SHALLOTTE TRANSPORTATION
Bluff Bridge, Brierwood Access Removed From
Thoroughfare Plan
BY DOUG RUTTER
Shallotte officials approved a
town thoroughfare plan last week af
ter deleting two new entrances into
Brierwood Estates and a proposed
bridge that would have turned resi
dential Bluff Drive into a major traf
fic artery.
The plan features a series of pro
posed road construction and im
provement projects designed to re
duce traffic congestion on Main
Street and improve travel on the out
skirts of Shallotte.
Aldermen adopted the plan at a
meeting last Wednesday, one night
after presenting their top two priori
ties to the N.C. Board of
Transportation at a public hearing in
Wilmington.
Shallotte officials say one of the
most important elements of the thor
oughfare plan is a short road through
the Wal-Mart parking lot that would
connect Holden Beach Road and
Smith Avenue.
The board's other top priority is a
proposed extension of N.C. 179
from its intersection at Hale Swamp
Road north to U.S. 17 Business near
Shallotte Township Park. The road
would continue across U.S. 17
Business to N.C. 130 West near
Bridger Road, then continue east to
Smith Avenue.
It they can be constructed,
Shallotte officials say the new roads
would help keep vehicles heading to
and from Holden Beach and Ocean
Isle Beach from adding to down
town congestion.
Rick Blackwood of the N.C.
Department of Transportation's
statewide planning branch drafted
the thoroughfare plan, which was
adopted as proposed with two ex
ceptions.
Responding to residents of
Brierwood Estates, aldermen deleted
two new entrances into the golf
course community.
Blackwood said he included the
additional accesses into Brierwood
in the plan for the safety and conve
nience of residents, but he said the
entrances are not needed to aid traf
fie flow.
Aldermen also deleted from
Blackwood's plan a proposed bridge
across the Shallotte River connect
ing Bluff Drive to the south end of
Cheers Street.
The final plan does include con
struction of a road from the ?onth
end of Cheers east across Holden
Beach Road and Red Bug Road and
ending at Royal Oak Road. Bluff
Drive also is targeted for extension
from its intersection at Copas Road
behind Shallotte Middle School to
N.C. 179.
Blackwood proposed the Bluff
Drive bridge and extension to re
duce traffic on Main Street, but area
residents said last month they didn't
want their road turned into an alter
nate route to U.S. 17 Business.
Blackwood said 17,000 vehicles
use Main Street on an average day,
and a parallel road south of Main is
needed to reduce congestion that is
expected to get worse in the future.
Other proposals in the thorough
fare plan include the following:
? A road connecting Mintz Street
and Pender Road.
? An extension of Georgetown
Road from Ocean Isle Beach Road
to Hale Swamp Road.
? An extension of Ocean Isle
Beach Road across U.S. 17 to inter
sect with McMilly Road, and ulti
mately N.C. 130, west of Shallotte.
? An extension of Mulberry Road
west to N.C. 130 West and an exten
sion of New Britton Road west to
Mulberry Road.
? An extension of McMilly Road
across N.C. 130 West and connect
ing with Mulberry Road.
Although the town board has
adopted the plan, there is no guaran
tee the new roads will be built or ex
isting ones improved.
Blackwood said aldermen will
have to request funding for any pro
jects they want, and it takes at least
seven years for a project to be ap
proved and constructed.
Property Rezoned
Aldermen approved two requests
for rezoning last Wednesday, follow
ing recommendations of the town
planning hoard.
The board rezoned 14.82 acres
owned by Bobby Ray Russ and lo
cated on the east side of U.S. 17
Bypass between Northside Drive
and Forest Drive. The zoning was
chHngcd from B-2 (commercial) to
RAM- 15 (residential).
Rezoned from RA-15 (residential)
to B-2 (commercial) a portion of
Paul Smith's property on Paul's
Trail off Holdcn Beach Road. The
town rezoned 310 feet of property
along the road to a depth of 200 feet.
In both cases, the vote to re zone
the property was 4-1 with Alderman
Bill Allen dissenting.
Town board members voted unan
imously to appoint Shallottc busi
nessman H.L. Holmes to the plan
ning board scat recently vacated by
Tony Maglionc. The term expires
Feb. 4. 1996.
