STAFF PHOTO BY LYNN CAIISON
SURF SIDE PAVIIJON was torn down early this week and the concrete seawall was expected to be re
moved before Easter. Holden Reach will pay $4,000 toward the demolition costs.
Dune Repair Lett To Homeowners
Foiiowinq Winter Storm's Erosion
BY DOUG RUTTER
Holdcn Bcach homeowners will
apparently be on ihcir own when it
comes to rebuilding oceanfront
dunes that were damaged during last
month's severe winter storm.
Aside from finding contractors
who will do the work and help ac
quiring stale permits, town officials
indicated Tuesday it will be j) to
beachfront landowners to pay for
dune repairs.
Most commissioners agreed at a
meeting Tuesday that the town
should not get involved in repairing
dunes that were damaged March 13
at approximately 90 oceanfront lots.
The meeting was recessed Mon
day night after two hours so every
one could watch North Carolina win
the NCAA basketball championship,
^o-'jd members reconvened Tues
day afternoon and met for another
three hours.
After recommending that the
town seek bids for dune repair
Monday night, Commissioner David
Sandifer had a change of heart after
riding along the strand Tuesday
morning.
He said the town would run into
too many problems if it tried to re
build the dune and suggested it be
left up to private property owners to
dump sand on their dune if they
choose.
Sandifer said it would be difficult
to determine where the dune should
be located because the high tide line
reaches under houses in many cases.
Also, he said it would be hard to de
cide where to start and stop the pro
ject.
"1 still think we need to have a
dune," Sandifer said. "I think wc
might be doing a disservice to our
people rather than a service."
Commissioner Gay Atkins agreed
and suggested the town make infor
mation available to homeowners in
"I don't see where it's
our responsibility to
protect people's
houses...l paid for
everything on my
lot."
?Commissioner
Jim Fournier
tercstcd in rebuilding their own
dune. Holden Beach also should ex
pedite the CAMA permit process as
much as possible, she said.
Town Manager Gary Parker said
there are about 90 iols between the
east end of the island and the 900
block of Ocean Boulevard West that
need dune repairs because the ocean
is threatening to wash over them.
Parker had originally estimated
dune repairs were needed at 50 lots.
The number has nearly doubled over
llic past two weeks as a result of re
cent rides along the oceanfront.
"That figure could fluctuate,"
Parker cautioned at Monday's meet
ing. "There could be people who say
they need it too and we would have
to go out and look at that."
Paricer said the town has $44,000
in this year's budget for dune repair.
He estimated that rebuilding the
dune would cost between $20,000
and S40.000.
Commissioner Jim Fournier, who
lives along one of the canals, said
Monday that the property owners
should pay for the work or the town
should foot the bill and assess the lot
owners once the project is complet
ed.
"I don't see where it's our respon
sibility to protect people's .houses,"
he said. "I paid for my dredging. I
paid for my seawall. I paid for
everything on my lot."
"We're approaching the point we
were in when we put $360,000 in
that ocean out there," Foumier said,
referring to the town-funded dune
project following Hurricane Hugo in
1989.
Holdcn Beach continued its storm
recovery efforts this week, with
town employees repairing beach ac
cessways and clearing debris from
the strand and sides of the roads.
Parker said all or most of the debris
should be removed before Easter.
"As much as we could pick up be
fore this weekend would be a great
help," Mayor Pro Tem Gil Bass said.
Said Parker: "We're going to do it
as fast as we can and we're going to
get it all up, but 1 can't tell you
when."
Brunswick County Commission
ers agreed Monday to help with the
town's cleanup effort by providing a
dump truck, driver and assistant for
three days. However, the county
crew left at noon Tuesday complain
ing about cold weather.
Holden Beach has a truck of its
own. Town commissioners voted
Monday to rent a third truck and dri
ver at a cost of S320 per day.
Surfside Pavilion and its massive
seawall is being demolished this
week, with the town chipping in
$4,000 for removal of the two sec
tions of bulkhead it owns.
Holden Beach owns two 55-foot
wings on either side of the pavilion.
They were built several years ago to
help protect the ends of Ferry Road
and Holden Road from the en
croaching sea.
Alan Holdcn, who is part owner
of the pavilion, said Monday the
concrete seawall would be torn
down and hauled off the island this
week after removal of the building
and miniature golf course.
