| VOLUME 63/ NUMBER 44SOUTHPORT. N.C. SO CENTS
. June 29, 1994
Welcome to the N.C. Fourth of July Festival - Program Inside
Neighbors
Turtles have enough prob
lems in the ocean without
the hazards of the beach
Sports
Gene Doane, who led the
Cougars to five straight
playoffs, calls it quits
Our Town
Southport, facing a water
works upgrade and low fund I
balance, works on its budget l|
Festival
update
Up-to-date information on festival
schedules and programs are available
on Pilot Line.
The service can be accessed by
dialing457-5084, then extension 103.
A festival spokesman will update the
message whenever changes occur.
The State Pott Pilot
&Pilot Line
THE TALKING NEWSPAPER
FORECAST
The extended forecast calls for
somewhat cooler weather for the holi
day weekend, with highs in the 80s
and lows in the 60s forecast Friday
through Sunday. Partly cloudy skies
are expected. On Thursday, a high
near 90 degrees is forecast with a 40
percent chance of the wet stuff.
TIDE TABLE
HIGH
1:51 a.m.
2:25 p.m.
2:39 a.m.
3:15 p.m.
3:30 a.m.
4:06 p.m.
4:21 a.m.
4:57 p.m.
5:13 a.m.
5:46 p.m.
THURSDAY, JUNE 30
FRIDAY, JULY 1
SATURDAY, JULY 2
LOW
8:00 a.m.
8:28 p.m.
8:49 a.m.
9:24 p.m.
SUNDAY, JULY 3
MONDAY, JULY 4
9:39 a.m.
10:21 p.m.
10:30 a.m.
11:15 p.m.
11:21a.m.
-p.m.
TUESDAY, JULY 5
6:04 a.m. 12:07 a.m.
6:33 p.m. 12:09 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 6
6:51a.m. 12:55 a.m.
7:18 p.m. 12:55 p.m.
The following adjustments should be made:
Bald Head Island, high -10, low -7; Caswell
Beach, high -5, low -1; Southport, high +7,
low +15; Yaupon Beach, high -32, low -45;
Lockwood Folly Inlet, high -22, low -8.
DEADLINE
The State Port Pilot office will be
closed on Monday.
The deadline for classified and real
estate advertising is Friday, 5 p.m.
The deadline for regular display
advertising and news material is Tues
day noon.
Photo by Jim Harper
Blazing the trail for Independence Day paraders, these celebrants marched for Jesus
last Saturday on a route from the Community Building to Ocean Trail Convalescent
Center. Sponsored by the Southport Human Relations Committee, the march and reli
gious observances were hailed by committee chairman James Fullwood for "bringing
the entire community together."
It works elsewhere
One-stop permits
in county future?
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Some call it one-stop shoppi ng, where county
residents can go to one office and receive all
needed permits and pay all bills.
It works in Randolph County and in Wake
County, where a computer system links vari
ous agencies so residents and developers don't
have to scramble from office to office.
Brunswick County commissioners say they
want it, too. Department managers have worked
on the idea and hope to submit a proposal to the
county soon.
"When residents come to the complex they
should be able to get an orderly flow of work,"
said Don Warren, chairman of the board of
See Permits, page 8
‘You can’t physically
put the agencies and de
partments together with
any practicality. What
you can do is put the
computer system at one
location
Charles McGinnis
Interim manager
Schools seek
extra money
from county
By Holly Edwards
Municipal Editor
The Brunswick County school system will
need nearly $1 million more in county appro
priations to continue to function at its current
level, finance officer Rudi Conner told the
board of education Tuesday.
And, Conner noted during the specially called
meeting, without the additional funding the
schools will be faced with cutting jobs and
programs.
In order to expand school programs and
facilities as proposed, she said the system will
need an additional $2.5 million from the county.
The school system’s total budget for fiscal
year 1994-95, including state and federal fund
ing and funding for a new school at Leland, is
about $58 million.
The board saw enough "problems" with the
county's proposed funding that a joint meeting
with county commissioners would be required.
By law* the school system has seven days from
last Thursday, when the county adopted its
budget, to request a joint meeting. However,
school board attorney Glen Peterson said a
meeting can be scheduled outside the seven
day time frame if both boards are agreeable.
Superintendent of schools Ralph Johnston
said he feared that a lack of funding would
hinder progress made by the school system.
"This budget has been worked from the
bottom up and not the top down," he said.
"This district is beginning to see some slight
improvements, and that's what you're after."
The school board requested about $13.8
million from the county, but the county appro
priated only $9.3 million. Conner said the
$ 13.8-million figure includes costs of pro
posed expansions, and that the costs of con
tinuing to operate the schools at the current
level would be about $10.5 million,
Operatingexpenses increased $311,336 from
last year's costs. The county increases the school
appropriation four percent, which amounted to
$337,203.
Conner said that while it may appear the
See Schools, page 9
I\irner’s
contract
runs out
By Terry Pope
County Editor
All school construction should re
main on schedule, despite the school
board's decision last week not to renew
the contract of the assistant superinten
dent in charge of those projects.
The BrunswickCounty Board of Edu
cation voted 3-2 not to renew the con
tract of William Turner, assistant super
intendent for auxiliary services.iust eight
days before it expires June 30.
Turner was given a one-year exten
sion last June but was the subject of an
investigation into the unauthorized sale
See Turner, page 9
County approves
58.5-cent tax rate
By Terry Pope
County Editor
School officials who made a last-minute
pitch for more county funds appear likely to
seek a mediator's view of what remains a $4
million gap.
The Brunswick County Board of Education
has scheduled a special meeting Wednesday,
June 29,5:30 p.m. forattomey/client matters.
By a 3-2 split vote last week, county com
missioners adopted the 1994-95 budget, but it
falls way short of what school leaders say they
need to operate the schools.
Of the requested $13.7 million in local fund
ing, commissioners have allocated $9.3 mil
lion, up from the $9.02 million recommended
initially by interim county manager Charles
McGinnis.
The school board will meet at Carolina Power
and Light Co.'s conference center north of
Southport An air conditioning system at the
central office wasn't working properly last week.
See Tax rate, page 8
Long Beach answers call for new fire station
Another $75,000 set aside this year
By Holly Edwards
Municipal Editor
Long Beach officials hope that by this time next
summer construction of a new fire station near
Middleton Street will be well underway, if not com
plete.
The station will replace a metal building currently
used by the fire department, and will include four,
double bays for fins equipment,, a bay for a rescue
vehicle, offices for die chief ami assistant chief, a
small communications centenkitcben, meeting area,
and a second story that will someday be used as a
dormitory but will likely be used as a recreation area
in the meantime.
A dual purpose of the station will be to serve as art
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■Ml
evacuation center during an emergency. Currently,
the Long Beach Recreation Center is the only place
in town residents can go if they have to leave their
homes for any reason.
The architectural firm that is designing the sta
tion, Hobbs, Upchurch and Associates, estimated
the total cost of the structure to be $554,000, How
ever, council member Horace Collier stressed that
the figure is based upon costs of construction in
other areas, and that the costs of construction in
Long Beach could vaiy greatly.
Councilnrembeis already haveallocated$150,000
for construction of the station, and directed town
manager Jerry Walters to explore financing options
for a four-interest, three- to seven-year loan for the
See Station, page 6 f
New statkm would replace bulking near Mkldtetaa Street
imt