THE STATE PORT PILOT
A\ Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 44 NUMBER 9 14 PAGES TODAY SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA SEPTEMBER 20, 1972 5 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
Criticism Of Road Work Unfounded, Says Parnell
Charges that highway
funds for Brunswick County
are being misused have
brought -a strongly-worded
rebuttal from State Highway
Commissioner David Par
nell, who said the county is
receiving its share and more
of available road money.
“In view of the facts and
figures,’’ Parnell stated in
a letter to William A. Kopp,
Jr., chairman of the Brun
swick County board of
commissioners, “I do not see
how you, or any member of
your board, can truthfully
state or imply that highway
funds for Brunswick County
have been misused or
misallocated.’’
He said copies of the letter
have been fowarded to local
newspapers, asking that in
formation contained in the
letter be made available to
the public. “I think the
residents of Brunswick
County will realize that high
way funds have been ex
pended in a fair and equitable
manner,” the commissioner
added.
Parnell responded to recent
charges by members of the
Brunswick County board of
commissioners concerning
misuse, misallocation and
unfair distribution of high
way funds. At a Sept. 6
meeting, the county board
voted to proceed with action
leading towards a lawsuit
against the State Highway
Commission, a measure
Parnell said would not be In
the bestinterestof Brunswick
County residents.
The remainder of this
article is the text of Parnell’s
Letter 'To Kopp.
At its monthly meeting in
August, the State Highway
Commission appropriated
funds for construction for the
fiscal year. Secondary
Construction Funds are
appropriated on the basis of
unpaved road mileage, and
$6,043,000 was appropriated
on the basis of 22,907.54 miles,
statewide. Brunswick
County’s share was $51,000
for 194.8 miles of unpaved
roads.
Funds for secondary road
construction were reduced by
approximately 50 percent
from the amount allocated
for the last fiscal year;
School Bus
Help Asked
School Supt. Ralph C. King
has asked for the cooperation
of schoolpatrons in helping to
get school bus routes
established.
King noted that parents in
several school attendance
areas are bringing carloads
of children to school in the
morning. “This poses several
problems for school officials
who are attempting to get
permanent bus routes
established and provide
prompt and reliable service
for children riding school
buses,” he said. “If parents
will permit their children to
ride the buses in the morning
and in the afternoon, ad
ditional buses may be
allocated and thus enable us
to provide a more efficient
transportation system.
“It appears that many
patrons are under the im
pression that a seat is
provided for every child
riding school buses. Although
trends indicate this will be a
reality in the near future,
t present state law does not
* provide seats for* all
children.”
Section 115-186 General
Stattues, N.C. School Law
provides that 25 percent of
the bus seating capacity be
standees. For example, a bus
with a seating capacity of 48
would have a total capacity of
60.
“Operating funds are
allocated to the local units on
this basis,” King said.
King noted that this same
statute establishes the
guidelines which determines
the minimum distance from
the respective schools a child
may live and receive tran
sportation service. He in
dicated that at the preset
time, the law provides bus
transportation for students
living more than one and one
half miles from their
respective schools.
Buses must be routed to
within one mile of those:
persons who live as much as
one and one-half miles from
the school.
CASTING A GILL NET for bait, a fisherman
enjoys the late afternoon near Lockwood Folly Inlet.
Fishing along the Brunswick County coast does not
..
end with summer, but continues through the fall on
the beaches, piers and charter boats that operate
here. ■
*More At Stake Than!Single Dune9
“Sometimes there is a little
discrepancy in what the
owner would like to do and
what the law allows you to
do,” noted Assistant
Shoreline Protection Officer
Ed Clemmons, a witness at a
special meeting of the
Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners that was
called to hear arguments
concerning the propriety of a
dune permit issued to a
Sunset Beach property
owner.
