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Abby Cavenaugh

Duplin Board discusses consolidating Health Department, DSS

Duplin Board discusses consolidating Health Department, DSS

The local health community opposes proposed merger

KENANSVILLE — The Board of County Commissioners held a public hearing on Dec. 2, during its scheduled bimonthly meeting to gather public comments about the proposed consolidation of the Duplin County Health Department and the Department of Social Services into a single entity.

County Manager Bryan Miller recommended the consolidation, emphasizing that it presents an opportunity to create a more comprehensive care model and streamline processes, which could ultimately enhance services for residents.

The new department will be named the Department of Health and Human Services. Miller explained that this consolidation will ensure the continuity of services. If approved, the Board of County Commissioners would take on the responsibilities and functions of both the Department of Social Services Board and the Board of Health, and employees from both departments would transition to the county’s personnel policy.

“Four of the six counties bordering Duplin County have chosen the same method and approach recommended tonight,” said Miller, adding that out of 33 counties that have consolidated, 15 counties have chosen to have the board of commissioners assume those powers and duties.

Miller clarified that this initiative is not aimed at cutting positions, and assured that the Employee Health Clinic will remain open.

“No one is losing their jobs. Any reduction enforced will be through attrition, retirement, resignation,” said Miller. “This is not an attempt to gain the authority to terminate the employment of either the health director or the DSS director, and let me be clear about this — no other programs or areas within these departments are subject to termination due to the consolidation.”

The county manager also emphasized that it was an opportunity to gain better data and align policy through both departments to address the social determinants of health.

“This is also an opportunity to bring all employees under one personnel policy and an opportunity to gain better financial internal controls over the organization as a whole,” said Miller. “It all comes down to those that we serve and how we can do that in a manner that aligns with policy, is fiscally responsible and most importantly promotes positive outcomes.”

The comments poured in as soon as Chairman Dexter Edwards opened the floor for discussion.

Local physicians, nurses, members of the Board of Health, advocates and personnel from the Health Department each expressed their concerns. In total, 10 individuals spoke out against the proposal for consolidation.

Alleen Carr-Greer, Duplin County Board of Health chair, voiced concerns regarding the lack of analyses to support claims of enhanced efficiency. She highlighted the board’s critical need to carefully select a new director for the merged agency, stressing the importance of finding a leader capable of managing both agencies effectively, each with its unique regulatory framework, and adding that their decision will significantly impact the future of the county’s health services.

Carr-Greer asked the board to consider the impact of consolidating the agencies; she expressed particular concern about potential disruptions and noted that managing the responsibilities of a Board of Health was time-sensitive, particularly during an outbreak of infectious illness.

“Efforts to mitigate the spread of infectious disease can quickly become polarizing,” said Carr-Greer, adding that other pressing matters—such as sewage spills, lead contamination, and restaurant sanitation—demand immediate attention.

She raised concerns about whether the board of county commissioners will be able to address all these additional tasks alongside their existing duties and concluded asserting that the public health mission is best accomplished with a standalone health department.

Beth Ricci, the health department’s accreditation coordinator, expressed concern about maintaining state accreditation if the board of county commissioners assumed the powers of the Board of Health or appointed a consolidated advisory committee.

“The governing board will be responsible to meet all the rules and laws, including the accreditation requirements assigned to the Board of Health regardless of the type of governing board,” said Ricci. “Not meeting accreditation standards could potentially risk the loss of state and federal funds the health department needs to provide the essential services to the county’s communities.”

Ila Davis, former health director, pointed out that the missions of these agencies are very different and shared that she has observed that consolidations are more complex than they appear on paper. She noted that although some clients may overlap, the services provided differ significantly. Davis urged the board to carefully consider their decision before making a change.

Regina Lanier, who worked as a nurse for 30 years, encouraged discussion.

