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PROGRESS SENTINEL
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^/OL XXXXVI NO. 21 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 MAY27.1982 20 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
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5 Named To Serve On
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Albertson Water Board
I Five people were ap
pointed to the advisory board
of the newly-formed Albert
son Water District by the
Duplin County Board of
Commissioners last week.
Appointed were Anp
Herring, Sandra Waters,
Eugene Smith, Aaron Smith
and James Parker Sr.
A The advisory board will
^T-eview questions pertaining
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to the township water dis
trict and make recommen
dations to the commissioners
for action. The county board
witl remain the water dis
trict's governing body.
The northern Duplin water
district was organized earlier
this year to plan a water
distribution system for
Albertson Township. Such a
water system would be de
signed to pay its own way.
However, if the system is
built and fails to break even,
district residents , can be
taxed to make up the dif
ference.
Bob Pittman. an engineer
with Rivers & Associates of
Raleigh, is determining fi
nancial possibilities for the
proposed system. Pittman
will report on financing de
Ml
velopments at the board's
June 7 meeting.
Brice Sanderson, county
building inspector, reported
his department made 217
inspections during April. He
said permits were issued for
11 new dwellings in April
compared with two in Janu
ary. four in February and six
in March. Sanderson said 37
permits were issued for
mobile homes.
The board revised ihe new
county cable television ordi
nance to comply with the
franchise agreement of Uni
vision Cable Television at the
request of Gail Bailey of the
firm. The ordinance had
specified 100 percent of the
homes in the county would
be served in two years; the
franchise called for 80 per
cent. a figure agreed to by
the board and the company.
i uuphn Mayors Hear Joint
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.City-County Tax Proposals
By Sharon Overton,
Staff Writer
In a meeting of the League
of Municipalities Thursday
night, Duplin mayors and
administrators heard provi
sions of a program which has
helped reduce the costs of
?local government in 40
counties by combining the
tax collecting efforts of both
{the city and county.
Perry James 111. assistant
finance director for the city of
Raleigh, presented a model
of the joint tax agreement
presently being used in
(Raleigh and Wake County.
* tfi'e contract, which has been
in effect since l%2, states
that the county is responsible
? for all billing and collection
and that the city will pay a
small fee per resident for
these services.
James stated that under
the new system, the city pays
less per person for the com
prehensive county service
than it previously would have
spent on postage alone. The
rate the city pays is de
termined using what James
called a "piggyback" philos
ophy. The city is billed only
for the incremental cost in
including the municipality.
Also, the debt to the county
is usually repaid after the
first collection.
Because county and city
taxes are combined, resi
dents receive only one bill.
James has found that the
county is actually better able
to collect payments on these
bills than the city. Last year
in Wake County, 99% of the
taxes levied were collected.
The joint plan is weakest in
the control of personal prop
erty. However, with the co
operation of city assessors,
James feels the county can
alleviate the problem. Some
cities are also opposed to the
joint system because they
feel they lose contact with
their citizens when they turn
the tax-collecting duties over
to the county.
James pointed out that if
either party becomes dis
satisfied with the agreement,
they may terminate the con
tract by submitting written
notice at least six months
prior to expiration.
Ben Harrell. president of
the Duplin County League of
Municipalities, endorsed the
the Wake County plan,
saying. "The combination of
the city and county for tax
collection will be a must in
the future. We have to
exhaust all avenues in re
ducing government costs."
In further business. Har
rcll announced that a recent
cable franchise meeting re
vealed that nine out of ten
towns in the county are in
support of cablevision.
Mayor Cording of Wallace
said that Carolina Telephone
will meet with the League
sometime in July to discuss
rising phone rates.
.^Worsow Man Stabbed Friday Night
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A domestic dispute in
Warsaw Friday night left a
man with a knife wound
above his heart.
Detective Sgt. Gary Cook
of the Warsaw Police De
partment said Dora L. Gor
ham, 48, stabbed Laborn
Gaston Morgan. 55. at about
6:30 p.m. at a home on West
Best Street.
"She stabbed him with an
8-inch paring knife, right
above the heart," Cook said.
Morgan was taken to Dup
General Hospital in Kenans
ville where he remained in
the intensive care unit late
Friday night.
No charges have been filed
pending a complaint by the
victim.
New Center Opens Doors
? To Duplin Senior Citizens
By Sharon Overton,
The ceremonial ribbon
cutting by Services to the
Aged Director Walter L.
Brown Wednesday marked
the culmination of over a
year of planning and con
struction on the new Duplin
ASenior Center in Kenans
^ille.
The center is located on
Seminary St. in what was
once the county jail. Since
1974, however, Duplin
County Services to the Aged
has been operating in the
building. In March of 1981,
with the aid of a $50,000
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federal grant and over
$14,000 from the state and
county, workers began to
renovate the old building,
adding an additional 2.300
square feet in order to ac
commodate the center.
Costs on the center were
cut back whereever possible,
with labor supplied by the
county. James Sprunt Tech
nical College and the De
partment of Corrections.
Local merchants also made
donations in the form of
televisions, carpet and fur
nishings.
"The community has
really supported us." sail
Brown. "For the amount we
spent and with the donations
we received, we feel we have
a building worth well over
$100,000."
According to Ernest
?Messer, assistant secretary
of the Division of Aging and
guest speaker for the deci
cation ceremonies, the cen
ter's primary function will be
to provide persons over 60
with an area for companion
ship and information.
"This will be a center
where benefits for senior
citizens will be defended and
proposed." said Messer.
Thirty-eight staff members
will operate a program of
activities including arts and
crafts projects, movies, lec
tures, outings, tours and
recreational activities. The
center will also be the 1
Kenansville site for the ]
County Nutrition Program 1
which serves hot. nutritious I
meals daily to elderly citi- <
zens. The Senior Center will
be open from 9-5. five days a
week.
