PROGRESS SENTINEL
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VOL. XXXXV11 NO 28 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILLE, NC 28349 JULY 12. 1984 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Hundreds Of People Attend Plantation Day In Kenansville.
Planlalion Day on the grounds of Liberty Hall in Kenansville included a
variety of entertainment including music by the local Charlie Albertson Band
and Ocracoke's Gary Mitchell. The excitement included a presentation from
The Liberty Cart outdoor drama fair scene. Refreshments were furnished by
^ Kenansville Chamber of Commerce and the Plantation Day activities
I coordinated by the Duplin County Arts Council. The top photo features
visitors to Plantation Day listening to Gary Mitchell. The bottom photo is a \
late evening view of Liberty Hall after most Plantation Day visitors have
gone. The cart from the outdoor drama, The Liberty Cart, remained along
with some of the guests after Plantation Day activities concluded.
Opening Night Plans
Announced For Drama
The Liberty Cart welcomes the
Cripple Creek Coggers from Burgaw
as pre-show entertainment on open
ing night, July 13. of the outdoor
drama in Kenansville.
The Liberty Cart opens its ninth
.season with the traditional supper
lin-the-pines, July 13 at the William
R. Kenan Memorial Amphitheatre.
Supper-in-the-pines begins at 6:30
p.m., followed by the performance of
the Cripple Creek Coggers on the
stage of the amphitheatre at 7:30.
The opening night performance of
the historical outdoor drama. The
Liberty Cart, begins at 8:15 p.m.
The Liberty Cart welcomes the
Cripple Creek Cloggers back for
their third appearance as pre-show
entertainment at the amphitheatre.
The groups are led by Buck and
Nancy Aycock. The Cripple Creek
Goggers features both adults, and
teens atfd children performing trad
itional. precision and free style
dances. The Cloggers are based at
the Aycocks' studio. Cripple Creek
Corner of Burgaw.
Opening night the Goggers will
present the adult cloggers perform
ing traditional dances. Appearing
with the eight adult doggers
younger members of the group
perfo. ning percision and free style
clogging. Nancy Aycock pointed out
that more than 45 members of the
Cripple Creek Cloggers are residents
of Pender County.
In addition to performances at the
Liberty Cart, the adult group of the
Cloggers have danced at the Wil
mington Azalea Festival and per
formed in a number of states, as well
as locally, and appeared on the
television show Fantasy.
County Cuts Back Summer
1 School Due To Low Enrollment
Duplin County is holding one
summer school session instead of
two this year because of low enrol
lment.
Summer school will be held at
James Kenan High School east of
Warsaw. Plans for a summer session
at East Duplin High School at
Beulaville have been dropped. As
sistant Superintendent Gary Sander
I son said.
Of the 202 students who have
enrolled in summer school, 152 are
enrolled in English, 21 in math
ematics, 18 in history and 11 in
science.
Jimmie Newkirk, a teacher, said
the tuition is not a deterrent to
enrollment.
"Students are more interested
because they are paying and they
should pay because they sat there for
!? ? ? ?.
nine months and didn't take auv
antage of what was offered." New
kirk said.
A limit should be set on absences
from summer school. Newkirk
added. "We handle a normal week's
classwork in one day and if they are
absent three or four days, they
simply can't make up the missed
work and pass."
In other school business this week,
the Duplin County Board of Ed
ucation Tuesday approved hiring in
instructor from James Strunt Tech
nical College part-time to teach an
introductory computer course.
Two computer classes will be
offered next year at James Kenan.
Each class will have room for 16
students.
The teacher will be paid $2,040.
Computer instruction began at
James Kenan last school year and
me ooara oeueves me leacners nave
not had time to prepare for teaching
the course. No tuition will be
charged.
Student insurance will be provided
this school year by Youth Guard
Insurance, handled through the L.E.
Taylor agency of Wilson, the board
decided. The premium will be S9.50
for each student, $39 for education
staff members and $49 for other
school employees.
A house built by the Wallace-Rose
Hill High School vocational classes
will be offered for sale at 10:30 a.m.
July 14, the board decided. The
buyer will have to move the house
from the school grounds
Local Duplin Officials
Head For Seatfle
Twenty-four officials from South
eastern North Carolina attended a
convention in Seattle this past week
end of the National Association of
County Officials.
The conference will bring together
a members of county boards from
across the nation who can share
experiences and allow smaller
* o
counties to learn from ?
takes.
Three Duplin County commis
sioners attended; C.C. Turner, Dovie
Penney, and Allen Nethercutt. Their
round-trip tickets cost $521 each.
Their room rates were $76 nightly.
County Manager Ralph Cottle said
he probably will attend the confer
ence also .j ^ >
Kenansville May Buy Building
For Their First Town Hall
The former Federal land Bank may 1
become KenansvlUe's first town hall. I
i
The Town Board voted last week to f
buy the former Federal Land Bank
building in Kenansville if arrange
ments can be made with the agency.
