THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
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VOLUME 46 NUMBER 5 20 PAGES TODAY SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA AUGUST 21,1974 10 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
TELL THE MAN on the street the new Southport Primary School is this far
along and he wouldn’t believe it, but here’s a Tuesday photograph that shows
progress made on the school building in the northwest sector of town. School
opens in Brunswick County this Friday, and hopefully in this structure a year
from now.
Yaupon
Termed
Zoning
‘Illegal’
By BOBBY HILL
In denying a preliminary
injunction Tuesday to op
ponents of a Yaupon Beach
condominium, Supreme
Court Judge Harry Cannady
concurred with defendants
that Yaupon Beach has no
legal extra-territorial zoning.
The decision almost ends a
suit by Yaupon planning
board chairman John
Thompson, who contended
that a residential apartment
(RA) zone for the con
dominium had been illegally
adopted. Thompson had filed
the suit July 25 requesting a
list of injunctions and seeking
to nullify zoning for the $5
million condominium. He
contends the RA zone was
adopted “without proper
notice and advertisement’’
required by state law and
town ordinance.
In the sometimes spec
tacular court battle Monday
and Tuesday, defense at
torneys argued there is no
record of required legal steps
taken by the town to establish
extra-territorial zoning
jurisdiction.
Defendant lawyers in
cluded G. Thomas Gall for
landowners hoping to sell to
condominium developers,
Williams Shell for developer
Venture Mangement, Inc.
and A H. Gainey for the Town
of Yaupon Beach, its plan
ning board and town council.
The plaintiff was
represented by attorney
Theodore E. Corvette, Jr., of
Cary.
The judge ' initially
dismissed the Thompson
complaint. However, after
strenuous argument by at
torney Corvette, Judge
Cannady ruled that the
(Continued on page 14)
Asks Meeting With Officials
Kopp Sees Stumbling Block
En Route To New Hospital
By BILL ALLEN
County Commission
Chairman William Kopp, Jr.,
has proposed that a joint
meeting be held between
local and state officials to
solve the hospital question in
Brunswick County.
Kopp requested that
Secretary David Flaharty of
the Department of Human
Resources “immediately set
up” a meeting with Medical
Care Commission and Health
Planning Council officials,
representatives of the South
port Board of Aldermen and
the Brunswick County Board
of Commissioners, and
trustees of the proposed
Brunswick County Hospital
and Dosher Memorial
Hospital.
“The meeting should be
held to resolve the problem
once and for all so that
medical services for Brun
swick County can be provided
for and we don’t end up down
the road with nothing,”
Chairman Kopp told mem
bers of the Board of Com
missioners during their
regular third Monday
meeting.
Kopp, speaking slowlj and
choosing his words de
liberately, spent almost an
hour at the end of the meeting
talking about the hospital
situation in the county. After
the presentation, com
missioners agreed the
meeting should be held.
“Now I have here before
and will hereafter refrain
from making comments to
the media or anyone else that
would in any way inflame the
issue,” the chairman
declared. “I feel that in a
situation like this, the more
that is said, the worse the
situation becomes.”
Kopp said he wanted the
support of the board to set up
the meeting to try to iron out
the hospital problem, and “to
proceed with the mandate of
the people (building the
proposed county hospital)
and have any other hospital.”
The chairman expressed
great concern about the
Southport Board of Aldermen
announcing plans to seek a
restraining order to stop
county hospital construction
until assurances are received
that Dosher Memorial
Hospital will remain open.
“I just know that under the
climate that now exists the
threat of legal action
jeopardizes the orderly
process of building what the
mandate of the people has
called for,” he declared.
“The focus of this venture
(plans to seek the restraining
order) knows that the threat
of or actual processing of any
type of litigation will put a
stop on the sale of bonds for
the new hospital.”
“That is the reason,” Kopp
continued, “that I have asked
for such a meeting to get this
thing resolved. Unless it is
resolved, we can’t sell the
bonds.”
