Some Voters Will Go To New Polls In 1988
BY SUSAN USHER
At any polling place, there may be certain times of
day when voters must wait in line to step behind the cur
tain and iTiark their ballots.
But last November t, while other precincts were
already calling in final results. Oak Island voters were
still waiting in line after the polls were to have closed.
In keeping with state law, poll workers allowed those in
line to vote.
The long lines and waits reflect the rapid growth
along the Brunswick County coastline, growth that will
mCAll A rhnngft in polling plsC^S SOIU6 COUHty
residents next year—and should nnake election day
easier on both voters and poll workers.
Beginning with the Super Tuesday Presidential
Preference referendum, two of the county's largest and
fastest-growing precincts—Oak Istand and Seces
sion-will be split in two, wliilc two of the smallest—Ex-
um and Waccanuiw—will be combined into one, with a
net increase of one precinct. That brings the total to 22.
The changes liave been approved by the State'
Board of Elections, according to l.ynda Britt, super
visor of the Brunswick County Board of Elections. The
presidential preference referendum will give the elec
tions office a one-shot, single-ballot opportunity to try
out the new system and correct any problems.
Caswell Beach, the'N.C. Baptist Asseiiihly, Vaupon
Beach and Ix>ng Beach from 79tli Street to SOth Street
Northwest will make up Oak Island I. Residents will
vote at the Yaupon Beach Fire Department.
Oak Island II will consist of f9th Street Northwest to
the western end of the island. Residents will continue
voting at the Ix>ng Beach Recreation Center. Each
precinct Is expected to accommodate about 1,200 to
1,400 voters.
From Oxpen, Secession will be divided along N.C.
130 to the Intracoastal Waterway, with the area east of
N.C. 130 to l/ockwood's Folly River and Vamumtown
making up Secession I. Tri-Beach Volunteer Fire
Department will be the polling place.
Secession II will consist of the area west of N.C. 130
arid the istarid of Hclderi Beach itseif. A pouing piac-c
has not been designated.
As the population of these two precincts increases,
said Britt, the island can be used to balance their size.
Currently, site said, these citanges will give the four
growing precincts “a pretty even division."
In the Ash area, tire problem was Just the opposite
from along the coast. Exum and Ash precincts together
had barely more than GOO voters, said Britt, a number
that could easily be accommodated at a single polling
place.
The two liave been combined and given the name
Freeland Precinct, a neutral name chosen because
residents of both of the old precincts once had Freeland
mailing addresses. They will vote at the Myrtle King
Store Building, previously the polling place fw Ash.
‘"I'here’s still a lot of room for growth for several
years without having to add another precinct in the
(See SOME VOTERS, Page ^A)
W
V. soMS e
SOOK
WICK«RAC0N
Twenty-fifth Year, Number 26
Itt? THf MUNSWKK MACON
Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, May 7, 1987
25c Per Copy
34 Pages
V..T • ^ ‘ ^ •
MAtt PffOIO AY SUSAN USHIII
It's Finally Time Of Year
Transplanting tobacco from the bed to a field on N.C.
BM near Longwood, above, are a group that includes
(starting second from left) Ruth Lewis, Donald Wilson
and Michad WDson, with Carl Wilson on the tractor
and Tommy Butler (foreground) catching mlssc-d
spots on each row. Planting was delayed a little this
year by cool, rainy weather, nnd like some other
farmers, Wflson’s short on plants for the 20 acres he's
planting on the farm he works for Jack MitcheU of Col
umbus County.
VOTE WAS CLOSE
Holden Beach Commissioners
To Serve Two Years, Not Four
BY SUSAN USHER
Holden Beach residents quietly
decided 59 to 49 Tuesday that future
town commissioners should serve
two-year rather than four-year
terms.
The town charter will be amended
to reflect that majority vote.
SUU to be determined, however, is
whether the full board will be elected
every two years or serve staggered
terms with several members elected
each year. That issue was not
covered by the baiiot
With only two years now in which
to get things done, suggested Don Pr
ingle, chairman of the Holden Beach
Property Owners Association
Political Acti(Hi Committee, “I think
they (commissioners) will get up to
spe«l faster and I think it will make
them more req>onsive to w)ut the
people want I think it will make dty
govenunent more responsible.”
The PAC was responsible for the
47-slgnature petition that led to the
referendum.
However, opponents of the two-
year proposal weren’t as optimistic
as Pringle. Commissioner Gay
Atkins said if the entire board were to
be replaced at once, the lack of con
tinuity could be “diwtrous” for the
town.
