THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 45 NUMBER 30 16 PAGES TODAY SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA FEBRUARY 13,1974_!0 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDA Y
WORK ON NC 211 progressed considerably during the past
week with the clearing of right - of - way to tiie north of the
present route. The nine - mile project from Midway to Supply
will result in a re - routing of NC 211 traffic by way of Bolivia,
with heavy traffic required to use NC 87 between Southport and
Winnabow. The work includes replacement of the Lockwood
Folly Bridge and straightening the road in that section.
Special Monday Meeting
Yaupon Siren Funded; Town
Resignations Are Questioned
By BOBBY HILL
After voting Monday night
to authorize $2,000 for a fire
and emergency siren, the
Yaupon Beach town council
held an informal discussion of
the town’s water system.
Cape Fear Council of
Governments planner Ed
Regan discussed with the
council plans to extend city
water to the newly - annexed
portion east of city limits. He
also urged the council to
participate in the COG
program with their capital
improvements budget, with
free COG assistance.
Civil Defense Director
William Scott reported the
county commissioners will
accept bids February 19 on
the siren. The commissioners
will act as a sponsoring
agency to obtain matching
federal funds for the siren, he
said.
The Yaupon council had
previously authorized $1,000
for the siren, but Scott said
the commissioners had
requested the council pay all
non - federal costs. He said
Brunswick County
Emergency Preparedness
Director Col. James E.
Gordon had termed the siren
“necessary” in a report to the
commissioners.
Suit By Town Against
Town At Long Beach?
The Long Beach town
council has been instructed
by attorney Thomas E. Horne
to sue itself to pay back to the
city about two years’ salary
of Acting Town Manager Eld
Liggett.
Horne’s letter, dated
February 6, makes this
“demand” on behalf of
Ronald G. Dunn “and other
tax payers.”
A lawsuit must be brought
by the town attorney against
“all present and past
members of the board” who
voted to “employ or main
tain” Liggett as acting town
manager, the letter states.
If the legal action is not
instituted “within a
reasonable time,” a tax
payers’ suit will be filed “to
achieve such purpose,”
according to the letter.
Opponents of Liggett as
manager have maintained
his employment violates the
town charter, which states
the manager must be a
resident of the town.
Liggett, a Winnabow
resident, has repeatedly said
publicly he does not intend to
move to Long Beach, He has
also said in public he will
“vacate the premises
More $$ For
Water Syster
II
The county water system
has received a $468,000 grant
from the Economic
Development Ad
ministration, the office of
Congressman Charlie Rose
announced Tuesday.
The system now has
received over $4 million in
funds.
The EDA grant is for Phase
I of the system. This phase
and EDA grant, according to
Rose’s office, will supply
water to Southport, Yaupon
Beach, Boiling Spring Lakes,
Bishop, Long Beach and
Winnabow.
The water will be sold
wholesale to municipalities,
according to Troy Doby of the
Pierson and Whitman con
sulting firm of Raleigh. “The
county is not in any way
attempting to pre-empt the
responsibilities of the
municipalities to furnish
retail water for individual
customers,” he said.
A $250,000 grant for the
system was received in
September, 1973 from the
Coastal Plains Regional
Commission. Also, the
Farmers Home Ad*
ministration has approved $3
million in loans, and the
county reportedly has
committed $312,000.
Doby said in September the
target date for completion of
Phase I had been set for May
of this year.
The first phase will consist
of 11 wells and water treat
ment facilities, Doby said.
Target production is five
million gallons per day,
according to Doby. He has
said a one-million gallon tank
will be constructed at the
intersection of state roads
1527 and 1528.
(Continued on page 16)
promptly” when a
replacement is found.
The council in a special
January 29 meeting voted to
retain Liggett until a
qualified replacement ls|
found. Mayor E.W. Morgan
and Councilman Russ
Morrison voted against the
motion, stating a preference
for the administrator to be
fired immediately. Those
councilmen voting to retain
Liggett temporarily, included
Ellis Dudley, Nancy Leggett,
H.E. Joyce and Virginia
Chris tenbury.
At that meeting, town at
torney Edward Green told the
council “you are in violation”
because Liggett is an “ac
ting” manager. He said the
charter stipulates the town
“shall” have a town
manager.
Contacted Tuesday, Horne
said he could not identify the
“other taxpayers” he listed
as clients in his letter.
However, he said they will
attend the next town meeting
next Thursday.
“I expect they’ll all be
there,” he said of his
unidentified clients. “There’s
a bunch of them.”
The council is reportedly
holding an executive session
this Saturday to interview
two candidates for the
manager position. When
asked if the demands for
court action will be dropped if
a new manager is hired,
Horne answered, “My clients
haven’t said so.”
According to Horne,
councilmen who have voted
to “employ or maintain”
Liggett will be forced to pay
about 13,000 each to the city if
his clients rtn their proposed
suit. This would amount to
about 124,000, Horne noted.
"That’s a nice figure,” he
said.
Councilman Marvin
Watson made a motion that
die council approve up to
$2,000 for the siren. He said
die siren would give the town
a higher fire rating and
lower the cost of fire in
surance.
Councilman William
Smalley however maintained
that, “These things need to be
budgeted.” He said $1,000 is
currently budgeted for a
siren, and he asked for a
financial report from the fire
department.
Watson again made his
modon, and the measure
passed with Smalley ab
staining.
Further formal discussion
or action by the council was
canceled when H.H.
