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PROGRESS SENTINEL
? VOL. XXXXVU NO. 24 USPS 162-860 KENANSV1LLE, NC 28349 JUNE 14.1984 14 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Kenansville Rati ring Police Chief Honored
^ Tyson Bostic served the town of Kenansville 20 years as
police chief and five years as a public works director.
Last week the Kenansville town board and former
commissioners and mayors honored Bostic with a
retirement dinner. The Rev. Lauren Sharpe was the
guest speaker. While serving as mayor of Kenansville,
Sharpe hired Bostic to work for the town. Bostic was
presented a resolution of appreciation for his dedication
to the town of Kenansville as police chief. Earl Hatcher,
current mayor pro tem of the Kenansville Board of town
Commissioners, presented the resolution ? John Hall, a
former member of the town board, and Woody Brinson,
former mayor, presented Bostic with his badge and
gun. Pictured above, the incumbent Kenansville Mayor
Don Suttles, retiring police chief Tyson Bostic and
Mayor pro tem Earl Hatcher.
? Faison Budget Calls For
No Tax Hike In 1984-85
While the 1984-85 Faison town
I budget passed by the Board of
Commissioners at the Ttine
a meeting calls for no tax hike, an
I? increase in water and sewer rates
was approved.
The town of Faison currently has
the lowest tax rate in Duplin munici
palities. The town's rate is 57 cents
per ,$100 evaluation. Along with the
lowest tax rate, the town's water and
sewer fees are among the cheapest
in Duplin municipalities. The town's
present minimum water fee is $4.75
for up to. 3,000 gallons and the sewer
charges are $1.20 per 1,000 gallons.
A Effective July 1, with the newly
adopted town budget totaling
$310,285, Faison's water rates for up
to 3,000 gallons of water will be $5
and the sewer minimum charge for
up to.4,000 gallons will cost $4.50.
Along with the increase in water
and sewer rates in the 1984-85
B . budget, Faison commissioners
approved an overall salary increase
of five percent for town employees.
Survey maps were presented to
the town board for the. annexation of
about five acres of property off
Winnifred Street and the Faison
Cemetery for the perpetual care
project. Faison Town Attorney Gar
rett Ludlum was instructed to begin
legal procedures in the annexation
project. Commissioner Jane
Hollingsworth reported the cemetery
project would be ready to submit to
the town board at the July meeting.
Ludlum was given four names of
Faison citizens not abiding by the
town sewer use ordinance. Accord
ing to the town ordinance Faison
residents with sewer lines running
by their homes must connect to the
system and pay fees. Ludlum was
instructed to have letters sent to the
four residents in violation of the
ordinance and request connection to
the town sewer system.
Faison Commissioner Jane Hol
lingsworth presented estimates for
street improvements to the town
board. Streets included on <be ^
1* i.irUv .u>t for improvements during
the up-coming budget year were
Fourth, Hill. South Williams, Ellis
and Precythe. Among the top prio
rities of the Board is Fourth Street
and due to an incomplete estimate on
the repair work, no decision was
made to begin the project. The total
estimates submitted for work on the
streets was $27,895 and the town
expects to have $32,000 budget for
repair and improvements to town
roads during 1984-85. Currently only
$18,000 is on hand. An additional
$15,000 of revenue sharing funds is
expected in October for use in street
paving and repairs.
The Board approved a motion to
grant Faison Clerk Hazel Kelly th** ?
authority to accept or refuse check,
for payment of fees for town ser
vices. The motion came as a result of
a series of worthless checks written
to the town of Faison.
*Beu!aville Town Budget
| Calls For No Increases
g
Beuiaville Commissioners ap
proved a $505,400 budget for 1984
85 during the June 4 meeting of the
r Board. No increase in taxes, or water
w and sewer rates was included in the
I budget.
The new budget was approved
with funds available for overall
salary increases of 4.5 percent for
Beuiaville town employees.
However, the Board did not move to
award the raises when approving the
new budget.
Beulaville's current tax rate is 60
cents per $100 evaluation. Rates for
water and sewer services are $1.26
per 1,000 gallons.
The Commissioners approved a
two-year contract for the town ac
count with First Citizens Bank.
