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10 Cents
Volume 47 Number 13 ■ October 15, 1975
Southport, N. C.
22 Page*
Board Of Education 6Recommends9 Tract
Bolivia Site Gets Reluctant
Nod; Rabon, Sue Don’t Vote
STATE SCHOOL SUPT. Dr. Craig Phillips was
the featured speaker Sunday afternoon for the
dedication of the new Southport Primary School.
By BIL1. ALLEN
Staff Writer
The Brunswick County
Board of Education voted on a
split decision that divided the
board down the middle to
recommend the Browft - Knox
land for the site of the county
* complex.
The board recommended
the Brown - Knox site, which
was first presented last week,
on a 2-1 vote following a long
discussion on what action
should be taken during a
special meeting Tuesday
night.
Members Franklin Ran
dolph and Barbara Yount,
who made the motion and the
second, supported the Brown -
Knox site while Member W.T.
Bowen was in opposition.
Chairman Wilbur Earl
Rabon, who presided over the
meeting, and Member
William Sue did not cast votes
on the question that divided
the board.
Both Randolph and Mrs.
Yount spoke out strongly in
favor of the board making a
recommendation to the
commissioners about the site.
Mrs. Yount expressed
concern about Rabon and Sue
not wanting to make a
recommendation. “I want the
board to be together for a
change,” she declared. “I
don’t want to send a divided
recommendation.”
Randolph said he could not
understand why other
members waited until the last
minute before deciding not to
make a recommendation.
“I think we should make a
recommendation tonight
whether the commissioners
accept or reject it,” Randolph
declared. “There is no need in
pussy - footing around here
now. That is what we are
doing. Let us go on and do the
job before us. We asked for it
and we should accept it and
go.”
Mrs. Yount said the board
held two joint meetings with
the commissioners to obtain
input about the site. “Now, all
of the sudden, we don’t want to
make a recommendation,”
she stated. “If we don’t make
a recommendation, they will
think we are crazy.”
“If we don’t make a
a»«s»«a
THE NEWLY-ORGANIZED youth chorus of
Southport Primary School was the hit of the
program Sunday afternoon as the new
educational facility was dedicated. A large crowd
heard two selections from the children, then an
address by State School Supt. Dr. Craig Phillips.
Consolidation Talks Open
By
Staff Writer
The Long Beach - Yaupon
Beach Consolidation Com
ynission is working to hold the
merger referendum in
March, it was announced at
the' first public hearing to
obtain citizen input Monday
night at the Long Beach Town
Hall.
Consolidation Commission
Chairman Hannon Templeton
announced at the public
hearing that it is hoped that
Long Beach and Yaupon
Beach citizens will have a
chance to vote on merger in
March when the presidential
primary is held in thestate.
'■! He said the commission
hopes to complete its work to
ibbtain information needed by
citizens in order to vote on the
consolidation question in late
December or early January.
One or two more public
hearings are expected to be
held by the commission.
Information obtained'by the
commission will be published
and distributed to the public,
he reported.
“We will not voice any
opinion for or against (con
solidation) or try to convince
anyone for or against (con
solidation),” Chairman
Templeton announced. “Our
only function is to gather
information and present it to
thecitizens.”
Jack Vogt, a League of
Municipalities representative
who is working with the
commission, told citizens at
the public hearing about
governing practices of other
municipalities in the state in
detail.
Although the hearing was
called to obtain citizen par
ticipation and input, most
residents at the meeting
listened and did not express
their views. Less than a dozen
citizens spoke out or asked
questions during the hearing.
At one point, Chairman
Templeton had to request
citizens, especially ones from
Yaupon Beach, to contribute
to the discussion. It was an
unusual request, an observer
noted, since Long Beach and
Yaupon citizens are known for
being vocal at their town
board meetings.
Caswell Beach is not
represented on the Con
solidation Commission at the
present time, Chairman
Templeton told Woody
Vennel. Brunswick County’s
newest town was not
established when the com
mission was named.
Chairman Templeton said
he wrote a letter September 24
to Mayor Robert Jones
requesting that Caswell
Beach send a representative
to the October 14 meeting.
