i
Pngo 2-A—Tin: HKUNSWU K BKACON. Thursday. October 1.
198:
Harvey Declines UOB Support; 16 Apply For Utilities Post
BY HAHN ADAMS
BnitLswifk County Planning Direc
tor .lohn Harvey said last week he
wants no part of a squabble between
two county boards over who is hired
as the county's new director of public
utilities.
tions Board lUOB), when board
member Kd Ciore said he felt Har\*cy
should continue as the ad
ministrative head of the UOB. accor
ding to minutes of the meeting.
Meanwhile, Iti persons luive ap
plied for the public utilities director
position, according to Personnel Of
ficer Deborah Bowling. The applicu-
lioii periixl ended Friday.
Brunswick (‘ounly Water Systems
Manager Kenneth Hewett confirmed
Friday that he is one of the ap
plicants.
Controversy over the newly-
created position became apparent
following a Sept. 14 meeting of the
Brunswick ('ounty Utilities Opera-
Mar\'ey was assigned as the UOB's
•administrative staff" in .January by
conunissioners. Since that time, he
also lias served as planning director
and administrator of the county’s
building inspections department.
Gore also stated that the public
utilities director job description ap
peared to be for a water system
superintendent, which the county
already has in Hewett.
But according to the job de.scrip-
tion, Harvey does not qualify for the
job. which requires that the director
be a licensed water treatment plant
operator with experience in opera
tion of a water plant in a siiper\’isory
position.
County conunissioners and UOB
members met in joint se.ssion Sept. 23
in Bolivia to discuss the utilities
director position and other “basic
relationships and means of operation
of the UOB."
However, the only mention of the
utilities director post came near the
close of the meeting Alien Har\'cy
told commissioners he earlier had in
formed UOB members that he did not
want to be personally involved in the
dispute.
Har\’cy made a brief comment to
that effect at the clase of the UOB’s
Sept. 18 meeting.
■'1 saw the need for a re
establishment of bettor communica
tions between the two boards."
Har\*ey said following the joint
meeting. "I saw the possibility of a
confronUition if this were not done.
"I thought the Utilities Operations
Board had a big enough matter in
hand . . . without luiving other un
necessary matters to worry about."
he said, referring to discussions bet
ween the utilities board and commis
sioners over a proposed water ser
vice policy.
In explaining his earlier statement
to UOB members. Har\-ey said: "I
sjiid . . . I asked that you (UOB)
withdraw that I have to be your
director. And if you still have the con
cern that some of you expres.scd
Monday night (Sept. 14), as to bring
ing to the attention of the Boanl of
Fall Enrollment Drops At Brunswick Tech
BY DOLT. KLTTKK
Following a statewide community
4 iillcge trend, fall quarter enrollment
.il Brunswick i’echnical (’ollege has
.hopped to a three-year low of (550
tudenls.
.According to Lonnie Powell, public
information officer, about 050
tudenls had enrolled as of 3 p.m.
I'uesdav; the deadline for enrollment
wa.> o p.m.
Ms. Powell said a statewide trend
»»f low enrollment in vocational areas
tmally surfaced at Brunswick Tech
.ifter years of continuous growth.
•We had been beating the trend
over the past few years." she said.
Nvith enrollment at the seven-year-old
institution gradually increasing each
vear.
Ms. Powell said the college’s ad
ministrators last week had e.xpecled
about 800 students to enroll.
She said she did not expect any
I'la.sses to be dropped or teachers let
i;o because of the lower than ex-
[>ecled enrollment.
Ms. Powell said this year’s fall
I'lirollment compares with that of two
> ears ago. when G5G students enroll
'd. Uist year’s fall enrollment was
.11.
She also .siiid that while vocational
• •nroUmonl at the college is down.
•nroUmvnl in general education and
.eclmical areas has cunlmued to in-
r-SJI
TIM .MII.UKEN (center) gives students .some hands-
on instruction during an auto carburetion and ignition
class last Thursday at Brunswick Technical College.
Enrollment in technical areas such as auto mechanics
it AM PHOtO BT OOUC Put tIP
has continued to Increase at the college, while voca
tional and overall fall enrollment has dropped for the
first lime in the school’s seven-vear historv.
rca.se.
