Sports
South Brunswick girls will
host an 8-team tournament
starting next week — 12B
I
' "
December 21,1994
State
| VOLUME 64/ NUMBER 17
SOUTHPORT, N.C.
50 CENTS
Our Town
Bald Head Island renews
its longstanding interest in
renourishment — Page 2
All kids want for Christ
mas hasn’t changed much
I over the generations — IB
No bids
received
on school
Leland facility
$6-$8 million
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
General contractors appar
ently aren't eager to build the
new Leland Elementary
School.
In a bid opening conducted
this week, the school system
received no bids from general
contractors for the project.
Three bids from electrical,
mechanical and plumbing con
tractors were received, how
ever.
The school system must now
readvertise the project for at
least 45 days.
A minimum of three general
contractor bids must be re
ceived upon the first advertise
ment for a bid to be awarded,
but there is no such require
ment for subsequent advertise
ment.
Superintendent of schools
Ralph Johnston offered an ex
planation for the absence of
general contractor bids.
"Timing was a problem," he
said. "A lot of contractors are
involved in projects already
underway."
The Leland Elementary
School is expected to cost be
tween S6 million and $8 mil
lion, depending upon the size
of the facility. Architect
Charles Boney Jr. said he asked
contractors to submit two bids
— one for a 19-classroom
school and one for a 27-class
room school. The school board
would then decide which size
facility to construct.
Brunswick County commis
sioners have agreed to finance
up to $8 million through issu
ance of certificates of partici
pation through NationsBank to
build the new school. The
school system will repay the
county with its share of half
cent sales tax revenues.
Even if three general con
tractors had bid on the project,
school board attorney Glen
Peterson said the school sys
tem cannot award bids until it
receives written permission to
tap onto a sewer system to be
operated jointly by the towns
of Belville. Leland and
Navassa.
There is. however, disagree
See School, page 8
Are welfare cuts for our own good?
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Welfare reform may be the tough
est assignment facing state legislators
in January, but those who work with
recipients at the local level are a bit
edgy over solutions that may be of
fered from Raleigh.
The bi-partisan effort to reduce ben
efits or to cut the number of persons
on federal assistance may not lead to
reform but instead create even more
problems for government agencies to
deal with, warns Jamie Orrock, direc
Over the past 20 years the stigma of landing on welfare
has been removed for the average person; it has become an
attractive offer, one too good to pass up
tor of the Brunswick County Depart
ment of Social Services.
"You can't isolate social services,”
said Orrock. "You have to look at
human services as a whole. I don't
think anybody can really agree on
what they want to accomplish."
DSS administers Aid to Families
with Dependent Children (AFDC).
government welfare assistance for
low-income households and the food
stamp program.
In October, the number of active
AFDC cases in Brunswick County
was 1.272 homes, up from 1,215 cases
in September. The number of families
that received food stamps was 2.511.
for a value of S442.604 in October.
That was up from $411.671 for 2.492
recipients in September. Increasing
numbers statewide have both Repub
licans and Democrats scrambling for
answers before the system goes broke.
State Rep. David Redwine (D
Ocean Isle Beach) co-chairs the Wel
fare Reform Study Commission seated
in March to examine the whole pur
pose for welfare programs and to iden
tify disincentives that keep persons
from becoming independent, respon
sible and productive workers.
Redwine. who represents most of
Brunswick and Columbus counties in
the 14th House District, said it has
been a learning experience for the
commission, which includes two
county DSS directors — E. C. Modlin
of Cumberland County and John Blair
See Welfare, page 9
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Photo by Jim Harper
Lighting of the Christmas candle in the Ad- holiday ceremonies this week. A listing of re
vent wreath is a central ritual in many ligious observances is in section B.
Boyd new commissioner
Long Beach adds
‘planner’ to staff
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
A new office was added to the manage
ment structure of the Town of Long Beach
Tuesday night as town council approved
the employment of a full-time planner.
Council also Tuesday formally accepted
the resignation of commissioner David
Durr, who is moving to Yaupon Beach,
and appointed newcomer R. Whitney
(Bob) Boyd as his replacement.
Boyd was sworn to office by town at
torney James R. Prevattc.
In leaving the post to which he was first
elected three years ago, Durr cited the
job’s "ups and downs" and said he felt
more work could have been done at times.
"I w’ant to express my appreciation to the
people of the Town of Long Beach and
this board for allowing me to serve," Durr
said.
