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School board meets Thursday to deal with budget cuts
By Andy Pettigrew
Post Editor
Pender County Schools 2010 Adequate Yearly Progress scores slipped after a dramatic jump the previous year. 62.5 percent of Pender County Schools made AYP in 2010, down from 68.8 percent in 2009. In 2008, only 31.3 percent of Pender County Schools made AYP.
Assistant School Superintendent Rachel Manning says the big jump from 2008 to 2009 came largely through a different way of counting student test scores. In 2008, student re-tests were not counted in the AYP figures, although a passing re-test score was credited to the student. In 2009, re-tests were figured into the AYP percentage, accounting for much of the improvement in 2009 over 2008. “Everyone is down this year because the re-testing counted for the first time last year. When the re-test counted last year, that gave us all a safe harbor,” Manning said. “Last year all our kids did better when they were re-tested. Counting the re-test kind of skewed the data. It made it look like we did so much better from the year before. Last year was the year everybody did really well. Now we have hit a plateau.”
Manning did not attribute the dip in the AYP scores to the economic woes plaguing Pender County Schools. “I think we did really well considering the budget situation. It is what it is and our teachers and principals have not complained,” Manning said. “They have just kept going. There were really no surprises with the budget and we communicate well with everyone at the schools, so they know what’s coming.” Trask, Topsail, and Pender Early College High Schools made AYP in the latest report. Pender High School did not, posting 70.6 percent. This was unchanged from last year. Burgaw Middle and Cape Fear Middle Schools made AYP, while Topsail and West Pender Middle Schools did not.
Among elementary schools, Cape Fear, Topsail, North Topsail, South Topsail, and Rocky Point Primary all made AYP. Burgaw Elementary, Malpass Corner, and Penderlea did not. Adequate Yearly Progress is a measurement defined by the federal No Child Left Behind act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how individual public schools and school systems are performing academically according to results on standardized tests. Private schools do not have to make AYP.
Board to meet Thursday
The Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting at the Central Office on Thursday at 4 p.m. The board will consider recommendations from the superintendent in regard to the $1.7 million reduction in funding from the state for the upcoming school year. “We have to identify $1.7 million to return to the state. We want the board to see where we are proposing to take the money,” Manning said. “We have identified where we want to take it from and we need to explain it and get the board’s approval.”
By Andy Pettigrew
Post Editor
The Pender County unemployment rate slipped downward again during the month of June, according to figures released by the state Employment Security Commission. The June unemployment rate fell slightly to 10.1 percent, down from 10.2 percent in May.
All neighboring counties in Southeastern North Carolina experienced an increase in the rate, except for New Hanover County, which remained at 9.2 percent. “Considering Coty is laying off a few people, this is good news,” said Rosemary Pittman of the Pender County Employment Security Commission office.
Across the state, unemployment rates decreased in 35 of the state’s 100 counties in June. 45 counties had higher rates, and 20 remained unchanged.
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By Andy Pettigrew
Post Editor
The Lewis Road public boat ramp project continues to move ahead. State Wildlife officials are working through the long list of permits necessary to allow construction of the long-awaited public boat ramp.
Mark Hamlett, Design Services Section Chief with the Division of Engineering Services is hopeful that permits should be submitted within the next several months. The permits include a CAMA Major Permit, DWQ Stormwater Permit, DOT Encroachment Agreements, DOT Driveway Permit, and Erosion Control Permit.
After the permits are obtained, the project may go through the State Construction Office for review and bidding. Hamlett estimates it will be 9-12 months before construction begins. “Hopefully, the review and permitting process will go more quickly, but I want to give you a conservative estimate,” Hamlett told Pender County Commissioner David Williams in an email Monday.
“The good news is we are progressing. I’m like everyone else. I wish we could have it done yesterday,” Williams said. “There is a lot of red tape that has to be cut before we can open it. It has been a challenge for everyone involved but in the long run it’s going to be something people can be proud of.”
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Overall crime rate down as property crimes fall
By Jefferson Weaver
Post Staff Writer
While more violent crimes were reported in Pender County last year, the county’s overall crime rate was down, according to a report recently released by the N.C. Department of Crime Control.