Other Business
In other business last week, alder
men:
? Appointed seven people to the
newly-formed Committee For The
Improvement of Shallotte. Ap
pointed were Gregory Rupp, Buddy
Millikcn Jr., Edward Thomas, Kathy
Bartlett, Jo Ann Simmons, Joe
Hewett and Shirley Waggoner
Eiscnman.
5 Receivfd the 1993-94 financial
audit report from Mike Chandler of
Brock, Padgett and Chandler CPA of
Shallotte. Chandler reported that the
town's tax collection rate has in
creased from 92 pcrcent three years
ago to 95. 1 percent last year.
Aldermen vowed to make an effort
to collect at least some the $8,900 in
unpaid water and sewer charges.
? Agreed to sponsor a Shallotte
Fireman of the Year Award. Fireman
Matthew Pait suggested that alder
men and town employees vote on
the recipient, hut aldermen said fire
department members should vote.
? Took no action on a request
from Surf City's town hoard to pass
a resolution opposing a North
Carolina saltwater recreational fish
ing liccnsc.
Delegation Of Democrats
Learning To Be Minority
(Continued From Page 1-A)
settled by encouraging better coop
eration between the school board
and the commissioners.
Each representative was asked
what issue they plan to emphasize
during the next legislative session.
Hill said "economic development
will be high on my priority list."
Redwine said he hoped to promote
education and welfare reform. Rep.
Thomas Wright said despite the
change in political climate, health
care would remain a focus of his
legislative efforts.
"This is a problem that has to be
addressed." said Wright, a member
of the N.C. Health Planning
Commission who works as a para
medic. "There is a crisis in health
care and I will debate any
Republican who says there isn't a
crisis.
"You can go down to that emer
gency room right now and I guaran
tee that 60 percent of the people in
there would get medical treatment
soiTiCWuerc coc u iiicy rmti hcdicn
coverage," Wright said. "The
chances for a major health reform
package may be bleak, but I'm go
ing to work my fanny off to see that
pieces of it pass."
Wright's 98th District includes a
small portion of northeastern
Brunswick County along with parts
of Columbus, New Hanover and
Pender counties. He is chairman of
the house Special Populations
Committee.
In thanking them for their partici
pation, Joe Stanley, president of the
South Brunswick Islands Chamber
of Commerce assured the legislators
that "you don't have to be in the ma
jority to get things done."
"I can tell you from experience
that being in a minority docs not
make you helpless," he said.
Co-sponsors for the event were
the Southport-Oak Island Chamber
of Commerce and the North
Brunswick Chamber of Commerce.
Outgoing Board Okays
Final Expenditures;
One More Meeting Set
(Continued From Page 1-A)
Bladen and Columbus Counties.
At the continuation of its recessed
meeting Nov. 30, the commissioners
will consider two appointments to
the Brunswick County Board of
Health, two positions on the Aging
Advisory Board and one seat each
on the EDC, the Brunswick County
Library Board of Trustees, the
Coastal Resources Commission and
several other boards.
In other business Monday night,
the commissioners:
? Accepted a bid of $86,263 from
Camp Construction Co. of Wil
mington for replacing the roof on
the sheriff's department building
and the tax offices. The expenditure
was included in this year's budget.
The contract was awarded to the
lowest of five bidders.
? Tabled consideration of a reso
lution approving an installment fi
nancing plan to provide a maximum
of $8 million for the construction of
a new North Brunswick Elementary
School in Leland.
? Approved a request from coun
ty extension Director Milton Cole
man to create a position of Com
mercial Horticulturist, to be jointly
funded by Brunswick, Columbus
and Robeson counties. Region
alizing the post and jointly funding
it with the other participants will not
require any county expense during
this budget year, Coleman said.
? Authorized the finance officer
to hold a public auction Saturday,
Jan. 14, 1995, to dispose of surplus
personal property belonging to the
county.
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ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL: Sr. Citizen
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Sewer Authority, Taxpayers' Group
Battle By Mail; Lawsuit Threatened
BY LYNN CARLSON
In a brief meeting Saturday afternoon, eight of
nine members of the South Brunswick Water and
Sewer Authority agreed to refute in writing a
Sunset Beach Taxpayers Association mailing
claiming the state Division of Environmental
Management overrode its own staff's recom
mendation to issue a "Finding of No Significant
Impact" (FONSI) on the proposed S3S.6 million
Sunset Beach-Calabash central sewer project.
