Southern area
Year-round
school plan
considered
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
Southport Elementary, Bolivia
Elementary and South Brunswick
Middle schools are seeking public
input on a plan to implement a year
round school calendar for 1998-99.
Public meetings will be held at
6:30 p.m. Thursday, January 8, at
Bolivia Elementary; Wednesday,
January 21, at South Brunswick
Middle; and Thursday, January 22,
at Southport Elementary.
A year-round calendar implement
• ed this past year at Belville
Elementary, Lincoln Primary and
Leland Middle schools shortens
summer vacation to five weeks but
includes a three-week break after
each nine-week instructional ses
sion.
While Southport. Elementary and
Bolivia Elementary school' prittcb
pals said they support the year
round school plan, South Brunswick
. Middle principal Richard Lawson
said he would like to Erst assess stu
dent performance at the schools that
have implemented the plan.
1 “I’m not against it, I just want to
■ wait and see how the schools in the
north do before we try it,” he said.
Lawson said he also fears the new
calendar could diminish progress
made at the middle school in
improved student performance and
attendance and reduced discipline
problems. ■■■.
Tm not against it,
I just want to wait
and see how the
schools in the north
do before we try
it.’
Dr. Richard Lawson
South Brunswick Middle
I “Everything’s working fine, we
feel like we’ve been really success
ful, arid I don’t want to mess with
that,” he'said. ,, .
the other hand, Southport
Elementary principal Carolyn
Williams said she believes a year
round calendar will enhance perform
mance of both students and teach
ers.
“Without question, the year-round
calendar is better for children, for
staff and for families,” she said.
. “When you go nine weeks and then
get off for three weeks, at the end of
the first nine weeks you can do what
you usually do in summer school. It
reduces the risk that children who
are slower to learn will fall behind
See Schools, page 7
Aldermen to decide
City’s electric
rate could rise
By Richard Nubel
News Editor
Residential electric customers of
the City of Southport can expect to
pay from $8 to $14 a month more
for each 1,000 kilowatts of electric
ity, if the board of aldermen adopts a
new rate structure Thursday.
Commercial electric customers
can expect to pay $7 to $22 a month
more for each 1,000 Kw.
When Southport officials last year
adopted a new electric rate structure
to reward customer participation in
load management, the idea was so
innovative the city admitted rates
might later have to be adjusted after
it had some experience tracking rev
enues.
Now, facing a $100,000 electric
fund operating , deficit, staff
Thursday night will propose to the
board of aldermen residential elec
tric rate hikes of between 11.6 and
13 percent for different levels of
load management. Commercial
electric rate hikes of between 6.8
and 13.4 percent will be proposed
While rates themselves will be
increased, the program of rewarding
customers who participate in load
management will be continued. In
fact, city officials say; customers
who opt to participate in load man
See Electric, page 7
Certainly the oldest, and most durable, playthings in the community
are the oyster-shell "rocks” at the foot of the Garrison, where genera
tions of children have learned how to jump, climb and get wet and,
Photo by Jim Harper
sandy at only moderate risk to life and limb. This youngster enjoyed his
visit to the rocks last week.
Toland replaces Hicks
as Lakes commissioner
By Richard Nubel
News Editor
A mayor and board of commissioners-which one
month ago seemed incapable of agreeing on any
thing could find nothing to argue about Tuesday
night.
Three commissioners quickly and unanimously
agreed to Boiling Spring Lakes mayor Tom Tully’s
nomination of Paul Toland to replace commissioner
Ray Hicks, whose resignation letter was read aloud
at the meeting’s outset.
Minutes later, Tully’s three nominations to the city
planning board were quickly confirmed.
Hicks said the demands of his job forced him to
resign and said he had enjoyed working on the city’s
behalf. His letter of resignation set Tuesday as his
final day in office.
Toland did not receive the oath of office after his
confirmation Tuesday, as city clerk Barbara Cumbee
said she did not know whose name to place on
appropriate documentation. She said she could
swear Toland to office as soon as today
(Wednesday). .
Mayor Tully said he nominated Toland because.of
his showing as a candidate in the November election.
Toland garnered 185 votes, running third to commis
sioners Charles Schneiders and Jack Redmond, who
captured the two seats to be decided.
“I have given this quite a bit of thought in the last
three days and I feel there is no other way I can deal
See Lakes, page 6
Board approves vague
‘Work First’ proposal
By Richard Nobet
News Editor
Noting they had little to lose and almost no
recourse, Brunswick County commissioners
Monday accepted “skeptical” department of
social services director Jamie Orrock’s invitation
|, to adopt a Brunswick County Work First plan for :
submission to state officials next month.
Orrock said he completed the plan in five ses
'* ' ' ' 1 * ' ' *' '
stons with a committee that commissioners
appointed. A Work First plan has been required of
all 100 counties as part of Gov. Jim Hunt’s com
mitment to send welfare recipients to work.
But, Orrock said, the plan to be submitted rep
resents only an outline of programs with no bud- ;
get. He said he did not commit Brunswick County
to provide any service not paid tin by the state,
■ and was . hesitant to. assign any costs, fearing the
See Work First, page 5
•.
is open
Although the elections of
November 3,1998, seem eons away,
the period in which candidates may
file notice of their intent to seek elec
tion to county and statewide offices
on that day began Monday.
Those wishing to seek election to
office have until noon February 2 to
file notice with the county board of
elections and to pay filing fees.
North Carolina voters will elect a
U. S. senator this year — the office
now held by Sen. Lauch Faircloth —
and all seats in the U. S, House of.
Representatives will be decided at
election this year.
In Brunswick County, voters will
elect two members of the state House
of Representatives and one member
of the state Senate. Two county com
missioners will be elected, as will two
members of the school board.
Elections for sheriff and clerk of
Superior Court will be held here.
All elections in 1998 will be parti
san political elections. Party primary
elections have been scheduled May 5.
A candidate will bear his party’s stan
dard if he captures a 40-percent plu
rality of the party vote or more.
Should it be warranted, a runoff party
primary election will conducted June
See Filing, page 6
What’s inside
Opinion' 4
, Police report 8
Obituaries 11
Master Gardener 2B
Calendar 5B
Church 6B
* TV schedule 4C
Classifieds 7C
Waterway near the bridge ,
Marina community plan is launched
By Richard Nubel
News Editor
Within a month, Point Associates LLC will
submit development plans for a marina and
combination residential and commercial
planned unit development on the Intracoastal
Waterway site of the old Standard Products
menhaden processing plant.
The gate for the new community, which will
feature between 24 and 48 dwelling units, will
be at the terminus of the existing Fish Factory
Road. The new development will Have 75 to
80 boat slips in a marina on the Intracoastal
Waterway, said Ed Burnett, a Point Associates
principal.
Burnett unveiled a .sketch development
Monday morning before the monthly meeting
of Southeast Brunswick Sanitary District
Board of Commissioners. The district will
supply some of the wastewater management
needs of this development and other adjacent
development projects being undertaken by
See Marina, page 7
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