Hoiden Report: Real Estate Office Too Close To Ocean
BY DOUG KUTTEil
It's up to the stale to decide what action,
if aay, should be taken regarding a Holden
Beach office building that the town allowed
to be built doaer to the ocean than regula
tions allow.
A town committee reported Monday that
the Coastal Development A Realty building
exceeds 5,000 square feet, and therefore,
should have been set bach at least 120 feet
Commissioner Jim Fournier, chairman of
the fact-finding committee, said the total
square footage of the three-story commer
cial structure at 131 Ocean Blvd. West is
5374.
N.C. Division of Coastal Management
regulations say any building with more than
5,000 square feet must be set back at least
120 feet from the first line of vegetation.
"My understanding of the situation con
cerning square footage is that our people
did not realize that total square footage in
the building was a factor, only the foot
print," Fournier said in a written report.
Commissioner Dwight Carroll, who was
building inspector when the office was con
structed in the fall of 1992, said Monday
there was no intent on his part to violate
any rules.
"I had no knowledge of it whatsoever un
til a month ago," Carrol! said of the setback
"It HY/.sVl
now n \ in C AM \ \
hands. " =
Dw lulu (\u lull
violation. "It's just in CAMA's hands. It
was a goof and now it's in CAMA's HandJL"
Said Cnnmiiwioner Sid Swans, "wp
were wrong. We approved that building for
more than 5,000 square feet and it's a viola
tion. It was wrong. We can't shrink it."
The town committee was appointed last
month at the request of Coastal Manage
ment district manager Bob Stroud after his
agency received a complaint from Holden
Beach homeowner C.H. Osborn.
Osbom, whose house is next door to the
Ccsstal Development office, raised several
concerns about the commercial building in
a Feb. 28 letter to Coastal Management.
Fournier said Brunswick County Health
Department officials are looking into
Oahorn'* allegations that the septic sys ten
n overloaded and pavement wm i!lrg?My
placed over part of the septic tank area.
Regarding Osbom 's other complaints,
Foumier uid town rfftvH* inHi^l? ih?
homeowner was notified prior to construc
tion.
Also, Foumier said there was no viola
tion of the town's five-foot side yard set
back requirement and no violation regard
ing contractors used to build the office.
"All ! tried to do was present ?tv fsct* "
we found them... We are presenting facts.
We are not calling for any assumption of
blame or anything." Foumier said of the
two-page committee report
"As fcr as any enforcement authority we
have, i dsn'! Scssw what it is. We don't en
force CAMA regulations and we don't en
force health department regulations," Four
njy
Commissioners asked Town Manager
(See PROBLEM, Page 2-A)
t#
Making Friends
Fred Karger of Southport feeds a carrot to Charlie, one of three Horses who enUHuiiud rssidssSs St
the Autumn Care Nursing Home in ShaUotte Friday morning. The show was organized by Charlie's
owner, Autumn taw Administrator Tmi HiM {center), to recognize niaoonai Nursing Haenm Week.
Residents also etyoyed a Mather S Day tea, a quit show, a wheel chair parade, cookouts and bingo
games as part of the week's festivities.
Schools Encouraged By 4th
Grade Writing Test Results ?*
BY SUSAN USHER
Brunswick County's younger stu
dents are writing more and, judging
from the latest state a? ?el re
sults. f naming themselves better.
Fourth grade students were asked
to write thi; same kind of composi
tion as last year's fourth grade, a
personal narrative. This year 36.9
percent of the students received av
Mayw wi Uciig* usqwtu tt>
21.4 percent last year. This year's
scores are above the statewide aver
age of 34 J percent
"We were very pleased with the
fourth grade results; they indicate
growth,'* said Gloria Ihlley, director
of staff development and assess
ment. These are children who have
been exposed to print since Irinder
flsftca.
"I think it's what we've been do
ing in the classroom This is reaffi/
fiwrtow that tbe things we are doing
M? paying off. 1 hope it will filter on
up."
"Students are writing more ? I
would say every day ? and teachers
are creating an atmosphere in which
?sr are wiUis? to take risks with
their writing." said TUley
She said the State Board of
Education feels that if students can
read and write well they can do well
in other areas. That philosophy is re
flected in administering the the writ
ing tests. Teachers cannot read the
prompt to any student
Generally. Brunswick County
eighth grade students are showing
improved or steady performance
from year to year in their ability to
cjqaeas themselves through tbe vari
ous types of writing tested by the
Local scores generally reflect
statewide trends. "Our scores tend to
go up when the state's go up and
down when the state's go down,"
?aid Ihlley.
Since 1983-86, the first year
eighth graders wr*e tested, eighth
H>aders achieving standard (2.5)
Uoores on persuasive writing have
ppcreased bom 13.9 percent in 1985
96 to 75.1 percent in 1989-90, 55.7
percent in 1991-92 and 54.1 percent
this year. Overall, local eighth grade
results have fallen just shy of the
state average for the past four years.
Sixth grade scores have shown
the greatest inconsistency. In the
years students had the clarification
prompt, for example, the block of
students achieving standard scores
has ranged from 26 percent in 1985
86 to a high of Sl.l percent in 1987
88, down to 38 percent this year.
Sixth grade scores have been be
low the state average by a 10 per
cent margin or more for the past
four years.
The state curriculum focuses oo
teaching personal or imaginative
narrative writing in fourth grade,
clarification and descriptive writing
in sixth grade, and the more com
plex point of view and persuasive
writing in eighth grade.