Vice-Chairman J.T.
Clemmons said all the board
knew about the proposed plan
to seek the restraining roder
was what appeared in the
newspaper (The State Port
Pilot, Aug. 14, Page 1).
“I know that what we read
in the newspaper is enough to
stop the sale of bonds,” Kopp
stated. “Pending or
threatened litigation will stop
the bond sales.”
County Attorney Thomas
Home, who attended the
session, said that he agreed
with Kopp that the newspaper
(Continued On Page 15)
Board Takes Action Against
Property For Water Well Site
By BILL ALLEN
The Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners
ordered County Attorney
Thomas Horne to initiate
condemnation procedures to
obtain land for the water
plant and well sites on High
way 211 during a regular mid
monthly meeting on Monday.
The board took the action
after lengthy discussion with
Horne of a proposed lease
agreement with
Weyerhaeuser.
The county attorney ex
pressed concern about
several points in the proposed
lease agreement. Under the
agreement, he said there
were numerous ways that
Weyerhaeuser, owner of the
land, could end up owning the
water plant “within 10 days
after it is signed.”
Horne told the board that
the Farmers Home Ad
ministration, which will
provide a large amount of the
money to build the system,
had recommended that the
lease agreement be rejected.
Chairman William Kcpp,
Jr., said the time had come to
initiate condemnation
procedures against
Weyerhaeuser to obtain the
land. Horne, who has been
working on condemnation
procedures while the lease
agreement was being
discussed, said he was almost
ready to have Sheriff Harold
Willetts serve papers on
Weyerhaeuser officials.
PUBLIC PURPOSE
Horne said he was op
timistic that the county could
win a court case to obtain the
land. The key point, he said,
is the county wants the land
for a public purpose —
building a water plant and
well sites.
“Nobody in the world would
(Continued On Page 20)
Project Tab: $4.3 Million
Cost Of Beach System
Double First Estimate
2nd Highest Collection
The collection of the local one-percent sales
and use tax reached $69,169.34 in Brunswick
County during July, according to the Depart
ment of Revenue. It was the second largest
collection in the county since the tax was
initiated in October, 1971.
The revenue department also announced that
the amount of the taxes distributed to Brunswick
County during the quarter ending July 30
amounted to $170,051.95.
Brunswick County received $152,211.85 of the
quarterly distribution. Municipalities and
amounts received include Boiling Spring Lakes,
$565.27; Bolivia, $42.68; Holden Beach, $1,444.08;
Long Beach, $7,748.40; Ocean Isle Beach,
$944.13; Shallotte, $1,697.90; Southport, $3,260.46;
Sunset Beach, $710.41; and Yaupon Beach,
$1,426.77. Calabash and Shady Forest did not
receive any funds.
After hearing that the cost
of a proposed water system
has jumped from $2.19
million to $4,325 million, the
Long Beach town council
Tuesday voted to proceed
with plans to place the water
bond issue on the November 5
ballot.
The council passed a
resolution to proceed wth the
water system, hire a bonding
attorney and apply to the
Farmers Home Ad
ministration for a loan and
grant.
Officials from Pierson &
Whitman, an engineering
firm in Raleigh charged with
the water planning,
presented the estimated costs
in a preliminary engineer’s
report. Jim Wilson of that
firm returned from a
telephone conversation with
FHA representatives to say
the organization has ‘‘plenty
of loan money available at
five percent.”
The engineers said the FHA
can supply grant up to 25 and
30 percent.
The engineers said inflation
and expansion of plans are
responsible for the jump of $2
million on the water price
tag.
“We’ve had some prices
literally double,” Engineer
Bill Piver said of other
municipality water system
costs recently.
The water system proposed
by Pierson & Whitman will
supply water to all town
residents. Town Manager
Frank Kivett said previous
plans for water would have
covered less area with the
service.
The $2.19 million estimate
was based on plans from
engineering firm Henry Von
Oesen and Associates of
Wilmington. That amount on
a water bond issue was voted
down this January.
