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twenty-seventh Year, Number 40 ci? the brunsw.ck beacon Shaiiotte, North Carolina, Thursday, August 10, 1989 25c Per Copy 34 Pages, 3 Sections, Plus insert
Commissioners Request County ABC Referendum
BY RAHN ADAMS
Brunswick County residents this November will
have their second chance in eight years to decide on
alcohol sales in unincorporated areas, as commission
ers Monday night called unanimously for a county
wide ARC referendum.
The referendum will be held on Nov. 7 ? the same
day voters will go to the polls in municipal elections.
The motion for the referendum was made by
Commission Chairman Frankie Rabon, after a two
hour executive session to discuss other matters (see
related story). All five commissioners were present.
Benny Ludlum was the only commissioner to com
ment on the issue before the vote.
"I wish I'd heard about it before tonight, Mr.
Rabon," Ludlum said of the chairman's motion.
Ludlum did not speak when the vote was taken; how
ever, his silence counted as an affirmative vote.
Rabon's motion specified that the referendum
would determine whether or not to permit the follow
ing in unincorporated areas: on- and off-premises sale
of malt beverages; on- and off-premises sale of unfor
tified wines; the operation of ABC stores; and the sale
of mixed beverages in hotels, restaurants, private
clubs, community theaters and convention centers.
Aico'noi sales of one suit ui another are legal now in
most of the county's municipalities. Also, "sports
clubs" in unincorporated sections of Brunswick
County can obtain ABC permits, as a result of legisla
tion sponsored two years ago by State Rep. E. David
Red wine.
After Monday's meeting, Rabon said he initiated
the board's action as a result of input from groups in
his district and the Southport area. In March, a repre
sentative of "small business owners" in the county
urged commissioners to seek a county-wide ABC
vols. Also, St3t? Rco. E. David Red wine to!d the
board in January that it should consider requesting a
referendum.
"I'm not saying they do need it (alcohol sales in the
county)," Rabon told reporters. "Why not let the peo
ple decide? ... i m going to iet the people decide.
In September 1981, a majority of county voters
uCCiuCd against Oil- ami Gff-pTCmJSCS beer 2nd Wins
sales. There were four questions on the ballot: whether
to not to permit on- and off-premises beer sales; on
and off-premises wine sales; and just off-premises
sales of both beverages.
All four issues were defeated, with the narrowest
margin being about 500 votes. Only six of the coun
ty's 20 voting precincts then voted passage of any of
the four questions. Those precincts were Belvillc,
Hood Creek, Oak Island, Southport I and II, and
Ckinnlntvon
?*?(????? V'M W?.
County Elections Supervisor Lynda Britt told the
Beacon Tuesday that the only potential problem with
holding the ABC referendum in conjunction with
municipal elections is that county and municipal
polling places are different in many cases. She said
local elections officials probably will ask for direction
from the State elections hoard on how to handle the
situation.
Ms. Britt added that the county would not be faced
with the same problem encountered last November by
the Town of Shallotte, whose ABC referendum was
nullified because it was held in conjunction with a
general election. According to state iaw, ABC votes
can be held along with general elections only in odd
numbered years.
staff rHOTO sy ramn aoams
A Real 'Dog' Day Afternoon
Aaron Seay, son of West Bruuswick High School head football coach Marshall Seay, tries to coax his
Golden Retriever puppy, Gigi, out of the shadow cast by a line of lYojan players during a team photo
graph session Saturday on the high school stadium field. The dog found out that he didn't have it "made
in the shade" after all and had to endure the hot afternoon sun like everyone else.
Municipal Candidates Flock To
Bolivia As Filing Period Closes
Piwnflf
BY DOUG RUTTER
A nf hrvnpfnl c fIrvVn/4 ?r*
*? 1 ?v
ihc county government center in
Bolivia last Friday before the close
of the municipal Tiling period to
bring the total number of candidates
for town office this fall over the 100
mark.
Twenty-six of the 109 candidates
for municipal office, sanitary dis
trict board and hospital board of
trustees filed last Friday morning
prior to the noon deadline, accord
ing to Brunswick County Board of
Elections Supervisor Lynda BritL
She said more people have filed
for office this year than ever before.
