Sewer Bond Passes Easily With Heavy Voter Turnout
BY SUSAN USHER "People really looked hard at it and I'm glad they did. Brunswick County that includes 12.5 golf courses. The and Brunswick County, .ind a charter .ind bylaws
Now the work will really begin. There won't be any surprises." authority's first project is a $35 million central sewer adopted.
Sunset Beach voters endorsed a central sewer system "Wow!" was Sunset Beach Town Administrator collection and treatment system With more than 51 percent of the 504 registered
oy oeiter man a two-thirds majority I uesday, approving Linda Muegeis first rcaciion u> a walloping vote for Barber said he anticipates a special meeting of the Sunset Beach voters either uoini; to the polls or casting
a $5 million sewer bond issue the town never expects sewer and the high turnout of voters. town council will be called within .i week to 10 days, absentee ballots, Britt said the turnout for the bond is
to issue. ^ Barber said voting was heaviest in the afternoon, when all members are available, to begin the next steps sue vote was very high. "A bond issue can usually pass
I think this vote really speaks for itself," said Mayor when Sea Trail residents went to the polls after a morn- of the project. The town plans to establish a program with a 25 percent turnout." she said.
Mason Barber. "I don t think there's any doubt where ing of association golf. for property owners to install separate meters for irriga- With several low-interest loans anticipated and plans
this community stands. Tuesday's vote will allow Sunset Beach Town tion and other non-household uses. Sewer rates will be for the authority to issue $27 million in revenue bonds,
Ot the 260 ballots cast. 1S4 were for the sewer sys- Council to activate its appointees to the South based on peak household water usage; the lower the Sunset Beach has said it has no plans of issuing the $5
(em and Hi against, said Brunswick County Board of Brunswick Water & Sewer Authority, triggering a flur- water flow through the house, the lower the bills. million in sewer bonds approved by voters, but wanted
Elections Supervisor Lynda Untt. ry of work on the part of ine authority in uidui to meet "We're probably going to provide the meters at a *"???* of commitment for or against sewer.
Barber said the endorsement was a "total community state deadlines for several loan award deadlines. cost," the mayor said. "We're going to try to assist resi- Saying it would fuel rapid, dense development with
projcct that involved town council members, authority The authority was created by Sunset Beach and dents as much as we can." out adequate controls, opponents of the referendum had
directors, town and engineering staff. And hours of Calabash, with Brunswick County soon to join its Once the authority begins work, interlocal agree- questioned the town's wisdom in proceeding with just
onc-on-one consultations on projected water bills. membership. It plans to provide sewer and related ser- mcnts and transfers of authority must be reached with the sewer system rather than a combined
"We had many, many onc-on-one's," said Barber, vices to a 45-square-milc section of southwestern each member government?Sunset Beach, Calabash (See SUNSET, Page 2-A)
'31/99 **P<
..^0 J, ge.ms BO>' BIND!
) BOX 162
~'RINGPORT M i 49 'S
Thirty-Second Year, Number 23 < i 994 THf WUNtwiCK MACON Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, April 7, 1994 50c Per Copy 40 Pages, 4 Sections, Plus Inserts
Report: Holden
Rental Firms
Complying With
Occupancy Law
by douc RUTTER
All seven Holden Beach compa
nies that manage vacation rental
units are complying with a state law
that limits occupancy to two people
per bedroom, according to a report
released this week.
"I think they've made an awful
lot of progress," Commissioner Sid
Swarts said in a phone interview
Tuesday. "I think most of them will
conscientiously make sure they're
not overloaded."
Swarts wasn't saying that a year
ago, when he spearheaded an effort
to get the island's real estate firms to
change brochure advertisements as a
means of discouraging overcrowd
ing of homes.
A study of 1993 rental brochures
found thai nearly 68 percent of the
units advertised claimed to have a
greater sleeping capacity than their
septic tank systems were designed to
accommodate.
rha! stu'lv * ^ iho fown'v w
water management committee led to
a meeting with state and county
health officials, who vowed to crack
down on rental firms and homeown
ers who allow overloading of septic
systems.
Swarts released an updated ver
sion of the study Monday night
based on 1W4 brochures. Me point
ed out thai all seven firms note in
their new brochures that state law
limits occupancy to two people per
bedroom.