.Ms. Powell said college ad
ministrators do not attribute the
decrease in fall enrollment to a re
cent State Bureau of invesiigaiion in
quiry or recent changes in lop ad
ministrative positions.
I'he decreased enroUmenl does,
however, follow montlis of controver
sy at Brunswick Technical College
beginning with the SBI investigation
that started in March.
Following the SBI inquiry, the 13th
ui.strict AUorue>’s office* was in
structed to investigate alleged fraud
involving continuing education
classes al Brunswick Tech.
The start of this SBI investigation
at Bruasvvick 'I'cch was followed by
the Aug. 24 firing of college president
Dr. Joseph Carter, (’ollege tni.slces
then appointed Interim President
William ‘Mike" Heaves Aug. 31 to
ad as president for a term of six
months or until a permanent replaec-
iiicMil lias liccMi sc\eclcl. Vice Presi
dent Ixmis •Vernon" Ward then an
nounced in early September his in
tentions of retirement.
No Offense Taken, Official Says
An official with the South
■ runswick Islands Homebuilders
i^socialion says criticism of a ques-
lunable joke told in public last week
' y Brunswick County Manager Jolm
r. Smith is making ‘ a mountain out
‘ a molehill.”
\ccording to Nick Newton, the
ss.‘'ociation’s program chairman,
'imiih was the guest .speaker al the
•1 uatiizalion's monthly meeting held
pt. '22 In Calabash.
'.'•wTon said a.ssocialion members
'lid not appear offended by what was
later described to county commis
sioners as a • derogatory and raci.sl ”
joke.
It s something being blown up to
iiiuke a mounUiin out of a molehill
just because the man is a public
figure. ” New ton said. -Fd like to see
It (he. It's being blown completely out
of proportion."
Newton said members actually ap
peared impressed with Smith and
later made favorable comments
about the county manager's talk.
“He comes acrass as a man witli a
lot of knowledge about county
government,” Newton said, ’‘and he
appears to be a man with the better
ment of the county in mind."
When contacted Tuesday, Smith
admitted telling a joke about a black
minister and a widow to help explain
his job as county manager. He said
the joke fit into his presentation, but
when taken out of context, ’‘it doesn’t
.sound loo nice."
However, according to ConunLs-
sioncr Chris (’huppell, the joke was
brought to the commi.ssion’s atten
tion Sept. 23 by State Port Pilot News
Editor Richard Nubel, whasc wife.
Killy, was present al the
homebuilders meeting.
Chappell .said Nubel ' expressed
his concerns in executive session to
the board and Mr. Smith.”
Commi.ssioners look no action
following the 45-minute executive
session, which Chappell had called to
di.scu.ss "personnel."
Chappell said he conUicted Newton
the following day to see if association
members had taken offense to
Smith's remarks: in turn, Newton
told him they had not, Chappell said.
•I don’t think he (Smith) made any
statement he thought would be
wrong," Chappell said Tuesday. -I
think the commissioners have got to
look at it from what the public
response is . . . It's a wait and see
type situation."
Smith .said he apologized to two
women present al the meeting, but
added lhe> told him they had nut
Ixjcn offended bv his remarks.
BRUNSWICK COUNTY'S
FIRST
Temps, Rain Near Normal
Temperatures and rainfall in the
.Shallotlc area arc expected to be
near normal through the weekend.
.According to Shallotlc Point
metcorologi.st Jackson Canady, the
area can expect temperatures of
iree.s at nl‘^ht to around
8(1 dcgree.s during the day.
Al.so. the area should gel about one-
half inch of rainfall during the same
period.
F(»r the pencxl Sept. 22-28, Canady
recorded an average daily high
temperature of 83 degrees and an
average daily low of 58 degrees.
The daily average temperature
was 70 degrees.
The maximum high was 8(> degrees
on .Sent 9i5* the minimum low. 52
degrees on Sept. 24.
Canady al.so measured .90 inch of
rainfall at Shallotte Point during the
period.
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iHfcrirTi
Commis.sioncrs qualifications you
feci are neces.sary for your director
as against tlie job description that
has been released, that you should do
so, but in an objective way without
John Harvey being a part of it.”
County Manager .John Smith said
Friday that he (iiscussed the matter
with Har\'cy. and that the planning
director said he would continue to
work with the UOB until a full-time
director of public utilities is named.
