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PROGRESS SENTINEL
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I^VOL. XXXXV1IN0.46 USPS 162-860 ' KENANSVILLE, NC 28349 NOVEMBER 17. 198.1 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Water Vote Planned
In Duplin County
^ A water system bond re
ferendum is being planned
for January in the Albertson
water district of northeastern
Duplin County.
The Duplin County Com
missioners will hold a public
hearing ort the proposed
water system and bond issue
during its Nov. 21 meeting in
the courthouse in Kenans
ville.
0 Only resident s of the water
district would be eligible to
vote on the bond proposal.
Plans call for a $425,000
bond authorization. A rural
water system is being
planned for the area with the
help of state and federal
grants and loans.
The board last week ap
propriated $8,084 from the
contingency fund to complete
financial arrangments for a
front-end loader. Finance
Officer Russell Tucker re
ported the low bid for the
equipment was $108,084
from the Gregory Poole Co.,
$31,000 lower than the com
pany's bid on the same
Caterpillar equipment a year
ago. The county will trade in
an old piece of equipment for
$25,000 and had $75,000 set
aside for the purchase. The
equipment will be used at the
county landfill.
The board voted to do
away with the county sedi
mentation ordinance. Board
members said the ordinance
was not being enforced.
Building inspector Brice
Sanderson said he wouldn't
know what to do if asked to
enforce the ordiance.
The ordinance was ap
proved to regulate run-off
from property being de
veloped.
Tax collector Norman San
dlin reported 607 garnish
ments seeking $116,000 have
been filed since April against
county residents failing to
pay county taxes.
At Sandlin's request the
board changed its delinquent
tax property sale advertising
from June to March, starting
next year.
Tax supervisor Frank
Moore will ask three com
panies for bids on revalu
ating Duplin County property
and providing software to
enable the county to place
the information on its com
puter system. The revalua
tion, which is done every
eight years, must be com
pleted by 1986. It had a bid of
$10 per parcel but the bid did
not include software. The
county has 22,296 parcels of
property to be revalued.
Tbe board adopted a reso
lution in support of the
tax-free $1 million pollution
control bond issue being
planned by J.P. Stevens Co.,
which as textile plans in
Wallace.
The board re-appointed
Edith Kornegay of Albertson
and Annie Catherine Bland
of Rose Hill to the Duplin
Sampson Mental Health
Board.
* Duplin Medical Centers
Request Third Doctor
' By Emily Killette
Rural Health Incentive,
federal funding agency for
^the clinics in Faison and
Greenevers, expressed posi
tive reactions to information
supporting the need of a
third doctor in the shared
services agreement between
Goshen Medical Center and
Plain View Medical
Centers. Dr. Kenneth Lee
said at the November
meeting of the Goshen
Medical Center Board of
^ directors.
Lee is the newest doctor
associated with Goshen and
Plain View Medical Centers.
He joined Dr. Jeff Margolis
ferving both medical centers
in September. Currently the
team of two physician? work
a schedule seeing patients at
Plain View and Goshen
Medical Centers and are
practicing staff members at
_ Sampson Memorial Hospital.
V Lee accompanied Goshen
and Plain View Administra
tor Jane Silver to Atlanta for
a meeting to discuss the
addition of a third doctor for
the two clinics. The request
stemmed from a plan devised
by the Goshen Medical
Center Board of Directors to
provide additional assistance
to the team of doctors.
According to Silver the plans
were set by the Board and
doctors with the future goal
that medical center doctors
would rejoin the full-time .
staff at Duplin General Hos
pitai in Nenansviue.
"We went to Atlanta
armed to the teeth." Goshen
and Plain View Medical
Centers Dr. Kenneth Lee
siad. "The officials were
very impressed with our data
and we think they will do all
they can to alleviate some of
the overwork problems
here." Goshen Medical
Center currently operates
with a physician on staff
full-time each day. Plain
View is staffed with a doctor
on duty daily working half
days. The need for a third
physician stemmed from
Plain View Medical Center.
"During the half-days at
Plain View the doctors are
seeing more than the daily
required quota set by the
Rural Health Incentive pro
gram," Goshen and Plain
View Medical Center
Administrator Jane Silver
said. "We are running full at
Goshen and exceeding the
requirements at Plain
View." The required number ,
of patient encounters set by
the Rural Health Incentive
service is set along the
recommendation of the
American Medical Associa
tion, Silver said. The annual
requirement by Rural Health
Incentive per doctor is 4,200
office patient encounters.
According to Silver, the first
step of the Board's plan is to
acquire a third doctor for the
medical centers and then the
question of returning to
Duplin General Hospital will
be the second phase.