“There also exists a larger opportunity for regional or district consolidation if we’re talking about this in an overarching manner. The state allows for us to create a district health service,” said Lanier, asking if there has been a conversation about Region 8. She also questioned if the consolidated agency will have a prospective advantage of increased accountability to elected officials and if they have considered outsource a firm to help assess the status of both agencies.

Dr. Andrew Justice, medical director of the Health Department, noted that they are providing more services than they ever have before. He explained that preventing disease and promoting health in Duplin County is very different than other areas.

“We have agricultural issues here that you won’t find in many other places with a lot of resources. We have a lot of immigrant issues here as well,” said Justice.

“We are providing preventative medications for HIV; we are providing hepatitis C treatment, from workup with labs to full treatment courses of $40,000 — all free to patients,” said Justice. “We’re seeing immigrants and a lot [more] diseases in people than we’ve ever seen.”

Justice voiced concerns that efficiency will slow down with a consolidation.

“Public health, in a nutshell, offers an incredible insight into our society, how we’re doing things, and how healthy we are in general. When I think about public health, what I always want to know is do our political choices create gaps in health outcomes or do they narrow them? And that’s one of the big things to think about with this decision. Are we going to leave people behind or are we going to uplift the overall health standards of our county? I hope you guys think about all of these things because this is a big decision, and the health of a lot of people could be affected by it.”

Yesenia Cuello, executive director of NC FIELD and member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic and Latino Affairs, shared that a consolidated system risks creating more barriers for the nearly 25% of the county’s residents who are Hispanic.

“Consolidating health and social services creates more red tape, making it harder for the elderly, uninsured, and non-English speakers to get help. It delays care, adds confusion, and hurts the county’s most vulnerable. While it may save money, it risks lives by putting barriers between people and the help they need,” said Cuello.

She added that agriculture workers in Duplin depend on health care services that are culturally and linguistically accessible to maintain their health and productivity and if those services become less accessible, it could negatively affect both the workers and the overall economic stability of the county.

“Duplin County Health Department’s model understands this better than any other county office. Although this benefits the county, it doesn’t necessarily benefit the community. We’ve been able to look, and we’ve done our research, and it shows that these findings suggest that while consolidation aims to streamline services, it can inadvertently create more barriers to effective public health interventions, especially for the most vulnerable community members,” said Cuello.

Craig Westerby, a member of the Health Board, urged the board to consider whether this change truly benefits the citizens, noting that no amount of efficiency can compensate for citizens’ needs not being met.

Lisa Meredith, a nurse practitioner at the Health Department, highlighted that services in health departments that have been consolidated are often diminished. She also praised how effectively the department operated to support the community during the pandemic and noted the current efficiency under the director’s leadership.

“When COVID hit our county, there was a lot of organization behind the scenes that our public health people worked day and night,” said Meredith. “We didn’t get to go hide. We were out there taking care of patients and trying to save lives and I think it was a well-oiled machine.”

Chad Kornegay, chief of the medical staff at ECU Health Duplin, told the board that he expected the county to have someone with a background in public health that could substantiate the proposed change.

“You’ve heard from the current medical director of the health department. You’ve heard the opinion of the Board of Health and although there may be advantages to this, we do not believe at this time this is the way to go for Duplin County,” said Kornegay. “We think that the mission of the Board of Health is very essential to what we do every day and we think that the way things are set up now meets that mission the best.”

Gabby Murphy, a local nurse who works with tuberculosis and communicable diseases, emphasized the importance of having an effective leader, like the current health director, to efficiently coordinate a rapid response when dealing with communicable diseases. She mentioned that the influx of immigrants has led to a significant rise in TB cases, and they recently identified a handful of cases.

Murphy also highlighted a recent incident involving a man from another county, which necessitated testing about 70 people for TB in November. Murphy said this testing was completed in just one day, adding that it’s crucial to act quickly to control this type of situation.

Edwards thanked everyone and acknowledged the huge role the health department played during the pandemic. He also noted that they will consider the concerns and vote at the Dec. 16 meeting.

