Group Wants County To
Build Pro Baseball Stadium
BY ERIC CARLSON stadiums do inn meet the new standards set by profes
Aftcr striking out in Wilmington recently, a group of sional baseball.
sports promoters Monday asked the Resources The team most likely to move to this area would be
Development Commission to play ball in an effort to the Spartanburg, S.C., Phillies of the South Atlantic
build a minor league baseball stadium in Brunswick (Sally) League, which is affiliated with the major league
County. Philadelphia Phillies. Other Sally League teams include
Representatives of the Cape Fear Baseball Com- the Ashcvillc Tourists, the Faycttcvillc Generals, the
miticc told the RDC board that Southeastern North Greensboro Hornets, the Hickory Crawdads. the
Carolina is the largest area in the state without a proles- Charleston (S.C.) Rainbows and the Capital City
sional baseball team. Bombers of Columbia, S.C.
They said several minor league teams will be chang- Perry said a professional baseball team in the Cape
ing home towns in the next Fear region "could easily
two years due to profession- iiJ-f v/i; / huil/l it \A)ilI draw visitors from a four
al baseball's updated re- 'J jUli. UUllU 11, Will county region." During the
quircments for minor league T j . j baseball season, the opeia
stadiums. come. 1 know it sounds tion would employ about 7
"If you build it, they will to 10 full-time and 30 to 50
come," said Matt Perry, tyitp 111 it it'? H "Fffft " part-time workers.
president of Sports Enter- llt^f UHl 11 o U JLAL-l ? Asked why the Wilm
prises in Wilmington. "I \/[ntt PfTTV 'nglon City Council recent
know it sounds trite, but it's lVlall rCliy jy voted against building a
a fact. There is plenty of in- hascball stadium. Pf-rrv
tcrcst in bringing a team here. What they need is a placc
to play. Stadiums make the world of minor league base
ball go "round."
The committee asked the RDC to support the con
cept of having Brunswick County build a4,000-scai sta
dium that Perry said would cost between 53 million and
S3.25 million. ITiat estimate docs not include the pur
chase of a suitable 20- to 25-acrc building site.
The facility would be leased to the baseball team for
70 to 80 days a year and wouid otherwise be available
for concerts, local baseball tournaments, flea markets,
festivals and other events. Perry said.
While the county would be unlikely to recover its in
vesUncnt solely through the baseball lease, the facility
could be rented for other events and would create "a
tremendous potential for additional development" in the
area, said committee representative Timothy Keanc.
The stadium and its 1,000-car parking lot could
serve as an anchor for a larger recreational facility, he
said. Or it could be part of a planned commercial and
residential area.
Brunswick County would obtain a minor league
franchise through the relocation of an existing team.
Perry said. At least three Class A teams arc likely to be
forced to move by the 1994 season because their current
said ihc city was in a light financial position and felt it
could not afford the investment.
"When they developed their list of priorities, this
didn't make it to the top," Perry said.
Kcane said a prospective team owner had offered the
city "a very favorable lease arrangement" including an
above-average percentage of ticket revenues. The same
man may be interested in bringing the team to
Brunswick County, he said.
RDC Director Thomas Monks said he had identified
two suitable building sites for a baseball stadium. One
would be on county-owned land near the Lcland
Industrial Park. The other site, preferred by both Monks
and the committee, would be at the intersection of U.S.
74/76 and U.S. 17, just west of the Cape Fear River
Bridge.
"I am very much interested in this idea," said RDC
member Leslie Myrie. "A lot of people thought this
county couldn't build a water system, but we did it.! see
this plan as something of a waterline. It's also something
that would benefit our kids."
The RDC board asked the committee to develop
more detailed cost and revenue estimates and to make
another presentation at its next meeting.
SBHS JROTC Instructors Plann
Both Junior Army ROTC insiruc- Shallottc, elementary teacher. Union
tors at South Brunswick High Elementary; Harold Johnson. Shal
School at Boiling Spring Lakes plan lottc, JTPA remediation teacher;
to retire this year, according to rou- John Pruitt, Shallottc, social studies,
tine personnel actions handled by West Brunswick; Lynda Alley, Sup
the Brunswick County Board of ply, band director, Shalloue Middle;
Education Monday night at Wac- Ghislainc Smith, Ocean Isle Beach,
camaw Ek..ternary School in Ash. French teacher. South Brunswick
, , , . Middle; Ruth Kuykcndall, Bruns
I ne board accepted the retire- . . . . V. .,
, r , wick, elementary teacher, Shalloue
mcnLs of William F. Faught ol Long .... }
Beach effective June 1, and Gerald ? f ~ ? . n ,
Derr of Southport, effective retire hir'n? of Ton>'a Pt\&oU' BC?I1'
q . ' via, teacher assisiant. Union Ele
?" ' mentary; Dottie Hatcher, Winna
In other action the board: bow, cafeteria assistant, Lcland
?approved the hiring of Sonia John- Middle; Joseph While, Lcland, JT
ston of Shallottc as art teacher at PA remediation teacher assistant;
Waccamaw Elementary School; Delwood Johnson, Shallottc, fuel
Gene Zuck of Wilmington, director truck operator and mechanic I, trans
of technology for the system; Leslie portation department; Ellis Freeman.
