__.The State Port Pilot_
OUR TOWN
Past week’s highs & lows
Bald Head Island
The public is invited to an open house at the village hall at 12:30
p.m. Saturday. The structure in the lighthouse-chapel complex,
next to the post office, was recently completed at a cost of approxi
mately S215.000 and has been occupied by the village staff for
over a month. Previously the village government operated out of
the developer’s administration building, and more recently from a
trailer in the developer's maintenance compound.
Village manager Wallace Martin said Tuesday that installation of
the water line to Middle Island, which provides improved fire
protection as well as residential water service, is complete and
Federal Road is restored as an around-the-clock thoroughfare.
Boiling Spring Lakes
A public hearing on the land use plan update w ill be held tonight
(Wednesday) at 7 p.m.. city clerk Barbara Cumbee said this week.
At the board of commissioners meeting last week mayor Mark
Stewart urged citizens to attend the hearing. The board may vote
after the hearing on whether or not to approve the revised land use
plan for the city.
At the board meeting last week, commissioner Warren Plowden,
in charge of recycling, said residents are leaving recyclables at the
recycling center when it is not open. The center is open on Tues
days. Thursdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. It is located in
the city garage complex off N. C. 87.
Caswell Beach
Building inspector Roger Parks will not be available to issue
permits or make inspections from Monday. November 23. through
Friday. November 27. town clerk Linda Bethune said this week. He
will resume normal office hours November 30. she said. Parks'
office hours are 9 to 10 a.m. on Mondays. Wednesdays and
Fridays.
The Town Hall will be closed Thursday and Friday. November
26-27. tor the observance of Thanksgiving. Bethune said. The
office-will reopen on Monday. November 30.
Parks attended a seminar this week in Wilmington conducted by
the Council of American Building Officials (CABO) which dealt
with building code updates.
Police chief Paul Osborne also attended a seminar this week on
' disaster preparation and recovery” at Kure Beach. The seminar
was sponsored by Cape Fear Community College.
Yaupon Beach
Town Hall will be open to the public only from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
daily through Friday, November 20, as town employees prepare the
preliminary assessment roll for the town's wastewater collection
and sewer treatment system, town clerk Nancy Wilson said this
week. The roll will be available for public inspection beginning
December 15. A public hearing on the assessment roll is scheduled
for January 7.
Wilson said anybody who needs to contact building inspector
and wastewater treatment operator David Kelly between now and
Friday should leave a message at 278-5024 on the answering
machine.
Town Hall will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday and
Friday, November 26-27, Wilson said.
Kelly and public works director John Hawes attended a seminar
on hurricane preparedness in Carolina Beach Tuesday and
Wednesday of this week.
Long Beach
In the month of October the Long Beach Police Department
answered 143 calls, according to the department's monthly report.
The report noted that the department made 36 arrests, conducted 33
criminal investigations and assisted the Long Beach Volunteer Fire
Department on 22 calls.
According to the report, the officer assigned to animal control
answered 53 animal complaints, investigated one animal bite, and
impounded 17 animals.
Town clerk Pat Brunell appealed to the public this week to use
the recently reopened recycling center. The center, located on 48th
Street SE. is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
and Saturday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. It accepts newspapers,
cardboard, glass and certain types of aluminum and plastic.
Southport
The pick-up schedule for recycling bins is alternate weeks on the
same day as garbage pick-up. acting manager Sylvia Butterworth
said this week. She said there has been some confusion about the
schedule.
The next pick-up is Monday, November 30. for the west side of
the city and Tuesday, December 1, for the east side.
The city will soon string Christmas decoration lights and banners
in the downtown area, public works director Ed Honeycutt said this
week. Lights on holly trees and the banners will be put up soon on
the 100 block of Howe Street, the first block of Moore Street and
in front of the Brunswick County Library. Honeycutt said the lights
will be switched on Saturday, December 5, and will be used
through the New Year.
The Department of Transportation will transplant 75 to 80 live
oak trees along city streets this week, Honeycutt said. The depart
ment is planting the trees along Howe, Moore and Leonard streets
, using the same procedure employed last spring.
Evelyn Anderson (left), a World War II veteran and Southport auxil
iary member, and Florence Gordon, a member of the Disabled Amer
ican Veterans Ladies Auxiliary, place a wreath at Old Smithville Bury
ing Ground last Wednesday in commemoration of all veterans who
lost their lives in the line of duty.
Veterans must still protect their rights
By Holly Edwards
County Editor
Just as the early colonists were united by the goal of a free and
independent nation, so should veterans join together to defend the entitle
ments they've earned and the recognition they deserve, said local Disabled
American Veterans (DAV) commander Al Hancock during the Veterans
Day ceremony in Southport last Wednesday morning.
"This Veterans Day. let’s appreciate our common bond - the shared
experience of serving America in her armed forces." Hancock told the
small crowd gathered at Old Smithville Burying Grounds. "We once
defended our nation's right to choose its leaders. Now. as veterans, we can
protect those rights we so fiercely defended."
