We /
^Liberttf
? Car^r
I-! 41 r
4 -,f ,
?
10th Season Opens Friday
At The
William R. Kenan, Jr. Memorial Amphitheatre
In Kenansville
July 12-August 24
r
PROGRESS SENTINEL
VOL. XXXXV1I1 NO. 28 USPS 162-860 t KENANSVILLE, NC 28349 JULY 11.1985 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Presented Lifetime Membership
Senator Harold Hardison and Representative Wendell
Murphy were presented lifetime memberships in the
Duplin Agribusiness Council and plaques of appre
ciation during a brunch meeting July 1 at the Country
Sauire. The action w?? nromnted bv members of the
Duplin Agribusiness C?uncil for Hardison's and
Murphy's support of the Dupfln Agribusiness Fair. *
TJowogb bj>dg<-t legislation, *bey tw$ Duplin repre- ,
sentatives were able t< alKvatr '' jO.OuO to the Duplin
Agribusiness Council for use in acquiring a permanent
plication for the county fair. Plans were presented at the
brunch for use of part of the funding to construct a
multi-purpose livestock arena. Through the cooperation
of the Duplin County Board of Commissioners, the
Duplin County Board of Education and the town of
Kenansville, the multi-purpose arena is planned for
construction on the site which has hosted the county
fair the past two years. With the construction of the
arena, the site surrounding Kenan Auditorium will
become the permanent location of the Duplin Agri
?hus<n?ss Fair pictured above Duplin Agribusiness *
'' council member Melvin Cording presents Senator
Harold Hardison of Deep Run with a plaque of
appreciaton, and Duplin Agribusiness Council Presi
dent Ruth Wells presents a plaque of appreciation to
Representative Wendell Murphy from Rose Hill.
Duplin County Schools
Keep Programs Alive
Coming to terms with a $500,000
slash in the Duplin County school
system's budget request left the
Board of Education divided when
they met last week.
By a 3-2 vote, the board ap
propriated an additional $26,500 the
County Commissioners had approv
ed late Monday and $22,014 from
school carry-over funds to finance
some programs that otherwise would
have been eliminated.
Included in the programs was the
Junior Reserve Officers Training
Corps at East Duplin High School in
Beulaville. The county's share of
that program's cost is $31,000.
Also endangered by the commis
sioners' original slash were the
inschool suspension and arts pro
grams.
Board members William Richards
of Wallace and Amos "Doc" Brinson
of Kenansville voted against the
fund transfer. Supporting it were Joe
Swinsun of northern Duplin, James
F. Strickland of Warsaw and.Chair
man Carl Pate of Beulaville.
The board eliminated one countv
paid teaching position that would
have had a salary of $20,585 a year.
County school Superintendent L.S.
Guy told the board the new state
teacher allocation formula may pro
vide another teaching position.
Richards, who has opposed the
JROTC program in the past, said he
still believes $31,000 is too much to
put into it in one school. He believes
the money could be used better
throughout the county.
Pate countered, "Principals and
guidance counselors tell me the
ROTC is one of the best programs we
have."
Referring to a joint meeting of the
board of education and commission
ers at the Country Squire Restaurant
Monday night, Brinson said: "we
came dangerously close to letting the
County Commissioners tell us how to
spend current expense money. They
think they can do better education
work than those elected to do it. We
came close to setting a very danger
ous precedent."
During the discussion of Commis
sioner Dovie Penney's motion Mon
day night to restore $26.the
fund cut. Commissioner * *AUen
Nethercutt sought assurance from
the school board that if the motion
were approved the JROTC program
would be retained at East Duplin
High School.
After receiving the unofficial as
surance, Nethercutt seconded Mrs.
Penney's motion, which was approv
ed 3-2 with Mrs. Penney, Nethercutt
and W.J. Costin voting for it and
Commssioners Calvin Turner and
D.J. Fussell opposing.
During the commissioners' earlier
session Monday, Mrs. Penney had
moved to restore the $26,500, but the
motion had died for lack of a second.
The commissioners also rejected the
school board's plea for restoration of
$75,734 of the $600,000 the board
had cut from the school budget
request.
