'State P BY SUSAN USHER After a 33-month delay, town commissioners quietly rezoned the old "State Park" property at Holden Beach from single family (R-l) to multifamily (R-2) last Thursday morning with a unanimous vote. The item, tabled since fall 1982, was added to the agenda of the called meeting of the board through a standard procedure that requires the ujjciiiiiiiuu.1 tuiiacm oi an memuers present. The board had met to consider two other rezoning matters and * IW I Ml IIUKSWKK UACON I HOOG & SPR iNtjpl Volume 23, Number yv s Rope Suspect Moved A Shallotte man charged with the Saturday morning rape of a Shallotte convenience store clerk has been moved from the Brunswick County Jail for his personal protection. "I've sent him away for safekeeping," Brunswick County Sheriff John Carr Davis said Tuesday morning, noting that threats liad been received from "several" groups, including one telephone caller Monday night who identified himself as a member of the White Patriots Party. The white supremacy organization, previously called the Confederate Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, held a I march in WhiteviUe Saturday. Churtial with first degree rape and hold under $50,000 bond Is Elwood Pigott, 22, of Mulberry Street, Shallotte. His first appearance in court was tentatively slated Tuesday. Shallotte Police Sgt Kodney Clause said he arrested Pigott about 6:30 p.m. Saturday at his place of work, Hill's Food City in Shallotte, alter obtaining medical and other evidence. Pigott allegedly entered the Oasis Food Mart on N.C. 130 in Shallotte between 6 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Satur (lav and raped the clerk on duty, a white female in her mid-20s. "He grabbed her and held a knife to her throat and dragged her to the storage room near the cooler and raped her," said Gause. The man had been loitering in the store, he added, and was seen by three people as they were leaving the store. One person who knew Pigott jokingly warned the clerk to "watch him," Gause said. The clerk didn't know her assailant, tie added. When the loiterer was out of sight. Gause said, the clerk had secretly called the sheriff's department. Following the incident, she was taken to Brunswick Hospital in Supply. where she was treated and release. Man indicted For Role In Hurricane David' Case A man facing drug conspiracy charges in Brunswick County Superior Oburt last week was indicted by the Brunswick County Grand Jury for his involvement in the September 1979 "Hurricane David" casePeter White appeared on the court docket for unrelated charges of conspiracy to possess marijuana, felonious attempted possession of marijuana and felonious possession of marijuana from a 1981 arrestWhen the Grand Jury returned Last week. White was indicted on four counts of conspiracy and trafficking of manjuana stemming from the 1979 "Hurricane David" incident In that drug conspiracy , a shrimp trawler ran aground in the Locfcwood Kotly Inlet with atxait 4.009 pounds of marijuana aboard. The drug operation was given the name ' Hurricane David" because the vessel ran aground while Humcanr Dond was centered Mi the North Carolina coast ? ark' Proper a funding request. The park Issue was brought up at the request of Commissioner Jim Griffin, who was excused from the rezoning vote since he has an interest in the tract owned by Holden Beach Realty. Holden Beach Realty proposes to develop a multifamily project on the property which would have no greater density. Griffin said, than created by duplexes in the same general area. The tract, owned by the realty firm 1RT ^-s COUNTY CONSTRUCTION SUPKRV backhoe operator William Karl Todd u that broke Thursday when an eml Carolina Bank's main office in Shallot Beach switched to their own wells for Friday evening. State Seek Views On Beach Brie BY SUSAN USHER If you've got an opinion on the proposed replacement of the pontoon swing bring to Sunset Beach, the N.C. Department of Transportation wants to hear it A pubiic hearing on the bridge has been scheduled Tuesday, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Sunset Beach Kire Station. It will follow the same format as a similar hearing held two years ago, at which the majority of the 80 to 100 individuals present spoke out against a proposed high rise bridge Hearing Officer William A. Garrett Jr. will explain the location and design of five alternatives, right of way requirements and procedures, relocation advisory assistance and the roles of state and federal government m the project- The alternatives consist of two high level fixed span bridges and three drawbridges varying from 14 feet to 40 feet clearance in the closed position. Two, Nos 2 and 4, are on the east side, while Nos. 1, J and 5 are on the west side of the existing bridge. Those attending the hearing can comment or submit materials for inclusion in the hearing record, be said Since the May 27. 