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West Craven Highlights
VQLiraiE 10 NO. 31 JULY 30,1987 VANCEBORO, NORTH CAROLINA PHONE 244-0780 OR 946-2144
(UPSP 412-110)25 CENTS SIX PAGES
Crops Taking
Heat, Storms
Well: Official
County Weathers Problems
Of Affects On Summer Crops
By MIKE VOSS
Eciilor
When it rains, it pours. But not
in all cases and especially if
you’re a farmer.
For weeks area farmers, or
some of them, suffered through
extremely high temperatures
and little, if any, rain. 'Those who
got rain usually didn’t get
enough to do much good.
Area farmers seem to have a
"too-much-rain or not-enough-
rain” problem. Too much rain
when farmers don’t need it and
too little rain when the crops
need a drink. Farmers can do a
’MHb make their fields more pro
ductive, but there is little they
can do to make it rain. Even the
hopeful “let’s pray for rain”
doesn’t seem to have a prayer of a
chance these days, according to
farm experts.
A few farmers have been
forced to use irrigation to help
crops, those farmers who have
irrigation systems to use.
And when a major storm blew
through eastern North Carolina
Monday afternoon, some farmers
got more than they bargained for.
Luckily, according to local re
ports, those farmers were just
outside the Craven County line.
Farmers in Pitt and Beaufort
counties suffered severe crop
damage from hail and wind.
But Craven County agricultu
ral officials say the storm left
Craven County untouched. Rain
fell, but no reports of crop dam
age had been received by mid-
aftemoon ’Tuesday.
A poll of officials in Cove City,
Dover and Ft. Barnwell revealed
that Monday’s storm brought
rain in varying amounts, but
even the largest rainfall was not
enough to meet water needs, said
(See FARMS. Page 2)
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Craven County farmers were spared from hail damage Monday — neighboring counties weren’t spared
Waste-To-Energy Viable Option In County
Glenn Forrest of Vanceboro
accompanied state and local offi’
ciaJs on a tour through Maryland
and Virginia to study methods ot
garbage disposal. Forrest is
works with the Neuse River
Council of Governments. He is
working to solve garbage prob-
^ems ikcing Craven County. For-
rest was to have met today with
military representatives and area
county managers in Newport to
discuss garbage problems.
One In A Series
By MIKE VOSS
Eililor
BALTIMORE — The garbage
produced by Baltimore County
is enough to provide electricity
for all of western Craven County
through waste-to-energy plants,
with some left over.
That fact didn’t go to waste on
government officials and region
al planners on a state-sponsored
tour of alternatives to landfills.
All of the facilities toured proces
sed garbage into fuel or used it as
Riel.
Weyerhaeuser Company’s
New Bern operation has been
asked to provide information,
said Glenn Forrest of the Neuse
River Council of Governments,
to see if it could benefit from a
facility similar to the ones toured
by the group. Forrest said
Weyerhaeuser uses steam at the
New Bern site and might be a
potential customer for steam
and/or power generated by a
waste-to-energy plant.
The Baltimore County Re
source Recovery Facility takes a
mixture of about 70 percent re
sidential garbage and 30 pere-
cent commercial garbage and
separates glass and ferrous metal
from “fluff." The ‘'fluir’ is what
remains after the glass and metal
have been removed. It resembles
shredded paper.
The plant is owned by Balti
more County and operated by
National Ecology of Timonium,
Md. Plant oHlcials said “fluff’ is
another term for refuse-derived-
fuel, RDF for short.
The RDF is sold to Baltimore
Gas & Electric Co. which bums it
with coal to produce electricty.
Ted Hill, vice president for
business develeopment for
National Ecology, said the utility
uses a mixture of 80 percent coal
and 20 percent RDF to produce
electricity. Hill said the use of
RDF cuts the use of fossil fuel.
Using less coal, said Hill, meant
the company could save money
and use less natural resources.
Hill estimated that the alterna
tive fuel saves Baltimore Gas &
Electric $1 million a year.
A pound of RDF produces
5,500 to 8,000 BTUs and has ab
out half the heating value of coal,
said Hill.
His company uses about 20
percent of the RDF produced by
the plant. The rest is trucked to a
landfill.
“What we put into a landfill is a
small percentage of what would
have Iwen put there if we didn’t
process it,” said Hill. “If nothing
else, we at least extend the life of
a landfill significantly.”
The plant is also shipping RDF
to a power company in New
Hampshire, said Hill.
The plant can handle 1,200 tons
of waste a day, but usually pro
cesses 900 tons a day. By com
parison. the amount of waste pro
duced by Beaufort and seven
other eastern North Carolina
counties is estimated at 800 tons
a day.
The facility was built in 1976 at
a cost of $11.4 million on a six-
acre site. Hill said the plant has
been closed, other than for
routine maintenance, for just six
days in II years.
Hill said it costs about $12 a ton
to process the RDF and it is sold
for about $18 a ton. The plant
does not make a profit, said Hill.
He said the plant costs about $5
million a year to operate and
(See GARBAGE, Page 2)
Renovation Plan
Made By Town’s
Community Panel
The Vanceboro Community
Association discussed fund
raising efforts and renova
tions to the Vanceboro Com
munity Center at its July
meeting held at the center.
