VOLUME 64/ NUMBER 35
SOUTHPORT, N.C
50 CENTS
April 26,1995
Nothing sweeter to the
taste than strawberries, and
you can preserve the flavor
It was a pitchers battle par
excellence - 22 strikeouts,
seven hits, just one run ~ 9B
fe Our Town 1
Dosher hospital is looking
to assure its future; JCAHO
preparations made ~ Page 2
Schools
audit is
critical
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
Tightening financial controls and
streamlining the organizational
structure of the Brunswick County
school system topped school offi
cials’ list of concerns Tuesday
afternoon following presentation of
results of the performance audit con
ducted by the state auditor’s office.
If all of the recommendations are
enacted by the school board, the
report indicates about $250,000 will
be saved.
But state auditor Ralph Campbell
Jr. said there is no way to determine
the annual impact of the proposed
changes because of the disorganized
condition of school records.
Auditors said they had much dif
ficulty locating records, files and
documentation of various events and
actions.
Specifically, the report stated that
policies are needed immediately to
address the issues of travel reimbur
sements, the purchase of gifts for
employees and inadequate docu
mentation of such expenditures.
Auditors noted the personal use of
the school system’s credit card, cel
lular phones and vehicles by school
employees.
Also, some school cafeterias were
being rented by school employees to
outside groups, and payments made
to school employees after these
events may have violated IRS
See Schools, page 7
City ready
to approve
equal pay
An equal payment plan for
Southport electric department cus
tomers will be offered beginning next
month, city manager Rob Gandy said.
Aldermen are expected to grant
approval to a final draft of the equal
payment plan when they meet May
11 Gandy said he would immediately
begin promoting the equal payment
option to city electric customers on
Pilot Line, the city's information line
on The State Port Pilot's telephone
information service. Customers may
begin registration for the equal pay
ment option on Monday, May 15.
Under terms of the equal payment
option, city electric customers may
elect to have their annual electric bill
averaged and pay that fixed average
amount in each of 11 months of the
year.
June of each year would be desig
See Equal pay, page 7
Tug crews and Coast Guard personnel combined
Monday to save a crane barge that was close to sink
ing off the Cape Fear bar after dredging pipeline
tore away from it in heavy seas. The barge was
Photo by Jim Harper
towed to the Southport city pier and pumped out,
and on Tuesday the tugs set about recovering the
pipeline still adrift in the ocean.
Regional system bogs down
Leland's sewer plans
rest with state permit
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Leland's push for its own sewer
system will depend on a state dis
charge permit.
But obtaining the state's permission
to discharge into the Brunswick River
may be more difficult than implied at
a town council meeting last week.
A regional supervisor for water
quality at the N. C. Division of Envi
ronmental Management office in
Wilmington says there is no "tenta
tive agreement" with Leland on a
300,000-gallon-per-day discharge
application.
Town engineer Bob Lyons of Char
*1 hope we ’re not going to jump out
and get something that’s only going to
serve a part of the community. Then
we’ve not got the right vision. ’
Joe Bryant
Leland resident
lotte told an audience at the council
meeting that there was.
"I don't know anything about that,"
said Dave Adkins of DEM. "I told him
that we would accept an application.
I told him what we felt would be a
See Leland, page 8
No assurances
Yaupon sewer
repair figures
stun officials
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Stunned by the amount of bids to
repair the ill-constructed and perhaps
ill-designed rapid-infiltration basin at
the town's wastewater treatment plant,
Yaupon Beach commissioners Mon
day night pondered new technologies
and how much more they are willing
to pay consulting engineers who have
advised them until now.
Faced with basin repair bids rang
ing from $144,193 to $212,800, com
missioners said they have no assur
ance that repair of the basin will in
crease system capacity. Mayor May
Moore and others pushed to investi
gate disposing of treated wastewater
by spray irrigation and application of
that treated effluent on the land the
basin occupies.
"I am stunned at the size of these
bids," mayor May Moore told con
sulting engineers Finley Boney and
• Robert Graham. "I can't, in any com
■ fort Zone, say let’s spend $144,000
with no assurance it will work."
Moore's comments came as the
town prepares to enter the 11 th month
of a state-imposed moratorium on
new sewer taps. The moratorium was
ordered by the state's Division of En
vironmental Management (DEM) in
July, 1994, after it was discovered
treated effluent was not seeping
through the rapid-infiltration basin —
a large, divided pond — quickly
enough.
Although the basin was designed
by Boney and Associates to accom
modate flow of 400,000 gallons of
treated effluent per day, recent
hydrogeological analysis confirmed
the basin only allows infiltration of
250,000 gallons per day.
