StAff PHOTO BY BBC CARLSON woman blAM- r?OTO BY CI RESCUE WORKERS prepare to use a Hurst cutting tool to remove the body of an unidentified woman from a car that burst into flames after it was hit by a tractor trailer truck while trying to cross US. 17 near Calabash Tuesday afternoon. Drivers Injured In Single-Vehicle Wrecks TWo drivers were injured and charged in single-vehi cle accidents in Brunswick County Friday, Oct. 7, re ports the N.C. Highway Patrol office in Wilmington. Timothy Soles, 28, of Supply, was seriously injured when the 19H4 Ford truck he was driving ran off Seashore Road (S.R 1139) at approximately 1:15 a.m. Trooper D.B. Harvell reported that the northbound truck ran off the road on the left and struck and tree. Soles was charged with driving while impaired and driving while his license was revoked. Cyrenthia Bardon of Ash was treated at The Bruns wick Hospital for serious, but not incapacitating, in juries Friday after a 7:40 a.m. accident in Ash. According to the report filed by Trooper R.E. King, Bardon, 17, was traveling south on Big Neck Road (S.R. 1335) when her 1982 Honda ran off the roadway first on the right, then on the left, struck a mailbox and ran into a ditch. The car came out of the ditch and came to rest in a field. Bardon was charged with reckless driving. Changes Ahead For Ocean Isle VFD Changes arc on the way for the Ocean Isle Beach Volunteer Fire Department. Meeting Saturday, the Ocean Isle Beach Fire Protection Association, which owns and operates the de partment, elected three new direc tors and agreed for firefighters to join a state association that provides attractive benefits More than 40 people attended the association's annual meeting, a record, according to spokesman A1 Kale, who didn't know the previous record James Russ. Robert Ball and Maurice Moore were elected from a field of seven nominees to serve on the board of directors They succeed directors Bill Bullington. Johnny Hill and Frank Couvillon. barlicr the board met and elected Assistant Fire Chief AJ Crawford to complete the term of Ray Frickscn, who died in a highway accident last month. The association also concurred with Ode 1 1 Williamson's suggestion that the fire department join the N.C. Firemen's Association. The associa tion hopes that benefits available through the association will help at tract more firefighters and retain ex isting ones. Kale said those benefits include life and accident insurance, a pen sion fund, group health insurance rates and access to training materi als. After Williamson announced to town commissioners Tuesday that the association would be asking the town to absorb the S4K per member per year cost. Commissioner Kendall Suh volunteered to pay the S480 needed for 10 firefighters "Partly to appease my conscious for my lack of past support and to avoid the extra cost to the town," said Suh, admitting he's one of the property owners who didn't respond to an association letter seeking $25 contributions from all property own ers. Minutes earlier fellow Commis sioner Ken Proctor called on the town to investigate levying a 5-cent fire tax on unimproved properties as a more equitable means of support ing the department, though he gener ally opposes tax increases. The asso ciation mailed out 2.200 letters and has received just SI 2,000. "That's not enough," he said. Swh opposed any kind of tax in crease, saying the board could make allowances in the budget if the de partment needs more money. Speaking to the association Saturday, Mayor Betty Williamson reaffirmed the town's commitment to financial support of the fire de partment and its first res ponder pro gram. n YOU LOOK GREAT! Your Optician Must Be Optical Gallery New Selection of Designer Frames from /MNT-G/IRDE' CUCCI OOTCINC WE ARRANGE EYE EXAMS. ? Clip & Save" ~ ~ ft 0H1CALGALLERY ^ajuable^ou^orj YOUR CHOICE OF ANY FRAME IN STOCK With Lent Purchase. Coupon must be presented at time ot pur chase. Not good with any other special offer. EXPIRES 10-31-94 Across from Sandflddler Restaurant, Hwy. 1 30. Shallotte CALL TODAY 754-468CL ^ ? VOTE ? VOTE ? VOTE ? VOTE - VOTE Your Voice In Local Government! On November 8th Vote For Douglas Simmons District 1 County Commissioner " Honesty and Integrity in Government " Paid for by the committee to Elect Douglas Simmons >VOTE ? VOTE ? VOTE ? VOTE ? VOTE ? VOTE ? VOTE ? VOTE ? VOTE Ocean Isle Will Pass Along New County Water Rate Hike BY SUSAN USHER Water rates are going up at Ocean Isle Beach for the second time this year. This summer town commission ers adopted new rates to reflect a 10 percent increase in the cost ot water it purchases from Brunswick County. The county rate went up two years ago, but the town chose to absorb the difference. Tuesday, town commissioners upped the rate another 10 percent, again to pass along to customers an increase in the county wholesale wa ter rate. The county announced its latest rate increase after Ocean Isle Beach had made the earlier change. The 10-percent increase, which was recommended by the board's water committee, applies to all rate categories, said Mayor Betty Williamson, bringing the minimum usage rate of $10 to $11. Committee members recommend ed against any additional changes until spring, when the town will know if it's getting a state grant to build a new water tank and can also confer with a state consultant, said the mayor. It will also be spring before com missioners consider an ordinance to allow and regulate water meters for non-household use. Commissioners had agreed earlier this year to look into the feasibility of allowing the separate meters, af ter gauging the impact of increasing water rates and decreasing sewer rates. Presently all water used for household, migdiioii 01 uihei (im poses ? is measured through a single meter. It is the basis for sewer billing as well as water billing, whether or not the water entered the sewer system. Mayor Williamson said the water committee had recommended the town attorney, engineer and building inspector work on language for an ordinance. However. at Commissioner Ken Proctor's urging, she agreed for a committee to con tinue working on the project, with the goal of having an ordinance ap proved and in effect before the start of the 1995 season. Based on consulting engineer Finley Boney's research into how other towns provide for separate me ters, the cost could run as much as $700 upfront, with no change in minimum monthly billing. In other business the board: ? commended clerk Mary Anne Metz for achieving a 100 percent collection rate for both 1993 and all back property taxes; ? approved the planning board recommendation to have condomini um sites designate in advance of the 1995 season where replacement healing and air conditioning units will be located to meet new eleva tion standards; ? designated Commissioner Bill Benton, police commissioner, as the piiuliC official tO uCu! With AiCOiiom. Beverage Control permit and record matters; ? agreed to hire firefighter Brian Ericksen at $10 an hour as provi sional fire inspector through June 30, with the town to pay for any training expenses; ? authorized the mayor to negoti ate a right-of-way agreement with the N.C. Department of Transpor tation for improvements to Old Georgetown Road; ? heard from Building Inspector Druicd Roberson that his office is sued 13 permits in town for con struction valued at $169,610 and six permits in the extraterritorial area for construction valued at $25,830. "This month is a welcome breather for our office and for contractors be fore the fall storm," he said, noting that a large number of housing starts are planned, and for generally larger homes. ? heard an update from Mayor Williamson and Commissioner Ken dall Suh on the town's bcrm and re nourishment project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Introducing^ ACE Hardware PMajorAppliances Free Delivery 411 Main St North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582 " " mSRo edd. (803)249-2331 or Toll Free 1-800-346-1630 Sales & Service On All Major Brands JENNAIR DIGITAL SATELLITE SYSTEM Sharper Picture. Clearer Sound. Greater Choke ^urecaplbUi? 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