Beck, Calabash, special education, Ash, media assistant, Waccamaw
Union Elementary; Ginny Pridgcn, Elementary; Curtis Freeman, Ash,
ing Retirement
shop foreman, transportation;
?extended employment of Nona
Baker, Lcland, half-lime academi
cally gifted teacher, Lincoln Prim
ary; and Judy Auman, Bolivia,
Chapter 1 migrant education parent
coordinator. Supply Elementary;
?approved a military leave of ab
sence for Lcs Tubb of Wilmington,
principal, South Brunswick Middle;
and medical leave for Doris Gore,
Ash, cafeteria assistant, Waccamaw
Elementary;
?accepted the resignation of Cheryl
Shew, Southport, French teacher at
South Brunswick Middle; Ida Mac
Johnson, Bolivia, custodian, Bolivia
Elementary; and Jean Gillette, Sup
ply, teacher assistant. Supply Ele
mentary;
?approved eight substitute teachers.
NEW!
'93 Chevy S-10
$8,56185*
or
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O
* or
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package, AM/FM
Cass, and much
more! Stk#1564
*lnc lax. tags. OM Rebate. $400
1 ?t Time Buyer & $1.000 Down
Caprice Classic (Choose from 2) Was $21,011 Now $13,300
Chevy Corisca (Choose from 3) Was $14,474 Now $8,895
Chevy Beretta (Choose from 2) Was $14,511 Now $9,295
Geo Storm (Choose from 2) Was $13,735 Now $7,800
Geo Metro (Choose from 2) Was $9,350 Now $6,475
Geo Prizm (Choose from 2) Was $12,595 Now $8,200
'93 Geo Metro
io ueo Metro ftlFWf
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AM/FM
Cass.,
and much
more!
*lnc tax. tags.
GM Rabata.
$400 1st Time
Buyer & $1,000
Down
p "YOUR" Brunswick County Chevrolet-Ceo Dealer
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uvf hn cars. incoraoratea
i ? JM Sale Ends
i'?W"i Cars, incorporated^
February 15th
Hwy. 17 N., Shallotto ? 754-7117 ? SALES ? SERVICE ? PARTS, ? 1-800-242-0373
See Ted Hawke, Randall Dosa, Donna Bordeaux or Rusty Younta Today
STAFF PHOTO BY fc*lC CAJtlSON
Failure To Stop
Leo Bradford Hewett, 53, of Supply leaves his pickup truck unharmed after crashing into the front
porch of Ruth He we It's home on Ml. Pisgah Road Thursday afternoon. She saul she was alone eating
supper when she "felt a crash that shook the whole house." According to Trooper R.L. Murray of the
N.C. Highway Patrol, Mr. Hewett said he had an allergic reaction to medication and blacked out as he
approached the stop sign at the east end of Umpire Road. He was charged with failure to stop.
School Policy Panels Named
When ihc Brunswick County
Board of Education looks at policy
changcs, much of the work will he
handled by six new committees ap
pointed by the board chairman and
superintendent.
The committees are chargcd with
researching, studying and reviewing
policies and related issues and mak
ing recommendations to the adminis
tration. In turn the administration will
report to the full board with its rec
ommendations in the six areas. The
committees are to meet at least once
very two months, more if needed.
Committees arc as follows:
?Personnel: Ralph Ward, personnel
director, chair; board members Bill
Fairlcy and Polly Russ, Superin
tendent Ralph Johnston;
?Student Services: Judith Babcock,
director of student services, chair;
board members Thurman Gause and
Yvonne Bright;
?Facilities: Bill Turner, assistant su
perinicndcnt, chair; board members Grisscu, Bill Shoemaker, Dianna
Polly Russ and Thurman Cause; Mint/ and Ed Lemon; and board
?Budget/Fi nancc: Rudi Fallon, fi- member Russ;
nance officer, chair; board members ?General Public Relations: Gloria
Donna Baxter and Fairley; and the Talley, public informauon/stalf de
superintendeni; velopment officer, chair; board
?Curriculum & Instruction: Mose members Bright and Baxter; and
Lewis, assistant superintendent, Pam Bruton, publications specialist,
chair; instructional supervisor James Other members may be appointed
Mc Adams; school administrators as needed to assist in the work of the
Christine Hall, Bob Rhyne, Zclphia committees.
Valentine's Day-Sun., Feb. 14
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