1982. two of the fire bridge alternates have been revised Garrett said maps, including re visions for Alternates 1 and X. and copies of the emriroranental assessment were to be available for review at the Sunset Beach Town Hall as of Wednesday J AT HOLDE1 ty Rezoned i since the mid 1960s, was at one time offered to the state for a park. It lies west of the pavilion. It is 423 feet wide at the oceanfront and extends back to i the Intracoastal Waterway. It is i bounded hv rnmmprrial nrwvirtu (f.vps.1^ ah | two points. . Following an August 2,1982, public hearing, commissioners had been ; poised to act on Ordinance 82, the I rezoning, but postponed it at Griffin's < request until the Sept. 2 meeting. The I planning board had recommended in i favor of the rezoning by a 4-1 vote. j 1MC11/I ll^??l rth Carolina, Thursday, wT. V*.. rnCiC i~ SUVSH ISOR Dairy Summerset watches as mcovers a 12-lnch counts' water main Mnknu-nt collapsed behind United 1 te. The towns of Shailotte and Sunset water until service was restored late s More Sunset Ige Alternate 1, DOT'S recommended choice, is a high level fixed span bridge with 65-foot vertical clearance that would pass to the west of the existing bridge. From the beach side, the bridge would cross over the waterway then N.C 179 near the fire station, curving back into it on the straight approach leading toward the town As revised, Garrett said. Alternate 1 is shorter and at an estimated $5.25 million, would cost about $1 million 1 less than the span first proposed. The new bridge span would be 10 feet shorter, at 2,+40 feet, and the ap- ] proach woukl also be shorter. The approach "turns into 179 a lit- ( tie faster." but is still well within acceptable design, Garrett said. A shortened route was necessary to avo?d the Sea Trails Links golf course now under construction. Garrett said the golf course was not deliberately built in the path ai the bridge i "We never did have an approved location," he said "We didn't finish < the environmental work or anything j after the first hearing It was basical- I ly put on the shelf." j Bet the state wants to get an ap- j proved plan on file, he added, so that right-of-way acquisition can begin and future development m the area can be worked around the bridge route. When initially proposed. Alternate 1 required no relocating of homes or I See BUDGE, Page I-A) N BEACH For Multifan At the 2 meeting, the item was tabl eel "until the next regular meeting." a Then, on Oct. 4, it was deleted from r< the agenda. The realty firm was l> undergoing a reorganization at the time for tax purposes, Griffin later tl said. ir Town Attorney Doug I>edgett of ti Southport had advised, in a memo to n< the board made available last Thurslay, that it would be within the n uoard's legal rights to act on the ol ssue after a delay of nearly three n t'ears. ' T, !CK#1 May 30, 1985* "" "" 25t Towns S1 \ A /I \ A / VVI1WI1 vv BY SUSAN USHER Two southwest Brunswick County N towns temporarily resumed pumping si their own water last Thursday after a N break in the county's main disrupted 5( service from Shallotte to Calabash bi for more than 24 hours. ~ After locating the break behind p] United Carolina Bank's main office pi in Shallotte about 3:30 p.m. Thurs- si day. a crew began work immediate- H ly. Sendee was restored about 7 p.m. u Friday, but not before Sunset Beach Town Clerk had heard from water pj customers from Sea Trail to it Bonaparte's Retreat subdivisions. pj Most other water users between w Shallotte and Calabash noticed little change in their water pressure. w It was the first break of the line at it that location, Brunswick County ri Water System Director Kenneth p Hewett said. About four months ago, a break was repaired at Sassapan b Creek near Brick landing. n TU 1 - * *- ? muisuays ureas temporarily stopped the flow of county water to a all points west of the bank, including the towns of ShaUette and Sunset w Beach, Hewett said. Ocean Isle n Beach is pumping its own water. w Based on his experience during ei Hurricane Diana last September, u when the water system was down fi about 12 hours, Hewett had an- pticipated no problems in maintaining e service to customers. If any occur- ci red, he predicted, it would be "at g; Sunset Beach." *??.? Miss Teen C Two Vital Brtuawltfc Canty IMS. Kitat brr crowning Sa tarda) night la hair Bramwict County patera. Natatyn Shipi Shipp tcrvtd at muimt at nrttMoin aad mart ptctaria art aa Cfct ianide at U nily Devebf State law, he said, does not require C local governing board to act on a w ^commendation from the planning w oard within a set period of time. hi It also does not specifically require P' le