"What it boils down to is all the
(real estate companies) fall within
the state law," Swarts said at
Monday night's town meeting. "I
want to stress that what they've ad
vertised is perfectly legal."
(See HOI.OKN, Page 2-A)
STAFF PHOIO BY MIC CARLSON
Sleepy Eyes At Sunrise
Six-year-old Ashley Wheelock dutches a stuffed bunny rabbit on
the shoulders of her father Doug Wheelock as a bright morning
sun casts its first rays on an Easter sunrise service at llolden
licach. The Wheelocks are frequent visitors to the area from their
htiini' in Enterprise-. Ala.
New Dune Constructed
STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG RUT7ER
Workers build an oceanfront sand dune at Holden Beach last week. The dune was completed on Good
Friday and covers the south side of Hillside Drive. The approximately 11,420 cubic yards of sand came
from a nearby dredge spoil urea. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay for the project.
Mo.\ about the proji on I'age 61).
Rates Could Double If Authority Buys Blythe
BY ERIC CARLSON
The 1 xiwcr Cape Fear Water and Sewer Authority de
cided Tuesday to delay studying the purchase of
Carolina Blythe Utility Co. in Calabash until the town
decides whether it wants to buy the sewage system.
"We basically decided that the authority would put its
plans on hold, to give local governments the opportunity
to go through their due process," said Kurt Taube. the
authority's executive director. "This authority is not in
business to compete with local governments for water
and sewer service. We will support their efforts and
share the findings of our feasibility study.
"And we'll be here as an alternative if nothing else
seems to work."
The authority, which provides untreated water to
Brunswick County, asked its consulting engineer C.A.
Willis of Wilmington to study the condition of Carolina
Blythe's treatment plant and distribution lines and to ad
vise the authority on the feasibility of buying it. He gave
his report to the authority board at its regular meeting
Tuesday morning.
The Calabash Board of Commissioners recently
agreed to send Carolina Blythe owner Billy Burnett a
letter of intent to purchase the utility in an effort to gain
access to financial records and contracts the town feels it
needs to analyze the feasibility of Burnett's "non-nego
tiable" asking price of $4.5 million.
Carolina Blythe already provides water and sewer ser
vice to the Carolina Shores golf and retirement commu
(See AUTHORITY, Page 2-A)
WANTS STORMWATER MANAGEMENT INCLUDED
SBTA Eyes Lawsuit To Delay Sewer
BY SUSAN USHER
Sunset Beach Taxpayers Association directors are ex
ploring the possibility of a lawsuit to block construction
of a regional sewer project.
On a voice vote, SBTA directors were told to explore
a lawsuit aimed at blocking Sunset Beach participation
in the planning or building of any sewer system that
does not also include a stormwater management system
Sunset Beach is a member of the South Brunswick
Water & Sewer Authority, which is planning 10 builu a
system that will eventually serve a 45-square mile area
from the South Carolina state line east toward Ocean
Isle Beach and (irissettown. Town voters went to the
polls Tuesday to vole on continued participation.
"A suit might delay the sewer system until regulations
catch up with reality and a stormwater management plan
is required." said one unidentified SBTA member during
the 2-hour meeting at the Sunset Beach fire station.
The vote came after a lengthy discussion of the ad
vantages and disadvantages of a central sewer system,
especially monthly user fees based on peak demand and
growth.
SBTA Vice President Sue Weddle told members the
sewer system would "open the door for rapid, dense de
velopment," with no guarantee of a stormwater manage
ment system later. She and other proponents argued that
stormwater management rely heavily on density controls
and buffer zones, which should be established before
growth occurs. After-the-fact engineered solutions are
(See TAXPAYKRS', Page 2-A)
SET TO BEGIN FRIDAY
Weather Del
ays
Start Of Gypsy Moth Spraying
BY ERIC CARLSON
Cool temperatures and a forecast
of rain from an approaching cold
Iront has delayed the first round of
aerial insecticide spraying lor Asian
gypsy moths until Friday, state agri
culture officials said Tuesday.
"We plan to begin spraying in ihe
long Beach area at daybreak on
Friday," said (ireg Cook at the N.C.
Department of Agriculture in
Raleigh.
latest plans call for the first ap
plication of insecticide to begin in
the southern coastal areas ot Bruns
wick County and continue north
across an area of about 130,000
acres.
