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THE STATE PORT PILOT
'^6-191*
Volume 47 Number 33
March 3, 1976
Southport, N. C.
20 Pages
10 Cents
Schools Hire Architect
For Bus Garage Plans
■>\>»
By ED HARPER
News Editor
The Wilmington firm of
Ballard, McKim and Sawyer
was named Monday night as
architect for the central
transportation, maintenance
and warehouse facility for
Brunswick County schools.
The onely other firm under
consideration — LBC&W of
Columbia, S.C., which will
design the central govern
ment complex for the county
— withdrew, declaring that a
bid from an architectural
firm was unethical, if not
illegal. Robert Sawyer of the
Wilmington firm refuted the
charge, stating that such a
bid is within the law and is
common practice.
Asst. Supt. John Hicks
reported that in conferences
with state officials he could
find nothing wrong with
asking an architectural firm
to submit a bid for its ser
vices. Board of Education
Member Bill Sue saw it as
good business:
“We’re getting to a bad
place when a man can’t tell
you what he will charge for
his services,” Sue com
mented on LBC&W’s not
offering a bid. Architect
Sawyer was more critical in a
letter, claiming that LB
C&W’s non-bidding was a
play to see what the com
petition was up to.
The Board of Education
earlier had narrowed the
choice to the two firms and
sought information about
their dWrges. Monday night,
the board accepted the total
fixed fee of $17,500 proposed
byBallard, McKim and
Sawyer. The vote was
unanimous to hire the firm,
contingent on one last check
with the Attorney General’s
office.
The $300,000-plus project is
in the fiscal year 1975-76
budget but has not actually
been funded, Supt. Ralph
King pointed out. In fact,
capital outlay projects have
been funded only through last
September and current ex
penses through December,
1975. “If we didn’t have a
little cushion we’d be in
pretty bad shape right now,”
Sue observed.
Chairman Wilbur Earl
Rabon said he did not think
the board would be “out of
order” to have the funding
“reconfirmed.”
Sue wondered if the county
were more concerned with
courthouses or schoolhouses?
Answered Rabon: “If it
comes to me I’d say
schoolhouses, but I’m not the
one to make that decision.”
LELAND MIDDLE
In other business before the
Board of Education, architect
for Leland Middle School Lou
Evans of Raleigh presented
the “Design Development
Document” which board
members approved
unanimously. He said that
Division of School Planning
suggestions have been in
corporated into- the plan,
along with local suggestions
that did not conflict with the
Raleigh department.
Evans said design of the
five-grade, 1,000-student
facility was approached with
energy conservation in mind.
Windows have been kept to a
minimum, contrary to the
trend of 10 to 20 years ago
when lighting and air
conditioning were not as good
as now.
The architect said his office
has had “excellent — almost
unbelievable — cooperation”
from local school officials.
Leland Principal O.V.
Harrell returned the sen
(Continued on page 2)
CP&L Against
Cooling Tower
Carolina Power & Light Co.
has told the Environmental
Protection Agency that the
cost of constructing cooling
towers at its Brunswick
nuclear plant near Southport
is out of proportion to any
environmental damage the
present cooling system has
been shewn to cause.
The information is con
tained in prepared testimony
CP&L filed in preparation for
hearings on the cooling tower
controversy to be held before
an EPA Administrative Law
Judge in Raleigh on April 5.
According to calculations
by Dr. Lewis J. Perl, vice -
president of National
Economic Research
Associates, Inc., of New
York, who will testify on
behalf of CP&L’s position, the
cooling towers EPA is
requiring will cost the
average CP&L ratepayer
$220 to $285 over the life of the
plant to save commercial and
sport fish having a total value
somewhere between 12 cents
and $10.27 per ratepayer
during the same period.
The cooling towers Wbqld
replace a cooling system
which was previously a|>
proved by all regulatory
authorities and has already
been installed at a cost of
approximately $42.3 million.
The company is opposing the
requirement that it spend an
additional $72.3 million on
cooling towers.
CP&L further points out
that operation of the towers
(Continued on page 2)
Terminal Observes
Black History Month
Throughout the month of
February, the Military Ocean
Terminal at Sunny Point has
been observing National
Black History Month.
Posters have been
displayed, books distributed,
area activities publicized and
articles featured in the ter
minal’s weekly bulletin
recognizing famous blacks of
today and acknowledging the
achievements and con
tributions made by blacks
throughout the nation’s
history.
Highlighting the month’s
activities was a formal
program presented in the
terminal cafeteria on Friday
to which all Sunny Point
employees and the public
were invited.
The theme was “The Black
Contribution to the American
Way of Life.” A number of
black clergymen and other
distinguished community
leaders participated or
attended as special guests,
including several Sunny
Point black employees active
in civic and church affairs.
One of the latter, Rev. Arthur
Freeman, read the scripture,
after which prayer was of
fered by the pastor of Mt.
