Latest Sewer Committee Report
Sparks Debate At Holden Beach
BY DOUG RUTTER
Holden Beach's new town board
got off to a rocky start Monday
morning when a special meeting
called to set goals for the upcoming
year turned into a heated debate over
a sewer system.
The verbal exchange was sparked
by a sewer committee report con
cerning an upcoming visit by a N.C.
Division of Environmental Manage
ment official. The DEM's Eric
Stockton is expected to meet with
commissioners Jan. 3.
A committee report dated Dec. 1
indicates that Stockton has offered
free assistance in planning for a sys
tem. Committee Secretary Jim Low
ell's report says Stockton can coor
dinate the project and help the town
save money.
Some commissioners were both
ered by one statement in the report:
Stockton "indicated two prime
needs before he can agree to pitch
in: the town's commitment to mak
ing a sewer project a number one
priority and appointing sparkplugs
to assist in the venture."
Commissioner Jim Fournier said
Monday the report implies that the
" Being committed to a sewer system
I'm not. Preparing for one if we need
it, I'm committed to that. "
? Commissioner Sid Swarts
town board must commit to a sewer
system before Stockton agrees to
help. He said that's something he's
not willing to do.
Commissioner David Sandifer ac
cused Foumier of being "anti-sew
er" and said he was trying to prevent
other board members from getting
the information they need to decide
if the town really needs a sewer sys
tem.
"Nobody is trying to stifle infor
mation," Fournier insisted.
Sandifer said the sewer commit
tee was instructed to act on the as
sumption that the town needs a sew
er system as it compiled information
about which type of system would
be best for Holdcn Beach and how it
could be funded.
A lively discussion on the issue
ultimately led to a shouting match
between Fournier and Sandifer over
which one of them initiated the idea
of impact fees at Holden Beach.
"I can go back and show you the
original paperwork on who wrote
it." Sandifer said of the fees, which
may l>e used to pay for sewer or
stormwater runoff systems on the is
land.
Fournier also got into a verbal
battle with Lowell Monday morning
over several other statements in the
report.
Fournier objected to statements
that a sewer system would not in
crease density on the island and that
septic systems are polluting the soils
and are considered "inadequate" by
the county health department.
"It's just dreaming to think a sew
er system won't change density,"
Fournier said.
The commissioner also said two
engineering studies done at Holden
Beach have not demonstrated that
septic systems are causing pollution.
"You're using opinion as fact."
Fournier said.
"I'm sick of you calling me a
liar," Lowell responded.
Once order was restored. Com
missioner Sid Swarts said he doesn't
know if the town needs a sewer sys
tem or not. He said he is "more than
glad" to meet with Stockton to get
more information.
"Being committed to a sewer sys
tem I'm not," Swarts said. "Pre
paring for one if we need it, I'm
committed to that."
Commissioner Gay Atkins said
the town board needs to plan for a
system now because it will take sev
eral years to design and construct
one. If the board waits until a system
is needed, Atkins said it will be too
late.
"I think the commission under
stands, and I think he (Stockton) un
derstands we are not committed to
anything other than hearing this gen
tleman speak," Mayor Wally Ausley
said.
WtL
. f 1 -?? . .. : STAFF PHOTO BY ERIC CARLSON
Trojans Rejoice
The morning after capturing the eastern JA football championship, members of the West Brunswick High School Trojans greet fans from
a float in the Shallotte Christmas parade last Saturday.
Baxter, Bright Re-Elected On Split Votes
BY SUSAN USHER
There will be no change in leader
ship on the Brunswick County
Board of Education during the com
ing year, with both Chairman Donna
Baxter and Vice Chairman Yvonne
Bright re-elected Monday night.
But unlike a year ago, neither
vote was unanimous.
Baxter and Bright, both nominat
ed by Bill Fairley, won election on
identical 3-2 votes.
Board member Polly Russ was
nominated for chairman by Thur
man Gause, and in turn nominated
him for vice chairman. They cast the
minority votes.
While saying she thinks it good
for an organization to have periodic
changes in leadership styles and the
way things get done, Russ said "that
doesn't mean there won't be support
(for Baxter). We'll still be working
together as a board."
"I just think it would be good to
have people continuing on the board
who have that experience," Russ
said in explaining her bid for the
chairmanship.
She said that since Baxter has
held the post for three consecutive
terms, none of the other four mem
bers has gained experience with
day-to-day dealings with the budget
or in setting meeting agendas.
"We could have had three board
members, not one, with that kind of
experience."
Baxter, who has been criticized at
times as having a confrontational
style, said she allowed herself to be
elected to a fourth term as chairman
"reluctantly."
"She didn't want to do it; 1 made
her, because she's such a fine chair
man," said Fairley. "She is very
clear about where she wants to go
and very consistent."
The vote was not along party
lines. Russ, Baxter and Gause are
Democrats; Bright and Fairley are
Republicans.
"The fact of the matter is partisan
politics doesn't have anything to do
with the school board, or at least I
hope that's the case," said Fairley.
Baxter, who ran from District 4
but has renting part of the year on
Oak Island in District 3, said
Monday she is in the process of
moving back to Boiling Spring
Lakes, into the former John Dozier
residence. Earlier this year she sold
a home in Boiling Spring Lakes,
saying she needed a smaller house.
