Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Jan. 24, 1991, edition 1 / Page 1
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Trial Continues A former calabash businessman charged with drug trafficking was sentenced Tuesday to two 35-year terms and fined $500,000. Details are on Page 9A. Taking Second Look Holden Beach Officials are taking a second look at a controversial outside light rule that bans lights such as this fixture suspended from the top of a utility pole. The story's on Page 6A. HOAG & SONS BOOK BINDERY 12/31/99 PO BOX 162 SPRIN6PORT MI 49284 . JSWICK' Trojans Ciaim Win West Brunswick High school Trojans won three boys' games in a busy week of prep basketball, while the Lady Trojans didn't fare as well. Check out full sports coverage on Pages 12A-14A Twenty-ninth Year, Number 12 CT1991 THE brunswck beacon Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, January 24, 1991 25< Per Copy 30 Pages, 2 Sections Southport Man Killed In Saturday Accident A Southport man was killed Sat urday evening when the truck he was driving ran off the road near Holdcn Beach and struck a tree. Herbert Parker Jr., 65, was travel ing north on Stone Chimney Road about five miles north of Holdcn Beach when his pickup ran off the road, sideswiped one tree and hit another tree head-on. State Trooper B.L. Wilkes report ed the driver was exceeding a safe speed at the time of the accident, es timated at 65 mph. The 1986 Chevrolet truck came to a rest about 10 feet to the left of the tree. There were no passengers in the truck. The accident occurred around 7:15 p.m. Damage was estimated at $3,500. It was the first death reported on Brunswick County's highway for 1991, said Ruby Oakley, Highway Patrol spokesperson. In another accident last Thursday, a Shallottc woman was seriously in jured when her car ran off the road about a mile west of Shallottc and struck a drainage culvert Eunice Strickland Kersey, 70, was traveling west on N.C. 130 when she crossed the center line and ran off the roadway, reported State Trooper B.D. Bamhardt. The driver stated that approaching head lights blinded her from seeing the highway, according to the officer's report Ms. Kersey was charged with driving left of center following the 6:40 a.m. accident. Damage was esti mated at $800 to her 1972 Chevrolet. She was taken to The Brunswick Hospital in Supply. An early-morning accident Sun day sent two drivers to the hospital. Two drivers were taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington with serious injuries Sunday following an carly-moming accidcnL (See MAN, Page 2-A) STAFF PHOTO BY TERRY POPE TURNPIKE ROAD resident Junior White says he can't figure out why the U.S. Census Bureau failed to notice his house, one of about 30 homes in his neighborhood near Supply. U.S. CENSUS SAYS OTHERWISE Homes Exist On Turnpike Road BY TERRY POPE Residents along Turnpike Road near Supply say their community is one of the oldest in Brunswick County, yet the U.S. Census Bureau claims theie are no houses on the road. Junior White was busy Monday morning wiring in some goats and a turkey in front of his home on Turnpike Road. His home has been there for more than 30 years, he said. White pointed south to a two-story wooden struc ture just a few hundred yards away. Although nobody lives there now, generations once grew up there. "That's the old Mrs. Bertie Lancaster place," White said. "It's at least 100 years old." Turnpike Road runs between Ml. Pisgah Church Road and Stone Chimney Road near Supply. Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church sits at the corner of Turnpike Road, which was once called Bellamy Road. White's son, Brunswick County Coroner Greg White, also owns a home on Turnpike Road and so do about 30 other people, according to the Brunswick County Planning Department. How then could the U.S. Census Bureau reach a conclusion that there are no homes along Turnpike Road? The planning department requested that the bu reau recheek its figures after a preliminary housing count released last September by the federal agency showed no homes existing in a census block which includes Turnpike Road. Spot checks to compare the census report with county land use maps showed a discrepancy, said Don Eggcrt, a county planner. "We went out and counted the number of units and sent that information to the Census Bureau," Eg gcrt said. A letter received this month from William Hill, director of the U.S. Census Bureau regional center in Charlotte, said there were no houses in the census block where Turnpike Road is located. The number of housing units was confirmed by a "field review," the letter states. County planners were stunned. While said he was not aware that his ncighbor (See HOMES, Page 2-A) Poor Bookkeeping Could Cost Brunswick Schools BY SUSAN USHER Brunswick County Board of Education members digested bad news of its own last Wednesday while the world outside the board room received word that war had begun in the Persian Gulf. The school system must repay the state approximately 575,667 and faces possible legal action by its in surance underwriter to recoup any benefits improperly paid to or on behalf of an unknown number of former employees. The county owes the state $75,000, said auditor Charles Flow ers, because the finance staff was not "...The records aren't there." ? Charles Flowers Auditor reconciling its State Public School Fund with the state treasurer's office on a timely basis. Because the school system didn't know how much state money it had spent, "expenditures were charged to the state fund that were not qualified and had to be re funded." Finance Officer Rudi Fal Ion has since implemented stem to ensure timely reconciliations of all accounts. Discovery that health insurance premiums for several former em ployees were still being paid through the school system has left the system potentially liable for ben efits received by those individuals. "We don't know what that claim will be or for how much," said Flowers. "Management doesn't know how many claims may have been paid. The records aren't there." North Carolina Blue Cross/Blue Shield administers the state's self-in surance program in which the school system participates. Former employ ees are allowed to continue their group policy coverage for a transi tion period of up to 18 months if they pay both their share and the school district's share of the premi ums, plus 2 percent They arc billed individually, not through the schools. However, that was not the case in one or more instances. Randy Worth, the husband of former school board chairman Dorothy Worth, left the system's employment in 1985, but continued paying premiums through the school system until June 1990 for his family hospital insur (See BOOKKEEPING, Page 2-A) Clegg Hired As County Manager; Ledgett Assistant BY SUSAN USHER In a move Monday