County's
Continued From Page 1-A
ol blcclions officials were gathering
vote totals from the isolated emer
gency command center.
County officials visited numerous
9 1 1 centers across the state before
designing their own.
' Now, other counties wiii take
our information and learn from it,"
said Lcdgctl.
Nine tclecommunicaton; and four
shift supervisors will staff the tele
phone lines. Sheriff's Department
dispatchers and persons with law en
forcement, rescue and fire experi
ence were hired.
"Everyone has some talent that
they can throw in," said Lcdgctt.
Last week, the tclccommunicators
practiced with generated test calls to
learn the system and its required pa
perwork. When a person calls 911,
New 91 1
the address will automatically ap
pear on a monitor.
Eventually, the addresses of all
callers will appear on the screen, but
only 70 percent are keyed in now,
said Ledgetl. Persons can speed the
process by notifying their telephone
company of an address change.
w'e can siii! find uV oifiei ad
dresses," said Ledgctt. "Wc did not
want to hold up the 911 system any
longer. It's just too important."
It will be three months before all
addresses arc keyed in, said Ledgetl.
County road names arc still under
going changcs and new homes built
within the last eight months are also
not on the system.
"Brunswick County is growing by
leaps and bounds," said dispatcher
Donnie White, "but we've got state
of-the-art equipment now to handle
the calls."
Prog ra m
The ccntcr can handle as many as
six incoming calls at once, said Lee
Hitchcock, supervisor ol Brunswick
County's Communications Ccntcr.
He was hired two years ago as 91 1
program planner.
Dispatchers work shifts but must
also be ready to work around the
cluck, he saiu.
"You might have an emergency
where you need manpower in a hur
ry," said Hitchcock.
Three dispatchers, two telccom
municators and a shift supervisor,
will work each shift.
Lcdgctt said the county's EMTs
will work with elementary school
students next week to acquaint them
with the 91 1 program. Students will
receive a 911 coloring and game
book that explains what to do in an
emergency.
SECOND COMPLAINT FILED
Smith Widow Sues Truck Driver
BY DOUG RUTTER
The driver of a logging truck involved in a fatal traf
fic accident last fall on the U.S. 17 Shallotte bypass now
faces two lawsuits.
The widow of the local businessman killed in the
Nov. 1 wreck filed a complaint in Brunswick County
Superior Court last week seeking in cxccss of S35.000 in
damages.
Hilda Hawes Smith, wife of the late Steve Allen
Smith, claims negligence by the truck driver resulted in
her husband's death, according to the lawsuit filed April
28 by attorney R.C. Soles Jr. of Tabor City.
The complaint is the second to be filed against
Charles M. Lassiter of Maysvillc, the driver of the log
"uck that was involved in the fiery wreck.
Hazel Carmichacl of Shallotte filed a similar com
'aint April 8 seeking in cxccss of $25,000 in damages,
ler 16-year-old daughter. Misty Dawn Carmichacl, also
died from injuries sustained in the wreck.
The accident happened where tl?. bypass intersects
N.C. 130. Smith was traveling cast on N.C. 130 in a
1976 Chevrolet Corvette and Miss Carmichacl was trav
eling west in a 1985 Pontiac Firebird.
Lassiter, driving a 1977 Mack truck owned by T&J
Trucking Company, was traveling south on the bypass.
Police said the loaded log truck failed to stop for a red
light and struck the Carmichacl and Smith vehicles as
they attempted to cross the bypass.
Lassiter was charged with two counts of death by
motor vehicle and one count each of improper equip
ment and a slop light violation. The court date, which
has been postponed several times, is now scheduled
May 12.
The complaint filed last week alleges that Lassiter's
ncgligcncc causcd the accident and Smith's death.
It says the truck driver was operating the vehicle at
an excessive speed above the posted limit, and it claims
Lassiter failed to stop for a red light, to keep the vehicle
under control and to decrease speed to avoid an acci
dent.
The complaint also says Lassiter was operating a
truck with brakes that were not in good working order
and tires that were unsafe.
