'Minor7 Problems Shouldn't Delay Shallotte Library Reopening
BY ERIC CARLSON
Weather delays and newly uncovered deficiencies
have set back renovations al Shallotte's West Bruns
wick Branch Library, but the problems are minor and
should not prevent completion of the project by the
Oct. 1 1 target date, according to architect John Sawyer.
Meanwhile, renovations at the Southport library
branch arc likely to be more costly and take longer than
expected because of unforeseen structural problems
with the building's roof. Sawyer told the Brunswick
County Library Board of Trustees at its regular meeting
Monday.
After removing old shingles at Southport. the con
tractor discovered plywood used in the library's con
struction is a type that has a history of deteriorating un
der heat and is beginning to fall apart. One worker's
foot went through the roof while walking on the library
recently. Sawyer said.
He recommended that the old plywood be torn out
and replaced, which is likely to add $10,000 to $15,000
to the project cost.
"These type problems are trequenliy encountered
during renovation projects," Sawyer told the board
"There are things you don't find out (about a building's
construction) until you start tearing out walls."
In estimating the project costs at the West Brunswick
Library (recently re-named "the Rourk Branch")
Sawyer said he had hoped to re-use the original plumb
ing and ventilation ductwork. But after tearing out
walls, it was discovered that parts of the old systems no
BY ERIC CARLSON
Former Democratic Party Chairman Bill Stanley,
whose appointment to the Brunswick County Library
Board sparked controversy last month, wasted no time
in ruffling feathers at his first meeting Monday night,
calling the group "hostile" and accusing a fellow
member of "slandering" him.
Democrats on the Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners recently approved Chairman Don
Warren's nomination erf Stanley to replace library
trustee Gene Pinkerton, the former Republican com
missioner who spearheaded the creation of a four
branch county library system.
As its first chairman, Pinkerton guided the library
board through planning and construction of two new
libraries at Leland and Oak Island and the renovation
of existing branches in Shallotte and Southport.
At its previous meeting in June, library board
member Margaret Harper called the move to replace
Fiiikcrion "ui>giawni!" and an of "dilat
ing politics
Harper made no direct reference to Stanley dur
ing her comments last month. Her criticism was aimed
lunger meet state building code standards and will need
to be replaced.
Change orders to date have added about $2,200 to
construction costs in Shallotte. he said. Although work
at the Democrat commissioners.
"1 beard Mrs. Harper got her note out of joint"
Stanley said Monday. "I was about to not take this
sett. I felt I had been appointed to a hostile board.
Then I talked to quite a few people who encouraged
me to stay, and I'm going to stay."
Harper agreed that Stanley should remain on the
board and insisted that her comments were not a re
flection of her feelings about him.
"I was sad to see Gene Pinkenon taken off."
Harper said. "More than any other person, he is re
sponsible for getting this money we're spending."
Undeterred by the explanation and Harper's insis
tence that she is a life-long Democrat, Stanley accused
her of "praising Gene Pinkerton and slandering me."
He also questioned her political affiliation.
"I know you ran for lieutenant governor and got
beat pretty bad," Stanley said. "1 didn't know if you
had changed your party or not."
I ihrarv Baud Chairman Anne Hines fat a
halt in the exchange saying, "If you want to discuss
your opinions, do it outside. This is not pertinent to li
brary business."
has fallen about a week behind schedule. Sawyer said
he expects the project to get back on track now that the
building has been dried in and no longer subject to de
lays caused by the weather.
A $70,000 contingency allowance was included in
the project funding to cover such unexpected costs.
Sawyer said.
Library board members from Shallotte and Southport
are scheduled to meet with Sawyer and Library
Director Maurice Tate later this week to discuss interior
color schemes for the two branches.
In other business the board:
? Apologized to Burt Keppel of Long Beach for a
"misunderstanding" about the use that would be made
of books he donated to the library system. Keppel had
hoped the 90-year-old Mark Twain collection would be
available to patrons of the G.V. Barbee Branch library
on Oak Island instead of being sold to raise funds for
new books. At Monday's meeting, ICeppel was told that
such old volumes would not stand up to the rigors of
regular library circulation.
? Heard a report from Tate indicating that traffic at
the Lei and library branch has increased dramatically
since moving into its new building. Registrations in
June were up nearly 400 percent over the previous year,
circulation has increased by 60 percent and the number
of library visitors has risen 147 percent. Tate said.