On a motion by member George "Tripp"
Sloane, the authority approved a three-page let
ter claiming the SBTA "distorts the facts about
the central wastewater treatment system. ..in or
der to elevate the self-interests of some of its in
dividual members above the good of the com
munity."
Letters were mailed Monday from the authori
ty to everyone on the Sunset Beach tax rolls
claiming that the SBTA mailing is "replete with
factual misstatements, substantially distorts
many of the facts which are correctly stated and
attempts to impugn the integrity of key State en
vironmental officials."
Authority president George Knott, speaking
before his board and an audience including
Sunset Beach Mayor Mason Barber and four
town councilmen, accused the SBTA of "false
hoods. lies and innuendo" and said it is time for
the authority to "draw a line in the sand."
The unsigned SBTA mailing, dated Nov. 15,
asks the organization's members to comment on
whether an environmental impact statement
should be a prerequisite to the central sewer sys
tem.
"After carefully reviewing the proposal, the
SBTA Board's opinion is thai the environmental
problems associated with the consequential ex
plosive growth have not been adequately ad
dressed." it states.
Attached is a copy an Aug. 30 internal DEM
memorandum from Reg Sutton, state environ
mental assessment coordinator for the project,
outlining "some problem areas which lead me to
conclude that there is sufficient justification for
an environmental impact statement to be pre
pared on the proposed project."
The authority's mailing counters that Sutton
"was just one of a number of people responsible
for assessing the potential environmental im
pacts of the Project" and that by thr time DEM
made its decision "many of the concerns raised
in Dr. Sutton's internal memorandum had al
ready been fully addressed by the Authority's
environmental and engineering consultants."
The SBTA letter contains a section entitled
"Vote for Legal Action." saying the group's
board of directors believes SBTA should be pre
pared to sue if an environmental impact state
ment is not required. The section includes a bal
lot to be completed only by members who op
pose legal action. "No reply is considered an af
firmative vote." the accompanying text states.
The authority's letter, over Knott's signature,
says "any such litigation would be spurious and
only result in the imposition of unnecessary ad
ditional costs cn the taxpayers in the Authority's
service area."
It continues, "The mechanism which the SB
TA has established to determine whether its
members :re willing to pursue litigation once
again evidences a total disregard for the interests
of all but an elite few."
SBTA's mailing states. "While not opposing a
central sewer system, the SBTA Board does not
believe DEM has collected sufficient informa
tion to determine that there will be no significant
environmental impact from the project. We be
lieve an E1S is essential to identify and plan mit
igation measures for the inevitable adverse envi
ronmental impacts created. and that an enforce
able stormwater ordinance exist prior to State
approval of the project."
The authority claims "the proposed
system. ..including a stormwater management
program, serving southwest Brunswick County,
including the Towns of Sunset Beach and
Calabash, will be of significant benefit to both
the environment and the people in the areas
which it serves."
Of the SBTA mailing it concludes, "The
Letter states that the SBTA does not oppose a
central sewer system. Their actions say other
wise. The fact is, the SBTA clearly does oppose
a central sewer system and is willing to go to
any lengths, including distorting the truth, to
stop the project"
Both the SBTA board and the South
Brunswick Water and Sewer Authority have
called for public comment on the DEM "Finding
of No Significant Impact."
Comments to be considered must be received
by Nov. 28 at this address: Mrs. Chrys Baggett.
Director, North Carotin* State Clearinghouse.
116 West Jones St.. Raleigh NC 27603-8003
letters should include a reference to the SB
WSA project number 95 E4 3000268.
Panel Votes Down New Bird Island Protection
(Continued From Page 1-A)
break a tie. Molly Fearing was ab
sent and there is one vacant seat on
the commission.
"If the public wants to preserve
this land, they need to cough up the
money to buy this land," said
Thornton.
Ducker said the CRC vote was
not detrimental to the society's
preservation effort, but was "not
good for momentum."
The nomination process did get
on record the CRC's assessment that
Bird Island qualifies as a coastal
complex AEC because of its natural
and aesthetic values, he said. "Hope
fully the staff will utilize that when
considering permits for the bridge or
for any future development that
might occur on the island."
