Bald Head Island mayor Dick Messinger (foreground) was among
officials welcoming visitors to the open house at the new village hall
Saturday afternoon. Village offices have been in a trailer at the devel
oper’s maintenance area for several years.
Dosher reports fine
opening to new year
By Marybeth Bianchi
Feature Editor
Dosher Memorial Hospital trustees
welcomed the new administrator to
his first board meeting Monday
night and learned the hospital started
out the new fiscal year in the black.
Edgar Haywood, III, reported an
excess of operations for October
totaling $18,644, despite a drop in
admissions for the month. He ex
plained that was the result of operat
ing the hospital below the budgeted
costs.
The board approved spending
$1,718 for a new light in the emer
gency room parking lot and a new
door at the flea market. They also
agreed to pay S345.69 a month to
Haywood’s current health insurance
plan for three months until he can be
covered by the hospital’s plan.
Haywood reported that 41-year
nursing veteran Anne Bruton is
retiring from her job in the emer
gency room. Patricia Schlessinger, a
registered nurse, was hired for in
service education and infection con
trol.
Trustee GeneTomlinson asked’ if
anything had been done about a
designated parking area along
Fodale Street. Gib Barbee suggested
the City of Southport turned down
the request because it didn’t want
the area designated specifically for
hospital parking. He recommended
the area be paved and be designated
for general parking.
"It certainly would be a real ad
junct to have parking there," Tom
linson said.
The new administrator reported
that he has been "extremely im
pressed with everyone I’ve met.” He
complimented the staff and said
their "smiling faces on the job" are a
good sign.
"1 think my primary job here is to
not mess up a good thing,"
Haywood said.
The next board of trustees meeting
will be at 7:30 p.m, December 28.
CAMA update is presented
The Brunswick County Planning Department has sent its proposed Coas
tal Area Management Act (CAMA) land use plan update to the state divi
sion of coastal management, but due to the upcoming holidays the county
cannot expect comments from the state until January or February, planning
director John Harvey told the planning board last Wednesday.
Harvey also said he sent a copy of the proposed land use plan to incom
ing county commissioners Tom Rabon, Sr., Don Warren and Wayland
Vereen for their input and comments.
The planning board is expected at its December 16 meeting to begin dis
cussing possible procedures to handle requests for changes in the newly
enacted county wide zoning ordinance.
Ruark festival this weekend I
Tales ot Robert Ruark, lite in Southport and people Ruark knew and
loved will be featured this weekend at the third annual Robert Ruark
Festival.
Festival activities will begin at 10 a.m. Friday, November 27, and
Saturday, November 28, and will be centered on Moore Street between
Howe and Davis streets in Southport.
Storytellers will include James M. Harper, Jr., James C. Brown, Leila
H. Pigott, Donnie Kirby, Noni Rogers, Foxy Howard, Harold Watson
and Ephraim Swain. The storytelling is made possible by a grassroots
grant from the Brunswick County Arts Council.
The Robert Ruark Festival, sponsored by the Robert Ruark Founda
tion, was established in 1989 to honor the nationally recognized writer
who was bom in Wilmington and spent his summers in Southport visit
ing his grandparents.
A street fair including arts and crafts, foods and live entertainment
will highlight the festival. Many craftsmen will be exhibiting their
wares for Christmas shoppers, and food venders and restaurants will
have booths lining Moore and Howe streets.
The Southport Cloggers, a newly formed dance group under the
direction of David Spencer, will perform both days. The Sea Notes
Choral Society, under the direction of Cindy Sellers, is scheduled to
perform a selection of holiday songs. Donna Rae Martin will be the
mistress of ceremonies. She will also entertain with favorite songs of
Patsy Cline and other artists.
At 3 p.m. Saturday, writer Ellyn Bache of Wilmington will announce
the winners of the two statewide short story contests. Copies of Bache’s
most recent book will be on sale throughout the festival.
Also in conjunction with the festival, Brunswick Little Theater will
present the comedy "Noises Off at the Centennial Center on Lord
Street
The Rev. P. D. Midgett will be on the scene throughout the two-day
festival videotaping activities as part of Southport’s Bicentennial
celebration.
Federal Road project:
Developers or village?
By Jim Harper
Staff Writer
Bald Head Island may have im
provement of Federal Road included
in its overall paving program as a
result of meetings Saturday.
