"" PROGRESS SENTINEL -
ftOL. XXXXiV NO. 53 USPS 162-860 KENANSV1LLE. NC 28349 DECEMBER 27. 1979 10 PAGES THIS WEEK ? 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
INTENSIVE CARE UNIT ? Patients are moved into the
'intensive Care Unit. Last Thursday, five patients were
moved into the new- nine-room ICU at Duplin General
Hospital, which is said to be the best facility in this area of
the state. Pictured above are Gwen Thomas, head nurse of
Photo by Emily Killotto
ihe ICU, and Dr. E. L. Boyette. medical director of the
1CU. as ihey study a print-out tape of a patient's heart beat
which has been produced from the electronic monitor
connected to the patient.
^Intensive Care Unit Opens
Duplin General Transfer Patients
I
By Emily Killette
The intensive care unit at
Duplin General Hospital was
completed, and patients
were jnovetJ int<> five of the
Jfeine*' rooms in the facilify
Thursday, Dec. 20.
Hospiial Administrator
Richard Harrell said\he con
struction work on the new
ICU unit had been completed
at the time of the dedication
in September, but work on
jftlectronic systems in the unit
had not been completed.
After working with the State
Medical Care Association.
Harrell said the hospital was
able to meet the standards
set bv .he association on
electronic monitoring devices
.and oi^hm ?q?t?piueni in 4he"*"
unit to receive certification.
According to Harrell, equip
ment from the old six-bed
intensive' care unit was in
stalled in the new nine-bed
unit, and only enough equip
ment to complete the new
unit was purchased. The \
addition of the 1CU cost the
county $700,000, and
Harrell said, the planning
and construction of the unit
look about ten years, with
construction beginning in
1978.
The old ICU will be con
Verted kywk into private
rouins. Harrell said. The old
ICU had been private rooms
which were renovated and
equipped to form an inten
sive care unit, he said.
Dr. E. L. Boyette, medical
director of the ICU, com
mented that the facility is the
most modern in this area.
Boyette said the citizens of
Duplin have invested their
money wisely in the ICU.
He pointed out that the unit
has nine rooms with an
electronic monitor for each
patient inside the room and
at the nurses' station. The
monitors are used to watch
the patient's heartbeat. The
monitors are especially
useful immediately after a
person has had a heart
attack, and the ICU is close
to the emergency room, said
Boyette.
"The first hour after a
person has a heart attack is
the most critical time, be
cause the patient's heart is
beating irregularly, which
can'be fatal," Boyette said,
"and with the use of electric
monitoring, a heartbeat can
be watched and the patient
successfully treated."
' According to Gwen
Thomas/ head nurse for the
ICO. there will be no less
than tnree nurses working
the unit at all times. They
willAvatch the monitors and
check the patient's blood
pressure, pulse and tem
perature on a regular
schedule, Mrs. Thomas said.
The next project Duplin
General plans is to build a
small doctors' office complex
near the hospital, said
Harrell, and continue the
efforts of recruiting more
young doctors into Duplin
County.
Duplin Accepted Into
* National Flood
>
Insurance Program
^ The Federal Emergency
Management Agency has
announced that effective
Nov. 29. Duplin County has
been accepted into the
National Flood Insurance
Drogram.
W This means, said the ad
ministrator. Gloria M.
Jimenez, that property
owners here are now eligible
to buy flood insurance pro
tection at rates subsidized by
the federal government.
w Policies are effective at
'12:01 a.m. of the day fol
lowing the application date if
purchased during the first 30
days of county eligibility. In
some cases there is a
five day waiting period after
the first 30 days have
elapsed.
The policies can be pur
chased from any property
insurance agent or broker
licensed to do business in the
area in which the property to
be insured is located. Agents
and brokers may obtain
policy forms, rates, flood
insurance manuals, and any
other necessary information
at the following address:
National Flood Insurance
Program, PQ Box 34294,
Bethesda. Md. 20034.
t. "Since flood insurance is
'now available," Mrs. Jim
enez said, "owners of
property in areas shown on
maps by FEMA as being
flood-prone must, according
to the law, buy flood in
surance when seeking any
tform of Federal or federally
related financial assistance
for the acquisition or con
struction of buildings in
those areas."
"This would include
grants from Federal agen
das, FHA, VA and FmHA
mortgage loans, loans from
)
the Small Business Adminis
tration. and conventional
mortgage loans from any
federally-regulated or super
vised banks and savings and
loan associations."
