? 1 J Bridging The Cap DOT will unveil new alternatives for replacing the bridge at Sunset Beach at a citizens' forum February 1. Page 15-A. What Does The Red Sea Part? Students from Shallotte Middle and the Crary School advance in the National Geography Bee. Page 1-B ^floNS BOOK BWOfcFN HOBS P.O. MI 4928A cpslNGPUP' . .UNSWICK* WBHS AiurrmuS Shines... Hoops standout Ricky Daniels scores a season-high 20 points to lead the Wolfpack to victory over FSU. Page 10-B Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, January 20, 1994 50c Per Copy 36 Pages, 3 Sections, Plus Inserts STAFF PHCTO BY DOUG RUTTFR Superstur Signature David Thompson, one of the greatest basketball players ever to come out of North Carolina, signs the jersey of Braeden Baldwin following a Jr. Hornets clinic last week at South Brunswick High School. Thompson, a former star with the N.C. State Wolfpack and Denver Nuggets, was in the county urging kids to stay in school and avoid drugs and alcohol. Story on Page 9-B. Brunswick Commissioners Considering County Role In Regional Sewer Effort BY SI 'SAN USIIER Brunswick County Commissioners took the first step Tuesday toward a possible county role in efforts to develop a regional sewer and stormwater project in the southwestern area of the county. At the hoard's direction County Attorney Michael Ramos and County Engineer Robert Tucker are to investigate the "legal and engineer ing ramifications" of the county becoming a par ticipant with Sunset Beach and Calabash in a southwestern area "stormwater and sewer authori ty" Chairman Don Warren, who made the motion, said later that he would personally like to see the county become a partner, "not lead agent." in ef forts to develop sewer and stormwater projects on a regional basis. That size system is needed to re alize management and financial economies of scale and establish a sufficiently large customer base. "I'd like to see it happen," said warren. "Otherwise 1 don't think it's going to work there or in Iceland and Belville on a mass scale." In previous years, the county has hesitated to become involved in sewer projects, focusing in stead on expansion of the county water system. "What we would like to work toward is a re gional authority that would He selling revenue bonds," Warren said. "Not general obligation bonds." Revenue bonds are repaid with user fees or system profits, while general obligation bonds are guaranteed by a government's ability to levy and collect property taxes. Warren said that with the area's long-term growth, stormwater projects will have to be in cluded as part of sewer projects. "If you want to preserve your environment, you'll have to." said Warren. Sunset Beach and Calabash are already work ing together 10 develop a regional sewer system to serve the two towns and some unincorporated ar eas of the county. ITie system would be operated by a South Brunswick Regional Water and Sewer Authority, which could readily include Brunswick County as well as the two towns. An authority is quasi-governmental and has the power to levy user fecr, and charges, make special assessments, issue revenue bonds and condemn land for public use. An authority cannot hold a referendum for a general obligation bond issue, though any town or county that is a participant in an authority can do so within its own boundaries. Current plans and designs tor the regional sew er project don't include provisions for stormwater runoff management, which the towns believe could a hurt public support lor the sewer project. Stormwater management was not addressed mainly because limited tunds for that purpose were available from state and federal lending/grant agencies. That is expected to change. With recent reau thorization of the federal Clean Water Act. con sulting engineer Joe Tombro told Sunset Beach Council members earlier this month, stormwater management plans will be required of communi ties and more monies will be available at the fed eral and state levels. Tombro also indicated then he anticipated an announcement that Brunswick County would serve as "lead agent" toward a regional stormwa ter management system that he anticipated would be endorsed by eight local governments from Calabash north. As evidence of its seriousness about stormwa ter management. Sunset Beach Council ul.su re cently agreed to initiate a study of how to manage stormwater runoff on the island of Sunset Beach. Tombro attended the commissioners' meeting Tuesday, along with Sunset Beach Mayor Mason Barber and Mayor pro tem Ed Gore. Shallofte Chanqes Aimed At Encouraging Growth BY DOUG RUTTER Shallotte officials made several key changes to their acreage fees and annexation policy Tuesday in an effort to encourage development within the town limits. The liigyest revisions will allow people who