The target area for each day's
spaying will not be determined until
that morning, depending on weather
and Ihe previous day's progress, said
Bill Dickerson, NC'DA plant |>esl
adrninislt.ilor and head of ihe slate's
Gypsy Moth Task Force.
Once the project gets underway,
residents may find out exactly when
a specific area will be sprayed by
calling the (iypsy Moth Hotline dur
ing the day at 1 -800-44t>-tXK)7. At
night, a recorded message will pro
vide a forecast of the target areas for
I he next day's application.
Because the goal of the program
is to coat the leaves that provide
food for the gypsy moth caterpillars,
the spray is most effective when ap
plied during periods of low wind
when there is not an immediate
threat of rain, Dickerson said.
County Manager
Stable After Wreck
That Killed His Wife
BY ERIC CARLSON
The condition of Brunswick
County Manager Wvman Yelton re
mained in serious hut stable condi
tion Tuesday after he was taken off a
respirator and told for the first time
that his wife had heen killed in a
head-on collision that also claimed
the life of a female college student
Sunday afternoon.
Yelton, 5ft, suffered a broken
shoulder, a crushed knee, a com
pound fracture of the lower arm and
fractured ribs when the Mercedes
Benz in which he was riding crashed
into a car that left the eastbound lane
of Interstate 40 in Durham, crossed
the grass median and slid sideways
into the westbound lane.
Kathrvn Shirley Yelton, 52. was
driving their Mercedes en route to
the couple's home in Southport
when the accident occurred at about
1 p.m. She was pinned in the car by
its crumpled door and steering col
umn for more than an hour before
rescue workers were able to free her
from the wreckage.
Wyman Yelton was also trapped
in the car for about 20 minutes. The
car's roof had to be cut away to ex
tricate the two.
The Yeltons were taken by heli
copter to Duke University Medical
Center, where Mrs. Yelton died
Sunday night. Wyman Yelton re
mained in the hospital's intensive
care unit Tuesday after surgery on
his arm and shoulder.
Also killed in the wreck was
Olivia l-rigga Tjia, 21, ol C'ary. She
was returning to classes at the
University of North Carolina in
Chapel Hill after spending Easter
with her parents. Police say they
don't know what caused Tjia to lose
control of her 1986 Acura Integra
and cross the 1-40 median.
As emergency personnel worked
to tree the Yeltons, Easter Sunday
traffic was stopped for more than
two hours along a two-mile stretch
of the interstate near its intersection
with N.C. 54.
Yelton's seat was conspicuously
empty as the Brunswick County
Commissioners convened for their
regular meeting Monday night.
After calling the proceedings to or
der, Chairman Don Warren asked for
a moment of silence and said a
prayer for the Yeltons.
Warren suspended the meeting
agenda and requested nominations
for an acting county inaruu'c
Warren was appointed by a utian!
mous vote. The meeting was i
cessed until April 11 at 6:30 p.m.
After the meeting. Warren said he
would immediately begin the search
for a temporary county manager to
serve until Yelton recovers. He said
he hopes to find a "non-political"
candidate for the job and may seek
to ask "some retired people we
know with experience in govern
ment."
Warren said he hopes to find a
temporary replacement for Yelton
"as soon as possible." However, he
said it is unlikely that the position
will be filled at the next meeting.
County department heads are
(See YELTON'S, Page 2-A)
Inside...
Birthdays... 2B
Business News 9-10C
Calendar 8B
Classified I-9C
Crime Report 12C
Crossword 10A
Court Docket 11C
Fishing i 4D
Golf 5D
Obituaries 1IA
XV ? ? 4 ? *
People In The News 8D
Plant Doctor ....i.JB
Sports I-5D
Television 6-7B
Periods of high humidity- usually
in (lie morning and afternoon are
preferred because the spray sticks to
the leaves better under those condi
tions.
"Under perfect conditions we
could finish the first application in
three days," Dickcrson said. "A
more realistic estimate would be
somewhere between seven and ten
days." Bach treated area will receive
a second application of insccticidc
seven to 14 days after the first
spraying.
A squadron of six crop-duster
type aircraft will do the spraying
from a base of operations sol up at
ilu. Mrunswick County Airport near
l .ong Beach.
According to (he most recent pro
ject map released hy the task force
lucsday, the area to he sprayed in
eludes a strip extending inland about
(See MOTH, I'agc 2-A)