Mayor Jones has not an
swered the letter, he said.
He said the League of
Municipalities was working
with the commission since he
knew of only two town
mergers in the state in the last
25 years.
Although Monday was the
first public hearing. Chair
man Templeton said the
Strong Trial Set Thursday
Brunswick County Sheriff
Herman Strong, who is
charged with allowing two
prisoners to escape, will be
tried in District Court in
Shallotte Thursday beginning
at 9:30p.m.
Sheriff Strong has been
cited to court on two criminal
summons signed by former
Deputy Robert Wayne Long
last month.
The trial was scheduled to
beheld (today) Wednesday. It
was delayed one day and will
be the only trial to be con
ducted Thursday.
An out - of - district judge
and prosecutor have been
appointed to conduct the case.
Their names will not be made
public until Ibe trial starts.
Chief Deputy Julian
Bowman, former Deputy
John Bowen, Chief Jailer
Billy Garganus, Dr. Gene
Wallen of Southpot, Dr. B.B.
Ward of Shallotte, Dosher
Hospital Administrtor
Lorraine Eichorn, Vera
McKeithan of the hospital,
former Judge Ray Walton,
Judge Wilton Hunt, Jailer
Homer Best, Clerk of Court
Jack Brown, Dr. Norman
Templeton of Winston -
Salem, former Shallotte
Police Officer Charles
Williams of Elizabethtown,
are among the1 witnesses
expected to testify in the two
cases.
Consolidation Commission
has been holding two
meetings per month to meet
the deadline to report back to
the Long Beach and Yaupon
Beach town boards. Members
are doing individual study on
consolidation when meetings
are not held, he pointed out.
The chairman said no
decision had been made
about when the first town
election would be held if
consolidation is approved.
The Institute of Government
is looking into the matter at
Uie present time.
The most interest at the
hearing was expressed about
the method used to elect town
board members. Vogt said
board members can be
elected completely at - large,
al - large in districts or in their
districts only.
mo said mo overwneumng
favorite of smaller
municipalities in the state is
the at - large system ‘it is
only when the population
roaches 10,000 that districts
become even with at - large
representation in other
municipalities in the state,”
he reported.
Vogt said districts are used
when communities are more
diverse. The at large system
is used in municipalities that
are more homogenial, he
pointed out.
"Board members will take
a more townwide view when
they are elected at - large
rather than from districts,”
Vogt stated. “It is one of the
trade - offs you will have to
consider."
He said the at - large system
is less expensive since
population, which is con
stantly changing, and area
are considered in the district
election system. Although it
will cost the town money to
change districts to reflect
population increases or
decreases, it will not be that
expensive, Vogt explained.
Several citizens urged that
(Continued on page 18)
recommendation, we should
keep our big mouths shut no
matter where they put that
site even if they give us the
back 10 acres of the woods,”
Mrs. Yount declared.
Randolph said he could
smell politics in the whole
thing. “This is what I smell
right now,” he told board
members.
After the meeting, Sue told
The Pilot that any one of the
four sites being considered for
the complex would meet the
requirements from a location
standpoint. “Therefore, I
have a preference, but they
are personal preferences and
I don’t think I should use my
position on the board to voice
my personal preferences,”
Sue stated.
The board voted to
recommend the Brown - Knox
site after two substitute
motions by Bowen died
without seconds. The sub
stitutes had to be considered
before the vote on Randolph’s
original motion could be
taken.
Bowen’s first substitute
motion was for the board to
make no recommendation to
the commissioners for a site
for thecomplex,
Sue told the board that his
opinion was in-line with'
feowen’s motion. "However,
we did promise the com
missioners that we would give
them a recommendation,” he
stated.
Mrs. Yount, who along with
Randolph urged the board to
make a recommendation
during the long discussion
preceding the voted, said she
wanted to know why the other
members had not expressed
their opinions earlier.
Rabon said he had not said
anything because the com
missioners did not ask the
board to make a recom
mendation until late in the
second joint meeting held last
week.
Mrs. Yount said the
recommendation was
discussed at the first joint
meeting. “Some of the
commissioners half - way
expected us to have a
recommendation that night,"
she declared. “I think they
gathered at the first (joint)
meeting that we were going to
make a recommendation.” J
Sue said it was only decided
at the first meeting that the
school board would have input
on the selections of a site and
an architect.