Mrs. Britt attributed the high num
ber of candidates, in part, to the two
new towns of Varnamtown and
Sandy Creek, which will be holding
their first municipal elections in
November.
There are three candidates for
mayor and eight for alderman in
Varnamtown, while Sandy Creek
has eight persons vying for the five
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up iv/i ?1 UUJ Una JfV<U Ull U IV/
town council.
Other Brunswick County munici
palities with lots of candidates from
which to choose include Holden
Beach, with eleven candidates for
the five seats on the board of com
missioners, and Southport, with 15
candidates for alderman and two
seeking the mayor's post.
Holden Beach Mayor John
Tandy, who will face no opposition
in his bid for re-election, said last
week he expects a good race for the
board of commissioners.
"I am kind of proud of the tact
that we have that many running," he
said. "The people have got a choice.
There's no doubt about that."
In contrast to the last municipal
elections in 198 /, every municipali
ty in the county has enough candi
dates this year to fill the available
scats.
And, at Ocean Isle Beach, three
incumbents face no challengers in
their bid for re-election.
Oiiici municipalities where can
didates will apparently face no
opposition this fall are Bclville and
Navassa in northwestern Brunswick
County. Also, there arc five candi
dates for uv five scats open on the
Lcland Sanitary District Board and
tKfw? persons seeking the three sezts
up for election this year on the
Dosher Hospital Board of Trustees.
There was no filing period in
Calabash. There will be an emer
gency filing period depending on
the outcome of an Aug. 22 referen
dum concerning the proposed con
solidation of the town and the
neighboring community of Carolina
Shores.
Here's a list of the candidates for
the 1989 fall elections in Brunswick
County. An (I) following a name
means the candidate is an incum
bent.
SUNSET BEACH:
Mayor ? M. Mason Barber Jr. (I)
Councilman ? Edward M. Gore
Sr. (I), Katherine L. Peed (I), Julia
J. Thom&s, D.G. "Bud" Scrantom,
Fran S. Salone-Pelietier
OCEAN ISLE BEACH:
Mayor ? Betty Williamson (I)
Commissioner ? Terry Bar bee
(I), Bill Benton (I)
CI* A V V ATTI?.
Mayor ? Jerry W. Jones (I)
Alderman ? Sarah L. Tripp (1),
Paul Wayne Reeves (I), Chris Lane,
Joe Ebright
HOLDEN BEACH:
Mayor ? John Tandy (1)
Commissioner ? William Wil
liamson (I), Gay Atkins (I). Bob
Buck (I), Gil Bass (1), Odis Aleck
Alexiou, George Bradshaw. Carole
Rogers, Don Pollard, Kcnncr Amos,
Gloria Barred, Judy Bryan
VARNAMTOWN:
Mayor ? Marion Davis, Judy L.
Galloway, Barbara "Bobbie" Var
nam
Alderman ? Ada McDonald (I),
Ennis Swain (1), John David Daw
son (I), Roger Robinson 0). Samuel
Terry Vamam, Lueiicn Norris, Pam
Galloway, Joseph L. Herring
BOLIVIA:
Mayor ? Ina Mae Mint/. (1)
Councilman? Robert S. Willctts
III (I), Ella Jane Wescott (0, Deb
orah Stanley (I), Sarah E. Knox,
Cecil D. Robhins Jr
BOILING SPRING LAKES:
Mayor ? Robert W. Williams (I),
H.C. Boswcll, Jo Ann Smith
Commissioner ? Herbert C.
Buntcn (I), Lester K. "Randy" Ran
dolph, Dennis K. Finley, Tom Sim
mr\r?C Purtic I \V/r?rlrrr? or*
' SOUTHPORT:
Mayor ? C.B. "Cash" Caroon,
William R. "Bob" Thorscn
Alderman (Ward I, three-year
term) ? James Brown (I), Ed L.
Oliver (I), Gilbert Powell, J. Walton
Willis, Walter C. "Andy" Anderson,
William "Bill" Crowe, Thomas
Florkiewicz, John Walters
Alderman (Ward I, two-year
term) ? Mary H. "Mcczic" Childs
Alderman (Ward II, three-year
term) ? Harry W. Gore Sr., Bill Dc
laney II, Thomas O. Savidgc
Alderman (Ward II, two-year
term) Olivia Costango, Paul Swe
eney, Gloria Yount
LONG BEACH:
Mayor ? John W. Vereen III (I),
James R. Somers, Bob Miller
Commissioner ? James B. Sloop
(I), William "Hobe" Millard (0,
William D. Easley III, Joan P.
