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THE STATE PORT PILOT
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Volume 48 Number 17
November 10y 1976
Southport, N. C.
22 Pages Today
10 Cents
T
Commissioners
Begin Series
Of Meetings
By BILL ALLEN
Newly elected Brunswick
County commissioners spent
all day Tuesday learning
about county government at a
school conducted in South
port.
The meeting was open to
the public and press despite
the fact it had been an
nounced it would be closed.
Commissioner-Elect Cletis
Clemmons announced before
the meeting started that he
wanted it open to the public
and press. “The new
government will be open to
the people and the press as
far as I am concerned,” he
declared.
Commissioner - elect
Marvin Watson, agreeing
with Clemmons, said he had
no intention of attending a
close session. He said the
article and editorial in The.
Pilot last week about the
meeting being closed was
“misleading" because the
new commissioners were not
asked to express their
opinions.
County Manager Don
Flowers, Jr., who organized
the sessions, opened the
school by trying to give the
new commissioners an
“overview” of county
government.
After explaining about the
organization of county
government, Flowers said he
favored increasing the pay
commissioners receive.
Commissioners are paid $35
plus expenses when they
attend meetings or represent
the county. “That is a losing
proposition,” he declared.
Flowers fcftUt? the new
Commissioners ' that he
believed salaries paid county
employees are “fair and in
line with the state.”
Most of the complaints are
about the person holding the
job rather than the salary, he
said. “For the most part, we
have the right people in the
right jobs,” he declared.
“But we do have some who
are overpaid.”
Flowers, who told the new
(Continued on page 2)
NEW TRAFFIC SIGNALS have been installed at the intersection of NC 211
and 87 at Sawdust Trail, completing the project that also includes turning
lanes at the busy junction. The lights presently are flashing yellow, giving
motorists a chance to become accustomed to the signals before switching to
red and green.
Construction Start On
Complex November 23
By BILL ALLEN
Construction on the
Brunswick County cour
thouse - complex should begin
November 23.
Friday Hodges of LBC&W,
architects and engineers on
the project, made the an
nouncement after the
Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners awarded
contracts totally $1,962,164
for Phase I construction.
“We expect the contractors
to be on the site within ten
days (ten working days
starting November 9),ff
Hodges told the board at the
special meeting Monday
night.
After hearing Hodges
recommend the low bidders
the board voted unanimously
to take action to award the
four contracts which total
$1,962,164.
He said LBC&W officials
had been working since the
bids were opened on October
26 to cut a total of $72,000 out
of the bids without reducing
the complex.
But he said the bid total
was still $132,000 more than
the funds budgeted for Phase
I construction. He recom
mended that additional funds
be found rather than cutting
back on the Phase I project.
- In truth, Hodges said, the
county was not $132,000 over
the Phase I estimate. Some of
the work that will be done in
Phase I will cover both Phase
II and III, he explained.
Chairman Steve Varnam,
Jr., said he had discussed the
matter with County Finance
Officer Regina McKeithan
and found “we have adequate
funds to cover that.”
Mrs. McKeithan, when
called into the meeting room,
told the board that revenue
sharing funds to be received
between January and June of
1977 could be used.
County Attorney James
Prevatte, Jr., told County
Manager Don Flowers, Jr.,
that the revenue sharing
funds could be used since
they have been obligated by
the federal government. “I
feel pretty safe using them,”
he added.«
Hodges said he believed
that the county would spend
only $1,200,000 “at the most”
on Phase I construction by
the end of June, 1977.
Security Building Com
pany, Inc., of Chapel Hill was
awarded the general contract
with a bid of $1,424,900. Other
contracts awarded included
Steve Black, Inc., of Penn
sylvania, $132,989, plumbing
contract; Southern Piping
Company of Kinston,
$200,000, mechanical con
tract; and Robeson Electric
Company, Inc., $204,275,
electrical contract.
Hodges said he had con
ducted investigations of all
contractors and found they
had high ratings. “I think we
have an excellent bunch of
prime contractors,” he
declared.
Travel Grants Awarded
“Revolution!” received $2,500 and the
Resources Development Commission for
Brunswick County $5,000 in matching grants for
travel promotion and development.