Kason Keiger, a Winston
Salem attorney who owns a
cottage at Sunset Beach,
presented the case of
Beachhead, Inc., a North
Carolina corporation he said
stands for the protection of
natural resources. The
organization has filed a
$500,000 suit against property
owner James T. Henderson,
who reportedly has altered
the main dune line in order to
build a house. He did so with a
permit from the county, and
that is what the meeting was
about Friday.
A response is expected
from the county board after
County Records Highest
One-Cent Tax Collection
The highest single-month
collection of the one-cent
sales tax in Brunswick
County has been reported by
the N.C. Department of
Revenue.
During August $59,969 was
collected here, compared to
$47,724 reported in July. The
previous high month was
June when $55,738 was
collected through the tax,
which is applied to all pur^
chases otherwise subject to
the state’s three-percent
levy.
The collection of sales and
use tax in Brunswick County
has increased almost
threefold since the first
collection last October
($10,630). By the first of the
current year, collections had
increased to $35,000 and have
continued to rise.
The tax was levied last fall
by die county commissioners
in an attempt to ease the
burden on property-tax
payers. The extra levy, which
is applied in four of every five
North Carolina counties, has
brought needed revenue to
Brunswick as well as nine
municipalities in the county.
The money collected from
the tax is distributed by the
4
N.C. Department of Revenue
on an ad valorem basis.
Under this system, Long
Beach receives the greatest
allotment, while Southport
would get the most if figured
on the basis of population,
and Shallotte the most on the
volume of retail sales.
The Construction of the
Carolina Power and Light
Company nuclear power
plant at Southport has the
greatest impact on the sales
tax collection, however
Brown and Root, contractors
for the project, purchase
enough material out-of
county to make Brunswick
the sixth-ranked North
Carolina county is use tax.
which is applied to materials
bought elsewhere but used
here.
The August receipts will be
combined with the $47,000
collected in July and the
September collections to be
distributed on a quarterly
Continued On Page Two
e and Tide
Thirty - five years ago this week, the floating prep school
Polaris stopped again for a stay in Southport. The handsome
little yacht, which provided prep training for the Naval
Academy, had several young recruits aboard and was enroute
to its home port of Charleston.
An all-out attack on the Southport sandspur crop was begun
during the past week by the city work forces; dove hunters had
been anxiously awaiting the season’s opening, and opening of
the deer season was scheduled for October 1; a storage shed for
all Brunswick County school buses was scheduled to be erected
at Shallotte in the near future.
Thirty years ago this week Brunswick County highway
patrolmen were warned to be on the lookout for reckless
Continued On Page Four
i
written summations from
both parties. 4
Evidence tended to show
that while Henderson and
neighbor A.O. King were
adhering to rules set forth on
the permit, the permit was
not issued in line with fui
ordinance adopted by the
board of commissioners.
According to the county
ordinance, to lower a dune
below 15 feet would be to
cause material damage, and
testimony showed that the
area in question now stands
no more than 14 feet above
sea level.
King, who applied for the
dune permit with Henderson,
said Clemmons came to their
property August 18 and
granted a temporary permit
that he said was good for
seven days. Friday, Clem
mons said he did not know
under what authority he
issued this temporary permit
but did so because the con
tractor was there ready to
start work.
King said work started on
Tuesday after the 18th (which
was on a Friday) and that
landscaping was finished that
week. He said, however, that
“there hadn’t been any
bulldozer work done when I
posted it (the permit).”
County Manager Jerry
Lewis, who also serves as
Shoreline Protection Officer,
said he did not inspect the
affected area before the
permit was issued but noted
that the finished grade is six
feet above road elevation, as
prescribed in the permit.
Road elevation was reported
to him as eight feet, and the
14-foot total height of the
property is above that of
neighboring dune areas.
The county ordinance
states there shall be no
material weakening of the
main dune line (where the
affected area is located), and
that a lowering of dunes
below 15 feet would be con
sidered a material
weakening. Lewis said his
interpretation of the or
dinance was that if dunes
ivf>re to be lowered below that
height, a permit would have 1
to be issued and certain
criteria met.
