WHO'S ON THE BALLOT
Sheriff District 2: ? S.L Doty (R) District 3:
? Jeny Dove (D) ? Jeny Jones (R/l) ? Michael Ballard (D) ? Bill Fairley (R/l)
? John Marlow (D) ? W.A. Roach (D) ? Dan Davis (D) O Eric S. Pfeiffer (R)
? Ronald Hewett (D) District 3: ? W.M. "BilT Sue (D) ? William "Billy" Carter (D)
? BillSisk(D) ? WaylandVereen(D/l) Board of Education Districts
? James Brown (R) ? Louis A. Lewis (D) District 1: ? Donna Baxter (D/l)
? Leslie Collier (R) ? Thurman Gause (D/l) a Liston Hawes (D)
Board of ? Robert Slockett (R) ? Olaf "Bud" Thorsen (D) ? Pat Purvis Brown (R)
PAmmleoUiMNi niolrlM ? n u 11?-u/n\
? w ...... ww.wa.wa ? -W? .w. ?? U I 1U4UII I toncu \l 1/ UISUICI
District 1: ? Tom Rabon Sr. (D) District 2: ? Yvonne Bright (R/l)
? Don Warren (D/l) ? Tom Simmons (D) ? Polly G. Russ (D/l) ? Glenda Browning (D)
? Randy Stanley (D) ? Pete Bamette (R) ? Clara S. Carter (D) D=Democrat
? Frances Babson (R) District 5: ? George F. Wilson (D) R=Republican
? Doug las Simmons (R) ? Donald Shaw (R/l) ? Eugene Hewett (R) l=lncumbent
Only Three County Office-Seekers
To Be Unopposed In May Primaries
The races are on, with party primaries aplenty years that all seats on each board have come up
for both Democratic and Republican would-be for election.
nominees for local office. All five incumbents on each board have filed
Filing closed at noon Monday for candidates for re-election. Most face primary challenges,
for most local and state offices. Only three local and all face opposition in the November general
candidates are without May 3 primary contests, election.
which secures their places on the Nov. 5 ballot: A second retired educator filed last week for
Republican; District 5 school board member school board seat held by childcare center owner
Yvonne Bright, a Republican; and Clerk of Polly G. Russ, 43, of Shallottc. who is seeking a
Superior Court Diana Morgan, a Democrat, who second term
is unopposed for office. Challenger Clara S. Carter, 59, of Supply is a
This is the first time since Brunswick County ret.'red educator, having served as principal of
voters decided in 1991 to limit terms for the ? .rr.Irv
school board and board of commissioners to two ce CANDIDATES, Page 2-A)
THE BRI IMSWICKftBEACON
Thirty-Second Year, N Dtte, North Carolina, Thursday, February 10, 1994 50< Per Copy 34 Pages, 3 Sections, Plus Insert
Erosion To
Blame For
Holden Beach
Street Closing
BY DOUG RUTTER
Holden Bcach's Hillside Drive
has seen belter days. A decade ago,
there was plenty of room for prop
erty owners to build oeeanfront
homes along the south side of the
street.
Not any more. The ocean has
steadily closed in on Hillside Drive
and washed out all of the beach
front lots. The second-row lots
have become the bcac'nfroui ini.v
In an attempt to slow down ero
sion, town commissioners plan to
have truck loads of sand dumped
on the road and tied in wiih whai's
left of the oeeanfront dune.
As part of the project, officials
plan to formally close Hillside
Drive to the public. A hearing on
the street closing will be held
Monday, March 7, at town haii.
"The ocean comes up to the
nawrrtat in many places already."
Mayor Wally Ausley said at Mon
day night's town meeting, when
commissioners passed a resolution
of intent to close Hillside.
Town Manager Gus Ulrich is get
ting estimates from contractors on
how much it will cost to build up
the dune. The area under considera
tion stretches for about 1,5()0 feet.
"That street is seriously threat
ened by ocean erosion," Ulrich said
Tuesday. "We're hoping the materi
al we put there will stabilize the sit
uation."
Instead of waiting until after the
STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG RUTTEK
HOLDEN BEACH OFFICIALS plan to close Hillside Drive and build a dune there in an effort to
slow down erosion. The ocean has washed out oceanfront lots along the street.
public hearing. Mayor Pro Tern
Gay Atkins asked Monday night if
the town could move ahead with its
plans to renourish the dune along
Hillside.
"We better or we're going to
have a lynch mob up here," said
Commissioner Jim Fournier.
At the very least, town officials
will have to wait for the removal of
the only residence still standing on
the south side of Hillside Drive. It
shouldn't be there much longer.