Commissioner William Williamson
agreed, saying, "We just needed 11
more votes, that's alL"
Pringle indicate! the PAC's peti
tion was prompted by concern for the
beach conununity's future direction.
"I think people were scared with so
nutny realtors associated with it in
one way or another,” he said.
"Now I think we can get the people
in we want, those who are Interested
in the town itself, not as a business
proposition. I think they must realize
now that the property owners have a
vdee and they need to reckon with
their feelings.”
One-third or 109 of the town’s 359
registered voters cast ballots, com
pared to 221 in the last town election.
Election Board member Dianne
Holden said there was one spoiled
ballot
"That's an extraordinary
turnout," said Pringle. “I had an
ticipated a more apathetic turnout”
Currently Ihe five corrunissioners
are elected to four-year staggered
terms, wiiii three coming up for elec
tion this fall; Lynn Holden, Graham
King and Hal Stanley; while Atkins
and Williamson will serve until 1989.
Unless the town decides to stagger
the two-year terms by holding an
election each year, 1989 is the year
the board could conceivably nrake a
complete tuni-vver Iri membership.
Voters Tuesday were asked to
show their preference by marking
one of two blocks on a ballot that pro
mpted complaints because of its
unclear wording. One question refer
ring to the "Board of
Commissioners” and the other to the
“Town Council.”
Holden said she had heard com
plaints about the ballot’s wording
"all day long.”
“What that will lead to I don’t
know.”
Sunset Beach To Ask
County For Parking,
Accessway Funds
BY TERRY POPE
Sunset Beach Mayor James Gor
don will ask county commissioners
next month for $150,000 to help the
town fund parking projects on the
island.
Town council members voted
unanimously Monday night to seek
funds from both the county apd the
state for four parking lots and beach
access areas.
Following a 40-mlnute executive
session to discuss "legal matters,”
the board changed Its mind on the
amount of funds to seek from the
N.C. Division of Coastal Manage
ment. An earlier estimate of $495,613
was considered “too low” by the
board, said Town Administrator Lin
da Fluegel.
The estimate included the cost of
land for two west end lots owned by
Dr. Robert Jones of Durham. The
lots are needed by the town to seek
easements to the 35-acre west end
tract where a proposed lot would in
clude at least 100 parking spaces and
public restroom facilities. Jones has
recently constructed a home on the
lots.
The west end tract was the main
topic of debate during a public hear
ing Monday at wliich more than 40
people attended. The tract was
donated to the town in February by
the Ed Gore family. Gore is a
member of the town council and is a
developer at Sunset Beach.
Jonas’ attorney, Charles Holton, of
the Moore and Van Allen firm in
Raleigh, told the board Monday that
he will be “strongly and strenuously
opposed to the opening of this area”
for public parking.
Holton told the board he will oppose
the use of town funds to construct the
parking lot during public hearings,
during the state permit process and
during condemnation proceedings.
The Jones family will seek the
"maximum compensation for the
loss of beachfront property,” which
exceeds $1 million, Holton added.
Ms. Fluegel said she used 1966 tax
listings to obtain the $495,613
estimate needed from the state for
land acquisition and construction.
She said an appraisal that the council
ordered on the value of the Jones pro
perty last month Is not complete.
The council instructed Ms. Fluegel
"We're not going to hurt
on this. The place that is
going to hurt will be
Sunset Beach."
—Dr. Robert Jones
to leave the amount on the state
grant application blank until the ap-
rpralsa) is presented to the town.
Jones told the resideni.s at Oh* hear-.
ing Monday to be concerned about
the west end of the island and not his
family’s home and land.
"We’ll come out all right financial
ly,” Jones said. "We’re not going to
hurt on Oils. The place that is going to
hurt will be Sunset Beach.”.
Jones presented a five-page state
ment criticizing (ha town for seeking
state assistance for'^BCoch access.
Tile funds, he said, should be used to
pay a “panel of impartial experts on
beach ecology, planning and use.”
"We oppose all four projects pro
posed by the Town of Suaset Beach
because they are costly, insufficient
ly planned and do not consider all
reasonable alternatives for long-
range development,” the statement
reads.
The “most obvious oversight,” ac
cording to Jones’ statement, is I/>t
lA, an extension of Sunset Boulevard
to the oceanfront.
The Sunset Beach Taxpayers
Association claims that prescriptive
easement, or continuous public use of
land over at least 15 years, should
allow the land to revert to tiie public.
A related lawsuit the SBTA filed in
1985 against Beach Enterprises to
legally obtain the land on behalf of
the public is tentatively scheduled for
a hiring in June.
