PROGRESS SENTINEL
VOL. XXXXV111 NO. 21 . ? USPS 162-860 KENANSV1LLE, NC 28349 MAY 23.1985 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Architect Model Of The Addition To Social Services Building
?his model was presented to the county commissioners
Nlonday by Architect Herb McKim of the firm Ballard,
McKim and Sawyer of Wilmington. The new addition
will be three stories high with 14,250-square-feet of
space and cost an estimated $800,000. The new
addition will be built to the front of the existing
structure, and be connected by a hallway,
passageway. Construction plans were presented to the
count;' commissioners for their approval.
Duplin Educators Say
?Schools Are Cut Short
Duplin County school officials
insisted this past week that county
officials should rearrange their
financial priorities to provide the
school system with the $631,000
budget increase it is seeking for the
fiscal year.
~"Sc!SV>ol officials say they are not ?"
asking for a tax increase, but for a
ijreater share of the county's in
^ome. They do not suggest what
other county services should be
slashed to release the money.
A James Kenan High School dis
trict meeting last week at the
Warsaw Elementary School was
attended by about 40 people, 10 of
whom were school employees or
officials. School administrators are
holding similar meetings throughout
the county.
The high school district takes in
^Warsaw Elementary and Junior
High schools, Kenansville Elemen
tary and E.E. Smith Junior High
schools of Kenansville and the Mag
nolia ninth graders who attend E.E.
Smith.
"It seems that education is on the
low end of the totem pole as far as
funding goes from the County Com
missioners," said Bill Taylor, James
Kenan principal.
"The Board of Education doesn't
believe the commissioners put the
right priorities on education," said
Superintendent L.S. Guy. "The
Board of Education ^believes people
of the county want education given a
higher priority. Therefore we're
going from district to district to
discuss the proposed budget with the
people."
The school system is asking for
$3,314,000, an increase of $631,000
or 23 percent over the current
budget. The proposed budget pro
vides $154,745 for a 10 percent pay
increase for county-paid school em
ployees. State-paid employees are
expecU a *o receive the same in
crease.
The requested budget increase
equals 9.6 cents per $100 of property
tax levy. Each cent of Duplin County
property tax brings in $65,988. The
present county tax rate is 75 cents
per $100 assessed valuation.
"We're not trying to pressure the
County Commissioners. We just
want to tell the people what's in the
budget. It's not to create pressure. If
the people believe our budget has
credibility, we want them to let the
County Commissioners know. But
it's not to turn the screws on the
? commissioners," Gjiy said.
*'? Guy has said the school system is
not asking for a tax increase but he
declines to suggest cuts that could be
made in general county services to
fund the school budget increase.
When he presented the school
system's proposed budget to the
County Commissioner- April 24, Guy
urged the Commissioners to change
priorities.
Commissioner D.J. Fussell at that
time asked Guy, "Where would you
take this money from to give to
schools?"
Guy responded, "I wouldn't touch
that with a 10-foot pole. You are the
ones to set priorities."
The system has about 8,300 stu
dents. The budget request amounts
to $406 per student from county
funds. In 1983-84 school year the
county spent $311.42 per student.
Governor Martin Vows
Again To Let 1-40 Contracts
Governor Jim Martin repeated his
pledge to get the Interstate 40
extension completed in reasonable
time during his appearance last week
at the Duplin Municipal Associa
tion's May meeting.
"1-40 is the only road I promised,
and I'll get it done. . .We'll get every
mile under contract this term."
The stretch from N.C. 132 at
Gordon Road in New Hanover
County to N.C. 210 at Rock Point is
nearing completion. Contracts have
been awarded and construction be
gun on another stretch of the high
way in northern Pender and Duplin
counties.
About 200 people attended the
meeting. Melvin Pope, a Magnolia
town board member, introduced the
governor.
Martin urged support for his effort
te eliminate the intangibles tax,
inventory tax and state sales tax on
food and non-prescription drugs,
saying that natural growth in the
state's income will more than make
up the lost money. He said his plans
incltf Je making up the lost money to
towns and counties from sate funds.
Only one-fourth of the anticipated
growth income will be required to
replace the lost money, he said,
leaving three-fourths for schools and
other services.
He said he expects the General
Assembly to come out with a com
promise package on taxes that might
include some relief from the inheri
tance tax, so that when a father dies
a son or daughter can take over a
small farm without having to sell it.
This is also a problem for many small
businesses, Martin said.
The inventory tax costs the state
jobs and other tax money, he said.
Th<?. kjuvernor said Rite-Aid Drug
Stores' and Kroger supermarkets
built big warehouses in South Caro
lina instead of North Carolina be
cause of the inventory tax in North
Carolina. South Carolina does not tax
inventories.
Xerox also built a new facility in
South Carolina instead of North
Carolina because of the inventory
tax, Martin said.
He said American Express, which
built a large facility in North Caro
lina, has no inventory to be taxed.
Brockway Glass of Pennsylvania
had chosen North Carolina for a
plant site, Martin said, until it found
out about inventory tax from Florida
promoters and went to that state
instead.
Martin said there has been growth
in North Carolina, but mostly in the
Piedmont. It has not been that great
in this area, he said. Unemployment
is highest in the rural border
counties, except for those that adjoin
Virginia. People in those counties
are working in the Norfolk-Virginia
Beach area. "We're not getting jobs
for our people," he said.
He said he was glad Sen. Harold
Hardison and Rep. Wendell Murphy
called on him to help settle some of
the problems connected with getting
a new turkey processing plant in
northern Duplin started. He helped
break ground for the plant May 6.
mm ?
