T "ISWICKffEACON
Home Of West brunswi(.K High School, 1 993 North Carolina 3A Football Champions
J jrty Second Year, Number 7 Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, December 1 6, 1 993 50c Per Copy 38 Pages, 3 Sections, Plus Inserts ?
STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG RUDER
WEST BRUNSWICK SENIORS Wayne Branch (right) and Chris Brown embrace following the
Trojans dramatic 19-14 win over High Point Andrews in the state 34 championship game.
KINGS OF THE HILL!
Crazy About The Trojans
BY DOUG RU1TER
"How Bout Them Trojans!"
You can't leave the house these days without running
into somebody eager to talk about the West Brunswick
High School football team.
The Trojans captured the North Carolina 3A
Championship last Friday night in Chapel Hill, coming
from behind in the final minutes to beat the High Point
Andrews Red Raiders. 19-14.
It was the second straight state football championship
for West Brunswick, which defeated Maiden 14-6 to win
the 2A crown one year ago. West is the first team to re
peat as state champs since 1990.
The football team's success has thrown Shaliotte and
the surrounding communities into a frenzy. The Trojans
are the talk of the town from Calabash to Holden Beach
and Ocean Isle to Longwood.
"The community's just abuzz with it," Bobby
Williamson, treasurer of the West Brunswick Athletic
Booster Club, said Tuesday. "That game will be talked
about for years to come."
"Everybody's extremely excited," he added. "It was
just such a tremendous game and such an exciting finish.
I think everyone is just beside themselves with the way
it turned out."
Despite the thrill in Chapel Hill, West Brunswick
Principal T.d Lemon said it was business as usual at the
school this week.
"Because we played on Friday, I think the hoopla was
over by Monday," he said. "We're back to normal as far
as school. I think the players and student body have
learned after three years to control the hoopla."
West Brunswick, which played its first four playoff
games at home, saw a larger crowd each week at Rourk
Stadium. The biggest crowd to ever see a football game
in Brunswick County showed up two weeks ago when
the Trojans played Tarboro for the eastern champi
onship.
Last Friday, an estimated 1,500 West Brunswick fans
made the three-hour trip from Shaliotte to UNC's Kenan
Stadium. The caravan included 28 members of the
Gospel Center Baptist Church youth group.
"The crowd was real good to us tonight." West
Brunswick Head Coach Jim Brett said following the
game. "They've done a great job helping us and they re
ally helped us tonight in the fourth quarter."
Williamson said the fan support cannot be underesti
mated. "That's one thing that goes into a championship
season. The grass roots support adds a lot to it," he said.
Lemon said the football team's success has drawn the
community a lot closer to the school.
"1 think what it does is it gives the student body a lot
of pride in our school." Lemon said. "It does pull the
community together to support an issue. The issue here
was football."
The Trojans have been praised everywhere people
have gathered this week.
Holden Beach Mayor Wally Ausley kicked off a town
meeting Monday morning by congratulating the team.
He said winning back-to-back state championships was
a "remarkable" feat.
"A movie should be made about the way they ended
up doing it in the fourth quarter," said Ausley. an avid
sports fan.
West Brunswick made North Carolina High School
Athletic Association history Friday night when it be
came the first school to repeat as outright state champi
ons after moving up in classification.
After winning the state 2A championship last year.
West Brunswick was moved up to the 3A class this year
due to increased enrollment.
The only school that has come close to matching West
Brunswick's magic is Sanford, which tied for the state
3 A championship in 1972 and won the 4A title the fol
lowing year.
Sweatshirts and hats commemorating West's state
championship will be available this week, possibly by
Thursday. They will be on sale at Bobby's Auto Parts
and JSJ Carpets in Shallotte.
Williamson said the booster club is looking for indi
viduals or businesses who are interested in helping pur
chase championship rings for the team. The rings will
cost $125 each.
Bach ring sponsor will receive two tickets to the West
Brunswick football banquet, which will probably be
held in the spring.
Williamson said the booster club also will be selling
copies of the game film for $20 each. Orders should be
called in to Williamson at 754-6619.
Highlights of West Brunswick's victory will be in
cluded in an hour-long television special scheduled to
air next month on the N.C. High School Athletic
Association Network.
The "Toyota Football Championships of North
Carolina" will include highlights of the 1A, 2A, 3A and
4A championship football games. It will air Saturday,
Jan. 22, at 5 p.m. on WJKA-TV 26 out of Wilmington.
Mine Could Endanger
Nuke Plant's License
BY ERIC CARLSON
Fearing its Brunswick Nuclear
Plant will be caught between a rock
quarry and a hard place, the Caro
lina Power and Light Company has
asked the state to stop Martin Mar
ietta Aggregates from opening a
limestone mine that could endanger
plant operations.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission has asked CP&L for its
assessment of the mine's potential
impact on plant safety, which will be
considered in determining whether
the agency will continue to license
the twin-reactor generating facility.
