Controversy
Brewing Over
Plan To Close
Shallotte Library
BY ERIC CARLSON
The storm may be far away, but rumbles already can
be heard over the Brunswick County Library Board's
plan to close the Shallotte library branch during seven
months of construction scheduled to begin next January.
A major 5218,600 addition and renovation project is
planned for the Shallotte library as part of a SI.5 million
plan to create a modern four-branch county library sys
tem. Also scheduled are new branch library buildings at
Lcland and Yaupon Beach and a $242,400 renovation
and addition for the library at Southport.
Plans have been approved for all four branches, and
the library board hopes to begin construction of the new
libraries sometime in June, with completion expected by
late December.
After that, work will begin on the renovations and ad
ditions. And so will the problems, say patrons of the
West Brunswick Library Branch in Shallotte.
Both older branches are scheduled to be closed during
construction. Regular users of the Southport library will
only have to make a short drive to the new one on Oak
Island. But for Shallotte users?some who live as far
away as Calabash?the nearest county library will be in
Leland, an hour's drive away.
In Shallotte, the Friends of the Library have prepared
cards protesting the closure that can be mailed to library
board members.
In Calabash, the town's board of commissioners last
week voted to recommend that the library board "find
another location or remain open on a partial basis" dur
ing construction.
In Sunset Beach Monday night, the town council vot
ed unanimously to ask their town attorney to draft a res
olution asking that some form of access to the Shallotte
library be maintained. Members were particularly con
cemcd that children would be unable to use encyclope
dias and other reference materials during the proposed
closure.
All of which may be a bit premature, said Don
Eggert, chairman of the library board's building commit
tee. He acknowledged that the commiitcc had agreed
with Architect John Sawyer's recommendation to close
the Shallottc library during construction. But he said no
one has ruled out the possibility of opening temporarily
somewhere else.
"I'm afraid there may be a perception that this is just
a cosmctic renovation and that things could go on as
usual while the addition is being built," said Eggert.
"This is going to be a major project?reorienting the en
tire interior and relocating the main desk and the office
and changing the location of the front entrance.
"It's going to be such a mess that the public wouldn't
want to be in there anyway," he said. "And they'd be in
the way of the work."
Eggert said the county would probably incur addition
al insurance expenses and might encounter a "liability
problem" by allowing the public into a building under
construction.
But Library Board Vice Chairman Marie Harrison
said she is "very adamant" about what she sees as the
ncccssity of keeping the Shallottc branch open during
construction.
"We've got to consider what this means to the citizens
whose lax money pays for these libraries and these
books. And especially what it means to the children,"
Harrison said. "Other libraries have enlarged and not
closed down. I think folks would rather put up with con
struction than to have the library closed.
"Or we can look into finding a place to move. I have
no preference," she said. "As long as we don't close. We
just can't do that."
Eggert and Harrison agreed that it is probably too ear
ly to arrange the rental of a temporary site for the li
brary. Both said they would welcome citizen input on
how best to keep the Shallottc branch open.
The Brunswick County Library Board meets on the
third Monday of every month at 7 p.m. in the
Emergency Services (911) Center at the county complex
in Bolivia.
Storm Aid Requires Documentation
(Continued From Page 1-A)
recover any storm-related costs.
Qualified debris removal covers
debris that had to be removed to
eliminate an immediate threat to life,
health and safety; an immediate
threat to improved public or private
property; or to ensure the economic
recovery of the community by pro
viding a benefit for the community
at large.
For example, the grant won't cov
er removal of debris from private
property, but will cover the costs of
removing debris private property
owners have placed in the town's
right-of-way for pick up.
It will cover the repair of town
owned vehicles damaged by the
storm, overtime paid to police offi
cers or others called out to work
during the storm to protect lives or
property, the cost of extra trash col
lections to remove debris, and some
administrative costs.
A; Ocean Isle Beach, where a
road washed out that served several
minimum degree of work."
"The goal is not long-term im
provement, just emergency services.
The minimum amount of work re
quired to protect improved proper
ty," he reiterated. "However, long
term improvements might be the re
sult, as in the case of a building hav
ing to be replaced."
Cunie Batchelor and Robert
"Chip" Lcavitl of Brunswick
Electric Membership Corp. said last
Thursday that damage from the
March 13 storm was much more
widespread than from Hurricane
Hugo, with the cooperative's losses
estimated at S1.5 million across the
service area.
After receiving notices of interest
or applications, FEMA is sending'
teams into the field to inspect docu
mentation and write damage survey
reports. Free said the turn-around
time for receiving assistance should
be "much faster" than after Hur
ricane Hugo, when some settlements
were as long as 18 months in com
ing.
families on the occanfront ai the cast
end of the beach, restoration of
emergency access to the property
with a earthen or gravel base street
would qualify, Free told Building
Inspector Druicd Roberson.
Repairs needed to restore electri
cal, water or sewer service qualify
for reimbursement, as would re
moval of hazardous sections of bro
ken or damaged beach accessways.
However, Free said he would have
"a hard time justifying" the repair of
accessways as an emergency protec
tive measure.