Olive AME Church, Rev.
John A. Humphrey.
Special guests were then
‘Revolution!’
Preview Set
A sneak preview of the
outdoor musical
“Revolution!” will be held on
Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. in the
Community Building on
Moore Street, Southport.
The preview is open to the
public without charge and
everyone is invited to attend.
Miss Susan Griffin, Miss
North Carolina of 1975, will
appear in the role of Justina
Nash.
Miss Griffin, a native of
High Point, is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Ervin Griffin of
High Point. Her background
in voice and piano is ex
tensive. She attended schools
in North Carolina and
preparatory school in Ten
nessee, where she also
studied drama and dancing.
Miss Griffin was a Grand
Talent Award winner at the
Miss America Pageant. She
was one of six of the 50 con
testants chosen to participate
in the Miss America USO
Tour of Europe and the
Middle East entertaining
service personnel.
In addition, she was chosen
to participate in the special
entertainment of the 1976
Miss America Pageant.
Miss Griffin emcees and
entertains at pageants and
(Continued on page 2)
introduced by Sunny Point
Deputy Commander, Ltc.
Samuel Martin. These guests
were Hobson Bryant, Mrs.
Caronell Chestnut, Miss Alice
Crawley, Mrs. Janie Fennell,
J.A. Francis, Mrs. Eugene
Gore, Percy Hewett, Thomas
Jervay, Rutherford Leonard,
George McCracken, Franklin
Randolph, Charles Rogers,
Willie Sloan, Ephriam Swain,
and Rev. L.T. Whitted.
Continuing the program,
Rev. Manuel L. Dillingham,
pastor of Ebenezar
Missionary Baptist Church,
spoke on “The Black Church
and its Contribution to the
Black Community.” The
subject presented by Rev.
Leroy Blair, pastor of
Warner’s Temple AME Zion
Zion Church, was “Some
Ways in which Blacks have
made Your Life Better. ’ ’
Mrs. Lola Grady then sang
a solo, “Lift Every Voice and
Sing,” and was joined in the
last chorus by all assembled.
This song has been adopted
by the NAACP as its official
theme song.
Prelude and postlude piano
music for the occasion was
rendered by Miss Serian
Davis, daughter of Sunny
Point Security Guard Sgt.
JohnW. Davis.
In his closing remarks,
Sunny Point Commander Col.
Walter C. Daniels gratefully
acknowledged the endeavors
of Mistress of Cermeonies
Mrs. Sarah F. Grady who,
assisted by Mrs. Marilyn B.
General and Mrs. Cynthia
Davis Jenkins (all Sunny
Point communications
(Continued on page 2)
Board Denies Request
For Shallotte ‘Complex’
By BILL ALLEN
Staff Writer
Brunswick County com
missioners rejected a request
Monday to establish an
agricultural service center in
Shallotte in addition to the
new courthouse complex
outside Bolivia.
The board voted
unanimously — with no op
position expressed — to
require all government
agencies in the county to
locate in the central complex
approved by voters last
summer.
County Planner Johnny
Sutton told the board that the
Farmers Home
Administration, the Soil
Conservation Service, the
Agriculture Stabilization and
Conservation Service, and
the Agriculture Extension
Service had made the request
for the agriculture agencies
to be located in an
agricultural service center in
Shallotte.
“We, therefore, recom
mend that the State
Administrative Committee
and the Brunswick County
commissioners consider the
advantages of the
agricultural service center
being located in Shallotte,”
said Maynard Owens, who is
serving as chairman of the
center administrative
committee, which represents
the four agencies.
However, Chairman Jesse
Hicks said the USDA State
Administrative Committee
“is certainly interested in an
agricultural service center
being established in Brun
swick County and housed
with the county government
office complex.”
“We believe that this
arrangement would provide a
much better and more con
venient service to the citizens
of Brunswick County,” said
Hicks of Raleigh, who is
chairman of the state com
mittee composed of the ASCS,
SCS, FCIC, FHA and
Extension service.
Sutton reported that the
county agriculture com
mittee said that the center
should be in Shallotte since
most farms are in the
western section of the county.
But he said “other things
must be considered” in
dealing with the request.
Sutton said he didn’t want
to make a recommendation to
the board until he was
pressed by Chairman Steve
Varnam, Jr., and Com
missioner Willie Sloan.
“If you are looking to serve
the farm population, it should
go in that area,” the county
planner stated. “If you are
looking to serve the entire
county, it should go in the
complex.”
Sutton noted that ASCS is
the only one of the agencies
that serves just farmers. He
said the other agencies deal
with as many non-farm
families as farm families.
“Separate facilities also
would be more expensive,”
Sutton added.
Commissioner Franky
Thomas said the request was
"highly irregular” since the
people have said they wanted
the government agencies in
one central complex.
“I think we need to look at
all the people as a whole,” he
noted. “The original concept
is to consolidate in .one
complex.”
