Opinion Page
THE BRUNSWI
Eiiwnrd M. Sweatt and Carolyn
Edward M. Sweatt
Susan llsher
Terry Pope
Johnny Craig
Mary Potts
Cecelia Gore
Tammie Galloway
Steve Anderson
Hill McGowan
Clyde nnd Mattie Stout, Jim lift
Page 4-A
Qi incoT Ronrh
WWl IV#I WWVVWI
T/~i Tho r? in
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If some at Sunset Beach w
privileged few would have ac(
the county's southernmost con
You can define "privileged
ty at Sunset Beach. These peop
ed access.
That North Carolina's bei
should therefore be acccessibl
matter to some of the decision
The town recently passed i
funds with the state to crcat<
word that has become?at leasl
with "unwelcome visitors."
It seems the town would r.
none of the state's to maintain
to make sure its select group o
to rub elbows?or beach blanl
property near the beach, not o
If all local beaches were
Sunset Beach, it could change
Brunswick County. No longer
particular subdivision's proxii
tunity for walks on the beach,
lectinu.
Fortunately, not every
Carolina feels as Sunset Beach
is a good thing to provide, "i
Julia Shambough, shorefront a
Division of Coastal Managem
members last week. Some go s
welcome centers. And parkini
viding that access.
One Sunset Beach official
public to beach access doesn't
stblUty whatsoever to provU1
member said he was willing t
town provide public accesspay
the full price tag since ac
first place.
One public official at Sum
isn't really restricted there at
boat in the water (where, o
Beach doesn't have a public r
now private as well) and mot
Once there, however, the
certain property owners clain
mean low water line. If tin
beachcomber couldn't pull a
much less spread a picnic h
state's courts, however, have
water as the most generous
ownership. 1
North Carolina lias a pri
mont Act, a management tot
and demands of the varied in
tnining that balance includes
provide public access.
If the Coastal Resources
Coastal Management are sm
forts, that aid will expand in I
the public's access to inlets i
Sunset Beach would do 1
good Brunswick County citizc
land neighbors who have eoi
tion as a beautiful beach to \
Walking O
A Into night stroll on Oh- moonli
bench last week reminded me ol th
many kinds o( w alks you can take o
the heath The emphasis on this on
hail been to enjoy the tool night ai
anil to get some always-needed exei
else Watchmg (or "ghost-shapes" i
the moonlight hail matte it Into ?
awareness walk wrtth surprises h
the careful observer Pieces ol drtf
wood and ixtds and ends ot shel
looked quite different ui the rrvea
In# beam of the flashlight 1
1 was reminded of how we mu
sensible ourselves to be aware
what is happening around as I've e
prrtrncrd this m?n> tunes whi
driving alonit a highway and ws
chin* for birds or flowers form
on hawks, for example. and see he
many can be counted poised
treetops watching for fieW mice
rabbits KYohablv you would miss I
hawks completely if you had not fu
decided to become aware of th<
presence
S (
CK&BEACON
H. Sweat! Publishers
Editor
/Vein Editor
Staff Writer
Sports Editor
Office Manager
,. .Advertising Representative
Typesetter
I'resaman
I'hoto Technician
Hon Circulation
Thursday, May 16,1985
i: Welcome
try Club
ere to have their way, only the
:ess to the beaches or inlets of
imunity.
i few" as these who own prcperle
would be the only ones allowiches
belong to everyone?and
e to everyone?doesn't seem to
-makers at Sunset Beach,
ip an opportunity to combine its
; parking for "day people," a
t at Sunset Beach?synonymous
athcr spend its own money and
a "country club atmosphere,"
f property owners doesn't have
kets?with those who only own
>n it.