The crime rate index is based on the number of reported crimes per 100,000 people. Pender had an overall rate of 2,540.6, down from 3,388 in 2008. This is significantly lower than the overall state average of 4,178 for 2009, down 8.8 percent overall. In 2008, the state level was 4,581 reported crimes per 100,000 population. Pender’s violent crime rate was slightly skewed by the county’s small population and normally low rate of violent crime. While the statewide trend for rape, murder, robbery and aggravated assault was down by 12.5 percent over last year, Pender County had two murders in 2009, twice the normal average. That brought the county’s index up to 387.9 over 2008’s 175.5.
Increased emphasis on domestic violence enforcement also resulted in more crimes investigated, thus increasing the number of reported crimes over past years. For years, law officers have criticized the state’s scoring system for crime rates since increased enforcement and investigation of many crimes – especially violent crimes—can show dramatic increases when victims have more opportunities to contact police. Statewide, crimes by juveniles dropped by 10 percent over 2008, while crimes by adults dropped four percent. The statewide numbers of rape remained exactly the same from 2008 to 2009, with 25.2 reported cases of forcible sexual assault per 100,000 persons.
Statewide, property crimes also dropped, with burglaries down a total of four percent. Residential burglaries increased by 101 statewide in the 2009 reporting period -- roughly two per county, for a total of 80,416 statewide. Non-residential burglaries dropped by 17 percent. Larcenies of all types—from bicycles to auto break-ins and coin machine thefts—totaled 208,326, down a total of nine percent.
The crime rate in Wilmington, the only local city monitored by the list, increased 13 percent. In Neighboring counties, New Hanover and Bladen had overall increases in crime rates, while Onslow, Brunswick, and Duplin saw dramatic drops.
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By Don Paxton
Post Staff Writer
The two-day IBNP (Interim Beach Nourishment Project) special meeting last week ended with renewed hope for more beach sand – but also raised several concerns.
Topsail Beach Commissioners Grier Flieschhauer and Buck Taylor are now supporting the IBNP for this fall. Since the fall of 2009, both Taylor and Flieschhauer have approved numerous motions causing delays in the previously approved IBNP. Many Topsail Beach residents are pleased to get the project back on track.
One change will save Topsail Beach several million dollars. Last winter Commissioner Julian Bone initiated a search for less-expensive sand. That search found much cheaper sand from the sound area. There are still questions regarding the environmental approval permits for obtaining sand from the sound. The original IBNP did not get sand from the sound because of the restrictive permits. The other big change will be much less sand put on the beaches at the south end of the island near the canals. This change raised more questions from the residents. The need for sand in the area receiving less sand is just as great as the rest of the beach.
Chris Gibson of Gahagan & Bryant Associates provided a review of the new IBNP solution. Gibson showed a timeline indicating that sand could still be put on the beaches starting this fall. Commissioner Ed Broadhurst asked about the time available for obtaining easements from property owners. Gibson told Broadhurst the board had about five weeks. After hearing this the board unanimously agreed to send out the easement letter as soon as possible.
Mayor Howard Braxton was concerned about the color of the sand from the sound. Gibson said it Gibson explained the new sand source will provide the same quantity of sand for several million dollars less. He also said the new sand source would receive the appropriate permits within the next two weeks.
Gibson brought a slide presentation explaining how much sand would be placed on each area of the beach. Most areas will receive 100 feet of new sand. The area near the canals at the south end will only get 55 feet of new sand.
Herb Hetherton, a Topsail Beach resident, asked Gibson if the changes in the reduced beach sand allocated along the beach had anything to do with the current litigation that two current commissioners were involved in.
“No. The change is due to a re-evaluation of the beach sand needs,” Gibson said.
As of now the critical issues that could delay the IBNP for this fall are completing the easements in time, obtaining all of the required permits, and determining why the new IBNP solution is putting much less sand near the canals.
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Pender People
By Andy Pettigrew
Post Editor
Charlie Baker (above) talks about the sea turtle conservation project. Baker (below) works to smooth the sand on a turtle nest on the beach at Figure Eight Island after the nest was relocated to a safe location.