“Thank you for your care and concern, and time tonight. I will tell you we’re not going to vote tonight. I didn’t feel that we could do the justice we needed to do, to not take time to go through and think about the things that y’all brought to the table before we had a vote on this, positive or negative.”

Mount Olive residents complain about water quality, transparency

Mount Olive residents complain about water quality, transparency

MOUNT OLIVE — Residents of Mount Olive are fed up with water problems and transparency issues plaguing their town, and they took the Board of Commissioners to task for it at the regular monthly meeting on Monday night, Dec. 2.

During the public forum portion of the meeting, several citizens spoke up about the water discoloration that town water customers have been experiencing for several weeks now. Citizen Cindy Bell stated that she was concerned that an alert about the water went out just before the town offices were closed for four days for the Thanksgiving holiday. The alert assured citizens that the water was safe to drink despite some discoloration.

“Do you really think your reassurance, your words, give us confidence that the water is safe?” Bell stated. “Stop and think about the many things we have been told just this past year that would be done, and we’re still waiting for. There’s no confidence and there is no trust.”

Cindy Bell added that the town board has known about these problems with the town water, and did nothing about it. “Instead of taking responsibility for your commitment as elected officials to uphold the well-being of this town and its citizens, you choose to do nothing and our town gets further behind,” she said. “It’s a very sad state of affairs.”

Later in the meeting, Mayor Jerome Newton stated that he was unaware that the problem with discolored water has been going on for more than a few weeks.

However, Commissioner Deltreese Simmons said, “My cousin said a year ago her water was brown. How come [Town Manager] Jammie [Royall] said this was the first time he’s heard it? I was told I can still drink it; it’s only rust chips. Think I’m gonna drink it? I have an 11-year-old son. You think I’m gonna let my 11-year-old son drink it?”

The water discoloration is part of a larger problem with the town board and town management, said Mount Olive resident Gerald Bell, and that’s a lack of transparency. He stated that he had visited Cody, Wyoming last week and the county’s newspaper had a detailed reporting of “every penny that had been spent in the county from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.”

“I have gone from 100% transparency and accountability in Cody, Wyoming to zero here in Mount Olive,” Bell said. “I would hope that we could move in the direction of 100%. I think we really need to.”

Not directly related to the water issue, but still a problem for the town’s water and sewer system, Southerland Street resident Amy Herring told the board that a ditch tile had collapsed by her property and created a big hole.
“Several people from the board have been to see it, but we’ve yet to see anybody do anything about it,” Herring said. “This hole is getting larger and larger, and I’m terrified that somebody’s child is going to fall into this hole.”

During his report to the board, the town manager stated that he and his team were working on the issues discussed during the public forum. “We have done everything that we could,” he said. “We are on top of it now. We have talked with the state. We will see a noticeable improvement within the next couple of weeks.”

Commissioner Simmons, however, didn’t seem to believe that statement. “I wouldn’t drink that water,” Simmons said. “Our town manager said that water is good to drink, somebody bring him a glass of it.”

He also called for the board to have an emergency meeting within the next 10 days and reallocate $100,000 that he said was set aside in the budget to fix the town’s water problems. No motion or discussion was made to that effect.

However, the other commissioners had plenty to say on the issue.

“I’m just gonna take the gloves off. I’m tired of being Mr. Nice Guy,” said Commissioner Tommy Brown. “Everything y’all got up here and talked about, we tried to address. But then, the story is laid out that somebody’s got an axe to grind or it’s a racial thing. There’s nothing further from the truth. There have been members of this board that want accountability and that want to see things moved in a positive direction. … Some of us are trying, but if it’s not the majority of the board, the ones that are trying, their hands are tied.”

Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Kornegay stressed that the town is working to fix its issues, and urged patience. “Give this team a chance to do their work and come up with the right kinds of solutions,” she said. “They’re not just sitting out there waiting for someone to fix the problem. We need to do a total review of the situation before we decide, let’s just spend money.”

