THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 46 NUMBER 22 20 PAGES TOD A V SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA DECEMBER 18, 1974 10 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDA Y
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SOUTHPORT CUB SCOUT Pack 238, Den 1 spent Friday afternoon
working on a community project to help Dosher Memorial Hospital. With the
help of city employees Bill King, Sam Sebes and James Splawn, the Cubs
gathered mistletoe from a downtown tree and made traditional “Kissing
Rings” for sale, the proceeds going to the hospital. Scouts in the foreground
are Charles Sherrod, Jamie Huggins, Randy Aldridge, Joey Huggins, Glen
Trunnell and Gene Hart. High above in the lift with King is Cub John
MullerweisS.
Dosher Verdict
Due In January
The Brunswick County
board of commissioners has
indicated that a decision will
be made regarding the
hospital question next month
after hearing the Smithville
Township side during a
special meeting at the
Courtroom Thursday af
ternoon.
Southport Mayor E.B.
Tomlinson, Jr., speaking for
the Smithville Township
forces, recommended that
the county “arrive at a
unified position supporting
two acute care 40-bed
hospitals for the county."
He said the recom
mendation should include the
suggestion that the western
area hospital be located in the
“immediate vicinity of
Shallotte in order that it
might have the same
municipal benefits” that are
available at Dosher.
“A two-hospital concept
could operate under a
hospital board subject to the
county commissioners
comprised of seven members
named by the involved
governing bodies,” Mayor
Tomlinson declared.
“Combined administration,
purchasing, etc., for both
hospital operating under such
a single board would provide
uniformity and economy in
operation.”
In answer to questions
asked by Commission Willie
Sloan, Mayor Tomlinson
estimated that the two 40-bed
acute care hospitals could be
built for $2.5 million each or a
total of $5 million.
Funds could come from the
$2.5 million bond issue, the
promise of $1 million and the
$1.5 million from other funds.
Mayor T.mlinson said it
would be better for all the
people of Brunswick County
to build two 40-bed hospitals
at a cost of $5 million rather
than the 60-bed hospital at a
cost of $4 million. “We can
afford two hospitals,” he
declared.
He said the county could
build two 30-bed hospitals if
the state would allow
Brunswick only 50 beds. The
(Continued On Page 14)
Nifty Profit Realized
From Beach Lot Sale
By BILL ALLEN
A Thomas ville couple made
a nice profit on land they sold
to Brunswick County for the
elevated storage tank at Long
Beach, The Pilot has learned.
Mr. and Mrs. Everette
Pierce purchased three lots
— 31, 32 and 32, Block 246,
Section N-2 — for about $4,000
in late 1972. They sold two of
the lots to the county for
$14,000 in late November.
A group of Oak Island
residents have charged that
the county paid “a greatly
inflated price” for the two
lots. They said no one should
be allowed to make “a fast
buck” on it at the expense of
the taxpayers of Brunswick
County. (The State Port Pilot,
December 11, 1974, Page 1)
Records in the Brunswick
County Register of Deeds
office show that Mr. and Mrs.
Pierce purchased the three
lots from National
Development Corporation on
October 6, 1972. Revenue
stamps attached to the deed
indicate that they paid about
14,000 for the three lots.
Mr. and Mrs. Pierce first
offered to sell the county the
two lots in a letter sent to
County Manager Neil
Mallory on July 17, 1974.
They said that Long Beach
Town Manager Frank Kivett,
Long Beach Mayor E.W.
Morgan and James Wilson of
Pierson and Whitman,
consulting engineers for both
the county and Long Beach,
had spoken to them on July 12
concerning the purchase of
two lots in Long Beach for the
location of the elevated water
storage tank.
“We hereby agree to sell
these lots to Brunswick
County for the sum of $7,000
each, totalling $14,000 for the
two, and further, prior to
purchase, we authorize
Brunswick County and
Pierson and Whitman to take
soil test borings and to survey
(Continued On I^ge 4)
Reports Show Apparent Violation
' _ . ■ . f u . * ?r'* i ’ lt-\ ; ^ '
‘ •
Jfc ^ : -
‘Behind-Closed- Doors’ Action
In County Commission Meeting
By BILL ALLEN
The Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners
talked about one unrelated
matter during a closed
executive session called to
discuss “personnel” at a
Monday meeting, The Pilot
has been informed.
