Ocean Isle Officials Talk Sewer Expansion With Engineers
BY DOUG R UTTER
Ocean Isle Beach officials met with representatives
of six engineering firms Tuesday to discuss expansion
of the town's sewer system and the chance of the town
leading the way toward a regional sewer facility.
Town commissioners are planning to expand the
sewer system so it serves the entire community. The
east end of the island isn't served by the existing sys
tem.
While in the planning stages, official:; want to con
sider alternative sewage treatment options and the pos
sibility of helping establish a system that could serve
areas outside the town limits.
Odell Williamson, the town's most prominent land
developer who also acts as utilities commissioner,
brought his concept of the regional facility to the board
of commissioners last week.
Williamson said at Tuesday's workshop that the
town could be the "lead agency" in putting together a
sewer facility that could serve Ocean Isle and other ar
eas where there wi'l be a demand for sewer service in
the near future. Those areas could include Sunset
Beach, Sea Trail Plantation and Calabash.
Engineering firms represented at the workshop w?re
Andrew and Kuskc of Shallottc, Robert L. Bellamy and
Associates of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Henry Von Ocsen and
Associates of Wilmington, Boney and Associates of
Raleigh, Powell Associates of North Myrtle Beach,
S.C., and Houston and Associates of Shallottc. Each
film met with the board for about 30 minutes.
In the near future, the town board wants a proposal
from each firm on how much a feasibility study would
cost. The study would address alternatives and cost es
timates for expanding sevfer service inside the town as
well as beyond the town limits.
Williamson said the existing sewer plant can han
dle up to 750,000 gallons of wastewater per day, but
the town only has enough acres of spray fields to han
dle 500,000 gallons per day.
The smallest expansion project that the town is
likely to undertake would increase the amount of
wastewater that can applied to spray fields by 250,000
gallons per day.
But Williamson urged the engineers to consider
wastewater treatment and disposal methods other than
spray fields so that as much as 2 million gallons per
day can be handled either at the existing plant or a new
plant.
Williamson said the town should consider methods
of wastewater treatment that might be less costly than
the lagoons and spray fields which are now being used.
Treatment options could include using man-made
or natural wetlands to treat and dispose of the wastew
ater and using treated wastewater to irrigate area golf
courses.
Williamson said the Grand Strand Water and Sewer
Authority, which serves the Myrtle Beach area, uses
wetlands extensively in its wastewater treatment pro
cess.
Several of the engineers present pointed out that
South Carolina tends to be more flexible than North
Carolina in terms of wastewater treatment options, in
cluding wetlands use and golf course irrigation.
J.F. Boncy of Boncy and Associates said North
Carolina officials look at wetlands as slate waters. He
said the town would need a discharge permit to use
wetlands, similar to the permit that would be needed to
discharge into a river.
But Lee Fleming, a consulting engineer with
Powell Associates and former director of the state's
water quality section, said the use of wetlands to treat
wastewater is on the rise in North Carolina.
Without going into detail, Williamson said he has
received information that the state may be looking to
experiment with the use of wetlands in wastewater
treatment
"We did want to take a good strong look at the wet
land deal," he said. "We thought we might sort of be
the guinea pig."
Jay Houston of Houston and Associates also noted
that there is a general movement in state government
toward relaxing some of the regulatory hurdles that
have caused headaches for municipalities in the past.
As a result, he said the town has more options now
than it did this lime last year.
Charles Davis, president of Henry Von Ocsen and
Associates which designed the existing sewer system,
also said the state is "mellowing," especially on the is
sue of using wetlands.
Houston said the town is presently spraying treated
waste on land that could be used for some other pur
pose. Using man-made or natural wetlands to treat
waste would be more productive.
He also said that treated wastewater is a valuable
resource that can be recycled and used to irrigate golf
courses.
Several engineers commended the town board for
looking into a regional sewer facility. They all agreed
that southwestern Brunswick County will need sewer
service in the future.
Bill Bellamy of Robert L. Bellamy and Associates
said he's seen the Myrtle Beach area develop from
beach cottages to small motels to high-rise condomini
ums.
Bellamy said he expects a similar trend in
Brunswick County. "It's not dreaming. It's just plan
ning. Y'all will eventually grow up here."
Ocean Isle Beach officials haven't discussed how a
regional facility might be funded. However,
Williamson said Tuesday that holding out for federal
grants would be "wishful thinking."
He said some counties and towns have used private
capital for public buildings. The developer said he as
sumes private funds could be used for water and sewer
systems as well.
Mayor Betty Williamson said this week's meeting
was the first of what will likely be a series of work
shops. She said the town needs to consider all of its
options. "We've got a challenge that we need to meet."