ask for town annexation to pay the same acreage fees as landowners who are already inside the corporate limits. Existing policy requires landown ers outside the city limits to pay twice as much in acreage lees as property owners inside the town, even it' they ask for annexation. "We're trying to encourage growth, not discourage it," Alder man Carson Durham said. "Shallotte needs to grow. We're small We need to grow and expand our tax base." The new policy, which is sched uled to take effect Feb. 1. gives a break to people who agree to be come part of the town. They will Arctic Blast Expected To End Thursday UN DOUG Rli ITER Friday, allowing the temperature to slowly return Brunswick County residents should he enjoy- to a normal level. ing more seasonable weather by Thursday after- "By next week it looks like we'll be getting enduring two blasts of Arctic air in the WMtgUIliatMiMIXaMUMajlUamUIUMM hack to seasonable weather," Canady said. "It past week. looks like next week will be much nicer weather The second wave of a biiicily cold a;r mass (han we've had. It looks like we're about to get a that drove temperatures into the teens on Sunday reprieve." was expected to move into the area late Tuesday. BfiSBBBBWBKH8H3a|B Over the weekend, the hard Ireeze and subse hack into the deep freeze tor 36 quent resulted in lines breaks 48 Shallottc Point meteorologist across Brunswick Countv. Jackson Canady said Tuesday morning. "It's go- In Southport. the main valve that connects the ing to come close to being as cold as it was this city water tower to its distribution lines ruptured weekend. Starting Tuesday night, Canady said area resi- on Saturday. Workers repaired the valve Monday. While Canady didn't expect the mercury to fall dents probably wouldn't see the temperature and the city never lost water service. as low as the 12-degree mark it hit Sunday, he did above 32 degrees until Thursday afternoon. "It's Elsewhere, plumbers were busy early this week call for the temperature to stay below freezing for going to be a very intense cold." repairing ruptured water lines at Brunswick a longer period than it did over the weekend The arctic air should b** out of the picture by County beach houses. Local Health Professionals Tell Rose They're Wary Of Clinton Reform Plan BY DOIIC; RUTTER Some Brunswick County health professionals are wary of President Clinton's proposed heaitii care re form. they indicated during a meet ing with Congressman Charlie Rose last week in Shallotte. They said they're concerned about what it will cost taxpayers, how it will affect the quality of health care and the impact it wili have on hospitals and doctors in rur al areas like Brunswick County. Inside... Birthdays 2B Business News 8C eulendar 6B -Chorch Newts. _..5B Classified ....1-7C Court Docket ....9C Go.r *. 7B -QhiUtaries Opinion.... 4-5A "People In The News .....4B Plant Poet or 3B Sports ...7-.12B Television * 10-11C Rose, a Democrat seeking ic-clcC tion to trie 7tn District seat nc iius held since l')72. met with about 20 health care providers and small busi ness owners F riday at the office of Dr. Charles Locke. The II-term incumbent said he wants input from his constituents so he can be a "guided missile" when the health plan comes up for a vote as expected later this year. Rose indicated he wants to hold more meetings nn ith health profes sionals as more details about the plan are finalized "We are poking at an animal in the dark and we're not sure what it's going to look like." he said last week. Rose said the president has pro posed "a very ambitious program" that would ensure Americans the type of universal coverage that many Fortune 5e as ambitious as what the president aas proposed." Clinton has indicated he will in crease the tax on tobacco to help pay for a national health care program, but Rose said he's not sure that will provide enough money. "I don't think you can tax tobacco enough to get all the money that may be needed for this program," he said. "I think when the numbers art all run his program may be too am bitious." Mark (iregson, chief executive officer at The Brunswick Hospital. said he doesn't think the country has 'h>- economic base to pay for the program. "None of us are willing to sacri fice the care we provide." Gregson said. "It's extremely disturbing to think of the magnitude of what is being proposed." Dr. Keith Reschly. a general prac titioner in Southport. said he's un easy about one program for the en tire nation. "Who's to say what works in Wyoming is going to work in North Carolina?" Rose pointed out that each stale will have "tremendous leeway" in deciding how the program works. 