THE STATE PORT PILOT
I A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME *6 NUMBER 26 16 PAGES TODAY SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA JANUARY 15, 1975 10 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
Supply Office To Close
Sheriff’s System ;
Under One Roof
Brunswick County com
missioners gave second •
thought approval to a cen
tralized communications
center for the sheriff’s
department Friday night
after Sheriff Herman Strong
s&d he would close the
Supply office and operate
from Southport anyway.
'"Are you going to dominate
or let the sheriff run his
department?” Strong asked
the commissioners after a
motion to centralize the
communications equipment
died for lack of a second.
Though no additional in
foimation was apparent,
commissioner Rusty Russ
later seconded the motion of
Ira Butler. The vote was
unanimous.
The first public
acknowledgement that
commissioners intend to
move the county seat to the
Supply area came during the
Friday night meeting, called
primarily to get cost figures
(Hi Strong’s proposal to put
the communications system
under one roof.
The meeting, scheduled to
be held in the commissioners’
room at the Hood Building in
Southport, was moved to the
cowthouse to accommodate
the approximately 40 persons
present.
Strong, noting that
Motorola representative Rich
Edwards quoted a price tag
of $1,400 to move the com
munications equipment from
Supply to Southport, said the
entire system could be
housed in the CID (old jail)
building for less than $2,000.
In supportof his proposal to
centralize communications
equipment used by the
department, Strong cited the
previous use of eight
telephone lines and a monthly
phone bill as high as $1,500.
He asked the commissioners
for two lines Friday night at
an estimated cost of $350 a
month. “That puts me in
business here,” he noted.
Strong pointed out that the
Supply office could answer
only calls made on Atlantic
Telephone Membership Corp.
lines. Leland area calls have
come to Southport, then to
Supply by radio, then to
sheriff’s department
vehicles. The problem has
been compounded, he said,
because “warrants and civil
papers are locked up
downstairs (in the cour
thouse).”
Strong said papers
(warrants, etc.) had been
“sat on and lost” by the
previous sheriff’s depart
ment administration.
The new sheriff, elected
Nov. 5 along With the five
commissioners, said the
Supply office is costing
$28,000 annually to simply
dispatch calls. “What you
have is repetition,” he
declared.
Nuclear Plant
Fueling Starts
J 'k, . ' V '
Work started Tuesday to
insert uranium fuel rod
bundles into the Unit 2
nuclear reactor vessel at the
Brunswick nuclear plant
outside Southport.
Plant Manager E.G.
Hollowell said that em
ployees will work 24 - hour - a
- day for the next ten days to
two weeks to place the
bundles into the vessel of Unit
2.
Each of the fuel bundles
contains 49 zinc-alloy tubes
filled with enriched uranium
dioxide pellets, which are
about one - half - inch long
aiid slightly less than one -
half inch thick.
Each pellet will be stacked
one on top of the other in the
tubes, which are 144 inches
long.
The seven - tubes - square
bundles are being placed in
the reactor vessel which has
been filled with water.
Workers spent last week
and Monday moving the 560
fuel bundles from various
storage areas to the site for
the fuel loading operations.
Hollowell reported that the
fuel process is being
monitored by trained per
sonnel with Atomic Energy
Commission ratings. The
operation also is being
monitored by automatic
systems within the plant.
Carolina Power and Light
Company officials announced
that Unit 2 at the Brunswick
plant will be activated this
spring. It has been licensed
for operation by the AEC.
Unit I is more than 70 -
percent complete, company
officials said. Unit loading
operations are expected to
start this summer.
Board Chairman Franky
Thomas asked how much
savings would be realized by
moving the system to South
port, and Strong cited the
possible elimination of three
dispatcher positions. “That’s
$18,000 right there,” the
sheriff stated.
Responding to a question
from Commissioner Willie
Sloan, Strong said all county
communications systems,
including fire and rescue,
could be accommodated by
the Southport com
munications facility. “Sure,”
the sheriff said. “I can
d. ..patch every car in the
county from downstairs. All it
is, is getting it together.”
When a system is not
together, the sheriff con
tinued, “Nobody understands
what’s going on.” He said the
county should have certified,
capable personnel and not
jailers operating the radios.
There has been “no ef
ficiency, just turmoil,”
Strong told the com
missioners.
Steve Varnam asked the
size of the room available at
the CID building in Southport.
“As big as the one you’ve got
(Continued On Page 2)
New Dispatch
Starts Friday
The Brunswick County
Sheriff’s Department will
begin dispatching radio calls
from the CID building in
Southport Friday afternoon
starting at 4 o’clock. Sheriff
Hermon Strong reported.
Sheriff Strong said the
Supply office will close
Friday after dispatching
starts at the CID building.
The radio units now located
in the county jail building in
Southport will be moved to
the CID building Friday in
order to provide countywide
coverage, he said.
