownership of the
system after a year of
operation. The question of
whether to require the
developer to install fire
hydrants was left
unresolved.
In other business, Mayor
Eugene Tomlinson said a
growth study of this area has
been completed. It will be
used to support the contention
that state medical authorities
(Continued on Page Two)
No Grant While Dosher Open
Cost Of New Hospital
“Inflates” $1,000,000
By BOBBY HILL
Needed grant funds may be
available for the county
hospital If Dosher Hospital
closes, county hospital
trustees have told county
commissioners.
A joint meeting of com
missioners and trustees took
place in Shallotte Wednesday
night.
Trustee chairman Mason
H. Anderson reported that
cost of the completed hosptal
is now projected at $3.6
million. A $2.5 million
hospital bond issue was
approved last June.
Anderson said the hospital
could receive a million
dollars from Hill-Burton
funds, according to Medical
Care Commission authorities
who disperse the monies.
Anderson said he received
this information from
medical commission head
H.O. Wilkerson in Raleigh.
According to Anderson
Wilkerson’s opinion is that
the hospital will get no grants
“if the problem continues to
exist as to whether Dosher
would continue to operate as
an acute-care unit.”
Southport, Long Beach and
Yaupon Beach town govern
ments have passed
resolutions calling for Dosher
to continue operating at its
present level of services.
Boiling Spring Lakes voted
the measure down.
Anderson said the trustees
“feel it imperative that we
put these cards on the table.”
Superior Court
Decisions Noted
Following is the summary
of the Superior Court session
held in Southport last week
with Judge E. Maurice
Braswell presiding:
Sam Sibbett, assault with
deadly weapon with intent to
kill, frivolous and malicious
prosecution. Prosecuting
witness taxed with costs.
Dale Watson, larceny, NG.
Clyde Burge, failure to
yield right - of - way, $10 and
costs.
Robert D. Clemmons,
assault with deadly weapon,
frivolous and malicious
prosecution. Prosecution
witness taxed with costs.
Larry Johnson, disorderly
conduct; assault on public
officer, $35 fine, 30 days
suspended for one year; pay
court costs in each case.
Graham Smith, DUI, 6
months suspended for one
year; $250 fine and costs;
surrender his operator’s
license and not operate a
motor vehicle for one year.
Margaret Evans, DUI, 10
days suspended for one year,
$50 and costs.
James McDuffy, DUI, 60
days suspended for one year,
$150 and costs; surrender
operator’s license and not
operate motor vehicle for one
year.
Ronnie Gainey, GS 113-104;
14.-134, NG.
Otto Charles McDowell,
assault with deadly weapon
with intent to kill, 18 months
suspended 3 years on the
conditions that he receive
alcoholic counseling; pay
restitution in the amount of
$40; $75 fine and costs; that
he be of good behavior and
violate no laws during
suspension.
Willie Stevenson, reckless
operation, 30 days suspended
for one year, $25 and costs.
Marion Monroe, breaking
and entering, breaking en
tering and larceny; four
years probation, $200 and
costs.
Auty C. Ward, breaking
and entering; breaking,
entering and larceny; four
years probation, $150 and
costs; be of good behavior
during probation.
Jack Gore, breaking into
coin - operated machine and
larceny; be confined in
Brunswick County Jail for 11
months and assigned to work
under the supervision of the
State Department of
Correction.
Kenneth Ganey, driving
after revocation; one year
probation, $200 and costs, be
of good behavior during
probation.
Clayton L. Jackson, em
bezzlement, five years
suspension on condition that
he pay $2,100 restitution to
Merchants and Business
Mutural Insurance Co., $200
fine and costs.
Linwood Robinson, DUI,
one year probation on con
dition that he pay $250 fine
and costs; surrender
operators license and not
operate a motor vehicle for 12
(Continued on Page Two)
Commissioner chairman
W.A. Kopp, Jr., said the
commissioners would
assume responsibility for
procuring necessary funds
for the hospital.
It’s going to rest on our
(commissioners) shoulders,”
he said of the fund-raising
task.
Kopp also said, “I’m
pleased with the work that’s
been done so far (on the
hospital).”
On closing Dosher, An
derson said Southport might
be able to retain an
emergency clinic. Anderson
reported Wilkerson as saying
Southport could have a clinic
and the county hospital would
be granted about $1 million as
long as Dosher would “not
continue to be an in-house,
acute-care, overnight
facility.”
The Medical Care Com
mission has restricted
Brunswick County to an
allocation of 60 beds for an
acute-care facility. Dosher
has 47 beds. Anderson said
the county is planned for 58 or
64 beds, depending on how
many acute-care units are
used.
Anderson attributed the
tnillion-dollar jump in the
price of the hospital to in
flation. “Costs have sky
rocketed,” he said.
The $3.6 - million figure is
gased on letting bids October
IS, Anderson said. He said the
architects report any further
delay will lead to Increased
costs. The cost of building the
medical facility is inflating
one percent per month,
Anderson reported the ar
chitects said.
