Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Oct. 27, 1994, edition 1 / Page 2
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Congressman Pledges Legislation To Reconfigure Lockwood Inlet BY DOUG R UTTER Congressman Charlie Rose plans to introduce legisla tion to open the old inlet between Lockwood Folly River and the ocean and restrict the flow of water through the existing inlet. The proposal ? endorsed by fishermen, local govern ments and other groups since 1989 ? is aimed at reduc ing erosion and improving water quality in the pollution plagued Lockwood Folly River. Rose announced his plans during a public rsrr'ing Monday night at Holden Beach Town Hall. He said he will introduce the legislation next month and hopes to push it through Congress next year. "I would hope this is something that's well under way by the end of 1995," Rose said after the meeting. "If it's properly shepherded I don't see why it can't be done fairly quickly." Rose's pledge comes about two weeks before the Nov. 8 election. The Democrat is seeking re-election to the Seventh Congressional District scat he has held since 1972. His challenger is Republican Robert Anderson. The proposed legislation discussed Monday would accomplish two things: close off the existing inlet by about 75 percent where it enters the waterway and open the sand-clogged Eastern Channel between Long Beach and Sheep Island. Eastern Channel served as the inlet between Lockwood Folly River and the ocean until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in the early 1930s. I ival fishermen 2nd other ares residents have pushed for the re-opening of Eastern Channel for the past five years. They say the existing inlet causes silt to build up in the lower Lockwood Folly River and destroy oyster beds. They also claim the inlet's position restricts water circulation and prevents the adequate flushing of bacter ial pollution from the river and nearby creeks. John Holden, a long-time resident of Holden Beach, proposed unclogging the Eastern Channel in 1989 to help alleviate the pollution problem. "That is not a new design. That's the way nature had it before man interfered with it," Holden said Monday night. Rose said he will draft the legislation so the Eastern Channel will be dredged to a depth of 8 feet. Once that's done, officials will be able to determine how much the existing inlet needs to be closed off. Rose said rock jetties probably could bctuscd to close off the inlet. Recent studies by the Corps of Engineers have not de termined whether opening Eastern Channel would be beneficial or cost effective. "All they want to do is study and study and study. Nobody has recommended any solution," Holden said. "I'm the only person who has recommended a solution." Long Beach Mayor Joan Altman said the town sup ports Holden 's proposal since the existing inlet isn't ade quate for most commercial boats and the change may help reduce pollution. The idea also drew support Monday from Save Our Shellfish, Holden Beach Property Owners Association, Greater Holden Beach Merchants Association, South Brunswick Islands Chamber of Commerce, N.C. Farm Bureau and Brunswick County Soil Conservation District. "I'm not here to kick the Corps of Engineers because I've met some good people there," said James Bellamy, SCS district chairman. "But when you ask the Corps of Engineers to admit they've made a mistake you're just fooling yourself." Rcsctts Short of Long Reach, a long-time member of the N.C. Coastal Resources Advisory Council, said she's been "fighting" the Corps since 1976. "This is what they've done. They've destroyed our natural resources." Short said. If it's approved by Congress, Rose said the inlet pro ject would probably require federal, state and local fund ing. "It's going to have to be par sed as a special piece of legislation to modify an existing navigation project which has caused erosion to land and the natural re sources," Rose said. A/Ian Released After Threatening Officers (Continued From Page 1-A) noticed that my shadow was coming in contact with his body," Stewart said. "I knew that if my shadow went beyond his body he would know that someone was behind him. At the point of my shadow reaching his left shoulder, I rushed him." Seeing his partner close in. Downer grabbed for the rifle as Holden was forced to the ground. An examination of the weapon revealed 23 bul lets in the 30-round magazine and another bullet in the chamber, ready to fire. After witnessing the arrest. Proctor said he was "amazed" at the patience and training exhibited by the officers. He said he was also impressed with the backup response by officers from Sunset Beach Police, Shallotte Police and the Brunswick County Sheriff's Department. "They saved Mr. Holden's life," Proctor said. Chief Pritchard acknowledged that Officer Downer would have been fully justified in firing on Holden and praised their handling of the situa tion. "My officers used remarkable restraint," Pritchard said. "This was an extremely dangerous situation in which this man had one of my offi cers in his sights. Officer Downer did absolutely the correct thing in trying to keep the suspect calm. Lt. Stewart did everything he could have done to protect his fellow officer." Pritchard also shared Proctor's disbelief at Holden's quick release from custody. "I can't understand why he was released so soon," Pritchard said. "We had already taken two guns, some hunting knives and a machete away from him. He was still in an intoxicated state. We could have had the same situation all over again. I think a serious mistake was made." Magistrate Elizabeth Lewis said Tuesday she originally set a $1,000 secured bond on Holden. Later that morning, she said another magistrate called her at home to say that Holden had been taken to Dosher Hospital for observation, where he had apparently "sobered up." After talking with the other magistrate, Lewis said she agreed to let Holden go free on an unse cured bond. "My job in setting bond is to make sure a de fendant comes to court," Lewis said. "He has been a lifelong resident. He had never been be fore me before. I felt he would come to court. From the information I got, his problem resulted from him being intoxicated." Pritchard said that shortly before the standoff with police, Holden pulled a pistol on a neighbor and threatened to kill him. The man was able to wrestle the gun away from Holden without being injured. It was turned over to Lt. Stewart on the way to Duneside Drive. No charges have been filed in that incident. Other officers responding to the call for back up included Pritchard, Detective Danny Hunter and officer Eric Lammonds from Ocean Isle Beach; Sunset Beach Police Lt. Sam Grantham; Shallotte Police Chief Rodney Cause and Brunswick County Sheriff's Deputies Keithan Home and Sgt. Charles Wilson. State Clears Way For Central Sewer System (Continued From Page 1-A) will be allowed to use a drained Carolina bay for "additional storage and polishing," Tombro said, but the sand ridge and fringe around the for mer bay are now classified as wet lands. "It will take some time to work it out," said Tombro. "You don't change anything overnight." According to the finding, the au thority plans a variety of measures to eliminate or reduce adverse ef fects on the environment. In addition to the stormwater management plan, these include groundwater monitor ing, sedimentation and erosion con trol, documentation that land-dis turbing activities will not release significant amounts of sediment into nearby streams, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers evaluations, consultation with the state's plant conservation program regarding three plants found in the area that are considered rare in North Carolina, 401 water quality certification and CAMA per mitting. The updated 201 facilities plan for the project includes additional possible mitigation measures that may or may not come to pass, de pending on the future directions tak en by the system and the cost of im plementing each measure. "We don't know which ones will or will not come about," said Tombro. "We will apply whatever type of mitigation we can within reason." Begun by the towns of Calabash and Sunset Beach, the quasi-govern mental authority recently added Brunswick County as its third mem ber, represented by Betty Williamson, John Williams and Tripp Sloanc, all of Occan Isle Beach. YES OR NO? Calabash Talks Referendum On Blythe Purchase BY ERIC CARLSON The Calabash Board of Com missioners on Tuesday agreed in principle to the idea of holding a binding referendum in which citi zens will be asked whether or not the town should purchase the sewer system that serves Carolina Shores. After a lengthy discussion, but formal no vote, the board gave ten tative approval to the plan, which is to be finalized at their next meeting. For more than two years, the board has been discussing the possi bility of buying the Carolina Blythe Utility Co, which provides water and sewer service to Carolina Shores and some other areas of the town. The purchase was initially considered as the cornerstone for a regional sewerage system to serve Calabash, Sunset Beach and other outlying areas. That proposal fell through after company owner Billy Burnett re fused to negotiate a purchase with engineers hired by the town. The commissioners eventually voted against buying the company at Burnett's "non-negotiable" asking price of $4.5 million. Instead, Calabash and Sunset Beach have joined in forming the South Brunswick Water and Sewer Authority to provide sewer both towns and other outlying areas. The $34 million plan calls for the con struction of a new joint sewage treatment facility to be paid for with user fees and state and federal grants and loans. At a special meeting called last May in the absence of Commissioner Edward Schaack, who had previously voiced opposi tion to the purchase, the remaining board members voted to reopen ne gotiations aimed at buying Carolina Blythe. When those discussions failed to meet Burnett's timetable for selling Carolina Blythe, he told the town he would begin looking for other buy ers. Even so, the commissioners have continued researching the fea sibility of purchasing the company and recently held a town meeting to discuss the issue. Columbus Man Is Arrested In Ocean Isle Beach Gun Theft A 30-year-old Chad bourn resident was arrested last week on felony charges stemming from the theft of a handgun and a purse from a car owned by a vacationer at Ocean Isle Beach last month, police said Tuesday. The suspect, David Clay Grice, was picked up in Columbus County by Brunswick County Sheriff's Detective Tom Hunter following an investigation by himself and Ocean Isle Beach Police Detective Danny Hunter. Grice was charged with larceny of a firearm and breaking and entering a motor vehicle in the theft of a handgun and a woman's purse from the car of a Chapel Hill couple visit ing Ocean Isle Beach. The man and wife returned to their car and found a window smashed and the items missing Sept. 20, Hunter said. The investigation led to Grice af ter he was arrested last Wednesday (Oct. 19) on a charge of assauii with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and communicating threats. Hunter said. Detectives say the parse was found buried in Ocean Isle Beach. The gun has not been recovered. Grice has been released on bond. THE BRUNSWHXfttMCON Established Nov. 1, 1962 Telephone 754-6890 Published Every Thursday At 4709 Main Street Shallotte, N.C. 28459 SUBSCRIPTION RATES IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY One Year $10.36 Six Months $5.55 ELSEWHERE IN NORTH CAROLINA One Year $14.86 Six Months $7.90 ELSEWHERE IN