V
PROGRESS SENTINEL
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VOL. XXXXVII1 NO. 47 USPS 162-860 KENANSV1LLE. NC 28349 NOVEMBER 21.1985 16 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
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Groundbreaking For Southland Estate Winery
tfjuolin Wine Cellars Board of Directors, including, left to right, Larry
Massengill, Dale Parker, D.J. Fussell, Lisa Lathe, David Fussell, Hazel
Holland, Dr. Jackson Rigney, Dennis Lofton and Burl Williamson, are shown
during ground-breaking for the Johnston County Winery last Saturday.
Stockholders and guests gathered on the 23-acre site of Duplin Wine Cellars'
newest project, Southland Estate Winery, Saturday for groundbreaking
ceremonies. The new winery is located adjacent to 1-95 near Selma in
Johnston County. The new facility. Southland Estate Winery, Is to be a
tourist attraction, a working winery, a vineyard, even a cotton field. The
Wine Cellars' company offices and sales and display rooms will be located in
a 12,000 square foot building sitting atop a knoll across a lake from 1-95 ? a
very beautiful setting. The building will be a southern colonian mansion with
tall columns at the entrance, or porch. A recent survey revealed 2,500 autos
pass the site daily. Plans are to have the construction completed in May of
1986 and the winery in operation for the grape crop by September.
Wallace Plans Recreation Center _
A Wilmington firm, McKim &
Creed Engineers, was authorized
last week to draw a floor plan and
prepare cost estimates for a Wallace
recreation center.
The town board acted during its
regular November meeting.
Mitch Pergerson, the recreation
director, got four proposals for the
work. The McKim & Creed bid was
the lowest at S2.000. ?
| The project fund drive had
brought in $35,051 by Oct. 31, he
said. Pergerson said people want to
know what sort of structure and what
cost they are being asked to support.
Profits from the merchants and
farmers exposition being planned
were to be added to the fund.
In other business, the board ap
pointed David Rackley Jr. to the rec
reation board to replace Tommy
Johnson, who resigned.
The board determined that three
employees needed to have town
vehicles at their homes during off
hours because of the nature of their
work. The board withdrew autho
rization for three other vehicles to be
driven home after work hours, but
the town wil}pay the income tax the
employees involved have incurred
from such vehicle use.
A public hearing will be held at 7
p.m. Dec. 12 in the town hall on
rezoning some property on Railroad
Sireet from agriculturel-residential
to highway business.
"Sheffield's Tobacco Warehouse
stands on one part of the tract.
Wendell Teachey owns a building on
another part.
The structures do not comply with
the current zoning. At the time they
were built, the property was zoned
industrial. The present zoning bars
new commercial and retail establish
ments.
N.C. Secretary Ot Agriculture
Graham Meets Duplin Fair Volunteers
^ Southern foods may be becoming
delicacies of the world. . .Last week
at the Duplin County Fair appre
ciation dinner. North Carolina
Secretary of Agriculture Jim Graham
said his office had received an order
from London, England, for 5,000
turkey tails and 5,000 metric tons of
pig feet to be shipped to Africa.
"One of the things our office is
doing is developing a market pro
motion program for North Carolina
products," Jim Graham said.
"There is no need to produce
products if you can't sell them."
As part of the promotion program
the North Carolina Department of
Agriculture held a trade show last
month for state products in Char
lotte. Duplin was represented by
House or Kjeford, Carroll's hoods,
the Duplin Wine Cellars, H.L.
Sanderson Produce, and others.
While the promotion program begins
with development of local markets,
Graham said, worldwide exposure of
North Carolina products is the next
step.
Graham pointed out that agricul
ture is North Carolina's largest
industry. The state income last year
from agriculture was $3.7 billion and
of the total $70 million was made in
Duplin. He added, agriculture and
related industry employs 20 percent
of the state workforce. The state
department of agriculture also esti
mates the total farm income will drop
$150-S160 million this year.
Relaying a message from Jean
Carroll of the Department of Agri
culture county fair division, Graham
told local fair volunteers that Duplin
h?d received the state's highest
county fair grade. The fourth annual
Duplin County Fair was held
September 29 - October 5 in
Kenansville. Fair officials estimated
an attendance of 15,000 people.
"A lot of people contributed to the
success of this year's fair," Duplin
County Agribusiness President Ruth
Wells said. "Just looking around the
room tonight, I see a lady who sat
home every Sunday afternoon so her
husband could help young people
train livestock for the fair. And, she
is just one example of those who
helped make the fair a success."
Duplin Fair Welcomes Jim Graham
North Carolina Secretary of Agriculture Jim Graham was the featured
speaker at the annual dinner for Duplin County Fair volunteers last week in
Kenansville. Graham is pictured above with Duplin Agribusiness* Council _____
President Ruth Wells. _
f > 4
Kenansville
Chamber Sponsors
Recognition Project
The Kenansville Area Chamber of
Commerce finalized plans last week
to begin selecting a Business of the
Month in January of 1986.
The regular November meeting of
the Chamber was also used to
complete plans for the annual
Twelve Days of Christmas cele
bration in Kenansville.