? Voted to temporarily discontinue evening hours at
the new Leiand library branch until schools open.
Attendance has been minimal during those times, board
members said.
? Agreed to make the official name of the Southport
library branch "The Southport Brunswick County
Library."
Plan Week Around Rain
More rain is forecast for the South Brunswick Islands; you can count
on it
Shallotte Point meteorologist Jackson Canady anticipates "at least" 1
inch to IK inches of rainfall over the next few days, coupled with normal
temperatures.
Temperatures should average from the lower 70s at night to around 90
degrees during the day.
For the period July 19-25, Canady recorded 2.30 inches of rainfall at
the Point.
He recorded a high of 91 degrees on July 25 and a minimum of 73 de
grees on July 21.
A daily average high of 88 degrees and an average nightly low of 75
degrees combined for a daily average temperature of about 81 degrees,
which is normal for this time of year.
Shallotte VFD. Aldermen
Differ On Squad's Needs
(Continued From Page 1-A)
"It was not authorized. It was
done wrong. It's something the town
needs to take up with the fire depart
ment." Durham said.
Carter said money for the project
was included in the 1992-93 and
1993-94 budgets, and the depart
ment voted to go ahead with the
work only after finding the most rea
sonable pricc available.
The incident involving the drop
ceiling was just the latest in a scries
of minor conflicts between the town
board and fire department.
On July 5, aldermen rejected a de
partment request to purchase 20 li
cense plates for the firefighters' per
sonal vehicles. The plates requested
cost more than SIS each, which
town officials said was too expen
sive.
The first public show of friction
this year between the town board
and department came during a May
17 budget workshop when Carter
was asked to explain a request for
S2.500 in departmental supplies.
The chief was at first reluctant to
answer the question and later lashed
out at the town board, pointing out
that firefighters volunteer hundreds
of hours to serve the community.
"If our time is not important you
need to find somebody else to run
the fire department. If you're going
to cut the budget, cut it somewhere
else," Carter demanded.
"It's like this," he continued.
"There's some people involved in
this fire department who do not like
you all."
Carter has served as Shallotte's
fire chief since November 1987,
when a power struggle between the
fire department and town board re
sulted in 13 of 18 firefighters quit
ting the department.
Carter said the relationship be
tween the town board and depart -
ment was fine for a few years after
the mass walkout, but it started dete
riorating in the spring of 1991 and
MMMMfiarftUKni
Established Nov. 1, 1962
Telephone 754-6890
Published Every Thursday
At 4709 Main Street
Shaliotte, N.C. 28459
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY
One Year Si 0.36
Six Months S5.55
ELSEWHERE IN
NORTH CAROLINA
One Year $14.86
Six Months $7.90
ELSEWHERE IN U.S.A.
One Year $15.95
Six Months $8.35
tK'ciimt class postage paid at
Siuilotu N r. 28459. USPS 777
780. POfclmastcr vnd address
(changes to:
P.O. Box 255*.
| Shaliotte, N.C. 2K451-2S58
has gotten progressively worse.
He said town aldermen have grad
ually imposed more "sanctions"
against the fire department and giv
en the firefighters less input into
how their budgeted funds are used.
He cited the town board's refusal
to purchase a $3,000 computer that
would have allowed the department
to send incident reports directly to
Raleigh instead of filling them out
by hand and taking them to Bolivia.
The computer was included in the
department's udget request two
years ago, but it was rejected by the
town board.
Carter said the current tension be
tween the town board and depart
ment dates back to April 1991 when
some board members tried to pre
vent firefighters from using a car
that was donated by then-Alderman
Jody Simmons.
"It sort of changed the morale and
attitude of the department.'' Carter
said. "We had to go through so
much trouble proving to them we
needed the vehicle, which is some
thing that was donated to us."
Although Shallotte budgeted
$46,049 for the fire department this
fiscal year. Carter said the figure is
misleading.
Excluding a $20,709 fire truck
payment and SI 4,500 that Bruns
wick County provides for each vol
unteer tire department in the county.
Carter said the town only gives
about $12,000 per year ($10,840 this
year).
He said the fire department's an
nual budget has hovered around
$50,000 for the last seven years,
while the policc department budget
has increased from about $190,000
in 1987 to $293,000 this fiscal year.
Despite the problems. Carter said
firefighters are not planning another
walkout He also said he will contin
ue to serve as a volunteer Fireman
even if he isn't re-appointed as
chief.
