^wunswick?WC0N
Edward M. Sweatt and Carolyn H. Swcatt ...Publishers
Edward M. Swcatt Editor
Susan Usher News Editor
Doug Rutter and Terty Pope Staff Writers
Johnny Craig Sports Editor
Peggy Earwood Office Manager
Carofyn H. Sweatt Advertising Director
Tlinberlev Adams & Cecelia Core Advertising Representatives
Tammle Calloway & Dorothy Brennan Typesetters
William Manning Pressman
Brend* Clemmons Photo Technician
Lonnie Sprinkle Assistant Pressman
Phoebe Clemmons and Frances Sweatt Circulation
PAGE 4-A, THURSDAY, MARCH 14, ?,91
County Zoning Would
Answer Disputes
Over Property Use
Calls come into Brunswick County government every day
with land use questions that ? whether the caller realizes it or
not at the time ? relate to a need for zoning.
The permanent flea market that takes root across the street.
The man with the hog pen next door. The welding shop that
opens in an all-residential neighborhood. The news tnat an ani
mal crematorium is planned in the middle of quiet, rural residen
tial area
Opponents of zoning are right in one respect; zoning is land
use regulation. It can and does limit how a person uses his own
property.
Opponents of zoning like to argue that a person has a right to
do whatever he wants with his land. They'll continue arguing
that until someone puts something next to their house or busi
ness that they don't like. Then they ask, "How can he do that?"
That's the case at Town Creek, where a New Hanover
County resident is proposing to build an animal crematory. The
county building inspection office has yanked the permit.
However, if the crematory gets a required state permit, there is
nothing on the books in Brunswick County that would prevent
the developer from reapplying and obtaining a building permit
here.
What is sometimes difficult to understand is that zoning is
the tool for protection of existing land uses, as well as for deter
mining future land use. A good zoning ordinance allows a vari
ety of uses, but in appropriate places. For instance, a pet crema
tory would only be allowed in an area zoned for commercial or
light industrial use.
Certainly a zoning ordinance must be administered well to
be effective. But it is the only tool available to peaceably resolve
use conflicts between property owners. And it is the only tool
that will keep the unincorporated areas of Brunswick County
from becoming a dumping ground for all the uses considered
undesirable by nearby communities that have zoning.
Without zoning, every property owner becomes a gambler. If
you don't care to have a surprise next door, your best bet be
comes buying the entire neighborhood. Most people can't af
ford that.
Until everyone begins practicing the Golden Rule of "Do
unto others..," zoning is the next best thing.
A draft of a zoning ordinance has sat for months in the
Brunswick County Planning Department, right beside a pro
posed subdivision ordinance, gathering dust because a previous
board of commissioners didn't want to deal with either.
But a new board of commissioners late last year asked for
work to resume on both documents, and to proceed quickly,
starting with the subdivision ordinance. It's already March. It's
time to see some proposals on the table.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
More Security Lights Needed
To the editor:
We would like to add our com
plaint to the many the Holden
Beach Board of Commissioners has
received regarding the edict elimi
nating security lights.
We are recent residents of Holden
Beach although we have vacationed
here for a number of years. One of
the main factors in our decision to
make this our permanent home was
the great security provided by the
town's police force-and the almost
total lack of crime.
The street light outside our bed
room window was a great source of
confort to us-and the knowledg<
tha it helped deter the activities cf
any would-be burglar.
If the light shined too brightly in
our window, we could always dim it
by drapes or blinds, now with the
light gone, right or wrong, we go to
bed each night with an apprehensive
state of mind. The feeling of securi
ty is gone.
While we appreciate turtles, as
well as other wild life, we question
whether any confusion is wrought
by lights on poles along the street
Even so, it is a strange set of priori
ties, to om mind, when the welfare
of an itinerant turtle here or there is
put above the welfare of the many
human inhabitants of the island.
We thought the board would want
to know our reaction to its edict.
Rather than fewer security lights
along uie rtreet, there should be
more. In particular, we feel that a
street light is urgently needed at the
intersection of th >*. bridge and Ocean
Boulevard West. Tt is an extremely
difficult and dangerous turn to ne
gotiate on a dark night.
Helen and Bob Stewart
Ocean Palms
Holden Beach
Signal Light Timing Is Off
To the editor:
I would like to make a comment
about the signal light that was in
stalled at the intersection of Old
Georgetown Road and State Road
179. 1 am not criticizing the installa
tion of this light, which was sorely
needed. I am criticizing the atro
cious timing of this signal.
Department of Transportation
(DOT), please take notice.
All drivers coming from Sunset
Beach and the many developments
in between on State Road 179 have
to be following the car ahead of
them within 30 feet when approach
ing this intersection or the signal
will turn red.
