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THE STATE PORT PILOT
Volume 47 Number 18 November 19, 1975 Southport, N. C. 20 Pages JO Cents
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A “VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS”
program is now underway at Southport Primary
School. Mrs. Judy Graybeal (right) assists first
grade teacher Miss Janet Hobbs with
mm mmmm mm
(Photo by Kenny Hewett)
storytelling. The first graders are learning of the
Mayflower trip to America. The project is sp
onsored by the Junior Woman’s Club of South
port.
^Shoddy Work’ Cited
g
By BILL ALLEN
Staff Writer
Southport aldermen ex
pressed deep concern about
the “shoddy work” being
done on the public works
improvement project here
during the regular monthly
board meeting Thursday
night.
Bud Davis of Henry Von
Oesen Company of
Wilmington, consulting
engineers on the water, sewer
and storm drainage project,
was instructed to confer with
the contractors to see what
can be done. A special
meeting might have to be
held to consider Davis’ fin
dings.
“We want concrete
assurances (that the work
will be done correctly) or we
will blow the whistle,” Mayor
E.B. Tomlinson, Jr., told
Davis. “The people of South
port have put up with enough
inconvenience.”
Mayor Tomlinson said
Southport residents were
“highly displeased” with the
work being done. “They are
ready to wash their hands of
it,” he stated. ,
Davis told the board that
most of the problems have
resulted because Pierce
Ditching Company of
Florence, S.C., which holds
two major and one sub
contract on the projects, is
having financial difficulties.
He said Pierce has the
contracts for both the water
and storm drainage projects.
In addition, Pierce obtained
the sub-contract for the sewer
lines from Hilco, the prime
contractor on the sewer
project.
“Pierce Ditching has
financial difficulties,” Davis
reported. "How much, we
don’t know.”
Davis said that the deadline
for the completion of the
sewer contract expired Oc
tober 15. The contract is in
default and subject to a $50 a
day penalty.
The completion date for the
water and storm drainage
projects has been extended
from August 16 until
December 14 because of
several change orders.
Under terms of the con
tract, City Manager Alvin
Monday Deadline
Next week’s edition of The State Port Pilot will
be published a day early — on Tuesday —
because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
“The Pilot will be printed early for two
reasons,” said News Editor Ed Harper: “To give
shoppers the benefit of using advertisements to
shop before the holiday, and to fit into the
schedule where The Pilot is published.”
No advertising or news material can be ac
cepted after 5 p.m. on Monday. “In fact, it would
be very helpful for anyone who could to get
material to us this Thursday or Friday, or
Saturday morning,” Harper noted.
Leland Lady, Deceased,
Donates Land To County
A former Leland woman
who received old age
assistance payments has
donated land to Brunswick
County because of the help
she obtained.
County Attorney James
Prevatte, Jr., told com
missioners during their
monthly meeting Monday
that he received a letter
saying that the late Agnes
Skipper wanted to give the
county 1.53 acres of land on
Williams Street in Leland.
Phillip W. Skipper said in
the letter that his mother
wanted to give the county the
property to help re - pay the
county for the old age
assistance payments she
received from the Depart
ment of Social Services.
“It is refreshing to see
someone who wants to pay
their own way,” Chairman
Franky Thomas stated. Other
commissioners said they
agreed
Commissioners decided to
give the land, valued at $5,580
on the tax books to the county
Recreation Department to
establish a park in the Leland
area. They indicated that
they would name it “The
Agnes Skipper Park” in
honor of Mrs. Skipper.
Board members instructed
County Manager Don
Flowers, Jr., to write a letter
to Skipper thanking him for
the donation made by his
mother.
In other business, the board
voted unanimously to pur
chase the N.C. Equipment
Company “heavy duty”
backhoe upon the recom
mendation of Water
Management and Mosquito
Control Director L.D. “Tink”
Benton.
Commissioners expressed
concern, however, because
the “broad” specifications
allowed companies to offer
both heavy - and light-weight
backhoe equipment to the
county. The result, it was
noted was that prices ranged
between $60,000 and
$48,862.88.
“liwre seems to be some
irregularity, or rather
question, about the way the
bid package was written,”
Commissioner Steve Var
(Continued on page 2)
Kornegay, Jr., can’t make
payments to Pierce Ditching
because he has received liens
on the company, Davis
reported. He is holding back
$50,000 at the present time.
“Pierce says they can’t put
more workers on the job until
they are paid,” Davis pointed
out. “We can’t pay them until
they accomplish certain work
progress and satisfy the
liens."
Davis said the city has two
alternatives because of the
current dilemma concerning
the public works project.
