Columbus County Community Chat

The drownings of two East Columbus High School students last week at Lake Waccamaw was a tragic accident.

Drownings are infrequent at Lake Waccamaw, in part because the lake is shallow in most places, but hypothermia apparently proved too much for two of the three boys.

We were impressed with the efforts of all involved in the rescue and recovery effort.

The accident occurred during the coldest conditions of the year. At times, the temperature dipped into the teens and winds gusted to 25 miles per hour.

Local fire, rescue and law enforcement officials were on the water or going pier-to-pier in terrible conditions when the possibility remained that the boys were alive.

Rescuers were faithfully back on the water on the subsequent three mornings, even when it was obvious the two boys could not have survived.

It was also gratifying to see the out-of-county units that assisted, ranging from the Coast Guard, which sent a helicopter, to water rescue teams from surrounding counties. The team that found the last victim was from the New Bern area.

It’s unimaginable what the families of the two boys have gone through and continue to experience; yet, it should be of some comfort that so many people understood their loss and responded with extraordinary dedication.

• It isn’t really a sale of property, Waste Management says

By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

Columbus County’s negotiations with Waste Management appeared to be close to settled at a Dec. 17 meeting.

In a 6-1 vote, the Board of Commissioners verbally agreed to sell a three-sided metal waste transfer station and lease the land the building sits on to Waste Management in exchange for certain incentives.

Putting the agreement in black and white was all that was left to do.

Commissioner Ricky Bullard, who opposed the sale, said after the meeting that he didn’t think the sale was legal.

According to state law, county real property and property valued in excess of $30,000 can’t be privately sold unless it is going to a non-profit and meets certain state requirements for historical or other value.

It had to be done through a bidding process, Bullard said.

Now, Waste Management, in a letter from corporate legal counsel, is saying the letter presented to the board in December “mischaracterizes the payment of the $325,000 by Waste Management to the county as a payment for the purchase of the transfer station building.

“In fact, the proposed $325,000 payment to the county is to compensate the county for waiving its option to purchase the transfer station building under the current agreement, in conjunction with the extension of the agreement,” Janne C. Foster wrote in a letter to Interim County Manager Leo Hunt dated Dec. 27.

The letter explains that Peverall “was clear in his statements to the county about the ownership of the transfer station building,” but adds that “the transfer station has been owned by Waste Management since it was constructed pursuant to the June 25, 1997 Transfer Station and Disposal Service Agreement.

“Waste Management built the building at its expense and holds the permit for operation of the transfer station,” the letter reads.

“I’m still against selling the transfer station,” Bullard said Friday. “I think when Waste Management owns the transfer station it is going to be hard to get a fair bid.

“I don’t think any contractor should have a hard contract to where we have no way to negotiate and bid out a contract,” Bullard said.

Bullard said news that the details of the $325,000 payment had changed it “stunned him.”

“I haven’t seen anything that shows me they own the building in black and white,” Bullard insisted. “If they built it and paid the contractor for it it’s probably a situation where they own it,” Bullard added.

Bullard said according to the terms of the old contract the county would own the building in five years with no cost. Under the new proposal Bullard said the county would be stuck either renewing a contract or paying more than what the building is worth to buy it back.

“The building will be 15 years old,” Bullard said.

Bullard said clarification of what the payment is for is a way around the law. He said previously the sale did not follow the law.

“I think all they are doing is changing the verbiage to make it legal,” Bullard said. “Well, that’s my opinion – that’s a way around it.”

It is noted on the upcoming commissioner’s agenda that the issue of selling the building was “tabled.”

“The issue was not tabled – the issue was voted on,” Bullard said.

Bullard said the contract on leasing the land, the trash pick up contract and transfer station agreement should all expire at the same time.

Chairman James Prevatte and Commissioner Bill Memory said at a previous meeting they had worked that out with Waste Management.

The latest proposal from the company is a little unclear.

While the proposal specifically states that the transfer station agreement and waste disposal service contract run until Dec. 31, 2012, a notice of the intent to buy the transfer station is required months in advance.

In addition, the proposal does not specify that the lease of the land is until Dec. 31, 2012. It states the lease is for five years but indicates no start or end date.

“Everything should expire at the same time,” Bullard said.

That permit is not in the county’s possession.

County administration staff said Friday they did not have a copy of the permit in question.
A call to Peverall was not returned.

The county building inspections department has been unable to locate any permit issued to the company 10 years ago.

Discussion of the agreement began in November when the county received a letter from Waste Management. No one was aware that the agreement was up for renewal and the board was crunched for time and did not want service interrupted.
Bullard has called the situation confusing because of a series of changes in the negotiation.