In other words, you have to be
tailgating or the light will change
even if there is no car in sight on
Old Georgetown County Road.
Tailgating is dangerous and it
should be discouraged. Rt 179 has
a least ten times the traffic as Old
Georgetown Rd., but again the
speeding golfers from the Pearl and
Sandpiper Links have the priority.
The timing should be just reversed
because the traffic on Rt. 179 going
towards Sunset Beach can make a
right turn at this intersection even
when the light is red.
Is this another instance of one
prominent individual again promot
ing his many golf courses?
Herbert A. Hascley
Calabash
Brunswick
As a general rule, I don't like to
look beyond the confines of Bruns
wick County for something to write
about
This is a community newspaper,
after all, and there are plenty of lo
cal issues to keep me in copy.
But every rule has an exception.
And the exception to the rule in this
ease has to do with the hog slaugh
tering plant planned along the Cape
Fear River in Bladen County.
Normally, I wouldn't be writing
about something going on in Bladen
County. It might as well be half a
world away from here.
But this Smithficld Foods hog
slaughtering plant could have far
reaching effects. If it's built and be
gins operating, we might even feel
its presence here along the coast.
A lot of "important" people ? in
cluding the state's agriculture com
missioner, the secretary of the N.C.
Department of Economic and
Community Development and Gov.
Jim Martin ? are jumping up and
down about the great economic im
pact this hog plant is supposed to
Should Be Wary Of Slaughter Plant
Doug
Rutfer
have in Bladen County.
Supporters say it's just what the
rural county needs to reduce its high
unemployment rate. They say the
S50 million plant would do great
things for the county's tax base and
offer great opportunity to hog pro
ducers.
But 1 met some folks from
Bladen County a couple weeks ago
at a workshop for environmental
groups who aren't very thrilled
about the plant. They call them
selves Citizens for Clean Industry,
and they're worried about the nega
tive effects the plant could have.
They're concerned about the
odor, increased truck traffic, small
farmers who could be put out of
business, the possibility that the
plant would attract migrant workers
and wouldn't offer much more than
dead-end jobs.
Those are primarily Bladen
County issues that don't carry any
weight here in Brunswick County.
But there's another major concern
that should demand the attention of
local residents.
The Citizens for Clean Industry
are worried that the plant would
threaten the area's water supply.
The plant would use up to 3 million
gallons of water per day and dump
treated wastewater back into the
Cape Fear River.
Some Bladen County residents
are worried the addition of wastew
ater to the river will harm its water
quality. Why should we be con
cerned about that?
Because Brunswick County gets
its water from the Cape Fear River,
about 50 miles downstream of
where this hog slaughtering plant
would be located. I don't know
about you, but that concerns me a
little bit.
I can't think of any issue that is
more important in Brunswick
County right now than water. There
are so many areas that need quality
drinking water, and for now, the
Cape Fear River is cur only source.
Brunswick County Manager
David Clcgg said neither the county
nor the Lower Cape Fear Water
Authority has taken a position on
the hog slaughtering plant.
Clcgg said it's the state's responsi
bility to maintain water quality in the
Cape Fear River, and there hasn't
been any information so far to indi
cate that the state isn't doing it's job.
That's a good way of looking at
this situation. But let's remember
that the State of North Carolina has
been known to shirk its duties when
it comes to maintaining water quali
ty
There's no need to look beyond
the confines of Brunswick County
for evidence of that. County gov
ernment officials and residents
should keep a close watch on this
hog plant.
ON SECOND THOUGHT,
MY BUDGET PLAN
WILL NOT INCLUDE
ANY 5TATE EMFtOVEE
LAYOFFSll
^SBOOR^rni
CATZOUM C/^fccHS
Sit Back And Listen Once In A While
I'd like to share some wisdom. I
found some recently.
I auended a lecture at the
University of North Carolina at
Wilmington that was held as part of
the Black History Month obser
vance on campus. Featured speaker
was Nikki Giovanni, noted writer
and now a professor of English at
Virginia Tech University.
She has been called the "princess
of black poetry," but her writing and
her wit touches everyone who lis
tens. Ms. Giovanni is a small #om
an with short black hair and a fiery
voice. She leans against the lectern
with her head in one hand. Out from
her mind comes this bevy of anec
dotes and lessons she shares, some
humorous, some sad, some touch
ing.
For more than an hour, non-stop,
she speaks about issues affecting
the world, the region, the state, and
when a thought crosses her mind
that brings back certain memories,
her fingers massage the forehead as
though it aches from having to re
call a particular incident. She is a
real ball of fire in such a small
frame of a person. Intelligent, witty
and personable.
