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THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 43 NUMBER 21
14 PAGES TODAY
SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA
DECEMBER 15/ 1971
5 CENTS A COPY
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
$3.6 Million, High-Level
Span Proposed By SHC
By ED HARPER
A proposal to build a $3.6
million high-level bridge to
Oak Island was approved by
the State Highway Com
mission planning board on
Monday.
The bridge would be con
structed near the present
pontoon-type bridge that has
served die island since a
barge demolished the old
drawbridge September 7,
breaking die only link with
the mainland and creating a
situation of inconvenience if
not emergency.
The planning board
dismissed the idea of a bridge
across the Yellow Banks,
several miles west of the
present location: preliminary
research “supported obvious
conclusions that alternate
corridor locations at points
farther removed from
present NC 133 were not
economically justified and
would not effectively serve
major travel desires between
Oak Island and the
mainland.”
The federally-financed
project calls for the con
struction of a fixed span with
65-foot vertical clearance.
The length of the bridge
would be 5,000 feet, plus a
2,000-foot approach from the
north near the present NC 133
route. The actual bridge
StC**-.*
Delay Action
For Permit
v.
<S
Members of the Southport
Board of Aldermen failed to
take action Thursday night on
the request made by Mr. and
Mrs. Jerry Giles to have their
property on West St. zoned
for a motel project they are
ready to begin.
Previously they had made
their appeal to the Southport
Zoning Board, which had
failed to take action and had
said they would refer the
matter to the Board of
Aldermen. At the Thursday
night meeting Mayor Dorothy
Gilbert said that no report
had been forwarded by the
Zoning Board.
A request was heard that
the new street from the old
yacht basin to the Boat
Harbor be made two-way, but
action was deferred pending
some relief from traffic
congestion at the end of Bay
St. and Short St.
The board discussed the
proposal made by City
Manager C.D. Pickerrell that
they consider the matter of
installing a new well in order
to insure a continued ample
supply of fresh water to serve
the needs of Southport
(Continued On Page Seven)
structure would costs $3.3
million; the approach,
$280,000.
The planning board’s
consideration of the fixed
span bridge was based on the
recent trend towards building
such structures across the
Intracoastal Waterway and
the inherent advantages of a
high-level bridge: “These,
benefits include a more
desirable level of traffic
service, elimination of
congestion and delays'
resulting from drawbridge
openings, and avoidance of
possible future collisions of
vessels with the low-level
structure.”
The planning board con
sidered a benefit-cost
analysis that set the annual
cost of a fixed span at $194,900
and a draw bridge at $105,400.
The annual cost of main
taining a fixed span structure
would be $2,000, while the
drawbridge maintenance
would amount to $10,000.
Also, an additional annual
cost of $55,000 would be in
curred for drawbridge
operators’ salaries.
The planning board noted
that 113,992 vehicles were
delayed by 6,212 openings of
the bridge during 1970. It was
projected that by 1987 the
number of openings would
exceed 10,000, causing delay
for more than one-half
million vehicles.
The costs of time delay and
After 16 Years
Lennon Won’t
Run For Seat
Setting to rest all rumors,
which have been heard
around Brunswick County
about his retirement
following this term of
Congress, U.S. Rep. Alton
Lennon announced this
morning that he would not
seek re-election to the United
States House of Represen
tatives in 1972.”
Mr. Lennon stated that
after nearly 30 years of public
service, including county,
state, and national offices, he
was returning to private life
in North Carolina with the
conclusion of the 92nd
Congress.
“I and my wife, Kay, will
always cherish with the
deepest gratitude the
friendship and support of the
people of the Seventh
Congressional District,” Mr.
Lennon said.
The Congressman affirmed
his pride and gratification for
the economic growth and
development of the District
and expressed his confidence
that a successor of ex
perience, integrity, and
dedication would be chosen to
continue this progress.
Rumors had been heard for
the past several weeks that
Rep. Lennon had expressed
the hope that he could step
down following the present
term of Congress.
Lennon has been in the
Congress for 16 years, and
has fended off all opposition.
Two Fayetteville lawyers
have announced their in
tentions to run in the up
coming Democratic primary
in May, to seek the
REP. ALTON LENNON
nomination. They are Charles
Rose III, who ran un
successfully in 1970 against
Lennon, and Doran Berry,
who announced his candidacy
over the weekend.
Lennon, who unseated the
late Rep. F. Ertel Carlyle of
Lumberton, after a vigorous
campaign, with Lennon
pushing his conservatism,
has maintained his stand
throughout the years, and the
7th District has repeatedly
supported him with a large
majority vote.
“I know he (Lennon) could
win again hands down,” said
one Chadbourn leading
supporters. “Congressman
Lennon has been of this
area’s leading pushers, and I
hate to see him retire. He will
be sorely missed.”
stopping the vehicles were
included in the planning
board’s 17-page report to the
State Highway Commission.
A comparison of the use
and construction costs
produced a benefit-cost ratio
of 1.4, the report stated,
“indicating that the ad
ditional cost of a fixed span
high-level bridge is an
economically justifiable
expenditure when compared
to the cost of a drawbridge
crossing.”
The board considered three
alignments for the fixed span
bridge: an alignment along
the present roadway; and
alignments immediately west
and immediately east of the
existing roadway. The
alignment along present NC
133 was not considered
feasible since the present
roadway and pontoon bridge
must serve as a detour during
construction.
