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INSIDE
Volume 63/ Number 8
Southport, N.C.
October 13,1993/ 50 cents
Limestone quarry near Southport
Opposition digging in
to halt mine operation
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Brunswick County commissioners
say they plan to dig into the contro
versy surrounding a proposed lime
stone mine just north of Southport.
One area group says it may chal
lenge county zoning laws that allow
the mine, while town officials are
scurrying to approve statements op
posing the project.
A resolution to be introduced at
Monday's commissioners meeting
calls for a hearing between Martin
Marietta Aggregates Inc. and
Southport area residents who are con
cerned about the mine's possible im
pact on the community.
Residents' reaction;
M-M position, pg. 8
Saying he was "surprised and up
set" that the company failed to sched
ule a countywide meeting, chairman
Don Warren said Friday he and Dis
trict 3 commissioner Wayland Vereen
plan to introduce the resolution next
week.
"I’d like to see Martin Marietta come
out in a hearing and answer the ques
tions," saidWarren. "Really, theyneed
to get out and make themselves known.
I think it will help everybody."
Martin Marietta met informally with
residents who live on Bethel Church
Road, adjacent to the mining site, and
held a press conference to unveil its
plan last month.
However, a recent wave of opposi
tion has swept the community since
the company said it would apply for
state mining permits, with hopes to
begin digging within nine to 12
months. Twin pits would lie between
Bethel Church Road and the access
road to Military Ocean Terminal
Sunny Point, off N. C. 87/133 north of
Southport.
A deed recorded September 22 at
the Brunswick County Register of
Deeds office shows more than 250
acres exchanged hands between the
Pfizer Corp. and Martin Marietta,
generating $1,198 in real estate ex
See Martin, page 8
State law takes effect
Smoking ordinance
draws its last breath
By Terry Pope
County Editor
A surprise abstention allowed op
ponents to defeat a controversial
smoking control ordinance Monday,
4-3.
Harry Johnson, a member of the
Brunswick County Board of Health,
said both the state ordinance that takes
effect Friday and a proposed county
ordinance encroach on private citi
zens' rights "to run a business the way
they want to run it.”
"Because we are in a kind of di
lemma, I've elected to abstain from
voting," he told the board.
Johnson had earlier spoken in favor
of the ordinance that would have re
quired restaurants to set aside no
smoking quarters served with sepa
rate heat and air systems.
Food service rules
put back on table
By Terry Pope
County Editor
A brief but tense debate Monday forced health board members to table an
ordinance to establish a county food service certification program.
Chairman Maliston (Moe) Stanley called for a vote to adopt the proposal
which has been before public hearings twice and revised from an earlier draft
in April.
But objections were then raised by members Bruce Quaintance, Patrick
Newton and Don Warren.
Quaintance said he asked health director Michael Rhodes for a copy of the
rules two months ago and did not see the policy until 5 p.m. Thursday.
The final draft of the "Rules Governing Food Service Manager Certification
for Foodhandling Establishments in Brunswick County" offers six classroom
See Food, page 6
Johnson's abstention surprised
chairman Maliston (Moe) Stanley,
who said later he was prepared to
break a tie vote to pass it.
Members Patrick Newton. Bruce
Quaintance, Don Warren and Arthur
Knox voted it down. In favor were
Patricia Nutter. Jeffery MintzandBrad
Kerr, who chaired a committee that
drafted the rules.
The meeting held many surprises
other than Johnson's non-vote:
•Ms. Nutter, on vacation this week,
had earlier said she wouldn’t attend
the meeting, but did;
•Joey Galloway, who had supported
smoking controls, reported sick Mon
day afternoon and did not attend;
•George Young not only didn't at
tend but forwarded his letter of resig
nation from the board.
His seat is an at-large county posi
tion, not held by a professional, and
will be filled by Brunswick County
commissioners. In his letter, Young
stated it was impossible to balance his
work and family and still be an effec
tive member of the board.
Stanley said the board follows the
Roberts' Rules of Order that allow
board members to abstain. The chair
man only votes to break a tie, and
Stanley had kept his position secret
prior to Monday.
"I would have voted for it.” said
See Smokers, page 6
Can South Brunswick head football coach Bill
Hewett get up for a game, or what? tlewett, here as
tohished at a referee’s call during last week’s 29-28
Photo by Ed Harper
win over East Columbus, will be pacing the sidelines
Friday night when his Cougars host YVhiteville, a
team he coached in the mid-1980s. Gametime 7:30.
Candidates’ use of mailboxes
gets the stamp of disapproval
By Holly Edwards
Municipal Editor
Some Long Beach candidates' cam
paign fliers have been placed in resi
dential mailboxes without stamps, and
postmaster James Hardy reminded all
candidates this week that private use
of mailboxes is a violation of federal
postal laws.
"A lot of people don't realize a
mailbox belongs to the post office, it
belongs to the government." he said.
"The only thing that can go into it is
your mail. Private use is strictly against
postal regulations."
Hardy said he believes candidates
made an "honest mistake" and all have
agreed to pay the required postage.
However, if any fail to pay the charges.
Hardy said he will turn the case over
to federal postal inspectors for pros
ecution.
"If they don't pay I can assure you
I'll contact the postal inspector," Hardy
promised.
Council candidate Timothy Jones,
who was eliminated from the Long
Beach council race last week, was
apologetic, the postmaster said, and
immediately paid the required post
age. Hardy said he did not remember
See Mail, page 6
Follow-up tests at Long Beach
Water survey results unclear
By Holly Edwards
Municipal Editor
Results of surface water testing recently conducted in Long
Beach were forwarded this week to the state Division of Environ
mental Management office, and town manager Tim Johnson said
he will do whatever the state advises.
Environmental engineer Ed Beck is expected to provide the town
with a written summary of his opinion on the findings this week.
"We’re going to do whatever we have to do," Johnson promised.
"We’re not going to run the risk of letting our citizens get sick."
Twenty-one random sites were selected m ditches, ponds, creeks
and canals throughout town. Johnson said he and public works
_
director Qiarles Demck tried to select diverse sites that would
represent a variety of situations.
Five of those sites harvested fecal colifbim counts of more than
200 colonies per 10G milliliters of water, and seven of the sites
registered a fecal coliform to fecal streptococcus ratio of greater
than one. Three sites indicated possible "toxic interference,"
Beck agreed it is safe to suspect the presence of human waste if
there are a large number of septic tanks in the area and the fecal
colifoim count is greater than 200 colonies per 100 milliliters of
water, or the ratio is greater than one.
However, he explained that the ratios are valid only if the fecal
streptococcus count is greater than 10Q, and pointed out that only
See Water page $
OUTSIDE
Forecast
The extended forecast
through Saturday calls
for partly cloudy
skies. Highs during
the period are ex
pected to be in the
70s; nighttime lows
are forecast to be in
the middle 50s.
Tide table
HIGH LOW
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14
7:27 a.m. 1:09 a.m.
7:45 p.m. 1:42 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15
8:21a.m. 1:58 a.m.
8:37 p.m. 2:35 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16
9:13 am. 2:48 a.m
9:29 p.m. 3:26 p.m.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17
10:06 a.m. 3:36 am.
10:21p.m. 4:17 p.m.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 18
10:59 a.m. 4:26 am.
11:13 pm. 5:09 p.m.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19
11:53 a.m. 5:17 am.
-p.m. 6:02 pm.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20
12:08 a.m. 6:09 am.
12:50 p.m. 6:58 p.m.
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.