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Twenty-fifth Year, Number 30
SWICICfiKACON
I9«7 IHt MUtnWKK MACON
Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, JuneX 1987
25c Per Copy
44 Pages Plus Inserts
Mayor Ends
Bid For
State Office
BY MARJORIE MEGIVERN
LaDane Rullington wenl out with a
bang, not a whimper, when she decid
ed against continuing a race for
North Carolina's lieutenant-governor
next year.
At a Thursday press conference in
Raleigh, where municipal officials
were gathered from across the state
for the annual Mayor’s Day, the
Ocean Isle Beach mayor made a
flamboyant exit from this particular
political arena.
Banners flew, buttons proclaimed
her candidacy, and flowers, food and
well-wishers were in plentiful supply
as the petite 39-year-old woman
made her announcement.
Claiming she is not viewed as "one
of the good ole boys," BuUington said
her involvement in the race could
"have a negative impact on other
Democratic state races."
She stressed that she had never
been interested in behig the can
didate "who also ran." After con
sulting with political professionals
and otherwise exploring the feasibili
ty of running, BuUington apparenUy
concluded that might be the outcome.
She said, however, that her cam
paign could very weU be successful in
the primary.
In an interview with the Beacon
Monday, she said she is perceived as
a “fresh face," and the candidate
with new ideas, which might relegate
Lieutenant Governor Bob Jordan, a
"old
gua^^*
"My campaign might hurt Ws,"
shesMd.
The hoopla associated with Thurs
day’s announcement, and
BulUngton’s entire career to date, in
dicate this is certainly not the last to
be beard from her.
"I’m not that gd," she said, with a
twinkle In her eye. “There wiU be
other times."
She has served Ocean Isle Beach as
mayor since 1973 and has held
numerous positions on state boards.
Currently a member of the Coastal
Resources Advisory Board, she is
also cn the Cspito! Building Authori
ty and is secretary of the Seventh
Congressional DistricL
Standing beside her in Raleigh last
week were her husband. Bill Bull-
ington, and children Frazier, 10, Ken
dra, 7, and Grant, 5. .Also among her
support group were parents OdeU
and Virginia WilUomson.
STAFF PHOTO IT SUSAN USH»
ONCE THE SOUTH Brunswick Branch post office opens, the fate of contract
postal stations, like the one pictured here at Ocean Isle Beach, remains
uncertain.
South Brunswick Branch
Post Office Seeks Site
BY TERRY POPE
An announcement is expected “any
day now" on the chosen site for a new
post office branch which would serve
Calabasli, Ocean Isle and Sunset
Beach residents.
Since offers were opened April 15,
postal officials have been negotiating
with land owners of three sites bet
ween Ocean Isle and Calabash to por
ch!^ land for the hiiilding, said Art
Shealy, communications coordinator
for the Columbia (SrCo 'postal divi
sion center. ,
The offers are made by individual
land owners, Shealy said, and, unlike
formal bids, are negotiable.
The new post office would be a
branch of the Shallotte station and
would be called the South Brunswick
Branch. It would retain the 28459
Shallotte zip code “unless growth
mandates that we choose a new one,”
Shealy said.
Negotiations with land owners
usually take from one to two months
before a,.site is chosen, he added.
“We’re lodcing at things like loca
tion," he said. “We have to deckle
which location would best serve the
residents involved. We’re going to do
what’s right for the community."
Thi'ec sites are under considera
tion-one at Cause Landing, one on
N.C. 904 at Seaside, and one on N.C.
179 at Sunset Beach. The postal ser
vice's funds assessment committee
must consider the offers for a site.
Postal officials estimate they will
need at least 140,000 square feet of
land.
“On the coast, 1 imagine that could
be quite expensive,” Shealy said.
The South Brunswick Branch, he
said, would “centralize the delivery
area" for Ocean Isle, Sunset Beach
and Calabash residents.
Mail route carriers for those areas
would move from the Shallotte sta
tion to the branch buDding, which
will be approximately 13,665 aquara
feet.
In January, the mayors of the three
towns affected by the new post office
branch were mailed information
packets by the postal division office.
Ocean Isle Beach Mayor LaDane
BuUington said that of the three loca
tions under consideration, the
mayors were asked to circle the one
they thought would best serve the
community. She said traffic pro
blems could be a deciding factor in
where the new branch is placed.
Shealy said he did not know what
effect, if any, the branch would have
on contract postal stations in
Calabash and Ocean Isle Beach.
“Our goal right now is to see this
branch completed," Shealy said. “If
we can naU down a piece of property,
then 18 months after that, barring
any unforeseen circumstances, the
branch should be open."
