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Opinion Page
THE BRUNSWICK&BEACON
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uremia i.trmmoiis fnoio iccnntrtan
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Page 4-A Thursday. December 11. 19S6
County Should Learn
From State Criticism
There are. or should be. a lot of red faces in county government
over the negative reaction of the state Coastal Resources
Commission to Brunswick County's land use plan update
draft.
The rough draft was due in March, and several extensions
were thereafter allowed the county planning department, so it
is particularly embarrassing that the end product was cited by
the Division of Coastal Management staff as one of the worst
of the 17 plans submitted to them for review this fall. Especially
since the planning department claims to have been working
on it for a year and a half.
The chief problem with the plan is that the contents are
updated very little from the 1981 version, despite dramatic
changes and growth in the county. New issues the state says
need to be addressed by such a plan, such as package treatment
plants, were omitted.
The 36 pages of comments from 11 different state officials
also revealed a wealth of detail is missing. Documentation of
public involvement was not there (in fact, efforts to secure
public input were called minimal), nor were explanations of
maps, locations of urban areas, and locations of major traffic
accident areas, to name only a few.
There is more: the omission of Bald Head Island's new
status as a municipality, an inaccurate statement about the incompatibility
of wildlife management and agriculture, and
3Mjnp> uieiiuun 01 me county iceiing toward zoning.
Completely absent, said the CRC, arc policy statements
on tourism and beach access, energy facility development,
coastal and estuarine water access, and redevelopment of
developed areas. In fact, staff members said policy
statements in general, which are used by the state in funding
and permit decisions, "need much additional work." Most appear
to have been lifted directly from the 1981 plan.
While some critical comments may be nit-picking or contradictory
to each other, the overall picture drawn from these
assessments is of a sloppy plan, hastily thrown together.
How did this happen over a period of 18 months? That isn't
easy to determine, as Planning Director John Harvey won't
discuss it with the press. Only speculation is possible.
It would be easy, but not entirely accurate to blame
Harvey. The land use plan is a team effort of the planning
board, to whom Harvey and his staff merely provide the
research, expertise and language to translate into print the
policies mandated by the board and approved by commissioners.
Harvey, then, takes his marching orders from the board
and the commissioners, and they have kept him immersed in
water system and utility board matters to the exclusion of
most everything else.
Water decisions are highly visible, controversial and
crucial, but not to the detriment of a land use plan. Its importance
to future development in the county should prompt
everyone concerned to make it a priority. Perhaps Harvey
should have been more aggressive in insisting on this.
Such insistence should not have been necessary, however.
Elected and appointed officials should have taken their ears
off the public pulse and put time and energy into this document
that would win few votes but would be of immeasurable
future benefit to the county.
A rather astonishing lapse was the failure of the county to
apply for grant funds to help write the update. We are the only
county that did not take advantage of this opportunity, and
ORG strongly suggests we do so at this point. It's hard to imagine
why one would pass up the help.
Perhaps this chastisement by GRC will result in more attention
to important issues by county officials. The wrong
reaction to the criticisms is defensiveness and denial on the
part of the planning board and commissioners. Let's admit we
did a shoddy job and vow that hereafter we'll put a lot more
planning into "planning."
1 Tj^t J 7 r; 1
, nvrr i w JUBJUHIDC IU
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j SHALLOTTE. NORTH CAROLINA 28459 j
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ThisC
Christmas trees are one of the
tilings 1 like must about this holiday.
Their fragrance and cheery lights bring
a warmth and glow of hospitality
to any home, to a family of any size.
Unlike most singles in my circle.
I've always gone to what some people
call "the trouble" of having a live
Christinas tree. A small tree, usually.
but one that sheds needles and
pricks your fingers ami sometimes
falls over in the pot of dirt. Occasionally
the best on the lot. but just as
often a homely one that looked like it
needed a warm spot for the holidays.