Altman, Joe Edwards, Jeffrie D.
Ensminger, Danny C. Leonard
V* iiw >A*? n f i nn
irtci v/n ui^rtVyil.
Commissioner ? Robert W.
Brown (I), Loy David Buff, Nancy
Craven Aman, Dorothy Kelly, Wil
liam S. Smith, Hugh D. Zachary
CASWELL BEACH:
Commissioner ? Duncan R. Stu
art (I), William A. Boyd Jr. (I), Earl
B. Gilbert
BELVILLE:
Mayor ? Kenneth D. Mcsscr (I)
Commissioner ? Eunice I. Long
(I), Samuel T. Herring
NAVASSA:
Mayor ? Louis "Bobby" Brown
(I)
Councilman? Jimmy Lewis,
William L. White
SANDY CREEK:
Councilman ? Ernest "Buddy"
Grainger (i), Donald C. Minnis (1),
Willie E. Millinor (I), Ray Flynn Jr.,
Waymon Earl Sutcliff, Louis A.
Blouir, Carolyn Hamilton, Kenneth
L. McKoy
DOSI1ER HOSPITAL BOARD:
Douglas A. Lcdgctt (I), Ben
Blake (I). Robert M. Zukoski
LELAND SANITARY DIST
RICT BOARD: Patsy Ann Elliott
(I), Julius D. "Buddy" Lewis (I),
Edison Moore, Jean G. Speight,
Julius C. Adams.
Shallotte Residents Seek Board's
Help In Blocking Group Homes
BY DOUG RUTTER
Though a concerned group of
residents opposing construction of
two more group homes for mentally
retarded adults in Shallotte wants
the town's help in blocking those
proposed facilities, there may be
nothing town officials can do to
prevent their locating here.
Developer Eddie Droughan of
Dunn has proposed building group
homes at 128 Pine Street and 116
Pender Road in Shallotte. The local
homes, as well as nine others pro
posed in surrounding counties,
would be leased and operated on a
for-profit basis by LifeS kills Inc.,
also based in Dunn.
At last Wednesday's regular town
meeting, a half dozen residents
from Pine Street and Al Street re
quested the town board's assistance
in blocking the proposed group
homes. Some of the audience mem
bers had attended a public hearing
the day before in Lumberton held as
part of the state's certificate of need
process.
A decision on whether to issue
certificates of need, which would
allow construction of the intermedi
ate care facilities for the mentally
retarded, will be made before the
end of October and could be made
as soon as mid-September, accord
ing to Terri Muchmore- The project
analyst with the state Division of
Facility Services chaired last week's
hearing.
Joe Hewett, who lives on Pine
Street, said last week he and five
other town residents went to the
public hearing to oppose the pro
posed group homes. He came to last
week's town meeting seeking the
support of town officials.
"We want you io jump on the
bandwagon with us and help us
keep them out of here becausc we
don't think they're needed on any
street in Shallotte," he told the
board.
Aldermen agreed to look into
what the town could do to keep the
group homes from locating in
Shallotte. One proposal was to limit
the number of unrelated persons liv
ing in one dwelling.
But there are no zoning restric
tions or other measures the town
can Iflle to nrpvcnl ?hi? hnmct frrvm
locating in town, according to Shal
lotte attorney Rex Gore, chairman
of Southeastern Mental Health's
board of directors. Others in the
mental health field agree that state
law is on the side of the developers
and that the town cannot pass laws
to prevent the construction of group
homes.
Gore said the agency proposing
10 manage the two facilities, Life
Skills Inc., had earlier requested a
letter of support from the South
eastern Mental Health board, but
nothing was approved. He said the
board did not have statistics and
other information needed to judge
whether or not there is a need for
one or two more group homes, and
therefore, has taken nu siam.c on
the proposal.