Although poor-quality sand was
placed in the basin by a rogue con
tractor, Boney today says replacing
that sand — as the town is bound to
do by state order -- will not increase
capacity of the basin. Capacity will
remain at 250,000 gallons per day
after repair work. Only expansion of
the basin system — at sizable cost to
the town — will increase capacity to
the 500,000 gallons per day the town
has sought.
Not only did commissioners Mon
day night balk at repairing the basin,
they balked at paying additional en
gineering fees sought by Boney for
the repair job.
"I have a problem with the amount
of this bid," Moore said. "I have a
problem with engineering costs when
Brunswick Democrats reorganize
'Communication' is ticket for Dartv
By Ikrry Pope
County Editor
Across the state and nation, the Democratic Party took a beat
ing last fall.
But the new chairman of the Brunswick County Democrats is
gearing up for the 1996 campaign.
"We'll be ready," said Connie Powell in a confident famy "We
don't intend for that to happen again.”
The Shallotte resident was elected to a two-year term as chair
man of the party on Saturday by a 63-36 vote. Jerry Dove, a
retired Highway Patrol officer from Long Beach who sought the
Democratic nomination for sheriff last fall, came in second at
the Democratic convention held at party headquarters near Sup
She replaces Roney Cheers, who chose not to seek re-elec
tion. Ms. Powell has been active with the Brunswick County
Democratic Women's organization for a number of years.
"I just felt that this is something that 1 could do and be my
contribution to the party," she said.
Other officers elected Saturday are Moses Stanley, first vice
chairman; Bemest Hewett, second vice-chairman; Trade
Franks, third vice-chairman; Vernon Ward, treasurer; Donna
Baxter, secretary.
Democrats lost a majority on the board of commissioners
but almost swept the school board, losing just one seat to the
GOP in District 4 last fall.
Republicans gained control of the State House and U. S.
Congress during that election. The GOP is gaining strength in
the county as well, but Ms. Powell believes the key to main.
M.
taining Democratic control is communication, organization and
unity.
"We don't anticipate a swing in this county,” she said. "We
elected some very good candidates in the last election. I feel they
are doing a very good job, and we're going to stand behind them.”
Democrats seated Bill Sue of Leland as District 5 representa
tive on the county board of commissioners and re-elected Tom
Rabon Sr. to his District 4 seat.
On the school board, Democrats seated four of five - Olaf (Bud)
Thorsen, District 1; Clara Carter, District 2; William D. (Billy)
Carter, District 3; Glenda Browning, District 5.
At the convention Saturday, Democrats elected four represen
tatives to the State Executive Committee - Ms. Powell, Tom
See Ticket, page 8
part of the problem is design. It may
be time for us to look to legal coun
sel and say you all (the Boney firm)
got us into this mess and you've got
to figure out a way to get us out with
out any more money."
Boney said if the town rejects the
bids — good for the next 60 days -- it
might see higher bids in the future.
Graham said the high bids were likely
because construction contractors all
have a great deal of work right now.
But, Moore scolded the engineers
See Yaupon, page 10
Shiver;
spraying
is option
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
The regional director of the
state Division of Environmen
tal Management said Tuesday
that spray irrigation of wastewa
ter treatment system effluent
may, in fact, be a better alterna
tive to disposal through a rapid
infiltration basin at Yaupon
Beach.
DEM's Rick Shiver of the
Wilmington regional office said
spray application of treated ef
fluent on the existing treatment
plant and basin site has never
been proposed by the town or
its consulting engineers before.
Engineers had discussed redi
recting some of the plant flow
to an area off-site for spray irri
gation, however.
Monday night, Yaupon Beach
commissioners expressed doubt
that repair of the town's faulty
rapid-infiltration basin would
See Spraying, page 10
Forecast
Partly doudly will prevail
for the period of Thursday
Friday with highs 75 to 80.
There is a slight chance of a
thunderstorm on Saturday
with a high in the mid 70's
Tide table
high low,
THURSDAY, APRIL 27
7; 16 a.m. 1:02 am
7:36 P®- __ 1:13 p.m.
FRIDAY, APRIL 2*
7:59 am 1:47 am
8:17 Pm.._ 1:55p.m.
SATURDAY, APRIL 29 .
8:3’*-®- 2:29 am
8:56 p.m. 2:34 pm
SUNDAY, APRIL 3*
9:18 a.m. 3:09 am
9:32 pm 3:13 pm'
MONDAY, MAY I P [
9:54 am 3:48 ami
10:08 pm 3:51pm;
TUESDAY, MAY 2 ,
10:30 am. 4:26 aia.'
10:43 pm 4:28 pmJ
_ WEDNESDAY, MAY 3 j
11K)5 am 5:04 am!
11:18 pm 5:07 pm
The following adjnstmeatt thoold be nmde»
Bald Head tXmd. high -10. low -7; Caawdt
Bea* high .5, low*l; Soodww.
low +15; Lockwood Folly, high-22, low-8. j.