eOr 4
PROGRESS SENTINEL
?,
VOL. XXXXVI NO. 42 USPS 162-880 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 OCTOBER 21. 1982 18 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Kenansville And Rose Hill
Vote To Decide Phone Rate
0 Carolina Telephone cus
tomers in the Kenansville
and Rose Hill-Magnolia ex
changes will vote by mail on
whether they are willing to
spend an extra SO cents a
month to talk with each
other.
The phone company is
mailing postcard ballots to its
1,143 Kenansville customers
? and 1,950 Rose Hill - Mag
nolia customers, asking them
to indicate whether they
want the wider service.
A call between Kenans
ville and Rose Hill is cur
rently long-distance.
If most of the subscribers
who respond favor the
chatige, the basic monthly
cost of phone service would
be raised from $8.85 to $9.35
in Kenansville, and from
$8.60 to $9.10 in Rose Hill.
Telephone rates in North
Carolina are set according to
the size of the local calling
area. The more telephones a
customer can reach without
calling long distance, the
higher the monthly rate.
The new system and new
rates, if approved, would not
take effect for about a year.
Installing equipment needed
to link the two exchanges will
require about that time, ac
cording to Carolina Tele
phone officials.
The "wide area dialing"
issue was raised the Cham
bers of Commerce in
Kenansville and Rose Hill.
Kenansville telephone cus
tomers can make local calls
to Warsaw and Beulaville.
Rose Hill and Magnolia cus
tomers can dial Wallace
without tolls.
According to Carolina
Telephone records, during a
30-day test period last fall,
Kenansville's 1,143 cus
tomers made S7S calls to the
Rose Hill exchange. From
Rose Hill's 1,950 phones,
customers made 988 calls to
KenaassUle.
Postcard ballots must be
returned before midnight
? Nov. 2. W.S. Richardson of
Carolina Telephone's Ginton'
office said the state Utilities
Commission will count the
ballots and inform the phone
company of the customers'
decision.
Cable TV Firm Asks j
?Warsaw Board For More Time
Hal Beasley of Beasley
Cable Television Service told
the Warsaw Town Board last
week that his company is
running behind on the in
stallation of cable television
service in Warsaw.
A Beasley's company had
promised to install cable in
August and then got a 45-day
extension, until Sept. 23.
Beasley asked for another
extension Monday night.
Mayor Sam Godwin told
Beasley the town would con
sider an extension, but no
^ action would be taken im
mediately.
Beasley said his company
is late because equipment
^ has not been delivered on
time, an easement was not
obtained as quickly as he
thought it would be, and
CP&L has not given Beasley
permission to use poles in
some areas.
The cable company says it
has two-thirds of the city
ready to energize and hopes
to have the city hooked up by
Oct. 31. *
In other business, the town
hired the law firm of Thomp
son and Ludlum of Warsaw
to administer a South Front
Street HUD rehabilitation
project funded at $488,000.
Thompson and Ludlum are
attorneys for the town.
- Also-,-' ????
? Kenneth Cox of the
Kenneth Cox Insurance.
Agency presented a health
plan for town employees.
Presently the cost for the
employee is $39.23 plus
$64.82 for dependents. Cox'
plan would cost $36.09 for an
employee and $60.54 for
dependents. The policy car
ries a $100 deductible clause,
then pays 80 percent of
health costs up to $5,000.
The policy pays 100 percent
of health costs over $5,000
The town now pays $2,833
per month on 38 employees;
Cox's plan would cpst $2,444
per month.
The town is insured under
Travelers Insurance with the
N.C. League of Municipali
ties. The underwriter with
Cox's plan is George Wash-;/
ington Insurance Co.
? Asa Lee wants to in
stall a double-wide mobile
home on South Bell Street.
The board agreed to allow
him to install a double-wide
modular home, requiring
underpinning, a solid foun
dation and no wheels. That
would be a variance to the
ordinance in the residential
area. Adjoining property
owners agreed to the
variance.
? The tax-listing loca
tion for January will be the
Driver's License Room and
Lounce at the Warsaw Town
Hall. The driver's License
Examiner Room will be
moved to the Police Depart
ment during January._
? The board accepted a
aid wf-M.lSO frwn AnderKoS
Roofing and Sheet Metal
Company of Mount Olive to
reroof the Neighborhood
Facilty Building.
MAGNOLIA COMMISSIONERS HEAR RANDY DREW
request to save the old depot. Seated, left to right.
Commissioners Herbert Tucker and Ruth Quinn. In the
back. Randy Drew.
Magnolia Train Depot
Gets A Brief Reprieve
Magnolia's old railroad
town's historic brick depot
got a reprieve from its death
sentence last week as the
town board granted a volun
teer committee more time to
search for ways to save the
empty building.