Southeastern Mental Health
(SMH) recently started construction
of a group home for mentally re
tarded adults on John Street. The
two other homes proposed in town
would be slightly different than the
home being built on John Street,
according to Claire Emerson, direc
tor of the developmental disabilities
programs for SMH.
Ms. Emerson said the adults who
" If the residents would take the time to
visit a group home somewhere else ,
they would see that there is nothing to
fear. "
? Claire Emerson
Southeastern Mental Health
would live in the proposed homes
would have developmental disabili
ties and, generally speaking, would
be slighUy less functional than
those who will live at the John
Street home. She added, however,
that none of the people will be men
tally ill or pose a threat to neigh
bors.
"I'm sorry that group homes are
felt to be a menace because very
nice people live in them," she said.
"If the residents would take the time
to visit a group home somewhere
else they would see that there is
nothing to fear."
The homes proposed for Pine
Street and Pender Road would also
be operated for a profit, while the
home on John Street will be run as a
non-profit facility.
Rhett Raynor, vice president of
LifeSkills Inc. which formed last
spring, said the state limits the a
mount of profit the agency can earn.
If the homes are approved and built,
he said the corporation would earn a
profit of Si per patient per day, or
S2.190 per year with six clients in
the home.
Funding for the proposed homes
r
would come in part through state
and federal grants, he said, and the
homes themselves will be worth
about $200,000 each.
Raynor said the Town of Shalioi
te was chosen because it is a grow
ing community that offers services
such as doctors, lawyers and shop
ping centers. Also, the town is closc
to The Brunswick Hospital and
Brunswick Community College,
where some clients will attend clas
ses offered through the interagency
program.
He said the agency examined ap
proximately eight sites in town and
chose the lots on Pine Street and
Pender Road because they are good
building sites and are situated in
established residential neighbor
hoods.
"There is a tremendous need in
Brunswick County and this is a tre
mendous opportunity to care for the
mentally retarded people in Bruns
wick County," said Raynor. 'The
group homes allow for special care
of mentally retarded adults without
taking them far away from their
families and putting them in institu
(See RESIDENTS, Page 2-A)
Communities Plan Separate
Meetings On Consolidation
BY DOUG RUTTER
A proposal to consolidate the community of Carolina Shores and the
Town of Calabash into one municipality will be the topic of separate
meetings planned over the next two weeks by leaders of the two areas.
The first public meeting will be held Saturday, Aug. 12, at 1 p.m. at
the Carolina Shores Property Owners Association (CSPOA) clubhouse
for residents of Carolina Shores. Calabash Town Council will then hold
a special meeting for town residents Thursday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. in
town hall.
Both meetings are being offered to provide information and answer
qucsuons concerning uie proposed consolidation, wmcn will go to a
vote later this month. Residents of Calabash and Carolina Shores will
vote in separate elections Tuesday, Aug. 22, on the issue of consolida
tion.
If the plan is rejected by either side in the referendum, the two areas
will both continue in their present form.
However, if both sides vote in favor of the proposal, a seven-member
town board of commissioners and a mayor for the cnb-'ou town would
be elected in November. Five of the commission seats would come from
Carolina Shores, and the other two would come from the existing Town
of Calabash. The mayor could be elected from either district.
A letter from CSPOA Board of Directors President Bob Cook dis
tributed last week to residents of the golf course community contains
details of the proposed consolidation and a sample budget for the Cala
bash and Carolina Shores area developed by the Carolina Shores incor
poration committee.
Cook said the budget is a "hypothetical" plan developed to give com
munity residents an idea of what consolidation could mean in financial
terms.
Under the sample budget, consolidation would cost the owner of a
home in Carolina Shores valued at $100,000 an extra $62 per year. The
present POA dues would be reduced from $235 per year to $52 annual
ly, but a hypothetical town tax rate of 24 cents per $100 of valuation
would make up for that reduction.
In response to the Carolina Shores meeting, Calabash Town Council
voted Tuesday night to hold a special meeting of its own. They decided
to wait until next Thursday so there would be time to advertise the
meeting in next week's issue of The Brunswick Beacon.
At this week's Calabash Town Council meeting, Marsh Harbour
Yacht Club project coordinator Bob Hirsch told board members, "There
generally doesn't seem to be an understanding of what the pros and
cons of consolidation arc."
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