During the years when I owned my
own home. I was lucky enough to
have a balled tree with roots that
Low Officei
To the editor:
Recently, some local government
officials in North Carolina have expressed
concern regarding new
retirement benefits that were provided
for local law enforcement officers
by the 1986 session of the General
Assembly.
The purpose of this letter is to provide
you and the taxpayers of our
state with accurate information ,
about these benefits' costeffectiveness
to local government
Birc
In 1861 a slate-splitter In Bavaria
uncovered a slab or an incomplete
skeleton of a feathered animal. Or.
Karl Habcrlein acquired it and sold it
tn Oin Rritich TK? f_.il
named " Archaeopteryz
lithrograhiea" which means "the ancient
winged creature of the stone for
drawing." It is the oldest known bird
and resembled reptiles of the same
period with a long tail with 20
vertebrae but it had feathers. >
Some 30 species of birds have been f
identified as belonging to the t
Cretaceous Period, some 135 to 70
million years ago. These belonged to 4
a primitive family and were pro- i
bably ancestral to the loons and I
grebes. Some may have resembled 1
our terns, ibises, flamingos and cor- I
morants. I
The sea bottoms of the Cretaceous s
Period were raised up to form land i
some 70 million years ago to begin
the Paleocene and Eocene Periods i
which lasted to 40 million years ago. .1
Fifteen birds species have been iden- i
tified and include some belonging to ^
modern families?the cormorants, <
rails and sandpipers. During the {
Eocene Period birds began to be <
found in ail parts of the world. \
Hawks, herons, vultures, anhinga,
See 1
If you catch a whiff of onion as you
read this, it's just that a little of
Manhattan still clings to my fingertips.
Thanksgiving week was the occasion
of one of my favorite treats, a '
trip to the Big Apple, home of the
perfect bagel, another of my favorite
treats. |
I brought home a double-wrapped |
bag of a dozen onion bagels, offen- ,
ding noses for miles around, and my ;
suitcase and clothes still reek of |
them. I
Bagels are only one of many
highlights of my brief visit. There \
was a Broadway play, a Metropolitan j
Museum exhibit, dinner with friends, ,
and Sunday worship at the Cathedral ,
of St. John the Divine, the largest |
cathedral in the world. I
But all those pale in significance to .
me beside the thrill of just walking ,
the streets of this animated city, j
Every time I'm in New Y&k City, I ,
see the whole world pass by on any f
given street, at any time of day. ,
Every imaginable skin color, shape f
a
One of the best lessons I've ever
learned about sharing happened one
unrisimas.
I was about 12 years old and my
sister and brothers and I, like most
middle class kids, had plenty of
presents under our Christmas tree.
There was one family in the town j
where we lived that wasn't so for- j
tunate, though. There were about j
eight children in the family and their
father was unemployed.
Since they lived in the same direction
as us, we used to walk home
from school together. One day short
hristmas Tr
ft
**> <* JF Susan
Usher
11 Vv/ /
could bo replanted in the yard come
spring.
Kepardless of its size or "beauty,"
each of these trees generated new
memories and helped brine old ones
into mind. Those from childhood are
often only impressions?coming in
LETTER TO T
"s Deserve N
and the important role they play in
strengthening professional law enforcement.
The legislature approved two new
benefits for local law officers:
(It a local government contribution
to the Special Ketireincnl Income
Program for these officers:
<2i a special separation allowance
to officers who retire at age 55 with at
least five years of service as a law
enforcement office or who retire at
any age with 30 years service in local
government, at least half of that in
ds Of The Pa:
tecse and gulls have been found in
ossilizcd material toward the end of
his Period.
The Oligocene Period lasted from
i0 to 23 million years ago and was a
varm and dry time of mountain
wilding. About 100 fossil birds have
jeen ldenitifed from this Period and
represent storks, kites, partridges,
jlovers, grouse, euekoos, owls,
iwifts, gannets, falcons, limpkias
tnd some near to larks and swallows.