The board of the finan
cially strapped town had
decided last May to demolish
the trackside building, the
only brick railroad depot
between Wilmington and
Goldsboro, for lack of money
to renovate and maintain it.
The town has been leasing
the building from Seabord
Coast Line Railroad, which
replaced its depot-based of
fices with mobile freight
agencies in the mid-'70s.
A group of Magnolia resi
dents appealed to the town
board Thursday to rescind its
demolition resolution.
Randy Drew, a profes
sional musician who acted as
spokesman for the group,
proposed forming a volun
teer committee to calculate
the costs of renovation and to
seek donations and volunteer
labor to carry out the work.
He said the effort would
not cost the town any money
but the effort to save the
building requires the town
board's "moral support."
Magnolia bought the
building from the railroad fcr
$600. Unlike other abon
doned "CSL depots in south
eastern North Carolina, the
brick structure mounted on a
stone foundation cannot be
readily moved, as the rail
road preferred. Several
wooden depots have been
moved and reused, such as
the Lake Waccamaw Depot
Museum and the Columbus
County Library at Riegel
wood.
In Magnolia, the railroad
refused the town's request to
buy the land on which the
depot sits. The railroad did
agree to lease the building
for $136 per year, on con
dition that the track side of
the building be fenced to
keep the public away from
the tracks.
The town was also re
quired to buy a $1 million
liability insurance policy,
costing $100 per year. The
lease also gives the railroad
the right to take possession
any time with 90 days'
notice.
Mayor Melvin Pope noted
that Magnolia's two main
business streets are also on
'and leased from the rail
ruad. aid subject 'o tnat
same 90-day clause.
The depot lease expires in
February 198?.
Pope said he forsees little
chance the railroad will exer
cise its 90-day option to
cancel the lease. "The only
way that the railroad would
want the building moved
would be if they expanded
their service, and it looks like
railroads are going in the
other direction," the Mayor
commented.
Several* town commis
sioners were skeptical about
the. renovation effort. Her
bert Tucker asked Drew,
"How long will it take you to
get your crowd together? I
don't want this town to have
any more money in this
depot."
Referring to the $236 a
year the town is spending on
the building. Commissioner
Ruth Quinn said, "It doesn't
sound like much, but we're
overspent now. We don'
have any money. We'n
growing smaller rather thai
larger."
Magnolia's annual budge
is S175,170, of which abou
v 5100,000 comes from stat
and federal grants.
Responding to a boart
member who questioned th<
involvement of "outsiders'
in the depot issue, Drev
said, "History doesn't be
long to the town; it belongs
to everybody."
The Magnolia depot is the
only one its architectural
. type in the southeastern
United States. Pope said.
Although its age is un
certain, the mayor noted that
? the Wilmington and Weldon
Railroad, predecessor to the
Atlantic Coast Line (now
Seaboard Coast Line) bought
the depot site on Aug. 3,
1877, from M.J. Hunter of
Magnolia. An earlier wooden
depot burned in 1873. At that
time, the town (known as
Strickland's Depot) was
booming, with 21 general
stores, three hotels and three
doctors.
1982 Agribusiness Fair
By Rath Wells
This is Duplin
? Congratulations!!! Duplin
County has done it again.
Our first annual Agri
business Fair was a howling
success.
A few days before the Fair
opened, a well-known news
reporter asked. "What is the
theme of the Fair?"
Without hesitation, Kay
Williamson, a member of the
fair management team, re
plied, "This is Duplin
County! This is us! This is
the way we are! We are the
Number I Agricultural
County in the state, so
naturally we have the best in
agriculture, poultry and live
stock. We also have the best
in talented, cooperative
people. So what you see is
what we are ? THIS IS
DUPLIN!"
Many months ago a few
people dreamed of this Fair.
They contacted others, who
contacted others, and set off
a chain reaction. People from
all areas came and worked
together and made this
dream a reality. There is
virtually no community in the
county that did not in some
very meaningful way con
tribute to the success of the
fair.
The entertainment was
unbelievable. With the ex
ception of the Green Grass
Cloggers, all talent was local.
The Drama Club, the Gospel
Singers, the dance groups,
the skills from yesteryear ?
all were local talent and all
were the best in their chosen
field. The contest depicted
the interest and humor of our
area.
r r ?< ? . ?
3o, ieuow citizens ox
Duplin, let's all take time out
and pat ourselves on the
back, because the success of
the Fair belongs to everyone
who contributed. And what
ever your contribution may
have been, you played a vital
role. You worked hand-in
hand with 15 OOO oth*?r n?r.
sons who volunteered their
resources to make our Fair a
success.
Truly. THIS IS DUPLIN!
Meet me at the Fair ?
1983. 1
Wallace Board Awards
Insurance Contracts
The Wallace town board
meeting last Thursday night,
awarded insurance contracts
to Associated Insurance Co.
and Hewitt-Coleman Insur
ance Co.
