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.

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