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I PROGRESS SENTINEL
I^VOL. XXXXVINO.6 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 FEBRUARY 5. 1981 16 PAGES THIS M/ec*
1 Boards Can't Agree
.Who Owns School
^ The rift between the
Duplin County Commis
sioners and the Board ol
Education over control of the
old Kenansville Elementary
School remains unresolved,
despite a dinner meeting on
the question between mem
bers of the two boards last
week in Rose Hill.
The building has been the
41 focus of dispute since Sep
tember, when classes were
moved to the new school east
I of town.
Discussion hetwwn
two groups was freequently
acrimonious.
"How do you discuss
something when everybody's
already made a decision
about it?" asked Board
. chairman Allen Nethercutt.
? "I bet people wish we
could get as excited over
quality education as we are
over this property." com
mented school board
member Graham Phillips
When the . commissioners
provided funds for the new
building, the school board
signed an agreement to turn
the old property over to the
county, once the school
system no longer needed it.
A No date, however, was spe
. cifiedfor the transfer.
The commissioners inter
preted the wording to mean
they would receive the build
' ing as soon as the new school
opened, but the school board
maintained it needs the
i structure because thrqe
' school offices are still in it.
On July 18 a'school board
Irr 24
The old school site, located
not far from the courthouse,
near the sohool administra
tive center, Duplin General
Hospital, Kenan Memorial
Auditorium and the William
R. Kenan Memorial Amphi
theatre, is considered prime
real estate.
ttu; _ ? J . ?
?e naa some plans tor it
and need the property for
future expansion," said
Commissioner D.J. Fussell.
"It is the only publicly
owned pronertv in Kenans
ville available for building."
Fussell, who did not attend
the dinner meeting, said he
believes the school board
should give up the building,
especially as it has been
condemned by the state. At
present, neither the school or
county budget provides any
money for renovating or
adapting the building for any
use.
After the meeting, two
commissioners ? Nethercutt
and Calvin Turner ? also
agreed the county govern
ment needs the property.
"I have no feelings on it,"
commented Commissioner
Franklin Williams.
"I've given up on h,"
added Commissioner Bill
Costin. "I don't care one
way or the other." Yet Costin
also said the county needs
the property for future
growth.
"The commissioners took
a big nasty swipe at edu
cation before this all came
up." commented school
board member Fred Rhodes,
defending the schools' posi
tion. "You (the commis
sioners) demanded the
county superintendent's
salary supplement be cut (in
the budget for the current
fiscal year). It would have
been the same thing as firing
him. 1 haven't decided on the
matter."
Phillips said he might vote
to give the property to the
commissioners if they could
come up with a use for it.
School board member Pat
ricia Broadrick said she be
lieves the property should go
to the county. Until basic
feelings are cleared up.
problems will exist between
the two boards and no solu
tion will be reached, she
added.
School board member Dr.
E.L. Boyette said he believes
the building should be used
for a high school for gifted
students and for cultural arts
programs. He said he
believes the county's needs
could be better served at
E.E. Smith School in
Kenansville which now
houses the seventh, eighth
and ninth grades.
Currently the school
system is planning to add
seventh and eighth grade
classrooms to the new
Kenansville Elementary
School and ninth grade
classes to James Kenan High
School. These moves would
leave E.E. Smith vacant.
Boyette called these moves
the school system's top pri
ority, although the school
board has not voted on it.
possible uses for the build
ing, including a cultural arts
center.
Forum On
Vocational Education
Duplin County public
schools and James Sprunt
Technical College will host a
forum on vocational educa
tion on Thursday, Feb. 12 at
7 p.m. at the Duplin County
Board of Education. An invi
tation is extended to the
public to attend.
The forum will be a UNC
television broadcast on "The
Skill-Builders." This is a
historical documentary which
traces the development of
vocational/technical educa
tion in North Carolina. It
includes interviews with
North Carolinians who have
shaped this development
with executives of industries
served by vocational/techni- ,
cal education programs and
concludes with an address by
Gov. Hunt.
This . year's program
should be of special interest
to educators, parent^ and
students, and those in'busi- '
ness and industry.
Hunt Unsure How 1-40
Link Will Be Financed
^ Governor Jim Hunt
admitted Friday he doesn't
know where money will be
found to complete the exten
sion of Interstate 40 to Wil
mington.
Hunt answered questions
from area officials at a re
ception following dedication
of the Imperial Spinning
Mills plant south of Wallace
Friday morning.
) "I just don't know where
the money is coming from
right now," the governor
said, answering a question of
County Commissioner W.J.
Costin about the planned
four-lane highway connec
tion between 1-40 near Ben
son and Wilmington.
"If we don't find the
money somewhere, it just
won't be built," he said. "1
have gotten the federal
government to put up 90
percent of the money, and if
the state can't come up with
10 percent it will be a
shame." Hunt added.
State Department of Tran
sportation officials have said
there is no set state-federal
funding ratio. Those officials
and U.S. Rep. Charles G.
Rose 111 have said they would
be happy if the highway were
funded with 75 percent
federal money and 25 per
cent in state funds.
Total cost of the projected
highway is about S280
million, of which about $70
million has been committed.
Right-of-way clearing and
preparation work has begun
on portions of the planned
road in Pender County.
Hunt emphasized con
tracts that have been let or
are immediately planned will
be finished.
State Commerce Secretary
D.M. "Lauch" Faircloth de
clared. "We will get the
money from somewhere. We
always have in the past."
In fact, the governor is
finding it increasingly diffi
cult to fulfill promises made
in Southeastern North Caro
lina. He had said the 1-40
connector was the only major
highway that would be
finished in North Carolina ?
whether or not a proposed
gasoline tax is passed.
