Engineer: Cutting Shallotte
Sewer Costs Won't Be Easy
BY DOUG RUTTER
An engineer told Shallotte offi
cials last week there's no simple or
inexpensive way to reduce the
$70,000 the town spends each year
maintaining and repairing sewer sys
tem equipment.
Engineer Street Ixe, project man
ager with McKim & Creed of Wi
lmington, presented findings from a
sewer system evaluation at the town
board's meeting last Wednesday.
"1 think we're here tonight to tell
you there's not an easy, quick fix to
lower your operation costs," said
Lee, who also is designing the
town's sewer system expansion.
Although hesitant to make a rec
ommendation, Lee said the best al
ternative would be to construct addi
tional force mains between Brier
wood Estates and the wastewater
treatment plant north of U.S. 17
Bypass.
But with an estimated cost of
$424,000, Lee suggested the town
board not act on the proposal until
his engineering firm completes a
long-range "master plan" that should
be done next month.
"We did not find an easy, low
cost solution to that problem, and it
needs to hold until we see what the
master plan will bring," Lee said.
Town officials agreed. Mayor
Sarah Tripp said making improve
ments before the master pian is fin
ished would be a waste of money.
In drafting the master plan, Lee
"/ think we 're here
tonight to tell you
there's not an easy,
quick fix to lower
your operation
costs. "
? Street Lee, engineer
said engineers are considering how
much wastewater residents and busi
nesses will be generating 20 years
down the road and pinpointing ways
to serve five major geographical ar
eas.
By waiting for the master plan be
fore proceeding with cost-cutting
measures. Lee said the town may be
able to tie in the immediate im
provements with future sewer ser
vice needs.
Town Clerk Mary Etta Hewett
said Shallotte spent $73,872 on
maintenance and repair of sewer
equipment last fiscal year, and most
of that was for the individual pumps
installed at each home and business.
Lee said Sh|llotte's fast growth
over the last 10 years has resulted in
the town's collection system receiv
ing more wastewater than it can effi
ciently handie. The town has about
612 customers.
McKim and Creed's report says
Weekly Crossword
121
fsr
1 29
per
CLUES ACROSS
1 . Break
3. Douse
5. Victuals
7. Atmospheric Instrument
9. Converse
10. Bargain
11. Moor
14. Lover
15. Shaft
17. Adder
18. Swell
19. Mannequin
20. Fortunate
23. Throw
25. Cozy
27. Smashed
28. Pay
29. Conducted
30. Tidy
CLUES DOWN
1. Tear
2. Zenith
3. Idler
4. Fold
6. Watch-face
7. Innocent
8. Rebuke
11. Dirty dwelling
12. Savory jelly
13. Robust
14. Fleece
16. For what reason?
21. Pending
22. Massage
23. Melt
24. Footwear
25. Observed
26. Present
(Answers are on Page 8-A)
Coastal Carolinas Pain Center
Located at The-Brunswick Hospital
754-3099
"I Didn't Need Back Surgery!"
James Bryant had a sudden onset of
back and hip pain 4 months ago. After
having both CAT and MRI scans, he was
told he had a "slipped disc"
and was offered back
surgery. James wanted
to try other treatment
options before consid
ering surgery and
received a series of
epidural steroid injec
tions. These injections
relieve pain by reducing
pressure on nerves caused
by swelling and inflammation near the
spine.
C1W4 THE B?UNSW(CK BEACON
CALL KENNETH L. WILLEFORD, M.D.
Anesthesiologist Pain Management Specialist
the system can operate efficiently
with !5 !o 20 numps running simul
taneously, but at any given moment
there are 30 to 40 pumps running.
The result is increased wear on
the pumps, which leads to a variety
of problems including corrosion,
seal failure, couplings failure and
excessive power consumption.
Mayor Tripp said the town would
need larger lines to really improve
the collection system and lower
maintenance costs.
"What we had when we began is
like a home when you're first mar
ried. TWo rooms is fine, but as your
family grows you need more. We've
grown a lot and those pipes just
don't grow," she said.
In evaluating the existing sewer
system. Lee said engineers used a
computer hydraulic model of the
system and considered six alterna
tives they thought might cut opera
tion costs.
McKim & Creed's report says on
ly one alternative would "provide a
meaningful improvement to the hy
draulics of the system" by allowing
pumps to operate more efficiently.