All the radio units in the
Supply office except the PIN
machine will be moved to the
CID building Monday. The
PIN machine will be moved
to the building next week by
state officials.
Sheriff Herman Strong said
that employees of Coastal
Electronics in Wilmington
will move all the radio units
for the department.
Residents in the lower end
of the county can phone 754
4374 toll - free to reach the
Sheriff’s Departent. Leland
residents can continue to
reach the department by
calling 763-7401 toll - free.
County To Get $93,861
In Federal Hiring Plan
,fc® ‘
/ Brunswick County will
receive a total of $93,861 to
spend during the next five
months to hire unemployed
residents to work in public
service jobs, County Per
sonnel Director Steve Hughes
announced this week.
Brunswick County’s grant
from the Emergency Man
power Act is divided into two
equal shares of $46,930.50
each to hire residents to work
in county government and in
state positions located in the
county. The county expects to
receive another grant before
June.
Hughes said he was
informed that Brunswick
County would receive the
$83,861 by Program Coor
dinator Robert Whitley of the
State Manpower Council
during a meeting in Raleigh
on Friday.
Hughes said he was in the
process of obtaining input
from county department
heads regarding job needs at
the present time. The
information will be presented
at a Region “0” meeting in
Wilmington today (Wed
nesday).
Region “O” Executive
Director Beverly Paul has
called the meeting in
Wilmington to award grants
under the new Emergency
Job Program. Jurisdiction
representatives from
counties, cities, etc., in the
region will present a list of
job needs and the salary
requirements.
“A representative of the
North Carolina Manpower
Council will be in attendance
Wednesday,” Paul said. “He
will sign grant award con
tracts so that the jurisdic
tions in the region may begin
hiring immediately.”
Paul said the jurisdiction
representatives will need to
act rapidly since “the present
economic situation makes it
imperative that we provide
jobs during January.”
“The North Carolina
Manpower Council,” Paul
pointed out, “will reallocate
any unused funds to other
regions if we have not used
(Continued On Page 2)
BRUNSWICK COUNTY SHRINE Club members were install
ed last Wednesday night at ceremonies at the club building
located on the Midway Road near Bolivia. Seated, left to right
are John Bray, treasurer; Albert Parker, first vice-president
R.G. “Bill” Jackson, president; Hubert Brittain, second vice
- president; and Herb Nichols, secretary. Standing, left to right,
, are Merell Hanes, greeter; Oscar Cleaton, ambassador; C.P.
, “Pete” Jessup, ambassador; Walter Sheltenburg, assistant
; treasurer; Clarence Hamilton, ambassador; Bill Leggett, assis
- tant secretary; and Hugh Hutchins, greeter.
City Opposes Attempts «
_ i
To Cut Posher Service *
> Hospital
> Water, Setter
> Electric Rates
By BILL ALLEN
The Southport Board of
Aldermen took action on the
hospital question and the
water, sewer and storm
drainage project during the
regular monthly meeting
Thursday night at City Hall.
The board voted
unanimously to adopt a short
resolution opposing General
Assembly action to “con
vert” Dosher Memorial
Hospital into a “trauma
center” as recommended by
the Brunswick County Board
of Commissioners.
Copies of the resolution will
be sent by registered mail to
Rep. Allen Ward, Sen. Ed
Nye, House Speaker Jimmy
Green and former legislator
Arthur Williamson, who will
be I,t. Gov. Jim Hunt’s iiaison
man in the General
Assembly.
The board also made plans
to present the Smithville side
of the question to the General
Assembly when a public
hearing is held on the matter
in Raleigh.
Alderman Robert Howard
called on the board to adopt
the brief resolution opposing
General Assembly action
4 Of 6 Townships
Tax Appraisal
Process Slow
Allied Appraisal turned
over to the county tax in
formation on the fourth of the
six townships in Brunswick
on Thursday — almost six
weeks later than promised.
County officials said the
Shallotte Township tax in
formation was promised to be
delivered to the Finance -
Computer Office in early
December.
The information finally
arrived Thursday — five
weeks and four - and • one -
halfdays later than expected.
It is expected to take county
workers two to three weeks to
key - punch the information
for use on the computer.
County officials said Allied
promised to turn over the
Smithville township listing
Monday. Smithville is the
Superior Court
A criminal term of Superior
Court will be held in South
port next week with Judge
Edwin Preston presiding.
Almost 100 cases are
scheduled to be tried during
the four - day session, which
will start Monday.
The Grand Jury will be in
session Monday. A total of 20
cases are scheduled to be
presented to the Grand Jury, i
largest township in the
county and contains one -
third to one - half of the total
parcels in Brunswick.
The last township — Lock
wood Folly — is expected to
be turned over to the county
in late January or early
February.