"You can continue the
present course and press for
action,” Davis reported.
“The work should be finished
in four months this way.”
“Or you can declare the
contract in default and call in
the bonding company,” he
continued. “This takes time
and could delay the com
pletion date five or six
months.”
When questioned by Mayor
Tomlinson, Davis recom
mended that the city follow
the first alternative and work
with the contractors rather
that calling in the bonding
company.
"If the bonding company is
called in, it will take an extra
two months to finish the job,”
he stated. "The bonding
company could continue
having Pierce do the work.”
City Attorney E.J. Prevatte
said that he would recom
mend that the board follow
the recommendation of the
engineer on the project.
Prevatte told the board that
he had talked to the con
tractors on the telephone
prior to the meeting. He said
the contractors planned to
contact Davis on Friday.
The city attorney said he
informed the contractors that
the city was “greatly
disappointed with the job. I
told them that we were going
to protect ourselves."
Mayor Tomlinson told
Davis that he was more
concerned with the overall
project work than when it
would be completed.
Alderman Pierce Horne
pointed out that the con
tractors have not completed
the work in any one section of
town. Davis said he agreed.
Davis said Hilco has
completed 72 percent of their
(Continued on page 2)
Southport-Oak Island
Organization Created
A Southport - Oak Island
Chamber of Commerce was
organized Saturday night by
representatives of both
communities “to actively
promote the general welfare
and future well-being of the
people and businesses of the
entire area.”
John Barbee, who lives at
Caswell Beach and manages
a real estate and insurance
business in Southport, will
serve as president of the
organization for the first six
months. J.A. Francis,
principal of Southport Middle
School, is vice-president; Ed
Harper, news editor of The
State Port Pilot, is treasurer;
and Coastal Services Realtor
Brookie Napier is secretary.
Other directors are Long
Beach Mayor - Elect Hal
Crain, Oak Island contractor
Ted Wood and Mann’s Dept.
Store manager D.V, Jones.
The seven directors were
chosen Saturday night by the
25 to 30 persons who met at
Security Savings and Loan
Association in Southport for
the organizational meeting.
The Board of Directors
elected its own officers at a
meeting Tuesday morning.
The first general meeting
of the organization is
scheduled for Dec. 15, a
bight, at Oak Island
Country Cftjb beginning “at
7:30. The Board of Directors
will have compiled in
formation relative to a
Chamber of Commerce for
discussion by those present.
First, however, members
of the Board of Directors are
distributing brief question
naires to prospective
members. A copy of the
questionnaire is printed on
page 4 in this issue of The
State Port Pilot.
“This initial work is a
volunteer effort,” reminded
Barbee, “and inevitable we
are going to miss someone
who would become one of the
most active and dedicated
members. So please don’t let
the fact that we may inad
vertently miss contacting
someone keep that person
from participating.
“We are working under a
hurried schedule, as we have
much work to do before the
Dec. 15 meeting,” Barbee
noted.
Barbee said Tuesday that
special thanks should be
extended to Reid Page of
Pinehurst, “who has
developed a great interest in
this area.” for helping get the
Chamber of Commerce idea
off the ground.
Among the responsibilities
of the Board of. Directors
prior to the Dec. 15 meeting
will be the gathering and
discussing of bylaws and
other information from
Chambers of Commerce
throughout the state;
distributing and collecting
the questionnaires to see
what merchants and
professionals want and ex
pect from the Chamber; and
gathering information about
means of financing operation
of the Chamber of Com
merce.
The Board noted Tuesday
morning the creation of a
downtown Southport mer
chants group, and saw no
(Continued on page 2)
School Board Ready
To Start On Garage
By ED HARPER
News Editor v
Board of Education
members are anxious to
begin work on the school bus
maintenance garage, it was
noted Monday night,
regardless of the controversy
' over site selection for the new
county office complex.
Chairman Wilbur Earl
Rabon said during talks with
three architectural
engineering firms that if
court action delays the
purchase of the Brown - Knox
site for the new county offices
he would recommend that the
Board of Education buy land
of its own and start con
struction. Members Barbara
Yount and Franklin Ran
$ Thomas Says Site
v Issue Is 6Settled9
County commissioners have
selected the Brown - Knox site near
Bolivia for the new county office
complex, and Chairman Franky
Thomas said Tuesday he considered
debate about other sites a “dead
issue.”
“As far as I’m concerned it’s
settled now,” Thomas told The Pilot
on Tuesday. His remarks followed
reports of a Monday night Board of
Education meeting in which LBC&W
official John Boudreaux indicated
Soil analyses would'be made at both
the Brown-Knox and Canal Woods
sites.