While flood insurance is
available to all residents of
the community, she empha
sized that the Federal re
quirements to purchase flood
insurance as a condition for
receipt of federally-related
financial assistance do not
apply to property outside the
danger zones.
Under the program, cover
age can be obtained for all
buildings and their contents.
The available limit of in
surance for single-family
homes is now $35,000 and
$100,000 for other residential
^gildings, at the subsidized
rate of 25 cents per $100 of
coverage. The rate goes to 40
cents per $100 for non
residential buildings.
The contents of all resi
dential buildings can be( in
sured up to $10,000 per unit
at 35 cents per $100 of
coverage, and the rate goes
to 75 cents per $100 for
contents of all nonresidential
structures up to a maximum
of $100,000 in coverage per
unit.
The Federal Insurance
Administration. Mrs.
Jimenez explained, will also
prepare additional maps
showing the elevation of the
base flood in approximately
20,000 communities across
the country. When this is
published, an additional in
crease in the present limits of
coverage will be made avail
able under actuarial rates.
The program is designed
to stimulate individual par
ticipation in it as protection
against flood disasters, and
to help promote sound flood
plain management on the
part of local governing auth
orities.
Williams
Elected
Chairman
Franklin Williams was
elected chairman of the
Duplin County Board of
Commissionets for a
one-year term expiring
December 1980.
Williams was elected to
the board of commissioners
from Ri)tkfish Township,
where he has been a life-long
resident. He is married to the
former Paula Owens, also of
the Rockftsh Township, and
they have one son. Franklin
Owen Williams, a freshman
at North Carolina State Uni
versity. Mrs. Williams is a
former public school teacher
at James Kenan High
School. The family attends
the Oak Plain Presbyterian
Church, where Williams
serves as an Elder, church
Treasur and Sunday School
teacher.
Williams, a director of the
Bank of North Carolina, and
on the advisory committee of
the Tobacco Stabilisation
Corporation, received the
Duplin County Young
Farmer Award in 1970. and
in 1977 the Williams family
received the Duplin County
Conservation Farm Family of
the Year award.
>
Sewer Binds
Exceed Funds
The total of low bids for
the proposed water and
sewer improvement and con
struction project in Magnolia
totaled nearly $500,000 more
than funds available, town
officials discovered when
thev opened bids last Wed
nesday. and no contracts
were let. ?
Mayor Pro-tern Melvin
Pope said officials hope to
obtain additional federal and
state grant funds because of
inflation in construction
costs.
The total of low bids on the
proposed facilities was
$1,225,807. The total of loan
and grant money available is
$799,000, officials said.
The low bidder on the
sewage plant was T. A.
Loving Co. of Goldsboro with
a bid of $492,000. The low
bidder on the sanitary sew
age system additions was
So-Par of Jacksonville with a
1
bid of $304,082.95. The low
electrical bidder was
Southerland Electric of Jack
sonville. and low bidder for
the water system additions
was Hilco. Inc. of Kinston
with a bid of $274,725. Low
bid on the deep well was
submitted by Groundwater
Development Co. of Virginia
Beach. Va.
Funds obligated for the
projects include bond monies
of $75,000 for water and
$165,00 bonds for sewer,
grants of $246,900 from
FmHA and grants of $96,600
from the state Clean Water
Funds, ts well as $262,500
from EPA.
Uoyoas
Kenansville Ok's
Water Bond
/ ?????
By Emily Killette
Citizens in Kenansville
voted 153 to 62 in favor of a
$170,000 city water bond on
December 18. The referen
dum had failed by one vote
on September 4.
Mayor Douglas Judge said
there had been about a 50%
turnout for the water bond
referendum, with 215 voting
out of the 424 registered
voters in Kenansville. How
ever, on September 4, only
123 persons turned out to
vote, and the water bond
referendum was defeated 62
to 61.
The water bond referen
dum will provide a $356,500
grant from FmHA. and
$170,000 in general obliga
tion bond$ from FmHA, and
a $169,500 grant from North
Carolina Clean Water, and'a
$73,000 grant from Coastal
Plains Regional Commission.
The total cost of the project is
$769,000, with an interest
rate of five percent on the
$170,000 worth of genera!
obligation bonds, which w*ll
be paid back over a period of
forty years.
