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Volume 62/ Number 49
Southport, N.C.
July 28,1993/ 50 cents
111
Septic use
agreement
is debated
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Local real estate agents say they
will adopt a policy of their own if state
officials fail to amend sewer rules for
area beach homes.
At debate is whether homeowners
and rental agents should be cited for
exceeding occupancy limits of two
persons per bedroom based on adver
tisements in rental brochures.
The two-per-bedroom limit is es
tablished by the "North CarolinaLaws
and Rules for Sewage Treatment and
Disposal Systems" for standard sep
tic tanks.
However, the Brunswick County
Health Department says a majority of
homes along area beaches that do not
have public sewer exceeds that ca
pacity during the summer tourist sea
• son.
System overloading is blamed for
groundwater contamination and pol
lution of estaurine waters and shell
fish nursery areas.
Healthofficialsplannedtociteprop
See Sewer, page 8
when you know
that you have some
thing permitted for
one size and you
have it advertised at
greater than what
that limit is, then
you know we can t
turn our heads and
walk away and say,
"No, we didn't see
that"'
Richard Rowe
Local movie-making was still booming last
weekend as the crew of "Inkwell" shot a Fourth of
July finale on Caswell Beach. The midnight
Photo by Jim Harper
pyrotechnics display, carefully monitored by both
fire department and turtle patrol, was the most
smashing conclusion filmed here to date.
Auditorium may be ready at graduation
By Marybeth Bianchi
Feature Editor
Work on the Odell Williamson
Auditorium is expected to be finished
just two days before Brunswick Com
munity College is scheduled to hold
graduation.
Architect Ken Phelps told the col
lege board of trustees Wednesday he
expects Hatcher Construction to com
plete the items found lacking in the
pre-final punch list within the next
two weeks. State Department of Com
munity Colleges construction repre
sentatives will be on-site to inspect
the building during the first week in
August and point out any deficien
cies, which HatcherConstruction will
then be required to correct.
Phelps estimated that about 60 per
cent of the work left to be completed
is cosmetic.
"There are no big jobs left to be
done,” he told trustees.
Brick for a section of the front steps,
which is to be tom out because the
tread doesn't match the other sec
tions, has been ordered and is ex
pected to arrive on time for the sched
uled completion, Phelps said. Last
month he reported the contractor had
offered a $544 credit if the steps could
remain as they are, but chairman Dave
Kelly said the board never received a
formal proposal from the contractor.
The $3.2-million auditorium had
originally been scheduled for comple
tion in October, 1992.
"Our goal is to be able to use the
building for graduation on August
20,” Phelps told trustees. The final
inspection should be completed by
August 18, he said, adding that the
contractor does understand the col
lege wants the building completed
inside and out before it will take occu
pancy.
"I think it can be done if the con
tractorputs the appropriate manpower
on the job," Phelps said.
Kelly said the board's attorney had
advised the college to wait until all
work is done before it takes occu
pancy. If it's not ready for graduation
See Auditorium, page 6
TOMLINSON
Tomlinson is CRC chairman
By Jim Harper
Staff Writer
Southport resident Eugene B. Tomlinson, ap
pointed interim chairman of the Coastal Re
sources Commission in January, last week was
named chairman of that group by Gov. Jim Hunt
Tomlinson, a former Southport mayor, has
staved 15 years on the commission by virtue of
his engineering training and career. Bis current
term extends through June. 1996.
He said Monday that his announced January
goal "to turn foe perception of the commission
around” is still top priority.
In January Tomlinson said. "We want to get
away from the idea that we're an austere group
making rules that tell people what they should
not do. We should be a helpful as well as a rule
making organization.”
mmmmm
On Monday he pointed out that a tegular part
of every CRC meeting now - "first on the
agenda* - is public input.
"Members of the public can come and speak
on any item they want to that is not already on
the agenda,” Tomlinson said, "That policy will
continue.”