Once the branch opens, residents
(See POST OFFICE, Page ^A)
Holden Chooses Only Option
On Regional Accessway Plan
BY TERRY POPE
AND SUSAN USHER
Holden Beach officials have gone
back to their original plan to build
permanent restrooms at Uie propos
ed Jordan Boulevard re^onal park
ing faculty.
The board letuTied Monday night
that Nelson Frye of the N.C. Depart
ment of Transportation had advised
the town it must foUow the original
state contractifer which a 860,000
grant was awaked to help constnict
the parking lot and beach accessway.
Tl>e contract caUed for permanent
restrooms and a handicapped ac
cessway to the beach for the parking
area under the bridge.
DOT’S agreement for the Jordan
Boulevard location to be used for
parking was tied to the terms of the
grant
Placing portable toUets at the site,
as the board voted to do on May 21,
would force the town to begin the
grant appUcation process over again.
“If we don’t go ahead with the
original program,” said Mayor John
Tandy, “then we're going to have to
go back to the beginning."
Tandy said that “now is the time”
to build the parking faciUty vriUi pef-
manent restrooms.
CouncU member Lyn Holden said
he was “definitely in favor of going
ahead now” with the parking project
since it is the town’s only opUon.
“We have no other way to go,”
Holden added.
There was a moment of confusion
as the board reached a consensus to
proceed with the project as orlginaUy
planned. A motion passed at a special
meeting last Thursday morning
allowed the board to proceed with its
original plan without taking acUon on
the matter Monday.
“Does this authorize me tomorrow
morning to proceed with
everything?" Town Administrator
Bob Buck asked.
Mayor Tandy repUed, “Yes."
Last Thursday, after a 1%-hour’
discussion, the board adopted two
motions regarding the project
First, on a 3-2 vote wlUi Commis
sioners Gay AUdns and WiUiam
WiUiamson voUng no, the town decid
ed to undertake a smaller-scale pro
ject of its own—if the Jordan
Boulevard site would still be
available from DOT and a pubUc ac
cessway stlU available from Rose
aiM Leo C''!'*
Mrs. Coic said Friday iiie ac*
PUBLIC HEARING SET
County Board Proposes
$31.6Million Budget
BY SUSAN USHER
The oft-ncr of a 850,000 home would
pay 815.00 more in county property
taxes next year under a recommend
ed 831.68 miUion budget presented to
Brunswick County Commissioners
Monday.
It calls for a three-cents tax rate in
crease, to 49.5 cents per 8100 of valua
tion. It would generate approximate
ly 818 milUon in revenues.
A public hearing has been called on
the proposed budget for Thursday,
June 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the public
assembly building at the county com
plex in Bolivia.
Last week, after several work ses
sions, the board directed its budget
preparers to trim the “working”
budget with a 50.5-cent rate.
When Acting County Manager
David Clegg showed commissioners
the result Monday, Commissioner
Jim Poole quipped, “It looks a lot
thinner than the other one."
Replied Clegg, “It’s amazing wltat
cutting a million and half will do.”
In his budget message, Clegg said
that county services must be increas
ed “to meet the needs of a growing,
sophisticated population."
In its upcoming budget sessions
following the hearing, he said he
wanted the board to “seriously ad
dress" staffing requests for law en
forcement as well as incremental
funding for implementing a 911
emergency telephone system, solid
waste collection aiid disposal, a con
tinued commitment to fire and
rescue funding, a six percent reserve
balance and a building pre^ram for
the county complex.
William Carter, former county
manager and budget consultant, had
recommended the board increase the
rate to 52- to 53-cents. He said the
budget didn't reflect the demands of
growth on the county.
Debt service will cost the county
86.5 million next year, including 83.9
million in interest payments.
Department Breakdown
Proposed budget allocations by
department are as follows:
•Board of Commissioners, 8120.632,
including 843,302 in wages for clerk
and board and 833,000 per diem for
board;
•Building Inspections, 8228,072;
•Engineering, 8109,104;
•Administration, 8204,472;
•Board of Elections, 8162,186;
•Plamiing, 8163,442;
•Utility Operations Board, 881,130,
including 845,000 for salaries and
810,000 per diem;
•Finance and Purchasing,
8192,322;
•Computer Services, 8300,292;
•Tax Supervisor, 8471,438;
•Tax Collector, 8223,858;
•Attorney, 8191,176;
•Register of Deeds, 8376,208;
•Housekeeping, 8212,894;
•Building and Grounds, 8581,611;
•Maintenance Garage, 81.12
million;
•Sheriff, 81.36 million;
•Jail, 8291,890;
•Veterans Services, $42,091;
•Emergency Management,
881,880;
•Soil and Water Conservation,
828,090;
•Parks and Recreation, 8813,405,
with no funding of a proposal to main
tain the high school athletic Oeids;
•Agricultural Extension, $154,506;
•Integrated Pest Management,
82,300;
•Operation Services, $472,708;
•Corps of Engineers contract,
835,500;
•Sanitary Landfill, $875,038;
(See COUNTY, Page ^A)
CololDcish R©sid©nts Will 0©t To Vot© On Wot©r
BY SUSAN USHER
Calabash residents will get to vote
on a proposed assessment plan for a
town water system under a substitute
bill soon to be considered by a Hoose
subcommittee.