Currently the town banks with First
Citizens. Bidding for the account
were First Citizens and United
Carolina Bank. According to Beula
ville Town Auditor Doug Clark, the
bank . bids only differed on the
minimum required in the checking
account. UCB requested a checking
minimum of $23,200 while First
Citizens required $6,000. Commis
sioners also unanimously approved a
motion to place $150,000 in certi
ficates of deposit for the next six
months.
In other business, the Board voted
to pay Leo Jarman $475 to settle the
cost of repainting his two auto
mobiles. Jarman's autos were
spotted when the Beulaville public
works department painted a building
near the Jarman home on a windy
day.
The purchase of a back wash pump
was approved by the board. Com
missioners allocated $6,000 for the
purchase and installation of the
pump. The pump will be connected
to the sewage treatment plant fil
tration system.
Carl Pate was reappointed as
Beulaville's representative on the
Duplin County Airport Board.
According to a report to Com
missioners from the Beulaville Town
Library, more than 3,000 books are
now available for check-out, along
with records, films and some maga
zines and newspapers. Since the
town library reopened, its lowest
daily attendance has been 11 people
and the highest 28. The lowest daily
check-out of books has been 10 and
the highest, 95. The library is open
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
The Board received one bid on the
1980 police car advertised for sale.
James M. Williams submitted a bid
of SI,002. Upset bids for the auto
mobile will be received before the
final sale.
Summer School Dotes Set
? In Duplin County Schools
I For the first time, the Duplin
County school system will operate
summer school for atudents in
grades nine through 12 in two
locations.
The Board of Education agreed
last week to open summer school
XI June 18 and close July 13. Sessions
will be held at James Kenan and
A East Duplin high schools.
Another first will be the imposition
of a MO tuition fee to cover the
||, county 'a costs of paying teachers.
Stude^s may register for summer
schools from 9 a.m. to noon June 14
in the James Kenan school cafeteria
and East Duplin school library.
Gary Sanderson, assistant super
intendent, said the summer sessions
are designed for students needing
remedial or makeup work. Except for
seniors needing to complete require
ments for graduation, the session is
not designed for students wanting to
take new courses.
Students will have to furnish their
own transportation, since no school
buses will operate, Sarfljprson said.
A fine arts class will be available
to potential 1985 North Carolina
Scholars if enough students sign up
for it. The class is suggested for
students who need such a course to
meet the requirements for the
scholars program, Sanderson said.
Sanderson estimated that 300 to
400 students, about twice the usual
number, will attend the summer
sessions. Sanderson attributed the
expected increase to the stiffened
requirements for high school gradu
ation.
Muddy Creek Bid
To Be Reviewed
A.D. McLamb & Son Construction
Co. of Shallotte last week submitted
the lowest bid for Phase 2 work in the
Muddy Creek watershed project in
eastern Duplin County.
The bid of $212,242.50 will be
reviewed by state soil conservation
service officials in Raleigh. Kenneth
Futreal, Duplin district soil conser
vationist, said that if everything is in
order, a contract will be awarded in
about a month.
The second phase of the water
shed project includes 6.78 miles of
channel clearing and deepening in
Muddy Creek and 9.29 miles of
channel clearing and restoration in
smaller branches feeding into
Muddy Creek. These are called
"laterals" in project terminology.
The main channel work will be on
Muddy Creek from N.C. 41 a mile
northeast of Chinquapin to about a
mile southeast of Beulaville.
Channel improvement in Muddy
CrwIf from N C 41 tn where the
creek flows into the Northeast Cape
Fear River about l'/i miles west of
Chinquapin made up the first phase
of the project. That work has been
completed at a cost of $73,500.
Futreal expects construction on
the second phase to begin Aug. 1,
the earliest that channel improve
ment work can start because of
environmental considerations. Such
work is banned from March to
August because it endangers fish
propagation.
The McLamb bid calls for
$190,867.50 for channel restoration
at $2.25 a lineal foot, $4,000 for eight
sediment basins at $500 apiece,
$14,237 for loose rock rip-rapping at
$62,50 a ton and $3,000 for assemb
ling equipment to start the work.