He appointed ottfthatthesubsequent agenda
spot is for members of the 47-member Coastal
Resources Advisory Committee to present mat
ters of concern.
"Thus far they have used that period to make
format presentations on concerns they hear from
the 20 coastal counties,” he said. "They are our
first line of liaison with die people.
"In New Bern last week we heard the director
of development for CravenOunty talking about
i . *• \ t See Chairman, page 8 ||
School funds
to be decided
by mediator
9y Marybeth Bianchi
Feature Editor
The dispute over funding of
Brunswick County schools will soon
be in the hands of a professional me
diator.
The Brunswick County Board of
Education voted4-l Monday night to
ask the clerk of Superior Court. Diana
Morgan, to arbitrate "the disputed
amount appropriated by the
Brunswick County commissioners"
to the school system.
By Tuesday morning. Morgan had
signed an order turning the budget
dispute over to Superior Court, where
chief judge William Gore, who was
holding a session in Laurinburg. or
dered the matter to professional me
diator Andy Little of Chapel Hill.
That same mediator last week
helped settle a similar dispute in
Bladen County. In that case, the county
agreed to give the school system addi
tional funding by raising the property
tax rate.
The Brunswick County hearing,
which will be closed to the public, is
‘Our solemn obli
gation is to pass on
to our children a fu
ture that is brighter
than was passed on
to us.... They must
look to us who have
elected authority to
do what's right/
Bill Fairley
School board member
scheduled Tuesday. August 10.
At Monday’s school boards meet
ing. member Thurman Gause cast the
sole vote against pursuing the matter,
saying afterward that he thinks "it's a
waste of time to pressure them," re
See Funds, page 6
Zoning change
request affects
proposed road
By Terry Pope
County Editor
A large tract the Pfizer Co. wants rezoned near Southport is in the path of a
proposed four-lane extension of Long Beach Road.
But county planners say such future road plans are too far away to alter
Pfizer’s request.
The company wants to rezone 581 acres from residential (R-7500) to
commercial just west of Dosher Cut-Off Road.
The Brunswick County Thoroughfare Plan adopted by the N.C. Department
of Transportation in May, 1987, shows a boulevard connecting Long Beach
Road toN. C. 133.
Pfizer's property has road frontage along three highways in this area — N. C.
211, Dosher Cut-Off Road and N. C. 133. It has put the land up for sale.
Maps at the Brunswick County Planning Department show the proposed
thoroughfare slices through the middle of this property and connects to N. C.
133 near Bethel Church Road.
DOT says the loop is needed to relieve traffic and congestion in the
Southport-Oak Island community.
"I don’t think it is a major concern until the state says this is where the road
is going to be,” said John Barbee, chairman of the Brunswick County Planning
Board.
”1 can remember years and years ago when people running for office would
See Zoning, page 8
Forecast
The extended forecast
Thursday through Sat
urday calls for partly
cloudy skies and scat
tered thunderstorms.
Highs should range in
the 90s, lows in the
70s.
Tide table
HIGH LOW
THURSDAY, JULY 29
5:08 a.m. 11:19 a.m.
5:57 p.m. -p.m.
FRIDAY, JULY 30
6:09 a.m. 12:09 a.m.
6:52 p.m. 12:13 pjn.
SATURDAY, JULY 31
7:02 a.m. 102 a.m
7:40 p.m. 105 p.m.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 1
7:52 a.m. 1:48 a.m.
8:25 p.m. 1:53 pm.
MONDAY, AUGUST 2
8:37 a.m. 2:30 a.m.
9:06 p.m. 2:35 pjn.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 3
9:18 a.m. 3:11a.m.
9:44 p.m. 3:16 pjn.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4
10:34 ajn. 4:25 a.m.
10:51p.m. 4:36 pjn.
The following adjustment! should be made:
Bald Head Island, high -10, low -7; Caswell
Beach, high -5, low -1; Southport, high +7,
low +15; Yaupon Beach, high -32, low -45;
Lockwood Folly Inlet, high -22, low -8.