The joint session was a continu
ation of the commissioners' regular
meeting, on the first Monday of each
month. It was held to review a $15
million to $17 r-.illion long-range
school facilities plan for Duplin
County. The plan could be swamped
by the lack of taxable resources in
one of the state's most rural
counties.
Turner emphasized the county's
lii.r-attons w^n statistics front the
1980 census. He said the average
1980 income per person was $5,730
and 53 perceni of the population was
ir. poverty.
He said 32 percent of the residents
lived in substandard housing and
12.7 percent were illiterate. Nearly
one-fourth of the dwellings lacked
complete plumbing. "And now you
are asking us to put these people in
debt."
After long discussion in which
Turner and Fussell said they flatly
opposed the plan, the County Com
missioners agreed to have an official
of the state Association of County
Commissioners, Ed Reagan, present
several alternative financing pos
sibilities to the boards later.
Turner and Fussell said they
opposed any bond issue. Nethercutt
disliked the idea of the county's
going into debt. Mrs. Penney and
Costin said they would not oppose
the county having a referendum on
the matter.
Turner said. "The people I talked
to in District 2 don't like your facility
plan. 1 was voted in by the people to
express their views." Turner repre
sents District 2, which covers much
of northeastern and eastern Duplin
County, all of it essentially rural.
Among the plan's features are
building a junior high school near the
East Duplin High School and elimi
nating the junior high grades
from the B.F. Grady school in
eastern Duplin County.
Kenansville Tax Rate To Remain At 69 Cents
The Kenansville property tax
rate will remain at 69 cents per $100
assessed valuation for another vear.
jk The town board last week ap
^jroved a budget of $381,045. includ
ing $217,687 in the general fund and
$108,718 in the water and sewer
fund, both showing minor increases
over the 1984-85 figures.
The budget includes a 10 percent
pay increase for most town employ
ees and a 12 percent increase for the
clerk. Town board members will
receive $50 per month, an increase of
$25 per month. The mayor will
receive $60 per month, a $10
increase.
The debt-service fund of $35,980
will be virtually the same as the
1984-85 figure. The revenue sharing
fund estimate of $18,660, including
$13,160 in the federal grant and
$5,500 carried over rfom last year, is
down $27,120 from the combined
1984-85 revenue sharing receipts
and carryover.
The town is using revenue sharing
money to pay for its new town hall.
The budget includes $24,000 for the
payment.
Large general fund expenditures
include $69,925 for administration,
$46,432 for police, $12,700 for the
fire department, $57,375 for streets
and $33,400 for sanitation.
Water and sewer expenditures
include $35,980 for debt service,
$20,100 for utilities, $13,324 for
salaries, $9,018 for repairs and
$9,365 "or supplies.
Water and sewer department re
venue includes $100,768 from ser
vice fees and $6,600 from 40 percent
of the local option half-cent sales tax.
Town Clerk Mary Anne Jenkins
believes the water and sewer rev
enue will be greater than the
estimate because of the state Depart
ment of Correction connection to the
sewer system. The facility is on U.S.
117 south of Kenansville. The line
was built with state funds.
Property taxes are expected to
bring in $87,172 plus $2,900 from
back taxes, penalties and interest.
Franchise taxes are expected to
bring in $31,400, sanitation collect
ion fees. $21,636, the local sales tax
$29,160. Powell Bill grant $18,000,
interest on investments $11,000.
beer and wine tax $3,700. ABC store
I
profits $4,000 and intagibles tax
$3,350. I
Mrs. Jenkins expects Sanitation
Department receipts to exceed the
estimate because of new construct
ion in the town. She noted that the
:own's first Hardee's restaurant will
open this month. She said at least
two houses have been completed in
the last year.
Duplin May Not Be Able
To Fund Construction
A $15 million to $17 million long
range school facilities plan for
Duplin County could be swamped by
the lack of taxable resources in one
of the state's most rural counties.
The "County Commissioners and
the Board of Education met last week
at the Country Squire Restaurant
^letween Kenansville and Warsaw to
review the school plans.
After long discussion in which two
commissioners said they flatly op
pose the plan, the Board of Commis
sioners agreed to have an official of
the state Association of County
Commissioners, Ed Reagan, present
several alternative financing pos
sibilities to the boards at a later
meeting.