First, the Columbus County Board of Commissioners had two choices: pay Waste Management $325,000 for the metal building located at the closed New Hope landfill (owned by the county) or renew the company’s exclusive multimillion dollar agreement with the county and get a break on consumer price index increases for a year.

The company had never paid taxes on the building and some commissioners thought the price was excessive.
Then, things changed.

A few commissioners met privately with the company and Waste Management came back with an apology stating a clerical error resulted in the price error of $325,000 that should have been $171,000.

Greg Peverall, an executive with Waste Management, said in a “good faith effort” the company wanted to pay the county $325,000 for the station and pay the county to lease the land the building is located on.

Peverall maintained that the company owned the building but was offering to pay the county for it, plus give the county a break on consumer price index increases in the countywide curbside pick-up and transfer station agreement.

• Columbus County became a part of North Carolina’s government in December 1808 and was created from Bladen and Brunswick counties.

By BOB HIGH
Staff Writer

Happy birthday, Columbus! Not Christopher Columbus – Columbus County!

This is 2008 and the 200th year since the county’s formation in December 1808. In other words, this is our bicentennial.

Today, The News Reporter announces its intent for the balance of this year. The bicentennial logo accompanying this story is the work of staff member Fuller Royal. Civic, church and community groups can share the logo across the county.

Today also marks the first of 104 questions about the county’s history that will be featured on the front page above the masthead. Answers to today’s and subsequent questions will usually be found on Page 3.

Just one ‘Columbus’

A curious fact is that this county is the only county in the United States known as “Columbus.” There are many “Columbia” counties in scattered states, plus there are several cities and towns named for the 1492 discoverer of the New World, but this is the only county with Christopher’s last name.

The News Reporter will present articles throughout the year detailing the history of this county, including the unusual politics in the state’s General Assembly that led to our birth.

All of these stories and photographs, maps and drawings, plus many more will be presented in early December in a special volume that will give exhaustive views of the events that have shaped the present conditions of this county – from advances and declines in economy, education and healthcare, to construction of the infrastructure of the many towns and communities embraced in our 939 square miles.

Vocations and trades maintained by our ancestors have disappeared, not by neglect in most cases, but by necessity brought on by general advances in the way we live and the everyday demands we have for products and services.

One-room schoolhouses

Our economy is no longer based largely on what we can gather from vast tracts of timber, even though this industry is still our backbone. There are still those who remember the basics drilled and driven by dedicated teachers in countless one-room schoolhouses. Today, our young have camera and Internet capable cell phones, and most of us are slaves to computers to produce our work.

Children dance down streets to tunes ingested by gadgets equipped with cords that dangle from their ears. Adults get in daily exercise by running or walking with ears covered by “muffs” drilling music and words into their brains.
Our legacies include struggling to make ends meet on thousands of small farms as our forbears carved a bare existence by their bootstraps, to working at home on electronic products that reach to the far corners of the world.

We celebrated the birth of the rail era in 1852, and within 110 years many miles of the iron rails that marched across the county from east to west were removed. Today, trucks deliver what we need and – for the most part – ship our products.

Collapse of textiles

Textiles were an exciting industry in our nation, and examples of American inventions of machinery and processes were scattered across the county in the early 1900s. But, then came increased international trade, and the realization that foreign workers don’t need to be paid very much. Our textile industry, for the most part, has disappeared.

The examples of what The News Reporter will feature include unknown and rumored incidents being developed into genuine facts – from blacksmithing and working mules and oxen to driving air-conditioned tractors across fields to seed and harvest. From riding a horse and driving a buggy to wheeling at break-neck speed across the county on a four-lane highway.

We live in a high-speed society, geared to acts of speed instead of thorough study. The News Reporter will present a comprehensive look at our 200 years – a product created with input from hundreds who have shared their families’ accomplishments. And, the stories are intended to highlight the trends and those who started and/or embraced them to move us to where we are today.

Input from readers is sought, not just for family history, but memories of what went on in your community. Who was the village blacksmith? Who drove the first horseless carriage your grandfather ever saw? Who went to work in the “deep woods” on Monday and came home Saturday? How did the tobacco industry impact your family’s life?

Hog killing days

Who was the storekeeper in the community? Who killed hogs on a frigid January day? Who were the preachers and teachers? Did your grandfather takes up arms to defend this country – either as the United States or the Confederacy?
Did your ancestors exist as slaves, and only began to live when freed? Did your family contribute to the advancement of this county’s life in any way?

