Classifieds, p. 1C
most complete
Igtfeproperties
X'nWV
Volume 63/ Number 22
Southport, N,C,
January 26,1994/ 50 cents
INSIDE
14
At ground zero it looks like the invasion of the ice blobs. Last week’s
temperatures which dipped into the teens turned the lawn of the N. C.
Fourth of July Festival building on Moore Street into a surreal winter
Photo by Marybeth Bianchi
wonderland. Practically every blade of grass was encased in its own
thick coat of ice, the result of a sprinkler system that had been operat
ing with the temperature still below freezing.
Long Beach officials balk
Mail plan may not go through
By Holly Edwards
Municipal Editor
The final count is not yet in, but the
number of people who signed a peti
tion in support of a first-class post
office for Oak Island will total in the
thousands.
Post office committee member Su
san Warren said she will have the
final numbers at the committee's next
meeting, Monday, January 3i, at 5
p.m. in the Yaupon Beach Town Hall.
However, what began as a seem
ingly harmless drive to get a first
class post office for Oak Island has
been viewed by some as an attack on
the operator of the contract post of
fice, as well as the island's five mail
carriers.
"It hurts when someone calls it a
'disaster,'" said postal contractor
Marvin Watson. "I can prove it's not."
Watson pointed out that the post
office's sales have exceeded federal
postal officials' expectations, and
added that he and his employees try to
do everything they can to offer
‘It’s going to take several years to get
an appropriate facility, and we have to
think five or ten years in the future. Our
facility has been fine in the past, but it’s
not adequate now and it won’t be ade
quate in the future.’
May Moore
Yaupon Beach mayor
friendly, personalized service to all
Oak Island residents.
"We have a lot of senior citizens
here, and I carry their packages out to
their cars for them, or keep the pack
ages here so they don't have to drive to
Southport," he said. "It's a small com
munity post office, a place where
people can meet and talk. "
Long Beach mayor Joan Altman
agreed that the post office has come a
long way in ten years and that Watson,
his employees and some mail carriers
go above and beyond the call of duty.
However, she said she believes the
important issue to consider is what
happens when Watson retires.
"We’re very fortunate that the folks
who provide these services step be
yond the minimum requirements fora
contract station, but there’s no guar
antee the next ones will," Altman
said. "It does take time to get a post
office and we've got to start working
toward one now. We all like what we
have today, but will we like what we
have today five years from now? The
congestion at that point will be intol
erable."
Watson indicated that once federal
postal officials agree to construct a
post office in a community, it takes
about five years before one is actually
built. He said he intends to retire in
four years, so getting a first-class post
office on Oak Island would not affect
his contract.
"I’m not fighting against a post of
fice, all I'm trying to do is put out the
positive facts," he said. "I've had hun
dreds and hundreds of people come in
and say they support this post of
fice.... Our little contract station is
known all over the South."
Watson conceded that there would
be some benefits to having a first
class post office on Oak Island, such
See Mail, page 6
The containment dome was lifted onto the dry
well of Brunswick nuclear plant’s Unit 1 last Fri
day. "Rod pull", whereby shields are removed so
that nuclear fission can start building steam power,
is now expected to take place Saturday or Sunday.
The nhoto was taken by a CP&L photographer.
Weekend
restart of
Unit 1 set
By Jim Harper
Staff Writer
Brunswick nuclear plant Unit 1 is
expected to restart and begin a powei
ascension late Saturday or on Sunday
Roy Anderson, vice-president ir
charge of the plant, said Tuesday.
Last week Anderson and his lieu
tenants gave the Nuclear Regulator]
Commission an estimated startup win
dow of Tuesday through Friday ol
this week, but Anderson said Tuesdaj
that discovery of necessary systenr
See Restart, page 5
Crime-stoppers
State to weigh
cost vs. benefit
of Hunt's plan
First of a two-part series
By Terry Pope
County Editor
When State Rep. Dewey Hill (D-Lake Waccamaw) reflects on the growing
crime problem, a worried look covers his face as he is reminded of Eddie
Nobles, a young man who once worked at Hill's grocery store chain.
Nobles later became a Charlotte police officer but was gunned down in the
line of duty last year, another statistic in the growing numbers that currently
rank North Carolina 16th of 50 states in violent crime incidents.
Crime has risen so rapidly, up from 32nd place in 1988. that the state is
labeled a hotbed for criminal activity in the South, prompting Gov. Jim Hunt
to unveil a 36-point plan he will ask legislators to approve in a special session
starting February 8.
"We used to read about all of these things happening in Chicago or the other
big cities," said Hill, "but it's hitting closer to home."
More than 30 bills were ratified in the 1993 session of the N. C. General
See Plan, page 8
Larger tracts
to be exempt
from zoning?
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Four of the county's larger subdivi
sions may become exempt from
county zoning laws which took effect
January 1.
The Brunswick County Planning
Board unanimously recommended
that the golf course and housing
projects proceed as planned unit de
velopments not subject to zoning.
They are the Lockwood Folly Golf
Course, developed by Bill Benton,
and three by developer Mason Ander
son - Brunswick Plantation and Golf
Links. Ocean Side Place and Ocean
Gate, all south of Shallotte.
Brunswick County commissioners
must act on the recommendation.
Each of the subdivisions is cur
rently under development with land
set aside for future expansion. Benton
and Anderson plan a mix of patio
homes, single-family and multi-fam
ily dwellings for areas which may be
affected by zoning controls.
Such projects that include open
spaces of land set aside for parks and
recreational areas are allowed under
the county subdivision ordinance.
Some areas under question are zoned
R-6000 for medium-density housing
and others as R-7500 for low-density
districts.
"These developments take a long
See Zone, page 10
Pilot wins
7 awards
in contest
Staff of The State Port Pilot will be
in Chapel Hill Thursday to accept
four first-place awards and the
newspaper's fifth consecutive award
in the General Excellence category
for large weekly newspapers.
The North Carolina Press
Association's 1993 awards will be
presented at the Friday Center, 5:30
p.m., by Gov. James B. Hunt.
The first-place award in Spot News
See Awards, page 5
OUTSIDE
Forecast
The extended forecast
calls for rain Thursday,
with highs in the 50s
and lows in the 40s.
Mostly cloudy skies ;
will prevail on Friday,
with highs in die 60s
and lows in the 50s. On
Saturday, partly cloudy
skies are expected with
highs in the 50s and ;;
Tide table
high low
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27
734 a.m. 1:20 am.
736 p.m. 1:54 pm.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 2*
8:19 am 2«6am
8:43 am. 237 pm
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29
933 a.m. 2:52 a.m.
930 pan. 331pm.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 30
9:49 am. 3:40ajas
1030pm. 4:05 pm.
MONDAY, JANUARY 31 |
1037 am. 431 Amt
11:14pm. ■ 433pa
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY I
„J 1139 am. 5:25 am,
■ '"'--v • 5:44
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2
' 12:12am. ' 634 am
1236pm. 6*1 pm
The (oQowmi adjoatmrnu ibcnW be made:'
Bald Head Uand. high -10. low -7; Caswell
Beach, hub -5, low -1; Souihport, high -*-7,
v tow ^-IsTYamon Beech, hiqh-32JI “
< LotkwoodFofiyMet,'hish-32,to*