The engineers said they
would have no FHA com
mitment before final
engineer reports are com
plete two weeks from now.
FHA loans will include five
percent interest, they said.
The town is already
assured of over $100,000 in
grants from the state Clean
Water Bond Act funds.
Some councilmen said they
didn’t expect to see a $4.3
million price on the water
project. Fiver said, “These
prices are ‘cushioned’ ” from
inflation for two or three
years. He said if the project is
completed within this time
limit, “You will be within the
budget.” And he hinted that
the town might have a
“pleasant surprise” at the
(Continued On Page 20)
Oak Island One Big City? Idea Has Pro’s, Con’s
By BOBBY HILL
What about consolidating
the whole of Oak Island into
one big town?
The proposal has its ad
vocates and opponents, both
with good reasons for and
against the idea. The vast
majority of those polled think
the consolidation move is
inevitable. However, Yaupon
Beach and unincorporated
Caswell Beach residents are
leary of being swallowed up
by the larger Long Beach.
Most Long Beach citizens
are enthusiastic about the
jump from two towns and one
community to what would be
Brunswick County’s biggest
city. Before any marriage of
consolidation can occur,
however, Long Beach
probably faces a long, ar
duous courtship of the two
smaller communities.
Ironically, the marriage of
the island into one city might
be forced in less than ten
years by the necessity for a
common sewer system. Any
of the three areas is too small
on its own to finance a sewer
project. Federal agencies
have already issued
guidelines that will force the
whole island to become one
water and sewer district. The
Yaupon Beach town council
recently passed a motion
allowing Long Beach to be
the responsible party for
securing an island-wide
sewer system.
The legal process for
consolidating the island
would require a special
election passed by act of the
state General Assembly.
Both towns would be
required to vote a majority
on the ballot, and some
provision would presumably
be made for voters at
Caswell Beach. The two town
councils would have to pass
resolutions requesting their
representative to introduce
legislation for special
election.
The consolidation issue
would probably pass now on
the Long Beach council.
However, Yaupon coun
cilmen would probably turn
thumbs down on the
question. Yaupon Beach
Mayor Clarence E. Murphy
said Friday, “I believe the
board would go unanimously
against it (consolidation).”
Ample precedence of
consolidation exists for both
legal guidelines and as
examples. Leaksville,
Draper and Spray voted to
become the city of Eden in
1967. North Myrtle Beach
also voted to consolidate.
However, Murphy said the
Myrtle Beach move came
only after more than ‘‘a
decade” of planning.
No Oak Island con
solidation planning is
available at this time.
However, the issue has
reportedly been a perennial
topic of country store
political discussion since the
1950’s. Despite the amount of
conversation, no official
t
consolidation move has ever
come before either Yaupon
or Long Beach councils.
The original developers of
Long Beach and Yaupon
Reportedly had a “gen
tlemen’s agreement” for
Yaupon Beach not to in
corporate. Long Beach
developer E F. Middleton,
Sr., reportedly had planned
to incorporate most of the
island. G.V. Barbee, Sr., was
the Yaupon Beach developer.
Long Beach has a tax base
of about $20 million, with a
tax rate of 87 and one-half
cents. The town is about nine
miles long, with over 100
miles of streets. The state is
responsible for 19 miles of
these roads. Long Beach has
a population of an estimated
4,500, based on a total of 1,439
permanent residences listed
at town hall. A good number
of these residences, however,
are probably second homes
and do not represent
registered voters. The town
has an estimated 1,000
registered voters.
Yaupon Beach, about one
and one-half miles long by
three-quarters mile wide,
has 216 registered voters. Its
proportion of year-round
residents is larger than that
of Long Beach, according to
Yaupon Councilman William
Smalley. The town has a tax
base of $4.5 million and a tax
rate of 75 cents.
Unincorporated Caswell
Beach represents about five
(Continued On Page 6)