The departing commissioner was
awarded a plaque and a resolution of the
board citing his efforts to improve the
quality of life in Long Beach.
Approval to add a full-time planner to
the town staff came on the recommenda
tion of town manager Jerry Walters, who
said the person to whom the job is
awarded will split his time between duties
now assigned the building inspections dc
parlmcnt and special assignments.
In July of tliis year, council approved a
budget which contained SI2,900 for a
part-time planner, but the job was never
filled. The funds budgeted for the part
time planner will be used to pay the full
time planner when he is hired. Walters
said he will try to have the new employee
in place by February 15.
The town manager said the greatest need
for the new staff member is to "free some
of my time." He said the new planner will
"pay great attention to some of the bigger
planning items we w ill be facing."
Among the "bigger" planning items the
town will face in die coming months is
completion of an on-going study of
wastewater alternatives and water quality
measures now being undertaken by con
sulting engineers.
Council approved the mid-year addition
of the staff position on a 4-2 vote, with
councilmen Jeff Ensminger and Danny
Leonard dissenting.
Commissioner Bill Easley said with all
the special projects underway in Long
Beach the new staff member will likely
serve as an assistant to the town manager.
Ensminger said he did not want to hire
additional personnel at mid-year.
"We approved a part-time planner at
See Long Beach, page 13
Sheriff asks funding
Open-door policy
can't come cheap
NCEMPA cities owe big
Apex also sees bottom line
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
With electric costs for 32 member cities of
the N. C. Eastern Municipal Power Agency
scheduled to increase 30 percent over the next
six years, Southport isn't the only city looking
to bolt the alliance.
"We haven't found any way to do what our
attorney calls unscambling the egg,'" said
Bill Sutton, town manager of Apex, a Raleigh
bedroom community. "He says once the egg is
scrambled, it is awfully hard to put it back
together."
But Apex tried.
And, Southport mayorNorman Holden said
last week this city, tod, will try to unscramble
that egg.
NCEMPA operations manager Ken Raber
told aldermen December 8 inescapable con
tracts bind Southport to the heavily mortgaged
power agency until 2026. Southport executed
two contracts with NCEMPA's forerunner
agency in 1982. A Project Power Sales Agree
ment made Southport responsible for just un
der seven percent of the power agency's debt
— debt that was incurred to purchase owner
ship interest in six power generating facilities
owned by Carolina Power and Light Co. and
other electric producers. Irt a second, supple
mental power agreement, Southport agreed to
buy the 40 percent of power that was not
supplied it by ownership interest, from
NCEMPA.
In 1982, power agency founders said by
acquiring ownership interests in power gen
eration facilities, member cities could control
costs to their consumers.
In 1994. Raber said the agency was founded
on false beliefs and economic assumptions
that never materialized. Simply, the agency
founders overestimated the growth this state
would realize in the 1980s and '90s. CP&L
hedged its bets years ago, canceling plans to
construct additional generating facilities.
Apex signed similar agreements with the
agency when it became a NCEMPA member
city.
"We looked at the contracts and tried to see
if there were any loopholes," Sutton said.
"The problem is the agency is backed with
public money."
Bonds, backed by the credit of the member
cities, were sold by NCEMPA to acquire
partial ownership of the generating facilities.
Fra a city to escape its relationship with the
See Bottom line, page 9
By Terry Pope
County Editor
A mandate from the public during
the fall election drove new sheriff
Ronald Hewett to keep his department
open 24 hours -- at all costs.
Now that cost is being realized by
the ones that must foot the bill.
Brunswick County commissioners
Monday appeared receptive to Hewett's
plan but delayed a final decision until
next month.
District 5 commissioner Bill Sue of
Leland was ready to vote, but the
Democrat's motion to allocate the
$76,000 Hewett says is needed during
the next six months for extra man
power was defeated 4-1.
"One of the problems we have with
crime is tljat we don't have enough
deputies." said Sue.
However, the board agreed to shelve
the proposal until January. That will
allow more time to study the figures
and comparisons with other local sher
iff departments.
To me, it’s
worthwhile, and I will
not close that office.
We’ve got to have that
office open. It’s in
cumbent upon me to do
so.’
Ronald Hewett
Sheriff " -
"I may not have a problem with the request,
but I'm not ready to make a decision tonight,"
said Republican chairman Jerry Jones of Dis
trict 2.
Former sheriff John Carr Davis made a
decision not to pull road deputies from patrol
to staff the department 24 hours. Opening the
See Policy, page 10