An alternative alignment
immediately west of the
present road would have
approximately the same
construction cost; however,
some disadvantages were
noted:
iuc alignment west ui U1C
present roadway would
necessitate the relocation of
major power transmission
lines and would require
considerable service road
construction in order to
maintain access to a private
airfield,’-’ the report stated.
The bridge structure in
cludes 3,500 feet required to
span the Intracoastal
Waterway and allow the 65
foot vertical clearance, and
1,500 feet to span the mar
shlands on the south ap
proach.
The span across the marsh
would cost about $700,000,
compared to a cost of $300,000
for landfill, but “ap
proximately 20 feet of muck
and probable environmental
complications would be in
volved in attempting to
construct a new roadway by
filling through the mar
•shland.”
The added cost is believed
to be justified on the basis of
environmental con
siderations, the board con
cluded. Had the drawbridge
been preferred, the approach
structure probably would not
have been provided.
The bridge will have a 40
foot roadway and will allow
90-foot horizontal clearance
for waterway traffic. Current
bridge standards require the
40-foot roadway, although a
reduction of only six feet
would result in a savings of
one-half million dollars.
According to the SHC
report, “the new structure
and approaches will provide
(Continued On Page Three)
Architects Drawing Of Condominium
This is a copy of the architects drawing of a 15
story condominium which a Washington, D.C.,
man, Joseph T. Barone, proposes to construct on
the oceanfront at Long Beach. The building would
contain 183 units, ranging from studios to 2
bedroom apartments. A parking building would be
erected behind this skyscraper on the second row.
Financial details now are being negotiated. The
architect is Valanc, Benzing & Associates of
Raleigh.
Paid T o S hallo tie
Schools Give $10,000
For Town Water Supply
The Brunswick County
Board of Education has
agreed to pay $10,000 to the
town of Shallotte to connect
the municipal water system
with West Brunswick High
School, now under con
struction near the town.
This agreement is subject
to completion by January 31,
1972, the board noted. Also,
the investment would apply
to future rent or charge of
municipal water service to
the school.
All three consolidated
schools under construction in
Brunswick County are
scheduled for completion by
April 1, a date that school
architect Jack Croft termed
“reasonable and expected.”
In other business con
cerning the new high schools,
the board considered starting
a Junior ROTC program but
decided to wait until further
study before making a
decision on the matter.
Also, the county will pay an
additional $2,075 per school to
add the following to the
communications system: an
intrusion alarm system,
change two shops from
trumpet stations to
classroom stations, and nine
TV outlets in each school.
The following teaching
personnel were employed by
the county board: Mrs.
O’Gretta T. Saunders, art
teacher; Angelo Ventrillo and
Ricke S. Watson, B.C.H.S.;
Patricia Jasper, Southport
Elementary; Carol Holley,
teacher aide at Lincoln
Elementary.
Also approved were the
following substitute
teachers:
At B.C.H.S. — Yolander
RAndolph, Orabelle Clem
mons, Judy Smith, WindeU
Watson, Donna J. Parker,
Sandra McCracken, Alneta
Eagles, Joann Mauppin and
Pauline Rose.
Shallotte —Joseph Jenes
and Gary Cheers; Southport
Elementary — Mrs. Ted
Holth and Marian Johnson;
Leland, Oren E. Philpott.
e And Tide
Thirty-five years ago there was a movement afoot in South
port to dredge a yacht basin, and joining in this promotion were
transient yacht owners, who stressed the need for these
facilities here. That was back in 1939, the week of December 16.
The late Governor J.C.B. Ehringhaus had contacted the UJS.
Navy Department with regard to being sure that the USS
Perch, new submarine on a shakedown cruise, would stop for a
visit at Southport; semi-annual pension checks had arrived for
distribution to widows of Confederate veterans, and they were
22 in number; and the editor had asked the very pertinent
question, “Why Fireworks”? What he wanted to know was how
and why they ever got to be a part of the celebration of the birth
of Christ.
—I
Wednesday, December 17, 1941, and our second issue
following the start of World War II. There were unmistakable
front page signs of the times, one of them being a picture
showing the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the
(Oontteuad On Pace Flour)
Howard New
‘Key Banker’
A leading Southport banker
has been named “County Key
Banker” for Brunswick
County. He will coordinate
the farm and agri-business
activities of the N.C. Bankers
Association in this area.
NCBA President Claude C.
Armfield, Jr. of Asheville has
announced that Robert D.
Howard will serve as County
Key Banker during the next
12 months.
Howard is Vice President
of Waccamaw Bank & Trust
Company, Southport.
For 27 years the NCBA has
received national recognition
for its notable program of
service to agriculture and
agri-business in North
Carolina. President Armfield
in noting this record, thanked
the 100 County Key Bankers
for their leadership.
Armfield noted such
projects as the annual Farm
Credit Conference, the two
week Short Course in Modern
Farming at N.C. State
University for over 100 young
farm leaders from every
section of North Carolina.
These scholarships are
provided by the hometown
banks and 2,089 have been
awarded. Another project is
die annual land judging meet
in the interest of soil con
servation.
Banks in North Carolina
continue as a chief source of
money for farming, Armfield
reported.
Black Dotted Line Shows The Route Of Proposed New Bridge Over Inland Waterway Between Southport And Oak Island.