Shallotte Takes No
Action On Request
BY SUSAN USHER
Deal Shallotte out of this hand.
Town aldermen took no action
Tuesday night on a request to join
Sunset Beach and Calabash and pos
sibly other local towns in asking
Gov. Jim Hunt to fund a plan that
would allow creation of the first re
gional sewerage and stormwater
management system in coastal
North Carolina.
Alderman Roney Cheers first pro
posed sending a letter of support for
the project as a neighborly gesture,
so long as it would not be binding
on the town. However, after hearing
from Mayor Sarah Tripp and the
town's consulting sewer system en
gineer, Finley Boney, he withdrew
the motion.
"I wholeheartedly agree with
what was said (at a recent meeting
of the towns). I agree with the even
tual need for a central sewer sys
tem," said Tripp, reflecting a general
board consensus. "I think it will be
our salvation. But I also think it
should be led by the county."
The letter would seek funding to
plan and implement a "South
Brunswick Environmental Manage
ment Program," including a south
western Brunswick County sewage
disposal plan and special funding
status for a demonstration project
that could be expanded to manage
sewage and runoff in a large, multi
ple watershed area.
Boney said he thought Shalloitc
Longshoreman Dies
In Apparent Accident At Sunnv Point
The apparent accidental death of a
longshoreman at Sunny Point Mili
tary Ocean Terminal was under in
vestigation Tuesday night by several
agencies.
Myrtle Meade, public information
officer for the U.S. Army munitions
terminal near Soulhport, said the
longshoreman was fatally injured at
approximately 4 p.m. Few details
were available at press time.
"This is the first time I've had
anything like this," said Meade,
since coming 10 Sunny Point in
1971.
The victim was a member of the
International Longshoreman's Asso
ciation and an employee of Ryan
Wash Stevedoring Co., a contractor.
His name was not being released
Tuesday evening pending notifica
tion of next of kin, Meade said.
The death, which appears to have
been accidental, said Meade, is un
der investigation by the Brunswick
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Couniy Sheriff's Department and
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White, and will also be investigated
by the terminal's safety officer.
The fatal injury apparently oc
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or ship, but at one of the terminal's
"hard stands," paved areas where
containers arc handled.
Holden Likes Regional Sewer Plan,
But Opposes Letter To Governor
BY DOUG RUTTER
Holdcn Bcach Mayor Wally
Auslcy won't be signing a letter
seeking state funding of a plan to
form the coast's first regional sewer
and stormwater management system
in the South Brunswick Islands.
Despite opposition to the letter,
town officials say they're interested
in a regional approach to sewage
treatment ouUincd at a March 30
meeting of elected officials from
Holdcn Bcach and five other towns.
"The whole concept is a good
idea," Commissioner Jim Fournier
said at Monday's town meeting.
"We would get more in the long run
than we ever would separately."
David Sandifcr also favors the
conccpt of forming a joint treatment
system with Shallottc, Ocean Isle,
Sunset Bcach and Calabash. "The
intent behind what is trying to be ac
complished is good."
Holdcn Beach officials liked
Foumicr's suggestion that the five
towns form a committee to work on
the proposal. However, he said the
engineers at last Tuesday's meeting
should be left out for now.
"We don't need their direction on
this pan of it...," Foumicr said. "My
concern with engineers are ones
who put on ties and try to sell you
something, and that's what this is."
Fournier also said Vamamtown
and Brunswick County need to be
involved in the discussions. "They
have as much responsibility in this
as wc do, probably more," he said of
the county.
Sandifcr said county officials
should be willing to help in light of
the "disproportionate amount of tax
es" they receive from the beaches.
"If not, wc should lake a good, hard
look at our county people," he said.
One reason the town board de
clined to sign the letter is bccausc
the county isn't involved. Auslcy
speculated that the first question
from Hunt's staff would be why
county commissioners hadn't signed
the letter.
Also, the town board is leery of
Powell Associates, the engineering
firm hired by Sunset Beach and
Calabash to help form a joint
sewage system that conducted the
March 30 meeting.
Sandifcr and Foumicr said the en
gineers appeared to be giving a sales
pitch. "Wc were suspicious of the
motive," Sandifcr said.
Petition Supports Sewer
Holdcn Beach real estate develop
er James Hobbs is circulating a peti
tion pushing for a sewer system on
the island.