Do you have photographs, drawings or maps that would help develop “hearsay” and “hand-me-down” stories into fact? Do you have a question about county history that would be suitable to be included as one of the 104 to be posed in each of our editions for 2008?

There are countless facts, questions and comments concerning our 200 years of history. If a reader wants to furnish information, make a comment or ask a question, contact Bob High at 642-4104, Extension 247, or by mail at P.O. Box 707, Whiteville, N.C. 28472.

The first installment of detailed county history will be presented in the Jan. 10 edition.

Update

Rescuers found the body of Williams Mills in Lake Waccamaw Saturday using a sonar unit brought in from Craven County. Mills was found not far from where the paddle boat he and two friends were in capsized Wednesday afternoon. A diver recovered the body.

Searchers from several agencies from Columbus and surrounding counties participated in the search, often conducted in sub-freezing weather. Rescuers found the body of Glenn Marvin Thursday. A third boy, Scott Collins, was able to swim to safety but suffered from hypothermia.

The boating accident occurred a few hundred yards in front of the pier at Dale’s Seafood. All three boys attended East Columbus High School.

See Monday’s issue of The News Reporter for a full report and more photos.

The body of 17-year-old Glenn Marvin was recovered today (Thursday, Jan. 3) about noon from Lake Waccamaw. The youth is one of two East Columbus High School students who drowned Wednesday afternoon in a boating accident at the lake.

His body was found within 300 yards of the pier at Dale’s Seafood restaurant. This is where Scott Collins, 18, of the lake swam to shore at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Searchers are battling frigid conditions with stiff winds in 30-degree weather on the lake as they continue looking for the body of William Mills, 18, also from Delco.
See today’s story on Page 1 for more details.

Rescuers battle high wind, frigid water as they resume search today (Thursday) in Lake Waccamaw. One of three teenagers managed to swim ashore after a paddle boat capsized late Wednesday afternoon.

By BOB HIGH
Staff Writer

Rescue personnel again fought bitter cold wind and frigid water in Lake Waccamaw this morning (Thursday) as they sought to recover the bodies of two East Columbus High School students missing after a boat capsized Wednesday afternoon.

Gusts as high as 18 mph and a steady northwest wind at about 12 mph made conditions almost unbearable on the choppy waters of the lake. Rescuers called off search efforts at midnight Wednesday.

William Mills, 18, and Glenn Marvin, 17, both of the Delco area, are missing following the 3:30-3:45 p.m. accident about a mile into the lake from the north shore.

Scott Collins, 18, and a resident of Lake Waccamaw, managed to swim to within 400 yards of the shoreline in front of Dale’s Seafood restaurant, and walked the rest of the way to safety. He emerged from the lake at 4:30 p.m.

Helicopter used

Collins, suffering from hypothermia, was taken to Columbus Regional Healthcare by rescue workers at about 5 p.m.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, equipped with a piercing searchlight and thermal imaging gear, made two trips Wednesday night and searched the west end of the lake.

At least 10 small boats – ranging from the Wildlife Resources Commission to craft from Supply, Acme-Delco-Riegelwood, White Lake and Lake Waccamaw – fought the elements for about four hours Wednesday night.

A rescue boat from the Seagate community in New Hanover County was too large to be launched into the shallow water at the boat ramp on the west end of the lake.

However, the Seagate craft had a Coast Guard radio and this enabled rescuers to talk to the helicopter.
Lake Police Chief Scott Hyatt provided the following information:

Collins, Mills and Marvin decided to put a small paddle boat into the lake following the end of their school day – the first session of school following the Christmas and New Year’s Day break.

Launched boat

The teenagers drove to a home near the west end of the first bridge on Canal Cove Road. They launched the small craft into shallow water along the edge of the lake’s cove area leading to the deepest part of the lake.

The water level is at least 14 to 15 inches down from the top of the dam on the lake’s south side, and about 17 to 18 inches lower than normal.

The boys were going “to mess around a little,” according to a report from people who talked to Collins at the hospital here.

As the boys moved farther from shore they escaped the tree line that provided a partial buffer to the strong wind Wednesday afternoon, and the wind began to push the boat farther into the lake, despite the teens’ best efforts to stay close to shore.

Boat kept moving out

Collins told officers that the three teens paddled as hard as they could, but couldn’t make any headway against the wind, and the boat kept moving out into the lake.

The northwest wind pushed the small white boat southeast, and it was moving toward the dam and state park area when it capsized. The exact location of the accident is not clear, but is believed to be at least a mile or more offshore in front of the seafood restaurant.