Also, the governor
promised in 1980 to find
money for the state's $3.5
million share of an $11
million erosion control pro
ject at Carolina Beach. That
money never fully appeared,
and the project will die if the
state's remaining share of
$2.5 million isn't in sight by
April. Gary Pearce, Hunt's
press secretary, said earlier
this week that Hunt is still
fully commited to the Caro
lina Beach project, but he
said finding the money "is a
separate question."
Hunt said he would be
sympathetic to increasing the
tax on alcoholic beverages,
although he hadn't really
studied it.
Familiar Scan* Of Old Hand Pump
THE 1981 JAMES SPRUNT TECHNICAL COLLEGE
HOMECOMING COURT - Faye Kelly of Glisson township
was crowned the 1981 JSTC Queen, Jan. 21 during
half-time activities of the homecoming game with
Wilmington's Cape Fear Technical Institute. Pictured, left
to right. Perry Sharp, first runner-up Sonja Bennennan,
Todd Grady, Queen Faye Kelly. William Jackson and
second runner-up Veronica Wiggins.
I
JSTC Homecomina
The Spartans of James
Sprunt Technical College
crowned Faye Kelly of
Glisson township their 1981
.jpiy.cr during the half-time
'acrwities of the annual
homecoming basketball
game at Kenan Memorial
Auditorium Jan. 21.
Named to the queen's
court were Sonja Benner
man, first runner-up and
Veronica Wiggins, second
runner-up. James Sprunt
counselor Sue Clark acted as
mistress of ceremonies in
troducing the 16 home
coming contestants and their
escorts. The contestants
were chosen to represent the
different curriculums offered
at JSTC. The queen and her
court were selected by a
student vote. Queen Faye
Kellv, represent^' "h< iedi
eal c ff.ce assistant pt?>fcrant. $
runner-up Sonja Bennerman,
the electrical installation and
maintenance program, and
second runner-up Veronica
Wiggins, the JSTC nursing
program.
The homecomino activities
were under the direction of
N;na Cavcnaugh. the JSTC
v^eerlciiiing advisor nnd in
structor. JSTC Dean of Stu
dent Affairs Alfred Wells
opened the half-time activi
ties with a welcome. The
Spartan basketball . team
ended the activities with a
victory over Wilmington's
Cape Fear Technical Insti
ute in the homecoming
>asketball game.
PINK HILL TOWN
STICKERS
The deadline for pur
chasing (own stickers is
Feb. 15. All stickers,
which arc $2 each, must
be bought and displayed
bv midnight, Feb. 15.
All Pink Hill residents
"re required to comply
with this ordinance.
KENANSVILLE TOWN
TAGS
As a reminder to residents
>f Kenansville, your 1981
Town Tags should be pur
hased and displayed on your
'chicles by Feb. 15. The tags
ire SI again this year, and
nay be purchased at the
lerk's office in the town hall.
Hunt Dedicates Imperial
? S
Spinning Company Plant
North Carolina Gov. Jim
Hunt dedicated the Imperial
Spinning Co. plant in
Wallace Friday saying the
plant is a good example of
mutual cooperation.
He said the basic indus
trial building, which was one
of the principal attractions
for the industry, was erected
through a partnership.
The Wallace Industrial
Commission put up $50,000
for the land; the town and the
county put up $20,000 each
for the utilities to the site
from Wallace; and the state
helped finance the building.
George Parker of Sanford,
Imperial Spinning's vice
president for sales, praised
the quality of the workers in
the Wallace area.
He said the firm plans to
employ 125 people within its
first year of operation and
hopes to expand its operation
by the end of the year. He
indicated the currently pro
jected payroll will be about
SI .5 million a JtU 1 .
It will manufacture acrylic,
for which Parker said
demand is great, and will
concentrate on material for
men's hosiery and sweat
shirts. Its product competes
with both the J.P. Stevens
Co. in Wallace and National
Spinning Co. plants in
Duplin County.
Jerry Hamm of Wallace,
vice president of operations,
said an unusual work sche
dule has been arranged. The
plant will operate around the
clock seven days a week.
Workers will put in 12 hour
shifts three days one week
and take four days off. then
work four days the next.
They will work every other
Sunday.
Total investment of the
company is estimated at $4
million. After it purchased
the 40,000-square-foot basic
industrial building, it added
10.000 square feet. It has
room for expansion at the
site.
Wallace Man
Killed In
Car Wreck
A Wallace resident was
killed Friday night when he
was thrown from his auto
mobile after it ran off the
road and into a ditch near
Holly Ridge.
The victim was identified
as Donald Arthur Sholar, 35,
of Route 2. Wallace.
The accident occured
about 8:30 p.m. on N.C. 50
approximately 1.4 miles west
of Holly Ridge, investigating
Highway Patrol Trooper T.
W. Caulder said. Caulder
said Sholar's car was travel
ing east' at a high rate of
speed when it apparently hit
a patch of ice and ran off the
road.
Because It was hidden by/
trees, Caulder said) the acci
dent was not discovered until
about 3 a.m. Saturday when
a passenger in the car,
identified as Vernon Dail, 51,
of Route 2, Wallace, man
aged to crawl to the highway
and flag down a passing
motorist. Dail was not
seriously injured, but sus
tained some frostbite from
the oold night.
IMPERIAL SPINNING COMPANY PI ANT
DEDICATED - Governor Jim Hunt, right,
dedicates the Imperial Spinning Company
plant in Wallace. Graham Phillips, left.
? i.produced Hunt to the crowd attending the I
crcmonies Friday. The plant will manu- I
facture acrylics. H