Brown's goal is to attract
at least 40-50% of the 6.697
senior citizens living in
Duplin County. He empha
sizes that there are no re
strictions or income criteria
for participants other than
they must be over 60 years
aid. Services and meals are
provided free of charge: how
ever. participants arc given
;hc opportunity to make a
xmtribution if they arc able.
RIBBON-CUTTING ? Walter L. Brown,
director of the Duplin County Senior Center,
officially opened the new facilities in a
^ceremony last Wednesday. The center nfill
Woperate five days a week, serving more than
6,000 Duplin senior citizens. Present for the
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ribbon-cutting were: 1-4, Margaret Blount,
Aging Program coordinator; D.J. Fussell,
county commissioner; Walter L. Brown;
Calvin Turner. Chairman of the Duplin
County Commissioners: Pat Prescott, former
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1 Aging Program Coordinator for New Bern; v
William J. Costin Sr., county commissioner; 1
and Carl Schlegelmann, Program Repre
sentative from the Division of Aging in
Raleigh. <
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FFA MEMBERS RECEIVE AWARDS -
Several James Kenan FFA members were
honored with awards for accomplishment in
areas other than agricultural events. They
are: l-r. seated - Francis Rhodes. 3rd place
Sweeti es 1 Contest and Leadership; Ann
Bordeaux, 1st place Sweetheart Contest; and
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Karen Byrd, 2nd place Sweetheart Contest.
Row 2 - David Ezzelt. Parliamentary
Procedure; Denise Rhodes. Leadership: . id
James Miller. Parliamentary Procedure.
Row 3 - Bennv Batchelor, Chris Whitman.
Steve Chestnutt and Bobby Benson. Par
liamentary Procedure.
FFA HOI.OS BANQUET - The James Kenan
chapter of the Future Fanners of America
held its annual awards banquet Wednesday
night at the highschool. Award winners in
agricultural events were: 1-r, Row 1 -
Timorhy Killette. 1st place Tractor Driving
and Wood Sawing; Patricia Barden, 3rd
place Livestock Judging: James Miller, 2nd
place Dairy Judging; and Allen Whalev. 1st
place Dairy Judging. Row 2 - Chris
Whitman. 4th place Tractor Diving. 1st place
Wood Sawing, and 1st place Corn Shucking;
Tracy Batchelor. 3rd place Tools and
Materials; Steve Chestnutt. 1st place Land
Judging and 2nd place Poultry Judging; and
Bobby Benson. 2nd place Tools and Ma
terials. 2nd place Land Judging and 3rd
place Poultry Judging.
Petitions Call For
Vote On Liquor Issue
Kcnansvillc will hold the
first liquor-by-the-drink ref
erendum in Duplin County
this summer if 25 percent of
the town's registered voters
sign petitions calling for the
\otc.
Duplin County Board of
Elcctiofts records show 452
people registered to vote in
Kenansville. The signatures
of 115 registered voters will
be required before a refer
endum can be called.
The petitions must be re
turned to the elections board
for verification by early
August.
If a referendum is called, it
cannot be held within 60 days
of the date of a primary or
general election. The
primary election is scheduled
for June 29 and the general
election for Nov. 2.
This, the last two days of
August and Sept. 1 would
meet the 60-day requirement
if such a referendum were
called for this year.
The petitions call for the
sale of mixed beverages in
restaurants, hotels, private
clubs or convention centers
and for on-prcmise sales of
malt beverages.
Two Kenansville restau
rants could qualify for liquor
by the drink licenses if voters
approve such sales.
Duplin Retains
Teacher Pay Schedule
Dup.'in County vocational
igl icuiture teachers will con
inue to be paid on a 12
nonth basis because of the
'esignation of one teacher,
he Board of Education de
rided Wednesday night last
veek.
The board, faced with
ederal budget reductions,
tad decided to cut out the
summer portion of the voca
ional agriculture program in
?ounty high schools to save
he $28,950 required to pay
he six teachers for July and
kugust. Most teachers arc
taid for 10 months, but the
igricultural teachers have
teen paid for a full year.
The resignation of Charles
lames, a Wallace-Rose Hill
iigh School vocational agri
ulture teacher, paved the
ray for continuation of the
2-month schedule. The
toard decided to shift Earl
?pell, one of two agricultural
eacherrat East Duplin High
ichool, to Wallace-Rose Hill
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and operate the agricultural
curriculum with five instead
of six teachers.
Declining enrollment at
East Duplin made it possible
for one teacher to handle the
load there, the board was
informed. An average of 65
students arc enrolled in the
agricultural program in each
of the five schools offering
the work.
The board also approved
the establishment of a little
league ball part at Chinqua
pin Primary School. Vaden
Sholar had asked the board
for this approval May 4. He
said the development would
remain the property of the
school system and would not
interfere with school atcivi
tics.
The board will meet once a
month during June. July and
August instead of its cus
tomary twice-a-month sche
dule. The next meeting will
be at 8 p.m. June 8 at Charity
Middle School, four miles
east of Rose Hill.
Memorial Day Services In Warsaw
The American Legion will
conduct Memorial Day ser
vices in honor of the nation's
war dead at 11 a.m. on
Monday. May 31st at Pine
crest Cemeter in Warsaw,
Commander Robert L. West
of Charles R. Gavin Post No.
127 announced.
Chairman of this year's
observance is J.P. Johnson.
He expalined that this year's
services will include the
Memorial Day Prayer, an
address by Earl Vaughan,
pastor of the Warsaw Pres
byterian Church, the placing
of flags and/or flowers on the
graves, and the sounding of
Taps.
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