The owner. Donna Bailey, is
waiting for the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) to
agree to pay for its relocation.
"We're anticipating that being
moved this week or very shortly,"
Ulrich said. "That will be out of the
way before work begins."
Ulrich said people who own
homes on the north side of Hillside
will not be affected bv the pro
posed street closing because they
have access to their property from
Ocean Boulevard.
There are 27 lots with frontage
on Hillside and Ocean Boulevard.
In anticipation of the street closing,
the town moved all water connec
tions to those houses from Hillside
to Ocean Boulevard last year.
"I think they alt are aware the
change is coming because of the
relocation of the water service,"
Ulrich said.
At one point, there were at least
10 oceanfront cottages on the south
side Hillside Drive. Commissioner
Dwight Carroll said he helped build
one of them in the eariy i vm)s.
At the time, Carroll said there
was 70 feet of sandy beach be
tween the house and the ocean.
Now, the home sits off the ocean
front on Brunswick Avenue and al
most all of the lot where the it once
stood has been washed away.
"That's how much it has
changed," Carroll said. "I attribute
a lot of that to when the town went
out and bulldozed the beach (after
Hurricane Hugo in 19X9). They
bulldozed it too deep."
Carroll also said he thinks the
frequent dredging of Lockwood
Folly Inlet causes erosion near the
east end of Holden Beach.
Sunset Beach Okays April 5 Sewer Referendum;
OIB Turns Thumbs Down On Stormwater Studv
BV LYNN CARLSON
AND SUSAN USHER
Sunscl Bcaeh officials say they want to lead the
region in combating water quality problems on
two fronts, despite some taxpayers' skepticism
that a $35 million sewer system should be part of
the battle plan.
If the town council has its way, voters will ap
prove an April 5 referendum on the sewer system,
and Brunswick County will lead eight local gov
ernments in a stormwater management program.
Council members conceded Monday that the
upcoming referendum will not be on the simple
question of whether there should be a sewer sys
tem, but claim that having voters decide on
whether to approve $5 million in general obliga
tion sewer bonds is the only legally binding
means of seeking public opinion on the issue.
Council has pledged never to issue those bonds
but, if the referendum passes, to activate the
South Brunswick Water and Sewer Authority and
proceed with a plan of grants, loans and revenue
bonds to build the sewer system to serve areas of
both Sunset Beach and Calabash.
Its members expressed optimism about a recent
meeting between Brunswick County Engineer
Robert Tucker and representatives of eight local
governments to begin efforts to formulate a re
gional stormwater plan.
Town Administrator Linda Fluegel said the
eight towns "are all receptive to the county being
the lead agent on stormwater. We all agreed that
stormwater (management) is necessary for all of
us?that it won't work for just one or two towns.
Big and small, we all want this very badly."
Fluegel received council's permission to oblig
ate Sunset Beach to spend $3,000 to $4,000 as its
portion of an initial study of a basinwidc
stormwater management concept.
Sunset Beach is the area's only municipality
where the pollution issue has been polarized be
tween sewer and stormwater management advo
cates. Council has expressed its commitment to
pursuing both avenues, but says it must take ad
vantage of available sewer system tunUs which
are currently available.
It has been challenged by leaders of the Sunset
Beach Taxpayers Association, who argue that the
region's primary pollutant is stormwater runoff
and that the town has not pursued stormwater
control vigorously enough.
Cool Response At (MB
Stormwater management apparently won't be
pursued at all by Ocean Isle Beach's town gov
ernment, where the idea met with a cool response
Tuesday morning.
The Ocean Isle Beach commissioners quickly
reached a consensus not to participate in the pre
liminary scoping study for the project, ques
tioning its relative benefit to the town.
OIB Mayor Betty Williamson represented her
town at the Jan. 27 meeting at Sea Trail
Plantation between with the county engineer and
representatives of eight towns. She said Tucker
indicated the county would be willing to pay half
the cost of a study to determine the extent of the
proposed project, if the towns would share the re
maining cost. The towns were asked to each sub
mit a letter committing to participate in the scop
ing study.
"The consensus of those there was that they
didn't feel it would be effective if all the towns
don t participate," Williamson said. "I believe it
was received well by the towns represented."
While the scoping study wasn't expected to
cost the towns bul $3,(KX) to $4,(HH) each,
Williamson said Tucker estimated the actual
stormwater management study could cost any
where from $25(),(XX) to $5(K),(XX). and that the
county would seek state financial assistance.
Still, she said, "it would be a major budget item
in the future if the county goes with this."