U.SA. One Year $15.95 Six Months $8.35 Second class postage paid at Shallotte, N.C. 28459. USPS 777 780. Postmaster, send address changes to: P.O. Box 2558, ShalloUe, N.C. 28459-2558 TUesday night, Commissioner Jon Sanborn reported that no clear pub lic consensus seemed to emerge from that meeting. He suggested that the town hold a referendum to gauge support for the idea of purchasing Carolina Blythe. Sanborn initially proposed a non binding vote in which all Carolina Blythe customers would be asked to voice their preference for one of three options: Either the town should buy the $4.5 million sewer system. Or the South Brunswick Water and Sewer Authority should be encouraged to purchase the com pany. Or Carolina Blythe should continue operating the sewer sys tem. Each option included cost esti mates for higher customer rates, since present Carolina Blythe cus tomers are expected to pay more for sewer service no matter which op tion the town chooses. There was much discussion of whether the referendum should be a binding vote or simply an opinion poll. A question was also raised about whether an informal vote should include only Calabash citi zens or all Carolina Blythe cus tomers who live inside and outside the town. Then the board wondered whether the latter two questions ought to be asked at all. In the end, the commissioners all expressed support for the idea of posing a single question: "Should the town of Calabash buy Carolina Blythe? Yes or no?" Before holding such a referen dum, however, the commissioners informally agreed that a newsletter should be drafted and distributed to all voters, explaining the pros and cons of the proposed purchase. Officially, the question was tabled for consideration at the board's Nov. 1 meeting. ALL , ...caE PEOPLE HAVE A YELLOW PAGE BOOK, BUT THEY'RE READING YOUR IN THE NEWSPA* 1 - ?yu ^cukwWio ne our friendly ad representatives. THE BRUNSWICK&MACffl ?MC0IV JOHN ELDRIDGE'S vacation home at 961 Ocean Boulevard West before Friday morning 's Naze destroyed it. Beachfront Blaze Takes Two Oceanfront Homes (C ontinued From Pace 1-A) West was awakened early Friday morning by his smoke alarm and left hts bedroom to investigate. Todd said. When he tried to return, he was driven back by smoke. After running next door to awak en neighbors in the next house to the cast. Eldridge dialed 91 1 from a cel lular phone in his car. Todd said That home belonged to Bill Mickey of Garner and was occupied by friends of Mickey from Archdale The cail came in at 4.50 a.m. The first truck arrived on the scene 13 minutes later, said Todd By then both homes were fully involved in flames and firefighters had to con centrate their efforts on keeping the blaze contained. In all. more than 40 firefighters from Tri-Beach, Civietown, Shallotte, Ocean Isle Beach. Supply and Long Beach responded to the fire. Todd said. With a gentle breeze blowing from the north, most of the heat was driven across the dune, setting the grass on fire and charring three wooden walkovers. At times the flames lofted well above the level of the two adjoining houses. The tan vinyl siding on one house peeled back in sheets, exposing the blue foam insulation beneath At one point, flames began pouring from the roof as the fire broke into the at tic. It was quickly extinguished by streams of water from firefighters behind the building and the large aerial pumper above. Other firefighters kept a steady stream of water on the two-story wall of wooden siding to the west. Still, the blackened wall continued to smoke long after the main fire was brought under control A wind from any other direction would have made matter* much worse, Todd said Flames driven to ward the road by an onshore breeze would have prevented firefighters from moving their equipment into position near the burning homes A strong side wind would have sent the billowing flames directly into neighboring houses "Like I've said before, in a case like that, someone will have to go down the road and decide where we should make a stand and try and stop it. because we're going to lose some houses in between," Todd said. Cooler Temps Are Expected With Average Precipitation Brunswick County residents au> expect below-average temperatures and normal precipitation over the next few days, according to Shallotte Point weather watcher Jackson Canady. Canady said Tuesday be expects temperatures to range from 50 de grees at nigbt to 70 degrees during the day with about one-half inch of rainfall over the next week. For the period Oct. 18-24. Canady measured .71 inches of rain at his home and a daily average temperature of 65 degrees, which is about 2 degrees above normal. The maximum high temperature was 79 degrees on Oct. 24 and the minimum low reading was 43 degrees on the 18th. The daily average high was 77 degrees end the average nightly low was 54 degrees. HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE BRUNSWICK&EACON POST OFFICE BOX 2558 SHALLOTTE, NORTH CAROUNA 28459 \NOTICE Reliable or consistent delivery cannot be guaranteed since this newspaper must rely on the U S \Postal Service for delivery VJe can only guarantee that your newspaper will be submitted to the post office in \Shallotte on Wednesday of the week of publication m time foi dispatch to out-of-town addresses that day. ? ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL: Sr. Citizen In Brunswick County Q6.30 05.30 N.C. Sales Tax 38 .32 ' Postage Charge 3.68 3.68 TOTAL 10.36 9.30 Elsewhere In North Carolina Q6.30 Q5.30 N.C. Sales Tax .38 .32 Postage Charge 8.18 8.18 TOTAL J4JS 13J0 Outside North Carolina U6.30 U5.30 Postage Charge Q fis Q fis TOTAL 15.95 14.95 j Complete And Return To Above Address I Name Address I City, State . ...
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Oct. 27, 1994, edition 1
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