In a blunt letter commenting on
its new neighbor's intentions, CP&L
told the state's Land Resources
Division that the proposed mining
operation "will constitute a substan
tial physical hazard" to the power
plant buildings, that it will endanger
railroad lines carrying radioactive
fuel and that it will threaten power
lines used to run cooling pumps in
the event of a nuclear emergency.
The Dec. 10 letter, signed by
CP&l. President William Cava
naugh III. was entered into the
record of official comments on Ma
tin Marietta's application for a state
mining permit.
Cavanaugh said an independent
review of Martin Marietta's "flawed
and unreliable" engineering report
on the project shows it to be "based
on arbitrary assumptions, inadequate
hydrologic mapping, inappropriate
extrapolation of test results and an
inappropriate model" for determin
ing the possible effects of the lime
stone mine on surrounding proper
ties.
"If CP&L
determines ,
because of some
outside hazard,
that it can no
longer operate
safely ; we will take
whatever action is
necessary against
CP&L. "
? Patrick Milano, NRC
The mining company's report ig
nores its own evidence, CP&L says,
when it fails to consider the hazards
posed by sinkholes that could form
as a result of Martin .Marietta's plan
to pump 10 million gallons of water
a day from an underground aquifer
to keep the quarry bottom dry.
The formation of a sinkhole along
the company's rail line could result
in a hazardous waste spill. The sink
ing of a single electrical line could
result in a costly plant shutdown if
emergency cooling pumps are de
prived of power.
Martin Marietta's own engineer
ing report "included maps showing
the ten-year sinkhole development
as posing a hazard, not only to the
railroad line, but also to those CP&L
transmission lines that carry power
to and from Brunswick Nuclear
Plant." the letter said. It also noted
that sinkholes "are possible in areas
underlying plant structures."
If the NRC agrees with CP&L's
assessment of potential safety haz
ards. the state's issuance of a permit
for the mine could jeopardize the
nuclear plant's license to operate.
"We cannot get involved in the lo
cal permitting process. That is total
ly a state decision," NRC Reactor
Project Manager Patrick Milano said
Tuesday. "Our concern is that the
plant continues to operate in a safe
manner. CP&L will have to prove to
us that it can do so with a limestone
quarry in operation.
"If CP&L determines, because of
some outside hazard, that it can no
longer operate safely, we will take
whatever action is necessary against
CP&L."
While there are a range of steps
that could be taken. Milano said the
most extreme would be the revoca
tion of CP&L's license to operate
the nuclear facility. The plant is one
of the areas biggest employers and
accounts for about 25 percent of
Brunswick County's tax base.
For now, the NRC will continue
to review CP&L's assessment's of
the potential dangers posed by the
proposed mine.
"They have raised a flag indicat
ing there is a potential physical haz
ard to their facilities. What that is,
we can't say right now. That's what
we will be asking for (from CP&L)
in terms of an evaluation," Milano
said.
In his letter to the state,
Cavanaugh acknowledges the threat
(Sec CP&L, Page 2-A)
Sunset Calabash Denied $4. 7 Million
Sewer Grant; Loan Offered, With Catch
BY LYNN CARLSON
Proponents of central sewer ser
vice for Sunset Beach and Calabash
hit an unexpected snag Tuesday
when they learned the towns won't
qualify for $4.1 million in Farmers
Home Administration grants.
At a meeting in Raleigh, Farmers
Home offered the towns an alterna
tive in the form of an S18 million
loan over 40 years at 5.25 percent
interest, hut that came with a catch,
too.
Federal funds cannot be used in
ways that might encourage develop
ment in a flood plain, which would
eliminate the possibility of extend
ing sewer service to any new build
ings along area waterways or on the
island of Sunset Beach.
The towns are seeking a combina
tion of grants and loans to construct
a central sewer service estimated to
cost $25 to $30 million and whose
debt consultants have maintained
can be serviced through user fees.
Sunset Beach Mayor Mason
Barber, who attended the meeting,
called the news "a change in direc
tion" rather than a setback, and said
he believes the towns probably
should pass on the loan offer.
"It sounded great at first, but then
they told us about the built-in re
strictions that would create a real
hardship here," he said. "They could
have told us about this way back. I
wish they had contacted us."
Calabash Mayor George Ande
rson agreed, saying it seemed the
towns could have been informed
"nine months ago."
"It really put a hole in our bal
loon," Anderson said. "I thought we
were going up there to find out how
much of a grant we would be get
ting. It was a real kick."
Janice Burke, director of bond au
thorization for the State Treasurer's
Office, was at Tuesday's meeting
and confirmed that Farmers Home
Administration determined the
towns' median household income
levels, derived from the 1990
Census, were too high to qualify for
the grants.