Staff photos by Katie H. Cromartie
You don’t have to talk with Charlie Baker very long before you realize he has two great passions in life – teaching children and protecting sea turtles.
Sitting under a live oak tree on the deck of the yacht club on Figure Eight Island, the retired Pender County elementary school science teacher spoke of both.
Baker oversees the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission turtle conservation project on the island. Along with a team of other volunteers, Baker keeps watch for sea turtle nests along Figure Eight Island. Volunteers with the program cover all the barrier islands along the North Carolina coast.
Each morning, Baker surveys the island, looking for the telltale signs that a sea turtle has nested during the night. Often, islanders will discover the “crawls” and contact him. Several interns from UNC-W work the beach as well. If a crawl is discovered, Charlie gets a call.
“I’ll come out and check to see if it was a false crawl or if she actually did nest,” Baker said.
Protecting the eggs of endangered sea turtles is a high priority. If Baker determines the nest is in danger from erosion, the nest will be opened and the eggs carefully removed and relocated to another safe location on the beach. Currently, about a dozen nests have been discovered and marked, including a Kemps-Riddley turtle nest.
The small Kemps-Riddley turtles rarely nest along the North Carolina coast, usually preferring the Gulf coast from Southwestern Texas to Mexico. Most turtle nests here are loggerheads. An average nest will contain about 100 eggs and individual females will usually nest several times during a season. Baker says this nesting season has about an average number of nests on the island.
Baker logged the first nest on Figure Eight Island in late May. With a roughly 60-day incubation period, he is expecting a hatch soon. Hot weather can accelerate the hatching period, and June was especially warm. “Nesting season begins usually in late May until the middle of August. Hatching can run as late as October,” Baker said. “We’ve had a really hot summer and our first nest here was May 25. “I’m looking at the end of July or the first week of August for the first nest to hatch.”
With more than 25 years of experience, Baker knows the signs of a nest that is ready. He, along with the other volunteers, will keep vigil over the nest that is about to hatch and help the tiny turtles find their way safely to the sea. Since most hatchings occur at night, the volunteers will be on hand to help protect the baby turtles from marauding crabs and other animals that would find the little turtles a tasty meal. Baker says sometimes they will build a wall of sand around the nest to help funnel the turtles toward the sea.
Baker is equally passionate about teaching children about science and nature. He came to Pender County to teach elementary school science in 1983. Since then, Baker has shared the wonders of the natural world with thousands of Pender County school children. He retired from South Topsail Elementary School in June of this year. “I started out working with students from Long Creek, Penderlea, Rocky Point, places where the kids were not getting any service,” Baker said. “It was called the Academic Enrichment Program and I got to move around between five or six schools. It was truly about the best time of my life. We would just pile the kids into my car and off we would go on some really cool trips. We would go to the mountains or to the beach and do studies. It was a great experience.”
Baker has also worked with other elementary teachers across the state, providing training in teaching science. “Elementary teachers seem to have a little more need. They are not as comfortable about science. They are great in math and reading. But if it crawled, had legs, hopped, or was slimy, they didn’t want it. That’s what I worked with.”
Baker, who lives in the Scotts Hill community, retired once before. He told the administrators at South Topsail Elementary that he would be willing to come and help if they needed a substitute or if a teacher was out on medical leave. “They asked me if I would mind coming and teaching fifth-grade science. So I said I would for one year and I’ll help you train someone else. And that one year turned into quite a few. It’s been the greatest. I didn’t want to stop when I did. I dearly love it as much as I did in 1970 when I began.”
Walking back from the beach after looking at a loggerhead nest on the north end of Figure Eight Island, he pointed out a group of spiders with webs suspended between the tall hedge on either side of the beach walkway. “That is the golden silk orb-weaver spider. They are tropical spiders that live along the coast,” he said. And he proceeded to describe the unusual spider and some of the unique characteristics of its golden web. For Charlie Baker, everything in nature is a teaching opportunity.
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Pender Places
By Andy Pettigrew and
Dora Corbett
Post Staff Writers
The Black River Plantation (above) is thought to have been built in the 1830's by William Beatty. Beatty built the first bridge across the Black River adjacent to the plantation property. New Jersey native Ed Padfield (below) owns the Black River Plantation.