The building would become
Kenansville's first town hall. The
Town Board now uses space in the 1
fire department. 1
The agency is asking $73,000 for i
the one-story, 2,200-square-foot i
masonry building on N.C. 24 east of
the courthouse square.
The board directed town attorney 1
W.E. Craft to study a payment
method.
The board wants to pay $20,000 ]
immediately and the remaining
$53,000 over three years. Town
officials plan to use the town's I
federal revenue-sharing money to
buy the property.
North Carolina National Bank
offered to lend the town $53,000 at
nine percent interest for three years
with no penalty for early payment.
UCB offered to lend the town the 1
money at 65 percent of the prime 1
rale. The Federal Land Bank offered
the town the money at 13 percent
interest.
Six residents attended the public
iearin? on the proposed purchase.
"Why do you want a building?
What's wrong with where you are
now?" Henry Barnett asked.
"All towns need a town hall," said
Mayor Don Suttlcs. "We've got one
,>ffice for the clerk. We've got one for
the police. The chamber needs
space. We don't have any place to
meet. We don't,even have any place
to put a file cabinet.
"We're meeting in this room at
the convenience of the fire depart
ment," Suttles said. "We have to
schedule our meetings around the
fire department. It's their building.
They control it and rightly so."
"Most places do have a town
hall." said Town Commissioner Earl
Hatcher. "I've been here 30-some
years and I remember when we met
in the back room of a jewelry store.
It's time we move on."
Commissioner Ronnie Bostic
asked: "Is there money to buy
building? Where are we going to ge<<
the money from?"
Clerk Mary Ann Jenkins said the
building can be paid for in three
years using federal revenue-sharing
funds.
"1 would like to see us buy it if we
can afford it, but I would hate to see
us tie up all of our revenue sharing
for the next three years in any
project," Bostic said.
"We've been talking about it for
30 years," Hatcher said. "Revenue
sharing won't continue forever. I
think we should either do it now or
forget it. If we use this revenue
sharing to run the town with and
they cut it off, we'll have one of the
damnedest tax increases you ever
saw or cut what we're doing drasti
cally."
"Kenansville has always had a
make-shift town hall," said Woody
Brinson. a former mayor and town
administrator.
Brinson suggested that moving
town offices from the center of town
might help town growth.
"Everybody can't be in the center
of town," he said. "If you move the
town hall a block down the road
maybe some other businesses will
move a block down the road."
Duplin Hospital Views
Results Of Citizen Survey
wm
The planning committee at Duplin
General Hospital, at its June meet
ing. reviewed the results of the
survey which was mailed to 869
citizens of Duplin County.
A total of 143 questionnaires were
completed and returned. Of those
*?;wending, 50.3% indicated that
a member of their family
been admitted to Duplin Qeneraf
Hospital as an inpatient in the last
five years. 91.2% indicated they
were pleased with the service pro
vided. 94.3% felt that Duplin Gen
eral Hospital employees were court
eous. 93.0% were pleased with the
services provided by nurses. 81.7%
were pleased with services provided
by doctors. 80.3% were pleased with
financial transactions or dealings
with the business office. 72.1% felt
that the hospital was properly equip
ped and staffed. 55.9% indicated
they or a family member had used
the Emergency Room at Duplin
General in the last five years with
73.1% indicating that their exper
ience with the Emergency Room was
satisfactory. 85.2% felt that the
services at Dupliri General needed to
be improved. 82.5% indicated that
their friends or acquaintances have a
good opinion of Duplin General
Hospital. 61.6% indicated that their
friends or acquaintances have a bad
opinion of Duplin General. 92% have
a regular physician and 64.6% of
such physicians have offices in
Duplin County. 85 fi% felt Hut more *
doctors were needed in Duplin
County. 99.3% felt they have a
choice of hospitals if they or a family
member had to be admitted to- a
hospital in the future.
The planning committee, chaired
by Irvin Graham of Wallace, was
designated by the Board of Trustees
to prepare a long-range plan for
Duplin General Hospital. The plan
will identify the mission, role, func
tion, and program of the hospital
within the next five to ten years. In
developing the plan, the planning
committee decided it would consider
the opinions and views of as many
individuals as possible. Input has
been obtained from trustees, phys
icians. hospital employees, and citi
zens of Duplin County. The plan is
scheduled to be completed in July
and presented to the HospitaJ
Trustees at their meeting in August.
The planning committee's makeup
includes the members of the Board
of Trustees representation of the
hospital's r-.edicsil staff, hospital
? 'nt'oistf on and legal cousel.
,. M\. esfte'd. Associate Direct,
of the Confer for Hea'\h Services
Research and Development, School
of Medicine, East Carolina Univer
sity at Greenville, serves as consult
ant for the planning project.
