It Happens Every Year
Spring fever is going around.To fill your
prescription for a great lawn, see the Plant
Doctor on Page 3-B.
Rolling Right Along
Backers of a proposed interstate highway
route through Brunswick County are
optimistic these days. Page 9-C.
Really On The Ball
Baseball, track, tennis, Softball, volleyball,
basketball...even football! There's a little bit
of everything in Sports, Section D.
THL ,w.t/ICK#btACON
Thirty-Second Year, Number 21 ?m* THt MUNSVOCK MACON Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, March 24, 1994 50C Per Copy 40 Pages, 4 Sections, Plus Inserts
Commissioners
INCINERATORS, WASTE DUMPS QUESTIONED
Hear More Attacks On Coun
ty Zoning Law
BY KRIC C ARLSON
The Brunswick County zoning ordinance camc under
fire again Monday night for keeping some landowners
from building homes on their property while allowing
others to construct slaughterhouses, junkyards, incinera
tors and hazardous waste facilities on theirs.
A crowd of about 1(X) people attended the board's
regular meeting and an earlier public hearing on the
planning board's proposal to revise the zoning law in re
sponse to concerns raised by the Brunswick Mining
Awareness Committee (BMAC).
The citizens' group, which successfully pressured the where they are currently allowed. But it would permit
commissioners to enact an ordinance Manning a pro- them in a RU-i (rurai industrial; zone. No such zone ex
posed limestone mine near Southport, returned Monday ists on the zoning map, but it could he created at the dis
to ask that such mines and other "undesirable activities" crelion of the planning board and commissioners,
be permanently outlawed by the zoning ordinance. Others camc to Monday's meeting to protest the pro
Commissioners agreed that the matter needs more posed rezoning of a pie-shaped, 56.2-acre tract at the in
study before they decide whether to adopt BMACs list terscction of N.C. 87 and N.C. 133, across from the en
of prohibited uses or the planning board's alternative trance to the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point
proposal. (MOTSU). Owners of the land want to change the zon
The planning board measure would outlaw the unde- ing from C-LD (commercial low-density) to C-M (com
sirable activities in H-M (heavy manufacturing) zones, mercial manufacturing).
Just north of the tract are two subdivisions with 25
lots dini 18 existing homes. Residents of the arr? h ivr
already protested the zoning of their land as C-LD. They
have reportedly been told that the designation was a
mistake that is likely to be rectified by the planning
board.
Still, they arc afraid that changing the neighboring
tract to C-M would allow land uses that are incompati
ble with a bordering residential area.
Donna Shadid told the commissioners that she and
(See ZONING, Page 2-A)
County Says No
To Wilmington
Zoning Offer
BY ERIC CARLSON
"No! No! No! No! No!"
That was Commissioner Donald
Shaw's suggestion for an official re
sponse to the City of Wilmington's
recent request for zoning control on
the Brunswick County side of the
Cape Fear River.
Wilmington Msyor Don Bclz
month sent a polite letter to County
Commissioners Chairman Don War
ren, asking the board to "consider
approving an agreement to allow the
city to exercise extra-territorial land
use jurisdiction in a limited area on
the west bank of the river" to protect
the view from the city's central busi
ness and historic districts.
The area requested for city zoning
control lies near the USS North
Carolina battleship between the
Cape Fear River Memorial Bridge
and bridges across the Northeast
Cape Fear River and U.S. 421.
Portions of the area are within the
borders of both Brunswick and New
Hanover counties.
Betz noted that there have been
"significant public and private in
vestments" across the river from the
proposed area. He said the area is
"of critical concern to the continued
development of the city's riverfront
and downtown area."
Betz said Wilmington "views its
extension of extra-territorial juris
diction to this area as a means of de
veloping a cooperative planning ef
fort?to encourage sound develop
ment in this area."
State law allows a city to extend
its control into another county if the
commissioners agree to the arrange
ment. Betz said Brunswick County
"would be permitted" to appoint
representatives to the Wilmington
Planning Commission and Board of
Adjustment "to address matters that
arise in this area."
The Brunswick County Commis
sioners briefly discussed the city's
request at their regular meeting
Monday night. There was no sup
port for the idea.
"I can't believe they even asked
us," said Shaw. "My answer would
be: No! No! No! No! No!"
The board voted unanimously to
decline the mayor's invitation.