The water treatment plant,
accumulated leave time for
former members of the
Sheriff’s Department, ap
pointment of a county ac
countant and compensation
for the county attorney were
discussed during the 76 •
minute closed executive
meeting.
When the doors were re -
opened, Chairman Franky
liiomas, acting on the advice
of County Attorney James
Prevatte, asked County
Manager Neil Mallory to tell
the public and the press what
the board did at the closed
meeting. Mallory told the
press about three of the
matters discussed, but said
Overnight At Sea
Two Rescued
After Ordeal
Two Southport men, who
spent more than sixteen
hours floating in a fish box
after their boat went
down 12 miles north of the
sea buoy were rescued Wed
nesday morning.
Tommy McGlamery of
Southport and Randy Stuart
of Bolling Spring Lakes were
;^juiUed from the water by
crew members of the U.S.
Coast Guard ship “The
Alert”. A Coast Guard
helicopter transported the 2
men to the city pier area at
the foot of Howe Street in
Southport. They arrived in at
11:41 A.M.
McGlamery said to be in
excellent conditon stepped off
the helicopter under his own
power. Stuart had to be
placed on a stretcher.
Both men were transported
to Dosher Memorial Hospital
in a Gilbert’s ambulance.
They were both said to be
suffering from exposure and
shock.
The 2 men were found
shortly ater 10 A.M. floating
inside a fish box, 10 miles
north of the Tower. The site
is about forty miles from
Southport The fish box was
about 4X8X3 feet.
“I have heard Tommy say
many times that if anything
happened to his boat, he
would ride home in a fish
box,” said his happy father,
Acquittal In j
School Case
A Bolivia school teacher
was acquitted of a charge of
assault and battery on a
student in District Court in
Shallotte this week.
Van Galloway had been
charged with assaulting a 13
year-old student by striking
him with a board about the
thighs and buttocks on Nov.
25.
Vera Ellis of the Bolivia
Motor Lodge filed the com
plaint against Galloway with
the Sheriff’s Department.
Galloway teaches the seventh
and eighth grades at the
school.
G. W. McGlamery, owner of
Mack’s Restaurant in
Southport.
It is believed that
McGlamery’s boat “hit
something in the water” and
went down quickly, shortly
after 6 P.M. Tuesday night.
After the May Day call was
received 3 helicopters, 3
airplanes and 3 boats joined
the search for the 2 men.
Crew members of “The
Alert”, which was making its
way back to its home port in
New Jersey after a southern
cruise, spotted the 2 men in a
fish box. The boat had been
in Miami Florida early
Monday morning.
The first thing McGlamery
said, when pulled onto the
Coast Guard boat was that he
was hungry for breakfast, it
was reported.
McGlamery’s father, said
one of the things that enabled
the 2 men to survive the
ordeal at sea was the warm
water. Water temperature in
(Continued On Page 8)
nothing about the water
treatment plant.
A source inside the
meeting, however, informed
rhe Pilot about what the
commissioners discussed.
The source cannot be iden
tified for obvious reasons.
The fact that board
members heard about the
water treatment plant during
a closed executive session
called to discuss “personnel”
is an apparent violation of the
North Carolina Open
Meetings law.
The discussion about ac
cumulated leave for the
Former members of the
Sheriff’s department also is
an apparent violation of the
Open Meetings law, ac
cording to officials familiar
with the statute.
Under the law, a board can
hold a closed executive
meeting to discuss
"negotiations between public
employers and their em
ployees or representatives
thereof as to employment.”
Persons familiar with the
law say that a board could
hold "personnel” meetings to
discuss employees of the
Sheriff’s Department since
they cannot hire or fire them.
The only thing the board can
do with Sheriff Department
personnel is pay positions.
County Attorney Prevatte
said it was his opinion that
the board could discuss
Sheriff Department em
ployees since they were
county employees.
Chairman Thomas said the
board was "depending
strictly on our attorney for
legal advice” regarding the
closed meeting. He said he
was not familiar with the
Open Meeting law.
After the meeting was re -
opened to the public and the
press and Mallory said what
happened, the board voted
unanimously to pay ac
cumulated checks to former
members of the Sheriffs
Department under Harold
Willetts. The vote means that
11 former employees will be
paid a total of $3,364.79.