The commissioners had continued
their earlier meeting in the court
house to the night meeting. During
the day meeting, the commissioners
rejected the school board's plea of
restoration of $75,734 of the
$600,000 the board had cut from the
school budget request. At that
meeting Commissioner Dovie Pen
ney's motion to restore $23,000 of
the cut died for lack of a second.
Mrs. Penney said she was dissat
isfied with present conditions.
Duplin Board To Review
High School Proposals
The Duplin County Board of
Education will review architects' fee
schedules and possible plans for
improvements at James?Kenan High
School in a special meeting at 8 p.m.
July 16.
Board member Amos "Doc" Brin
son asked that plans be drafted to
accommodate the school remaining a
high school permanently but also for
its later conversion to a junior high
school. The school needs additional
classroom and library space.
In other business, school officials
reported that a house built by
Wallace-Rose Hill High School
trades classes will be sold at auction
at 10 a.m. July 13 on the school
campus at Teachey.
The board re-appointed Rodney
Kornegay to the James Sprunt
Technical College Board for a four
year term starting this month.
It changed companies for student
insurance, signing a contract with
Standard Insurance Co. of Rock Hill,
S.C., for the coverage at a fee of
$9.50 per school year per student.
The former carrier, Youthguard Inc.,
charged $10.
?e>> j.
Beuloville Board Hires New Auditor
e
Bculaville Commissioners opened
bids for the 1985-86 town auditor
contract during the July 1 meeting of
the board and awarded Donald
Pickett, certified public accountant,
the job.
Pickett turned in the low bid at
SI ,800 to audit the town's finances
during the 1985-86 fiscal year.
For services required by the town
^xitside the bid specification, Pickett
9'tll receive a fee of $25 an hour. The
contract was unanimously awarded
to Pickett on a motion made by
Commissioner Rabon Maready and
seconded by Commissioner Elvis
Sumner.
bther bids were submitted by
certified public accountants Doug
Oark, Randy Albertson and the firm
of Thompson, Brown and Co. Pickett
will replace Doug Clark who had
served as Beulaville's auditor for the
Aast several years.
Following an executive session of
the Beulaville Board, Commissioner
Maready moved to reinstate Morris
Strickland as lawn puoiu.
director on a 30-day trial basis.
Maready's motion died after no
second. Strickland had resigned
during June. The board approved
the appointment of Beulaville police
officer I.J. Hines as acting town
public works supervisor. An ad
ditional fee of $7 per day was
granted by the Beulaville Commis
sioner to Stanley Miller to maintain
the town's water system until a new
public works supervisor is appoint
ed. Miller currently holds a contract
with the town of Beulaville to test
and maintain required standards at
the waste water treatment plant.
In other business the board ap
proved the payment of S358.64 to
repair damages to Eugene Kenan's
automobile. The vehicle was damag
ed when it struck an unmarked man
?holc protruding above ground level
at the intersection of Evans and
Parker streets. The town was grad
ing the streets during the time the
accident occured.
Police Chief Aubrev Murphy was
authorized by the Beulaviu& Com
missioner! to receive bids and
negotiate a contract for 2,000 gallons
of gas. The gas is to be used in the
operation of town public works and
police automobiles.
Commissioner S.A. Blizzard re
ported to the board that surveying
had begun of the property proposed
for purchase as a park in south
Beulaville. Blizzard recommended
the board purchase a small strip of
adjoining land to extend the property
line to the natural boundary. The
recommendation was approved if
Blizzard could negotiate the pur
chase within SI ,000.
Following a public hearing, prior
to the regular meeting of the
Beulaville Board last week, town
commissioners moved to spend
S20.000 of Wicktine loan repayment i
funds on street repairs and surfac
ing. And, the board moved to
establish a revolving loan fund for
new and existing businesses. The
fund will begin with $42,946 from
Wickline repayment monies.
Certificate Of Appreciation
S.L. Norris of Scotts Store is presented a certificate of
appreciation for his help in the witchweed eradication
program in Duplin County. Norris is a cucumber
*
grading station operator. Presenting the certificate is
Charlie Albertson, USDA plant protection and quaran
tine officer stationed in Kenansville.
fc