Pinkerton pointed out that
state law requires that
special meetings be limited to
die purpose for which they
were called. Voting to ad
journ the meeting, the council
heard a presentation by
(Continued on page 4)
Boyles To Be
Lions Speaker
Speaker for the February
21 meeting of the Southport
Lions Club will be Harlan E.
Boyles, deputy state
treasurer and secretary of
the Local Government
Commission.
Previously Boyles served
as tax auditor of the N.C.
Department of Revenue and
as tax accountant for the N.C.
Tax Study Commission. He
also has served as secretary
to the N.C. Tax Review
Board.
Boyles is a graduate of
UNC- Chapel Hill with a B.S.
degree in accounting. He is
known as the right - hand
man of State Treasurer
Edwin Gill.
Car Question Hanging
‘Urgent’ Meeting
Called, Cancelled
The county commissioners
aborted an emergency
meeting Thursday called to
discuss the cancelling of a
contract for 14 sheriff cars
with Willetts Ford.
The commissioners can
celled the contract February
4, saying none of the cars had
been delivered. They cited
the contract delivery date of
January 1.
Chairman W.A. Kopp, Jr.,
said he had called the
emergency meeting.”
“I take it in my discretion
not to call the meeting to
order," Kopp said.
Kopp said he had called the
meeting for reconsideration
of the cancellation, because
two of the cars had been
delivered to Willetts Ford in
Bolivia February 5. He said
five of the vehicles were
Public Hearing In Raleigh
No Local Opposition
To Management Bill
By BOBBY HILL
Only support was heard
from Brunswick County for a
proposed Coastal Area
Management Act at a public
hearing Thursday in Raleigh.
However, Dare County
representatives strenuously
opposed the bill, calling it a
“state zoning act.”
William Henderson of
Carolina Cape Fear Cor
poration, developers of Bald
Washington’s Birthday
George Washington’s Birthday — rather the
Monday observance of the event — will be
celebrated this week by some local government
employees and the post office. Banks and savings
and loan institutions will be open for business as
usual.
Only box service will be available at post offices.
The Brunswick County and Southport city offices
will be closed. The regular commissioners’
meeting, scheduled for Monday, will be held on
Tuesday next weds.
reportedly in Charlotte
awaiting shipment. The other
seven patrol cars were, he
said, “on the assembly line.”
According to the amended
state law on open meetings,
the commissioners can call
an emergency meeting. The
commissioners are also
allowed to call special
meetings after giving a 48
hour notice.
Kopp Thursday instructed
the clerk, Carol Greene, to
call a special meeting.
Contacted Tuesday, Kopp
said the matter will be held
until the commissioners’
regular meeting next
Tuesday.
When asked on Tuesday
why the special meeting had
not been called, Kopp said, “I
changed my mind.”
Sheriff Willetts said
Tuesday he thought, “the
cars are essential.”
When asked if his depart
ment needs a 460 cubic-inch
engine (the largest produced
by Ford), Willetts said his
deputies “can’t run down
criminals with
Volkswagens.” He claimed
the number of high-speed
chases justifies the more
powerful vehicles.
Commissioner J.T.
Clemmons said February 4
the commissioners should
consider a more
economically-powered car
for the sheriffs department
to conserve fuel in the face of
the energy crisis.
Willetts also said Tuesday
the large-engined
automobiles were required in
the bid specif ications because
(Continued on page 4)
Head Island, was the only
witness from this comty. He
maintained the measure
would bring all local, state
and federal agencies together
and “will expedite
development in an orderly
manner.”
Rep. Tommy Harrelson has
previously stated his support
of the proposal.
None of the county com
missioners attended the
hearing. However, a sign of
tacit approval was given
Cape Fear Council of
Government Executive
Director Beverly Paul when
he briefed the commissioners
recently on the hearing.
Commission Chairman
W.A. Kopp, Jr., told Paul he
had served on a committee
making recommendations for
amendments to the bill. He
said the amended legislation
had incorporated all five of
the recommendations made
by his committee.
The bill has been changed
to allow more participation
and authority by local
governments.
The House bill, part of a
package of major land use
legislation held over from the
1973 session, was sent back to
committee last week after
being amended and passed to
the floor by a unanimous
committee vote.
Committee chairman Rep.
Willis Whichard (D-Durham)
said he withdrew the bill after
numerous requests for
another hearing.
However, many legislators
are speculating that the
measure will never pass
during this session because of
tiie intense pressure from
developers and relators.
Brunswick realtors have
voiced support for the
proposal as one that will not
hinder “good developers.”
However, county developers
and realtors had expressed
opposition to the unamended
bill in a public hearing last
summer. Most of their
(Continued on page 16)
“TRIAL OF THE DENTAL HEALTH SIX” was conducted
Thursday in the Brunswick County Courthouse and it was no
contest. The Southport Primary School class of Mrs. Ellen
Muellerweiss performed admirably in the skit. Included in the
program were Karen Jackson, moderator; Doug Aman, the
judge; Ernie Champion, defense attorney; Darin Smith,
prosecutor; Michael Potter, clerk; Kerry Warren, “Terry
Teenager”; prisoners Joey Walker (Dr. Smile), Linda Koontz
(Miss Kindly), Melissa LeBlanc (Mrs. Worker), Jeff Fuller
(Tommy Toothpaste), Alan Jackson (Bobby Toothbrush),
Deborah Barbee (Candy Sweet); and jurists Alicia Brown,
Yvonne Watson, Kim Price, Jayne Rores, Teresa Norwood,
John Muellerweiss, Jenny Bowling, Allison Lewis, Susan
Bledsoe, Jimmy Hewett, Carol McCracken and Tiffany
Timmons.