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THE STATE PORT PILOT 7^e-i9i6 Volume 46 Number 43 May 14, 1975 Southport, N. C. 20 Pages 10 Cents NEWS OF THE BATTLE of Lexington was received at Brunswick Town on May 8,1775 at the Richard Quince home, and the event was re - enacted Saturday in Bicentennial ac tivities. Ruins of the Quince home remain at Brunswick Town State Historic Site and provide the setting for the horseman delivering the message to “the citizens of Brunswick.” But how things have changed. 200 years later the horseman was a woman! Ambulance F ranchise F avored A franchise for ambulance service in Southport was unofficially endorsed by a majority of city aldermen Tuesday night, with official action on the matter expected this Friday. Care Ambulance Service, Inc., plans to begin operating June 1, following an an nouncement by Tom Gilbert that he intends to get out of the ambulance business. Gilbert announced his in tentions several weeks ago to the Southport volunteer fire and rescue squad; Care Ambulance was then in corporated and has pur chased Gilbert’s rescue vehicle, and has Gilbert's statement he will not establish ambulance service here during the next three years. Though prohibited by law from taking any action Tuesday night the four aldermen present — Robert Howard, Mary McHose, Conley Koontz and Pierce Horne — and Mayor E.B. Tomlinson stated in dividually their endorsement of the ambulance service agreement. Aldermen Harold Aldridge, whose resignation has been accepted “with regret,’’ and Harold Davis were not present for the hour and-one-half special “fact findings” meeting. uniy me ooara memDers and Larry George, Buzz Burkhardt, Doug Ledgett and George’8 wife were present for the meeting, called after the ambulance question was left hanging at the board’s regular monthly meeting last Thursday. Several significant changes were made in the interim; specifically, the ambulance service will not request a $3,000 first-year subsidy from the city, and it will not ask the town to help collect bad accounts. Funds for operating the service will be accrued from $15-per Hospital Lawsuit Set For Hearing June 2 The hearing on the $5 million hospital lawsuit filed last week will be held next month. “For good cause shown, it is hereby ordered that the hearing on plantiffs' motion for a temporary restraining order ... be and hereby is, continued until June 2 at 10 a.m. at the Brunswick County Courthouse in Southport,” Superior Court Judge Edwin S. Preston said in his order Tuesday. “It is further ordered that said hearing be, and hereby is, placed on the motion docket as the first case to be called on the above said date,” Judge Preston said in the order. The hearing was originally set to be held Thursday af ternoon at 2 o’clock. However, it had to be delayed because the wife of J.B. Lee of Whiteville, one of the at torneys representing the Brunswick County Hospital Authority, reportedly has to undergo - major surgery Thursday afternoon. The June 2 date was selected because Judge Preston will be presiding over a session of civil court in the county that week. Attorneys Carter T. Lambeth and William R.1 Shell of Murchison, Fox and Newton, representing the City of Southort, the former Dosher Hospital board of trustees and citizens, filed the sidt last Wednesday. The suit charges deprivation of constitutional rights, violation of civil rights and questions local legislation in the General Assembly. It requests restoration of ownership, operations, management and control of Dosher Memorial Hospital to the City of Southport and the Dosher Board of Trustees. Defendants include the board of commissioners, who \ are not being asked for damage claims, the county Hospital Authority, chairman Mason Anderson, Hospital Authority Director Warren Olive and a host of state of ficials, including Department of Human Resources Secretary David Flaherty and N.C. Attorney General Rufus Edmisten. family memberships, con tracts with industries such as Pfizer and CP&L, and related services, such as a com mercial answering service to help pay a 24-hour-per-day dispatcher. The ambulance service will be available 24 hours per day and each vehicle will be manned at all times by two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s). There will be radio communications between the ambulance and the Dosher hospital emergency room. “We have brought what we hope is an acceptable plan to you,” George told the aldermen Tuesday night. According to the mayor, the Institute of Government has said it would be improper for the city to make it a misdemeanor to not pay an ambulance bill, as the Care Ambulance representatives had requested. Ledgett, a principal in the creation of Care Ambulance Service, Inc., said a franchise would make it possible for the city to receive federal fun ding which could be used to expand ambulance service. In the original agreement discussed Thursday, the contract said the city “Shall pay” $3,000 the first year; the term “may pay” was sub stituted Tuesday night. Although no action was taken, the city board discussed the possibility of purchasing memberships for all city employees as “fringe benefits.” A membership entitles a family (man, wife, child under 21) to three free ambulance calls during the year for only $15. Unlimited calls would be available at a higher rate, George told the, board. The ambulance service will respond to all fire and ‘Honest