"We're not planning to walk out,"
Carter said. "This is a good group of
people that's down here. With theii
families and their work they do the
best they can in the time they have."
IT HOLDEN BEACH
BRING HOME
THEftBEACON
On Sal* At
ALAN HOLDEN REALTY
BARN RESTAURANT
BEACH MART
CAMP GROUND BY THE SEA
CAPTAIN PETE S
GENERAL STORE
GINNY'S CHICKEN HOUSE
HOLDEN BEACH PIER
INDEPENDENT SEAFOOD
JEFFS GROCERY
THE BOOKWORM
ROBINSON'S HARDWARE
SKY MART EXXON
SPAN MART
Additional Schools Funds
Are Designated
BY SUSAN USHER
Brunswick County Schools will
receive increased state funding for
the 1994-95 school year, almost all
of it is for purposes specified by the
state legislature.
An extra $514,477 will be used to
decrease kindergarten class sizes,
buy more textbooks, aid dropout
prevention and allow the schools to
add two additional support positions
such as guidance counselors and/or
social workers.
Jan Calhoun, assistant superinten
dent for instructional services, said
the school system will receive
5363,757 in Basic Education
Program funding. Included arc 3'A
more kindergarten teachers and four
teacher assistants.
One teacher/assistant team will be
allocated to each of four elementary
schools, including Union Elemen
tary in Shallotte, to decrease overall
kindergarten class size.
The additional S75.000 in text
book money is intended to bring the
school system back up to the "buy
ing power" it had in 1985.
Calhoun said 1993-94 was a "big
textbook adoption year," when the
school system was expected to re
place social studies and health texts,
but wasn't given enough money to
do it.
"Wc spent more than we had last
year," he said, and social studies
classes were still left short. At most
schools each social studies class
room received one set of textbooks
that students in each period had to
share and could not take home.
"This will help us buy additional
texts," said Calhoun, especially to
"catch up" on texts for the Legal,
Economic and Political Systems
cl?ss required for high school gradu
ation.
The school system generally re
ceives $26 to $27 per student for
textbook adoptions, he said, while
the cost for books ranges as high as
$30 to $35 at the high school level.
The schools also will receive
nearly $3 more per student for in
structional supplies. "That's a pid
dling amount, but we'll take any
thing we can get," said Calhoun.
The school system will also re
ceive $150,720 from an $18.2 mil
lion crime bill adopted during the
earlier crime session. That money
will be used to fund four positions at
the Alternative Learning Center, a
non-traditional program that will
serve potential drop-outs.
Some state funding decisions will
cost the Brunswick County Schools
more money. When legislators voted
to raise salaries of teachers and other
state employees that included school
employees who receive state pay
checks. It didn't include school sys
tem employees paid with county
funds who perform the same jobs.
Teachers with less than three
years of experience or more than 30
years of experience will receive, on
average, a 5 percent pay raise.
Teachers with more than three years
of experience but less than 30 years
of experience will receive raises of
up to 7 percent, depending on where
they fall on the pay scale, said Rep.
E. David Redwine (D-Brunswick).
In past years teachers who partici
pated in the Senate Bill 2 differenti
ated pay plan could receive extra
money if they met achievement
goals for the year. The money was
allocated from a pool equal to 2 per
cent of all teachers' salaries.
This year the legislature took that
2 percent and applied to the pay
raises, Redwine said. It then created
another pot of money, for this year
only, that will allow teachers to re
ceive up to 1 percent of their salary
in differentiated pay under Senate
Bill 2. If the pot isn't refunded next
year. Senate Bill 2 differentiated pay
could end.
Other school system employees
received raises as well. Central of
fice employees with certification
and employees without certification
received 4 percent raises plus 1 per
cent bonuses based on the new
salaries.
Bus drivers received 4 percent
salary increases, plus a 4.6 percent
increase in average hourly wage
rates and a 1 percent bonus. Bruns
wick County bus drivers had been
among those seeking raises this year.
The school board had included a re
quest to county commissioners for
$7,600 to supplement salaries by
$50 each plus benefits.
School principals and assistant
principals received raises that aver
aged 9 percent, based on a new
salary schedule adopted by the legis
lature.
Legislators chose not to fund the
100-plus N.C Information Highway
sites proposed by Gov. Jim Hunt.
