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^e-1916 Volume 48 Number 6 August 25, 1976 Southport, N. C. 20 Pages 10 Cents . ..—.*"•. . .. M' '-W—■■ 1 ——.. + ' I— '■■■■■ — .; ....■■■—— ..... . ■ ... HI. I ■ ■■I H .. — 1 ..■ ——— :';V -Si -mx*mi sm&xa TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT — and still two hours from high tide — the Atlantic Ocean laps at the eastern end of Long Beach. But this couple is making the best of a bad situation by fishing off the sunporch of their cot tage. Beach erosion, and what individual property owners might do about it, was a topic during the Long Beach Board of Commissioners meeting last Wednesday. ' Owners Looking For Erosion Control Help By ED HARPER News Editor Pete Lindsey of Long Beach and Lumberton says he doesn’t know anything about erosion — “except that I can fish off my deck.” He told the Long Beach Board of Commissioners last Wednesday night the Atlantic Ocean was seriously un dermining his beachfront cottage. He was looking for help, and not necessarily financial. “You owe it to us to help us do something for ourselves,” Lindsey told board members. Lindsey, who lives at 52nd Street East, said he was told about two years ago of a sand groin project that would extend from 40th to 58th streets. He said that early last year he received a letter from the town stating that wort was slated to start in about three months. “That’s the last we ever heard of it,” Lindsey said. What happened was that the federal government cut - off funding for such projects. Commissioner Russell Morrison detailed further efforts by the town to secure funding, to no avail. Lindsey said erosion has become more severe and now property owners he has talked to are ready to do something about it. He mentioned a cost of $350 to $500 per peroperty owner. A Mrs. Hussey, who has con ducted a survey among oceanfront property owners in the area, said she recently spent $4,000 to have a seawall constructed. According to Lindsey, 90 lots in a six - block area have been reduced 20 percent in valuation by the Brunswick County tax office because of erosion. "That probably cost the town at least $4,000 in taxes," he said, and Com missioner Morrison agreed the estimate was a con servative one. Mayor Harold Crain said the town should do “whatever it takes on our part” to help the property owners. He said a volunteer effort by the property owners should come first, but the “ultimate Yaupon To Spray For ' ; . . . , , \ . . ... ....... ''. t _ ’ ; . Mosquitoes ... If Asked By BILL ALLEN Staff Writer f •fc p k Caswell Beach will have to ask if it wants to be sprayed by the Yaupon Beach mosquito truck the rest of the summer. The unanimous action was taken during a special meeting of the Yaupon Beach Board of Commissioners on Tuesday morning. No citizen was present during the meeting. ; The board also voted unanimously to return $600 of the $750 Yaupon Beach received from the county this summer to spray Caswell Beach. Mayor Marvin Watson told the board he believed that the $150 deducted from the Caswell Beach share of the funds would cover the cost of spraying the town three times this summer. Commissioner Louise Corbett said she believed that Yaupon Beach should determine the exact cost of spraying Caswell Beach and deduct it from the total. Mayor Watson said the $150 would be close to the exact cost. Board members indicated that the town was ready and willing to spray Caswell 3each if the request is made. They said the exact cost could be determined at that time. Commissioners expressed concern about the county trying “to force” Yaupon Beach to spray Caswell Beach because of the way the funds were distributed. The county sent $1,500 check to Yaupon Beach with a notice that the money was to be “shared equally” between Yaupon Beach and Caswell Beach. “I feel that the county acted illegally or im properly,” said Mrs. Crobett, who is chairman of the town’s mosquito spraying com mittee. “That is my opinion.” “We need to clean - up the mess the county started,” Commissioner Bill Smalley declared. Mayor Watson said that Town Attorney Henry Foy (Continual on page (\) solution” is the law, which says owners can be assessed for erosion control the same as they can be for street paving. Questions were raised about whether one section or the entire beach would be taxed for erosion control. In some areas erosion is not bad at this time. It was suggested that the matter be brought before the Non - Resident Property Owners Association which will meet September 4. Mrs. Hussey said she was not a member, while Lindsey said he joined the Association “because I thought they’d bring - up something about erosion.” LATE PAYMENT The board voted unanimously to repay Jarvis Jones $540 for equipment he bought for the Little League concession stand without going through purchase order procedures. Jones who is not on the town payroll, said he ordered the equipment June 9 after Commissioner Morrison told him the town could afford it with “leftover” funds from the Recreation budget. But Town Manager John Berry said he could not authorize payment because procedure was not followed and the bill was presented “after the fact.” “My department heads don’t do that,” he told the board. Mayor Crain said that “if everyone was running around, buying and bringing bills” to the town, “we would be in a mess.” But he said the Little League has used the equipment and the board should give consideration to paying for it. “I believe it (the purchase) was done in good faith." Commissioner Morrison (Continued on fxige 2) I Canvass Shows Little Change Run-Off Slated For Lockwood Folly Seat By BILL ALLEN Staff Writer The nomination for one seat on the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners will be at stake when voters return to the polls next month for a second primary. Cletis Clemmons an nounced on Monday, the day he filed the required written notice with the Board of Elections, that he was calling back Steve Varnam, Jr., in Lockwood Folly Township for a second primary on Sep tember 14. The Brunswick County Board of Elections, meeting on Thursday in Bolivia, canvassed the vote. It showed that the vote totals for the candidates changed very little from the unofficial results. Chairman Johnny Mills reported that 7,440 voters in the county - or about 42 percent of the registered total - went to the polls on primary election day last Tuesday. “It is about what we expected,” he added. Under the special act governing primary voting in the county, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast in a township to gain the nomination or be subject to a second primary. Varnam, who is chairman of the present county board, finished first in the Democratic primary race for the Lockwood Folly seat. But he lacked 66 votes of having a majority to be declared the winner. Varnam, whose vote put his township fourth in the county, polled 1,764 votes, while Clemmons had 1,461 and Andrew Gray 469, according to final results after the