She also confirmed that FmHA's
loan offer "has some environmental
stipulations and other normal FmHA
regulations," including no use of
federal funds on floodplain develop
ment. "That's my understanding,"
she said.
The two towns, through consult
ing engineers from Powell Asso
ciates, had submitted pre-applica
tions to Farmers Home seeking
grants and loans for portions of the
sewer systems jointly totaling $10.8
million.
They are still eligible for State
Revolving Loan funds, having been
ranked second and third on the
statewide funding priority list. The
engineers say the towns are jointly
eligible for at least $3.78 million to
he used to build sewage treatment
facilities. They may also be eligible
for up to $5 million under the re
cently approved statewide Clean
Water Bond referendum.
They may also, with voter ap
proval, issue general obligation
bonds to fund the system.
A Farmers Home official who
met with the Sunset Beach Town
(Sec AGENCY, Page 2-A)
Inside...
Birthdays ,.2B
Business News .8C
Calendar ????????????? 8A
Church News 5B
Classified 1-8C
Crime Report 8C
Court Docket 9C
Golf 7B
Obituaries 5B
Opinion ? ????MM****** ??????? 4-5A
People In The News .....4B
Plant Doctor ......3B
Sports 7-12B
Television ??????????????? 10-1IC
PLAN ELIMINATES FIVE MANAGEMENT JOBS
Changes In Schools' Office Expected To Save Dollars, Shift Emphasis
BY SUSAN USHER
A plan adopted by the Brunswick County Board of
Education Monday will restructure the Instructional
Services Division by cutting five central office man
agement slots and, in a shift of emphasis pledged more
than a year ago by Superintendent Ralph Johnston, pro
viding principals and teachers more on-site support.
Jan Calhoun, assistant superintendent for instruction,
drafted the proposal, which was adopted on a 4-1 vote
with little discussion. Board member Yvonne Bright
cast the lone vote against it, saying later the board's de
cision was made hastily.
While five new positions will be created, the seven
part plan is also expected to result in a net savings of
approximately $113,475 in local funds, a three-person
reduction of central office staff, and greater equity in
pay for middle managers. Calhoun said a conscious ef
fort would be made to maintain or improve racial and
gender equity on the central office staff.
The reorganization will go into effect in July, though
planning and related personnel decisions will be made
as early as January and February. It comes at the rec
ommendation of the board. This past summer,
Brunswick County Commissioners urged the school
board to look closely at its central office staff for poten
tial reductions as a cost-cutting move.
Calhoun said he didn't think the central office was
overstaffed, but that the changes, "will help us identify
and select the administrative staff we need to do the
things the board has asked us to do."
"We will be moving more toward supporting build
ing (site-based) goals than program goals, and focusing
more on our mandate for accountability," he said.
Calhoun said he discussed the plan's "most sensi
tive" recommendation, the reduction in force or RIF,
last Wednesday with the five employees whose jobs
would be eliminated: Edna Gause, director of libraries
and media; Nelson Best, director of athletics, health,
physical education and driver's education; Christine
Hall, elementary supervisor; James McAdams, high
school supervisor; and Bob Rhyne, middle schools su
pervisor.
Some of their administrative duties will be trans
ferred to other individuals or assumed by Calhoun;
some responsibilities will be dropped.
"I find this is a real difficult thing to do," he said. "I
don't want to slight them or the service they have pro
vide in any way through this recommendation. I hope
we can find positions for them in our system that match
their skills, interests and abilities."
The five will be given priority for jobs for which
they qualify, said Calhoun, who did not rule out the
possibility that some of them could become candidates
for the five new positions created by the plan.
"It will depend on who else from our system comes
forward who may be more qualified."
The "worst case" that could happen would be their
rehiring as classroom teachers, positions for which all
five qualify, at greatly reduced salary levels.
Calhoun and board attorney Glen Peterson told
Bright they couldn't guarantee there would be no
"repercussions" from the RIF, which would be justified
on the grounds of district reorganization.
A review procedure is available if any of those af
fected think they were unjustly terminated.
All five positions affected are paid in full with local
(county) funds, totaling $296,686.
Retaining their administrative positions in the divi
sion will be;
? Gloria Talley, whose position as director of plan
ning, assessment and staff development was created in
September;
? Patricia Ward, Chapter I Director, who will take
permanent charge of the Reading Recovery program
and its expansion using Chapter I supplemental/reme
dial program funding;
? Joseph Butler, director of migrant education and
parenting programs, a position created in July and ex
pected to continue to increase in importance because of
mandates for greater parent involvement in the schools;
? William Furpless, director of vocational education,
who will oversee a changing approach to vocational
(See FIVE ADMINISTRATORS', Page 2-A)