INSIDE
Sports, page 1C
March 3,1993/ 50 cents
ABC
takes
a shot
New U.S. 74-76
facility will open
well-traveled area
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Legislation has absorbed many of
the choice spots, but Brunswick
County's Alcoholic Beverage Con
trol board may have a prime location
for its second and newest store.
It hopes to open a new self-service
ABC store this week on U. S. 74-76
near Sandy Creek in northern
Brunswick County.
The closest competition is a store
operated by the Town of Belville 15
miles east.
There is also an ABC store in Bolton
in Columbus County, 15 miles west,
but a new four- lane road has bypassed
that town.
That's why ABC board chairman
John Ramsey believes shoppers will
steadily pour in once the store opens,
especially during the tourist season.
" We feel like we’ll get a lot of traffic
off of 74-76, especially a lot of beach
traffic," said Ramsey.
The store sits just inside the
Brunswick County line beside the
County Line Kwik Stop, which is in
Columbus County. The ABC board
will lease the newly built, 1,800
square-foot store from the owner of
both buildings, Jerry Brown.
The county’s first store is on Holden
Beach Road between Shallotte and
Holden Beach. When the board tried
to open a second store in the River
Run Shopping Center on Long Beach
Road, officials in Southport, Long
Beach, Yaupon Beach and Boiling
Spring Lakes complained it would
hurt their municipally owned ABC
stores.
What followed was special legisla
te ABC, page 6
‘We're trying to
serve 70 percent of
the population of
this county that
doesn't necessarily
live in the
municipalities
served by stores.'
John Ramsey
ABC chairman
Long Beach surf crashes shoreward under a work
man sinking a bolt hole in new piling at Ocean
Crest Pier. Work continues this week on replace
ment of pilings and repair of pier decking.
Sanitary district approves sale
By Jim Harper
Staff Writer
Southeast Brunswick Sanitary District commissioners
Monday approved sale of $250,000 in anticipation notes to
fund the early stages of developing a sewer system for the
district.
The notes are expected to be sold in Raleigh March 9.
with the proceeds to be in district hands two weeks later.
The $250,000 is expected to be apportioned three ways,
with $80,000 set aside for land acquisition, $40,000 for
legal and administrative fees and $130,000 for engineer
ing and design of the collection and treatment systems.
A special meeting of the board to amend the district
budget and allocate funds is tentatively set formid-month.
The next regular session of the board is April 5, the first
Monday.
Consultant Finley Boney reported that he had been
discussing district zoning with county planning director
John Harvey.
Contacted later, Harvey said he hoped to have a draft of
See Sanitary, page 6
Recreation director is under fire
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Two Brunswick County commis
sioners Monday called for disciplin
ary action against a department head
after reading comments he allegedly
made in a local newspaper article.
Bobby (B. J.) Jones, a 15-year vet
eran of the Brunswick County Parks
and Recreation Department, came
under fire at the close of the commis
sioners' meeting.
In a February 20 article about theft
of county property from district parks,
Jones apparently was asked about
catching the criminals. He was quoted
in the Wilmington Star-News as say
ing, "I've been here 15 years, and I'm
afraid I'd be in jail because I'd prob
ably kill them."
Commissioner Wayland Vereen
described Jones' handling of the inci
dent as an "irresponsible and poor
^attitude" on the part of a county em
ployee.
"We definitely need to take some
sort of action on that," said Vereen.
He then tossed a copy of the article to
chairman Don Warren.
Warren also labeled Jones’ com
ments as "irresponsible," saying the
employee indicated he "intended to
kill them, whether it's a man, woman
or child" if caught stealing.
Jones said Tuesday the quote used
by the newspaper was shortened and
taken out of context. He said he ex
plained to a reporter how hard parks
and recreation employees have
worked for 15 years to provide nice
facilities for residents only to have
them destroyed by someone overnight
"I think everybody that knows me
knows that Irm not going out there and
doing that," said Jones.
Jones said he has twice caught ju
veniles in the act of vandalizing park
property and hasn't killed anyone. On
one occasion, he dropped charges af
ter a parent was uncooperative.