At the time of the lecture, the war
in the Persian Gulf was still going
strong. She is anti-war, and a size
able portion of her speech was di
rected against aggression. 1 took
notes. Why? Well, a reporter always
Terry | -
J
Pope
*
takes notes. Since I did, I thought I
would share a little of what Ms.
Giovanni had to say. It never hurts
to just sit back and listen once in a
while.
About writers, she said if a per
son is having trouble finding some
thing to write about they should
take off all of their clothes and sit in
front of the computer naked, a com
ment that drew a few whoops from
the college crowd.
Why naked? "All a writer brings
to a work is in his head or in his
heart," she added. Sometimes it's
difficult writing a weekly column,
but it would take real panic for me
to try her method of jaybird journal
ism.
She comments on war, about why
our soldiers are in the military in the
first place. "They did not sign up to
go fight in a desert," she said.
"They signed up because we didn't
provide enough scholarships to send
them to school."
For those in school who grumble
abou their classes, "If you don't
iikc the way your class was taught,
then go get your doctorate and teach
it," she challenges.
"In 1991, there has to be a better
way to resolve a problem," she said
of the war. Thank goodness it ap
pears to be over.
In the 1950s and 60s, Ms.
Giovanni and her poetry spoke out
against racism and for civil rights
legislation. She was for peaceful re
form, was threatened by certain
groups of people who, in tum, feel
threatened today by such outspo
kenness.
"It's time that we move beyond
the fears that have bound us to the
past," she adds. "Why should I pre
tend that people like that arc mean
ingful. People say, but they can kill
you. Then I'll just be dead."
For the younger generation, she
pleaded for separation from peer
pressure, from the horrors of drugs
and crime.
"If you spend your time with
people who are trying to put you
down, you don't have time for the
people who love you," she contin
ued.
Our country, she said, needs to
remember what it is to be a human
being. Homeless people living in
the streets should never happen in a
democracy.
"If we can build bombs and
bombers, then we can build homes,"
she continues. "I am offended about
people sleeping in the streets. What
kind of people are we that wc force
people to live like this. On this
planet, we've got to build a little
better place to live."
Ms. Giovanni was bom in
Knoxvillc, Tenn., a southerner at
heart. She is offended by books on
cassette tapes that threaten our edu
cation, reading and ability to think.
She left the campus with a chal
lenge to today's young leaders.
"I'd hate it if your generation
doesn't do something, doesn't stand
for something" she told the college
audience. "Anybody can go out and
get a job. We educate you because
we want you to think."
And then she recited some of her
poetry. Noticed that I said recited
instead of read, for it was memo
rized from the heart, not read from a
page. And then she left to a stand
ing ovation.
The Beacon welcomes letters
to the editor. All letters mast be
signed and include the writer's
address. Under no circumstances
will unsigned letters De printed.
Letters should be legible. The
Beacon reserves the right to edit
libelous comments. Address let
ters to The Brunswick Beacon, P.
O. Box 2558, Shallottc, N. C.
28459.
THE BRUNSWICIC&tfEACON
Established Nov. 1, 1962
Telephone 754-6890
Published Every Thursday
At 4709 Main Street
Shallotte, N.C. 28459
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Budding Publishers Launch Gazette
A few days ago a petition showed
up at our house, surveying interest
in a new newspaper, The Village
Point Gazette.
"It is a free newspaper that will
be delivered to your house two
times a month. It is run by Donald
Proctor and Ashley Ware.
"In this paper we will have a
classified section, a lost and found
section, interviews, a comic strip,
an advertising section.. .and neigh
borhood news."
In other words a real community
newspaper, or so it sounds. Before
you get excited about the prospect
of Shallotte Point having a newspa
per of its own, let me tell you that I
live in Village Point Estates, home
Susan 1
Usher
*
of two budding newspaper en
trepreneurs.
Donald and Ashley came up with
the idea of the Gazette on their own.
They plan to type all the copy, lay
out all the ads, make up the paper,
run copies and personally distribute
them throughout the neighborhood.
Free. From what I can tell, they
don't even plan to charge for adver
tising, much less circulation.
I showed the petition to a pub
lisher, whose initial reaction was
similar to my own, "Do they know
what they're getting into?"
Maybe it's belter that they don't.
Because, as with many endeavors, if
we knew what we were really get
ting ourselves into, we'd never try a
lot of things.
Who knows? This venture by
Donald and Ashley could blossom
into something big. They could de
velop a real knack for publishing
and latch on to an exciting and lu
crative career.
Great men and women have got
ten their start with much less.
I'll keep you posted.