Closed Oyster Beds Threaten
Dixon Chapel Annual Roast
BY DOUG RUTTER
Dixon Chapel United Methodist Church is go
ing ahead with its annual oyster roast this
Saturday, with or without the tasty Lockwood
Folly Kiver oysters that have made the feast fa
mous.
Lockwood Folly and all Brunswick County
coastal waters, re-opened to shellfish harvesting
Wednesday morning after being temporarily
closed for one week due to bacterial pollution.
The waters had been closed to fishermen
since Oct. 26. and church members considered
postponing the traditional roast that began about
35 years ago as a way to raise money for the
building fund. .
Dixon Chapel, less than a mile from Lock
wood Folly, may have to serve non-local oysters,
but it will hold the roast Saturday from noon until
6 p.m. at the church.
Church spokesperson Marlene Varnam said
shellfish waters near the Bald Head Island and
Wilmington area have been open and should yield
enough oysters to feed the hungry crowd.
"Even if they don't get our rivers open soon
enough we should be able to manage," Varnam
said Monday. "Right now we're going to use
whatever we can get in the local area."
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries closed
shellfish waters between Southport and the South
Carolina state line last Tuesday following a peri
od of heavy rainfall.
Stormwater runoff washes bacterial pollution
into streams and rivers, making oysters and other
shellfish temporarily unsafe to eat. The Shallotte
area received about 3.6 inches of rainfall between
Oct. 25 and Nov. I .
With local shellfish waters still closed to har
vesting, Varnam said the church didn't decide to
go ahead with the oyster roast until Sunday night.
More than 70(i people attended last year's
event, with 616 enjoying oysters roasted over an
open fire. Diners consumed 159 bushels of oys
ters. and the church also sold approximately 100
plates of fish.
Varnam said she doesn't know how many
people to expect this year. "There's quite few
people that's called. 1 know there's some that's
coming from California and Florida and West
Virginia," she said.
Adults can eat all the oysters they want for
just SI 2, while children eat tor $4 each. Diners
need to bring their own oyster knives. Hushpup
pies and coffee will be served with the steaming
shellfish.
For people who don't like oysters, fish din
ners will be available for S5 apiece. Sodas, pies
and cakes also will be sold. The church youth will
have a yard sale, and the ladies will be selling
crafts.
"I think it's going to be a pretty good day,"
Varnam said, adding that the church hopes to re
duce the long lines that formed outside the eating
area last year.
Church member Tim McCumbee has made
six picnic tables to provide more area for people
to eat. "We don't think people will be standing in
line as much as they did last year." Varnam said.
Dixon Chapel members also hope visitors
won't have to deal with the same rainy weather as
the people who attended the N.C. Oyster Festival
three weeks ago and the N.C. Festival By The Sea
last week.
"We're just hoping for good weather,"
Varnam said. "It's not been a good year for festi
vals."
BOTH WANT QUESTION SETTLED
Authority, Hospital Company
Head To Court On Lease Issue
BY SUSAN USHER
Ten years or 40 years?
The authority that owns and oper
ates The Brunswick Hospital and the
company that leases the facility may
soon have the answer to a question
that has remained in limho for more
than nine years: When does the ex
isting lease end. next May 17. 1994,
or May 17. 2024?
An "application for declaratory
relief' was filed Friday in Bruns
wick County Supciioi Court by
HealthTrust Inc.. which manages the
hospital, and its parent company.
Hospital Corporation of North Caro
lina (HCNC), the actual lessee.
Authority members voted in July
to enter into "friendly" litigation
with the management company to
settle the lease issue and establish a
sound legal basis for future deci
sions.
The vote led to correspondence
between attorneys David Nash of
Wilmington (representing HCNC)
and Henry Foy of Southport (repre
senting the authority), setting out the
positions they will assume for court
purposes: HCNC will contend the
lease ends next May and cannot be
extended legally; the authority will
contend it was automatically extend
ed as of midnight June 30, 1984, and
that it has no intention of settling up
with HCNC unless directed to do so
by a court.
"That's just lawyer talk." said
David Pridgen. vice chairman of the
authority, which was created by
Brunswick County Commissioners
to own and operate the hospital. "It's
still friendly litigation. Nothing's
changed."
Both parties have 30 days in
which to file briefs and correspond,
he said, then the court wiil set a date
for hearing oral arguments.
Resolution depends on how a
judge views legislation adopted by
the General Assembly in 1984 and
its effect on the lease agreed upon in
May 1984.
