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^OV-^'O/V 5 \ '€> r m THE STATE PORT PILOT % ^e-191* Volume 46 Number 39 April 16, 1975 Southport, N. C. 24 Pages 10 Cents 3 Are Fired Four Leave Sheriff Dept. The chief of detectives has resigned and three deputies have been fired, Sheriff Herman Strong reported this week. Chief Detective George Reed and Deputies George Ballard, Ralphael Frink and Ear lie Gore are no longer with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Strong said he took the action because he found the men to be “inefficient.” Reed told Sheriff Strong in a letter that he was resigning to accept a position with the Long Beach Police Depart ment. Reed, Efallard, Frink and Gore all served under For ma1 Sheriff Harold Willetts. They were re-hired when Sheriff Strong took office in December. According to reports, the NAACP is considering bringing a lawsuit because Ballard, Frink and Gore are black. Sheriff Strong reported that Thurman Gause of Thomasboro has been ap pointed a deputy in the department. Gause has been serving as a jailer. He said he was in the process of hiring three other men to replace the departing deputies. He said he hoped to have the new men on the job soon. Sheriff Strong also an nounced that Douglas Padgett has been promoted to chief of detectives and that Deputy Nelson Adams has been elevated to sergeant. j Dismissal Is Aired Tuesday By BILL ALLEN The Yaupon Beach Board of Commissioners took no action following a hearing to discuss the firing of John Thompson at the Town Hall Tuesday morning. Thompson, who was fired on a 3-to-2 vote last week, told the bosrd and the 50 t6 75 citizens at the betting that he bed refuted all chttges and should be re • Instated. "I might have stepped on some toes in this town, but I have tried to treat everyone equally,” Thompson declared. Mayor C.E. Murphy, who presided at the orderly hearing, announced that the board would take no action on the matter Tuesday. The recommended by attorney Henry Foy, who represented town attorney A.H. Gainey, Jr., at the hearing. “The firing was done without cause, it was groundless and thus Mr. Thompson should be re - instated,” said Lumberton attorney Woodberry Bowen, who represented Thompson at the hearing. During the hearing, Bowen presented the board with two petitions. The first one, signed by “187 of the 2S0 residents of Yaupon Beach,” said Thompson should be re - instated to his job as public utilities supervisor. The second petition, signed by 180 residents, called on the North Carolina “Attorney General to begin an im mediate investigation of the past and present actions of Mayor Murphy and the town council.” “I don’t feel that under any circumstances, under this (double office holding) resolution that was passed and the Constitution of North Carolina, that we can legally re - instate John until the ' ■ . v ... court of law has determined whether we should or should not or whether we have the authority,” Commissioner Ted Wood declared. “If the law says we can re - instate him, then we must submit to the wishes of these people,” Wood continued. 'They have these petitions to us. We are their represen tatives, but until that has been settled before the law I can’t see where we can do anything.” Commissioner Bill Smalley said the charges Wood made against Thompson “have been refuted to my satisfaction. But I don’t understand why he (Wood) said we cannot hire John back because it is illegal.” Foy said he could not give a legal opinion on the matter since he is not the town at torney. “I am recommending no action at this time,” he stated. “It can be acted upon at the next meeting.” Smalley made a motion to re - hire Thompson. But Mayor Murphy said the motion was out of order because of the advice of Foy. Based on the petitions, Bowen said the people should vote on the question of whether Thompson should be re - hired. Commissioner Marvin Watson told the board he would vote to re - hire Thompson if the charges were proved false. But he said Thompson did not an swer the charges he made. Commissioner W.E. Mc Dougle, who is in charge of the water system, said after the meeting that he has been calling on Thompson to help run the town water system. Thompson said he was helping operate the system free of charge while the town is without a supervisor. “I have to drink the water, too,” (Continued On Page 2) Planning Meet Here Thursday The Smithville Township Citizen’s Planning Advisory Committee and members of the Brunswick County Planning Board will meet with interested citizens Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the county commissioners’ chambers. The meeting in the Hood Building is being held for two primary purposes, according to County Planner Johnny Sutton: “First is the Coastal Area Management Act and the land-use plan that is required under the act. A land-use plan must be prepared (or Brunswick County by Novembner 23. “Second is the 1074 Housing and Community Develop ment Act that provides funds for eligible counties and towns for certain community projects. Sutton said citizens at the meeting will determine a list priority projects they feel the Community Development funds should be used for. ‘The meeting is open to the public and it is extremely important for every citizen in Smithville