The trustees also asked the
commissioners to change
their board organization to a
“hospital authority” form.
Kopp replied the com
missioners would give the
idea “some individual
thought.” he said there is “no
urgency” in the
organizational question.
Anderson said the authority
is preferred for the “future
well-being of the hospital. He
said the more autonomous
board would be more immune
to the change of “political
winds.”
The authority organization,
Anderson maintained, would
be able to secure funds by
itself.
Anderson also said the
trustees are considering
negotiations with Charter
Medical Corporation,
hospital consultants for
Dosher. However, Anderson
cautioned, the county
trustees do not want the
Dosher trustees to “feel that
(Continued on Page Two)
Area ’Shine
Still Seized
The second moonshine still
of the year in the Bethel Road
section near Southport was
destroyed this weekend, and
one of four suspects charged
in the earlier raid was
arrested at the scene
Saturday.
Carl R. Brock, Jr., 25, of
68th Street East, Long Beach
was apprehended at the new
still site. Fouroperating stills
— located across the road
from the distillery raided on
Jan. 11 — were destroyed by
explosives.
Officers participating in
the raid included agents from
the Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms Division of the U.S.
Treasury, the State ABC
Board and the New Hanover
County ABC Board.
The operation reportedly
was capable of producing 312
gallons of moonshine every
four days. The four units had
a mash capacity of 1,840
gallons and were ap
proximately half-full when
seized.
Officers raided the still site
at 11:35 a.m. Saturday. A
“watch dog”, which agents
reported seeing during
earlier observation of still
operations, reportedly failed
to warn Brock of the officers’
approach.
A .38 caliber pistol
reportedly was found atop
one of the stills.
One of the agents reported
that the location of the stills
at the edge of a salt marsh
could have hindered
production.
The site could only be
entered through a hog pen on
the Old Bethel Church Road
off NC 87, a short distance
from the CP&L nuclear plant.
Moonshine reportedly sells
for $8 a gallon.
Seized material at the site
included four butane tanks
and approximately 100 empty
gallon jugs. Several full jugs
of moonshine were also
located and destroyed.
Commissioners Table Matter
Early School Vote Chances Are Hurt
Action requested by the
Board of Education to ex
pedite a $6 million school
bond referendum was tabled
Tuesday by the Brunswick
County Board of Com
missioners.
Commissioners had met
with education board
members April 8, and
received a follow-up letter
dated April 12 that urged
“serious consideration” bv
the county board. Following a
review by Board Chairman
William A. Kopp, Jr.,
Tuesday, Vardell Hughes
asked that discussion of the
matter be delayed until the
board’s next regular meeting
in May.
“I need more information
than what Fve got right now,”
said Commissioner robert
Simmons. "The first thing we
should do is get in touch with
our attorney,” said member
John Bray.
The Board of Education has
asked that the bond vote be
held in ‘‘early or late
September,” well before the
general election in Novem
ber.
The long-range school plan,
proposed by the Board of
Education and endorsed by
the state education body,
totals $10,398,000 and includes
new school construction at
Leland, Bolivia, Southport,
Shallotte and Waccamaw,
plus major renovations.
The proposed school bond
would finance $6 million; the
recent State School Bond $1.7
million; and the county, the
balance from capital outlay
funds over the next six years.
Kopp asked the board if he
should contact the Local
Government Commission
about the legal requirements
of a bond election and
possible scheduling of the
referendum but did not
receive a favorable response.
Bray said it would “make
sense” to have the school
bond vote as part of the
general election.
TRASH CLEAN-UP
County commissioners held
their regular meeting on
Tuesday, a day late because
of the Easter Monday ob
servance by county em
ployees. Board Vice
Chairman J.T. Clemmons
was absent, reportedly on
vacation.
Rob Norton, representing
Pfizer, discussed with the
board the appearance of
rights-of-way leading to the
plant site (Moore and
Leonard streets extended,
outside Southport). All the
Impromptu trash dumps
except one are on Pfizer
property, he said.
The long-term solution
could come, Kopp said, when
he "can see 2 or 3 cc italners
out in that area” that would
be part of the county wide,
waste disposal system.
The short-term solution,
the board noted, could in
volve a Joint clean-up effort
(the county and Pfizer), and
Sanitary Landfill Director
Edwin Clemmons was
assigned to study the
prospect
Last year the county
funded $3,000 for heavy
equipment cleaning of major
dump areas in the county.
Clemmons said about half the
money was spent; the
remainder was returned
to the county general fund.
The board re-appointed
Mrs. M.H. Rourk of Shallotte
to the Southport - Brunswick
County Library board of
trustees, and named the
following to the county
American Bicentennial
Committee: Grover A. Gore,
Jack Fairley, Mary McHose,
William Crowe, Robert
(Continued on Page Two)