It was the second time the com
mission voted to override a staff rec
ommendation relating to Bird Island
IN SHALLOTTE
BRING HOME
THEftttACON
On Sale At
auce rs
ATEX GAS STATION
THE BRUNSWICK BEACON
COASTAL DRUGS
EAST GATE SQUARE
EXPRESS STOP
FOOD UON
HANDY HUGOS EXXON
HOMESTYLE LAUNDRAMAT
JOE'S BAR-B-QUE
KERR DRUGS
KiRBY'S STEAK HOUSE
MARGIE'S RESTAURANT
MINUTE MAN
OCEAN PALMS EXXON
PAWN USA
POST OFFICE
RESORT PLAZA
SANDFIDDLER
SCOTCHMAN
SHADY PARK EXXON
SHALLOTTE PLAZA
STARVIN MARVIN
TWILIGHT MOTEL
WILSON'S SUPERMARKET
JONES STORE
"If the public wants to
preserve this land, they need to
cough up the money to buy this
land. "
? CRC Member Timothy Thornton
and the AEC nomination
Staff to the CRC, the N.C.
Division of Coastal Management,
this summer first recommended tak
ing no action on the nomination, but
the commission overrode that pro
posal.
Following a detailed study or
dered by the CRC, the staff's new
recommendation was to award the
new AEC designation and to adopt
use standards that would allow low
density development and provide
additional protection to natural and
aesthetic values such as rare species
and wetland and upland habitat.
Examples include lighting design to
reduce impact on nesting sea turtles
THE BRUNSWKKftKACON
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.S.A.
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,
Shallotte, N.C. 28459-2558
and restrictions on introduction of
non-native plant species.
The recommended overall man
agement strategy would have been
"to safeguard its biological relation
ships and aesthetic qualities".
Developers would have been re
quired to show how they would pro
tect certain plant and animal life.
Ilie C'RC vote was one of two ac
tions at last week's meeting that
benefitted Bird Island's owner.
Another CRC committee, on im
plementation & standards, informal
ly interpreted a rule favorable to de
velopment of Bird Island. The N.C.
Coastal l-'cderation had pointed out
to the CRC that its inlet hazard area
designation does not allow struc
tures with a "total floor area" larger
than 5,000 square feet, and asked if
a bridge were considered a structure.
Several environmental organiza
tions had hoped the requirement
could be used to block issuance of a
permit for a concrete bridge across
Mad Inlet to Bird Island.
The committee interpreted the
reference as applying only to cn
closed structures, not lo bridges or
roads
The ("R("s f-nday sevsion was cut
short by a voluntary evacuation of
Bogue Banks because of Tropical
Storm Gordon, said staff spokesman
Alison Davts. and commivsion did
not get lo vole on the committee's
interpretation.
Based on the interpretation staff
plans to go ahead and ivsue permits
for two projects within inlet hazard
areas. One is for a road to serve a
house built in an inlet hazard area,
and the other for Duncscape subdi
vision on the cast end of Holdcn
Beach.
"The question was raised regard
ing Bird Island but wc had these
other two similar permit cases pend
ing where the review was completed
and the clock was ticking," said
Davis
The commission delayed hearing
several variance requests until its
January meeting, including one by
David Mill of Ocean Isle Beach He
wants to screen in a porch that lies
within a hazard area.
At that meeting the CRC could
decide to proceed with a major
rewrite of its sandbag ordinance fol
lowing a public hearing last
Thursday at which 10 people spoke.
Most raised objections to specific
points, such as limits on how long a
sandbag structure could be main
tained and allowing only one sand
bagging permit for the life of the
properly.
Thanksgiving Temperatures
Expected To Feel Like Fall
After several weeks of warmer
than usual weather, temperatures are
expected to swing a little below av
erage over the next few days across
the South Brunswick Islands.
Temperatures will probably av
erage from the mid-40s at night into
the lower 60s during the daytime,
with typical rainfall, about one-half
inch, Shallotte Point meteorologist
Jackson Canady said Tuesday.
For the period Nov. 15-20, he
recorded a high of 78 degrees on
Nov. 15 and a low of 48 degrees on
Nov. 20.
The daily average temperature
was 64 degrees, or 10 degrees
above average. It was based on a
daily average high of 72 degrees
and a nightly average low of 57 de
grees.
Canady recorded one and two
thirds of an inch of rainfall, which
is above average.