Rep. David Redwine said he was
having the substitute drafted for con
sideration by a newly-appointed sub
committee of the House Finance
Committee.
Several Calabash council members
last week predicted that if a referen
dum were required, the measure
would fail beqiuse many of the peo
ple most affected, such as restaurant
owners, live outside the town and
could not vote.
At the urging of several assess
ment opponents. Sen. R.C. Soles Jr.
of Tabor City recently pledged to add
a reterendum requirement to the biii
if it were passed in the House and
then sent to the Senate.
In a week of negotiations, Redwine
agreed to add the referendum re
quirement to the House bill. At the
same time, he and Soles will in
troduce bills to obtain 850,600 each
for a town water system.
“I think we can make a good case
for it," he said. “If those two bills
pass, the issue will be settled.”
Estimates for the system’s construc
tion are below the $100,000 proposed
in the bills.
The original assessment bill,
modeled after a local act obtained by
the Town of Ocean Isle Beach, pro
vided fill ihe Town Of CstsuBw to
assess residents in-advancecof the
system’s completion so it would have
the upfront funds needed for the pro
ject.
Town commissioners had said that
if too few residents failed to pay the
assessments, they would simply drop
the project rather than begin
foreclosure proceedings against
them.
The substitute bill is now being
drafted. It will also include correc
tions In the assessment figures, as re-
(See CALABASH, Page ^A)
V¥VII©I
Found !n Compute
cessway now belongs io the town,
having been accepted within the time
frame asked by the family.
The second motion, made by Com
missioner Hal Stanley, passed
unanimously. The board agreed that
If the first plan didn’t work, the town
would automatically go back to the
project as origuiaiiy proposed in ihe
grant appUcation.
However, Commissioner Graham
King, who had made the first motion,
almost didn’t vote on the second one.
Then, throwing up his hands in ap
parent frustration, he announced, “I
don’t care. Count it as a yes."
In earUer negotiations, the N.C. Of
fice of Coastal Managcmeiit had in
dicated the town could omit a picnic
area and handicapped access to the
beach from its plans since bids had
come in higher than anticipated.
At an earUer meeting, the board
voted to spend an additional $4,500.
Since then, the Holden Beach Proper
ty Owners Association has con
tributed $2,000 to the project
Last Thursday, Tandy said that
whichever option the town foUowed,
that as its chief executive officer, he
reserved the right to shut down the
faculty if it is abused by the iHibiic.
BY TERRY POPE
Ten to 1015 miUion gaUons of “lost”
water has been found hiding behind a
computer error.
Town officials now beUeve the
water, which went unaccounted for
during the months of January,
February and March, was actuaUy
never lost
As Kenneth Hewett Brunswick
Counfy water system supervisor,
suspected last week, the water
wasn’t leaking from a 12-inch main
that passes under the Lockwood Fol
ly Inlet
"Ken admits it is a foul-up
somewhere in the bilUng process,”
said Town Administrator Bob Buck.
County officials checked the main
line that passes under the inlet from
Oak Island last week and discovered
that it was not leaking, Buck said.
Town officials were alarmed last
week when Buck reported a 68 per
cent difteience In the amount of
water used by the town and the
amount actually billed its customers
fer tlic
There appeared to be no major
leaks on the island so town officials
asked the county to investigate.
The polyethylene pipe that feeds
water to Holden Beach will be shut
down later this week when Phase II
of the county water system begins
full operation. The island will then be
supplied with another 12-lnch main
that follows N.C. 130 from Shallotte
and crosses the Intracoastal Water
way on the causeway.
The inlet line will then be used for
backup.
Buck said Monday that he Is hoping
the county ™IU make an “adiust-
ment" on the town’s water bill for the
three-month period.
A traffic light began operating right on schedule last
Friday at the Holden Beach causeway Intersection.
N.C. Department of Transportation officials installed
the light to help relieve traffic congestion where
Fouord Road, Sabbatn Home Koad and N.C. 130 tnccL
Holden Gets Traffic Light
lIAFf PHOTO SY fOO* IWtATT
Holden Beach Mayor John Tandy said town officiala
are pleased with the new light “My first impression
was, it was so smooth that you didn’t even notice It,’’ be
said.