They were among 34 grants totalling $90,299
awarded by the Department of Natural and
Economic Resources. Purpose of the program,
according to Secretary George W. Little, is “to
encourage communities to initiate promotional
programs that would increase travel and
tourism to their areas and supplement the state
Travel Development Section activities.”
The board unanimously
approved a budget amend
ment to move $150,000 in
Revenue Sharing to con
tracted services to pay ar
chitect and engineering fees
at the complex.
Commissioner Franky
Thomas suggested that
Flowers and Hodges contact
the contractors and urge
them to hire Brunswick
County residents. Hodges
said the contractors he had
discussed the matter with
plan to do it.
In other business, Chair
man Varnam told the board
he believed that Brunswick
County’s application for
Public Work fluids for the
complex will be given a
favorable review at a
meeting of the Council of
Governments on Thursday
night.
“I am sure it will get a
favorable review,” said
Chairman Varnam, who is
the vice - chairman of COG.
“I see no problem with that.”
The chairman said he
wanted to urge com
missioners and county of
ficials to attend the COG
meeting since it will be held
at Calabash on Thursday
evening.
The board instructed
Prevatte to draft a lease to
allow the Board of Education
to use selected land at the
complex for a maintanance
(Continued on page 2)
= ‘tJ
1 Dead, 8 Saved
. A* '"Sv _ _
In Yacht Mishap
vt.
-■
1
A dramatic sea-air rescue
by the U.S. Coast Guard and
the U.S.S. Exxon Chester
saved the lives of eight
persons afloat in a raft on the
stormy Atlantic Ocean about
daylight this morning.
One man died in the
mishap.
All were crew members or
passengers aboard the
pleasure craft Lady
Margaret, a 101-foot yacht
owned by Global Com
munications of East Lansing,
Mich.
According to BM1-C Daniel
Styron of Oak Island Coast
Guard Station, a call was
received from the Lady
Margaret at 1:45 this mor
ning saying the craft was
taking on water and
preparations were being
made to abandon the vessel.
The location given was 15
miles south of Frying Pan
Light Tower and ap
proximately 35 miles off
shore.
Immediately the 44-footer
from Oak Island was
dispatched and a call was
made to Elizabeth City, air
station which dispatched the
Coast Guard C-130 am
phibious rescue plane and a
Coast Guard helicopter. Also
joining the search was the
Point Martin from Wright
sville Beach and the Coast
Guard cutter Chilula from
Morehead City. The U.S.S.
Exxon Chester was in the
area and joined in the search.
At about 6 o’clock this
morning the helicopter crew
spotted the raft with eight
people aboard and these were
transferred immediately to
the aircraft. Meanwhile,
contact had been made with
the Brunswick County
Sheriff’s Department to have
the Southport Rescue Squad
units go to the Brunswick
County Airport to convey the
survivors to Dosher
Memorial Hospital. Another
call was made to the Long
We’re Number One. . .
In State Unemployment
Brunswick County is
number one in the state!
Brunswick County had the
highest unemployment rate
in North Carolina in August
according to the preliminary
state survey, reports David
Holden of the Employment
Security Commission branch
office in Southport.
Brunswick County, which
was second in the state in
July, took first place in
August despite the fact that
the unemployment rate
dropped during the 30 days.
Holden said he knew of no
reason why the county should
have the highest unem
ployment rate in the state
during a summer month. He
said vacation - and farm -
related employment should
have combined to reduce
unemployment in the county.
The ESC preliminary labor
force estimate shows that
Brunswick County had an
unemployment rate of 11.2
percent during August. The
August figures are the latest
statistics available since the
survey runs two to three"
months behind.
The preliminary survey
showed that the county had
14,340 persons in the work
force in August. A total of
12,740 held jobs while 1,600
were unemployed.
Chowan County had the
second highest unem
ployment rate in August at
10.5 percent while Martin
County was third at 10.4
percent and Bladen County
was fourth at 10.3 percent.
The four are the only counties
in the state that experienced
double - digit unemployment
in August.