The members of the committee
are: Dr. M. I. Ammar, physician;Dr.
E. L. Boyette, physician and trustee;
Wade Carlton, trustee; Elbert Davis,
trustee; William P. Fennel!, tiustee;
Irvin Graham, trustee, R. E. Harrell,
Hospital administrator; Anne B.
Houston, RN.MSN Director of Nur
sing Services; Carolyn and Charles
Ingram, attorneys; Juanita Krcsch,
trustee; DR. Ed Little, physician;
Allen Nethercutt, trustee; Dr. Oscar
Redwine, physician; Rav Sanderson.
trustee;William D. Thigpen. trustee;
trustee and Victor Tucker, hospital
controller.
Pay Increases Tabled
By Beulaville Commissioners
Beulaville Commissioners tabled
the motion to award five percent pay
raises to town employees during the
July 2 meeting.
After bringing the issue before the
Board. Commissioners Joe Edwards
and S.A. Blizzard withdrew the
motion for a straight five percent
raise to all town employees.
"I think some town employees are
due more than others," S.A.
Blizzard said. He cited responsibility
levels and merit as the basis for pay
raises.
Beulaville Commissioners Elvis
Sumner and Joe Edwards were
appointed to study and make a
recommendation on raises for town
employees at a future meeting of the
Board.
In updating personnel policies, the
Beulaville Commissioners voted four
to one in favor of additional vacation
time for town employees. The new
policy allocates 10 vacation days
annually for personnel employed one
to 10 years, and 15 days maxim each
year after 10 years. Commissioner
Rabon Mareadv amended the motion
first brought before the board by
Blizzard requesting five vacation
days annually for personnel em
ployed one to five years; 10 days, six
to 10 years, 15 days, 11 to 15 years
and a maximum of 20 days per year
after 15 years. Blizzard opposed the
amended vacation policy.
Town personnel had been re
ceiving five vacation days annually
during their first 10 years of service
and a maximum of 10 days per year.
Commissioners renewed town
contracts with Attorney Russell
Lanier and Auditor Doug Clark. The
contract for $1,100 with Lanier was
unanimously approved. A $300 in
crease was requested by Lanier for
the new contract and approved by
the board.
Commissioner Maready opposed
the $2,250 contract with Doug Clark.
The contract with Clark will be
renewed on a four to one vote by the
board.
Following a motion by Maready
the board unanimously approved the
investment of $150,000 in a three
month certificate ol dcpusu with die
Bculaville United Carolina Bank.
Informal contacts with Kenansville
and Richlands North Carolina
National Bank offices and Bculaville
First Citizens and UCB were made
by town clerk Carol Miller for the
current interest rates of each. Beula
ville's UCB offered the best rate for
three-month certificates of deposit at
11.40 percent.
In order to connect to the Beula
ville sewer system Anthony Ramson
was instructed he would be required
to purchase pipe to hook on and pay
a tap fee. Bculaville public works
employees would install the pipe on
town right-of-way. The tap fee and
pipe were estimated to total more
than S800.
Commissioner Maready dis
agreed with the ordinance requiring
Ramson to pay a tap fee and the cost
of extending lines for sewer service
to his residence.
"I agree we (Beulaville Com
missioners) have to go by the ordi
nance. but 1 think in this case the
ordinance has outlived itself,"
Maready said.
?
Duplin commissioners lap runas 10
Pay Telephone Access Fee
county will have to pay a *?. 75 per
month access fee on all but one of the
county's telephones. The cost will be
$3,180 per year.
The board directed County Fi
nance Officer Russell Tucker and
County Manager Ralph Cottle to
study the feasibility of the county's
purchasing a central telephone
system for all county offices. With
such a system the number of
telephone lines into county offices
cou^l be reduced.
The first amendment to the 1984
85 Duplin County budget came last
week on the first business day of the
fiscal year. July 1st.
The Board of Commissioners
amended the budget to take $3,180
from the contingency fund and add it
to the telephone fund.
Carolina Telephone & Telegraph
Co. of Tarbi ro, which serves Duplin
and much of eastern North Carolina,
informed the commissioners that the
Fourteen telephone lines come
into the courthouse. Additional lines
serve the law enforcement center,
emergency services department,
agricultural extension service, social
services, library, maintenance and
vices, library, maintenance and
health departments and airport. '
In other business, the board
agreed in a split vote to write a letter
to state and federal agencies stating
the county's need for the service of
Plainview Health Center at Green
evers. Voting to write the letter were
Commissioners W.J. Costin, Dovie
Penney, D.J. Fussell and Calvin
Coolige Turner.
Referring to a former Plainview
physician's oefusal to,cooperate
with Duplin General Hospital, Com
missioner Allen Nethercutt said, "I
would only vote for it if there was a (
stipulation that they would support
Duplin General Hospital."