The Pamlico News
Vol. 16, No. 29
20* per copy
USPS 782-460
Wednesday, July 20,1983
II
01593 6 01 -
PAMLICO TECHNICAL COLL.
P* 0. BOX 185
GRANTSBORO, N. C.
28529
#• C. ***>
spa
Sixty-three marijuana plants
were uprooted last week after be
Ing discovered by tbe Interagency
Drug Team. At maturity, tbe
mst
street valued would have exceed
ed $100,000.
The East NC State tournement
was played last week in Bayboro
under extreme heat conditions.
Spectators sought out what little
shade they could underneath the
bleachers.
Review Of Pamlico Mining Ordinance
In April of this year, the
Pamlico County Board of Com
missioners adopted an ordinance
concerned with the mining of non
renewable resources such as peat
and phosphate. Several years ago,
Peatco began investigating the
possibility of mining peat in Light
Ground Pocosin located in
Pamlico County. They have since
obtained the permits necessary to
remove the substance but have
not yet begun mining. At the time
Peatco was applying for the
necessary permits, Pamlico Coun
ty did not have any county or
dinances regulating the mining of
such a resource.
But the awarding of a state
grant for a mining and drilling
study, a report of what resources
are available in Pamlico County
and in what quantities, has enabl
ed the county to develop its own
regulations. Peatco did not have
to obtain any county permits since
no county ordinance was at that
time in effect regarding peat min
ing; they applied directly to the
state and followed the state’s re
quirements. With the county or
dinance now in place, any com
pany wishing to mine non
renewable resources will have to
apply to the county, as well as
meeting any applicable state
regulations.
The ordinance, which became
effective on June 1, will not affect
Peatco’s efforts in mining,
whenever they begin, but will pro
vide guidelines for future mining
by them or others, including ac
tivity not presently covered under
Peatco’s permit (for instance, if
they wish to expand the mining
area). The ordinance requires
that once the resource is removed
every effort be made to leave the
mined area in such a condition
that it can be used for other ac
tivities or returned to a natural
state, that removal of water from
the mining area be done in such a
way as not to interfere with the
natural functions of wetlands and
estuaries, that the quality and
quantity of ground water not be af
fected, that the beauty of the coun
ty be protected, and that adjacent
landowners are protected from
adverse results of the mining pro
cess.
The permit application must be
made in writing and, according to
the ordinance, must contain a
legal description of the property
for which the permit is sought, a
mining plan, and a reclamation
plan.
The submitted plans are re
quired to include detailed infor
mation about the proposed min
ing. The mining plan states, of
course, the material to be mined;
the method to be used in removal;
expected depth of the mine area;
the size of the mine, including the
acreage required for waste piles,
tailings ponds, and processing
plants; the mining schedule; and
the anticipated effect the mining
will have on wildlife, fisheries,
surface and ground water,
neighboring lands, recreational
activities, the aesthetic beauty of
the county, and cultural
resources.
The reclamation plan must
state the methods to be used in
Oriental Man Receives 6 Years
In Manslaughter Case
A Route 1, Oriental man receiv
ed a sentence of six years in prison
last Tuesday, July 12, after
pleading guilty to voluntary
manslaughter on Monday.
Dickey Coleman, 28, originally
charged with the first degree
murder of Michael Smith, receiv
ed his sentence from Superior
Court Judge Edwin S. Preston,
Jr., who also gave Calvin Syril
Saunders, 34, of Pamlico three
years in prison for accessory after
the fact of assault with a deadly
weapon with intent to kill inflic
ting serious injury.
The state’s witness, Pamlico
County Chief Deputy Gyon
Ensley, gave his testimony in the
sentencing hearing on Monday
with defense presenting their side,
including several character
witnesses for both Saunders and
Coleman on Tuesday.
Coleman’s defense attorney, S.
Henri Johnson, argued that Col
eman did not begin the fight with
the knife which killed Smith but
was handed it during the scuffle.
