PROGRESS SENTINEL
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VOL. XXXXVlll NO. 30 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 JULY 25. 1985 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
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Ibuplin To Cut School Cost
The Duplin County Board ot
Education will hire a technician as
soon as possible to maintain type
writers and possibly computers in a
cost-cutting move.
Superintendent L.S. Guy told the
board during a special meeting last
?pek that the cost of maintaining
j^iis equipment will be less if the
; school system hires a technician
rather than contracting the work out
| as it has done.
The board also agreed to choose
an architectural firm at its Aug. 6
' meeting for improvements at James
Kenan High School east of Warsaw
on N.C. 24-50.
It heard presentations from Herb
McKim, a partner in the Wilmington
^Krm of Ballard, McKim and Sawyer; ?
^res McClure of McClure NBBJ Inc.
of Raleigh; and Leslie N. Boney of
Boney Architects of Wilmington.
The board approved use of 1,520
square feet of property at the North
Duplin schools by the state Depart
ment of Transportation for a bridge
over Crow Goshen Creek.
Guy told the board the school
system owns 636 typewriters and 264
computers. At least 382 typewriters
must be operating in classrooms
during the school year and 126 in
administrative offices, he said.
He said the system has been con
tracting for maintenance at SIS,000
to S16.000 a year plus parts. He said
Commercial Office Machines of
Clinton had bid $16,000 for the work
but last month announced it was
dropping its bid and quitting the
service business.
Guy said the system has several
makes of typewriters and each
company will service only its
products. Another problem, he said,
is that the equipment is at 17 sites,
creating mileage and time problems.
Service contracts covering indivi
dual machines would range from S60
to $150 each per vear. he said. The
cost at the lowest figure would be
$30,480 per year and at the highest,
$76,200.
He said a technician could be hired
for $16,618 per year in salary plus
Social Security and fringe benefits ?
a total of $20,520 pet year. He
estimated the job would require
driving 235 miles a week at 20.5
cents a mile or $2,505 a year. Repair
parts would cost about $3,000. The
total annual investment would be
$26,025.
Guy said the technician could be
taught to maintain the computers.
The board received a high bid of
$28,000 from Bill English of Wallace
for the house built by vocational
class students of Wallace-Rose Hill
High School. The house, built on the
school campus, must be moved.
Upset bids may be made at the law
office of Phillips and Phillips in
Kenansville for 10 days.
Poison Gas At Wallace Plant
State Labor Department investi
fjitor's spent most of Thursday
unting the source of toxic gas that
sickened some 35 workers at the
Beatrice Meats Inc. turkey process
ing plant in Wallace.
Duplin County Emergency Ser
vices Director Hiram Brinson said
officials had not found the source.
Investigators still do not know for
certain what kind of gas escaped, but
Brinson said it was probably chlorine
or ammonia.
f Early Thursday, the Beatrice cor
rate office in Chicago issued a
statement that said the incident
posted no danger to the plant or
community.
The statement acknowledged that
at about 2 p.m. Wednesday, workers
"complained of runny noses, eye
irritation and tightness in the
chest."
~^fJ?remployees, all working in one
of the plant's cut-up rooms, also
^offered nausea, vomiting, head
V'hes, coughing, dizziness and
sleepiness, hospital officials said.
Soon after the ailments were re
ported, plant managers evacuated 50
fto 60 workers from the area of the
cut-up room. County rescue squads
were called to transport victims to
i hospitals in Duplin and Pender
j counties.
The Wallace Fire Department was
summoned. Chief Thomas Townsend
?aid firefighters are trained to
?handle toxic gas leaks. He said a
(' team wearing protective clothing
entered the cut-up room Wednesday
but found no traces of chlorine or
ammonia gas.
I' Townsend said he was prepared to
evacuate the plant and anyone living
I ? '
nearby rather than attempt to con
tain the leak if it spread. No houses
are next to the facility, Brinson said.
At least 35 employees were
treated and hospitalized"tor over
night observation at Duplin County
General and Pender Memorial hos
pitals. AH of the 15 people admitted
at Pender Memorial Wednesday
were discharged Thursday, Adminis
trator James Hatcher said.
Most of the 19 workers admitted at
Duplin County General were dis
charged Thursday, said supervisor
Barbara Pulley. However, two more
employees were admitted Thursday.
She aaid they apparently didn't
develop symptoms until several
hours after the incident.
Only the cut-up room where the
injuries occurred was isolated Wed
nesday while emergency teams
moved in. The rest t* the plant's
operation continued; employees ar
riving for the late shift were allowed
to work, plant officials said.
Though the investigation is not
over, chlorine and ammonia are
suspected in the leak because they
are the only two substances known to
be used at the plant that could cause
the symptoms workers suffered,
Brinson said.
He said a chlorine leak is more
likely because ammonia has a dis
tinctive odor that was not detected.
Brinson said chlorine is used in the
water supply to purify birds during
processing. He said it is also used for
cleaning. Brinson theorized that
strong vapors may have been
released from a chlorine and water
mixture that had too much chlorine.