Governor Jim Martin Talks With Warsaw
Businessman Milford Quinn In Duplin
Bill Would Upgrade
Sprunt's Level
A bill to grant community college
status to James Sprunt Technical
College was introduced Friday in the
state House of Representatives by
Rep. Wendell Murphy.
The N.C. Board of Community
Colleges recommended that status
for James Sprunt and for Durham
Technical Institute during its
meeting May 9. The legislature has
the final say.
The board also decided not to
accept any more applications for
community college status pending
completion of a six-month review of
institutions inthe system.
Murphy's bill, H-1237, would limit
the college transfer program to no
more than 10 percent of the school's
total student credit house. For
example, if 700 students were taking
15,000 course credit house, the
college transfer program could enroll
students taking a total of no more
than 1,500 course credit hours.
Community college status would
give students the ability to receive
transfer credits for their work in the
community colelge when enrolling in
four-year colleges. JSTC students
now can receive transfer credits only
from the University of North Caro
lina at Wilmignton, which has a
contract with the college to provide
college transfer instruction.
The state community college
system comprises 24 community
colleges. 29 technical colleges and
five technical institutes.
Naval
Academy
Appointment
Congressman C . rlie Whitley an
nounced that Douglas Allen Rogers
of Rose Hill has been offered an
appointment to the U.S. Naval
Academy at Annapolis, Md. for
undergraduate study as a member of
the class of 1989.
Rogers is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
George Rogers of Rose Hill. He isi a
1984 graduate of Wallace-Rose Hill
High School and is presently a
student at the Naval Academy
Preparatory School at Newport, R.I.
As a student at Wallace-Rose Hill
High School, Rogers was a member
of the varsity football, basketball and
track teams, student council.
National Honor Society, Spanish
Club and Spanish Honor Society,
Math Club (vice-president) and he
served as a junior marshal.
"1 am very pleased that the Navy
shares my opinion of Douglas'
leadership potential." Whitley said.
"I nominated him on the basis of his
scholastic achievements, excellent
reputation and leadership record,
and I believe he will be an out
standing cadet and Naval officer."
.Cowan Museum Takes A Look At Yesteryear
Want to see what pulled great
granddaddy's teeth? Want to hear
great-grandmama's favorite tunes
on her up-to-the-minute 1898 Edison
phonograph?
These are among more than 1,200
.exhibits in the Cowan Museum, now
housed in the Kelly-Farrior House in
Kenansville.
The grand opening of the Jo Ann
Cowan Brown Museum and the
^Kelly-Farrior House restoration was
^held Sunday, May 19th.
George and 11a Cowan have driven
more than 500.000 miles and spent
thousands of dollars in the past two
decades collecting farm and home
artifacts of the 18th, 19th and early
20th centuries. They began assemb
ling the collection as a hobby at their
home in the Cedar Fork community
of southeastern Duplin County.
In 1982 they donated the collection
to Duplin County in memory of their
0 daughter, Jo Ann Cowan Brown,
who was killed in 1973 in an automo
bile accident. It was housed in rooms
on the ground floor of the county
agricultural building in Kenansville
' from 1981 until this spring.
The Kelly-Farrior House, an early
1800s frame structure, was moved to
its present site, adjacent to Liberty
Hall, the ancestral home of the
Kenan family, and renovated to
house the museum. The house is a
"museum" of early 19th-century
P construction methods.
The Cowans act as curators of the
museum. Cowan describes the uses
of hundreds of tools and equipment
used by generations of rural people.
They are continuing to add to the
collection, making several trips each
year in their search. They have found
the exhibits in many states and
many N.C. communities.
"We generally make four or five
trips nortn and one out west every
P year," Cowan said. "We've been up
to Canada and out to the Dakotas.
"We used to buy everything that
everyone said 'belonged to
Grandma,' but we soon found that
wasn't the right thing to do and
started studying."
An example of their smart buying
is a foot-powered scroll saw of the
type used to create much of the
"gingerbread" adorning Victorian
houses. "We bought it for $150.
Catalogs list it for $650," Cowan
said.
mmmr ' /*m
Outbuildings are being prepared
to display some rural artifacts. A
pioneer log cabin has been moved to
the grounds from the James Sprunt
Technical College campus.
Over in a shady corner, a visitor
might beware of "Snuffy Smith"
trying to protect his moonshine still
from "revenuers."
A cane syrup mill is being set up
on the grounds.
"We've had just over a thousand
to visit in just over the month we've
been in here. Thev include several
schools tours," Cowan said.
The old saying "Adam delved and
Eve span" has a variation here.
Cowan has learned to spin to
demonstrate several century-or
more-old spinning wheels.
A successor to hand scrubbing
laundry is the 1886-model washing
machine with a lever the wash
woman used to spin the washer
blades.
Turpentine, carpenter, barrel,
shingle and chopping tools cover
several walls. "You don't know what
this was for" is a favorite comment
of Cowan's as puzzled visitors look
at some strange-looking device that
had a purpose when hand-powered
equipment was the rule.
WS3B'
Cut Ribbon During Grand Oponing
The Jo Ann Cowan Brown Museum Collection and the Kelly-Farrior
Restoration grand opening was held May 19 in Ken<tnsville. Guest speakers
were Senator Harold Hardison of Deep Run and Tom Kenan III of Chapel
Hill. The Cowan artifacts were donated to Duplin County in 1981 by George
tiwfi fin r (rtt-on rsf PorV Th<* K" -?? Motive ^
*
1 I
County in 198^by United Carolina Bank and designated as the future home of
the Cowan Collection. Pictured above, cutting the ribbon to the
Kelly-Farrior/Cowan Museum, left to right, are Duplin County Chairman of
the Board of Education Carl Pate, Ila Cfwan, George Cowan, and Chairman
rt tiw Dunlin Ccmntv Board of Commisrionort Calvin Turner.
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