Keiger read a portion of the
$55,000 For
Library Books
The Board of Education has
authorized $55,000 to pur- t
chase library books for the
new high schools so that a ]
minimum of ten books will be
provided for each student. (
The action was taken at the
last regular meeting of the i
board. Also, the distribution i
of New Testament Bibles by i
the Gideon organization to {
fifth graders on a voluntary
basis was approved. i
The board okayed funds for ]
the employment of three <
additional custodians at $400 i
a month and three part-time i
secretaries at $200 a month
for the new high schools. I
Resignations were ac- <
cepted from Sally Kirby,
Brunswick County-Southport
Middle School; Anna B.
Williams, Lincoln; and
Margie Candler, Union.
Teaching contracts were
awarded to the following
teachers:
Brunswick County-South
port Middle School —
Frances Kirkland (Title 1);
Leland—Janet Hart and Ella
Davis; Lincoln — Lenora
Chasten and Eva Gore Jones; |
Shallotte — Carolyn |
Marlowe; Southport — i
Patricia Allen and Rebecca i
Flour nay (Title I); Union — <
Edna Faison and Patricia
Watts (Title I), Loletha
Ferrell and Betty Phelps; 1
Waccamaw — Nancy <
Williams (Title I) and West \
Brunswick — Linda Miller. j
The following non-- f
professional workers were i
employed: Utha Grissett, I
teacher aide at Union; i
Madalyn Phelps, teacher \
aide (through Oct. 20) at \
Waccamaw; and Janie c
McCracken, teacher aide and c
temporary reading instructor t
through Oct. 20.
however, the overall road
needs of the entire state had
to be considered and not only
the secondary road system.
Other counties in District 1
and their allotments are New
Hanover, $7,000; Onslow,
$35,000 and Pender, $36,000.
Approximately 39 percent
(22,907.50 miles of 58,964.70
miles) of all secondary roads
in the state are unpaved, and
this percentage holds true for
Brunswick County (194.8
ordinance that stated, “The
nain dune line may not be
lisrupted in any manner,”
hen asked the county
nanager if this did not mean
hat Henderson therefore was
granted “permission to trade
10 dunes in that area?”
Lewis replied,
‘Technically speaking, I’d
igree with you.”
The county manager said
hat in his opinion the
itrength of the dune had not
>een materially weakened;
‘it has really increased the
sffectiveness,” he suggested,
n that 130 truckloads of clay
naterial were hauled onto
he two lots and thus made
he property more resistant
o wind or water erosion.
Clemmons, whose primary
luty is director of Solid Waste
lispoal in the county, said he
lid not know the elevations of
he property when he issued
he temporary permit August
8. He said it was a decision
or the Shoreline Protection
)fficer whether the
Continued On Page Two
miles of 495.20 miles).
Not since July 1, 1931, has
any county had the authority
to levy a road tax nor have
any road taxes been assessed
or collected by a county since
that date. The collection of
road taxes is a function of the
state, and the State Highway
Commission is charged with
the responsibility for the
allocation of funds for high
way construction and
maintenance. State law
requires the Highway
Commission annually to
formulate a program for
secondary road construction.
County commissioners do not
have the authority to dictate
to the Highway Commission
the expenditure of funds nor
do they have the authority to
approve or disapprove any
expenditures; however,
recommendations from
county commissioners are
taken into consideration in
the formulation of road
improvement programs.
The State Highway Com
mission has adopted a
priority system as a guideline
for secondary road im
provements. This rating
system is based on the
number of houses and
businesses located on the
road, the number of churches
and schools, other land-use
characteristics, whether or
rot the road is a school bus
route, the average daily
traffic and the value of the
road as a connecting link
between other roads.
Political party affiliation,
race, color, creed and
financial status of the
residents are not a part of the
rating nor are such factors
considered in programming a
road for improvement.