The recommendation calls for
constructing 1 1 ,600 feet of 6-inch
diameter force main from the exist
ing pump station on Wall Street to
the treatment plant on Forest Drive,
parallel to the existing force main.
It also includes constructing about
3,000 feet of new 4-inch force main
from Brierwood northward to the in
tersection of Bluff Drive and River
Road and 5,500 feet of 6-inch force
main to the pump station.
"It will not solve all maintenance
problems," said Lee, who did not say
how much the town could expect to
save by making the improvements.
Alderman Carson Durham said
the existing problems show that the
town shouldn't have waited so long
to do a master plan.
"This is something we should
have done years ago. This is hind
sight. This shows what a master plan
can do for you." he said.
Coastal Carolinas
Health Alliance
Hosts Peer Day
Coastal Carolinas Health Alli
ance. a not-for-profit corporation
made up of health care organizations
in southeastern North Carolina, re
cently hosted its fourth annual Peer
Group Day.
The Oct. 27 event drew 97 repre
sentatives of alliance-member hospi
tals to the alliance office in Leland. ^
Coastal Carolinas Health Alliance
^ was formed to "improve the organi
zation and delivery of health care
services through members of the al
liance."
Brunswick Hospital CEO Mark
Gregson reported from the alliance's
Managed Care Taskforce on trends
in managed care systems and re
viewed alliance activities. Other al
liance peer groups and task force
leaders also made presentations.
Alliance members include The
Brunswick Hospital, J. Arthur Dos
her Memorial Hospital, Bladen
County Hospital, Cape Fear Mem
orial Hospital, Columbus County
Hospital, Duplin General Hospital,
New Hanover Regional Medical
Center, Pender Memorial Hospital
and Southeastern Regional Medical
Center.
su^-TSSTSTTrrcAt, son'
CIVIETOWN Volunteer Firefighter Jackie Griffith examines the damage to a Mazda pickup truck in
volved in a collision with a Pepsi delivery vehicle on Holden Beach Road Saturday afternoon. The dri
ver H as slightly injured, but did not need to be transported to the hospital. The other driver h as unhurt.
Details of the incident were not available from the S.C. Highway Patrol at press time.
SECOND DRIVER SERIOUSLY INJURED
26 Students Treated For Minor
Injuries; Bus Driver Charged
Twenty-six South Brunswick
Middle School students were treated
for minor injuries at a Southport
hospital last TuevJay after their
school bus collided with a passenger
car at the intersection of N.C. 133
and N.C. 87 and their driver was
charged with a yield violation.
Bus No. 141 had 41 pupils on it
when driver Corrina Campbell, 39,
of Lcland. began making a left turn
onto N.C. 87 at the Military Ocean
Terminal Sunny Point intersection at
about 7:20 a m The bus was on its
way to the middle school on Cougar
Drive at Bailing Spring Lakes.
The bus failed to yield the right of
way to a westbound 1983 Ford Es
cort operated by Tammy Lanier
Albright. 23, of Winnabow. accord
ing to the report filed by State
Highway Patrol Trooper D.A.
Lewis.
The Albright vehicle struck the
1 987 Ford school bus at a point near
its right rear axle, with the Escort
coming to rest in the middle of N.C.
133. and the bus coming to rest in
the northbound lane of N.C. 87.
Southport emergency volunteers
used the "Jaws of Life" to free
Albright from her vehicle. She was
admitted to Dosher Memorial
Hospital in Southport for treatment
of serious, incapacitating injuries
She has since been released.
The driver of the bus was treated
at Dosher for minor injuries, as were
26 of her passengers.
Damage to the bus was estimated
at $2,500, and to the Albright car,
S 1 ,500.
The intersection was the scene of
a fatal head-on collision in March
1993. In January a flashing light has
been replaced with a full traffic sig
nal.
State traffic engineers have pro
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posed realigning the intersection to
give N.C. 87 motorists the right of
way and to have all traffic enter the
military terminal from N.C. 133 on
ly, but the project has not received
funding by the State Board of
Transportation.
Plaas to realign (he N.C. 87/N.C.
133 intersection have also been
linked to a proposal by Martin
Marietta Mining to open a quarry off
N.C. 133 between the terminal and
Carolina Power & Ught Co.'s
Brunswick Nuclear Plant Among
other concerns area residents ques
tioned the increased volume of
heavy truck traffic that would use
the intersection
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