In other business, the
Goshen Medical Center
Board unanimously approved
the addition of a new
member. Jack Williams of
Faison was approved as the
new director. Williams is a
farmer and president of the
Duplin County Farm Bureau.
"I am concerned about he
op>ion of Goshen Medical
Center," Jack Williams, new
Goshen Medical Center
Board member said. "1 *>ave
a wife and four children and
we all patronize the dental
and medical services at
Goshen." Williams is mar
ried to the former Betty
Taylor, whose family
donated the land for Goshen ,
Medical Center.
The Board set December 4
as open house at the Medical
Center. The open house will ,
feature new staff members in
the dental department. Dr.
Stephen Edgerton and Dr.
David Fisher began practice
at Goshen Medical Center
late last month. Fisher and
Edgerton also operate a
practice in Wallace.
Duplin Farmers Benefit
Contracts Modernize Swine Production Business
O Duplin County has become
a center of modern pig
production.
Many of the county's
swine producers operate
under a contract program
with companies such as Car
roll's Foods of Warsaw and
Murphy Farms of Rose Hill.
Lester Houston of south
eastern Duplin County is one
of the new breed of swine
^^jroducers who work under
such contracts.
Houston is "growing out"
his first herd of pigs in two
huge modern feeding
houses. The houses now hold
1,200 pigs which were placed
there in mid-October.
He has more than $100,000
invested in the land, build
ings and waste holding pond.
The waste from the large
swine operations is drained
into holding ponds where the
solid matter settles. In some
situations, purified liquid is
recirculated to flush out the
houses.
Houston is growing the
hogs for Carroll's Foods.
"I hope it's a good idea.
It's new to me," he said
recently.
The pigs weighed about 50
pounds each when delivered
to the houses. Houston hopes
they will be ready for market
in 3'/i to four months.
The concept is far removed
from traditional swine
operations in which a farmer
owns and markets his ani
mals. It has both detractors
and supporters.
Detractors contend it eli
minates farmer indepen
dence. making a farmer a
"hired hand." They also
worry about farmers going
into debt for equipment and
being left without any con
tracts for hogs or poultry.
Failure of a program opera
tor. such as that occured with
Watson Seafood and Poultry
Co. of Rose Hill, a broiler
producer, can leave many
farmers with neither source
nor market for their live
stock.
Willard Edwards of the
Cedar Fork community was
one of 100 broiler growers
left with no contract supplier.
His poultry houses, however,
were adaptable to turkey
production. He now grows
turkeys for Carroll's Foods.
Many other Watson growers
have been unable to find new
contractors, however, and
have empty poultry houses.
Under the contract system,
the risks and the profits, if
any, are taken by the pro
gram operators. Farmers are
insulated to some extent
trom market gyrations. Their
income, however, is limited
during periods of high
market prices. During
periods of low prices, grow
ers are sometimes left with
out pigs or poultry for ex
tended periods. During such
periods, payments continue
being due for physical plants
and upkeep.
Farmers who do poor jobs
of producing usually are cut
from the programs. These
same farmers probably
would lose money if they
were producing their own
pigs, program operators
contend.
Despite the increase in
contract operations, swine
production remains primarily
in individual hands. In
poultry production, however,
individual farmers have vir
tually no chance of selling
their own birds directly to
market.
Drivers Escape
Injury In Warsaw
Drivers escaped serious
injury Thursday when a trac
tor-trailer rig collided with a
car, sending it skidding into
a pickup truck on North Pine
S Street in Warsaw around 4
p.m. Thursday, Warsaw
police reported.
I The empty produce truck
driven by John Watson Hol
land, 35, of Warsaw collided
with the southbound car
driven by Audry Byrd Coley,
J 56, of Route 2, Faison, which
was turning left, according to
the report by Capt. George
Dail of the Warsaw Police
Department.
The impact knocked Ms.
Coley's car into a pickup
track driven by Linwood
Kennedy, 25, of Route 1.
Kenansville. the report said.
Mrs. Coley and one other
driver were treated at Duplin
General Hospital and re
leased after the accident, the
report said. Ms. Coley was
charged with a safe move
ment violation, the report
said.
Damage to the Coley car
was estimated at $5,000. The
wreck caused about $500
damage to the trucks.
\
PROCLAIM AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK - Kenans
ville Mayor Don Suttles signed a proclamation observing
American Education Week, Nov. 13-19. Suttles is pictured
with Kenansville Elementary School principal Wilbur Carr
and first and second grade teacher DeLois Washington as
he signs the proclamation. American Education Week is a
nationwide observance honoring teachers and the public
schools. Students at Kenansville Elementary School are
celebrating the event with the creation of posters and
stories about their teachers. Merchants of Kenansville will
honor the teacherswith a daily drawing for a free gift and
the elementary school Parent Teacher Organization is
providing donuts and coffee each morning of American
Education Week.