Instead, school systems, counties,
community colleges and other pub
lic entities can apply for a share of
up to $100,000 of a $7 million
cache. Redwine said the money can
be used for purchasing capital
equipment, paying line charges, hir
ing a site coordinator ? anything the
applicants chooses.
"This is one-time only money,"
said Redwine. "The reason we did it
that way is because there are some
very low wealth counties that can't
afford to set up sites."
Brunswick Community College
and West Brunswick High School
had anticipated going on-line with
the N.C. Information Highway this
fall because they were among the
sites initially targeted by Hunt to re
ceive state funding to pay on-line
telephone access charges and some
other expenses.
However, neither received county
funds to hire a site coordinator and
will now be bidding against other
sites for state funding.
The two sites were part of a re
gional project, sharing in an REA
grant to wire and equip an interac
tive classroom at each location.
Jury Trial
Begins Over
School Funds
(Continued From Page 1-A)
said. "Of course they do. This is
about fiscal responsibility and pru
dence. I submit to you that the board
you have elected has been financial
ly prudent."
in his brief opening remarks,
school board attorney Glenn
Peterson reminded the jury that the
county commissioners arc required
by law to provide the board of edu
cation with enough money "to pro
vide an adequate system of public
schools." He said his case would at
tempt to establish "what level of
funding will allow our students to
achieve."
"We will lay that out and show
you how to get there," Peterson said
to the jury. "The tiiture of education
and our children's future is in your
hands."
Murder Investigation Gaining Focus, Detectives Say
(Continued From Page 1-A)
Investigators remain unsure about
where Frink stopped to make a
phone call on the way to meet her
sister in Cherry Grove, S.C. Frink
was last known to be alive at 2:49
a.m. June 23, when her voice was
recorded on a telephone answering
machine.
Reports that the call was made
from a Food Chief convenience
store in Little River were "prema
ture" and have not been confirmed
through interviews or evidence.
Hunter said. Detectives have viewed
the store's surveillance video tap*
and found no indication that Frink
stopped there before she was mur
dered.
Frink, 18, was stabbed repeatedly,
beaten and run over with her own
car at least twice before bleeding to
death. Evidence "strongly suggests"
she was sexually assaulted by the
person or persons who killed her. ac
cording to Horry County Police Lt.
Bill Knowles, who is heading the in
quiry into Frink's death
Hunter said investigators h-ve not
ruled out the possibility that Frink
was the victim of a serial killer who
may have also abducted and mur
dered a Myrtle Beach woman listed
as missing since she disappeared
from a Seaside bar last April IS.
Police have yet to find a trace of 38
year-old Del ores Melton, who was
also a petite, blonde, blue-eyed
woman like Frink.
Two weeks ago, the South
Carolina Law Enforcement Division
(SLED) called in a team of dogs
specially trained to find bodies for a
search of the woods around the sus
pected site of Frink 's murder. No
other human remains were found.
A psychological profile of the
suspected killer has been prepared
by South Carolina authorities and a
more detailed study is under way by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation
in Quantico, Va. Hunter said police
are also investigating possible simi
larities between the Frink murder
and other killings in the southeast.
Meanwhile, a task force of offi
cers from Brunswick and Horry
County, S.C., SLED and the SBI is
"alive and well" and continues to
work on the Frink investigation
from new headquarters in Little
River, Hunter said.
Another detective has been as
signed to the case from the Ocean
Isle Beach Police Department,
Hunter said. Frink was known to
have several friends in that area.
A $6,000 reward remains un
claimed for information leading to
the arrest and indictment of Frink's
killer. Hunter said he was surprised
at the low number of calls regarding
the case and repeated a plea for help.
"Sometimes people get hesitant to
call, thinking what they know might
not mean anything. But let us decide
what's useful and what isn't,"
Hunter said. "This kind of investiga
tion is like working on a big puzzle.
You need all the pieces ? even the
small ones ? to see the whole pic
ture."
Anyone familiar with Amy
Frink's travels on the night of her
murder, or anyone with other infor
mation about the case is urged to no
tify authorities through Horry
County CrimeStoppers at (800) 248
5000, North Carolina CrimeStop
pers at (800) 531-9845 or by leaving
a recorded message on a special 24
hour telephone line at the Brunswick
County Sheriff's Department. That
number is (910) 253-4797. All calls
will be kept confidential.
When you leave
the Brunswick shores/
ike the Beacon with you!
a
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