Off By Air Ambulance
STAFF PHOTO BY ERIC CAR I SON
The crew of a Carolina Air Care helicopter unloads equipment for transporting a patient from The
Brunswick Hospital to N.C. Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill Monday morning. W hile most medical
sen-ices are available at Brunswick, the hospital has cooperative arrangements with other facilities
around the state for patients who need specialized treatment.
Day At The Docks Sets Sail Saturday
BY DOUG RUTTER
What do boat rides, a shag-danc
ing contest and the "World's Only
Bopple Race" have in common?
They're among the activities
planned this Saturday at lloldcn
Beach as the Greater lloldcn Beach
Merchants Association sponsors the
Fourth Annual Day At The Docks.
"It's a nice way to kick off the
spring," said Jim Lowell, one of the
event's organizers. "I think this will
be out 'uc.si one yet ii the weailici in
good."
Festivities will begin at 10 a.m.
with free boat rides being offered on
the Mega Flite, Intimidator, Miss
Sarah and other members of the
Holden Beach fishing fleet.
Boat rides will continue until 3
p.m. out of Captain Pete's Seafood
on the island and Holden Beach
Marina and Intracoastal Marina on
the mainland.
Brunswick County residents will
display their arts and crafts starting
at 10 a.m. at Captain Pete's Seafood
and Intracoastal Marina. Booths
will stay open until 6 p.m.
Food service also begins at 10
o'clock and continues until 6 p.m.
Betty's will he selling seafood.
Archibald's and The Barn also will
be serving their popular dishes at
Captain Pete's and Intracoastal
Marina.
At noon, the Brunswick County
Concert Band will give a perfor
mance at Holden Beach Marina. A
shag-dancing contest is planned for
2 p.m. at the marina, and at 4 p.m.
the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will
coordinate a boat parade.
The Day At The Docks will cul
minate with what is being billed as
the "World's Only Bopple Race."
Throughout the day, area resi
dents and visitors will have the op
portunity to sponsor a bopple (ap
ple) for a $ 1 donation. A numbered
popsicle stick will be inserted into
each bopple.
At precisely 5 p.m., liolden
Beach's mayor and commissioners
will toss oodles of bopples from the
top of liolden Beach Bridge. The
bopples will float east along the wa
terway, and the first three to cross
the finish line will be worth $100 to
their sponsors.
"The bopples are biodegradable
and this has been approved by the
Coast Guard," Lowell said.
"They're actually good for the fish.
The crabs will love them."
This year's Day At The Docks is
being held in conjunction with the
observance of 25th anniversary of
the Town of Holden Beach, which
was chartered Feb. 14, 1969.
(See FESTIVITIES, Page 2-A)
SUNNY POINT STILL FAVORED
Details Are Sparse
On Plan To Accept
Spent Nuclear Fuel
BY SUSAN USHKR
Are the State Ports Authority at
Wilmington and Sunny Point Mili
tary Ocean Terminal at the top of a
"short list" of ports most likely to be
chosen to receive radioactive waste
troin overseas?
The U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) plans the "urgent return" to
the United States of spent nuclear
fuel from foreign research reactors.
The fuel was enriched in the United
States and shipped to those countries
as long as 30 years ago.
As part of its commitment to an
international effort to reduce prolif
eration of nuclear weapons the
United States has agreed to take
hack the fuel and store it temporarily
at its Savannah River nuclear reactor
site near Aiken, S.C., while arrang
ing its long-term storage.
Each spent fuel clement is like a
small box measuring three feet long
by four inches wide and four inches
deep. The enriched uranium is
"sandwiched" between aluminum
plates.
The agency has proposed the
spent fuel, sealed inside stainless
steel casks and shipped by cargo
container, be shipped by sea to an
Atlantic Coast port, then transported
over land to its Savannah River nu
clear reactor site near Aiken, S.C.
While truck transport was first pro
posed, rail movement is now being
consideration at Sunny Point and
other sites where it is available.
Whether Sunny Point is at the top
of the list of ports depends on who
you ask. No two answers may be
alike, even within the same agency.
Brunswick County Emergency
Management Director Cecil Logan
will answer with an emphatic "yes."
