Local Beach
Mayors Disappointed
With Delay
In Dredging Project
BY l)OU(; RUTTKR
The mayors of Holdcn Bcach and
Occan Isle Bcach say they're disap
poinlcd that a federal dredging and
bcach nourishment project has been
delayed.
But at the same time, they said
they understand why the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers decided to wail
longer than it originally planned to
pipeline sand from local inlets to
the two Brunswick County islands.
An Atlantic Intracoastal Water
way dredging project set to begin
this month has been postponed in
definitely bccausc there isn't enough
sand to make it economical, said
Barry Holliday, chief of the Corps'
dredging branch in Wilmington.
The agency had planned to hire a
dredge company to work at several
locations in the intracoastal water
way, including the Lockwood Folly
and Shallottc inlet areas.
Project plans called for a hydraul
ic dredge to dig about 45,000 cubic
yards of sand out of Lockwood Fol
ly Inlet and deposit it near the cast
end of Holdcn Bcach, where there
has been a lot of erosion in rcccnt
years.
Approximately 20,000 cubic yards
of sand was to have been dredged
from the Shallottc Inlet crossing and
dumped on Occan Isle Bcach near
Shallottc Boulevard, another ero
sion-prone area.
The work in Brunswick County
was scheduled to begin later this
month as part of an anriu \l mainte
nance dredging of the waterway
from Morchcad City to the South
Carolina state line. Four other areas
"We're very disappointed that we're not
going to be getting it, but we 11 just have
to wait until it's available
? Betty Williamson
Ocean Isle Beach mayor
were included in the project.
But Holliday said the dredging
work has been put on hold because
some of the areas targeted for
dredging, including the Shallotte
3nd Lock wood Folly sress, don*t
need to be dredged right away.
"There's not any shoaling in
some of the areas," Holliday said.
"The most important thing is that
there's enough quantity to bring a
dredge down and put a pipeline on
the beach and still make it worth
while."
Holliday said he doesn't know
when the dredging will be done.
"We'll keep monitoring it," he said.
Mayors of the two beach commu
nities chosen to receive the sand
this year said they were disappoint
ed that the projeel was delayed be
cause the extra sand can be very
helpful in controlling erosion.
Holdcn Beach Mayoi John Tandy
said sand pumped from the Lock
wood Folly Inlet to the strand in the
past has provided "temporary re
lief' from erosion.
But he said there's nothing the
Corps of Engineers can do if there
isn't any sill or sand in the Lock
wood Folly Inlet. "If it's not there,
you can't put it over here," he said.
Although the N.C. Department of
Transportation last year paid to have
a wall of sandbags built to protect
end of Ocean Boulevard East, Tan
dy said the extra sand from the inlet
would have helped.
"The state road is going to get
bombarded depending on the num
ber of storms," he said. "Some of
the houses down there have already
been moved back twicc."
Tandy said town officials are still
working on a plan to build a scrvice
road behind the row of erosion
threatened houses so people can
drive to their homes without using
Ocean Boulevard.
"The town's going to do whatev
er the town can do to help the citi
zens who own the houses down
there," the mayor said.
Occan Isle Beach Mayor Betty
Williamson said that town needs ev
ery bit of sand it can get at the cast
end of its island as well.
"We always count on that projcct
each year to help with the cast end,"
Mrs. Williamson said. "We're very
disappointed that we're not going to
be getting it, but we'll just have to
wait until it's available."
Health Board Asking Commissioners
For Flouride Program, Again
BY TERRY POPE
The Brunswick County Board of
Health noted an anniversary Mon
day night, but there was little cele
brating.
Instead, the board is angry that a
year has passed since county com
missioners agreed that fiouride
should be added to the county's
drinking water supply to help pre
vent tooth decay.
The project appears to have bog
ged down within the water depart
ment, which was asked in October
to research cost estimates to imple
ment the program and to report
back to commissioners.
"Basically, we're requesting ac
tion and we're getting no action,"
said Bill Rabon, chairman of the
board of health.
Last October, commissioners agre
ed to apply for state grants to pur
chase an estimated S8,(XX) to $10,(X)0
in equipment needed to install a
flouridaiion system at the water treat
ment plant on N.C. 211 in Southport.
The Malmo water treatment plant al
ready has equipment in place.
In October, commissioners in
structed Public Utilities Director
Jerry Webb to determine cost figures
for moving ahead with the flourida
tion project, which commissioners
unanimously approved in concept
only. County Manager David Clcgg
said the board never approved in
stallation of the equipment.
"We haven't received anything
from him (Webb)," said County
Manager David Clcgg. "Remember,
that was the old board."
Health Board members said
Monday they will begin lobbying
the new board of commissioners to
ask that the project be placed back
on the front burner.
"I would say that ^his js some
thing that should be a lop priority,"
said board member Brad Williams, a
dentist. "The equipment's there.
They have the chemicals. They
could start tomoTow, if they chose."
David McDanicl, a dentist who
screens school students, told com
missioners in October that 36 per
cent of Brunswick County school
children had cavities or severe den
tal problems when screened in 1 989
compared to 13 percent of students
in New Hanover County, which has
flouridc in its public drinking water.
'There arc times that we sit here
and discuss things that arc not mak
ing a big impact on the public," said
board member Tom Owens, "and
this would make a big impact."
Health Director Michael Rhodes
said he has approached Webb on
several occasions to ask about the
status of the flouridc program.
"He always says he will have it
ready lo present to commissioners
within two weeks," Rhodes said.
"I've heard that about 100 times."
Board member Patricia Nutter, a
nurse, said the cost estimate of fifty
cents per year per person is small
compared to its benefits.
In other business Monday, the
health board:
? Voted Bill Rabon, a veterinarian,
as board chairman, and Jerry Lewis,
an engineer, as vicc chairman. HJ.
"Skip" Davis, an optometrist, was
sworn in as a new member of the
board. Maurice "Moc" Stanley was
sworn in as a reappointed member.
? Rabon appointed a personnel com
mittee of board members Nutter,
Williams and Davis to devise an
evaluation form that will be used to
evaluate Rhodes. Williams said
Rhodes has served more than four
years as health director but the board
has never given him an evaluation.
Data Unavailable
Reports on traffic accidents that
occurred on Brunswick County
roadways during the past week were
not available from the N.C. High
way Patrol office in Wilmington
Tuesday.
The office's spokeswoman. Ruby
Oakley, was out for the day.
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