According to Kenansville Area
Chamber of Commerce President
Grey Morgan, the Business of the
Month will be selected beginning
with the oldest. The Business of the
Month will be awarded a certificate
from the Chamber and be featured in
the DUPLIN TIMES/DUPLIN
TODAY newspapers. Area busi
nesses will be receiving an infor
mation request form to be completed
and returned to the Chamber,
Morgan said. The form is to be used
in selection of the Business of the
Month. All area businesses, both
Chamber members and non
members, are included in the
Business of the Month project.
The Twelve Days of Christmas in
Historic Kenansville begins
Saturday, Dec. 14. Brochures with
details of the event are being
distributed this week.
Some of the events of the Twelve
Days of Christmas celebration will
include an open house at Liberty Hall
and the Cowan Museum featuring
the North Carolina 3rd Battalion of
Civil War soldiers; story night at
Dorothy Wightman - Duplin County
Library; the sounds of Christmas
featuring visiting artists from five
different technical college campuses;
a live nativity pageant, a per
formance of the James Kenan Dis
trict Band and Chorus; Merchants'
nights with Santa Claus; a com
munity covered-dish supper and
local entertainment by dance stu
dents of Tina Long; a community
Christmas Eve church service; and
lighting of the community Christmas
tree, caroling and a bonfire.
According to Morgan, the
Chamber is in the process of
scheduling special guests to appear
as hosts during the Twelve Days of
Christmas. The hosts will be an
nounced at a later date, but are
expected to include a variety of local
personalities as well as television
personalities from all across the
state. The Twelve Days of Christmas
is sponsored annually by the
Kenansville Area Chamber of Com
merce.
Magnolia Chief Told
To Take Oath
ii ,J:. o.vi: cu r.nn;n(.i i- L..?U :
maguuuci runcc vinci onciwuvu
Ezzeil should go ahead and take the
oath of office as a town commissioner
at the board's Dec. 15 tticcting,
according to the town's lawyer.
Town Attorney Garrett Ludlum
has advised Ezzeil to take the oath
and await an advisory opinion from
the state attorney general before
deciding whether to keep both jobs
or drop one of them.
Ezzeil, chief of police in Magnolia
for several years, won a seat on the
Town Board of Commissioners Nov.
5.
Questions surfaced as to whether a
town department head can sumulta
neously hold a posit on on the Town
Board. The uncertainty involves
towns of less than 5,000 population,
which are governed by less stringent
conflict-of-interest rules than larger
cities.
Two state laws muddy the situa
tion, Ludlum said. He has asked the
attorney general for an advisory
opinion.
Regardless of the advisory opin
ion, Ezzeil could take the seat and
still hold his chief's position. How
ever, he could be subject to court
challenge on the matter.
If the attorney general advised
agaiiiai ut/i II > - IUIII^ uvnu piisi
tions and Ezze1 decided to resign
from fiv Tow Board and remain
p-lice ? fr.J board wou'il have to -
select a replacement.
"I don't know what I'll do," Ezzell
said last week "There are some
questions I don't have answers to. If
he (the attorney general) says I can't
hold both jobs what happens if I say
the heck with the opinion and hold
those jobs?"
The board gave Ezzell permission
to discuss the question with Ludlum.
In other action, the board: t _
? Approved spending $5,000 for
a 30-bv-30 metal building to store
town equipment.
? Authorized a Christmas bonus
of $100 for each town employee.
? Decided to proceed with plans
for three water and sewer projects
presented by FloVd Adams of Mc
David Associates of Kenansville.
The projects are installation of 1,300
feet of water line and hydrants on
James Street for $13,746, installation
of 400 feet of sewer line along Main
Street for $7,390 and installation of a
manhole on Sampson Street for
$3,300. The town will pay half the
cost or $12,218. A state grant will
pay the rest.
Community Center
Gets Approval
From Duplin
Commissioners
Plans and specifications for the
Rockfish community center were
approved Monday by the Duplin
County Board of Commissioners.
The board's action begins the
process of putting the project out for
bids by contractors. Bids are sche
duled to be opened in 30 days.
Plans submitted by Floyd Adams
of McDavid Associates of Kenans
ville call for a 40- by 75-foot brick
veneer structure on a 15-acre tract by
Secondary Road 1101 near the
Beatrice Meats plant west of Wal
lace.
The center is being financed by a
$150,000 federal Community
Development Block Grant.
Ledell Wallace, chairman cf the
community building project, said
plans eventually call for two basket
ball courts, a playground for small
children, two tennis courts, a swim
ming pool and a Softball field.
In other business, School Superin
tendent L.S. Guy asked the County
Commissioners to increase their
allocation for the renovation of
James Kenan High School. The
board had approved a previous
request for $1,055,000, but on
Monday Guy said $1.5 million was
needed.
The commissioners have turned
$703,500 over to the school system
for the renovation, leaving a balance
of $351,500. Guy said architects now
estimate the project will cost $1.5
million.
He also asked for the $351,500 to
be turned over to the school system.
The board repeated its assurance the
rest of the original amount will be
forthcoming when the n\oney is
received.
"We have committed
$1,055,000," Commissioners Chair
man Calvin Turner said.
"We'll make every effort to do a
full job at James Kenan," Commis
sioner W.J. Cojstin said.
The board approved buying a
radio costing $1,534 for the Wallace
Rescue Squad. The county will pay
half the cost and the Neuse River -
Council of Governments the remain
der.
Ambulance fee collections in
creased sharply in the last fiscal -
year. Finance Officer Russell Tucker
told the board.
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