scheduling of a new public hear- in ig when a considerable amount of w me as elapsed as in this instance, he d< 3 ted. in At the 1982 hearing, several a' sidents had questioned the density ' the proposed development and its 'lationship to a "family" beach. k he following day, resident John M. B KflCC : Per Copy 42 Pages I arted Pu ^4^i c j11?? i ! - w m -*u*r m Ml "^1 The 12-inch main, which runs along a ,C. i30 from Hulueii Beach to s lallotte and on to Calabash along p .C. 179, normally traasports about v 10 galloas of water per minute. The 1 reak was found after employees t lonitoring flow at the county water lant noticed a sharp plunge in v ressure at the elevated tank in 1, tiallotte and lesser drops at the o olden Beach and Suaset Beach inks. s An entire embankment of heavy lj ipe clay had collapsed, taking with K a section of the asbestos concrete v ipeline that runs almost parallel ith N.C. 130 East behind UCB. p Fifty-two feet of asbestos piping c as replaced with 50 feet of ductile on piping and a "pad adapter" that < t the two kinds of pipe together. To revent a similar collapse in the i iture, Hewett said he proposed to uild a bulkhead along the embank- ; lent. t He estimated the cost of repairs at i bout $2,000. [ Shallotte switched over to its own ells and pumps as soon as the lass of S ow was reported?before the break f as located and before all water was 1 inptied from the elevated water p ink. Both pumps were working at r ill capacity Thursday evening to br- d ig water pressure back to normal, rnployees said. The town's c iistomers use approximately 125,000 1 alions of water daily. t Town Clerk Cynthia l>ong and her f '% ? ' 0*I v: * ii 51' 1 Wry/ r ' w7 ? xowned p I Vlsl.jocr left UMk tlmr Mkrstag ? her picture takes *t?fc mttrr * p. Mai NX- Oytltr Festival IMSfor tV TV* CI $ . I oment larke presented the town a petition ith 52 signatures of property owners ho opposed the rezoning. At the Baring, he had proposed allowing lanned unit developments (PUDsl i areas zoned R-l, so that the town ould exercise greater control over jnsity of development while allowig more flexible use of the land mailable. The proposed rezoning also was iken up for discussion by the Holden each Property Owners Association. )N Including Supplement imping k D>*aS/A r ui ur\c ssistant, Mary Etta Hewelt, called chools. laundromats, beauty larlors, restaurants and other olume water users of town water 'hursdav afternoon to warn them of he loss of pressure. Residents visiting the town hall i'ere asked to cut back on watering of awns, washing cars and doing ioacis f laundry. The "only people that noticed." aid Mrs. Hewett. were thase who Ive along N.C. 130 west or east of hallotte and urc on county, not city rater. Not so at Sunset Beach, where apiroximately 1,100 households are on :ity water. "I'll bet I heard from just about very one of them this morning," wild Town Clerk Undo PhwftM Krtlay afternoon. Anticipating only a brief outage, unset Beach had cut on only a Dor ion of lis five wells Thursday evenng, restarting the remaining pumps 'riday morning. At that point the water level in the lunset Beach tank had dropped to six eet, about 10 pounds of pressure, "hat gradually built to about 50 ounds by mid-day, in time for estaurants to use equipment such as lishwashing machines. Shallotte lias restarted its pumps in a weekly basis, Mayor Beamon icwett said recently, so that it would lave no problem providing water rom its own wells in an emergency. Sunset Beach had not restarted its veils in the year since it began buyng county water, Ms. Fluegel said And while Ms. Fluegel asked a ocal radio station to announce that a vater emergency existed, she said iroperty owners continued to run .prinklers and use water for other lon-essentiaLs Town Manager Wallace Martin :ould not be reached for comment. Good Turnout Reported For Roads Hearing f>ocal officials came away from a egional transportation hearing last hursday impressed with the ounty's good showing. "A majority of the people there rere trotn Brunswick County," eported Jim Poole, vice chairman of tie Brunswick County Board of Commissioners. A number of individuals i the delegation spoke, he added, all i support of the county's 26-item list f road priorities he presented at the hstrict 3 hearing in Jacksonville. The hearing is an early step in the rmual revision of the N'.C. Board of ransportation's long-range irrvrovement pian 'We were unified." he said At the yp ? uve county s list Art the hallotte by-past and the four-laning f LIS 17 from Bell Swamp to the euth Carolina line, followed by irrv rovemenU to an tnterchanfe area t Inland and to S.C 133 from N.C. 11 to the Oak Island Bndge Karen Moshoures, director at perations for the South Brunswick I See TURNOUT, P?*e 2-A* 4 1 *-? /