During its three-hour meeting
Monday night at Leland Middle
School, the Brunswick County
Board of Education also:
?awarded a $106, 9(H) contract to
low bidder Howard Roofing Sys
tems of Raleigh to replace the leak
ing roof of a building at Lincoln
Primary School with a metal roof,
the last recommendation from the
state labor department aimed at im
proving indoor air quality.
?noted that May Moore of South
Bruns. Middle School, Brunswick
County's Teacher of the Year, fin
ished second in district competition,
?heard that Carolina Power &
K&D MFG. coStK?
Quality Clothing at Outlet Prices
Holiday Sale Continues
Children's
Sweat Sets ? Sweaters ? Turtlenecks
Stirru^^and Leggings
Pant Sets of Velour and Knit
Gold Pants, Blouses & Vests
Light Co. has donated to the school
system used desks suitable for use
by teachers, tables and chairs with
an estimated value of $100,000 and
$150,000. "We're letting principals
turn in wish lists and trying to fill
them," said Assistant Superintendent
Bill Turner.
?gave first reading to a student
improvement policy amendment that
would drop references to specific
standardi7.ed pre- and post-tests; and
provide that when site-based goals
in a certain area are not met by a
school, the differentiated pay those
teachers would have received will
instead be used for staff develop
ment in that area. The policy change
gets a second reading in January.
Some teachers have told the coun
tywidc Performance-Based Ac
countability Planning Committee the
policy needed to allow more flexi
bility at the school level and was too
rigidly worded.
?Met behind closed doors nearly
\-/i hours to discuss personnel and
attorney-client matters before ap
proving routine personnel actions in
open session.
New Year's Eve
Dinner
Friday, December 31, 5:30-9:30 PM
Seafood cocktall-shrlmp , scallops and crab, choice of
sauce (cocktail or remoulade). Garden Salad (choice of |
dressing). Choice of: baked stuffed lobster or filet
mlgnon on an almond eggplant crouton with bernalse
sauce, baked potato ana
vegetable medley.
Chocolate mocha
cheese cake or
tuxedo pie
for dessert.
?Complimentary
Champagne
Offered
With Dinner
RESTAURANT 6t LOUNGE
$2295
per person
Call
287-1167'
For
Reservations
at Sea Trail Plantation. Sunset Beach
Town Offered Free Sand
Holden Beach Mayor Wally Auslcy says the town will he using
"free" sand when it rebuilds the dune along Hillside Drive and repairs
dunes elsewhere on the island this winter.
Holden Beach Enterprises has agreed to let the town remove sand
from a spoil area it owns near Boyd Street, as long as some of the mater
ial is used to protect company property at the east end of the beach,
Ausley said Monday.
The mayor said between 2,000 and 3,000 cubic yards of sand will be
dumped near Lockwood Folly Inlet in an effort to bolster dunes at
Holden Beach Enterprises' old state park property.
The town plans to place several thousand; cubic yards elsewhere
along the oceanfront, including the erosion-threatened Hillside Drive
area. Ausley said the only cost to the town will be for hauling the sand to
the strand.
Town Manager Gus Ulrich said the town will be sending letters to
every oceanfront property owner to find out which ones are interested in
paying to have their dunes repaired.
Interested owners who respond by Jan. 15 will be given a permit ap
plication and a list of local contractors who can handle the work.
Town officials are encouraging property owners to repair dunes that
were damaged during the severe winter storm last March.
"I think we have to make every effort to make things easier for these
property owners," Commissioner Jim Fournier said.
School Board Files
Civil Suit To Recover
Cafeteria Equipment
A civil suit filed Monday by the
Brunswick County Board of
Education court seeks to recover ei
ther cafeteria equipment sold im
properly to a Long Beach restaurant
owner, or its market value in cash.
In late July a school system em
ployee sold equipment once used in
the Southport Elementary School
cafeteria to restaurant owner Jarvis
Jones for $350. Jones later sold part
of the equipment to a nephew, a
Wilmington restaurant equipment
dealer, for $7,800. The school board
wants to recover at least $10,000 ?
its estimate of the actual worth of
the total property, said board attor
ney Glen Peterson.
The dealer is not named in the
suit; only Jarvis Jones.
Peterson said the suit doesn't
mean the schools' investigation is
completed.
"As we go through the process
of interrogatories and briefs we may
receive new information that leads
us in other directions," he said. "One
thing we want to find out is what
happened to the rest of the equip
ment, who owns it now."
School board chairman Donna
Baxter said in October, when the
board first began discussing the mat
ter in executive session, that the em
ployee involved ? child nutrition di
rector Rebecca Brandon ? did not
know the sale violated system policy
and submitted the check from Jones
to the school finance department as
a routine transaction. Her immediate
supervisor, Assistant Superintendent
Bill Turner, was out of town at the
time.
System policy and state law dic
tate that equipment first be declared
surplus by the school board, then ad
vertised for sale or auction.
To date no disciplinary action
has been taken against Brandon; that
aspect of the incident is being han
dled by Superintendent Ralph
Johnston as a personnel matter.
Baxter said the school system
plans to bolster employees' aware
ness of such policies to avoid similar
situations in the future.
IN CALABASH
BRING HOME
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SIMMONS' BEVERAGE MART
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