NEW VOTER POLLING PLANNED
Seaside Incorporation Effort
Surfaces From Winter Dormancy
BY SlISAN USIIKR
Effoits toward incorporation have surfiiiCu
again in the waterway community of Seaside be
tween the towns of Ocean Isle Beach anil Sunset
Beach, along with opposition to the idea.
Whether the effort continues will depend on
the outcome of a new survey of registered
Brunswick County voters who live in the pro
posed town, said Gary Hcndrix, the man who
would be mayor if Seaside becomes a town.
At the first public meeting on the subject since
last summer, approximately 50 people turned out
last Monday night at the "Seaside Community
Office" in Twin State Pla/a. mainly to oppose a
new town. The session drew a large turnout from
the Laketree Shores and Tarheeland Acres subdi
visions at the northern end of the proposed limits.
Hcndrix estimated a count of 12 for and 40
against, roughly proportional to written ballots re
turned to the Committee for the Incorporation of
Seaside.
Efforts to secure incorporation continued quiet
ly on through the winter because of perceived
sup|K)tl last summer. Hcndrix said.
Opponents Doug Baxlev and Nick Newton said
they thought the issue was dead because of strong
opposition mounted last year. Others said they
didn't like one small group of people being in
control and thought communication within the
community had been weak.
The movement should either gain momentum
or halt within the next few months as a new effort
is made to accurately survey the sentiments of
registered Brunswick County voters in the target
area.
With the help of volunteers from the Laketree
Shores and Tarheeland Acres areas, the new sur
vey will be taken just as soon as wording can be
made uniform.
"We're going to get a true census among regis
tered voters as to how they would vote," said
Hcndrix. "If most sav they would vote for in cor
"I don V think anybody
wants it who s paying
any amount of taxes. It
would be adding insult
to injury. "?Doug Baxley
poration, we'll go to the General Assembly. The
bill would be put in if we have to elect someone
to do it." The soonest that could happen now is
early 1995.
"If not," he said, "we should pet out of it if
they feel that way."
'i"hat's good news to Baxley. a Tarheeland
Acres resident who attended last week's meeting
to voice his opposition. He believes incorporation
of Seaside lacks a base of community support and
would be a mistake.
Unlike Hendrix. he thought attendees at the fi
nal public meeting held last year were largely
against the move and that the issue was dead, not
simply dormant
Residents of Tarheeland Acres and surrounding
neighborhoods haven't been notified of any meet
ings held since last summer and were not invited
to respond by a "ballot" distributed last fall that
asked slightly different questions from the most
recent version.
Hendrix said recent efforts to contact would-be
town residents were criticized as random, partly
because an out-of-date list of registered voters
was used and partly for other reasons such as mail
service.
"A lot of people complained they didn't get a
mailing," said Hendrix, "but there was nothing
underhanded done."
In some cases, he and Baxley agreed, letters
sent to accurate addresses were returned.
A tentative count of "ballots" submitted by
maii or in person tallied last week about /> per
cent against the town and 25 percent for. said
Nick Newton, who is fighting the proposal. Since
all ballots that had been mailed back had not ar
rived last week, he and Jimmy Gore, who favors
incorporation, were to recount all ballots today
(Thursday) for a more accurate gauge of commu
nity sentiment.
Arguments for and against incorporation con
tinue to emerge.
Preserving the name and the heritage of
"Brunswick County's first resort" is pari of the
reason a group of local residents seek incorpora
tion, as well as independence from surrounding
towns. With a proposed tax rate of 5 cents, few
services are planned.
Hcndrix said most residents of the area favor a
public sewer system, but don't want required
hook-ups except for new structures or when a
septic tank fails. If Seaside were a town, he said,
it could have a voice on the South Brunswick
Water & Sewer Authority which proposes to
serve the area with a central sewer.
Newton and Baxlcy see no reason to create an
other town.
"I don't think anybody wants it who's paying
any amount of taxes. It would be adding insult to
injury." said Baxlcy. "I think a well-organized
Community Watch program would be more effec
tive than what they've proposed."
Newton is convinced that a majority would be
against incorporation because there aren't enough
benefits to warrant it.
"I think we need to get it out in public and in
form everybody," he said. "I think that would
give us a little better indication of how people
feel.
"I think we have too many municipalities now.
We need to work together more."
No date has been set for the next meeting on
the proposed incorporation of Seaside.
Holden Beach Wins Power Struggle;
FEMA Pavina For Dune Construction
BY DOUG RUTTER
Maybe you can't fight city hall,
hut Holden Bcach officials have
learned that you can fight the federal
government?and win.
The town has apparently won a
year-long power struggle with a fed
eral agency and gained the right to
use federal money to build a sand
dune along an oceanfront street
threatened by erosion.
After a three-day visit last week, a
team of federal officials told the
town they will recommend the
Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FliMA) pay for construc
tion of a dune covering the south
side of Hillside Drive.
It was an agreement town offi
cials had been waiting for since
March 13, 1993, when a severe win
ter storm known Itically as the "No
Name Hurricane" caused an estimat
ed $8 million damage at Holden
Beach.
