THE STATE PORT PILOT
7^e-i9i6
Volume 48 Number 19 ' November 24, 1976
Southport, N. C.
20 Pages Today 10 Cents
THE FIRST ATTRACTION for the new waterfront park in Southport was
put in position last week next to Frying Pan Lightship. City Manager Alvin
Kornegay said the World War II deck gun, which the city has had for several
months, came from the Naval Reserve Unit in Charlotte.
Leland School Funding
Comes Up Shy Of Bids
By ED HARPER
The Board of Education has
been told to search for funds
of its own to meet the bid
totals for the proposed Leland
Middle School.
But member Bill Sue told
the county Board of Com
missioners Monday night that
the school board capital
outlay fund is “already down
to the bare essentials”
following budget - trimming
by the county last summer.
So the boards will meet
next week — the com
missioners at 7 p.m. on
Monday, the school board on
Tuesday at six — to deter
mine what, if anything, will
have to be omitted from the
planned 1,000 - student
facility to serve middle •
grade students in the Leland
area.
Bids were opened last
Thursday for the facility.
L.R. Evans, architect for the
school project, said the bids
were “excellent” and came
within the estimated cost.
Trouble is, Evans had
estimated $3.2 million but
only $2.8 was budgeted. The
bids opened Thursday were
$390,000 above the amount
available.
All members of both boards
except Commissioner Ira
Butler, Jr., were present for
the Monday night joint
meeting. Commissioner -
elect Marvin Watson and
member - elect Shirley
Babson of the Board of
Education also attended the
session, along with all
members of the school
executive staff and County
Manager Don Flowers.
Board of Education
Chairman Wilbur Earl Rabon
outlined his board’s
“dilemma.”
“There is not much I can
say,” Rabon told the com
missioners, “except that we
need some money.” He said
the school board wanted to
proceed with awarding bids
for the Leland school and that
$390,000 was needed for a
“turn-key job.”
‘Holiday House’
Plans Shape-Up
Plans are progressing for Holiday House, the
annual Christmas display sponsored by local
women’s groups.
The show will be held December 4-5 from noon
until 5 p.m. at the Community Building.
Several groups are decorating trees to carry
out the theme “Christmas Is ...”. Some ideas are
“Christmas Is Children” (Green Thumb Garden
Club), “...Confusion” (Woodbine Garden Club),
“...Bells” (Tidewater Junior Woman’s Club) and
“...Christ’s Birthday” a Chrismon tree by the
women of Trinity United Methodist Church.
Display tables also will be used to show angels,
Santas, candles, Madonnas, and snowmen. The
Dosher Hospital Volunteers, with the theme
“Christmas Is Sharing,” are in charge of
(Continued on page 2)
Evans, who noted that the
total cost figured out to be
$28.83 per square foot, said
the school was “not an
elaborate design at all, but is
very adequate.”
Franky Thomas, county
commissioner from the
Leland area, said the Board
of Education would have to
“come off” the requested
figure of $390,000 “because
we just don’t have it. It’s just
not there.”
The total can be reduced,
said Evans, by postponing
any landscaping ($52,000),
delaying the rear playground
area ($53,000), putting off the
curb, gutter and paving work
($73,000) and waiting until
later to add the food service
expense ($70,000). None of the
deletions would change the
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Wiggs Named
Joe Wiggs was unanimous
ly named Tuesday morning
to fill the Yaupon Beach
Town Board seat of Mayor
Marvin Watson, who has
resigned to take a post on
the Brunswick County Board
of Commissioners.
No action was taken on
naming a mayor because
Commissioner William
Smalley was not at the
meeting.
Hospital Decision
Slated Wednesday
By ED HARPER
A decision is expected “no
later than Wednesday” on
whether the Brunswick
County Commissioners were
entitled to call the August 17
Dosher hospital referendum.
Judge Henry McKinnon,
who heard 32 minutes of
debate during a late - Monday
afternoon session of Superior
Court, said he would review
the evidence before an
nouncing his decision.
If the court rules in favor of
the county commissioners
and the intervenor defen
dants the City of Southport
and the Dosher trustees — an
appeal is possible. Attorney
for the plaintiffs J.B. Lee of
Whiteville pointed out that
such a case “hasn’t been
before the appelate courts.”
Lee, in the hearing that
started after 4:30 p.m., said
his clients were asking for a
permanent injunction to
“restrain the county com
missioners” from carrying
out obligations required by
the August 17 vote;
specifically, the collection of
taxes to support the facility.
But, “they have gotten part
of the way already,” Lee told
the judge in noting that the
referendum was called and a
board of trustees already
named.
Lee said the plaintiffs did
not argue the right of the
General Assembly to confer
rights on townships, but said
it must be done through the
proper governing body. “The
county commissioners are
not the governing body (of
Smithville Township) and
cannot act,” Lee argued
before Judge McKinnon.
Noting that the General
Assembly in 1877 abolished
the rights of townships except
as provided through the
Legislature, Lee said that if
the court upheld the action of
the county commissionrs it
was upholding the premise
that they are the governing
body of the township.
County Attorney James R.
Prevatte, Jr., said Lee had
raised eight Constitutional
issues in his brief but would
address his rebuttal to the
“central point”: whether the
county commissioners could
call for the referendum as an
action of the governing body
of the township.