Township to at tend,” Sutton noted. A NEW MISS FbURTH of July hasrSeen selected following the resignation of Jennifer Rayburn. The new queen is 21 - year - old Sue Sunder, second runner - up in last year’s pageant, who will reign until a new queen is chosen June 28. She represented the Festival in the Azalea Festival parade on Saturday and cut the ribbon for the new PS&L Southport branch Monday morning. Upcoming activities include festival parades in Burgaw, Chad bourn and Myrtle Beach, plus the annual Patriots Ball here. -f .. ; i: Bill May Be Introduced Citizens Urge Beach Merger By BILL ALLEN People should have g chance to vote on merger, Long Beach Consolidation Committee members were told during a question-and answer meeting Monday night at Town Hall. Citizens after citizen stood up and told committee members that the vote to consolidate Long Beach and Yaupon Beach should not be delayed. “Let us vote and see what the people decide,” one citizen said. Jim Sumner announced that 435 citizens had signed petitions in two and one-half days calling for a vote on consolidation no later than February, 1078. He said he wanted to present the signed petitions to Committee Chairman Woody Vennel, who refused to accept them. Don McNeill informed the committee and citizens that Rep. Allen Ward will in troduce the bill calling for a consolidation vote no later than February, 1976, despite the opposition of the Long Beach Board of Com missioners. “The bill will be introduced and Rep. Ward assured me it will pass the house,” McNeill declared. Committee membership was questioned during the meeting. Several citizens said they did not believe that three of the five members — the majority — should be Long Beach commissioners. Chairman Vennel, who presided at the meeting, said the committee has been asked to provide the board with “facts, problems and ramifications associated with consolidation. This must be done before any recom mendation can be made to council concerning the date for a referendum.” When the committee has “all the answers,” the chairman said action will be i “presented to council with suitable recommendations. We need the input of citizens.” Chairman Vennel also criticized the petition cam paign. "I am fully aware of the insidious movement for the purpose of undermining or discrediting the work of this committee or of forcing it to early action prior to the completion of its duties," he declared. "Rome was not built in a day. Let us not rush into consolidations and And ourselves with our pants down.” The Long Beach board, upon the recommendation of (Continued On Page 2) Start Tuesday Formal Tax Hearings Set . Despite all the grumbling heard about revaluation, only about 100 residents have signed up to take their complaints before the Board of Equalization and Review. The county commissioners, meeting as the Board of Equalization and Review, will hold their first session Tuesday from 10 a.m. until S p.m. The second session has been scheduled for April 29 from 10 until 5. Acting Tax Supervisor K.T. Bellamy, who will serve as the clerk during the E and R sessions, said only about 100 residents have called his office and said they wanted to appear at a meeting. However, residents still have until July 1 to call the tax supervisor’s office and indicate they want to appear before the board to discuss their valuations. Bellamy said residents who have signed up will be notified by mail when to appear at E and R meetings. Letters will be sent out this week telling residents what time they are scheduled to appear at the Tuesday meeting. Bellamy and his staff will take notes and gather in formation when each resident voices his complaints at the Board of Equalization and Review meetings. A tape recorder also will be used if the resident has no objection. Bellamy said his office will send an appraiser out to investigate each complaint heard at the meetings. “We will investigate each com plaint on its individual merit,” he pointed out. “We will report our findings back to the board members who will make the final decision." Bellamy said his office has three appraisers to in vestigate complaints. They are James Padgett of Long Beach, Jerry Harrison of Town Creek and Joseph H. Young of Southport. Padgett, who is a veteran appraiser with the office, will work the southern part of the county. Yoisig, who recently jointed the staff, will be in the western part of the county. Young has served as a court-appointed appraiser and expert witness for in dividual land acquisition cases, Bellamy pointed out. Harrison, who has been working inside the office during the listing period, will be in charge of mobile homes. He will survey mobile homes and check mobile home parks requirements under the Machinery Act. Bellamy said he expects the commissioners to hold numerous Board of Equalization and Review sessions before the meetings end. Commissioners have indicated, he noted, that all residents who want to appear at a E and R session will be heard. The acting tax supervisor reported that Allied Ap praisers, the company that did the revaluation work, completed the informal hearings for individuals April 4. The company is in the process of completing the informal hearings for large companies. "Allied officials are in the process of re-checking the complaints they