Saunders was allegedly the owner
of the weapon and according to
testimony by Ensley, handed it to
Coleman during Coleman’s fight
with Smith on May 14 at Geneva’s
Place at Styron’s Beach. Johnson
asked that the judge consider
what she believed to be mitigating
factors when the sentence was
handed down: that both men
(Coleman and Smith) had been
drinking heavily; that Coleman
did not actively seek out Smith to
engage him in a fight; that Col
eman turned himself in to the
sheriff’s department and that the
medical report, according to her
interpretation, did not indicate
that Coleman was trying to kill
Smith (the death wound, she said,
was a slash going left to right
rather than a direct stab).
Public defender Bill Ward, at
torney for Saunders, said that the
knife was in its leather sheath
when Saunders handed it to Col
eman and that Saunders had not
been involved in the initial scuffle,
being approached later by Col
eman. Saunders, said Ward, had
no criminal record, was employed
as a commercial fisherman and
had an excellent reputation.
District attorney David McFa
dyen, in his argument, stated that
Smith also had an excellent
reputation and held a steady job.
McFadyen said that the exact
cause of the fight was still
unknown “but it resulted in a
tragedy.”
In sentencing Coleman and
(See COLEMAN Page 8)
State Tourney Held In Bayboro
The Eastern NC Babe Ruth
tournament began last Friday at
the S.M. Jones Field in Bayboro
during some of the hottest
temperatures witnessed so far
this year. As temperatures soared
to 100 degrees (and probably hot
ter on the ball field), and spec
tators sought shade under the
bleachers, 8 teams began the toe
to toe competition, which Tuesday
night would determine who is the
best in the eastern half of the
state.
The winner of this tournament
will go on to the regionals to be
held in Hartsell, Alabama in
August.
The eight teams participating in
tb«* tournament were: New
Hanover National All-Stars,
district 3; Nash County, district 5;
Edenton-Chowan, district 7; New
Bern, district 6; Durham All
Stars, district 1; Wayne County
All-Stars, district 4; North Wake
All-Stars, district 2; and Pamlico
All-Stars, the host team.
Crowd attendance to the tourna
ment games, even with the torrid
weather, was good with well over
1,000 spectators on Friday, Satur
day, and Sunday, not including
(See TOURNAMENT PageS)
Pot Found Near Oriental
Members of the Interagency
Drug Team pulled up sixty-three
marijuana plants last Wednesday
at a site near Oriental.
Agents of the State Bureau of In
vestigation, Pamlico County Chief
Deputy Gy on Ensley and Oriental
Police Chief Mac Morgan, all
memtvrs of T»nm. located the
plants about one mile outside the
Oriental town limits at the edge of
a corn field. Some of the plants
were eight to ten feet tall. At
maturity, it was estimated that
the crop would have brought in
well over $100,000.
The marijuana was destroyed
the same day.
reclaiming the land after mining
is completed and what its intended
use will be. Any restrictions or
hazards regarding the use of the
land which will last for more than
15 years after mining is completed
must be specified. This includes
reduced bearing strength of the
soil, lowering of the ground sur
face beneath the seasonal high
water table. Whenever feasible
reclamation must be condusted
simultaneously with mining.
The ordinance also requires that
maps showing the location of the
mine areas, the stockpile areas,
overburden disposal areas, pro
cessing plants, settling ponds and
access roads be submitted.
Applications must also be ac
companied by a fee of $2,000 to be
used to offset the county’s costs of
reviewing the forms.
The application will first be
reviewed by the mining coor
dinator, who is appointed by the
county, within ten days of submis
sion. The application will then be
submitted to the board of commis
sioners. A notice must then be
published stating that an applica
tion has been received and the
commissioners, if they wish, may
hold a public hearing on the per
mit application.
Within 90 days of submission the
commissioners must grant or
deny the permit.
Should the permit be approved,
a performance bond is required,
the amount to be based upon the
estimated maximum cost of
reclamation of the area of land to
be disturbed at any one time.
Regular reports are also re
quired stating the acreage
disturbed, the reclamation car
ried out, the amount of resource
removed, and an estimate of the
amount of land to be disturbed in
the next period of mining.
Reports are due at least yearly
and within thirty days after com
(See MINING Page 8)
Beaufort County Budget
Up 8 to 9 Per Cent
Beaufort County’s budget for
the 1983-84 year is eight to nine
percent higher than last year’s
budget, an increase from about
$9.7 million to $10.5.
