THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 45 NUMBER 38 18 PAGES TODAY SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA APRIL 10,1974 10 CENTS A COPY - PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
Perhaps Late Summer
School Bond Vote
Possibilities Aired
By BOBBY HILL
The county commissioners
and board of education
Monday discussed the
possibility of holding a county
$6 million bond issue.
After the Joint meeting, the
education board passed a
motion requesting the bond
issue between August 15 and
September 15 this summer.
The commissioenrs must call
for the referendum. Chair
man W.A. Kopp, Jr., said the
commissioners would discuss
the subject at their next
meeting Tuesday.
Although the com
missioners were reluctant to
commit themselves, the
education board members
urged the election at an early
date.
“Strike the Iron while it’s
hot,” said education member
May Barbee.
All the commissioners
expressed approval of the $11
million, six-year school
improvement plan. However,
the group cautioned against
concrete financial planning.
They pointed to the re
evaluation of appraised
property value to be effective
January 1, 1975. “We just
don’t know what lies ahead,”
said Commissioner J.T.
Clemmons.
“I’m in favor of the
program,” said Kopp.
However, he left open the
question whether the bond
election should be held this
summer or next spring after
re-evaluation.
Education chairman
Wilbur E. Rabon said the re
evaluation could only bring
about a “sizeable increase”
in county funds available.
Education member
William Sue said Brunswick
is now the second wealthiest
county in the state in terms of
tax base per pupil.
Supt. Ralph King later
presented the education
board with the procedure that
must be followed to hold a
bond issue. The Local
Government Commission, he
said, “must advise and ap
prove all facets of issue
process.”
The bond procedure would
be divided into two parts of
application and a bond order,
King said. The application
must be published and ap
plied for at least 40 days prior
to the election, he said.
The county commissioners
must introduce a bond order
after the application is
submitted, according to King.
The commissioners then
must hold a public hearing
after giving 10 days notice, he
said.
The commissioners then
would set the date for the
election, King said. The
election must be held within
one year and at least 46 days
after the bond order is
(Continued on paye 8)
For Brunswick Schools
State Survey Asks For
Funds, Central Staffing
By BOBBY HILL
A recent state report on
county schools recommended
more local funding, cen
tralization of the staffing
structure and a central office
complex.
The survey was conducted
by a committee from the
Division of School Planning,
State Department of Public
Instruction.
The report termed Brun
swick County “one of the
wealthiest counties In North
Carolina” (in terms of
property valuation per
student). A major contributor
to the large tax base, the
report says, is the CP&L
nuclear power plant
presently under construction.
The report also endorses a
recent county board of
education request for a $6
million local school bond
issue. The bonds would help
finance an approximate $11
million, long-range school
construction program.
The education board about
a month ago presented plans
for the $11 million bond issue
to the county commissioners
for their approval. The
commissioners have not yet
officially answered.
Also in the report, the
county’s bonding capacity is
listed at $28,833,700 for
schools and other capital
outlay needs. The present
county-wide debt is
$4,166,300, of which $2,626,000
(Continued on page 8)
* Artie Banks of Goldsboro (seated, right) was guest speaker at the Thursday
night meeting of the Southport Lions Club. He is state chairman of the White
Cane Committee and spoke on the work of White Cane and the Eye Bank
program sponsored by Lions International. Shown with him, (seated, left) is
Col. William Sunder, president of the Southport Lions Club. Standing are
Mark Connaughton, chairman of the White Cane Committee for the local club,
and Col. Fraser Law, who has headed the White Cane drive for the club in
other years.
REPORTEDLY THE BIGGEST HAUL of marijuana ever in
Brunswick County was made Friday by police chiefs Herman
Strong of Southport, Julian Bowman of Holden Beach and
Hoyal Varnum of Shallotte. Approximately $8,000 to $10,000
(street value) worth of the grass was found in a vacant house
on the Long Beach Road across from Fort Johnston Academy.
Bowman and Varnum are chairman and vice-chairman,
respectively, of the Brunswick County Law Enforcement
Association.
Big Marijuana Cache Busted
Police chiefs from Southport,
Shallotte and Holden Beach
confiscated about 50 pounds of
marijuana Friday from a vacant
house on Long Beach Road.
Estimated in value at $8,000 to
$10,000 when “on the street,” the
bust is “believed to be the largest
shipment confiscated in Brunswick
County,” according to police.
The police heads seized the illegal
drug after receiving “reliable
information” that the marijuana
was being stored in an unoccupied
home on NC 133 across from Fort
Johnston Academy.
The chiefs were Herman Strong of
Southport, Hoyal Varnum of
Shallotte and Julian Bowman of
Holden Beach.
The chiefs emphasized that the
cooperation among the three police
departments made the confiscation
possible. Varnum said the action
was initiated by Strong after he had
received information about the
marijuana.
“This shows what cooperation
among police departments and help
of interested citizens can do,” said
Strong.
The policemen said a “full in
vestigation” is continuing and that
“several arrests are anticipated.”