He'll add that while hoping other
wise, "in the back of my mind. I've
got the feeling they'll choose
Brunswick County."
federal control, extensive on-site
security measures, relative isolation.
a large buffer area, containerized
cargo-handling facilities, cxpcricnce
handling hazardous materials and
the county's comparatively low-den
sity population make Sunny Point an
attractive alternative in a politically
Cliai^CU UVCIAIUII-IIIUMI15 liimulw.
Getting good information, he
said, "has been very difficult."
"If they do choose Sunny Point. 1
hope they do consider rail," said
L.ogan. "If they do we've got a plan
in place." Otherwise, one has to be
developed.
Under an agreement with the U.S.
Army, CP&L already ships spent tu
el rods from its Brunswick Nuclear
Plant near Southport to the Shearon
Harris plant near Raleigh for stor
age. using the Sunny Point railroad
line in Brunswick County.
"Either way we would still have
to put together a radiation response
team, which I'm in the process of
doing now," said I ogan. "CP&L has
its own response team for its ship
ments." He expects to train local
volunteers and some county person
nel in the 40-hour required course.
Compared to other types of haz
ardous waste, Logan said dealing
with radiation is "always more seri
ous" and that the likelihood of an
accident is significantly greater with
highway transport than with rail
transport.
After talking at length Monday
afternoon with an environmental
management official within the U.S.
Department of Energy, Logan told
Brunswick County Commissioners
he understood the two ports are on a
list of five with Jacksonville. Fla.,
Savannah. Ga., and Charleston, S.C.
That was the same conclusion he
reached after his initial contact with
a DOE contractor three weeks ago.
Missing from an earlier prospect
ing list of seven ports plus alternate
sites are three Virginia ports at
Newport News, Norfolk and
(See OFFICIAL, Page 2-A)
1
Shellfishermen Lose Saucepan,
Gain Harvest Area In Waterway
BY DOtJt; RIJTTER
Ixxral shcllfishcrmcn gained har
vest area in the Atlantic Intracoastal
Waterway last week, hut they may
have lost harvest rights in Saucepan
Creek for good.
Inside...
Birthdays.?................. JSB
Business News 7D
Calendar .8B
Church News ???????????????a 8A
Classified 1-8C
Crime Report. ????????????? 11C
Court Docket ?????????????a IOC
Golf 6D
Obituaries ? ???????????MM 8A
Opinion 4-5A
People In The News 6B
Plant Doctor 3B
Sports 1-6D
Television 8-9D
After being "temporarily" closed
for four years due to pollution, state
officials last Thursday re-opened
shcllfishing in the waterway adja
cent to Holden Beach's largest canal
subdivision.
At the same time, the N.C. Div
ision of Marine Fisheries formally
closed 250 acres of shellfish waters
in Saucepan Creek, which also had
been closed on a temporary basis
since IWO.
George Gilbert, assistant director
of the state's shellfish sanitation divi
sion, said there's a chance Saucepan
Creek could be re-opened temporari
ly in the future. "We'll just have to
monitor it in dry weather and open it
up when we can," he said.
Bacterial pollution levels typical
ly drop during periods of dry weath
er. They are usually at their highest
after it rains because stormwater
runoff carries pollution into streams
and rivers, making shellfish unsafe
to cat.
Gilbert said the re-opening in the
Intracoastal Waterway affects about
a half-mile stretch between channel
markers 55 and 57.
The area is adjacent to the subdi
vision known as llolden Beach
Harbor, a development that features
nine finger canals that provide boat
access to the waterway.
"1 don't have any idea why condi
tions have improved. It's hard to say.
There may have been some lots that
were cleared at the time it was
closed that now have adequate vege
tation," Gilbert said.
"Whatever it was seems to have
dissipated enough to where it
cleared up Consequently, we were
able to open it There's nothing you
can point your finger at and say this
is the reason it improved."
Gilbert said both actions were
taken following extensive evalua
tions of water and shellfish samples
taken over a three-year period.
At the same time as the Saucepan
Creek closure, the Division of Mar
ine Fisheries closed 455 acres of
shcllfishing waters in Carteret
County because of pollution.
sTAFt PH?T^TTTJrnSnSR'
Spring Cleaning
Sunset lieach Heautification Committee members converge on the town's fire department grounds
with rakes and pruning ttntls as part of the group's spring cleaning rumpage. I'he committee, which al
so has decorated the town median in an Easter motif takes its tongue-in-cheek motto seriously:
"Practice random acts of kindness and senseless beauty!"