to adopt the stance taken by
the entire real estate market in
would we lie able to boast of a
nity to the ocean, to the opporsurf
fishing, sunning, shell colbeach
community in North
i does. Some towns think access
almost a civic responsibility,"
n/ineu /innr/liiinfnr mittl tin* M
I v.WUI viiiiiiiwi n un viiv. t t .vy,
ent, told Sunset Beach council
o far as to build bathhouses and
i? is the key ingredient in prohas
said that the right of the
mean the town has any responle
it. In fact, one town buurci
0 wait until the state makes the
and would then insist the state
cess was the state's idea in the
set Beach has suggested access
all. Visitors can simply put their
ne must wonder, since Suaset
amp and the one at Sea Trail is
or over to the beach,
debate won't be over, because
1 their real estate extends to the
it argument holds, a would-be
boat ashore even on low tide,
inch or sun on the beach. (The
generally recognized mean high
boundary line for private land
igressive Coastal Area Manage>1
tliat tries to balance the needs
iteresLs that use the coast. Main
helping towns to plan for and tt
Commission and N.C. Office ol
ccessful in one of their latest ef
he future to include protection o
is well.
well to remember its place as i
;n and not bar the doors to its in
ntributed to its excellent reputa
iisit.
n The Beach
it
u ' ''
tb
it- One sununer while camping
Klortda s Kserglades I w as leading
sl croup of campers along a dike out
?t the saw crass The somen was tl
* same in almost every dire
If lion nothing much hut marsh eras
d* Rut oooe ui a while a patch ci bt
t" oouM he detected among the brow
'* and greens of the marshland CV?
t? ircspestion reseated tins blue flowei
or but not until a nsacnii s uu lens w
h* used to srl * closer Wxjfc could *< ?
"*< prrrtatr the real symmetry coii
Mr and beauty o( a Unj blue flower
Try mth shells on Uw beach Isj
i
This Non-*
Reactions are probably divided at
Sunset Beach over a town council
decision to ban smoking at public
gatherings at the town hall.
But I, for one, was glad to hear the
news.
As a nonsmoker with chronic bronchial
problems, the last thing I care
to get is somebody else's smoke in
my face. You won't find an ashtray
anywhere near my desk, though I
don't go so far as to hang "no smoking"
signs.
It's not that I have anything personal
against smokers?my body just
can't take it.
I grew up in a household that included
two chainsmokers. I spent a
lot of time emptying ashtrays and
rolling down car windows, gagging
as I went. My sensitivity to tobacco
smoke developed rather early.
None of my friends or roommates
in college or graduate school smoked
and I've only dated one man who
smoked?and that was only occasionally.
A tV?? firct nowenanor whprn I
worked, the only smoker in the news
It's Time To
To the editor:
The four-year capital outlay
budget approved by the Brunswick
County Board of (education is a
ji ' "ON'
T"r ^
They Still
At The C
Question: 1 low often does the deputy
standing behind the counter at the
Brunswick County Sheriff's Department
net asked where another county
department is located?
Answer: Very often.
it seems some things never
change. Getting lost at the
Brunswick County Govcrnmenl
Center in Bolivia is still a popular
! pastime for many residents or
visitors. It would be interesting U
. calculate the niuubcr of people wh<
enter tire complex totally lost cact
day.
' They're the ones that really stop a
- the stop signs instead of just slowinj
f down and cruising on through thi
maze They stop because they're try
( ing to rend the little white lettermi
on those tall brown signs with arrow:
pointing in every direction.
l ney re me ones inai slop ai even
driveway and may even, by mistake
r?O!0 I) hi un
AWARKNKSS OF BIROS fcedim
long the beach may Interest you fa
what they're rating and why the
feed al the water'* edge.
(or a haby's car or a scallop Focus
in on one hind of shell and see how yt
a can almost overlook other kinds (
in orctdr your beach walk wtll rnvoh
* looking (or different shapes or te
tures look for patterns made in tl
*' sand by wual and waves And see U
oe kinds of things that appear to >i
rvv , * k^ ~. -.. l 4 k . k
? "HUH UVI1VIOT13*: HWIU )AWIU
er hace been ignored
Walking CO the beach can be so
s extras* and lots ct lun Walk ins
H>- the beach can also make sou nto
*. aware and appreciative of tl
natural surroundings on o
ok Brunswick c ounts coast
smoker Ap|
0k
W HI Susan
V-" ,,u
Usher
? CS J I
department was the editor-in-chief,
and he had a room of his own with a
door that shut. The rest of us, mercifully,
were out in the open.
At the Associated Press state office
in Raleigh, no one smoked cigarettes.