"He’ll work with them until wc get
someone." Smith .said, “and then
he'll still bo working with them from
the planning area.”
According to Bowling, Ifi per
sons—the majority from North
Carolina—applied for the public
utilities director |>o.sl by the end of
the application period Friday al 5
p.iii. One applicant is from Mississip
pi. another from Ohio.
•We got a good spread (of ap
plicants).’’ Ms. Bowling said, noting
that the opening was advertised in
metropolitan newspapers across the
slate as well as in local newspapers.
She al.so .said only one of the ap
plicants is currently employed by
Brunswick County, but did not iden
tify the applicant.
When contacted late Friday.
Hewett siiid he had applied for the
job but declined further conuncnl.
Commissioners were to receive
copies of the applications Monday
night to review on their own before
later .selecting applicants to be inter
viewed. Ms. Bowling s«iid.
Calabash
iContimu'd From Page 1-A)
person elected mayor al that lime
will serve four-year terms, with the
next election for those .seats coming
in 1993 and each four years
thereafter.
Currently, the entire council and
mayor are elected everj' two years.
This re.soIiition is almost the op
posite of one made recently by
liolden Beach voters, who voted to
return to two-year ienns after swit
ching to four-year staggered terms
for the board of commissioners and
nuiyor.
Supports Plan
Council members also gave
unanimous support to a proposed
countywidc major thoroughfare plan
presented by .Stuart Bass, a county
planner.
Bass Stiid the plan would be “a
show of support and .solidarity"
among the towns and would carry
much more weight with the N.C\
Department of Transportation.
•’This gives us a little more clout
with Raleigh," he added, calling the
plan a “bureaucratic tool."
Offers Heard
.Also Monday, council heard from
two more consultants interested in
obtaining a contract to develop the
town’s first land use plan.
Howard Capps of Capps and
Associates and Roger Briggs of
McKiin and Creed Eiigineer.s both
presented council with inforiiuilion
and background concerning prcviou.s
work as land use consultants.
Calabash had received an S8.000
planning grant from the state in ear
ly September, with the condition that
the town put up another $2,000 for a
land use study.
Council had previously heard from
Edward Stone Jr. and Associates and
Talbert. Cox and Associates concern
ing the study.
Town Clerk Janet Thomas said two
other consultants are expected to be
al the next meeting. Oct. 12.
Budget Amended
Council also voted twice to amend
the town budget.
Following the first vote, $2,500 was
added to the budget because of
underestimated franchise checks
received from stale utilities.
.Ms. rhomas said $955 had original
ly l)een budgeted for the franchise
cliecks, but that she recently rccivcd
a check in the amount of $2,559. She
said this wa.s the first and largest of
four franchise checks expected this
fiscal year from the .state.
Couneil voted to allocate $1,000 of
this money for town hall
nujinlcnance. $1,000 for town in-
In another budget-amending vole,
council members approved a $183 in
crease in revenue sharing, the sum
remaining from last year’s federal
revenue sharing funds. Ms. Thomas
said the sUde may still decide to
withhold the money.
To Join E'und
Council also adopted a resolution of
intent to join the Interlocal Risk
Financing Fund of North Carolina to
cover all insurance needs of the town,
authorizing Mayor Doug Simmons to
sign the insurance contracts on
behalf of the town. .Ms. Thomas said
the insurance will cost about $1,000
per year and will be cheaper than
maintaining policies with several in
dependent companies.
Extension Sought
Members look no action on a re
quest from I-itlle River Trash Ser
vice Manager Bill Jordan for a five-
year extension of his current con
tract under the .same terms. His con
tract e.xpires April 15, 1988.
Town Attorney Mike Ramos said
he wanted to look over the contract
before allowing council to take any
action.
Cuiindlman Robert Weber said, “I
don’t see any problems with it. I
think you’re doing an excellent job."
Council members agreed that they
hadn’t lieard any complaints from
re.sidonts.
Other Business
In other business, council
members:
•Heard a mosquito control request
from resident Paul Schasney. Ms.
Thomas is to contact the county
about having the area sprayed. Said
Schasney. “I think il would be a good
idea for Hie future for Calabash to be
on the list of areas getting treated for
mosquitoes."
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