A Trustee Board was
appointed to handle the fun
draising efforts and renova
tions. Members of the Trustee
Board are: John Bryant,
chairman; Bobby Mitchell,
vice chairman; Slover Ed
wards, secretary; James W.
Dawson, banking committee;
Tony Moye, treasurer; Troy
Dawson and Joseph Dixon.
Mrs. Thelma Chadwick of
(See PLAN, Page 2)
Farm Life Principal Finishes
Executive Program At UNC
Pigging Out On Reading
Orville the pig, mascot for the Summer Reading
Game, visited the Vanceboro-Craven County
Public Library recently during the library’s story
hour. Orville was on hand to participate in a skit.
The Summer Reading Game awards children for
the number of books they read during the sum
mer. Organizers say it helps children improve
reading skills and provides some summer adven
ture for the children. Those who take the game
seriously can usually be found at the library a few
times a week. Did anybody ask Or\'ille if he could
read? (Richard Cannon photo)
CHAPEL HILL-Richard W.
Bowers, principal of Vanceboro-
Farm Life Elementary School, is
the fifth Craven County school
manager to improve his school
administrative management
techniques through the Princip
als’ Executive Program at the
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.
Other Craven principals who
have completed the program are
Robert E. Jolly, West Craven
High School in Vanceboro;
Ethridge H. Ricks, Brinson
Memorial Elementary School in
New Bern; Susan H. Rivenbark,
Oaks Road Elementary School in
New Bern; and Richard P. Wil
son, Trent Park Elementary
School in New Bern.
Bowers is one of 33 administra
tors in the program's 11th ses
sion, which began April 21 at
UNO’s Institute of Government
and concluded July 10. Partici
pants strengthened their skills
through coursework in 23 man
agement and education areas
during four five-day sessions.
The program is designed to
help educators stay up-to-date to
maintain effectiveness, hone
their skills and continue their
commitment to professional de
velopment.
“These principals will lead the
state’s public schools into the
next decade and will help to con
struct a strong bridge between
the university and the public
school system,” UNC Chancellor
Christopher C. Fordham III said.
More than 350 principals
across the state have completed
the intensive executive educa
tion program, which began in
September 1984.
The Principals’ Executive
Program was developed in re
sponse to concerns about school
management expressed by For
dham and C.D. Spangler Jr., for
mer chairman of the N.C. Board
of Education and now UNC sys
tem completed. Programs sche
duled through September have
been filled.
"The program brings princip
als back to the classroom to learn
new administrative skills and to
think creatively about manage
ment in a school setting,” said
Robert Phay, program director.
He noted that the curriculum
teaches principals how to run
more effective instructional
programs and has an impact on
participants long after the prog
ram has ended.
During the program, partici
pants spend more than 150 hours
in classes focusing on such areas
as leadership, personnel man
agement, personal development,
improvement of instructors and
curriculum, students and legal
issues. Also included are special
presentations by UNC faculty in
the arts and humanities. Many of
the 120 sessions of the program
are taught by the case method
and all classroom teachings
attempts to engage the principal
in discussion of various topics.
Program faculty come primari
ly from the Institute of Govern
ment. the business and educa
tion schools and the College of
Arts and Sciences.
Principals are nominated by
their superintendents. One prin
cipal can be nominated for every
13 principals in the school dis
trict.
Program costs, including
housing and meals for partici
pants, are covered by a special
legislative appropriation.
Upon completion of the
(See PRINCIPAL. Page 2)
Jordan Vows He’ll Fight Severance Tax
AURORA — “Whatever hap
pens In the iUture, I shall fight
every effort to enact a severance
tax on phosphate in North Caro-
fcjina”
It was Lt. Gov. Bob Jordan
speaking during a visit yesterday
to Texasgulf Chemicals Co. com
plex near Aurora.
“I’m against a phosphate
severance tax. Such a tax will be
a burden to your county and to
this company,” he said. "1 cannot
understand why Sen. Bo Thomas
ever introduced such a bill, and 1
told him at the outset I was
opposed and that his severance
Lt. Gov. Speaks At Texasgulf
tax bill did not have a chance.”
Jordan flew into Lee Creek
from Asheville where he spoke in
the morning. He arrived at the
Texasgulf runway at 1:40 and for
more than two hours he toured
the phosphate operations and
met with company officials, su
pervisors, and workers.
“We want to see our companies
expand, and I shall help that end
In every possible way. Up In
Raleigh, surely we'll adjourn this
session of the legislature shortly
and North Carolina will be safe
again,” he said with a smile.
In conclusion he added. “You
may or may not know Rep. Joe
Mavretic but he introduces some
crazy bills, and his bill to abolish
property taxes and increase sales
taxes and thus allow the state to
dish out the money to the coun
ties heads his list.”
The lieutenant governor
toured the mining excavation
site and he climbed one of Texas-
gulPs huge draglines. Jack Hird,
mine manager, explained the op
erations there. Jordan also saw
the refinement area where such
acids as sulphuric and phosphor
ic are turned out along with solid
phosphate used in fertilizers. He
also was told of the land reclama
tion program carried out by the
company.
Rann Carpenter, public rela
tions officer, showed the group a
short film depicting the com
plete Texasgulf operations.
Carpenter also told the party that
Texasgulf employs 1,218 work-
(See JORDAN, Page 2)
Jordan, center, meets Texasgulf Vice President Thomas
Regan, left, and spnkesnian Rami Carpenter