Mistake’ Cited In Manager’s Car Ad j “We made a damn honest mistake.” That is the opinion of In terim County Manager - Board Chairman Franky Thomas when asked why the county ran two legal ad vertisements to obtain bids to buy a car. The legal advertisement asking for bids for the proposed car for the county manager first appeared in the Wilmington newspaper last Sunday, May 4. A second advertisement asking for bids appeared in the same newspaper last Wednesday, May 8. Between the times the two advertisements appeared, the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting (May 5) and reluctantly authorized Thomas to advertise for bids without a vote. “We are not saying we are going to buy the car,” Commissioner Steve Var nam, Jr., said at the time. (The State Port Pilot, May 7, Page 12) “We are going to look at specifications and bids first." Thomas did not tell the board at the time that the advertisement and specifications had already appeared in the Wilmington newspaper the previous day. The interim manager - board chairman said he did not announce at the meeting that the advertisement had been placed because he found out it was “void." Thomas said he was in formed on Monday that the first advertisement was illegal. He said that General Statutes 143-129, governing the placing of advertisements to buy items, requires “complete description of the apparatus.” “After finding out that more details were needed in the description, we placed the second advertisement,” Thomas stated. “It was an error on my part — a misunderstanding.” Thomas said he asked Purchasing - Personnel Director David Swain to work up the bid sheet on the proposed car the Friday before the meeting. Thomas said he is authorized to obtain bids without the approval of the board. “It is the best way to find out the cost of an item since the seller will not tell you the exact price,” he noted. “I checked with David later in the afternoon and he said he had worked up the sheet, he had called four dealers and put two in the mail,” Thomas stated. “I told him to go ahead and place the ad vertisement.” Swain said Thomas “gave me the specifications, more or less. I placed the first advertisement and I have (Continued On Page 2) emergency fcall3;m Sfife City, it was pointed out. According to George, “Dosher Hospital is going to be our, central point.” Original plans called for a modular-type ambulance, such as the white-and-orange vehicle seen around South port during the past week. Adjustments have had to be made, the ambulance service representatives said, and Care now will purchase a “sentinek’-type rescue unit. “It will still meet all state and federal requirements for both equipment and men,” George noted. Koontz, outspoken in his opposition to the Thursday night proposal by Care Ambulance, Tuesday night criticized personnel such as EMT’s “who sometimes might go a little overboard” on rescue calls. “I don’t want any EMT think he is the next thiqg to a doctor.” Ledgett said that such concerns are prompting formation of professional rescue units to replace volunteer organizations. Several members of the board commended Gilbert for “outstanding ambulance service” over the years. The local service, however, has been operating on a provisional license in recent months, according to Fred Hardy of the Emergency Medical Service division of the Dept. of Human Resources. Ledgett said he wanted to make it clear Care Am bulance made no move to organize until after Gilbert announced his plans to quit the ambulance service business. Tomlinson said Gilbert was informed of both the Thursday and Tuesday night meetings and was in vited to attend “if he had any further interest in the mat (Continued On Page 2) School Budget _ '_ • •: Prepared Fori 1% County Board By BILL ALLEN The Brunswick County Board of Education unanimously voted to add $100,000 to the proposed 1975 • 76 budget to cover two ad ditions to Lincoln school and any overage needed in the state bond improvement project, during .a special meeting Monday night. Member Willie Sue made the inotion to add the $100,000 to the new buildings and fees section of the budget. New buildings and fees were in creased to $3,050,000 under the proposal, which was unanimously approved. Before the vote was taken, Supt. Ralph King suggested that the capital reserve fund, which contains $600,000, could be “tapped” for the needed money. Lou Evans, who is the architect on the state school bond project, said he could not estimate the cost of the additions at Lincoln without more study. Member Franklin Ran dolph said he agreed the additions should be made at Lincoln since “Leland is the fastest - growing section in the county.” He said it was better to spend the money now rather than have to go back in three years and do the work. Members reviewed the capital outlay and debt service sections line by line during the meeting before approving the budget request. Capital expense needs had been reviewed at a previous meeting. The board is proposing a Marina Case To Be Heard A hearing will be held on the Bald Head Island marina case Thursday in U. S. District Court in New Bern. Carolina Cape Fear Cor poration, developers of the island, has been ordered to show cause “why the terms of the (marina) permit have not been compiled with, or the court will compel the district engineer to suspend the permit," Judge John D. Larkins, Jr., said in ordering the hearing. The question is whether