Pipes and cigars were the rage in this
male-dominated domain. On a warm,
muggy day those cigars could make
a healthy person throw up.
When I first came to work at The
Beacon, the ratio of smokers to non
smokers was about even ana I snarea
a poorly-ventilated newsroom with a
smoker. Most days it didn't matter
since we were out and about. But on
Tuesdays, both of us would sit in the
newsroom all day long, writing up
Monday night meetings, breaking
LETTERS TO
> Scrutinize Si
positive step toward improving
educational standards.
From these long-range plans, we
see the board recognizes that
T LIKE ^
<5 OF THIS ONE/
^ " ' //iA
Get Lost
ounty Comj
Jf ^ flSt Terry
-d ^
turn down tlvnt dirt road that leads t<
the rear o{ the county cafeteril
wIhtc deliveries are made. The)
1 stop at every brown informations
sign they come to. almost causini
rear-end collisions with those whi
" Wnnw exactly where thev are eoini
I ' * w
ami can't waste a second in gettini
there.
\ Even though they have follower
rvu y fl( lun, intr ivau t i mun
sign and have comfortably parked
' they still end up at the sheriff
' department asking a question tha
makes them feel silly, questions th
deputies must be tired of answenn
by now.
"Is thus the register of deeds a
ficc"" If you want to make vourse
look really dumb, just enter th
sheriff's department and ask
uniformed deputy if he can regisU
your deed
From behind the counter, a fingi
points toward the door "Go out th
? door," the deputy answers
R The finger makes a crooked turn
" the left, "Go down the sidewalk "
V The finger makes more of a turn
the left "Go down the side of th
building "
in Finally. the finger straighten
xi "Then go through the door and U
y the second door on your right doi
re the hallway "
X- I nr iu^ti unnminiu ?iau
ve temed speech are well metnonted
I* every deputy, detective ai
mi secretary ui the department by no
iy It someone asks where the board
elections office is located the fing
ol points straight ahead toward the t
i*i department budding across the pai
re mg lot
he See w here that blue car is park
ur at the side o< that building* There'
door there that should have the taw
Dreciates Si
news and community news that invariably
doesn't arrive until just
before deadline.
My throat would get scratchy, my
eyes watery, my nose runny. By 2
p.m. involuntary tears were roll
steadily rolling down my cheeks and
onto the blotter on my desk. Throat
lozenges, eye drops, Coricidin D,
nothing kept back the tears if the
cigarettes were going. Misery, sheer
misery that only another non-smoker
could understand.
These days the news room is a lot
more comfortable?better ventilation,
no smokers.
But sometimes I think that makes
it all the harder to cover meetings in
chambers where smoking is allowed.
There's nothing like settling in between
two people who don't have
cigarettes out, only to have them
both light up a few minutes
later?after all the seats upwind are
claimed.
Or to have the entire row behind
you light up simultaneously, without
even asking out of politeness if the
nonsmokers in the room ininu.
THE EDITOR
:hool Bus Saf
students are traveling too far, that
buses need to be replaced, and that
present conditions need improvements.
,, --7
nw^-..... ^ A.S '. .
V i^.y JfV* . ct U^\ r
r-~?*?'
mk
I
piex
of elections inside."
l-ost drivers follow those browr
signs and arrows around the complex,
in a circle, until they finally find
a place to park in front of the sheriff';
department. After parking, thej
forget their direction of travel, the)
forget north from south, and im
mediately seek help from a deputy.
If you're going to get lost ii
( Brunswick County, then getting las
( in front of the sheriff's departmen
seems like a convenient place.
I Although the complex was con
, structed eight years ago, it is pre
~ bably still the most modern buildini
in Brunswick County. Hidden behin
j, large berms pianted wiih grce
vegetation and surrounded by pin
j thickets, the modern designe
building set in such a rural enviror
ment as Bolivia really is surprising
* "Man, this place is scary," on
, young, lost man said in the parkin
t lot after asking tne for directions !
the clerk of court's office last weel
He had a pink traffic citation in h
r hand
j. "It don't look real. This place do<
^ not look like it belongs in Brunswit
a County," he added, and laughed.