The SBTA and the Sea Trail Pro
perty Owners Association presented
petitions to the council Monday ask-,
ing for "orderly planning of long
range beach access, to protect and
preserve the nature of the beach.”
SBTA President Mason Barber told
the council the group also opposes
“current proposals presented by the
town council, until an orderly plan
can be developed.”
In addition to the 35-acre tract, the
town hopes to construct parking lots
and beach access areas at three
other locations: 1) at 40th and Main
Street; 2) at the end of 22th Street;
and 3) at 12th and Main.
The 40th Street lot is located across
the road from the Jones property and
would Include 17 parking spaces.
Seven parking spaces would be built
at 12th Street and another 11 spaces
at 22th Street
Jones told the council Monday that
the naturo of the west end of the
beach and of nearby Bird Island
would be destroyed if the parking lot
is constructed there.
“If we make this change, we’re go
ing to make ourselves a public
nuisance,” Jones said.
In other business Monday, the
board:
•Received no conunents during the
first half of the public hearing on a
change in the zoning code that
redefines the height of a building.
The ordinance, which passed
unanimously, considers the road
level or natural grate as the starting
point for measuring the height of a
building, and not the level of a filled
lot
•Heard the police report for April
which -includ^ one breaking and
entering of an automobile, two break
ing and entering and larcenies, four
state citations, one auto wreck, five
disturbances of the peace, three
reports of fireworks, six messages
delivered and seven assists to
wildlife or county officers.
•Heard the building report for
April which included seven permits
for new homes with a value of
$343,462, as well as repairs with a
value of $39,085. Two permits for new
homes outside the town limits were
fUed for $112,718 in value.
•Set a council meeting for May 12
at 7 p.m. to hear a state salary study
presentation and to begin reviewing
the 1987-88 budget. A budget
workshop will also be held May M.
•Voted to leave the end of 19th
Street closed to persons wishing to
launch small boats. The wire and pil
ings placed there help to protect a
bulkhead, Ms. Fluegel said.
County Commissioners Bow Out Of 'No-Win' Situation
BY SUSAN USHER
Not one of the three agencies seek
ing Brunswick County’s endorsement
to take over services previously of
fered by Sencland Community Action
got what they wanted Monday.
Bowing out of the fray, the com
missioners voted 3 to 2 not to endorse
any group, leaving it to the agencies
that provide the operating funds to
decide who operates what programs
in Brunswick, Pender and/or Colum
bus without any reconunendations
from the local board.
A Laurinburg agency, Four-County
Community Services, and two Wilm
ington agencies. Opportunities In
dustrialization Center and New
Hanover County Community Ser
vices, want to take over programs
once operated by ^ncland Com
munity Action In the coun
ty-preschool Head Start education
classes in the county and other ser
vices such as weatherization.
I.ack of endorsement should not
have a major effect on their bids for
the Head Start program, a decision to
be made by federal officials in Atlan
ta. However, representatives of all
three agencies said the county must
provide an endorsement if any is to
obtain a community block grant
through the slate to operate pro
grams other than the Meral Head
Start.
Richard Greene, deputy director of
Four-County, said his agency may
submit two bid packets, one in
cluding Uh! county and one not, since
the agency already lias the endorse
ment of Pender and Columbus com
missioners to assume former
Sencland services in those counties.
Sencland closed its doors in
February in the wake of widespread
financial irregularities now under in
vestigation by state and federal
agencies.
Commissioner Jim Poole was ab
sent wlien the first vote on the subject
came up April 28, when a 2-2 vote kill
ed Chris C3iappell's motion to en
dorse all bidders since Ihe decision
had become a political “no win”
situation.
Voting against the motion, Com
missioner Frankie Rabon and Chair
man Grace Beasley had said they
thought Poole should be Included on
the vote because of its importance.
Monday’s motion was the reverse,
with Commissioners Chappell, Poole
and Benny Ludlum voting to endorse
none of the agencies. Beasley and
Rabon voted against the motion.
To Stay Parked
After a round-about di.scus.sion on
the topic, commissioners took no fur-
Uier action regarding a decision
made last month to "park,” or limit
the overnight use of—all but six
county-owned vehicles.
Commissioner Chris Chappell, who
had pushed to have use of the cars
restricted, first motioned to have
review of requests for release of
vehicles from the policy taken out of
the board's hahds, saying it should be
an administrative decision made by
aegg or by the new county manager
soon to be hired.
He withdrew the motion after Cmv
(Sec COMMISSIONERS, Page ^A)