Sports
wtmm. fy'**'?--.
South Brunswick rode past
the Stallions, now has week
off from league play — 9B
pl 1 VOLUME 64/NUMBER 23 SOUTHPORT, N.C.50 CENTS
''
WX
Neighbors
The finest instrumentalists
strike up the high school
band in area workshop — IB
Our Town
Is the Southeast Bmnswick
Sanitary District sewer plan
■ down the drain? — Page 2
P___
Community Building: 'Lot of sentimental value there'
Blaze destroys Southport landmark
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Throughout Monday and Tuesday
scores of city residents, and those of
the surrounding area, strolled by the
charred remains of Southport's Com
munity Building to
of a special time
or event, to reflect
on Southport as it
was, and to pon
der its next move.
The city-owned
Community
Building, built by
the USO in 1941,
burned to the ground in a ferocious
early morning fire Monday.
City officials are to meet Saturday
at the Sea Captain Restaurant to con
duct a retreat session at which re
sponse to the loss will be discussed.
SBI investigators on site Monday
attributed the outbreak to a faulty
motor attached to the building's heat
ing fuel burner.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze
by a neighboring homeowner at 5:10
a.m. Monday, records on file at the
police department dispatch center in
dicate. Firefighters began arriving
minutes later.
"It was extremely hot when we got
there," Southport volunteer fire chief
Greg Cumbee said. "The whole build
See Landmark, page 8
share a memory
What
now?
Page 8
An early morning blaze Monday destroyed the Southport Com
munity Building on the city’s waterfront. Built in 1941, the former
USO center has been the site of many significant community cultural
- Photo by Ed Harper
and civjc activities, as well as homecomings, reunions, weddings and
receptions. Area residents said a piece of Southport’s history has been
lost. .
Foreclosure
is considered
for collections
By Terry Pope
County Editor
More delinquent taxes were paid when Brunswick County practiced
foreclosure on property, a legal policy that abruptly ended seven years
ago.
Now county commissioners may return to the practice to help boost
its collection rate and to stop writing off past-due accounts. The 1994
collection rate stands at 96 percent, but bond rating companies would
like to see it go higher.
"I'd like to recommend contracting with an attorney," said District 5
commissioner Bill Sue of Leland, who likes the idea of foreclosing. "It
looks like you scared most of them into paying."
Up until 1983, state statutes allowed counties to sell tax liens on
property held by individuals to settle tax accounts, but it was often
See Foreclosure, page 6
Forum held Thursday
It's safe to say schools
concerned by violence
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
The Safe Schools Forum did not
solve the problem of violence in
Brunswick County schools.
But it marked the first cooperative
effort by parents, students, teachers,
principals, school board members and
administrators to understand the prob
lem from a variety of perspectives.
No one denied that a serious prob
lem exists, and at the end of last week's
program most agreed that further dis
cussion is needed.
Brunswick County schools reported
119 cases of violence and drug use on
school campuses last year — the high
7 have a 17-month-old, and I donft
want him to have to go see Daddy9s
tombstone
Marc DuBose
est rate in the southeastern district
and the third highest in the state.
"Our report is not something we
want to boast about, but we are com
mitted to getting those numbers to
zero," superintendent of schools Ralph
Johnston told the crowd of about 100
people who gathered for the forum at
Supply Elementary School.
Johnston said he believes the
county's rate was higher than other
See Violence, page 5
DOT to weigh impact
Proposed second Oak Island bridge
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Construction of a second bridge to Oak Island at
Middleton Street in Long Beach appears to be on target
for 1998.
N. C. Department of Transportation announced last
week it had contracted with DS Atlantic Corporation, of
Raleigh, to perform work preliminary to formulation of a
federally required environmental impact statement of the
proposed bridge and accompanying road network.
The area to be studied includes the Middleton Street
corridor, aportionofDavis Canal and an area between the
terminus of the proposed bridge and N. C. 211 in the area
of Midway Road where a connector road would be
constructed.
DOT says the purpose of the DS Atlantic study will be
to "evaluate alternatives and prepare fan Environmental
Protection Agency) document for the proposed second
bridge to Oak Island."
As designed, the project would include an upgrade of
Middleton Street from West Beach Drive to Oak Island
Drive, including construction of a new bridge across
Davis Canal on Mjddleton Street. The project, as de
signed, will also include construction of a new roadway
from N. C. 211 at Midway Road to Oak Island Drive,
including the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway.
In all, the project spans about 5.25 miles.
Long-debated construction of a second Oak Island
bridge was made second priority of all transportation
needs in Brunswick County this year upon update of the
state's Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). A logjam
in project planning was broken in late 1994 when the state
reached agreement with owners of property on the main
land between N. C. 211 and the Intracoastal Waterway.
"The purpose of this project is to provide a second
access to the rapidly developing island,” DOT said in its
See Impact, page 5
'Piece of
history'
is gone
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
While World War II raged over
seas, young women in Southport
would don their finest clothing and
head for the USO Building to play
ping pong, watch movies and dance
with servicemen in crisp white uni
forms.
The USO Building would later be
come the Community Building, and
was for many Southport residents the
place of high school proms, furtive
kisses and first loves.
When the building was destroyed
by fire Monday morning, many lost
the most vivid reminder they had of
their youthful exuberance.
"I think a lot of people feel like they
lost their identity in that fire," said
Ken Mabe, the chairman of the Com
munity Building board of directors,
charged with orchestrating renova
tions to the structure.
Lifelong Southport resident Mar
See History, page 8
School bids
high; board
is 'cautious'
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
"This is a cautious board
and we are not going to com
mit to spend money we don't
have."
That was school board
chairman Clara Carter's
comment after the board *
voted unanimously to post
pone award of a $7.5-mil
lion bid offered by Smith
See 'Cautions', page 6
horecast
More cold weather is in store for
the area Thursday through Sunday.
We can expect partly cloudly skies
with temperature reading in the 40's
to SO each day and 30's at night.
Tide Table
HIGH LOW
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2
9:46 a.m. 3:21 a.m.
10:04 p.m. 3:48 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3
10:29 aan. 4:06 a.m.
10:48 pan. 4:31 pan.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4
11:11 ion. 4:51a.m.
11:32 pan. 5:13 pan.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5
11:54 aan. 5:37a.m.
-p-m. 5:59 pan.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6
12:18 aan. 6:26 a.m.
12:39 p.m. 6:45 pan.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7
1.-07 aan. 7:18 a.m.
129 p.m. 727 pan.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY >
.129 aan. 8:16 a.m.
2:23 pan. 8:32 pan.
The following adjustmenU ihould be made:
Bald Head Iumd, high *10, low -7; Caiwell
Beach, high -5, low -1; Southport, high +7.
low +15; Lockwood Folly, high -22, low -8.