Kenansville Town Admin
istrator Woody Brinson said
construction on the project
would begin in mid-1980 and
be completed in about a year.
"The new water system
will help the growth and the ?
progress of Kenansville.
Without the system, there
would not be any growth,"
Brinson said.
BrinsOn added that he was
pleased with the turnout to
vote on the referendum, but
he wishfcd more people had
voted. Mayor Judge also
commented that he, too,
would like to have seen a
kygdr voter-turnout.
"The water system is a
need we have in Kenansville,
and by passing the refer
endum now, the town can
pay for it with help from
federal grants instead of
paying for it later out of our
own pockets, without help
from federal grants," Judge
commented.
Judge added that the
passing of the referendum
could not be attributed to any
certain person or the Town
Board ? that the combined
efforts of the Board and
concerned citizens who had
attended the meetings on the
water bond were responsible
for the water bond passing.
Judge also commented that
he looked forward to getting
(he project underway, and he
would be working to hold
down the cost of the project
as much as possible.
The proposed water
project will consist of ap
proximately 34.000 line feet
of six- and eight-inch water
mains, one 250-300 gailon
per-minute well, and a
250.000-gallon elevated
storage tank. Upon comple
tion of the project, the town
will have surplus water
which could be sold to supply
the county waterline which
will be constructed between
Kenansville and Greenevers.
said Brinson. A meeting with
the county Planning Board
and the Kenansville Town
Board is set for Jan. 7 at the
Kenansville Town Hall to
discuss the possibility of
Kenansville supplying the
county line with water. Brin
son said. Members of the
Kenansville Board have
voiced support in favor of
selling water to the county
upon completion of the new
water project. Brinson said
the Town Board would agree
to sell the county water only
if the Kenansville citizens
were taken care of first, and
the townspeople will be the
priority in any contract
between the town and
county.
THE KENANSVILLE WATER BOND -
Eddie Hobbs was jusi one of 215 citizens in
Kenansville who turned out to vote on the
water bond referendum on Dec. 18. The
Photo by Emily Killatta
referendum was;passed by a vote of 153 to 62
after it had failed by one vote on September
4th.
Tobacco Price Support
Program Continued
By Emily Killette
The tobacco price support
referenda passed in Duplin
County with a 96.8% yote in
favor of the program being
continued for another three
years.
According to David
English of the Duplin ASCS.
2.082 farmers voted for the
price support and marketing
quota program, and 67
Duplin farmers voted against
the program.
The Duplin farmers also
passed the tobacco
associates referendum which
provides money for pro
motion of fuel-cured tobacco
to overseas markets. The
tobacco associates program
began in 1947 and export
markets for U.S. fuel-cured
tobacco have increased to as
much as half of the crop in
1978. The tobacco associates
passed .with 2.036 voting for
the program and 106 voting
against. The program is fi
nanced through a 10-cent per
100 pounds of each tobacco
quota, which is allocated to
be paid'by farmers toward
the program. Tobacco ware
house owners, chemical
1
companies and other tobacco
related businesses contribute
money to the organization.
The tobacco price support
referendum will be in effect
for the years 1980-82 to
maintain an acreage
poundage marketing quota,
and continue the farmer-'
owned Flue-Cured Tobacco
Cooperative Stabilization
Corporation which includes
price supports and marketing
quotas.
Landlord, tenant or share
cropper who shared in the
production of the fluc-cured
tobacco crop in 1979 were
eligible to vote on the
tobacco referendum.
Bridge Closing
The Division of Highways
of the N.C. Department of
Transportation has closed
Rockftsh Creek Bridge on
Railroad Street to through
traffic for approximately
three weeks, according to
Divison Engineer Ted
Funderburk. The bridge,
located approximately one
mile south of Wallace, will
reopen Dec. 31.
This bridge is one of
lb.000 statewide which are
being inspected as part of an
in-depth bridge inventory.
The inventory is required by
the Federal Highway
Administration before the
state can be considered for a
share of the $1.1 billion
additional bridge replace
ment and rehabilitation
funds.
The temporary closing will
allow NCDOT maintenance
crews to replace the bridge
with "drainage pipe to carry
water under the road. The
pipe will be covered with dirt
fill extending the road across
the creek.
W.C. Casteen, bridge
maintenance supervisor, said
that every effort is being
made to complete the project
as soon as possible to mini
mize any inconvenience to
the traveling public.