The next period was from 25 to 11
nillion years ago and was named the
dicoene. It was a warm period durng
which the Alps and Himalayas
vere formed. About M percent of the
150 Miocene birds l>elong to modern
amilies, like the pelicans, ducks,
wstercatchers. pigeons, parrots,
Areas, crows and petrels.
The Pliocene Period extended from
fhe World.
^ v - ) 11 Megivern
>f face and eyes, national costume
tnd language, come together under
he eyes of tady Liberty out in the
tarbor.
There is no behavior so bizarre as
:o get the attention of passersby. A
1UH' VUILU r>iiiiii?-iu>
?o;i red above the street one night,
which, it turned out, belonged to a
;>ale brown youth striding through
[he crowds in military garb. On
mother corner a young man in an
emerald and gold liody suit was posing
theatrically for a picture with his
emerald and gold bicycle. Still further
along, a girl and her boyfriend
were engaged in a shouting match on
the sidewalk.
iristmcss Is Tir
ly before Christmas, we asked them
if they'd like to stop by our house and
play.
When we went into our house, those
ee Will Be'
from a night of shopping to the scout
of pine, cedar or fir, stories, people
aiul places recalled by specific ornaments
on the tree, ('mod times,
tiappy times spent with people wellloved.
While dear friends and family
members have shared in the glow of
Christmas trees past, for many years
now choosing the tree and often
decorating it has been a task,
however joyous, that was performed
alone.
This year, for the first time. 1 won't
he choosing a Christmas tree by
myself.
I've recently agreed to sliare my
life with a very special man, Don KgHE
EDITOR
ew Retireme
law enforcement.
Some lobbyists have criticized the
cost of these benefits to local government
and called for their repeal in
the 1087 legislative session. But that
attitude is short-sighted.
One of the mast serious problems
facing sheriff's departments is high
turnover. And high turnover is expensive
for local governments.
We lase money when we hire a new
officer, spend thousands of dollars
training him and then watch him
leave for a job with the State
St
11 million to 2 million years ago and
accounted for 120 fossil species. 71
percent of which are the same as
modern birds. The sandlull cranes,
auks, cormorants, boobies,
goldeneyes. godwits and ring-billed
gulls are representatives.
The Pleistocene Period began
about 2 million years ago at the
beginning of the Ice Age. Plant and
animal species were severely reduced
during the Ice Age. Most of the
large birds and animals became extinct
during this Period. Fossil birds
found in frdiforni-. ..I 1 J..I ..
Bn?a, thought to Ik- 14 or 15,000 years
old. were condors, turkeys,
curacaras, storks and blackbirds.
Some 120 species have l>cen identified
iit the site ami 22 of them are
now extinct.
Since that first reptile s|>coies
developed wings and later changed
scales for feathers, birds have been
developing and changing. Today an
estimated 8500 species of birds in the
world claim that first bird as
ancestor. The variety, the sizes, the
colors, the songs, and the distribution
all add excitement to birds in the environment.
We should be pleased that
many of these species share
Brunswick County with us.
Have A Bo
To all this New Yorkers arc
oblivious. It is their daily fare, as is
the juxtaposition of poverty and
opulence. Gowns dripping with sequins
hang from mannequins in a
Fifth Avenue window, as ragged men
approach window-shoppers, begging
for coins.
It's an incredibly dirty city, from
refuse-littered sidewalks to grimy,
graffiti-laden subways. Even in a
high-class restaurant, we sltarcd a
inbletop with a cockroach.
Yes, there's filth and noise and too
many people?even though interesting
ones, and the cast of rent,
food and transportation is prohibitive
by small-town standards.
Hut there is something else that
transcends all that Ls wrong with this
monstrous metropolis. It can't be
summed up neatly, but it has to do
with the Metropolitan Opera and
Museum, the lights of Broadway that
flicker on creative playwrights, the
pastoral expanse of Central Park tin
spite of muggers!?, the steady
stream of talented artists who are
rie For Sharin
kids" eyes immediately spotted our
Christmas tree, with an abundance of
gifts beneath it.