Most of the difference, which
necessitated an increase in ad
valorem property taxes from 45
cents to 47 cents is due to the over
$1,200,000 placed into a fund to be
used in the future for school
buildings, explained Jay Hodges,
County Manager. Budgets for the
individual departments are about
what they were last year, he add
ed.
REVENUES
Property in Beaufort County
has an estimated valuation of
$1,112 billion according to the
budget ordinance adopted earlier
in the month by the Beaufort
County Board of Commissioners.
A collection rate of at least 95 per
cent is anticipated.
Revenues from ad valorem
taxes are estimated to be
$4,965,080, the single largest
source of income. $1,200,000 is ex
pected to come from the one cent
county sales tax, $275,000 from in
terest on investments, $245,000
from the intangibles tax, $109,000
from beer and wine taxes, and
$125,000 from ABC revenues.
Revenues from the health depart
ment’s programs plus state and
federal appropriations will, total
$270,695. State grants for Depart
ment of Social Services ad
ministration and public assistance
are estimated at $930,000.
Other sources of revenues are:
building permits, $1,500; inspec
tion fees, $18,000; refuse collection
fees, $140,000; fines and
forfeitures, $160,000; patient fees
from the Beaufort County Nursing
Home, $375,000.
Over $775,000 was appropriated
from fund balance and $482,351
transferred from revenue shar
ing.
APPROPRIATIONS
The schools, city and county, ac
count for the single largest ap
propriation, $2,698,883 plus
$1,250,000 was put into the capital
reserve fund for future needs.
$1,282,461 has been appropriated
to the county school system for
their current expense fund,
$140,000 for capital outlay. The
Washington City schools can ex
pect to receive $1,090,665 for cur
rent expense and $185,755 for
capital outlay. The schools’
budget, including the capital
reserve fund, account for approx
No Decision Yet On Mesic
Despite numerous meetings, the
situation in Mesic is still unresolv
ed and with the North Carolina
General Assembly ready to ad
journ, probably this week, it ap
pears that any legislation
necessary will have to wait at
least until the next session a year
from now.
In a telephone interview with
Senator Joseph Thomas, D
Craven, last week, Thomas said
that the legislators met with the
Mesic town board and their at
torney on Saturday, July 8, in New
Bern but had still reached no deci
sion.
“We’re (the legislators
-Thomas, Representatives Gerald
Anderson, Chris Barker and Dan
Lilley) still concerned about the
situation,’’ said Thomas, adding,
“we’ve probably spent more time
on this one issue than any other
(this year).”
But just because the legislature
will be adjourning does not
preclude the possibility that the
two sides may work out their own
(SeeMESIC Page 8)
imately 37.6 percent of the total
county budget.
The Beaufort DSS budget for
1983-84 totals $1,806,252 in county
monies. Administration of DSS
will cost about $990,542 for the pre
sent year. Salaries comprise
$715,557 or about 40 percent of the
administrative budget. $170,000
will go towards Aid to Families
with Dependent Children and
$318,346 to Medicaid.
The Health Department will
operate with a budget of $616,715.
Salaries for the health department
total to $387,489, 63 percent. The
WIC (Women, Infants and
Children) program will cost
$81,792: family planning $71,761
and maternal and child health
$74,702.
The cost of running the sheriff’s
department this year is estimated
at $458,619; $133,008 has been ap
propriated for the jail.
Other appropriations include
$52,286 for the county manager’s
office; $72,135 for the county ac
countant’s office; $192,597 for the
tax supervisor’s office; $145,224,
tax collector; $89,887, register of
deeds, $26,622, emergency
management; $125,000, fire pro
tection; (distributed through the
Beaufort County Fire Commis
sion); $45,746, inspections;
$482,351, solid waste ($24,000 will
go to Pamlico County in exchange
for use of the Silverhill landfill);
$44,295, animal control; $73,753,
extension service; $25,334, soil
and resource conservation;
$575,552, Beaufort County Nursing
Home (the only remaining county
supported nursing home in the
state); recreation, $15,230
(distributed to the municipalities
Aurora’s share will be $1,662);
libraries, $51,540; Beaufort Coun
ty Community College, $403,620
and $50,000 to the contingency
fund.
The Richland Township Fire
and Rescue Tax, at 2 cents per
$100 property valuation, is
estimated to generate $75,800 in
the coming year.