“We’re not going to give up (until
arrests are made),” said Varnum.
The policemen established sur
veillance at the building about 7 p.m.
Friday. They said they viewed the
dwelling “most of the night.” The
confiscation was made, they said,
after traffic in the area convinced
them they had been “spotted.”
County Keeps
EDA Eligibility
Brunswick County has been
deemed eligible to continue
an assistance program under
the Economic Development
Administration.
Under the U.S. Department
of Commerce, the local arm
of EDA is represented by the
Southeastern Economic
Development Commission.
The eligibility puts the
county “in a position to go to
EDA for grants and loans for
various things,’’ according to
the county Resources
Development Commission
Director Jackie H.
Stephenson.
The program will continue
without further approval
until March 31, 1975.
The county recently
received about $700,000 iu a
grant from the EDA for a
county water system.
Sunrise Service
Easter Morning
The Rev. William T.
Deneke, rector of St. Philip’s
Episcopal Church In South
port, will be the preacher for
the sunrise service Easter
Sunday morning.
The scene will be the lawn
In front of the Community
Building on the Garrison. The
service will begin at 7 o’clock.
Representatives from other
churches In the community
will participate and an In
vitation is being extended to
all visitors to this area to Join
In this special service.
This will be the first
program In the observance of
Easter. Special music has
been prepared by the choirs
of several local churches for
presentation later in the day,
both at the 11 o’clock hour
and for evening programs.
In Extraterritorial Zone
Condiminium Proposed
East Of Yaupon Beach
The Yaupon Beach .own
council held a public hearing
Tuesday and adopted a
zoning ordinance after
several key amendments.
John Barbee, represented
by a trio of attorneys, was
given assurances a
“traingle" of oceanfront
property east of town will be
considered for zoning for a
condominum complex.
The triangle is south of NC
133 and the Oak Island
Estates, directly east of the
city limits. It extends east
ward to a bathing area in
front of the Oak Island Golf
Club. Barbee said the plot
contains about eight acres.
Developers are interested
in placing a comdominium
complex on the triangle area,
Barbee said. He said he
would soon arrange a
meeting between the
developers and the town
council and the planning and
zoning board.
“We’d like to keep the town
informed of what’s hap
pening,” said Barbee. The
developers and council have
already met once, according
to Barbee.
Yaupon zoning attorney
Obie Lee of Lumberton did
not oppose the condominium
zoning. He said such zoning
“would be reasonable.”
Holiday Closings
Local banks, county schools and town halls will
be closed Monday in observance of Easter.
The Southport post office will remain open. The
board of education office will reopen Wednesday
after being closed Monday and Tuesday.
The county school system will be closed Monday
through Friday. The week-long vacation will serve
as a spring break, school officials said. Several
days were set aside earlier this year in case of
snow, they said. Lack of snow this winter resulted
in the week of vacation.
Town halls will be closed Monday at Southport,
Long Beach and Yaupon Beach. The county offices
will also be closed that day.
Local banks will also observe Easter Monday.
Closed that day will be Waccamaw Bank and Trust
Company, Bank of North Carolina, First-Citizens
and Security Savings and Loan.
However, Lee recommended
that the town adopt the high
density zoning only as an
ordinance at their next
meeting. It would not be
incoporated on the map until
specific plans are shown to
the planning and zoning
board, he said. The board
(C’onlinuod on pag<‘ 8)
Road Design
Is Submitted
The state Department of
Transportation has sub
mitted for federal approval
construction designs for US
17, 74 and 76 from Alligator
Creek to Belville.
DOT plans call for two 24
foot lanes with a median. The
road would have a “right-of
way adequate to contain the
construction,” a press
release states.
The highway would have an
interchange with relocated
NC 133, plans show.
The plans were submitted
to the Federal Highway
Administration for approval.
Creech Resigns
Democratic Post
V.A. Creech, Jr., resigned
today as chairman of the
county Democratic party.
Creech was elected to the
post earlier this year, before
filing as a candidate for state
representative from Brun
swick and Pender counties.
The resignation an
nouncement followed local
news stories claiming
Creech’s candidacy and
chairman position con
stituted a conflict of interest
barred by Democratic party
rules.
In his letter, Creech
praised followers of the
Democrat party. He urged
those participating in the
May 7 primary “to please
conduct their activities in an
exemplary manner.”
"After the primary, we
must and shall work together
for a victory in November,”
he concluded.
Creech also thanked “those
candidates and serious
contenders who decided not
to run for office in order that
our Democratic party could
be more unified and thereby
made stronger.”
He said he was “much
impressed” with Democrat
college students in the
county. He said he is “thank
ful” for the students’ “en
thusiasm and keen interest.”
The party chairman ex
pressed appreciation for help
received in filing five
Democratic candidates for
the county commissioner
seats. He said his party has
“always asked our citizens to
please reason together and
work toward encouraging
qualified, capable
Democratic candidates to file
for office.”
The county executive
committee of the Democrat
party must name a successor
to the vacant chairman seat.