Sports
South Brunswick will
scrimmage Hoggard on Sat
urday morning — Page 14
SOUTHPORT. N.C.
VOLUME 63/ NUMBER 50
50 CENTS
1 Augustl 0, 1994
Our Town
Yaupon Beach has im
posed a moratorium on new
building in town — Page 2
Neighbors
Recovering alcoholics can
succeed once they have ad
mitted defeat - Page IB
Schools
opening
may wait
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
Summer vacation may lasta little longer
than expected for Brunswick County stu
dents.
Superintendent of schools Ralph
Johnston said he will make a recommen
dation to the board of education this week
concerning the possibility of extending
summer vacation until after August 29,
when a Superior Court judge is expected
to decide whether to overturn or uphold a
jury's decision to award the school system
$14 million.
He said if the first day of school is
delayed, it will likely be delayed until
after Labor Day.
The school board would have to call an
emergency meeting to officially change
the school calendar for the upcoming year.
School board chairman Donna Baxter said
she would support any recommendation
made by Johnston.
By law, the school system is required to
operate for 180 school days, so any delay
now would have to be made up prior to .
June 30,1995, said school board attorney
Glen Peterson.
The school system adopted an interim
budget until its funding battle with the
county could be settled, and has been
paying its bills from a fund balance esti
mated to fluctuate between $60,000 and
$200,000.
"It makes no sense for me to spend
money I don't have,” declared Johnston.
He also said it is difficult for school
officials to plan for additional or expanded
programs until they know how much
See Opening, page 10
Photo by Jim Harper
This old gray goose ain’t where she used to be now that grass is going to seed along
Airport Road. A whole gaggle was out on the roadside last week eating its way
eastward from the Bowmer property, where they usually reside.
Northern regional sewer
system talks are clogged
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Overlapping boundaries are confusing, and sometimes
boggle local elections in the Leland area.
That same kind of confusion now threatens to clog plans
to develop a northern regional sewer system.
Talks did not go smoothly when representatives from
Belville, Leland, Navassa and the Leland Sanitary District
met last week to decide the best way to establish a North
Brunswick Regional Sewer Authority.
No agreement was reached on how the governing com
mission should be composed and what role the sanitary
district would take. The district includes all of the three
towns and areas outside town limits, stretching to the
Eastbrook community and to Olde Towne.
"What we're trying to do is get four boards to work
together for whatever is best for northern Brunswick
County," said Leland councilman Jane Gilbert, the town's
representative on the regional sewer committee. "We're
‘We’re not there to worry over turf.
We’re not there to worry over politics.
We’re there to work for what is best for
the people in this part of the county.’
Jane Gilbert
Leland councilman
not there to worry over turf. We're not there to worry over politics. We’re there
to work for what is best for the people in this part of the county."
Also serving on the sewer committee are V. A. Creech Jr. of Belville, Larry
Paulson of the sanitary district and Eulis Willis of Navassa. They plan to meet
again Tuesday, August 16, to iron out a possible compromise on options for
See Clogged, page 6
Long Beach spill
Redwine wants
menhaden scrap
put on the table
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
State Rep. E. David Redwine says ho wants to
broker a deal between warring beach communities
and menhaden processors, but a spokesman for the
industry says he has little new to bring to the table
and the spearhead of sanctions against pogey fish
ing says he isn't interested in talking.
Redwine has issued invitations to discuss the
matter to local government officials at all county
beach towns, to the N. C. Fisheries Association and
three menhaden operators working offshore Brun
swick waters. Scientists from the state's Division of
Marine Fisheries also will be present. The meeting
is to be held August 17, 7 p.m., at Brunswick
Community College.
At least three Brunswick County beach towns
have joined Long Beach in a petition seeking to
drive menhaden boats at least one and a half nauti
cal miles from county beaches from May 1 to
September 30 and no closer than a half-mile from
October 1 to December 31. The towns plan to
present1 that petition to the N, C. Marine Fisheries .