Commissioners Willie Sloan and
Ira Butler, Jr., said Monday they
saw no point in testing the Canal
Wood site near Supply because the
Brown-Knox site had been chosen 3-2
by the board. Thomas said Tuesday
he talked with Boudreaux that
morning and told the LBC&W
official he saw no reason to test the
Canal Wood site.
“If the owner of that property
wants a test made then he’ll have to
pay for it,” Thomas said Tuesday.
He said he told Boudreaux that if the
commissioners wanted a second test
they would inform the architect
engineer firm in writing.
Thomas also issued a statement
Tuesday that noted either site could
be used for construction (See related
story, this pilot issue.)
Chairman Explains
Preference Of Site
Chairman Franky Thomas
announced this week that he
still favors the Brown-Knox
site over the Canal Woods
property for the Brunswick
County courthouse complex.
“The Canal Wood tract is a
fine tract of land but, in my
opinion, not superior to the
Brown-Knox site,” Chairman
Thomas said in a written
statement.
Chairman Thomas had said
he was willing to consider
both sites when he was grilled
about his choice of the Brown
Knox site during a meeting in
Shallotte on October 27. He
said he was releasing the
statement to explain why he
supported the Brown-Knox
site.
Advantages of the Brown
Knox site, he said, are that it
is a 156-acre tract of land,
"large enough for present
and future growth,” has soils
suitable for construction, is
suitable for landscaping with
little upkeep for grounds,
Bolivia has a water system
that they agreed to lay a line
to the county complex to
furnish water, and is located
close to the demographical
and geographical center of
the county.
The disadvantages of the site
are that it has no secondary
road bordering the property,
it is not easy to drain and it
costs $450 an acre more, the
chairman said.
He said the advantages of
the Canal Woods site is that it
has 199 acres, “which is large
enough for present and future
growth,” it has a secondary
road on the back side and has
suitable soils for con
struction.
Chairman Thomas said the
main disadvantage of the
Canal Woods site is the fact
that the property has a power
line right-of-way through it.
“No construction is allowed
under these lines,” he pointed
out. “These lines could not be
buried because construction
could not be built over them.
It would cost at least $40,000
to$50,000 to move them.”
In addition, he said the
sandy soils on the property
would make landscaping and
yaru upkeep more costly, and
a water system to serve the
complex would cost about
$100,000.
Chairman Thomas said
that both tracts are suitable
in his opinion. “I can cer
tainly see why different
people could have different
choices,” he pointed out.
“I would like to go one step
further, if I might, and
question the sincerity of those
that attacked the com
missioners at the meeting in
Shallotte about our decision.
Those there questioned the
(Continued on page 11)
dolph previously have ex
pressed the same feeling.
The boar d heard from three
firms Monday night in
terested in the contract for
the school bus maintenance
garage, as well as future
Work for the Board of
Education that would include''*'
central offices. Among the
firms represented was LB
C&W of Columbia, S.C, which
earlier in the day signed a
contract with the county for
work on the county office
complex.
“You’re looking at the
workers,” said LBC&W
representative Dennis Day,
who promised individual
attention to the project by
himself and Executive
Director JohnBoudreaux,who
also was present. Citing
experience is school design,
Boudreaux said,however, that
all situations are unique.
Being here for the county
project, he noted, would
assure LBC&W’s attention to
the school construction work.
During the conversation,
Boudreaux referred to a
letter addressed to the county
Board of Commissioners that
“explained” the firm’s
connection to the Watergate
scandal, reported in last
week’s edition of The Pilot.
(See related story, this issue,
concerning the reply by
LBC&W).
Also referred to during the
discussion was the plan to
analyze both the Brown-Knox
and Canal Woods sites for
possible location of the
county offices, and
presumably the Board of
Education offices as well.
Boudreaux told the board
members present — Bill Sue
was absent be cause of his
wife’s illness — that by
testing both sites a com
parison would make the
decision easier. He cited the
value of work done by Soil
Conservationist Maynard
Owens.
Boudreaux was told
Tuesday by County Board
Chairman Franky Thomas,
however, that the firm was
not to examine the Canal
Woods site because it would
“tend to further confuse the
issue” over the site selection.
Thomas said either site would
accommodate the complex,
but the decision had been
made for the Brown - Knox
tract. (See two related stoies,
this Pilot issue.)
Other presentations
Monday night were by the
Charlotte firm of Biberstein,
Bowles, Meacham and Reed,
and the Wilmington
engineering firm of Henry
Von Oesen and Associates.
“Sometimes you need an
engineer in lieu of an ar
chitect,” said Woody Rouse
(Continued on page 2)