Happy Easter!
See page 6-B for a listing of
special church services and
g*** programs
THE
12/31/99 #*P0
HO AG ??< SONS BOOK BINDERY
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SPRINGPORT MI 49284
Look To The Links
The South Brunswick Islands
Chamber Golf Tournament is
coming up. Page 9-C
Thirty-First Year, Number 20 ctmiucox Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, April 8, 50c Per Copy 92 Pages, 4 Sections Including Suplement. 3 Inserts
INCLUDES WBHS EXPANSION. COMPUTER LABS
School Board Considers
$18.8 Million Budget
BY SUSAN USHER
Renovation and expansion of West Brunswick High
School, construction of a new Leland area elementary
school and funding new plans for using technology and
improving school performance are key elements of an
SI8.8 million budget proposed by the Brunswick
County Board of Education for next year.
Of that total, S7.85 million wouid go fm capital pro
jects, and would come from a combination of state and
county money; and S 10.96 million for current expenses.
The schools will ask the county to provide the bulk of
the latter, S8.99 million, which would reflect a 20.58
percent increase over the S7.45 million received this
year.
The full school board got its first look at the draft
budget last Wednesday night and was to consider it
Wednesday, April 7, in a 6:30 p.m. meeting at Union
Elementary School. By law the schools' budget request
must be submitted to county commissioners by May 1;
Superintendent Ralph Johnston said the county has
asked that it be submitted earlier. It is the first school
system budget developed under his administration.
Jump starts on the West Brunswick High School pro
ject and a new elementary school in the Leland area
would make up the bulk of the capital outlay budget
The board wants to spread the cost of the two projects
over a two-year period, spending S3 million for each
school next year and the year after. The elementary
school is expected to cost about S5.6 million and the
West Brunswick project, S6.4 million.
The current expense budget, which covers day to day
operation of the schools, includes an additional
$310,000 to add nine lead teacher positions, a key ele
ment in the county's three-year performance improve
ment plnn. It also sets aside 525,000 to provide for the
possibility of a county school being chosen as a pilot for
the regional A+ Arts program. The project will use arts
participation to stimulate learning across all areas of
study.
Top Construction Priorities
The two construction projects are part of the school
system's 10-year capital improvement plan. A new
school system administration building in the county
government center at Bolivia was also a top priority on
that list, but has been put on hold again until more press
ing student space needs are met.
At West Brunswick High School, 14 teachers do not
have permanent classrooms and "nine or 10" trailers arc
in use for classrooms or other purposes.
The renovation and expansion, similar to that com
pleted at South Brunswick High School two years ago,
would eliminate the trailers and provide room for
growth.
Construction of the new K-5 school at Leland would
relieve overcrowding at Lincoln Primary School, reduc
ing its student membership from more than 800 students
to a more appropriate size. Assistant Superintendent Bill
Turner told the board.
The new school would also serve fourth and fifth
grades. That would free Leland Middle School to be
come a "true" middle school serving grades six through
eight only, and reduce its student population from 981
students to less than 600, "an ideal middle school."
While the high school project will take longer to com
plete, both projects could be finished within 18 months
if begun this fall.
Plan Calls For Computers
The expansion budget also includes SI23,000 for
technology items.
Of that, 550.000 would be spent for software, $24,000
for network design, cabling and supplies; 529,000 for
(See SCHOOLS', Page 2-A)
HARVEY OK'S 32 HIRINGS
Board To Interview County
Manager Candidates In Public
BY RRIC CARLSON
The Brunswick Board of Com
missioners unanimously agreed
Monday to hold the final interviews
of applicants for the county manag
er's post in open session at a public
meeting.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Deputy
Clerk Joyce Johnson said she had re
ceived a total of 38 applications for
the job .left vacant when former
county manager and county attorney
David Clegg resigned March 15.
Johnson said she could not reveal
details of the applications, but said
they have been received from
Brunswick County, from other areas
of North Carolina and from states as
far away as New Jersey. She said the
heaviest influx of applications for a
county position typically occurs dur
ing the final week.
Board Okays Ciegg's Vacation Pay
The Brunswick Baud of Commissioners Monday reluctantly agreed to
pay former County Manager/Attorney David Clegg for 641 hours of ac
cumulated vacation time. At Ciegg's annual salary of $68,078, the time
will add up to $20,979 in back pay.
Unlike most employees, the county manager is exempt from a person
nel policy that allows workers to accrue no more than 240 hours of annu
al leave.
In 1986, the board of commissioners authorized Clegg, who was then
county attorney, to build up additional vacation time. County Manager
Billy Carter was away from his post on sick leave at the time. He request
(See CLEGG, Page 2-A)
April 14 is the last day applica
tions will be accepted for the county
manager position.
At the board's regular meeting
Monday night, commissioners
Chairman Don Warren urged that
the process of selecting a county
manager be conducted in public, as
it was two years ago when Clegg
was hired.
County boards frequently choose
their county managers in secret by
calling the interview process a per
sonnel matter" that state law allows
them to discuss in a closed "execu
tive" session.
Warren suggested that after the
April 14 deadline, all applications
should be reviewed and screened by
Personnel Officer Starrie Grissctt to
determine which candidates meet
the minimum qualifications speci
fied for the post.
The advertised requirements in
clude "academic credentials in either
(See MANAGER, Page 2-A)
STAfF PHOTO BY ERIC CARLSON
Electrical Fire Destroys Home
About 30 firefighters from three departments were unable to save a wood-frame home on Stanley Road
that was destroyed by fire Monday night. See story on Page 9-A.
STAFF PHOTO BY SUSAN USHER
Going Home?And Not Alone
Kindergarten student Trenton Burney gingerly holds one of his two
ducklings that were soon on their way home from Supply
Elementary School Tuesday morning with his dad, Alvin Burney.