The 151,000 allotted in
August and a balance of
19,000 remaining from the 71
72 allotment make a total of
$60,000 available to Brun
swick County. I recom
mended the following
allocations and they were
approved by the Highway
Commission at its meeting in
September:
—15,000 was allocated to
complete the grading,
draining and stabilization of
SR 1517, Swain Road, SR 1400,
Cortez Smith Road, and SR
1515, Mill Creek Chucch
Road, which were funded in
1971-72. These three roads
total 3.5 miles in length and
Continued On Page Three
Truck Route
Is Suggested
Hie Board of Aldermen has
approved a truck route
through Southport, not to
restrict the haulers but to
protect against further
damage to city streets.
“State-maintained streets
can support these loads,
others cannot/’ said
Alderman Pierce Horne.
“It’s as simple as that.’’
Streets that would be in
volved in the proposed route
are Howe, Moore and
Leonard — all state •
maintained roads.
Horne suggested that the
heavy trucks hauling Brown
& Root materials use the best
streets, and that drivers be
given directions adequate to
prevent their getting lost on
side streets. “We’re not
talking about an ordinance or
a law,” he said, “but
something to help them
through town.”
. Not all heavy traffic is
destined for Brown & Root,
contractors for the CP&L
nuclear power plant here, but
the board members agreed
that proper routing would
eliminate much of the heavy
traffic on streets other than
Howe, Moore and Leonard.
The state would erect the
“Truck Route” signs.
The matter was discussed
by the Southport Board of
Aldermen at the regular
September meeting on
Thursday. Other business
included:
—a transfer of $300 in the
Continued On Page Two
Jetty Damage
To Bring Fine
A fine of $50 will be levied
against anyone playing on or
tampering with the nylon
bags recently placed on the
strand by the Yaupon Beach
board of commissoners in an
effort to help stop beach
erosion.
The bags, which extend
beyond the high-water mark
to form a jetty, are filled with
sand and are dangerous when
wet. Yaupon Beach Mayor
Clarence Murphy said that
warning signs will be posted.
The board of com
missioners, which met last
Monday, has nominated
William Smalley, III, to fill
the unexpired term of Miss
Jackie Herring, who resigned
from the board last month.
He will serve until Novem
ber, 1973, when Miss
Herring’s term expires.
The new commissioner was
named after a petition signed
by 78 residents was present to
the board. No other names
were submitted and he was
chosen unanimously.
Mayor Murphy read a
“Right - of - Way” agreement
between the State Highway
Commission and the Town of
Yaupon Beach pertaining to
the new Oak Island bridge
Continued On Page Two
Canal Dredging Banned
By Holden Beach Action
Opposition of Holden Beach
>roperty owners to a
>roposed housing develop
nent has resulted in a
noratorium against dredging
if canals until at least early
974.
Last week, the town’s
loard of commissioners
pproved the measure,
iewed as a response to the
ilanned Dream Harbor
iroject on the beach. The
roposed project, conceived
>y South Carolina developer
ilifton McNeill, would in
olve the dredging of canals
rtiich town residents and
ommissioners believe would
ause severe damage to the
each’s water supply.
“No such canal develop
ment projects should be
implemented until sub
division control ordinances
are enacted, until public or
private water and sewage
facilities are insured and
until all environmental ef
fects are thoroughly studied
and considered,” read the
resolution’s preamble.
Town residents reportedly
have been concerned about
canal developments reducing
the quantity and tlie quality
of their fresh water supplies.
They have neither a
municipal sewer or water
system.
“No person, firm, part
nership, corporation, or other
legal entity shall dig, build,
construct or otherwise im
plement any canal
development within the
corporate limits of the Town
of Holden Beach" until after
January 1, 1974, the
resolution stated.
A “canal development
project" is defined as any
“project involving dredging
of canals which are large
enough to accommodate any
motorboat or other vessel
subject to N.C. General
Statute Chapter 7SA, and
which are adjacent to land
that is subdivided or is
subject to being subdivided
for the purpose of sale for
residential or commercial
purposes."
Any violation of this or
Continued On Page Two