In another incident at,\ Waccamaw
Township District Park, Jones ap
proached a dozen juveniles who were
vandalizing property there. Instead of
taking matters into his own hands, he
asked that they repaint the concession
stand and keep the matter out of court.
All 12 agreed to do so, he said.
Vending machines and concession
stands have been a constant source of
vandalism. The concession stand and
restrooms at the Northwest Township
District Park in Leland were burned
by vandals last year. The county plans
to fence the park on all sides before
See Director, page 6
'Good progress'
CP&L startup
maybe in April
By Jim Harper
Staff Writer
Start-upof Brunswick nuclear plant
Unit 1 seemed likely to be moved
back into April on Tuesday as CP&L
officials told visiting Nuclear Regu
latory Commission representatives
they were taking time to "reassess"
where they are in the restart process.
While the outage which CP&L im
posed on itself last April 21 has con
cerned maintenance, replacement and
repair of structures and equipment,
the emphasis in the Tuesday meeting
was on how well prepared CP&L
personnel are to restart a patched-up
plant.
Brunswick vice-president Roy
Anderson told NRC representatives,
"Just because the equipment is ready
to go doesn't mean the people are
ready ... I want to know what the
See Startup, page 6
[Just because the
equipment is ready
to go doesn t mean
the people are
ready ... / want to
know what the oper
ators are thinking ...
When it all comes
together, we’re
ready.’
Roy Anderson
Brunswick vice-president
County thaws
’essential’ jobs
in DSS, health
By Terry Pope
County Editor
County manager David Clegg said
Monday he plans to fill six positions
at the Brunswick County Department
of Social Services and five at the
Brunswick County Health Depart
ment.
It represents the first persons hired
by county government since Novem
ber 1.
"I had a good work session with the
director of social services who pro
vided extensive documentation to me
that the positions were essential," said
Clegg.
Hiring has been halted since the
Brunswick County Board of Com
See County, page 5
Sales tax disbursed
The N. C. Department of Revenue has distributed more than
$1.9 million in quarterly sales and use taxes to Brunswick County
and its 17 municipalities.
For the period ending December 31, the county received a total
of $1,482,200 from combined half-ccnt and onc-pcrccnt tax
proceeds. The amount is based on a population of 52,721 resi
dents.
Towns received the following amounts, also based on their
permanent populations:
Bald Head Island, $2,249; BelviUe, $2,333; Boiling Sprint?
Lakes, $48,187; Bolivia, $6,494; Calabash, $34,833; Caswefl
Beach, $5,116; Holden Beach, $18,442; Leiand, $51,926; Long
Beach, $112,034; Navassa, $12,735; Ocean Isle Beach, $15,462;
Sandy Creek, $6,944; Shallotte, $30,053; Southport, $66,433;
Sunset Beach, $19,904; Vamamtown, $11,667; and Yaupon
Beach, $21,282.
OUTSIDE
Forecast
The extended forecast
calls fry showers on Thurs
day with high temperatures
in the 60s. Variable cloudi
ness is expected Friday
through Sunday, with highs
in the SOs and lows only in
the 40s.
Tide table
HIGH LOW
THURSDAY, MARCH 4
3:55 a.m. 10:24 a.m.
4:24 P-m. 10:41p.m.
FRIDAY, MARCH 5
4;56 »m. 11:22 a.m.
5:26 pm. 11:41p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH 6
5:54 a.m. 12:15 a.m.
6:24 p.m. .— pm.
SUNDAY, MARCH 7
S:42 »■">• 12:35 a.m.
7:18 p.m. 1:04 p.m.
MONDAY, MARCH 8
2:40*m. 1:28 a.m.
8:10 p.m. 1:52 p.m.
TUESDAY, MARCH 9
*:29a.m. 2:21a.m.
9:02 P-m. 2:39 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10 P
9:20 a.m. 3:11a.m.
9:53 p.m. 3:27 p.m.
The following adjustments ihould be made:
Bald Head Island, high -10, low -7; Caswell
Beach, hish -5, low -1; Southport, high +7,
low +15, Yaupon Beach, high -32, low -45;
Lockwood Folly, high -22, low -8.