Ocean Isle Beach Commissioners and town of
(See SUNSET SEWER, Page 2-A)
Inside... Task Force Sees Need For Deeper
Bit (bdsySttttiiKx** ,2B i ir i- i ? a t - ,
5:^rNtws Changes It Schools Are To Succeed
CfcWpii NcWS Related Story, Page 9A than making sure Johnny Jr. receives an adequate educa
Classified 1-8C by SUSAN USHER tion," he said in summarizing key points agreed upon by
Crime Report A task force charged with devising a way to increase the 17-member task force during its four months of
Crossword 10A 'he number of minorities employed in certified positions working together.
Court Docket I1C Monday night presented a plan it believes will achieve The group will formally present its plan to the
?f 12d that goal while also helping everyone in the school sys- Brunswick County Board of Education next Monday
ooii. tem. night in Southport. After that. Superintendent Ralph
UDltliaries However, Co-Chairman Maliston Stanley said Johnston invited observers to watch, pledging, "the ad
Opinion......................4-5A Monday that if the larger goals of quality education and ministration is ready to go as soon as we have the
People In The News .....7A equity are to be achieved, the school system must cut charge."
Plant DoctorH..HH??....JB out "talk" education and get serious about its task. On Monday night, at a joint work session led by Co
Sports 8-12B "It is very evident to this task force that getting Chairman Christine Hall and Johnston, the task force re
Tcievistuii 6-7B J?>hnnie Sr. a job and protecting his job. regardless of his viewed its work with a group that included three school
competence, seems to be more important to our system (See RECRUITMENT, Page 2-A)
Schools To Get
$250,000 For
'Critical' Needs
BY ERIC CARLSON
Some said it was a reccnt lour of
local classrooms by three county
commissioners that changed their
minds. Others said it was an election
year political ploy.
Either way, Brunswick County
education officials were overjoyed
to hear that the county board voted
Monday to approve a quarter-mil
lion-dollar special appropriation ear
marked for specific instructional
needs requested by teachers and
principals at the county's 12 prima
ry, middle and high schools.
In the board's final action
Monday, Chairman Don Warren said
he and other commissioners had
been meeting with school board
members to discuss what he callcd
"very critical needs" and "mass
shortages"?especially in science
departments?that had been pointed
out to him in visits to several local
schools.
Warren said that as a result of the
visits he had asked Superintendent
Ralph Johnston to gather lists of
classroom needs from each school
principal. These were distributed to
each commissioner in a memo be
fore the meeting, he said.
In all, the requests totalled
$254,499, which was slightly less
than the $308,000 that the school
board had asked for authorization to
transfer from its building fund to in
structional supplies last fall. The
commissioners denied the earlier re
quest, insisting that the money be
used for a new Leland elementary
school.
This time, the board voted 3-to-2
in favor of the appropriation, with
commissioners Jerry Jones and
Wayland Vereen dissenting.
"You ought to see the grin on my
face. This was badly needed,"
school hoard member Bill Fairley
said Tuesday. "These were not ex
travagant requests. They are things
that teachers feel they need to teach
their classes, some of which are
woefully deficient. I hope the
process that has given rise to this
grant will carry over into other areas
of school needs."
Fairley had appeared at the coun
ty board meeting to plead for the
funds last fall and was visibly
stunned when the request was turned
down. He said he personally met
with Warren and Commissioner
Tom Rabon for a tour of South
Brunswick Middle School and
South Brunswick High School. He
said Commissioner Donald Shaw al
so toured schools in u.c Leland area.
"I think the willingness of some
commissioners to go to the schools
had a lot to do with it," Fairley said.
"The three who voted for it are the
only ones who have taken the trou
ble to visit the schools."
Before voting against the measure
Monday night, Vereen cautioned
that the commissioners would be
"setting a very dangerous precedent
and taking away the school board's
authority" by allocating funds ear
marked for specific purchases. Jones
had no comment when asked to ex
plain his no vote.
In an attempt to alleviate Vereen's
concerns. Warren said the allocation
had been discussed with Johnston,
school board Chairman Donna
Baxter and other members, and had
received "bipartisan" support.
Johnston said Tuesday that the
additional money was not anticipat
(See SUPER, Page 2-A)
STAfF PHOTO BY DOUG RUTItd
Frankfurt Fishermen
Karl Raab of Frankfurt, Germany, teaches his daughter, Jennifer,
the finer points of surf fishing Monday at Holden Beach.
Unseasonably mild Heather Ls expected all week. However, rain
showers also are in the forecast.