The two young birds were among more than 200 young birds
hatched at school just in time for Easter. The story and more pic
tures are on Page 6-A.
Easter Schedules Will Vary
Easter holiday closing schedules vary widely across the South
Brunswick Islands, with one island community setting Saturday office
hours for the convenience of non-resident property owners.
Brunswick County Schools.. Closed April 12-16
Brunswick Community College .-.No classes Friday, Monday
Offices closed Monday
B.C. Government Center ? ?Offices closed Friday
Holden Beach Town Hall ?.. ..?Closed Friday
Open 8:30 a.m.-noon Saturday
Shallotte Town Hall ?.....................Closed Monday
Ocean Isle Beach Town Hall .Open Friday, Monday
Sunset Beach Town Hall.? ....Open Friday, Monday
Calabash Town Hall ?? Closed Monday
Financial institutions Closed Friday
The county's landfill will be open its usual hours. Also, Waste
Industries will maintain normal hours at its staffed sites and its normal
collection schedule. No towns reported any change in trash collection.
Engineers Suggest Pumping
Wastewater To Little River
BY LYNN CARLSON Calabash, Billups added.
Consulting engineers are recom- Billups and fellow engineer Joe
mending that wastewater from Tombro say "preliminary inquiries"
Sunset Beach and Calabash be have been encouraging for the
pumped to South Carolina for col- prospect of pumping 300,000 gal
lection and treatment for about four ions of wastewater per day to a man
hole across the state line
to be collected by the
Little River Water and
Sewer Authority, which
in turn contracts with
Grand Strand Water and
Sewer Authority for
waste treatment.
They estimated con
struction costs for 8,000
feet of of sewer main at
Holden
Beach
citizens
petition for
sewer system,
Page 10-A.
years until a sewage treat
ment plant can be con
structed.
"We've essentially run
out of other options" for
interim wastewater dis
posal that is the First
phase of a central sewer
system proposed for
southwestern Brunswick
County, engineer Jim
Billups told the Sunset Beach Town SI 12,500, and collection and treat
Council on Monday. ment costs at $6,000 per month.
The Carolina Blythe sewer sys- The "typical residential customer"
tcm currently serving Carolina would probably pay SI5 per month,
Shores carries too high a price tag, they added.
and a consultant for Ocean Isle's Billups said he sees no "physical
municipal sewer system lias recom- or bureaucratic problems" with the
mended against accepting waste- concept and encouraged beginning
water from Sunset Beach and (See SEWER, Page 2-A)
WBHS To Host
Russian Baseball
Team On Friday
BY DOUG RUTTER
It s lime to break out the Russian
English dictionary and blow off the
dust. No kidding.
It'll come in handy Friday night,
when the Russian National Baseball
Team visits Shallotte for an exhibi
tion game with the West Brunswick
High School Trojans. Game time is
7 p.m.
"There seems to be an awful lot
of interest hero at the school and in
the community about the game,"
West Brunswick Athletic Director
Jim Brett said Monday.
"We're really looking forward to
it," Brett added. "It's not every day
you get to do something like this.
It's real spccial having a team of that
caliber come here to play."
West Brunswick will provide
lunch for the visitors and dinner fol
lowing the game. Brett said there al
so will be an exchange of gifts be
tween players prior to the contest
The school also will arrange bus
transportation for the team, which
will be based in Whitevilie for ap
proximately 10 days while playing
teams throughout southeastern
North Carolina.
"We're trying to do it right and do
a good job of taking care of them,"
Brett said. "We want them to re
member us as one of the schools that
treated them well while they were
here."
The team was scheduled to arrive
in Washington, D.C., Saturday and
travel to Southern Pines for a game
with Pinecrest High School Monday
before moving to southeastern North
Carolina.
While visiting the southeast pan
of the state, the Russian team had
games scheduled Tuesday against
Waccamaw Academy and Wednes
day against Whitevilie.
After playing at West Brunswick
Friday, the Russians will play Cape
Fear High School of Faycttcvillc
April 14 and Waccamaw Conference
member East Bladen on April 15.
This is the third year the Russians
have visited North Carolina. While
baseball in relatively new to Russia,
most of the players have excelled in
other sports.
"It's something the kids will be
able to look back on when they're
our age and say, "We played the
Russians.' It's going to be good for
the community and the kids," West
Brunswick Baseball Coach Mike
Aldcrson said recently.
The Trojans enter Friday's game
riding a five-game winning streak.
West Brunswick opened Waccamaw
2-A Conference play last week with
road wins over South Robeson and
Fairmont.
West (2-0, 5-1) bombed South
Robeson's Mustangs 11-1 Friday
night in Rowland, three nights after
an 8-0 win at Fairmont.
In the Fairmont game, senior
pitcher Scou Gore fired a complete
game, no-hitter in his first start of
the season. The hard-throwing,
right-hander struck out 14 batters
and went 3-for-4 with a double to
help his own cause.
Senior shortstop Keane Bellamy
also went 3-for-4 with three RBI, a
double and a two-run home run to
power the West Brunswick offense.
It was the third straight shutout
for the Trojans, who beat Dillon,
S.C., 7-0 March 29 and Waccamaw
Academy 10-0 March 25.
Inside...
Birthdays 2B
Business News ..9C
Calendar of Events ? ??? 10A
Church News 6B
Classified 1-7C
Court Docket 12C
Crime Report 9A
Fishing 3A
Goif !0B
Obituaries.?..
Opinion ????*??*???????.....??4**$
People In The News .....7B
Plant Doctor...., .3B
Sports H-11R
Television 10-11C
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