,r Kor those who now take the plai
for granted, they would prohably 1
,r lost without their county complex
is
,0 THf BRUNSWICKAKACON
jo Established Nov I 1962
Telephone 754 6890
Published Every Thursdoy
g At Main Street
[ s Shollotte N. C 28459
m SUBSCRIPTION RATES
IN ItUNSWICX COUNT!
It- One Year $5 7.
by Six Months S3 1 td
HStWNIM IN NORTH CAtOtlNA
w One Yeor S7 X
ei Si* Months S4 II
tf (unvHm mu.s*.
ax On* Yeor $10 0
rfc. Six Months $6 0
Second cto?? poi'3j? paid a
rt>* Pox' OMice in ShoUc'H
s* N C ?84S9 USPS 777 790
ird U? *?? t
1
jnset Ban I
Some smokers go out of their way
to be nice about it?like Rep. David
Redwine. He goes to such lengths to
accommodate my overly-sensitive
nose that it's almost embarrassing.
But 1 appreciate it.
Then there are the folks who seem
to take a perverse pleasure in
lighting up in front of a non-smoker.
They smile sideways as they puff, a
glint of amusement in their eyes.
This is great entertainment, the eyes
seem to say.
Maybe for you, buster, but not for
However, I realize?from watching
my parents as a child?that not
smoking can be tough on the
chainsmoker.
So, in a well-ventilated area I try to
accommodate smokers?thev have
(Knip eirlRfn rvn
tiivn 1151110 vw.
In general, though, I wish smoking
was banned at gatherings in all
public meeting places. That includes
the public assembly building at
Bolivia, commissioners' chambers
and other town halls?especially
those close little places like
Calabash.
ety Policies I
On May 6, two Brunswick County
school buses wrecked. What will be
done about present conditions which
affect the safety of our children?
If we assume the attitude of one
board member (well, no one was
really hurt), will a child have to be
killed before problems are recognized
and corrected?
Changes must be made on the
county level as well as on the state
level. Already there is talk of state
legislation to raise the minimum age
of school bus drivers
Wise county officials don't have to
wait for state legislation. They can
set county standards to include better
safety policies and procedures.
What are the problems: 1) lengthy
travel time 2) overcrowding 3) immature
unoualified drivers 41 un
safe buses 5) inefficient routes 6)
unauthorized passengers 7)
discipline. These basic problems lead
to unsafe conditions. There arc solutions!
Since the accidents, the school
driveways have been filled with
parents who arc concerned about
school bus safety.
Long-range planning is necessary,
but now it is time to scrutinize school
bus safety policies and procedures.
Judy Holden
Holden Beach
Patient Praises
Hospital Care
1 To the editor:
As a recently-discharged patient at
The Brunswick Hospital, I would like
' to publicly express my thanks to the
entire nursing staff. They are constantly
on the go and treatment is
prompt and cheerful. 1 have been in
the same hospital previously and
have noticed the quality of care is
j vv??ijuiiiu; uiij/i ui uif,.
We are fortunate to have this
hospital and its ever-improving staff
in southeast Brunswick County.
* My family doctor. James V.
j? Mulholland, referred me to Dr.
Charles E. Dinapoli for surgery and I
was very mipressed by his smooth,
j obvious expertise in planning,
operating and post-operative care. 1
have to say many thanks to all and
that we are lucky to have attracted
1 such high quality skill in our area.
S We would do well to support improvements
to the conditions under
which the nursing staff is struggling
and the acquisition of equipment
which will aid the doctors and techni^
cians in diagnostic procedures and
treatment.
Harry P. Rober
Sunset Beach
>e
Brief Comments
To the editor:
~-i . ...
l tus is certainly money well spent
i subscription pncei I appreciate
very much your honest and fair
reporting of the events of HoMen
Beach.
Manon Skinner Erath
Jamestown
Great paper Really enjoy your
hard work.
U. ATTiaWKl
Whitnure, S.C'
Thank you very much' Sold my
house with one ad in the Beacon
* Helen S. White
Holder Beach
D Yes, please renew our paper It's
0 like having a part of home in Key
( West, We also get a laugh from
reading it now and thenLorraine
Phelps
Key West, Fla