Disabled veterans share an even greater bond. Hancock said.
"The injuries we suffer from or diseases we cope with are an ever
present reminder of our military service to our country," he said. "We are
bound by the shared pain of recovery and the joy of rehabilitation."
Because of the men and women who have served in the nation's military.
Hancock said Americans were recently able to participate in one of their
most fundamental and sacred rights — voting.
"We're here today to honor those veterans who protected and defended
our right to be represented, and to freely choose those who will represent
us." he said. "Sorting through the issues and listening to the candidates'
answers was often a daunting task. But this Veterans Day. I'm reminded
that one tact remains constant: The veterans of this country helped make
that process possible."
Later in the ceremony. Rep. David Red wine (D-Brunswick) said that
each American should he grateful
to the veterans who gave their all
so everyone could participate in
the democratic process.
"I saw a bumper sticker a lew
weeks ago that said. II you love
your freedom, thank a vet.' And I
think that's what Veterans Day is
all ah''’:!." Redwine said.
Hancock | 'inted out that war
memorials and veteran-related ac
tivities are rising in popularity, and
that Americans are rediscovering
the significance of veterans in pro
tecting their way of life. But. he
added, beyond memorials and
events, everyone needs to join to
gethertoensure that veterans'health
care and compensation programs
See Veterans, page 5
‘We’re here today
to honor those
veterans who pro
tected and defended
our right to be
represented, and to
freely choose those
who will represent
us.’
A1 Hancock
DAV commander
ouffi BriihswicK Miadle^fua^tsthahK'ouFvcls, page IB
Boiling^ Springy Lakes
VFD wants out of hot water
By Amitabh Pal
Municipal Editor
The Boiling Spring Lakes Volun
teer Fire Department will, for the first
time, admit outside members to its
board of directors in hopes of attract
ing more volunteers and increasing
public financial support.
Elections to the board will be held
December 9 when the 17 department
members will select a board and a fire
chief. They will be asked to approve
names submitted by a three-member
nominating committee.
The board will consist of eight
members, all of whom — except the
fire chief - will be from outside the
department. A non-voting position
will be held by Bert Buckbee, the
Boiling Spring Lakes public safety
commissioner.
‘Because of firefighters being board
members there was no oversight and it
was too easy to get what you wanted. We
need people to look at things and say
what is necessary. ’
Bill Stephenson
Interim board president
The nominating committee has rec
ommended Bill Davis, a commercial
loan broker, for the post of president
and Charles Johnson, a professional
firefighter, for the post of fire chief.
The elections, which were held ev
ery year, will now under changed
bylaws be held every two years.
"We want to give them time to get
their program implemented." said Bill
Stephenson, interim board president
who will step down in December.
”We don't want too much of a rota
tion."
The department operates indepen
dently Irom the city although it does
receive municipal funding.
Stephenson said the previous ar
rangement, where all members of the
board were firemen, at times resulted
in the board voting solely in the fire
department's interest.
"We found that in the past few
years the board was not operating the
way it should have." Stephenson said.
"Because of firefighters being board
members there was no oversight and
it was too easy to get what you wanted.
We need people to look at things and
say what is necessary."
"It was a case of the fox looking
after the chicken coop." he said.
Stephenson said the initiative for
the change in board structure was
internal and was not due to pressure
See Hot water, page 16
State considers maritime forest buy
By Jim Harper
Staff Writer
The state Recreation and Natural HeritageTnist board on Friday
will consider a proposal for purchase of 128.4 acres Of Bald Head
Island woodland at a cost of roughly $19,000an acre for preserva
tion as a maritime forest.
The state board will be asked to pay $216,000 of the actual
$2,487,000 cash cost of the project, to be combined with some
$2,271,000 In federal funds which have been pledged.
Bald Head Island developers, who are to receive the money, are
also to be credited with a contribution of $541,000 in land and
services which bringsthetotalpackage value toroughly $3,028,000.
If the state money is appropriated and federal funds are forth
coming from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the acquisition
should be completed in early 1993.
Rich Shaw, with the state Division of Coastal Management, said
Tuesday that the federal agency has tentatively alteSditspfcmto
spend a total of $4 million for Bald Head forest acquisition over a SII
two-year span in equal parts.
Should the federal government agree to spend more than half of
the total in a phase-one purchase, $1.729,000 will be available for
purchasing more land in the maritimeforest in the nexttransaction
Shaw said the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been "recep
tive" to the idea of paying more than $2 million for the initial
acquisition, but no formal go-ahead has been received.
The proposed forest to be purchased in the first phase is gener
ally located in the woodland between Muscadine Wynd and
Captain Charlie's Station, and spans Federal Road.
Preservation of the forest through acquisition was pursued after -ifi
lengthy deliberation by foe Coastal Resources Commission found
the Bald Head forest worthy of saving.
Federal funds were promised last winter, and negotiations have
been between the N. C. Nature Conservancy, which is a private
conservation group, and the islaiul developer. The purchased land
is to become state property.