Dune repairs arc also marginal
when it comes to reimbursement
Local beaches arc "natural," not
"designed" beaches engineered to
certain specifications.
However where improved facili
ties such as a private home, business
or a street have depended on a natur
al bermed or beach area for protec
tion, said Free, "if damage is threat
ened to the facility by a 1- to 5-year
storm, we can pay for providing a
Board Clerk Remains On Job
(Continued From Pace 1-A) no1 consider re-hiring Alexander,
"/ WOllld VOtC who 1138 filcd a lawsuit !" federal
what the problem is cxcept that the . ; ? ? nurt alleging that her firing was
other three don't want to accept Q^QlHSt fC~tilting politically and racially motivated.
her."' /A1t>Ynnf]t>r\ Hcr suit *** 1,131 shc ** rc hircd
Republican Commissioner Jerry [niCAtl lUL ). with back pay.
Jones said he had "heard rumors HsPCCiCllly with "' would volc against re-hiring
that they want to relieve hcr of her ' . ? her," Warren said. "Especially with
duties of clerk to the board" but litigation gOltlg Ofl litigation going on.
knew of "no official discussion" 1 Barefoot was hired in April 1979
among board members. He said he ?Don Warren as a temporary secretary in the
"saw no reason" why shc should be landfill department. Hcr position
reprimanded or removed. missioncrs and can be removed at was made permanent in September
"I understand some of the com- any time by a majority vote. 1980.
missioncrs had some complaints However, Barefoot has also been Three years later. Barefoot ap
pertaining to things they would a county employee for 14 years. So plied and was hired for the position
prefer that shc do, but I've never under the county personnel policy, of legal secretary to then County
had a problem with her," Jones shc can not be indiscriminately Attorney Avery Bordeaux. Shc was
said. "I'm always willing to listen, fired from hcr current positions of subsequently promoted in 1989 to
but someone would have to tell me administrative officer and public the position of administrative assis
morc than I know now before I information officer. However, those tant to the county attorney. In 1991,
would ever vote to relieve hcr of positions could be deleted from the shc was appointed to a second po
ller duties." coming budget, as Alexander's was sition of public information officer.
As Warren pointed out, state law when the 1991-92 budget was Barefoot's current salary is
provides that the clcrk to the board adopted. S26.418. Alexander's salary at the
serves at the pleasure of the com- Warren said Tuesday he would time of hcr separation was 526,440.
Seventh River View Fire Raises
Calobosh Arson Total To Eight
BY ERIC CARLSON
For the fourth time in three
weeks, an arsonist struck in a
Calabash neighborhood last Wed
nesday (April 28), setting fire to a
mobile home on River View Drive
within a stone's throw of six others
he is believed to have started since
February.
Like the past three fires?two on
April 14 and one on April 21?the
latest blaze started on the outside of
an unoccupied vacation trailer in the
middle of the week between mid
night and dawn. And, like all but
one of the others, this most recent
fine left a lot of charred wreckage,
but very little evidence.
"Naturally we feel this fire is con
nected with the others," said
Brunswick County Sheriff's Detec
tive Tom Hunter.
Jerry Prince, chief of the
Calabash Volunteer Fire Depart
ment, was the first person to reach
the burning home after a neighbor
called 911 to report the fire at about
3:40 a.m.
"1 went straight to the scene and it
was fully engulfed," Prince said. "It
started at the center of the home and
spread to the ends. It looked to mc
like it started underneath."
Firefighters could do little more
than prevent the blaze from spread
ing. They managed to save a combi
nation apartment and tool shed lo
cated about 20 feet away, Prince
said. Otherwise, the trailer was a to
tal loss he estimated to be worth
about S20.000.
The owner. Bill Justice, was at his
home in Hudson, near Hickory, at
the time of the fire, Prince said. The
power had been left on, but no one
was slaying at the mobile home, he
"Vm afraid we've got a pathological
maniac on our hands. Whoever is
doing it, enjoys doing it. I'm just
worried he's going to start lighting
fires in homes with people in them."
?Jerry Prince
Calabash Fire Chief
said. destroy two others. He said the fire
"There's no way this was acciden- had appeared suspicious at the time,
tal," he said. But he also thought it might have
Prince was on the scene of the been started by a faulty refrigerator,
past four River View fires and also "When they bum up like those
remembers the Feb. 11 blaze that did, it doesn't leave you much to go
started in one trailer and spread to on," he said.
Brunswick Unit 2 Slowly Increasing Power Level
BY SUSAN USHER
After a brief delay last week,
stan-up of Unit 2 at Carolina Power
& Light's Brunswick Nuclear Plant
was continuing smoothly early this
week.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the
unit's nuclear reactor was at the 5
percent power level, said CP&L
spokesman Wayne Ennis. Testing to
make sure all systems were operat
ing properly is continuing as the unit
moves toward the next performance
benchmark. At the 15 percent power
level, which could be reached within
the next several days, approval of
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission will be needed before
the advance toward full power con
tinues, Ennis said.