'l agree with you totally." he told Reschly. "One system is not going to fit the whole country." Reschly also said the government can't allow unlimited access to health care because it will be abused. "People don't really value things that they don't have to pay for," he said. "We do have to have limits," Rose agreed. The congressman saul he hopes the health care plan will reduce the number of unreasonable malpractice lawsuits brought against hospitals anil doctors The suits have con (See ROSE, Page 2-A) save at least $1,000 per acre, de pending on how ihe property is de veloped. Acreage fees, which are collected to help pay for utility expansion, are $1,000 per acre for conservation and residential uses. S2.iXX) loi umuntr cial and $2,500 for industrial. The fees will remain double for property outside the town limits. Regardless of where the land is lo cated, fees are cut in half if a landowner needs only water or sew er. Durham said the revisions "give property owners outside Ihe town limits the opportunity to come into the town and pay the lower rates." Prior to any voluntary annexation, the owner must provide Ihe planning hoard with a survey of the property, upgrade all streets to town standards and meel all other town codes deal ing with subdivisions and utilities. Another change approved Tues day gives the town board ihe option of asking developers in need of wa ter or sewer service to extend lines to their property in phases. Durham indicated this will protect Ihe tow n it the developer of a large subdivision asks for service. Instead of allocating a large amount of sew er capacity at one time, the town could provide it over a long term. Aldermen also approved a change in the capital reserve fee ordinance Tuesday night. !? requires payment before water or sewer service is pro vided in cases where the town an nexes property with existing struc tures. While no other action was taken on capital reserve fees Tuesday. Durham asked other board members to consider changing the fee struc ture so developers are billed based on their impact on the sewer system. Presently, the town charges mini mum fees of $600 per residence and $1,125 per business. Larger homes and commercial structures are charged extra based or. square footage. Durham said the town board needs to change the fees and start charging owners based or water and sewer usage. A small laundromat has a greater impact on the sewer system than a hut;e warehouse. But under the pre (See SHALLOTTE. Page 2-A) Three-Way Democratic Contest Set For District 5 Nomination Entry of two new players has created a three-way contest for the Democratic nomination for the District 5 seat on the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners. Dan Davis of Winnabow and W.M. (Bill) Sue of Leland are the latest candidates to file, joining Leland businessman Michael Ballard. Davis, 45, resides on Rabon Way off N.C. 133. Sue, 59, lives on Sue Circle in Leland and is a former member of the Brunswick County Board of Education. Neither he nor Davis could be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon. Also !??? week Pat Purvis Brown, 57, of Waccamaw School Road, Ash. filed for the District 4 seat on the Brunswick County tsoaru ui Education. She is a native ot Asn ana a retired euucaiui, Moving taught in the California public schools. Brown is the first candidate of either party to file for the District 4 seat, which is held by Donna Baxter of Boiling Spring Lakes, chairman of the school board. In Whiteville, 13th District Resident Superior Court Chief Judge William C. Gore ,'r. and Judge D. Jack Hooks Jr. filed for re-election. These candidates filed earlier for nomination to county or district of fices: ? Sheriff. N.C. Highway Patrolman Jerry Dove; Thief Deputy John Marlow; Deputy Lt. Ronald Hewett; and Long Beach Police Sgt. Bill Sisk, Democrats; and Southport businessman James Brown. Republican; ? Board of Commissioners: incumbent Don Warren, Democrat, and Frances Ludlum Babson, Republican, District 1; incumbent JerTy Jones. Republican, and W.A. "Alfonzo" Roach, Democrat, District 2; incumbent Wayland Vereen, Democrat, District 3; incumbent Tom Rabon, Democrat, District 4; incumbent Donald Shaw, Republican, S. L. Doty, Republican, and Michael Ballard, Democrat, District 5; ? Board of Education: incumbent Thurman Gause and challenger Olaf ' Bud" Thorsen, Democrat, District 1; former school board member George Wilson, Democrat, District 2; incumbent Bill Fairley, Republican, District 3; incumbent Yvonne Bright, Republican, and Glcr.da Browning. Democrat. District 5; ? Clerk of Superior Court: incumbent Diana Morgan, Democrat; ? District Judge, 13th Judicial District: G. Phillip David, Democrat. Whiteville, ? N.C. House ot Representatives. E. David Redwine, Ocean Isle, and Dewey Hill, Lake Waccamaw, Democrat, 14th District (2 seats); Thomas E Wright Jr.. Wilmington, Democrat. 98th District; and ? State Senate: R