He said the act that enables
commissioners to oversee
townships is “viable
legislation.”
He told Judge McKinnon
that it was not as if the
commissioners were
“governing” Smithville
Township; they were
delegated responsibility for a
specific action (in this case,
calling the hospital
Causeway Used OK’ed
The use of the causeway to carry a water line
to Oak Island has been approved by the state
Department of Transportation, it was learned
Monday.
The announcement was made in a letter to
Troy Doby of the Pierson and Whitman
engineering firm from Warner B. Powell, State
Utility Agent.
County Commission Chairman Steve Varnam,
Jr., termed the announcement “very good
news,” and said the approval “will probably
save the county $300,000 to $400,000, maybe more
than that.”
The causeway was replaced by the high - level
Oak Island Bridge, and the state had said the
causeway had to be removed once the new span
was opened. The county has urged retention of
the causeway, citing the safety factor if another
bridge disaster were to occur.
referendum). It was the
singular duty of the com
missioners, he said, to set - up
the referendum and “breathe
life” (name the board of
trustees) to the hospital.
He said there is “nothing
inherently wrong” with the
commissioners acting as the
governing body of the
township. He pointed to the
“time sequence” in which the
General Assembly took away
township powers in 1877 but
enacted specific legislation in
the early 1900’s for which only
the county commissioners
could be the body to carry -
out the legislation.
Carter Lambeth, attorney
for the intervenor defen
dants, said that the plaintiff’s
argument of double taxation
(paying for both the township
and county hospitals) is
answered in other court
actions. He pointed to the
Mecklenburg County
Charlotte case where both a
city and county library are
supported by taxes from
county residents.
Lambeth also reviewed the
history of Dosher Memorial
Hospital, telling Judge
McKinnon that since 193S it
has provided invaluable
service to this area, as well as
\ • '' . ; -f
(Continued on page 2) ,t
Shop Area Merchants, f
Local Campaign Urges T
Baxter. Stirling of Waccamaw Bank and Trust
Company has announced that .Southport - Oak
Island merchants will sponsor a “Try Local
Merchants First” campaign to encourage local
residents to do their Christmas shopping here.
“In support of the program, Southport - Oak
Island merchants will receive a supply of buttons
for their employees to wear between now and ' ..
Christmas,” Stirling said.
The buttons, red and green in color, picture a
Christmas tree and bear the legend “Try Local
Merchants First.” Each store will also be given
a door sticker and window posters which feature
the “Try Local Merchants First” slogan, a
supply of counter cards reading “Santa Thanks
You For Shopping In Your Hometown” and other
materials for the merchant’s use.
Stirling stressed the fact that Southport • Oak
Island merchants are committed to the future of
the area. He cited the many benefits to the local
economy of shopping at home, mentioning the
indirect value of keeping dollars in the com
munity. Specifically mentioned were the
providing of more jobs and encouraging the
growth and development of new stores and
shopping areas, as well as expanding the amount:
of merchandise available.
“It’s not necessary that people shop only in
Southport - Oak Island,” said Stirling. “But
because our dollars work twice as hard when
they’re spent at home, we want to encourage
everyone to “Try Southport - Oak Island First.”
Delayed Water System
Could Receive Approval
By BILL ALLEN
The proposed Long Beach
water system, which has
been delayed by the state,
could be approved next week,
town commissioners were
told during their regular
monthly meeting last Wed
nesday night.
Town Manager John Berry
reported that state officials
have indicated that they will
approve construction of the
water system "once an active
201 Facilities Study Area plan
is in hand."
Berry said the county,
which is serving as the lead
agency in the preparation
and completion of a tree-step
201 program for Southeastern
Brunswick County, will
deliver the information to the
state on Friday, November
26. The three steps are
making the study, developing
an engineering plan, and
construction.
The board requested that
Berry accompany county
officials when the study is
“hand-delivered” to officials
in Raleigh.
The Water Quality Section
of the Division of Environ
mental Management of
DNER announced last month
it was withholding cer
tification until the town has
an approved 201 plan.
The board voted
unanimously to adopt an
ordinance to establish
preventive measures against
the pollution of surface
waters by septic tank
systems in the town.
Berry said adopting the
ordinance was one of the
steps the town must take to
have the Water Quality
Section approve the water
system.
The resolution says that
residences, businesses and
places of public assembly
constructed after December
1, 1976, will not be served by
the public water system if
they have septic tank
systems located in an area
without established
minimums.
The established minimums
include: any private water
supply, 100 feet; any stream
classified as A-II, (none in
town) 50 feet; any lake, 50
feet; any water line, 10 feet;
community water supply, 100
feet; waters classified as
S.A., 100 feet, and any other
stream, canal, marsh or
coastal waters, 50 feet.
Berry and Town Attorney
James Prevatte, Jr., said the
ordinance came from th§
county Health Department
regulations.
The board voted
unanimously to apply for
$853,000 in Public Worke
funds to improve the
proposed water system. ;*
The board proposes to use
the funds, designed under the
federal program to reduce
unemployment, to run an 18
inch water main from the
Yaupon Beach-Long Beach
town limits along East Oak
Island Drive, Middleton and
West Beach Drive to Lock
wood Folly Inlet and con
struct a 300,000-gallon
elevated tank to maintain
adequate reserve and
(Continued on page 2) *•