As a result of the accident, Mrs. Smith claims she in
curred substantial expenses for medical treatment and
funeral and burial services and lost the income and com
panionship of her husband.
Mrs. Smith is seeking in excess of $10,000 in com
pensatory damages and in excess of SI 0,000 in punitive
damages as well as $15,000 for property damage to the
1976 Corvette.
In her lawsuit, Mrs. Carmichael asks for identical
sums for compensatory and punitive damages and
S5.000 for the wrecked vehicle. The plaintiffs in both
cases have requested a trial by jury.
Following the wreck last fall, the N.C. Department
of Transportation made several safety improvements at
the intersection. The state also is conducting a feasibility
study to help officials determine whether an overpass is
needed.
An overpass at the intersection was discusscd before
the bypass was built, but it wasn't included in the plans
because it would have been costly and causcd a delay in
construction.
There have been at least two other wrecks at the in
tersection since the bypass opened last May. Mrs. Smith
and other relatives of her late husband have been circu
lating a petition to have an overpass built.
New Postal Branch
Opens Despite Town
Opposition
Th South Brunswick postal sta
tion opened as planned on Monday,
despite the efforts of Shallotte offi
cials to keep mail-handling opera
tions at the downtown post office.
Shallotte Postmaster Frank
Bnngoli said the new branch office
opened Monday morning after a trou
ble-free move Saturday.
"There were no problems at all,"
he said Tuesday. "As a matter of fact,
I don't think anybody knew we left."
Shalloue officials said they no
ticed the move, and say it has already
caused problems at the Shalloue Post
Office, where they said one full-time
clerk has been handling customers.
Mayor Sarah Tripp said at
Tuesday night's town meeting that
the board was told at a recent meet
ing there would be at least two clerks
left in Shallotte.
"I think that's a good example of
the hogwash we've been given on
this...," the mayor said. "1 don't think
anybody's happy with the way we
were railroaded."
Town officials have been op
posed to ihe postmaster moving his
office and postal operations from the
downtown office to the new facility
on N.C. 904 at Seaside.
They say it will hurt local busi
nesses, which benefit from the heavy
traffic at the post office, and break a
long-standing tradition.
Alderman Roncy Cheers, who
has led the town cause against the
move, delivered a petition to
Congressman Charlie Rose last
Friday in Faycttevillc.
The petition, bearing between
300 and 400 names, asks the postal
service to keep the postmaster's of
fice and postal operations at the
Shalloue office.
Cheers said Tuesday that Rose
told him he would "take good care"
of the petition, but he wasn't sure
what Rose meant by the comment.
In any event, Cheers said he's not
giving up yet. "Personally, I'm going
to pursue it as long as 1 think there's
any daylight at all," he said.
Mail-handling equipment was
moved from the Shalloue office to
the new 13,450-squarc-foot branch
on Saturday.
Both the ShaJlotte Post Officc
and new station at Seaside are closed
for lunch as part of new time sched
ules that took effect Monday.
The Shalloue office is open
Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. On
Saturday, officc hours arc 9 a.m. to
1 1 a.m.
South Brunswick branch hours
are 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to
4:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday.
The new office will be open from
8:30 a.m. until noon on Wednesdays.
It will be closed Wednesday after
noons and all day Saturday.
Varna mtown Agrees To
Buy Site For Town Park
Families picnicking, children
swinging, teams playing ball.
With images such as these in
mind, Varnamtown Aldermen de
cided Tuesday to buy a 3-acrc tract
at its western limits as the future site
of a town park.
'lbe town board agreed to pay
landowner Bobby Caison S40,(X)0
for the parcel on Sabbath Home
Road. While the sale has been
agreed upon, financing details are
still to be worked out, said
Alderman Ada McDonald, who is in
charge of land use planning.
Prior to the vote, on a motion by
Alderman Ennis Swain, the board
met behind closed doors for approx
imately 45 minutes to discuss the
proposed transaction.
Other board members present
were Will Mumford and John David
Dawson and Mayor Judy Galloway.
Alderman Tonya Robbins did not at
tend the special meeting.
Mayor Galloway said the board
had looked at another parcel of land,
which was more centrally located,
but said it was too small to meet the
town's needs.