Sediment basins are deep spots in
the channel to permit silt to settle.
They can be cleaned out periodically.
The silt otherwise would gradually
fill in the channel.
Other bidders were R. Jerry Mc
Lamb Construction Co. of Shallotte,
$239,678.40; Carlisle Bulldozing Co.
of Autryville, $236,647.10; Phelps &
White of Windsor, $250,341; Rob
binsville Construction Co. of Rob
binsville, $277,757; and Mac Con
struction Co. of Shallotte,
$292,931.50.
Bids were opened in the commis
sioners' room of the Duplin County
Courthouse in Kenansville by Calvin
Mercer, chairman of the Duplin
County Soil and Water Conservation
District.
Futreal said design work should be
completed on the third phase of the
Muddy Creek project by late next
winter so contracts can be awarded
in the spring of 1985. That phase will
include 35-40 miles of lateral im
provement or construction.
He estimated the cost of the entire
watershed project at $500,000 to
$600,000.
Duplin Board Approves
Budaet For 1984-85
^ ? -
A budget of $10,698,551 for
Duplin County in fiscal 1984-85 was
approved last week by the county
board of commissioners.
The property tax rate will remain
at 75 cents per $100 assessed
valuation.
The approved budget is an in
crease of $1,981,343, or 22 percent,
over the 1983-84 budget of
$8,717,208.
An estimated $865,000 from
federal revenue sharing money and
$(>00,000 from the new half-cent local
sales tax are included In the new
budget. These are both new sources
of revenue, not included in the
1983-84 budget. They make up
nearly $1.5 million of the increase.
Income from the county property
tax is estimated at $4,993,990, based
on a-95 percent collection rate. The
county received $4,837,875 from
property taxes for the 1983-84 fiscal
year.
Residents of the Oakwolfe Fire
District will pay an additional six
cents per $100 assessed valuation for
an estimated total of $8,404 to
support the fire department.
The board pared $955,629 from
the proposed budget submitted by
the county manager, Ralph Cottle.
The school system will receive
$2,100,000 for current expense com
pared with $1,890,586 last year. The
board of education requested
$2,709,400. A school capital outlay
appropriation of $335,000 was ap
proved, compared with $200,000 last
year. The board appropriated
$420,631 from the half-cent sales tax
for a school capital outlay reserve
fund. The fund already included
$100,000 appropriated by the com
missioners two years ago.
By a split vote, the board approved
$103,268 for the Duplin-Sampson
Area Mental Health Department,
compared with $96,500 last year.
Earlier, the board had agreed to
keep the appropriation at last year's
level. Commissioners W.J. Costin.
Calvin Coolidge Turner and Dovie
Penney voted for the increased
appropriation. Commissioners Allen
Nethercutt and D.J. Fussell ab
stained. An abstention is considered
a "yes" vote, but commissioners can
express their displeasure by ab
staining.
Nethercutt thev ch(..t ,au _o?.*
plained after the vote: "We don't
stick to nothing. We do it one time
and then change the next day. I don't
know where we stand."
The new budget provides $150,000
for Duplin General Hospital at
Kenansville compared with $75,000
last year.
Some other appropriations are:
? $120,000 for a si* percent
across-the-board pay increase for the
county's 235 employees. No general
increase was approved last year.
? $178,000 for watershed drain
age projects.
? $312,000 for James Sprunt
Technical Collge current expense,
compared with $282,550 last year,
and $100,000 for capital outlay,
c 'mpared w'.h $46,364. A 550.000
reserve fund also was appropriated.
? An increase of $50 a month to
county fire and rescue units.
? $270,000 for county capital
outlay. Among items are five cars for
the sheriff's department.
Duplin Voters Pick Winners
In Tuesdays second primary, 5,418
Duplin County voters went to the
polls with the majority of votes going
with the winners statewide.
Attorney General Rufus Edmisten
received 3,358 votes, while Eddie
Knox received 2,012. Edmisten, the
winner in Duplin and statewide,
received 51.9 percent of the vote. In
Duplin County, he won in 17 of
Duplin's 20 precincts. Knox was the
winnef "in Rbse Hill, Rockfish and
Charity.