Copies of the petition can be
signed at town businesses or at the
town hall. By a 3-2 margin Monday,
commissioners voted to allow a
copy to be left at town hall.
Board members Sandifcr, Gay
Atkins and Gil Bass voted in favor
of allowing the petition at town hall,
while Foumier and Sid Swarts op
posed the idea.
"I don't think the town needs to
lend its approval to that type of peti
tion," Foumicr said. "There arc
some assumptions that are not uni
versally agreed upon."
"It's a simple pcuuon," Sandilcr
said. "I make a motion that it's put
out there. You can sign it or not sign
it."
The petition urges the town board
to "diligently and expeditiously pur
sue the design, acquisition and con
struction of a public sewer system to
serve the needs of the Town of
Holdcn Beach."
"Such a system is critical to the
well-being of the citizens of the
town and their guests and to the
large number of visitors who annu
ally frequent the beach," the petition
continues.
"By installation of such a system
the health of the populous served
thereby and the condition of the en
vironment will be greatly enhanced
and protected."
In a related matter Monday, com
missioners encouraged the town's
sewer committee to get more specif
ic information on a possible sewage
district that would include the main
land.
Town officials also want more
facts on how much land would be
needed for a sewer system, how far
the wastewater could be pumped
and whether it would be best for the
town or a private firm to own and
operate such a facility.
Board, Realtors Meet In Closed Session
Holden Beach Commissioners
and representatives of five real es
tate firms met behind closed doors
Tuesday to discuss fallout from a
letter written by a town board mem
ber to the N.C. Real Estate
Commission.
Commissioners spent about half
of their two-hour executive session
with officials from Hobbs Realty,
Alan Holden Realty, Craig Realty,
Brunswickland Realty and Coastal
Development.
After the session. Mayor Wally
Ausley reported that the real estate
agents were upset over what they
considered to be a complaint lodged
against them by Commissioner Sid
S warts.
Swarts had written a letter to the
N.C. Real Estate Commission seek
ing information on what the town
could do to control overcrowding of
rental units on the island.
Swarts chaired a committee that
recently completed a study finding
that 517 out of 764 Holden Beach
rental units advertised in brochures
claim more sleeping capacity than
their septic systems arc designed to
handle.
"The commission construed this
as a complaint," Ausley said of
Swans' letter. An attorney for the
real estate commission sent letters to
the local firms asking for their re
sponse.
Ausley said the town will send a
follow-up letter informing the real
estate commission that Swarts' letter
was not intended as a complaint and
that he only sought information.
Also in the letter, Holden Beach
will ask that the alleged complaint
be removed from the files of the five
firms.
Town officials refused to release
to the press copics of Swans' letter
to the real estate commission or let
ters sent by the state commission to
the local companies. Town Attorney
Ken Campbell said he didn't think
To Endorse Funding Bid
could "better serve" Calabash and
Sunset Beach by supporting their ef
forts at wastewater management
rather than the regional proposal. He
suggested Brunswick County take
the lead in any regional wastewater
and/or stormwatcr management pro
gram since it has jurisdiction over
most of the land, and "probably
most of the pollutants" involved.
Boney also questioned engineers'
unwillingness to estimate a project
cost.
Meanwhile, Shallotte plans to
continue pursuing application for a
low-interest revolving state loan to
expand its sewer system.
In other business, aldermen:
?-After a lengthy discussion on
collecting unpaid taxes, tabled the
matter until the next meeting to list
all delinquent taxpayers and her rec
ommendations for handling collec
tion. Meanwhile staff will try again
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to contact eight taxpayers who have
not responded to prior notices.
To be cost effective, attorney
Mark Lewis suggested the town
concentrate on collecting from tax
payers who owe for multiple years
or for which the 10-year statute of
limitations might soon expire.
?Extended for two more weeks
pick-up of yard debris from the
March storm.
?Agreed with Alderman Morris
Hall's suggestion to encourage law
enforcement officers to ticket speed
ing log truck drivers. The plan
ning/zoing board set May 4 public
hearings on variances requested by
from Bedland Mattress Discounters,
Gene Smith, and H.H. Bellamy and
H.M. Brazeal for Eastgate Center.
Aldermen David Gause and
Wilton Harrelson were absent.
the documents were public record.
Auslcy said town board members
also discussed a personnel matter
and legal matter during their execu
tive session.
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