My mother, who was always trying
o teacli us about staring, saw the
lids looking at those presents hungrily
and joined them lieside the tree.
"Do you have lots of presents
under your Christmas tree?" she
asked them
"No Ma'am," one of thein replied,
"My daddy says we don't have any
money this year and Santa Clans
might have to come late."
"Well," Mom said, "We have a lit
Ours' Ij
Ki'rt of long I teach, .1 planner with '
the comity. We plan to Ik- married in
June anil we're as excited about it as
two late-liloomers rail lie
On Saturday morninp,, we're tfoinn
over to John Mint/'s house to clinosc
a tree. We'll be lookinc, for a s|H>c-ial
one. IxH-ause we hope this will in1 the
tirst of many, many ( hristmases we ?3
share as a couple.
We're off to a late start, so our HH
choices may be cpiite limited.
Somehow, though. I sus|>ect the trees jBj
will look Ix-tlcr than they ever have
U'fore even the scrawniest, most BJ
crooked or lopsided little tree of them
After all. it will be our tree.
nt Benefits
IIi^h\v;iy Patrol, State Bureau of Investigation,
Alcohol Knforcement or
private business.
The new benefit brings the retirement
benefits of local law enforcement
officers in line with those of
state officers. This definitely will
help reduce turnover?and the cost of
law enforcement to local government.
In addition, a good retirement program-along
with good pay?is one
of the best tools we have to attract
good people into law enforcement.
The separation allowance for
retirement helps local government
save money. An officer who retires is
generally replaced by a new officer
at a lower pay scale. The State
Highway Patrol found that the
special separation allowance saved it
$;i million.
So, instead of adding costs to local
government, the new retirement
benefits will prove to be costeffective
for them.
Some local government officials
have also expressed concern that the
I?nw Knforcement Officers Retirement
plan offers greater benefits
than the plan for other local government
employees. The N'.C. Sheriff's
Association and presidents of all of
the state's law enforcement associations
believe it is important to keep in
mind that no other local employees
pill their lives on the line every day
they go to work.
We believe the 198t; Ceneral
Assembly acted wisely and responsibly
in providing the additional .ifi
retirement benefits. The benefits will si
enable North Carolina's 100 sheriff's
departments and all local law enforcement
agencies to do an even bet- jj[<
ter job of providing professional law
enforcement services at the lowest
possible cost.
Howard Kramer
Executive Director
N.C. Sheriff's Assn.
Raleigh
igel!
pulled to Manhattan as to a magnet. V'
To be completely corny, this
something" has to do, most of all, J
with the melting-pot metaphor that Ls jtj
New York. The crowded sidewalks
convey Liberty's words, "bring me
your tired, your poor, jour huddled
masses, yearning to breathe
free ..." There they are, in all colors
and conditions, being stirred
together. The resulting brew is
strong stuff, a catalyst for rich thinking,
artistic creation and achievement.
It's a close-up look at humanity
that I get on New York streets, and
somehow that invigorates and
reassures me. I am deeply pleased
with the diversity of this humanity,
believing that as it is stirred
together, each ingredient is flavored
with the others.
Which brings me back to the potent
reminder tltat came home in my suitcase.
If even the bagels cling, surely
that brush with other cultures will
slay with me, too.
Thanks, New York. I love you!
9
tic surprise for you."
Sl?e told them that Santa had left
some of their presents at our house l\
ami gave them each one of our gifts.
Well, our first instinct was to say
no?but we definitely knew belter.
And after seeing the joy on those '3
kills' faces, it liecamc clear to us that |
giving is what Christinas Is all about. I
1 often think back on that |
Christmas, and that one small
gesture my mother made. And the
memory of that gesture always
reminds me of the true meaning of
Christmas.
*