When it came time for the mayor’s monthly report, Mayor Jerome Newton stated that he was embarrassed by what had transpired during the meeting. “Something has to change, because you elected us to do the will of the people and as such, there are some things that we thought had been done have not been done,” the mayor said, later adding, “I don’t think we were elected to bicker with each other and to accuse each other, but we were elected to do the job of this city. It comes down to what I said before. We must come together and form a strategic plan that we can follow step by step, that we know what we’re doing. Even if we can’t fix something, you’ll know that we’re working on it because you see it. It has to be in front of you. It has to be transparent. Transparency is a thing that’s going to bring about trust in this town.”

He urged the town residents to continue to let their issues be known and vowed that the board will do its best to address the issues facing the town.

In other business, citizen Brenda Davis voiced concerns about single-family dwellings that have become boarding homes. “When you’ve got lots of people living in single-family housing, you’re overtaxing that water system,” she said. “For many significant reasons, we need to be addressing those problems. We can’t continue to watch the decline.”

Town Attorney Carroll Turner brought before the board a proposed ordinance that would define minimum housing standards by limiting the number of people who can reside in a single-family dwelling. He asked that the town board look over the proposed ordinance and further discuss it at the January meeting.

The board also unanimously approved an easement request from North Carolina Natural Gas to run a gas line to the Evangelical Christian Center on Pollock Street.

Wallace man arrested after standoff with law enforcement

WALLACE — On Nov. 21, the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Demarcus Carney after a standoff with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety Probation and patrol officers at Lincoln Street in Wallace on Nov. 19.

Carney had become agitated and belligerent, ultimately barricading himself inside his residence when law enforcement tried to arrest him with a probation violation warrant.

According to the Sheriff’s Office at approximately 5:10 p.m., deputies were notified of the situation and made their way to the location, accompanied by officers from the Wallace Police Department and the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Upon arriving at the scene, “officers observed Carney breaking windows and attempting to throw what appeared to be hot grease at them from inside the residence,” stated the press release.

Law enforcement established an outer perimeter to create a safe zone for the evolving situation. Negotiators from the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office began communicating with Carney in an effort to deescalate the situation. After some time, these negotiation efforts were exhausted, prompting the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team to deploy less-lethal munitions to encourage Carney to exit the residence. Eventually, the Special Response Team was able to enter the residence, conduct a search of the interior, and safely take Carney into custody without any injuries.

“Duplin County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Wallace Police Department, North Carolina Highway Patrol, North Carolina Probation and Parole, Duplin County Emergency Services and Wallace Fire Department for their assistance in the incident,” wrote law enforcement.

Duplin Agribusiness Fair brings home two State Fair Best in Show

Duplin Agribusiness Fair brings home two State Fair Best in Show

KENANSVILLE — Fred Benton, 75, from Rose Hill, and Madelyn Sawyer, a 16-year-old from Pink Hill, recently brought home top awards in the youth and adult categories after competing in the NC State Fair’s Best of Show.

Wanda Bell, NC Cooperative Extension Duplin County administrative assistant, told Duplin Journal that both artists represented the Duplin Agribusiness Fair at the NC State Fair after winning Best of Fair at the local level in September. Each year, fairs across the state submit their best home exhibits for the State Fair’s Best in Show competition.

Fred Benton (left) stands next to Tom Hroza who presented him with a check from the NC State Fair for $600 last week. Benton took first place in the NC State Fair Best of Show in the adult category. Photo Courtesy NC Cooperative Extension Duplin County

Benton and Sawyer’s entries were displayed and judged in October at the NC State Fair. Benton won Best of Show in the adult division, category 1, for his wooden bowl crafted from four types of wood. Sawyer took Best of Show in the youth division for her Edge grain cutting board made from red oak and walnut. Each artist won $600 and a State Fair Best of Show ribbon.