Allied officials told county
commissioners Dec. 2 that
they could not complete the
job by the Dec. 1 deadline
because more parcels than
expected had been found in
the county.
Company representatives
said at the time that Shallotte
would be finished in early
December, Smithville the
first of January and Lock
wood Folly in mid - January.
Allied is being paid more
than $369,000 to re - evaluate
property for tax purposes in
Brunswick County. The work
is required by law to be done
every eight years.
Under the contract, the
company is subject to be
fined $100 every day the work
is late in December and $300 a
lay every day the work is late
after January. But the board
las not imposed a penalty on
:he company yet.
Because the company is
ate finishing the work,
Brunswick County residents
lave not had to list taxes yet
his year.
aimed at reducing Dosher to
a trauma center.
“We need to tell our
representatives how we feel
about the future of Dosher
hospital,” Howard declared.
“They should not be able to
say they have not heard from
us.”
Howard told the board he
did not believe the General
Assembly could turn Dosher
into a trauma center on the
recommendation of the
Board of Commisssioners
since “the people of Smith
ville Township own nearly 60
percent of the hospital.”
He pointed out that the city
and the county each own 50
percent of the hospital under
the charter. He said that each
of the six townships should
own an equal share of the
county’s 50 r percent interest.
“This gives the people of
Smithville Township a 60 -
percent interest in the
hospital,” he declared. “This
is important since some
people in the county seem
i
Yaupon Beach
ABC Shortage
The SBI is investigating
reports of a “shortage” at the
ABC store at Yaupon Beach,
Town Attorney A.H. Gainey,
Jr., has reported.
“Reports the town has
received indicate that either
liquor or money is missing
from the store,” Gainey
declared.
The town attorney reported
that Yaupon Police Chief
Aubrey Hickman has ask the
SBI to conduct an in
vestigation and turn the
findings over to District
Attorney Lee J. Greer.
“After receiving the report
from the SBI, the district
attorney will decide if
prosecution is merited,”
Gainey stated.
According to reports, a
"shortage” was found during
the monthly audit just before
Christmas. It is believed that
the "shortage” amounts to
between $4,000 and $5,000, but
Gainey would not say how
much was involved.
Yaupon Beach ABC Board
Chairman Larry Jones said
he could not comment on the
matter until the investigation
has been completed.
more interested in
geographical location than
population center."
The meeting had to be
recessed at one point to allow
Mayor Pro - Tern Harold
Aldridge, presiding in the
absence of Mayor E.B.
Tomlinson, Jr., who was
reportedly out - of - town on
business, to make a
statement on the hospital
question for a Wilmington
television station.
City Attorney E.J. Prevatte
briefed the mayor pro - tern
on the points he should stress
in the television appearance.
After returning to the
meeting room. Mayor Pro -
Tern Aldridge announced that
his remarks would be shown
on the television station twice
the next day.
The board voted
unanimously to charge
residents for sewer taps in
order to complete financial
arrangements for the $1 -
million - plus water, sewer
and storm drainage project.
Bud Davis of Henry Von
Oesen, consulting engineers
on the project, said extra
money was needed because
no agency would provide
funds for sewer taps.
He said the city could ob
tain the money either by
reducing the interest and
contingency funds or
charging for sewer taps. He
recommended the second
course of action.
Davis said the contractor
had agreed to make the taps
for $150 for the average house
while the project is un
derway. The city. He noted,
charges an average of $200
for a tap.
Davis said about 334 houses
in Southport could tap onto
the line. However, he said he
believed that no more than 30
(Continued On Page 2)
Students Object
Board Closes
Appeals Door
The Brunswick County
Board of Education held two
nights of closed hearings this
week to hear appeals from
students suspended from
North Brunswick High School
earlier this year.
The board voted
unanimously to hold closed
hearings despite opposition
expressed by Attorn iy James
J. Wall of Wilmington, who
represented the students.
Wall told the board that he
and the students believed that
the hearings should be open
to both the public and the
press. “We did not request
closed hearings,” he
declared. “In fact, the
students requested that the
hearings be open to tbe
public."
Wall said the students
believed that the hearings
should be open to the public
since “school matters involve
all of the people of Brunswick
County.”
School Board Attorney
Mason Anderson said the
board could hold closed
hearings under the Open
Meetings Law since
discipline matters were being
discussed. He said, however,
that the law did not require
the board to hold closed
hearings.
After hearing from the two
attorneys, the board voted
unanimously to hold the
appeal hearings behind
closed doors. The board spent
about ten hours in executive
session Monday and Tuesday
nights hearing the appeals.
The six students, who had
their appeals heard by the
board during the two nights,
were suspended for the rest of
the year from North Brun
swick in October following a
“disturbance” at the school.
Each of the six students was
given an individual hearing.
Wall requested that the
appeal hearings be held in
order to “allow the students
back in school where they
belong.”