Survey Said Base For Tackling Local Substance Abuse Problem
BY SUSAN USHER
A countywidc study surveying at
titudes on local drug abuse released
by the Brunswick Challenge Com
mittee held no surprises Tuesday for
the group of about 20 people who
attendcu a breakfast briefing.
It should, however, serve as the
"jumping off point" for the commit
tee's future work plan, which
Chairman Jean Parker said the com
munity itself must develop. To that
end, she and other speakers chal
lenged those present and the com
munity at large to act on the sur
vey's findings.
"We need to know where you are
and what you are willing to do,
right away," said Mrs. Parker, say
ing she will not continue to shoul
der much of the group's work alone.
"The problems won't be solved
by simply presenting the results of a
survey and going home," said
Marvin Shedler, coordinator for the
N.C. Challenge Program funded by
the Governor's Council on Ado
lescent Substance Abuse.
While attention may be focused
on war in the Persian Gulf, said
Mark Galizio, a psychology profes
sor at UNC-Wilmington who helped
devise the survey, "another war, the
war on drugs, is still with us, though
perhaps we're not thinking about it
enough."
Jeff Cumbie, substance abuse ed
ucation coordinator with the Bruns
wick County Schools, said the
schools cannot be expected to ad
dress the problem alone. "Our prob
lem is the schools have the youths
only six hours a day. The family and
community have them the other 18
hours a day.
Most of the problems we see are
related to families that have prob
lcms," he said. "I think we need to
have a meeting of the minds here of
the community and the schools. We
need parent-based programs."
Substance abuse is a community
based problem that requires a com
munity-based response, said
Cumbie. He said survey responses
indicate many local residents are
willing to support such programs
with their lime and money if asked
and that the committee's challenge
is to develop these kinds of activi
ties.
The school system has a drug ed
ucation curriculum for all grades,
but most-like Lions Quest and
D.A.R.E., have programs put in
place in the last year or so. Not
enough time has elapsed to begin
seeing the results, he said.
Shelder expressed similar senti
ments. He described the statewide
Challenge Program as "citizens tak
ing responsibility for their own
communities, not relying on the
sheriff to do it all, or social services
or mental health or the schools.
"We're talking about community
development, not just in the eco
nomic sense but in the broadest
sense ? developing the ability and
resources of the community to ad
dress the problems presented."
He recommended taking existing
structures and making them more
responsive to community needs ?
crossing agency boundaries and
finding new ways for various sec
tors of the community to work to
gether for "a better quality of life".
Mrs. Parker said she thinks the
answer is developing local groups
to tackle the problem in their own
communities.
The 18-question document was
"We need parent-based
programs. "
? Jeff Cumbie, Coordinator
3mnswick County Schools
developed with the assistance of
Mark Galizio, a psychology profes
sor at the University of North
Carolina at Wilmington. It sought
information on perceptions about
the nature and extent of the county's
substance abuse problem, evalua
tion of resources and the roies of
various elements of the community
such as school arid family, and like
ly approaches for addressing the
problem.
Earlier this year 686 surveys
were distributed county wide by vol
unteers in a fashion designed to re
flect county demographics, with
340 or 52 percent completed and re
turned. Of those responding, 78 per
cent were white and 20 percent
black; 65 percent were females; 57
percent were between the ages of 21
and 44; and 46 percent were from
western Brunswick County, 23 per
cent from southern Brunswick
County and 31 percent from north
ern Brunswick County.
Of those responding, 99 percent
said substance abuse is a problem
locally.
They identified alcohol and co
caine equally (83 percent) as the
most serious local drug problem,
followed by crack cocaine (76 per
cent) and marijuana (81 percent).
Nationwide, alcohol is also listed as
the most serious drug problem.
Shedler suggested the time may
have comc to effect, starting at the
local level, a change of attitude to
ward alcohol and other drugs like
that now being seen in the U.S. re
garding tobacco ? approximately 25
years after the U.S. Attorney
General first issued a warning that
cigarcttcs could be bad tor one's
health.
Asked to rate existing services
and agcncies as to their impact on
the local substance abuse problem,
all but two ? the court system and
social services ? received ratings of
"very effective" or "effective" by at
least 50 percent of the respondents.
Alcoholics Anonymous received the
highest approval, rated in one of
those two categories by 75 percent
of the respondents.
Social services was rated as "very
effective" by 3 percent and "effec
tive" by 23 percent, for a total effec
tiveness rating by 26 percent.
The court system came in with 32
percent.