Benton’s bowl features an intricate design made from padauk (redwood), yellow heart (yellowwood), wenge (blackwood), and a small amount of artificially aged maple. It took him approximately 50 to 60 hours to complete.

Each layer of the bowl, known as a ring, consists of 12 segments. These segments are cut to specific lengths and then glued together to form the ring. Once assembled, the ring is flattened and smoothed.

The segment rings, each varying in diameter, are stacked and glued together to create the rough shape of the bowl. This rough shape is then mounted on a lathe and turned to achieve the finished dimensions.

The feature ring, which is the wide ring displaying the intricate design of various woods, is the most complex element of the bowl. It requires several steps, including cutting pieces of wood to very precise dimensions, gluing them in a specific pattern, and then cutting them into segments to form the feature ring.

Madelyn Sawyer, 16, took first place in NC State Fair’s Best of Show in the youth division for her edge grain cutting board made from red oak and walnut and won $600. Photo Courtesy NC Cooperative Extension Duplin County

After the turning, scraping, and sanding on the lathe, six coats of lacquer are applied. The finish is then sanded down to 1000-grit sandpaper and polished using automotive buffing and polishing compounds to achieve the final sheen.

“If you’ve seen the bowl up close, it’s very, very beautiful — It’s segmented wood. I think he said the wood itself cost $120,” said Bell, emphasizing that it takes a lot of skill to craft a project like that.

According to Bell, Benton’s wife played a crucial role in encouraging him to enter his bowl in the competition, as he initially had no plans to do so.

Bell also shared that this was Sawyer’s first time participating in a county fair and she is already looking forward to entering again next year.

“[Madelyn] was so excited,” said Bell. “Even more thrilled about the $600 and has high hopes of doing a new and better craft in next year’s fair.”

Magnolia has a new town manager

Magnolia has a new town manager

MAGNOLIA — Charles Banks will begin his new role as Magnolia Town Manager on Thursday, Dec. 5. Banks will manage a budget of approximately $1.5 million and will be responsible for a staff of 10 employees, seven full-time and three part-time.

Mayor Dawn Ward told Duplin Journal via email that they used the help of David Bone, Eastern Carolina Council executive director, to recruit their new town manager.

“Mr. Bone brought knowledge and counsel to the process that made it much more seamless than it would have otherwise been,” said Ward, explaining that Bone held Zoom calls with each of the 10 candidates during the initial vetting process. The next step involved the town board narrowing down the list of candidates for the in-person interviews, after which Banks was selected and offered the position.

“The board was impressed with all of the candidates who were interviewed in person. Each had their own strengths; however, it was Charles’s financial and business background, along with his upbeat, energetic personality, which led the board to decide he was the best fit for Magnolia,” said Ward.

While Magnolia has been making continuous strides toward growth, there are still challenges Banks will have to address as the new town manager.

“Magnolia’s water and sewer rates remained stagnant for 11 years. Coupled with an elderly infrastructure, the town has faced some challenges with its water and sewer fund,” said Ward, explaining that Banks’ financial expertise is just one of the many strengths that will be instrumental in managing the ongoing journey.

“Another strength that impressed the board was Charles’s tremendous business experience,” said Ward, noting that earlier this year, Magnolia received a technical assistance grant, allowing a representative from the International Economic Development Council to visit Magnolia and engage with local leaders and stakeholders about developing a small business incubator.

“The board is viewing this as a possible kickstart for revitalization of Magnolia’s downtown district. The Board believes Charles’s business experience and contacts will be a great asset in furthering this initiative,” she added.

Ward credited the town’s board for the steps they have taken to move the town in a positive direction that ultimately helped them attract strong talent like Banks. She noted one such endeavor was the streaming of town meetings.

“Most of the candidates who applied for the position commented on having viewed some of the board’s meetings on the town Facebook page. They pointed specifically to the positive interactions of the board and the forward-thinking directions they saw the board wanting to make,” said Ward. “The applicants expressed that these items played a significant role in their desires to apply for the town manager position.”