Chlorine, however, is not in con
stant use during the plant's routine
operation, he said. An outdoor valve
on the chlorine supply line to the
cut-up room where workers were
injured had been closed Wednesday
morning, he said.
Chlorine containers are outride
the building, he said. The chemical
enters the cut-up room through a
small supply line. Brinson said no
leaks have been detected along the
line.
Foul Gas At Wallace
Plant Was Chlorine
Chlorine gas sent workers at the
Beatrice Food-, tufkey plant at
Wallace to hospitals last Wednes
day, Duplin County Emergency Ser
vices Coordinator Hiram Brinson re
ported Monday.
He told the Duplin County Com
missioners that how the gas leaked
into the affected section erf the plant
had not been determined. He said 16
people were carried to Duplin
General Hospital in Kenansville and
12 to Pender Memorial Hospital in
Burgaw in 63 minutes.
In all, he said, 39 people were
treated at hospitals and all but three
had been released.
The day the leak occurred, plant
officials and emergency workers
were not certain whether chlorine or
ammonia was responsible for the
problem. Both gases are used in the
plant.
Financial Aid Programs At JSTC
9
If you are interested in a college
education, don't let a limited budget
keep you from looking into the
educational opportunities awaiting
you at James Sprunt Technical
College.
There are several financial aid
programs available to qualifying
students through James Sprunt's
financial aid office to help pay costs
of tuition, books and other educa
tion-related expenses.
According to Ms. Joyce Thomas,
financial aid officer at JSTC, the
major need-based programs avail
able to students are:
Pell Grant: Pell Grant awards
range from $200 to SI .350 per
academic year, and do not require
repayment unless the student with
draws from college.
College Work-Study: Work-Study
programs provide part-time employ
ment to students on campus for
10-15 hours per week. Students are
paid minimum wage.
Supplemental Educational Oppor
tunity Grant: SEOG awards range
from $200 to $500 per academic year,
and do not require repayment
unless the student withdraws from
college.
N.C. Insured Student Loan: In
sured student loans provide educa
tional funds to a maximum of $2,500
per academic year, depending on
eligibility. Loans are available at 8%
interest to new borrowers, 8-9% to
renewal borrowers, and do not
require repayment until six to nine
months after the student leaves
school.
To apply for financial aid, students
must have already completed an
enrollment application to JSTC and
must complete a family financial
statement available from the
financial aid office.
For detailed information and
financial aid applications, contact the
Financial Aid Office, James Sprunt
Technical College, P.O. Box 398,
Kenansville, NC 28349 or call
296-1341, extension 237.
Your college education may not
cost as much as you think. Contact
JSTC about financial aid for your
education todav.
L
Liberty Cart
Preshow |
Entertainment
?
Tina Long,_ the reigning Miss
Liberty, and several of her dance
students, will present the pre-show
entertainment at THE LIBERTY
CART on Saturday night, July 27th.
Please make plans to attend the
outdoor drama and the pre-show
activities at 7: JO p.m. Pictured above
is Tina Long and a group of the
Clog-A-Longs.
Celebrates 10 Years & A Permanent Home
The Duplin County Arts Council is in its 10th year and
Monday the organization began operation in its new
permanent home. Pictured above is the Duplin County
Arts Council building on Hill Street in Kenansville.
After more than a week of moving from the courthouse
annex. Arts Council Secretary Carol Kleen and Director
Merle Creech will be unpacking and arranging work
areas at the new office through the coming weeks. The
Arts Council phone will remain the same, 296-1922,
Carol said, and in the future the office will display art
work of Duplin residents. The building is the former
law office of Attorney George Kornegay of Mount
Olive.
Program Offers Youths
Summer Art Alternatives
one wanted to stop! -Merle .
Creech, director of the Duplin
County Arts Council, said.
A targeted group of youth are
offered participation in the Duplin
County Arts Council community
based alternatives program each
summer.
The program is in its third week in
Duplin and meets each day of the
week at a different location and with
different participants. At the con
clusion of the first week, the CBA
program had an attendance of 130.
Each weekday session is alloted four
hours.
"The goal of the program is to
involve the participants in a mini
mum of 16 hours of positive, group
and individual art therapy," Merle
said. "Through art, the participants
are expected to foster a more posi
tive self-image and enhance peer
and group relations." The program
was designed to provide ways to
involve youths with alternative acti
.vities and challenges within their
own neighborhood. Merle explained.
The statewide program is coordi
nated by the Department of Human
Resources through agencies such as
the Duplin County Arts Council.
"The summer program was one
that made its contributors become
appreciators of each other's art,"
Merle said about the 1984 CBA
program. "And.^akie ill ..i^peuple
involved appreciative of the new
energy, change, life and hope that
was brought out.
"All of the 32 students remained
with the program and were present
at each session, last year, and there
were requests from brothers and
sisters and friends to join." Merle
said. "There were no behavioral
problems. And, throughout the
school year, the youth have shown
high interest in a program for this
summer."