NRC approval to restart Unit 2
came last Tuesday, April 27, at 5:50
p.m. While testing continued Wed
nesday morning workers found that
one of the unit's four radiation de
tection monitors was broken. That
was repaired.
Restart began Thursday morning,
with the first control rod withdrawn
at 9:40 a.m. and the nuclear fission
chain reaction beginning at 1:42
Warm, Dry Weather On Tap
Continued drier weather is in the and a low of 39 degrees that oc
forceast for the next several days curred on April 28.
across the South Brunswick Islands. A daily average high of 78 de
Shallotte Point meteorologist grces and an average nightly low of
Jackson Canady said Tuesday he ex- 48 degrees combined for a daily av
pccts less than a half inch of rainfall, crage temperature of 63 degrees,
coupled with above average temper- which Canady said is about 4 de
atures ranging from the lower 60s at grces below average for this lime of
night into the lower 80s during the year.
day. For the past three weeks, Canady
For the period April 27 through said the area has received only a
May 3, he recorded a high of 81 dc- trace of rainfall, after unusually
grees that occurred on May 1 and 2, heavy rains the previous month.
B I N 0 0
Thursday Nights ? Doors Open 6:15 pm
Calabash VFW Post 7288
Carter Rd., Trader's Village, Calabash, 579-3577
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Games begin at 7:30 PM
Minimum "Buy In" $5.00
Minimum Pay Out $650.00 Maximum $725
Snacks Available ? No Children under 12
NEW SMOKE-FREE AIR SYSTEM
?19M THE BRUNSWICK MACON
p.m.
The steam generation unit is fu
eled by uranium dioxide in the form
of ceramic pellets. The half-inch
long pellets are slacked end-to-end
in zirconium alloy tubing called fuel
rods. These are arranged in 560 fuel
assemblies, or bundles of 64 rods
each in the core of the reactor. These
are separated by cross-shaped con
trol rods.
The fission chain reaction is regu
lated by moving the rods into and
out of the reactor core. As rods are
slowly raised, the fuel bundles make
contact with each other and the
chain reaction begins. The higher
the rods are raised, and the more
rods that are raised, the more fission
increases and the more heat is pro
duced.
If all goes well, the restart of Unit
2 will take from 20 lo 40 days to full
production. Last week Brunswick
Plant Vice President Roy Anderson
said the continuous testing during
the slow return to service is deliber
ate.
It is intended to help CP&L iden
tify needed repairs, such as leaks in
gaskets that have been dry for a
year, or adjustments, such as balanc
ing of turbines that have been rebuilt
during the year-long shutdown.
With those kinds of needs in
mind, the utility has scheduled two
11-day shutdowns during the start
up process.
Drive-Thru Service At...
Jose's Taco Shop
Main Street ? Shallotte ? 754-4100
Now You Can Enjoy Full
, Restaurant Dining At...
Jose's
\ -v Authentic
_L Mexican Restaurant
_ Ocean Isle
APPETIZERS ? SALADS ? BURGERS ? TACOS
LUNCH & DINNER ENTREES
For a change from the ordinary, try Jose's...
NOW OPEN
1609 Hale Beach Rd. SW (Formerly Rhoda Kay's)
(1 Block South of Causeway) Ocean isle ? 579-4470
Open M-F 11 am-2:30 and 5 pm-10 pm; Sat. 11 am-10 Dm
Hunter agreed that his investiga
tion has been made more difficult by
the extreme damage caused at each
of the fires. Still, he has collcctcd
some physical evidence at several of
the fire scenes.
Investigators continue to specu
late that the recent fires may be con
nected to another trailer fire be
lieved to have been set about a half
mile away last September. Hunter
has identified a juvenile male as a
prime suspect in that case.
Prince said the seven River View
fires happened so close together, "a
fellow with a good arm could stand
at any one and hit the farthest one
with a baseball." He no longer has
any doubts that they were all set by
an arson.
"I'm afraid we've got a patholog
ical maniac on our hands," Princc
said. Whoever is doing it, enjoys do
deep framed t<\ tell
)\ Cut 6er tuuttc Cx
Beacon staff
could v? been *<*??
my debt i? paid)
ing it. I'm just worried he's going to
sunt lighting fires in homes with
people in them."
Army Halts Sale
Of Scrap Lumber
Effective Monday, May 10, Mili
tary Ocean Terminal Sunny Point
will stop holding its regularly sched
uled scrap lumber sales.
On May 10, the terminal will hold
a special sale of hardwood from
8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., said Myrtle
D. Meade, information officer.
Prices will be posted at the sale site.
THE BRUNSWICK^fEACON
Established Nov. 1, 1962
Telephone 754-6890
Published Every Thursday
At 4709 Main Street
Shallotte, N.C. 28459
SUBSCRIITION RATES
IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY
One Year SI0.36
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ELSEWHERE IN
NORTH CAROLINA
One Year SI4.86
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One Year SI5.95
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HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO
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SHALLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA 28459
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Postage Charge 3 68
TOTAL 10.36
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