Banks will be at the Magnolia Tree Lighting on Friday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m.

Violations are an ongoing issue at Warsaw’s wastewater treatment plant

Violations are an ongoing issue at Warsaw’s wastewater treatment plant

WARSAW — On the Nov. 21 edition of Duplin Journal, we covered some of the most pressing topics discussed during the town of Warsaw’s monthly meeting. One of the biggest concerns addressed was the ongoing issues at the Warsaw Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), as notices of violation have become a recurrent theme for over a year.

On Nov. 6, the town of Warsaw was issued a notice of violation and intent to assess civil penalty highlighting fecal coliform readings six times the weekly allowed of 400/100ml and nearly three times the weekly ammonia nitrogen limit, with a total of 10 violations incurred from Aug. 3 to Aug. 31, 2024.

“The town manager has the authorization to respond back within 10 days to argue the point in regards to the town being assessed those civil penalties. It is very critical that our town manager does respond back, and I would like to know, has our town manager responded back to any of those notices of violations in that 10-day timeframe?,” asked Commissioner Ebony Willis-Wells at the November meeting, questioning Town Manager Lea Turner for not including the information about the violations in her report. Willis-Wells noted that the board should receive updates when the town manager meets with DEQ and we should not be blindsided, receiving the information after the fact. “As the town of Warsaw, it is our responsibility, because we are the permit holders for any industrial user who pumps into the town’s wastewater system as well as receives services to the town.”

Between December 2023 and May 2024 Warsaw has been fined $45,878 in penalties from formal enforcement actions due to multiple violations of requirements set by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, that is only a fraction of what it could be next as the process from notice of violation to civil penalty assessment can take about three months based on prior enforcement actions.

Timeline

Jan. 8, 2024, the town paid a civil penalty of $1,970.56 for three violations in September 2023. The WWTP violations exceeded the weekly fecal coliform readings by 42%, weekly ammonia by 314%, and monthly ammonia by 219%. Also the summer instream concentration was 92.2% — case LV-2023-00307.

Jan. 28, 2024, a notice of violation highlighted fecal coliform readings eight times the allowed amount, ammonia was almost five times the limit. The WWTP incurred a total of 34 violations in January 2024 and on April 5 the town paid a civil penalty of $21,093.51. Case LV-2024-0088.

Jan. 30, 2024, a notice of violation & Intent to assess civil penalty highlights fecal coliform readings more than three times the allowed, ammonia was nearly seven times the limit, exceeded the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand by 10 times and received a total of 16 violations in December 2023. Case NOV-2024-LV-0095.

Feb. 28, 2024, a notice of violation highlights fecal coliform readings more than 12 times the allowed, ammonia more than three times the limit, exceeded the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand by 27 times and received a total of 34 violations incurred in January 2024. Case NOV-2024-LV-0163.

April 1, 2024, the town paid a civil penalty of $10,489 for violations in December 2023. Case NC-LV-2024-0056.

April 4, 2024, a notice of violation & intent to assess civil penalty highlights fecal coliform readings six times the max allowed, ammonia more than five times the limit and exceeded the weekly biochemical oxygen demand by more than 24 times. A total of 14 violations were incurred in February 2024. Case NOV-2024-LV-0304.

May 22, 2024, the town paid a fine of $12,323.51 for violations in February 2024. Case LV-2024-0135.

Sept. 17, 2024, a notice of violation highlights fecal coliform readings more than three times the max allowed for a violation incurred in June 2024. Case NOV-2024-LV-0810.

Nov. 6, 2024, a notice of violation & Intent to assess civil penalty highlights fecal coliform readings six times the max allowed, ammonia almost three times the limit and exceeded the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand almost by eight times. A total of 10 violations were incurred in August 2024. Case NOV-2024-LV-0972.

Duplin Journal has reached out to Turner multiple times for comment, as of press deadline we have not received a response.

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