Art works produced last year were
exhibited and Merle says an exhi
bition is planned for this year's CBA
art at the new Arts Council office on
Front Street in Kenansville. The
theme for the 1985 program is the
'Duplin Beach' and students have
practiced basic drawing exercises,
made shell necklaces, designed
swimsuits. mixed and made colors,
studies textures and safety, and to
complete the four-week program is a
field trip to the ocean.
"Our workers are extremely
capable, mature and obviously love
children," Merle said. "Shirley
Mclver of Wallace has worked with
youth of all ages. Rhonda Lane
Miller is presently employed at Rose
Hill-Magnolia Elementary School
and says her hobby is kids!
"This year our real honest-to
.gi?tiiw$s professional artnt is Tom
Bradford. He's good ? but mostly,
he likes children and can teach
them." Merle said. "Sibyl Thearling
is working one week with the pro
gram. She is an artist and this year's
graduate of UNC-W."
Participants for the CBA program
are selected from direct referrals of
school administrators, school
guidance counselors, social services,
mental health services, JTPA ser
vices. juvenile courts and the
migrant school. Transportation to
CBA sites is provided. The 1985 sites
are at (he Wallace Recreation De
partment, Rose Hill town square,
Warsaw United Methodist Church,
E.E. Smith Jr. high school. North
Duplin Elementary School and Chin
quapin Primary School.
The program operates on a budget
of $3,075 from the Neuse River
Council of Governments and $750
from community schools. Transpor
tation and facilities along with some
materials and supplies have been
donated by Duplin agencies and local
businesses.
"At the end of the second week we
are indeed very grateful and appre
ciative of the support and coopera
tion of so many," Merle said "The
program is an instantly rewarding
one indeed! And, the long-range
impact can be counted upon."
Duplin Won't Count Tobacco
Quota In Tax Valuation
Tobacco production poundage
quotas will not be included as
taxable valuation when the 1986
revaluation of Duplin property for
tax purposes becomes effective.
The board of commissioners voted
unanimously Monday to remove the
quotas from taxation and to reduce
by five percent the valuation sche
dule established by Pearson's Ap
praisal Service of Goldsboro.
For 1985, the county's tax sche
dule will be based on the 1978
,appraisal. The new appraisal, re
quired by law every eight years, will
go into effect Jan. 1, 1986, and will
be reflected on the tax bills property
owners receive in late 1986.
John Rudd, the appraiser, said
tobacco quotas were valued at $1 per
pound. The county has a 1985 quota
of 16,344,000 pounds. The present
75 cents per $100 property valuation
would have brought in $164,916 in
property tax next year.
Removal of the tobacco valuation
from the tax base means that amount
of money must be raised from other
sources.
' Rudd said the value of residential
property in the county has increased
about 80 percent since 1978.
He said $10,000 an aire is the
highest valuation on land in the
county. This is for industrial sites.
The lowest valuation is $38 per acre
for waste and swamp land.
Good farm land on a paved road
will be appraised in 1986 at $1,345
per acre, up from $810; fair land on a
paved road'will be $893. up from
$540; poor land on a paved road will
be $532, up from $320.
Rudd said about 80 percent of the
land will be appraised at $627 to $893
per acre under the new valuation.
The valuation for 1986 and beyond
for fair pine land will be $323 per
acre, up from $170; poor pine land
$242, up from $130; good hardwood
land $190, up from $100, and poor
hardwood land ^162, up from $80.
Rudd said that eight years ago
bulk tobacco curing barns were
selling from $6,000 to $13,000. The
1986 values will be down, to between
$2,000 and $4,500. Old conventional
tobacco barns have virtuallly no
value.
Rudd said land valuation is deter
mined on the price of land sold in the
county. He noted that farm land has
decreased 30 percent in value since
1983, based on sale prices.
Commissioner Calvin Turner com
mented: "Tobacco's going toge cut
again. No one knows where it stands
now."
Commissioners Allen Nethercutt
and W.J. Cos tin noted that an acre of
cucumbers can bring as much money
as an acre of tobacco, -but it isn't
taxed on the basis of cucumber
production.
In other action, the board:
? Adopted a fire prevention code
for the county, which allows the fire
marshal to inspect a site where arson
is suspected as well as obv: ais
problem sites. The code was pre
sented by Hiram Brinson, emer
gency services coordinator.
? Approved use of SI,500 of a
Library Service and Construction
grant of $6,087 to the Duplin County
Library for equipment and $4,500 for
books. Included will be a typewriter
for public use.
? Hired N.F. McColman, mayor
of Faison, as part-time Duplin
County veterans' service officer for
24 hours a week with an annual
salary of $7,000.
? Appointed Allen Williams at
Wallace to succeed J.W. Hoffler at
Wallace on the James Spnint Tech
nical College board of trustees.
Hoffler had been a member since the
'school was created in the 1960s.