Collins, almost unable to be understood as he tried to report what happened to restaurant workers, said he had been in the water “for hours.” It’s not clear if he was confused by his harrowing experience and did not clearly understand the time issue.

Kaitlyn Ward, a waitress at Dale’s Seafood, said she was waiting on some customers when one of them pointed to a person walking to shore in the shallow water in front of the restaurant.

Smokey Bell, a cook at the business, said he was in his pickup truck parked behind the building, and noticed a young person (Collins) coming to the shore from the water.

“He walked to where I was in my truck. He told me he and two other boys had turned over in their boat. I brought him inside here and tried to get him dry and get some hot liquid in him,” Bell said.

‘Couldn’t say much’

“He was so cold he couldn’t say very many words. He couldn’t handle a cup of hot coffee. He was out of it. He stayed here about 20 minutes before they took him to the hospital,” Bell added.

Collins spoke to his family by telephone about what happened before being taken for medical treatment. Collins lives in the 3900 block of Waccamaw Shores Road, near the dam on the south side of the lake.

As rescuers were gathering outside the lake restaurant, Police Officer Jeff Marlowe used binoculars to locate the bobbing white boat far into the lake. It was visible between each large wave as it was being pushed to the southern shoreline, almost in front of the dam.

A N.C. Forest Service plane was used to help locate the boat and to scan for survivors. The first rescue boat reached the overturned craft at 5:30 p.m., and the boat was pulled to the west end near the boat ramp.

Wind, cold brutal

Ice was scraped off rescuers and boats as they fought the elements late Wednesday. The wind chill was at freezing or below all day Wednesday, and force of the wind was amplified as it moved across the open water.

By the time rescuers abandoned efforts Wednesday night, the wind-chill factor was in the single digits and dipped to zero and below in some of the highest wind gusts.

Today’s early temperature ranged from 20 to 25 degrees with a steady 10 to 12 mph wind – far below the freezing point.

Visit whiteville.com for updates to this story after presstime.

New Year’s Day fire traced by investigators to Christopher Shawn McDevitt, a son of Nakina Fire & Rescue Chief Vince McDevitt.

By BOB HIGH
Staff Writer

Christopher Shawn McDevitt, a 25-year-old Nakina firefighter and son of Nakina Fire and Rescue Chief Vince McDevitt, was arrested early New Year’s Day on a charge of second-degree arson.

McDevitt is charged with setting a blaze inside a double-wide mobile home along Ramsey Ford Road that was still to be “set up” as a new home for McDevitt’s aunt.
Investigators report “at least” $25,000 in damages to the structure, owned by P&R Homes of Fairmont. The fire was reported by the young McDevitt at 2:28 a.m. Tuesday, records show.

Ironically, it was McDevitt’s aunt, Evelyn Vernell Reaves who lost her home – almost across the road from the firefighter’s home — in three questionable fires less than three months ago.

The mobile home that was burned had just been delivered by the Fairmont mobile home firm, and was still to be placed on a permanent foundation, it was reported.

Fire and Rescue Chief Vince McDevitt resigned Tuesday. He stated his action was because he felt it was the “right thing to do,” according to a report.

Assistant Chief Jimmy Williams is now the acting chief for both departments. Young McDevitt was suspended until the outcome of the arson charge.

Crucial evidence

Investigators said they found crucial evidence in McDevitt’s home, and also collected important items outside the residence.

There are several other suspicious recent Nakina fires, including the burning of the headquarters of Nakina Fire and Rescue and the home of John Ward, chairman of Nakina’s board of directors for the fire and rescue units.

In addition, the brick home of Evelyn Reaves was destroyed by three unusual fires in a 25-hour period on Oct. 21-22 last year.

Records in the county Fire Marshal’s office show Reaves’ home was the site of a blaze reported at 1:51 a.m. on Oct. 21, then a second fire was reported two hours later at 3:50 a.m.

Oct. 22 fire

The fire that gutted the 30-by-60 home was reported at 2:44 a.m. the next morning, according to Shannon Blackman, the county’s acting fire marshal.

Blackman and his assistant Jason Soles said McDevitt said he was in his home Tuesday at 2:30 a.m. at his computer and saw flames through the blinds of a window.

McDevitt told investigators he ran outside and found his own home burning from vinyl siding that had been torched. He used a garden hose to douse the flames on the two-story structure where he is living.

He was not charged in this fire, because it is still being investigated, it was reported.

McDevitt was taken to the county jail shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday, and was released on a $25,000 bond posted by his family before being confined behind bars.