canvass. A second primary in the county and state was already assured before Clemmons made his announcement because Jimmy Green had challenged Howard Lee for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. Several other state can didates are considering calling for second primaries in other races. “My own personal belief and philosophy is that the job of county commissioner is so important in serving the citizens of the county that the person who wins it should have it only by a majority <rf the vote,” Clemmons said in making his announcement. Clemmons, who lost by 296 votes, pointed out that he defeated Vamam in both his precinct and his township in the primary last Tuesday. He said he was going to campaign and raise the same issues that caused him to enter the race — the “inef fective” type of county government over the last two years. “Let me say that I have a ' mind of my own which will work for all the people and I will not be controlled nor financed by any one man,” he declared. “I want to show the people that they again can have respect and trust in their government." Clemmons has already gained the endorsement of Gray, who finished third in the Lockwood Folly race. “I will support him with all of the help I can give because, like Cletis, I believe we need a change from the type of county government we have received for the past two years,” Gray said in a statement. Clemmons was the only - ■. •. v ■ ; ,y .... candidate running for county office who was eligible to call a second primary, based on the official canvass results. The final canvass of votes cast in the primary showed that incumbent Wiilie Sloan won renomination in Town Creek Township. The question was in doubt until tiie canvass was conducted. Sloan received 1,774 votes while James Clemmons got 1,128 and Jim Matthews 598. Sloan’s total was 48 votes more than a majority in the township. He finished third in the county. Pearly Vereen of Wac (Cvntinued on page 2) Time Clock Procedure ' "" ’ * -. ■■ ' , - ■ ■ : - - in ■ ■ Is Subject Of Inquiry By BILL ALLEN Staff Writer v Are some county em ployees being paid for hours they don’t work because someone else has been punching their time clock cards? County Personnel Director David Swain said he in vestigated a case this week after receiving a report that it was being done. He said his investigation showed that the report was wrong. Swain and County Manager Don Flowers, Jr., held a meeting with Tax Supervisor K.T. Bellamy on Monday after rumors circulated that some employees were leaving the office early in the afternoons and being paid for hours they didn’t work because their time clocks were being punched by someone else. “K.T. assured me that anytime he punched someone else’s time card or had it done, it was done because the employees had taken home work to do and were due leave time,” Swain said. Bellamy told The Pilot that he had had time cards pun ched for hours when em ployees were not working. But he said it was done in every case because the employee worked overtime and earned extra leave. “It appears to be a minor problerri that has already been taken care of,” Bellamy stated. “It is so minor that it does not bother me at all. ” Swain said he sent out a memo in March covering the use of the time clock system in county government. “There will be no more punching time clocks for someone else,” he memo stated. “If someone else punches your time clock, it will be grounds for im mediate dismissal for both parties. This will be strictly adhered to.” The memo was sent to “all county employees.” But Swain said it did not apply to department heads since they are hired by the com missioners. “The memo was intended for employees and not necessarily department heads,” he added. Copies of the memo were also sent to Flowers and all county commissioners. He said he received no complaint or suggestions about the policy after the memo was distributed. Swain said he sent the memo to provide county employees information about the use of the time clocks when they took their lunch hours. “If anyone needs to take time off before or after these two hours (12 noon until 2 p.m.), you should get the permission of your depart ment supervisor,” the memo stated. Swain said the rumor this week was similar to ones he had heard in the past about some county employees being (Continued on page 2) Causeway Termed Water System’s ‘Missing Link’ By BILL ALLEN Staff Writer The inability of the county to run water to Oak Island could delay construction of the Long Beach water system that was approved by voters this summer. Larry Whitehurst, com munity programs loan officer in the FHA office in Raleigh, made the statement during a special meeting of the Long Beach Board of Com- * missioners held Tuesday afternoon to discuss ob taining FHA financing for the project. Whitehurst, who called the Oak Island causeway the “missing link between the county and town water systems,” said he believed that work on the line should at least be started before construction begins on the Long Beach system. “I would like to see the line under construction before you start construction on your water system,” Whitehurst declared. Mayor Harold Crain said he did not believe the county would make a rush decision on the matter because of the large amount of extra money that it will cost if the causeway can’t be used. Whitehurst said he could “foresee the Town of Long Beach having a system i without water” if con struction is done with no work to send county water to Oak Island. Town Attorney James Prevatte, Jr., who also serves as the county attorney, said f Brunswick County officials will hold a meeting with state and federal officials on Wednesday to discuss the matter. He expressed the hope that state and federal officials will make a decision on the matter within a few days after the meeting is held. When the permit to con struct the new Oak Island bridge was approved, one of the conditions was that the causeway be removed. County officials, objecting to the condition, have made official requests to leave the causeway in place. If the causeway is removed, three alternative methods have been con sidered to move county water to Oak Island and later into western Brunswick County beach areas. But it will cost the county much more money to use any one of the alter natives. Jimmy Wilson and Earle ' Hubbard, representing Pierson - Whitman, engineers on the project, reported that they hope construction on the Long Beach system can begin in February and be finished in July of 1978. Whitehurst also said the town needed to act to obtain the property the county is donating for the site of the water tank for the system. Prevatte said he hopes the county would act on the matter next month. Commissioner Ellis Dudley said he believed that the town needed to obtain legal title to fContinued on page 2)
State Port Pilot (Southport, N.C.)
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Aug. 25, 1976, edition 1
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