Recreation Funds Approved For
Fencing At Beulaville Elementary
The Beulaville town board
agreed at the Nov. 7 meeting
to proceed with the Recrea
tion Commission request to
l>sist upgrading athletic
facilities at Beulaville Ele
mentary School.
According to Recreation
Commission Chairman
Alfred Basden the play
ground at Beulaville ele
mentary School is jointly
used by the Duplin Board of
Education and the town of'
Beulaville. The facility is
used by the elementary
school students as a play
ground and the citizens of
Beulaville as a Softball and
baseball field. The Board of
Education is currently in the
process of leveling and divi
ding the area into three ball
fields and Basden said* the
Recreation Commission has
voted to contribute $9,000
worth of fencing to separate
the diamonds. The Beulaville
Commissioners approved the
Rtcreation Commission's
plan to enter into a use
agreement for the athletic
field with the Duplin Board
of Education before spending
money to purchase the fenc- -
ing. Future uses of the field
could include the annual
Dixie Youth baseball tourna
ment, Basden said.
Bids for the position of
treatment plant operator and
street resurfacing were
opened by the Board. The
Board tabled awarding bids
for the two projects. Bids for
the position of treatment
plant operator were sub
mitted by H.J. Brown.
Stanley Miller and David
Vance. Three bids were
opened for street resurfac
ing. Bids were submitted by
Dunn Constrocti C F
Turner Construction and
Barrus Construction.
Orvis Thigpen appeared
before the board questioning
the use of town finances to
install and maintain water
and sewer facilities outside
the city limits when a few
town citizens are not ser
viced by the sewer system.
"The town board is spend
ing borrowed money, the
citizens will have to pay back,
to run water and sewer lines
to folks outside the city
limits," Beulaville citizen
Orvis Thigpen said. "And,
all the time our water and
sewer bills are going up to
pay for the outside users.
Folks on a fixed income just
can't afford higher water and
sewer bills." Commissioner
S.A, Blizzard point out all
Beulaville citizens are pro
vided access to the water
system and homes not ser
viced by the sewer system
have septic tanks maintained
?
by the tow
Beulavi" Commissioners
approve .. : immcriC. ent to
the Nt rtl arolina Depart
ment ' .Crural Resources
and Community develop
ment grant and approved a
loan agreement won nonn
Carolina Hydraulics, Co. The
Department of Natural Re
sources and Community
Development granted North
Carolina Hydraulics of Beu
laville an EDS loan at 5.5
percent interest for factory
expansion. The block grant
also included $71,031 in
funds to the town of Beula
ville for street improve
ments. Interest repaid from
the North Carolina Hydrau
lics, Co. EDS loan goes
directly to the town of Beu
laville.
Commissioner Rabon Ma
ready voted against the
motion to amend the grant
application and the loan
agreement with North Cartv -
lina Hydraulics. Maready
stated the town would
assume a subordinate posi
tion on the loan deed of trust
with North Carolina Hydrau
lics.
Kenansville Tennis
Courts To
Be Completed
The tennis courts at the
Kenansville municipal park
are expected to be com
pleted within the next week
following delays of more
than two years, Doug
Judge pf the Kenansville
tennis court committee
said.
The installation of light
fixtures was completed last
week and are scheduled for
service connection by
Carolina Power & Light,
Judge said. The lighting
system is operated by a toll
meter and costs one dollar
per hour of light service.
According to Judge, the fee
for night lights is only a
recovery of the electric
service cost and will pro
duce no profit.
In addition to the light
system needing electrical
service connection, nets for
the courts are to be in
stalled and some minor
patching to the asphalt
foundation is yet to be
completed. Patch work to
the tennis court foundation
is outside the playing area,
Judge said.
Contracts for the $30,000
project were awarded in the
fall of 1981. The tennis
court foundation was laid
the following summer and
i
the fence installed in the
fall. Extension for the
$30,000 in grant funds was
given to Kenansville for the
copletion of the tennis court
project. Extension on the
grant funds ends Dec. 31
and Judge said the project
should be completed before
Thanksgiving.
According to Judge, the
use of deadlines in speci
fications for the project
would have resulted in
higher bids and modifica
tions were made to con
struct the courts with a
minimum of maintenance
from the town.
The fencing and net con
tract for the tennis courts
was awarded to Central
Builders in Rock Mount and
subcontracted to Hanover
Company in Wilmington.
The total contract with
Hanover Company was ap
proximately $24,000 for
fencing, nets and founda
tion of the tennis courts.
The remaining $6,000 was
awarded to Julus Jones to
install the light fixtures.
Followingabout a year's
delay after laying the foun
dation, Hanover Company
began work to complete the
court in July.
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