or not the corporation’s decision to place control of 9,000 acres of the island into trust rather than completely relinquish it to the state violated an agreement that was one' of' the conditions for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit. According to court records, Carolina Cape Fear received the permit last May after agreeing to turn over 9,000 acres to the Nature Con servancy in Washington, D.C., which would give it to the state. The transfer was to be made July 24, 1974. Corporation officials placed 'the land deeds in escrow. They said they would not turn the land over until the lawsuit filed by the Conservation Council of North Carolina early last summer was disposed of. Judge Larkins said in the order last week that the court must determine the validity of the permit before trying to resolve the other issues in the long running lawsuit. “It is quite possible that an escrow agreement would satisfy the conveyance requirement ... of the per mit,’’ Judge Larkins said. “It is doubtful, however, that the escrow in this case is legally valid." Judge Larkins said he did not believe the corporation fully relinquished control of the deeds. He said it was “questionable whether or not there was even an agreement” because the Conservancy did not agree to the escrow arrangement. Bridge Dedication The formal dedication of the Oak Island Bridge has been set for Friday, May 30, at 5 p.m. The announcement was made today by Jacob F. Alexander, Secretary of Transportation and High way Safety. Gov. James E. Holshouser, Jr., will deliver the dedicatory address. Contract cost of the structure was $3,147,567.83. Hie new bridge was opened to traffic on March 6. > j I (t t $6,677,459 budget for 1975 - 76. A total of $5,737,712 in county funds will be needed to balance the proposed budget. Last year, the board operated on a $4,660,104 budget with $2,853,956.24 coming in local tax funds. Sue pointed out that the board will be asking the county commissioners for about $2.8 million more this year than last year. King, who pointed out that the major increase is due to capital outlay, said the budget proposed two major construction projects, a new middle school in Leland and a new bus garage and main tenance facility in Shallotte. The budget proposes to spend $2,650,000 far the new Leland school and $32,000 for the site. The bus facility will cost $300,000 with an ad ditional $20,000 needed to purchase land. The two “major” con struction projects will raise money needed for new buildings and grounds from $1,573,000 to $3,103,000 this year, King told the board. Assisting Supt. John Hicks said the board hopes to purchase a 36 - acre site from International Paper Com pany for the new Leland school. He said negotiations for the land will begin soon. Hicks said the cost of constructing the new school had been estimated in the budget at $24 per square foot, plus a 25 - percent inflation increase. Evans said school con struction projects in the state were running in the $28 and $30 per square foot range. He said the $1.7 million in the state bond improvement projects for work at Bolivia, Lincoln, Union and Wac camaw could be “short.” Evans said the board might have to delete a minimum of . two teacher stations, covered passages and other items if needed. 3 “We feel we will be able to proceed since we will have A number of alternates,** Evans reported. “We are right around the corner from finding out since we hope to / call for bids in the middle of June.” i King told the board that no money besides the $1.7 million had been placed in the proposed budget for the projects at the four schools. Hicks said the capital [ outlay section of the budget calls for additions to the existing sites at Lincoln and Bolivia. In addition, improvements will be made at five sites. The value of the improvements include $20,000 at Lincoln, $15,000 at Boliia, $15,000 at Union, $18,000 at Waccamsw and $3,000 at Southport Middle. It is proposed tnat tne board spend $9,000 tor alterations and additions to the Lincoln shop. Other major capital outlay spending includes installing electric heat at the rifle ranges, a new oil burner at the Audio - Visual center, miscellaneous plumbing, water storage tank con struction and electric lights at the three high school baseball fields. Members questioned spending $89,000 to convert areas at the three high (Continued On Page 2) Aldridge Quits j Alderman Post Harold Aldridge, who had served on the Southport Board of Aldermen for 16 years and as mayor pro-tem for 12 years, resigned ef fective Monday. He gave no reason for the resignation, which was accepted by the board Tuesday night. “I have something else in mind,” Aldridge told The Pilot Tuesday night. He did not elaborate, but said he woul have something to announce “in the future.” He said in his letter of resignation Southport had experienced “much progress and growth” and it was his privilege to participate. He pledged his continued service to the community. The board will discuss a replacement for Aldridge at a special meeting scheduled for Friday night, but will not name a new alderman until the next regular board meeting June 12. It is the custom to have the other two aldermen in the ward — Conley Koontz and Harold Davis — nominate a replacement.
State Port Pilot (Southport, N.C.)
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May 14, 1975, edition 1
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