night thai evoked little surprise, Bmnswick County Commissioners gave David Clegg the job he has held in func tion, if not in title, for approximate ly 14 months. The board's second move did come as a surprise as it named Douglas Lcdgclt as assistant to the manager, leaving open the possibili ty of a future reclassification to as sistant county manager. Ledgett, an attorney from Southport, was hired in late 1990 as the county's first emergency medical services coordi nator. Clegg, 35, who will continue as county attorney, said he is "proba bly" the only county manager in the state to hold both positions, though some county managers arc lawyers. Clegg said he sees no conflict of in terest in holding the dual roles. He was among four candidates for the post interviewed in open ses sion by commissioners a week earli er. A vote on hiring a hew county manager had been delayed pending routine background investigations by the Brunswick County Sheriff's Department. "He has done an outstanding job," said Holden, describing Clegg as a "proven leader" in his perfor mance over the past 14 months as the two boards he served under dur ing the past year moved forward with construction projects and water extension projects and began push ing for revised subdivision ordi nances and zoning regulations. Since joining county government in 1985 Clegg has served in the dual roles of staff attorney and cither as sistant, acting or interim county manager, depending upon the cir cumstances. The 4-0 unanimous decision to hire Clcgg was made on a motion by Gene Pinkerton early in Monday's meeting. Commissioner Frankie Rabon was absent. He had called before the meeting, saying he had to deal with an emergency at work. However, when the subject was broached by Chairman Kelly Holdcn, Pinkerton said he wasn't prepared to vote on Clegg's salary. Clegg's salary was increased a year ago to 554,000 to reflect his added duties as acting county man ager. He said Monday he hasn't dis cussed the question of salary with the board. Commissioners indicated they would lake up the question of salaries for Clegg and Lcdgett at their next meeting. Clegg Gets Back-Up In the newly crcalcd position of assistant to the manager, Ledgctt will continue as emergency medical services coordinator and will as sume other responsibilities under Clegg's direction and supervision, said Holden. He will also serve as acting manager in the manager's ab sence. Holden said the idea of Lcdgett taking on the role of assistant was his. "David is r.ot going to be here ev eryday. It's asking too much to ask him to assume both jobs with no backup. He could get burned out," said Holden. Lxdgett was chosen, said Holdcn, because he is also a lawyer, has a good knowledge of the county and administrative skills, and works well with Clegg. Wearing Two Hats At Once Familiar Role For Clegg BY SUSAN USHER David Clegg has worn the hat of Brunswick - ? %?,. County manag er as well as at torney off and on again since his employ ? ment in 1984. Because of % 4 1 that, he said |k 1 M Monday, coun ? HI ty residents clegg shouldn't ex pect any overnight changes in coun ty government, though changes may be forthcoming in future months. He may be the only county man ager in North Carolina who also serves as a county staff attorney. It's a mix with which he is comfortable and also challenged. One of four candidates for the position, Gegg had told commis sioners in an open interview earlier this month that he thinks the man ager's role includes serving as a conduit between the public and the commissioners. Employee morale is tied directly to "a sense of accom plishment, an achievement of the goals of the county," he said, and county employees should r.o? work "simply to bring home a paycheck." Clegg has an undergraduate de gree in government and foreign af fairs from Hampden-Sydney College and a master's degree in theater arts and law degree from the University of South Carolina. In his spare time he is involved in the (See TWO HATS, Page 2-A) Figures Show County Suivfed OPTIAAiSTIC A Sluggish Year For Bunding BY TERRY POPE Brunswick County wasn't hit quite as hard as other areas of the country by a slump in new home construc tion in 1990, area figures show. . Area realtors remain optimistic that Brunswick County's market can remain strong enough to survive a possible recession of the national economy this year. "We're definitely in better shape than other parts of the country," said Terry Barbee, president of the Brunswick Islands Board of Realtors. ' A lot of folks re main ready to do something if they could move their property elsewhere." Retirees from other areas comprise a large block of local home buyers. Because homes arc not selling in other parts of the country that are affected more by the sluggish economy, new home sales locally are cxpccted to be off slightly for the first quarter of 1991, he pre dicted. "Then I'm looking for it to pick back up," Barbee said. Brunswick County remains the second- fastest grow ing county in the state behind Dare County. According to building permits issued in 1990, the number of new homes built in unincorporated areas of the county last year increased after two straight years of declines in new home construction. While the county saw a trend in fewer homes being built inland in recent years, the beach communities have continued to experience steady growth. New home construction on the South Brunswick Islands remained steady or increased again last year, building reports in dicate. At Ocean Isle Beach, permits for 35 single-family homes and two duplexes were issued last year for an es timated $3.6 million in valuation. In 1989, only 27 per mits were issued for 52.37 million in valuation. "I felt like it was a little bit slow," said Barbee, an Ocean Isle Realtor, "but the building inspector kept telling me that we were doing better than last year. It's all in the frame of mind of how you look at things." The Brunswick County Building Inspections Department issues building permits for new home con struction in areas outside of town zoning districts and for six towns that do not have their own programs. Those towns are Belville, Bolivia, Leland, Navassa, Sandy Creek and Varnamtown. According to the county's annual building inspec tions report, permits for 181 new homes were issued outside of municipal ?nning districts last year for a val uation of SI 3.7 million compared to 184 permits in 1989 at a valuation of SI 2.1 million. The county also is (See AREA REALTORS, PAGE 2-A) ST *ff rHOTO BY DOUG KUTTEK AT HOIJ)EN BEACH, new home construction actually increased last year on the island despite a sluggish year nationally. This home is under construction in the Wild Dunes subdivision.
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 24, 1991, edition 1
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