Mrs. McDonald said the town
plans to apply for any grants that
might be available to help develop
the paik.
PAMEIA STAN1JEY will trade jobs as a Brunswick County Sheriffs Department dispatcher to be
come a 911 shift supervisor.
Shallotte Backs Law Limiting ABC Stores
BY DOUG RUTTKR
A stale law prohibiting the Bruns
wick County ABC Board from set
ting up shop within seven miles of
towns that have their own liquor
store has the endorsement of
Shallotte officials.
Aldermen joined several other lo
cal town boards when they passed a
resolution Tuesday night asking that
the law passed last session be
amended so it doesn't expire on July
1.
Shallotte will send copies of the
resolution to State Rep. David
Redwine and State Sen. R.C. Soles
Jr.
Redwine introduced the bill last
year after county and Long Beach
leaders squared off over a proposed
county store just outside the town.
Beach officials saw the county store
as a threat to a strong source of rev
enue.
However, the local legislator in
cluded a "sunset" provision in the
law which makes it expire in about
two months.
Redwine sponsored the bill with
the hope that town and county offi
cials would work out a compromise
among themselves. But that hasn't
happened so far and the towns want
the law changed before it dies.
Shallotte officials said Tuesday
night that their community has been
hurt more than any other by the
Brunswick County ABC system.
When the county opened its first
and only liquor store near Holden
Beach two years ago, Shallotte saw
a 40-percent drop in sales at its
store.
"They cut our throat and hung us
out to dry," said Alderman Paul
Wayne Reeves.
Shallotte board member David
Gause, who attended two meetings
on the ABC issue, said Redwine
prefers that the towns and county
form one merged system.
" They cut our throat and hung us out to
dry."
? Alderman Paul Wayne Reeves
On county ABC system
Although they passed the resolu
tion, Shallotte officials said they
aren't opposed to a single system as
long as the money is distributed fair
ly.
"As far as I'm concerned a coun
tywidc ABC system is a Jchnny
come-lately," Alderman Wilton
Harrelson said. "I'm not opposed to
it. hut I'm not for it until I know
what we're getting."
Calls For Help
Shallotte officials got calls for fi
nancial help Tuesday night from
both the volunteer fire department
and rescue squad.
Fire Chief Tim Carter asked the
town for S4,(XX) to help purchase 10
new sets of turn-out gear. He said
the present gear is old and doesn't
fit a lot of the members.
New gear would be tailored to fit
the department's 10 most loyal
members.
"The past fire department that
was there was a lot bigger than the
one now." Carter said.
Aidermen tabled the request, and
asked Town Clerk Mary Etta Hcwett
to review the budget to see if the
board can transfer funds from anoth
er department to pay for the equip
ment.
If the town can come up with the
$4,000 this fiscal year. Carter said
the county would match it 50-50.
Mark Gore of Shallotte Volunteer
Rescue Squad also appeared before
the board Tuesday night seeking fi
nancial assistance.
He requested $20,000 in the
1992-93 fiscal year budget to help
pay for new radios, pagers, a defib
rillator and other supplies.
Gore said he plans to make the
same request at Ocean Isle Beach,
the only other municipality that the
squad serves.
Other Business
In other business Tuesday, alder
men:
?Voted to leave the acreage fee or
dinance as is after considering a
change that would have greatly re
duce Ices paid for property used for
public recreational purposes. The
board previously made one excep
tion to the rules when it annexed the
tennis courts at Brierwood and
didn't charge acreage fees.
? Fabled two proposals from Police
Chief Rodney Gausc so the town
clerk can check them out with the
insurance carrier. Gausc has pro
posed a mutual aid agreement with
Ocean Isle Beach Police so the
agencies can be called in for back
up if needed. Another program
would allow area residents to ride
along in patrol cars for educational
and public relations purposes.
?Approved a budget amendment,
adding S4.050 in revenues which
was received through a state grant.
The money will be spent for the
town's land use plan update.
?Appointed Harrelson as the
Shallotte town board representative
on the Brunswick County Co
operative Extension Service com
mittee of local governments.
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