Brunswick County con
tinues to have an unem
ployment rate higher that
both the national and state
averages. The national rate
stood at 7.9 in August while
the state rate was 6.7 percent.
The preliminary survey
showed a decline in the labor
force, employment and
unemployment in Brunswick
County between July and
August.
The labor force in the
county dropped 290 persons
from 14,630 to 14,340. The
number of persons holding
jobs in the county declined 60
from i2,800 to 12,740.
Joblessness fell 230 from 1,830
to 1,600.
Brunswick County has been
in the top five in unem
ployment in the state since
March of this year. The
county was second only to
Martin County in July with a
12.8 - percent unemployment
rate.
Beach Rescue Squad:
Coast Guard personnel
from Oak Island also were
dispatched to the airport to
assist in the transfer from the
helicopter to the ambulances.
The helicopter arrived at
the airport a little before 7
o’clock and the eight sur
vivors were transferred to
the local hospital where four
doctors were standing by and
where additional staff had
been assembled to take care
of the emergency. All were
examined and given
emergency treatment and
two were transferred to New
Hanover Memorial Hospital
by the Southport and Long
Beach rescue squads. Four
others were released and the
other two remained as
patients at Dosher. About
mid - morning Dr. Gene
Wallin reported them to be in
stable condition.
At 8 o’clock members of the
crew of the 44-footer and the
U.S.S. Exxon Chester spotted
a body afloat in the search
area and presumed it to be
the ninth member of the
yacht passenger list. The
body was transferred to the
Coast Guard helicopter for
removal to New Hanover
County Airport.
The dead man has been
identified as Kenny Morgan
of New York, who was
wearing a cast following a
recent operation. His mother,
Mrs. Jean Morgan, was one
of the two patients tran
sferred from Dosher
Memorial Hospital to
Wilmington.
At noon today no list of
names of survivors had been
released. However, it was
learned that the captain of
the distressed vessel was
Richard Stevenson, whose
wife also was aboard. There
were four crew members and
three passengers.
It also was learned that
Gary Tobias, age 18, was a
member of the crew. Tom
(Continued on page 2)
CP&L And Pfizer
Oppose Annexation
Officials of both Carolina Power and Light
Company and Pfizer, Inc., are opposed to their
firms being annexed into the City of Southport.
President Shearon Harris of Carolina Power
and Light Company and Plant Manager Stanley
W. Ensminger of Pfizer, Inc., have expressed
their opposition to the proposed annexation.
“Thus the result of annexation would be that
Southport, through taxation, would charge the
Brunswick plant for services the plant does not
need and cannot use,” President Harris stated.
“Our total body of electric customers should not
be required to bear this unnecessary expense.”
The Southport Board of Aldermen has
scheduled a public hearing on November 22 to
consider a proposal to extend the city limits to
take both the Brunswick nuclear plant and
Pfizer, Inc., into the city limits.
“In reviewing this proposal,” President Harris
stated, “we do not see any possible benefit that
could accrue to the company and its consumers
as the result of such action.”
President Harris pointed out that the Brun
swick nuclear plant has its own water, sewerage
and security systems. In addition, he said
arrangements have been made with the Brun
swick County Sheriff’s Department to provide
more police protection and with Sunny Point to
provide more fire control assistance in case of an
emergency.
“Southport simply has no service to offer
which is required by or which would be useful to
the plant,” the CP&L president declared in the
letter.
President Harris called the proposal to annex
the nuclear plant “totally inconsistent with the
economic development attitude expressed to
CP&L by Southport and Brunswick County
officials when we were considering the location
of the Brunswick plant at its present site.”
“Therefore, I urge you and the Board of
Aldermen to reject the proposal to extend the
city limits to include our Brunswick plant,”
President Harris concluded.
Pfizer Inc., “disturbed and disappointed” by
the proposed annexation of industrial plant areas
by the City of Southport, opposes the move.
Ensminger, who made the announcement, said
the proposal would saddle Pfizer with heavy new
taxes while contributing very little benefit to the
company or to the residents in the area that
would be annexed.
While conceding that the present Board of
Aldermen is not bound by prior administrations,
Ensminger said the proposal, if enacted, would
(Continued on page 2) >