See more photos by clicking on the "Images of the Week" link on this website or on our facebook page. Staff photos by Katie H. Cromartie
Sunlight filters through the tall cypress, pine, and live oak trees hanging heavy with Spanish moss on the grounds of Black River Plantation. The dark river makes a sharp turn as it slowly slips by the aging plantation house at the corner of Beatty’s Bridge and Ivanhoe Roads.
The stately old house sits empty and quiet now, except for the occasional film crew that uses the picturesque plantation as a backdrop for a scene in a movie or maybe a wedding party using the grounds for a photo shoot.
But it was not always so.
Black River Plantation, also known to many as the Corbett House, was a busy place many years ago. The George Corbett family was last to occupy the sprawling 4,600 square foot structure. Corbett’s grandfather, William Murphy Corbett, purchased the plantation from the heirs of William Henry Beatty. Beatty was the original owner and built the house around 1836. The original plantation site included 10,000 acres.
W.M. Corbett was a businessman and owned a turpentine distillery just upriver from the plantation. He also ran a sawmill and shingle factory near the house. The driveway around the home was part of an old wagon road and Corbett operated a ferry at Corbett’s Landing, prior to the construction of Beatty’s Bridge.
William Beatty built a wooden toll bridge across Black River around 1790, replacing the ferry. The bridge burned three years later and was rebuilt. After Beatty’s death, the house and property was passed to his heirs and eventually the house was sold to Corbett.
Kure Beach resident Ed Padfield owns the Black River Plantation today. Padfield came to North Carolina during World War II and like many servicemen, stayed after the war. Although he doesn’t live at the house, he likes to spend time there and can often be seen on the grounds.
Padfield, who owned a motel in Kure Beach, bought the house in 1988 after it sat empty for a while. “I was having a beer with a guy who was telling me about the house. He was going to buy it, but the deal fell through and he couldn’t get it. Two weeks later, it was mine,” Padfield said. “Vines were growing through the house, the windows were knocked out. It was really a mess.”
Padfield says more than anything, he keeps the house to use as a movie location. Five films have used the plantation house and grounds. “Right now, I use it for a location for Screen Gems. They have looked at it a dozen times for movies, and produced five here.”
Throughout the house, memorabilia can be seen from the different films made on the plantation grounds. Perhaps the most famous is Rambling Rose. Filmed in the early 1990’s, the movie starred Robert Duval and Laura Dern. The house and grounds were used extensively in the film. Padfield proudly tells of the small parts he has played in every movie produced on the property.
“I was the bartender in Rambling Rose,” he said with a smile. “And I ran nude down Beatty’s Bridge in another film. You just saw me from the back.”
But after spending time with Padfield and walking the grounds of the Black River Plantation, it becomes obvious the house has more of a hold on the New Jersey native than simply as a location for movies.
He loves this bend in the dark waters of Black River.
“This has to be one of the most beautiful places in the state,” Padfield said. He stands in front of the slowly-decaying mansion, looking at the old façade with a gaze that seems to see beyond the peeling paint and creaking porch boards. He has outfitted a single room off the front porch with a small window air conditioner, a table, and some other furniture – a comfortable, cool place to sit and visit.
The old mansion may have a darker side as well. Paranormal investigators have shown interest and spent time in the house. Padfield insists a female ghost haunts the home and walks the halls every night. ”You can see her at midnight, but you have to be on a boat out in the river to see her. And you have to have a gallon of vodka with you,” he said with mischief in his eyes.
It is unclear if you see the ghost before or after the vodka. Nevertheless, Padfield speaks of her as a welcome resident of the old mansion.
Atkinson native and novelist Susan Whitfield used the plantation house as the setting for a gristly murder in her novel Hell Swamp, adding to the mystery of the sometimes spooky old place.
Although Padfield would love to restore the house to its former glory, the project is just too big and costly. He knows the real value of the property lies in the land – a quiet, picturesque riverfront location far from the rush of the city.
He intends to leave the house to his children. And another generation will decide the fate of the Black River Plantation.
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