A contract for $13,035 for
automobile, general liability
and property and real estate
coverage was awarded to
Associated Insurance Co. of
Wallace. A contract for
$9,160 for workmen's com
pensation coverage was
awarded to Hewitt-Coleman
Insurance of Spartanburg,
S.C.
Carlton Insurance Co. of
Wallace, the low bidder on
the town's insurance needs,
did not receive a share of the
town's insurance business.
Carlton would bid only on a
total package and the town
board preferred to split the
coverage between com
panies.
The town board also
agreed to buy five large trash
containers from Waste In
dustries of Wilmington for
$2,626. Container Products
Co. of Wilmington bid
12,704.
The town board also:
? Leased space on its
water tower to Univision
Cable Television Co. for $500
per year so the company can
install antennas on the
tower.
? Signed a lease with
the Wallace rescue squad for
$10 per year on the land
where the squad is building
an $80,000 facility to house
its equipment. ITiree walls
have been erected and the
roof is expected to go on this
week.
? Agreed to purchase a
100x306-foot parcc! of land
from David Henderson that
is adjacent to the Wallace
Airport to extend the flight
glide path at the end of the
runway. The property cost
the town $5,100.
? Endorsed a tax incre
ment financing amendment
which will be on the Nov. 2
general election ballot. It is
intended to help cities fi
nance downtown improve
mpnts
? Accepted the annual
audit of the town's finances
from Kenneth Farrior, town
accountant. The audit
showed revenues increased
$103,658 over last year;
showed a $20,853 surplus as
of June 30; current assets of
$700,850.95; non-current
assets of $2,903,235.51 and
funds for retirement of long
term debts of $294,000; total
assets $3,898,086.46. an in
crease over last year of
$61,752.98.
? Heard a report on the
town's tax collection status.
The town's tax tiilliogs as of
Aug. 1 were $335,118.12.
The town has collected
$77,288.99. leaving a balance
due of $277,829.13.
1
EIGHT POUNDS OF MAK1JUANA CON
FISCATED - Officers of the Duplih County
- drug unit, acting on information received,
arrested two and removed from the market
$2,400 worth of marijuana this past week
end. The Marijuana was scheduled to be
sold in Duplin County according to the drug
unit officers. Arrested were Jerry Dean
Crouse. 28, of 212 South Drum Street,
Uncolnton, N.C. and Clyde Ray Crouse, III,
^ 33, of 714 South Government Street,
9 Linoolnton.Jerry Dean TTrouse was charged
with possession of maftjuana with the intent
to sell and deliver, felonious possession of
r
LSD, speeding 80 miles an hour in a 45 zone,
no operator's license, failing to stop for a
blue light and sirens, as well as speeding 15
miles an hour above the speed limit to elude*
arrest. He was in the Duplin County Jail
under a $30,000 bond on Monday. Clyde Ray
Crouse, III, was charged with possession of
marijuana with the intent to sell and deliver
and carrying a concealed weapon. He is
under a $20,000 bond. Officers assisting in
the arrest were Glenn Jernigan (pictured
above), Kenneth Savage, Joe Reynolds and
John Connerly.
f
Kenansville Area Chamber
Of Commerce
Plans Big Auction
The Kenansville Area
Chamber of Commerce has
planned an auction on Oct.
23rd beginning at 6 p.m. on
the grounds in front of the
Farrior House, between the
two banks in Kenansville.
Along with the auction there
will be a flea market all day
prior to the auction. The
space will be roped off and
^ spaces will be rented for $5
each. Davey Thomas has
accepted the chairmanship of
the auction and serving with
him will be Doc Brinson,
Richard Harrell, Carey Wil
liams Jr.. Brenda Thorpe and
Alice Rich. Davey and Alice
will serve as the auctioneers.
The collecting places for
T
the auction items will be the
Kenansville Town Hall and
Kenansville Drug Store. If
possible, do not bring the
items until Friday, Oct. 22.
However, you may bring
them at any time during the
hours the collecting places
are open.
Ann Craft and Doc Brinson
have accepted again the
chairmanship of "Twelve
Days of Christmas, 1982."
Approximately 20,000
Kenansville brochures have
been distributed throughout,
the state. The Welcome
Centers have called or
written for more several
times during the vacation
period.
Three new members have
joined the Chamber this
year. They are: Eula's
Famous Hot Dogs, The In
gram House and The General
Store. They are welcomed as
Kenansville's new busi
nesses, and the Chamber
wishes them success.
The Kenansville Area
Chamber of Commerce
volunteered to handle the
parking at the 1982 Duplin
County Agribusiness Fair.
George Garner, crime pre
vention and control instruc
tor at JSTC, handled this for
the Chamber. He did an out
standing job and he and the
young people who assisted
him are to be thanked and
praised for a job well done.
>1