Students do not know which of
the two types of writing they study
that year will appear oo the writing
In the writing process taught in
the county schools, students are
taught to concentrate on getting their
ideas down on paper, then editing.
On the annual tests, students at all
grade levels were expected to write
in complete paragriqihs and use
good sentences, with correct gram
mar, spelling, punctuation and capi
talization. Students weren't penal
ized on their composition score for
errors in mechanics, but received a
separate proficiency rating.
On the 1993-94 test, fourth grade
students were asked to write a per
sonal narrative exposition, telling a
story "about a time you enjoyed
with a friend." They were directed
to make sure the story had a begin
ning, a middle and an end.
Sixth graders were asked to
"think about a time when you felt
'proud' of yourself. Name the time
and explain why you felt proud of
yourself." They were to write a clar
ification composition, giving at least
two reasons why they felt proud and
explaining those reasons.
Eighth graders were given this
persuasive writing prompt: "The
manager of the mall is considering a
mall policy which will state that
teenagers under the aye of fifteen
may not be in the mall without an
adult chaperone. Much of the
shoplifting and property damage has
been attributed to teenagers.
"Write a letter to the manager of
the mall telling him/her whether you
agree or disagree with the policy.
Persuade the manager to take the ac
tion you want taken." They were to
give a least two different reaaons in
(See GRADE 4, Page 2-A)
Dn ? mc\ ? /i/'lx Uitac
ui vi iovv iv-rv i 111
'Professional Temp'
As Interim Manager
BY ERIC CARLSON
With tittle fanfare and a sigh of
relief, Brunswick Commissioners
Monday voted unanimously to hire a
professional temporary administra
tor to overwe county government
until hospitalized County Manager
Wyman Yelton can return to work.
The new administrator, Charles
Donald McGinnis, is a North Caro
lina native and former manager of
Cabarrus, Catawba and Gaston
counties who has worked as a re
placement manager in government
and business while under contract
with a Boston, Mass., administrative
temporary service.
' The commiationcrs agreed to pay
McGinnis $270 a day for a mini
mum of 30 days, aAcf which he will
serve at the pleasure of the board
until Yelton is well enough to re
sume his duties.
Commissioners Chairman Don
TCssa toX the bo sd =: S&aday's
meeting that be visited Yelton in
Rex Hospital in Raleigh Sunday.
Yeiton had been recovering at a
skilled nursing facility, but had to
be returned to hospital care due to a
fluid buildup in his lungs. Warren
said.
Yelton was seriously injured in an
Faster Sunday head-on collision on
Interstate 40 in Durham that claimed
the life of his wife and a University
of North Carolina coed. He is ex
pected to be out of work at least un
til late summer.
"He was real
alert and jovial
yesterday." War
ren said Mon
day. "His prog
nosis is still
good, providing
they can deter
mine the cause
of the fluid
McGINNIS buildup."
McGinn is began work as Yelton's
temporary replacement Tuesday
morning. He said he plans to meet
with county department heads this
week and to begin reviewing pro
posals for th- 1994-95 budget,
which is scheduled for presentation
to the commissioners early next
month.
"It's going to be a cram course,"
McGiaais said. Tii be trying to find
out as much as I can as quickly as I
___ n
can.
It's a task McGinn is has undertak
en many times under his contract
with Project and Interim Manage
ment Executives Inc. (PRIME). His
most recent assignment assignment
with the company was a seven
month stint as interim manager for
the City of Mount Holly.
McGinn is has also worked for
1
PRIME as temporary manager of
Anson County and a management
consultant for Lee County, Va. His
private industry assignments have
included work as an interim admin
istrator for Anson Memorial
Hospital in Wadesboro and as a
sales representative for the Gastonia
firm of Megathcn, Inc.
Before going to work for PRIME,
McGinnis was the permanent man
ager of Cabarrus County for 11
yean. He has also worked as county
manager of Gaston and Catawba
counties.
Assault Suspect
May Be Serial
r 1
'by ERIC CARLSON
Local detectives believe that a
mas anrsted on rape charges in
Onslow County recently may be a
serial rapist who sexually assaulted
and mutilated a Wilmington woman
earlier this month and who may be
responsible for
at least one oth
er rape in
Brunswick
County.
The suspect,
Russell Lee
Kirk, 33. of
Chadwick's
Mobile Home
Park in Leland.
has been
charged here with four counts of
first-degree sexual offeree and one
charge each of first-degree rape,
m ? * J - a ? a ? ? ?
IUUU?|^m)g MM OBMMUI
with a deadly weapon inflicting seri
ous injury, Brunswick County
Sheriff's Detective Steve Mason
said Tuesday.
Kirk is accused of picking up a
prostitute at her home in Wil
mington, driving her to Navassa and
forcing her to perform multiple sex
acts while threatening to kill her
with a laz or knife. Mason said.
During her four-hour ordeal.
Mason said Kirk used the knife to
cut off a portion of the victim's
Originally from Oca la. FU., Kirk
also resided in Virginia and Ohio be
fore moving to Leland. Manon has
issued a bulletin on the police com
puter network requesting informa
tion from authorities in those states
regarding any unsolved sexual as
sault cases that resemble Kirk's al
(See ASSAULT. Pace 2-A)
In Perfect Harmony
Harmtmy, the West Brunswick High School Show Choir, rater
tains twic volu^itecn c ifttf a^ctk
ai Union ctrffiftfaf/ School. Pictured arc singers/ dancers Heather
BrwmekmaiSttBMkn,
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