In other returns, N.O. Commis
sioner of Labor, incumbent John
Brooks was the clear winner with
3,436 votes to Richard Barnes' 1,428.
Brooks was the state winner as well.
Duplin County Republicans picked
John Carrington for lieutenant
governor with 49 votes while Frank
Jordan got 39 votes. Carrington was
the state winner.
In November, Rufus Edmisten will
face Republican challenger Jim
Martin for governor. In the lieuten
ant-governor race it will be Bob
Jordan, the Democrat, against the
Reoublican, Jim Carrington.
No Land? No Sale,
Says Duplin County Board
The case of a man who bought
"nothing" for $250 came before the
Duplin County Board of Commis
sioners in Kenansville this past
week.
The board agreed to return the
man's $250 plus $15.75 he had paid
in property taxes.
The case began in 1979, when
Charles Newkirk bought a lot from
the county in a sheriff's tax sale "at
the courthouse door."
As usual in such cases, the buyer
was issued a deed without warranty,
meaning the county guaranteed
nothing described in the deed.
Newkirk paid $250 but never had
the title searched or the land
surveyed. After paying taxes of
$5.25 a year on the property for three
years, he found he had a deed to
apparently non-existent property.
"All I own is a piece of paper and 1
have $1,600 tied up in it," he told the
board.
After making the purchase. New
kirk said, he paid off a $J00 lien "to a
dollar-down company."
County attorney Kusseii Lanier
said that apparently the property
supposedly involved in the deed had
been double-deeded and double
listed.
Commissioner D.J. Fussell com
mented, "1 don't see how we can sell
the man nothing."
With that, the board agreed to
return Newkirk's money.
New Kenansville
Town Budget
Figured At
Old Prices
The Kenansville Town Baord will
meet at 7:30 p.m. June 13 to adopt
its 1984-85 budget.
The board tentatively approved a
budget of $362,687 last week. Under
the tentative budget, the tax rate,
water and sewer rate and garbage
collection fees will remain the same
as in the present budget year.
The board also approved an an
nual salary of $14,000 for its new
police chief, Glenn Braswell. Byron
Thomas, 26, of Bculaville, was hired
as a police officer at an annual salary
of $10,500.
The proposed 1984-85 general
fut d of $201,006 includes $61.032 for
administration, $46,751 for police,
$12,100 for the fire department,
$56,525 for streets, $23,448 for sani
tation and $1,150 for cemetery
expense.
Revenue sharing is estimated at
$45,780 including $19,800 in fund
balance. Of the total, $25,000 is
being set aside for purchase or
construction of a town hall, $7,550
for a leased garbage truck, $3,500 for
water treatment laboratory repairs,
$1,500 for equipment, $5,230 for
miscellaneous and $3,000 for the
park fund. A ten percent across-the
board or cost-of-living salary
increase for town employees was
apiffoved.
Plantation uay 10 Feature
A Variety Of Music
uupnn county resiaents are in tor
a musical treat on Sunday afternoon.
July 8. In celebration of the summer
time, open house at Liberty Hall and
the Duplin County recognition of the
NC 400th, Plantation Day will be a
public event sponsored by the Duplin
County Arts Council, United
Carolina Bank, and seven other
organizations in the county.
The music will be provided by
several groups. The Charlie Albert
son Show will be a featured at
traction as will the Joe Pierce Family
Band. The latter comes from Rich
lands and features an old-timey
sound and a wide variety of acoustic
instruments such as guitar, auto
harp, banjo and fiddl^Albert son's
group is a Duplin flPtorife with
lummy, swing ana cuuniry-roc*
favorites in their repertoire.
In addition, Gary Mitchell and
Julia Howard from Ocracoke Island
will be presenting sets of sea
chanteys and sailors' tunes. These
are the result of the couple's
research to find tunes that might
have been sung by or about the
pirates and seamen who sailed the
coast during the times of early
discovery and settlement attempts..
One other source of music and
talent for the afternoon will be the
cast of the Liberty Cart.
The free concert will be from 3-7
p.m., Sunday, July 8 jn the grounds
of Liberty Hall in Kenansv'.lle.