Strong property-owner support in
both the October village meetings
and again Saturday failed to spur
strong action from either the village
council or property owner associa
tion board, but a committee was
formed to reassess priorities for
paving, recommend standards and
possibly to negotiate with devel
opers for increased participation by
them.
The group will report to the coun
cil in a special December 19 session.
Chairing the committee is council
man Bill Watkins, whose opposition
to the village taking over Federal
Road in its present condition is
strong. Serving with him will be
councilman Tom Bradshaw, associ
ation board member Ken Miller and
Middle Island property owner Griff
Weld.
The committee is charged with de
veloping plans for FederaJ .RoatJ im-._
provement, improvement of the
lighthouse-village hall access road
and repaving of North Bald Head
Wynd.
In August the village council ap
proved repaving of North Bald Head
Wynd, but postponed the project in
September for lack of funds.
Subsequently property owner an
noyance over the condition of Fed
eral Road grew, after lying dormant
for most of the summer, and the
need for paving of the lighthouse ac
cess also became an agenda item in
council sessions.
In a special public hearing Satur
, day, property owners gave voice to
the need for a better roadway link
with Middle Island and cast beach,
and the property owner board ap
proved a $35,000 grant to help the
village acquire Federal Road and
pave it.
But in the village council meeting
which followed the hearing and
board session, Watkins opposed ac
cepting the grant.
In the hearing Watkins had said,
"We ought to have a great (Federal)
road, and I don’t blame people for
wanting it, but my argument against
taking it over is not only the cost of
bringing it up to standards but the
cost of maintaining it. That is the
biggest cost - the maintenance of
the road."
Federal Road is owned by Bald
Head Management, the major island
developer, and is maintained on a
marginal basis. Promised renewal of
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he surface after recent installation
if water pipe in the right-of-way has
tot occurred.
On Saturday Charlie Young,
whose Middle Island development is
•cached via Federal Road, suggested
hat the village take over the road
ind use S93,000 he says he and de
veloper Kent Mitchell have pledged
:o improve it.
"I feel it can be brought to a rea
sonable condition for that amount,"
Voung said.
Property owner Chuck Pardee sug
gested that a committee be formed
:o see that the road is acquired by
he village and improved before next
Easter, and later voted as a member
if the association board for that to
lappen.
Property owner Pete Taussig com
plained that the road is a "running
sore" in the island complexion and
jrged doing whatever is necessary
:o have a "first-class road."
"If it costs $200,000 or more to
put up a first-class road, I say go
after it," Taussig said.
But Sonny Mclver, an association
board member who later was to op
pose the S35,000 grant, said benefits
of Federal Road paving would not
be equal, and suggested that financ
ing could be arranged on a benefit
basis, as was done with beach
renourishment.
Village councilman Bill
Leineweber said that the roadway
should be acquired by the village,
and a deadline set for improvement,
and Ron O’Keefe, a Middle Island
neighbor of Leineweber, said, "This
is not just a Middle Island problem
... If we don’t take the bull by the
horns now we’re missing a big op
portunity."
But the strongest advocate of any
plan was Watkins, who said the pri
mary beneficiaries of an improved
Federal Road would be Young and
Mitchell.
"The responsibility of building a
proper road is up to those two devel
opers," he said, "and if we hang in
there it will happen."
Beach blaze
A two-story Long Beach house
was heavily damaged by fire Satur
day, according to police department
reports.
The house, owned by Virginia
Madlock, is located at 107-23rd
Street NW, police major Johnny
Freeman said. There were no oc
cupants of the house at the time of
the blaze, he said.
Freeman said the alarm was
sounded at 4:45 a.m. Saturday. By
the time the police, fire department
and rescue squad reached the scene
the house was engulfed by flame, he
said. The fire probably started in the
back comer of the house, Freeman
said. Investigation to determine the
cause of the fire are continuing.
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Banking has certainly come a long way from that simple but
historic transaction that took place between two groups of neighbors
so long ago.
But one message that remains unchanged, is that by helping each
other we can all reap the bounty that cooperation brings.
We're proud to be a part of this fine community and are thankful to
have such good neighbors like you.
In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, we will be closed on
November 26th.
Have A Happy And Healthy Thanksgiving Holiday I
Security
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"Bruntwick County'* Oldett Financial Imtitution"
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