The board also voted
unanimously to re - name
Mrs. Ressie Whatley county
accountant at a salary of
$13,116. She has been making
$11,000 - plus.
Mrs. Whatley has been
being reappointed each year
by the state treasurer. The
General Assembly changed
the law last year to require
the board of commissioners
to make the appointment.
In addition, the board voted
unanimously to pay Prevatte.
$500 - a • month retainer,
(Continued On Page 12)
Strong Wants To Use Old Jail
Supply Area Location
Is Possible For Sheriff .
By BILL ALLEN '
The Brunswick County
board of commissioners took
no action on a request to
allow the Sheriff’s Depart
ment to establish its
headquarters at the C.I.D.
building during a regular
meeting.
Sheriff Herman Strong ask
the board to allow him to
renovate and use the C.I.D.
building in Southport for the
Sheriff’s Department.
“We need to put the
lepartment under one roof to
?ive efficient service,”
Strong told the board. “This
Bolivia Official Says
Misrepresents
School Group
The three men who com
plained about problems at
Bolivia school during a recent
Board of Education meeting
did not represent the PTA,
Mrs. Betty Rose, PTA
president, said this week.
“The Bolivia PTA does not
have a grievance committee;
therefore, the Bolivia PTA
was misrepresented at the
Dec. 2 board meeting by
three men — Everette Hess,
James Woods and Charles
Brown,” Mrs. Rose declared.
Hess, Woods and Brown
said they were representing
the Grievance Committee of
the Bolivia PTA when they
complained about heating
and discipline problems at
Early Edition
The Christmas edition of The State Port Pilot
will be published this year on Monday, Dec. 23.
Distribution of counter - sale newspapers will be on
Tuesday; Pilots will be placed in the post office
Tuesday afternoon for distribution.
Because of the early publication date, all ad
vertising copy must be received by The Pilot by
closing time Friday. Printers’ deadline prevents
us from taking ANY advertising material past that
time; news copy will be received at The Pilot
office until noon Saturday.
the school at the Dec. 2
meeting.
Mrs. Rose said the Bolivia
PTA is affiliated with the
state and national
organization and is striving to
follow the objectives.
Two of the objectives the
school PTA is following are
“to bring into closer relation
the home and the school, that
parents and teachers may
cooperate intelligently in the
education of children and
youth; and, to develop bet
ween educators and the
general public such united
efforts as will secure for all
children and youth the
highest advantages in
physical, mental, social, and
spiritual education,” she
noted.
Mrs. Rose said the
executive committee of the
PTA is aware of the proper
procedure to meet with the
county board. “If problems
exist, we trust that our local
school committee will speak
for us,” she continued. “But
if any communications need
to be made, the committee
would be headed by the
president of the PTA.”
is the only way to do It — put
it all together.”
The sheriff estimated that
it would cost about $3,500 to
renovate the building, which
served as the jail before the
new one was built. “The
building will provide us with
adequate space,” he told the
board.
Although the building was
constructed in 1929, Sheriff
Strong said he does not
believe the facility will
require any major repairs in
the future once the
renovation is done.
Strong said the C.I.D.
building could house most
department facilities since
the “Supply office is not safe
or adequate.”
After touring the building
with Sheriff Strong, the
commissioners returned to
their meeting room at the
Hood Building and “tabled”
the request.
Commissioner Steve
Varnam, Jr., suggested that
the board take no action until
an audit is taken “to deter
mine what kind of financial
shape Brunswick County is in
as far as money is concerned.
Until we know where we
stand, we should not obligate
ourselves.”
Varnam also said that
there is a building available
in the Supply area which
“perhaps may be more
feasible” for the Sheriff’s
Department. He said the
board should at least look at
the building.
Commissioner Willie Sloan
said the Supply area might be
used more and more for
county facilities. Chairman.
Franky Thomas said the
(Continued On Page 2)
“STRONG LEGS RUN that weak legs might walk” was the theme
Saturday for annual N. C. - S. C. Shrine Bowl football game in Charlotte, and
reigning over the affair was 11-year-old John Paul Bray of Southport. He is
the son of Mr. and Mrs. John H. Bray. By the way, North Carolina beat the
visitors 38-12 before approximately 26,000 fans.