Commission in Morehead City August 26.
The move against the menhaden industry has
been prompted by a number of fish spills which
have littered area beaches over the years, forced
costly clean-up efforts and threatened the tourist
industry. Fishermen say the sanctions will mean the
end of the menhaden industry.
"I don't know that, at this point in time. I'm willing
to talk to them,” said Long Beach councilman Jeff
Ensminger.
Ensminger has taken the lead in pushing for
sanctions against pogey fishermen. It was he who
wrote the petition calling for sanctions much like
See Menhaden, page 8
Yaupon
to lend
support
By Richard Nubet
Municipal Editor
Yaupon Beach will support
Long Beach and other Brunswick
County beach communities in
their push for restrictions on men
haden fishing off the county coast.
But, commissioners said Mon
day night, they will remain "ame
nable" to any mediated solutions
tothedisputebetweenfisbingand
tourist interests that may emerge
from a planned bargaining ses
sion to be hosted by N. C. Rep. E
DavidRedwine next Wednesday.
(See related story ^Commissioner
Jackie Slockett will represent
Yaupon Beach at that mediation
session.
Yaupon Beach commissioners'
decision came after hearing a pre
sentation by Mike Street, of the
N. C. Division of Marine Fisher
See Support, page 8
Long Beach committees
being told to ‘think big’
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Members of the town’s Capital Improve
ments Committee were encouraged to think
big, to dream of what can be, and not to con
sider money Tuesday night.
That charge came from the mayor and
Long Beach councilmen in the first of six
half-hour sessions scheduled with members
of standing town advisory committees.
"The advice to think big is something we
would really like you to do," mayor Joan
Altman told members of the CIC. "Think
about the big-ticket items."
Councilman Horace Collier said it is coun
cil members’ job to watch money. They first
want to know the options.
But, mayor Altman noted, CIC’s charge
will likely change this year as the town un
dertakes a benefit-district study in conjunc
tion with a professional planning firm. That
study is expected to be an exhaustive look at
capital needs and means of financing them
for an extended number of years.
CIC’s new role will likely be as consultant
to the consultants.
A good number of CIC’s projects have
been put into the works in the coming
budget year. The group has been instrumen
tal in planning for water storage projects,
construction of the new fire station, and
recreation center expansion. Water storage
See Long Beach, page 10
Coastal region must plan for its future
Committee says cooperation
among towns, region needed
By Holly Edwards
. Feature Editor
W:<<'
111
North Carolina’s coastal management program is only as
effective as the land use planning of local governments, and
Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) land use planning
guidelines do not adequately protect coastal waters or coastal
water quality.
Coastal Futures Committee chairman Richardson Preyer de
scribed this as the most significant conclusion contained in the
committee's 47-page report to Gov. Jim Hunt on the shortcom
ings of CAMA.
‘I'd like to see a correlation among
land use plans, so that everyone in
the county, and all the counties in a
region, are marching to the same
tune,*
Eugene Tomlinson
Committee member
“Land use planning i s probably the heart ofourrecoramendatumn be
said.
Preyer added that in Older forland use plans to be effective, tbett roust
.. ... .
be more state and local cooperation and more public participation in
developing the plans.
The report will be officially presented to the governor in Septem
ber doting a committee meeting in Wilmington the governor will
review the document and present Iris own report and recommenda
tions to the N. C. General Assembly for its review in Jtmuary,
It will then be up to the General Assembly to decide which
recommendations are enacted and which are funded.
Hum established the 12-member committee in October, 1993* and
charged H with reviewing tbe effectiveness of GAMA on the 20tb
anniversary of its adoption.
Many of the committee's recommendations will involve state
funding, and Preyer acknowledged that General Assembly debate
may revolve around money rather than the environment.
However, Preyer pointed out that of the 50 states North Carolina
See Coastal, paged
. . . » ,.*.Mgg
ription information orclistomer service, eall (910) 457-4568