“How can we give input
without making a recom
mendtion?” asked Mrs.
Yount. “A recommendation is
input.”
Bowen said that a person,
like a board, can always
change his mind in order to
avoid making a mistake.
After the first substitute
died without a second, Mrs!
Yount asked Bowen if he was
going to make a site recom
mendation to be considered
(Continued on page 19) '
Land Prices Cited
Prices of the four sites under consideration for
the new complex were released during a special
Brunswick County Board of Education meeting
Tuesday night.
Supt. Ralph King told board members he
obtained the prices from County Manager Don
Flowers, Jr., to help board members make a site
recommendation to the commissioners.
Canal Wood, 199 acres, 3234’ frontage on US 17,
$149,25(Mj$ 1 :*?**vrm
Willetts, 100 acres, 1627’ frontage on US 17,
$45,000.00;
McKay - McKeitfian, 91 acres, 1089’ frontage,
$136,500.00 (Negotiable);
Brown and Knox, 156 acres, 1800’ frontage,
$187,200.00.
Growth Policy
To Be Drawn
Planning Advisory Committees
for Smithville, Town Creek and
Northwest townships are
scheduled to hold “extremely
important” meetings during the
next two weeks, starting Thur
sday night at the Courthouse in
Southport.
“It will be important for as
many citizens and property
owners as possible to attend since
everyone present will have an
equal voice on the future growth
policies to be adopted in Brun
swick County,” said County
Planner Johnny Sutton.
The Smithville meeting is set
for the Courthouse at 7:30
tomorrow night. The Town Creek
public meeting will be held next
Tuesday night at Bolivia school,
starting at 7:30. The Northwest
Township hearing will be held
next Thursday, 7:30 p.m. at North
Brunswick High School.
“The vote taken at these
meetings will be the basis for how
much growth, what type of growth
and where growth will occur in
Brunswick County,” the planner
said.
City To Acquire River
Park Tor The People’
By Bit.LAI.I.KN
Staff Writer
Alter more than IH years of
discussion, the Southport
Board of Aldermen acted
Thursday night to acquire the
Stone family waterfront
property at the foot of Howe
Street.
The board voted
unanimously to sign a lease -
purchase agreement with Mr.
and Mrs. James M. Harper,
Jr., of Southport to obtain the
waterfront property located
between the Frying Pan
Lightship and the city pier on
Bay Street.
City Attorney E.J. Prevatte
was instructed to write a
letter to Mr. and Mrs. Harper
requesting that they enter into
an agreement for the pur
ehuse of the Stone property
for a city park.
Under the agreement, the
city will lease the property
from the Harpers, fora yearly
fee. Former Alderman
Robert Howard, who
presented the proposal, said
details of the lease - purchase
agreement will be worked out
with the Harpers.
The land will be zoned
"open space recreation” and
no permanent structures will
be allowed on it.
Mayor E.B. Tomlinson, Jr.,
said the action Thursday
night climaxed 18 years of
work by the city to obtain the
property. “It will assure that
at least one waterfront lot in
Southport will be available to
t he people,' ’ he declared.
The action to acquire the
property was taken following
a 20 - minute closed session of
the board. Howard suggested
that the meeting be held in
executive session to discuss
the acquisition of property
and newspaper and television
representatives were ex
cluded.
In other business, the board
instructed Prevatte to inform
the Brunswick County Board
of Education attorney i Mason
Anderson) that the city was
ready to take possession of the
old Southport school gym and
marineology buildings.
Prevatte told the board that
the property and twt>
buildings revert back to the
city when they are no longer
used for educational pur1
poses.
Mayor Tomlinson said this
city needed the two facilities;
which are not being used at
the present time. He said the
city wants to use the building's
for a recreation center. “We
are ready to take possession
of that which is ours,” h$
stated.
Prevatte said that his
partner, Attorney Richard
Owens, has been doing the
legal research about county -
owned property within the
city limits. He said there is no
reverter clause covering the
(Continued on page 2)