Sloan said he agreed with
Thomas. “If we give in to one
request, we will get others,”
he stated.
Owens said that ASCS
records show that 1,584 of the
2,214 farms in the county are
located within 18 miles of
Shallotte. He said the same
records show that 1,121 farms
are within an 18-mile radius
of Bolivia.
He reported that about 90
percent of the full-time
farmers in the county live in
the Shallotte area. When the
ASCS office moved from
Supply to Shallotte in 1957,
farmer participation in
creased from eight to 28
percent in two years.
Owens said the SCS records
show that 74 percent of the
cooperators live within 15
miles of Shallotte while 40
percent live within 15 miles of
Bolivia.
He said in the letter that
FHA activities are “in
(Continued on page 2) .£
LITTLE LEAGUE FOOTBALL was beneficiary of a Hee
Haw Show held Saturday night at Southport Middle School,
sponsored by the Oak Island Dolphin team. Participants in
cluded Bobby Russell, Jere Jones, Sharon Greene, Annette
Greene, Tammy Whitt, Margaret Horrell, Bobby Burns, Mike
Hirst, Everett Helms, Karen Peele, Beverly Webb, John Peele,
Ginger Peele, Bob Kruschke, Stevie Vickers, Ken Vickers,
Allen McNeill, Max Head, Judy Jones, Dianne Lewis, Linda
Houser, and Billie Russell. Behind - the - curtain helpers in
cluded Kelly Morrison, Linda Helms and Barbara Peele.
Master of ceremonies was John Peele. Accepting the $587.31
check from organizer Cathy Burns is league president Jeff
Henry (second from left).
Long Beach Water Project *
Questions Are Not Answered
By BILL ALLEN
Staff Writer
Long Beach plans to hold a
water system referendum in
May, Brunswick County
commissioners were told
Monday.
“We are practically ready
to hold the referendum,”
Mayor Pro-Tern Ellis Dudley
said. “But we don’t want to
hold it until we can tell people
how much it will cost since it
was turned down the last
time.”
Dudley said the Long
Beach board is working to
hold the referendum on May
27. If it can’t be held then, he
said it might have to be
postponed until next year.
“So you can see we are
working under a deadline,”
he pointed out.
Dudley said the town board
wanted to know if the county
was going to honor its signed
agreement to install
distribution lines within the
town and an elevated storage
tank. The tank and lines will
cost about $618,298.
The mayor pro-tern also
said that the town needed to
know how much the county
plans to charge Long Beach
for water from the county
system.
James Wilson of Pierson
Whitman in Raleigh, the
engineering firm in charge of
both the county and town
projects, said the water rate
may have to depend on how
much money the county has
to spend at Long Beach for
the tank and lines. He said the
rate could be 30 cents per
1,000 gallons if the county
does not have to spend the
extra money on the con
struction work.
Dudley said Long Beach
would expect to pay a lower
water rate if the town had to
put up the tank and install the
lines. “We only have two
questions,” he declared. “We
must have answers.”
“We can’t pass along the
answers until they are
provided to us,” Chairman
Steve Varnam, Jr., an
swered.
If Long Beach is charged 30
cents, how much will Holden
Beach have to pay? Dudley
wanted to know.
During the discussion, it
was pointed out that the
county plans to install water
tanks for the systems at
Holden Beach, Sunset Beach
and Leland.
Wilson said Long Beach
and Holden Beach will have
different systems, but the
county would try to keep the
water rate around 30 cents if
Long Beach installs the lines
and tank.
Wilson was instructed to
determine the cost of the
water if the county honors the
contract. He will report back
at the next meeting.
Dudley asked the board if
the county would deed the
land at Long Beach pur
chased for the tank. Chair
man Varnam said it was too
early to discuss it.
Commissioner Franky
Thomas said the contract
signed between Long Beach
and the county needed to be
changed. He said it was a
‘‘badly worded contract” and
the board should consider the
“intention.”
Dudley said the town could
require the county to install
150 miles of water lines in
Long Beach under the con
tract.
Thomas said the former
chairman of the county
commissioners (William
Kopp, Jr.,) signed the con
tract with the town in August
of 1974.
Long Beach Commissioner
William Jones said he un
derstood that Long Beach has
been moved from Phase I to
Phase II of the county water
system.
County Manager Don
Flowers, Jr., said Phase I
was supposed to end at the
causeway, but it was no
longer practical. Wilson said
it will cost the county five to
ten times more to run water
to Long Beach if the
causeway can’t be used. ,r\
“Getting water to Loriijg
Beach has been foremost iti
our minds,” Thomas told thfe
Long Beach delegation.
He said that piling might
have to be used to run water
to Oak Island. Wilson said it
will cost twice as much. “I
would say $1 million is a good
guess,” he stated.
“We fully intend to get
water to Long Beach, but we
(Continued on page 2)