It followed that the suggestion
most frequently named as a "good
strategy" to "win the war on drugs"
were longer jail sentences for drug
dealers (76 percent) and arresting
more dealers (69 percent).
Also, most (66 percent) cited a
need for more drug education and
more funding for drug education
programs. At the same time, howev
er, only about half (55 percent) of
the respondents said that they need
ed more information on drug and
substance abuse and how to recog
nize symptoms of usage.
Asked the greatest need in the
county in terms of facilities or ac
tivities to help with substance abuse
problems, a hefty 79 percent of the
respondents marked more recre
ational activities as alternatives to
drugs for youth.
Joe Rosselli of the Brunswick
County Parks and Recreation De
partment said organized sports are a
legitimate alternative to drugs, but
that his efforts to shift the focus of
the county's youth sports program
from competition to "fun and funda
mentals" has been "an uphill bat
tle."
Demos' Building
Effort Continues
The Brunswick County Demo
cratic Party Building Committee
will meet again Saturday, Feb. 23,
at 10 a. m. at the party headquarters
building on U.S. 17 at Supply.
Party Chairman Glen Peterson
said that at the last meeting on Feb.
9, goals were set and committees es
tablished for fundraising, construc
tion, landscaping and furnishings.
He urged all interested Demo
crats to participate in the meetings
and the project.
Meetings will continue up to the
time of the county convention,
which will be held April 6 at the
headquarters building.
"We're doing away with score
boards and scoring," he said.
'There's no pressure. We're putting
the emphasis having fun and on
skills development."
Saying he was impressed with
Mrs. Parker's work on behalf of the
committee, Rosselli urged, "We
need to gel together and work to
gether to meet the Brunswick
Challenge."
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Lewis Charged In Leland Area Business Break-Ins
BV TERRY POPE
Former Brunswick County build
ing inspector Julius Drake "Buddy"
Lewis has been charged with the
break-ins of two Leland businesses
following an investigation by the
Brunswick County Sheriff's Depart
ment
Lewis was charged last week
with the breaking and entering and
larceny of property from the True
Value Hardware Store on Village
Road and Lee's Little World Day
Care Center on Old Fayeueville
Road in Leland.
According to arrest warrants filed
at the Brunswick County Clerk of
Court's office, the break-ins oc
curred Saturday, Feb. 9. He was re
leased from the Brunswick County
Jail on $4,000 unsecured bond on
Feb. 11.
Lewis, 35, of Route 5, Leland,
was indicted by a Brunswick Coun
ty Grand Jury on Oct. 15, 1990 for
the alleged embezzlement of money
from the Brunswick County Build
ing Inspection Department
He was serving as interim head
of that department when he resigned
last August amid an investigation
by sheriff's detectives of an alleged
conversion of money paid for a
county building peimil that was
never officially issued.
According to the indictment,
Lewis is accused of embezzling and
converting to his own use a check
belonging to the county that had
been given to him as payment for a
building permit from Faith Original
Freewill Baptist Church in Leland
on April 4, 1990. Lewis allegedly
cashed the S12S check in his own
name after telling church officials
that he would use a departmental
stamp to fill in the name on the
check.
County officials did not uncover
the problem until the church re
quested a plumbing inspection and
the staff discovered there was no
building permit on record for the
church project.
According to the arrest warrants
filed last wflt hy Del. Larry
Joyner, Lewis is charged with al
legedly breaking into the True Value
Hardware store owned by Richard
Trexler. Three Master Mechanic
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vacuum cleaners valued at S305.97
were taken, it states.
Lewis is also accused of breaking
into Lee's Little World Day Care
Center the same night, where a 12
inch television set, phonograph
player and radio-cassette player, all
valued at $230, were taken.
Deputy Pete Moore filed a report
last Saturday stating that he noticed
a glass window at the True Value
store had been broken when he was
on routine patrols. A vacuum clean
er had been left on the sidewalk be
side the building, Moore reported.
A 10-foot tow chain, possibly
used to break the window, had also
been left on the sidewalk, Moore re
ported.
Det. Joyner reported that around
10:20 a.m. Saturday a vehicle was
found on Navassa road in the ditch
with stolen property scattered all
around it. When questioned, the
owner of the truck said his vehicle
had been stolen, Ll Joyner reported.
Lt. Joyner said the truck had been
connected to the break-in at True
Value and that it was impounded by
the sheriff's department pending an
investigation.
Lewis had been scheduled to ap
pear in Brunswick County Superior
Court on the embezzlement charges,
Friday, Feb. 8, the day before the al
leged break-ins. However, his attor
ney, Tom Heller, was out of town so
the case was rescheduled for a spe
cial session of Superior Court this
week.
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