The answer could reconfigure lo
cal hospital care. It could:
1) result in HealthTrust Inc. con
tinuing to operate the hospital with
out interruption for up to another 30
years;
2) lead to the authority seeking
proposals from HealthTrust Inc. and
other potential lessees, holding a
public hearing on their proposals,
and determining which proposal
would be most "in the public inter
est". In this case, whichever man
agement company took over the
hospital operation w;ould have sub
stantially different financial arrange
ments with the county, as required
by current state law.
When the original lease between
the authority and Hospital Corpor
ation of America, and its successor.
Hospital Corporation of North Caro
lina. was signed, state law limited
leases to for-profit corporations to a
maximum of 10 years. But legisla
tion to change that was pending. So
the agreement provided that the
lease would be automatically ex
tended to 40 years ("the useful life
of the facility") if that became possi
ble.
The lease of medical offices and
other facilities on the grounds was
subject to the same provisions.
If the current leases end next May
"That's just lawyer talk. Its still
friendly litigation. Nothing's
changed. " ? David Pridgen
17. the authority will be obligated
under the terms to pay HealthTrusl
Inc. a sum exceeding S4 million, the
value of the company's assets in the
hospital, plus any prorated share of
rents for offices.
If the leases are considered ex
tended. state law requires that cer
tain conditions be met: the lessee
must place into an escrow fund
money or direct obligations that will
provide enough money to pay off
any outstanding bonds when they
reach maturity. At present there are
$925 ,(X)0 in outstanding revenue
bonds issued by Brunswick County
for construction of the hospital.
Also, the law does not allow the
authority to issue any bonds, notes
\
ZeNQ'S gXltDCN
CTV>t nese J^esCcvtxt~cvr>zr
LUNCH BUFFET FAMILY NIGHT
Monday-Friday BUFFET
11 -2:30 PM Monday-Saturday
NEW HOURS:
Monday-Thursday 1 1 AM-3, 4:30-8:30 PM
Friday 1 1 AM-3. 4:30-9 PM
Saturday 4:30-9 PM
Sunday 1 1 AM-3 PM
For take-out call
754-5280
East Gate Sauare. Holden
Beach Road ? Shailotte
TOWN OF HOLDEN BEACH
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT
The Zoning Board of Adjustment of the Town of
Holden Beach will hold a public hearing on Monday,
Nov. 15, 1993, at 5 p.m. at the Town Hall to consider
the following appeals:
CASE NO. 08-93: Request for a variance of 1 2 ft. from
the 25-ft. front yard setback and a waiver from the
town to allow a portion of the septic tank system to be
place up to the DOT right of way at 150 Ocean Blvd.
East.
CASE NO. 09-93: Request for a variance of 10 ft. from
the 25-ft. front yard setback and a waiver from the
town to allow a portion of the septic tank system to be
placed up to the DOT right of way at 114 Ocean Blvd.
East.
Jim McSwain
Code Enforcement Officer
or other types of indebtedness for
hospital improvements when the fa
cility is leased to a corporation.
,As existing legislation expired on
June 30, 1984. a hill was introduced
to replace it effective July 1. Due to >
maneuvering by Sen. R.C. Soles Jr.
in an unsuccessful attempt to have
Brunswick County excluded from
the bill, its passage was delayed un
til July 2.
Calabash EMS
Takes 58 Calls
The Calabash Volunteer Emer
gency Medical Service answered 58
calls in September, its board of di
rectors learned at the Oct. 21 meet
ing.
Volunteers worked 180 man hours
and traveled 2,085 miles.
Thirty calls were in Calabash, 15
in Sunset Beach and 13 elsewhere;
four were mutual aid for Waccamaw
and two, mutual aid for Shaliotte.
fine ^Dining
New Owners- 4' i
Randy & Renee Tankersley t)
Randy was formerly the executive
chef at the Parson's Table.
Winter Hours:
Lunch Tues.-Sun. 11-3
Dinner Wed.-Sun. 5-10
Open Tuesday through Sunday
ALL ABC PERMITS
Open Thanksj
Day
lhanksgiving
with a special menu
-Also
Reserve now for
Christmas Parties & New Year's Eve |
For reservations & details
Call (919)579-6577
Located at the stoplight in Calabash
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BEACON Fill PHOTO
nHIL CHEERS of Shallotte (right) and Ken Spencer of Lumber
on were among more than 700 people who attended the 1992
Dixon Chapel Oyster Roast. The church is ready for another big
- oast Saturday.
CongratuCations to. . .
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ROBERTO'S
RESTAURANT
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WEDNESDAY NIGHT SPECIALS
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" Stuffed jumbo pasta shells
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* Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast
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HOLDEN BEACH OPEN
Wed. To Fri. 5-9, Sat. 11:30-9:00 ? 842-4999 -i
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