heard at the informal hearings at the present time,’’ he pointed out. Bellamy estimated that about 99 percent of the residents of Brusnwick County have listed their property for taxes. Students Take Part As Aldermen Hold Meeting Students from South Brunswick High School got a first-hand look at government Thursday night as they participated in a meeting of the Southport Board of Aldermen. The students voted for their respective aldermen, presided over the meeting and gave reports. Business proceeded as it would at any Board of Aldermen meeting, with only closed-door hospital business waiting until the students left. Maurice Smith served as mayor; members of the board were Pheobe Ran dolph, George Gore, Janice Frink, Teddy Jinwright, Velva Bellamy and Mary Frink. City manager was Greg Farley, finance director, Ann Duncan; police chief Daryle Parker; city attorney, Tom Zornes; public works directors, Larry Harrison; and accounting clerk, Janice Irving. The day-long student program was coordinated by Alderman Mary McHose. The aldermen considered a variety of routine city business, including the location of a lift station or cemetery extension adjacent to the old Southport cemetery. No decision was reached. The 7-member Southport Planning Board has reorganized with Joe Walton, J.K. Porterfield, Cecelia Franck and Roscoe Davis appointed by the city, and extra-territorial members J.D. Ward, Marion Burn and Mrs. Janice Jackson to be appointed by the county board of commissioners. Alderman Pierce Horne cited a “progressive land-use plan,” part of the Coastal Management Act planning, as the most pressing matter facing the planning groiqi. Financial Officer Walter Aldridge was given unanimous approval by the board to transfer budgeted funds to carry all city departments through the end of the fiscal year June 30. The board also gave unanimous approval to a Bicentennial Committee request to construct a stage on property behind City Hall, making old oak trees In the area an integral part of the setting. It was also noted that part of the old gymnasium, now the property of the county board of education, might be used as dressing rooms for the planned production of “Revolution!" — a history-oriented play — here next summer. Stage construction would be temporary. The board approved a motion that would allow library employees to receive death benefits. Board member Harold Aldridge noted there was no cost to the city in the program, which already has received en dorsement of the county (Continued On Page 2) CP&L Ordered To Show Cause Why Monitors Are Not Needed Carolina Power and Light Company has been ordered to show cause why it should not install earthquake monitoring devices at the Brunswick Nuclear plant outside Southport. Members of the staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Com mission (NRC) in Washington, D.C., have told CP&L officials that the company has 30 days to respond to the order, which would direct the utility to install a system capable of determining earthquakes within a 100-mile radius and to measure the amount of land uplift in the area for a period of at least two years. A CP&L spokesman said the order provides an op portunity for the company to tell its side of the story, after which the NRC will decide whether the studies are needed. He said the plant was designed and constructed to withstand earthquake con ditions. The NRC acted in the matter after two geologists from the University of North Carolina and one from Duke University submitted a report to the federal agency. The report submitted in early February was ac companied by petitions calling for the issuance of the show cause order. In addition to the geologists, the petitioners were the Con* servation Council of North Carolina, the League of Women Voters of North Carolina and the Southeastern Confederation for Safe Power. Dr. David Stewart, Dr. Dave Dunn and Dr. S. Duncan Heron, the three geologists, have been war ning since January that a major earthquake might occur near the Brunswick plant within the next decade. They said their warning is based on a study of the South port area that Included measurements of tem perature, pressure and ground water salinity. The three geologists said in the report to the NRC that there has been an "unusual” uplifting of land in the South port area over the last 20 years. The uplifting of land coupled with increasing salinity, pressure and tem perature of groundwater in deep wells, suggest the possibility of continued uplift followed by a major ear thquake in the area at "some indeterminate future date,” the three geologists said in the report. The three geologist em phasized that they are not predicting that an ear thquake will occur in the Southport area. “It may be that in a few years the region could be given a clean bill on seismic health,’’ they have said. The NRC had staff geologists review the report. They recommended that additional information on potential seismic activity in the site area be gathered, a spokesman said. ‘The information would be used to confirm or deny the existence of events which might be the forerunner of earthquakes at the site of the two-unit nuclear power plant,” the NRC spokesman pointed out. "Monitoring (Continued On Page 2)
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