Town Manager Gus Ulrich said
Tuesday he was still waiting for offi
cial word from FHMA's regional of
fice in Atlanta that the team's rec
ommendation has been accepted.
"We feel optimistic that it will be
approved, but we don't know for
sure," Ulrich said.
Mayor Wally Ausiey aiso was op
timistic. "They said they were going
to take it back and were unanimous
ly recommending it and they
couldn't see any reason why their
hoss would reject it," he said.
FliMA officials first visited the
island shortly after the March 13
storm and initially agreed to give the
town S57.1XH) to rebuild dunes at ap
proximately 30 specified areas.
'lbwn officials rejected FEMA's
proposal for using the money and
submitted its own plan, but the fed
eral government was slow to accept
Molden Beach's proposal.
Ulrich said a FEMA damage re
view team finally visited Holdcn
Beach last week to re-evaluate the
federal plan submitted about one
year ago.
"This is something that the town
has been requesting for some time,"
Ulrich said of the re-evaluation.
"We've been asking them to come
back since last summer."
Asked why FEMA officials final
ly agreed to the second visit, Ulrich
replied. "We just kept pushing."
As part of the push. Mayor
Ausley contacted Congressman
Charlie Rose's staff to ask for help
in dealing with the federal agency.
"I think Congressman Rose's of
fice did sort of speed up the process
by calling attention to our needs,"
the mayor said Tuesday.
Holden Beach officials have had
harsh words for FF.MA in the past
year, but Ausley said in a phone in
terview Tuesday that the problem
"was just a series of misunderstand
ings and oversights."
"They (FEMA) said there have
been a series of mistakes. Every
thing was done quickly right after
the storm," Ausley said.
Two weeks ago, Holden officials
decided to go ahead with a project
aimed at saving Hillside Drive. In
some places, the ocean washes up to
the pavement a: high tide and it
creeps to within 30 feel of the road
everywhere else.
Wayne's Backhoe Service of
Shallotte was hired to construct a
dune on the south side of the road.
The contractor will leave uncovered
about 20 feet on the north side of the
street right of way for vehicular ac
cess.
The top of the dune will be about
14 feet above sea level and the dune
will be 28 feet wide at the base and
eight feet wide at the top. Once
work begins, construction is expect
ed to take about 15 days.
"We're ready to start work any
time," Ulrich said Tuesday. "The
contractor said he hopes to start at
the end of this week or the first of
next week."
In addition to Hillside Drive, the
project includes a 4(X)-foot stretch
just west of Hillside and a few
smaller elsewhere on the island
where there is vacant property and a
risk of the ocean washing past the
dune line.
'I"he 400-foot stretch of beach
front land is owned by llolden
Beach Enterprises. The town has
agreed to have sand placed on the
lots in exchange for free sand that is
being taken from a spoil disposal
area owned by the company.
After the dune construction is
completed, Ulrich said FEMA will
reimburse the town the full cost of
the project. The only expense to the
town will be the beach grass and
sand fence needed to stabilize the
new dune.
As a result, the town will not have
to spend much of its $44,000 dune
renourishment reserve fund.
"The town will be is a position to
tackle some other sections that meet
its criteria," Ulrich said.
Due to the dune construction.
Hillside Drive homeowners who
need access to their property will
have to enter at Ranger Street.
Blockades will be set up where
Holden Road. Elizabeth Street and
Bcndigo Street enter Hillside.
?
^ / 5TH Annual
CHILI
O
SP COOKOFF
SOUTHPORT, N.C.
Saturday, April 12
10:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.
Franklin Square Park
?Arts and Crafts ? Easter Egg Hunt
?Decorated Easter Hat Contest
? Jammin' Julie Pittman-DJ
?Confederate States Marine Display
?WWQQ Remote
And Of Course, Lots of Great Chili!
Sponsored by The Robert Ruark Foundation
???????? i, rtA Tm< Brunswick m acon T
Hop Over to Cheney's to Fill Your Easter Basket
with Delightful Easter Gifts
do"''-.j.eney'^h, Q
v?urEoSc rfi'v
^ cords! "Card
Greeting
ds Be Gifts
Easter Outdoor Flags ? Egg Holders
Easter Tree Ornaments ? Stuffed and Ceramic
Bunnies ? Bunny Banks ? Carrot Pens.
NEW! Boxed Whitman Candy! ? "Special
Year" Birthday Cards ? Crystal Guardian Angel
Figurines with Birthstones.
Open daily 10-5:30
Hwy. 904 between Ocean Isle & Sunset (next to Food Lion) ? Seaside
Spring Arrivals
Wrinkle-free
Cotton slacks
i by Savane
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SAVANE,
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PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Privileged Parking
Supply Elementary School PTA honors the school's Teacher of the
Year with a special parking space. The PTA has erected a sign des
ignating the first parking place reserved "in recognition of the fine
efforts put forth by Mrs. Annette llarton for our students."
Pictured (from left) are Carolyn Williams, SES principal; Harton;
Pat Hewett, PTA vice president; and Jean Gillette, president.
Last chance to take
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Buy one entree at regular price and get |
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Valid Mar. 24-27. coupon required. 1
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842-3381 o ^ o
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