The spring sports season is
served up, tossed out, teed
up at South Brunswick — 9B
J
4
11 111 ^ J"
,1995
I VOLUME 64/ NUMBER 29
SOUTHPORT, N.C.
Neighbors
It’s the truth, it’s actual
bluebirds are neat creatures,
but need our attention -- IB
Our Town
Are sands of time passing
us by in our effort to combat
beach erosion? - Page 2
Parking
lot vote
Affirmative action
can't alter zoning
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Aldermen voted 4-2 Thursday
night to rezone Bobby Willis' prop
erty at Moore Street and Willis Drive
for general commercial use, but that
affirmative vote was not enough to
effect the zoning reclassification.
Because a citizens petition oppos
ing the rezoning action had been filed,
a three-quarters affirmative vote (5-1
or better) was needed for alderman
Phil Joyner’s motion to carry, city at
torney Mike Isenberg ruled.
Only aldermen Meezie Childs and
Paul Fisher opposed the rezoning ac
tion which more than 80 people
jammed aldermen's chambers to op
pose.
Willis has one other option avail
able to him to keep his business —
contractor parking for Bald Head Is
land — up and running. He has ap
pealed the city code enforcement
officer's decision that the business is
not eligible to be grandfathered into
existence as a non-conforming use of
land.
Citizens in January presented aider
men with a 215-signature petition in
opposition to the rezoning matter.
Isenberg pointed to a state law which'
says aldermen must adopt a zoning
change by a three-quarters affirmative
vote if 20 percent or more "of adja
cent property owners" petition in op
position to the measure. There are
four persons whose property abuts
Willis' and one or more of them
signed the petition, Isenberg said dur
ing a break in the meeting.
Rick Johnstone, of 110 Willis
Drive, presented the most compre
hensive argument in opposition to the
zoning change, though many more
told aldermen why they did not want
C-2 land uses on that parcel.
Johnstone said Willis had misrep
resented to the building inspector and
to the planning board the chain of
ownership of the property and the
uses to which it had historically been
put. He said though the property had
been in the Willis family since the
early 1960s, Bobby Willis only ac
quired it in 1987 and began leasing it
to Bald Head Island Management Co.
for parking in 1988 or 1989.
Neighbors retained counsel in 1989
to try to stop the non-conforming use
of property, Johnstone said, but Bald
Head Island said it would shift its
ferry operation to Indigo Plantation
in 1990 and the issue died.
However, Johnstone said, when the
See Parking, page 8
Crews began removing the charred remains of the Southport Com
munity Building early this week from its site overlooking the Cape
Fear River. Built in 1941 as a USO center, the building hosted most of
the important civic, social and entertainment functions of its time.
Photo by Jim Harper
Community and official debate of a replacement facility continues
today. The city last week mailed surveys to residents asking them what
kind of facility should be built to replace the venerable waterfront
structure.
Yelton:
'Honored
to serve'
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Ousted county manager Wyman
Yelton said Tuesday he hopes to re
main in the Southport community and
shake free of the personal setback he
sustained when
county com
missioners
voted 4-1 to fire
him Monday.
"Needless to
say, my future is
unknown to
me," said
ieuon. u came
YELTON as a surprise.
My plan is very
unstable right now. I set out to be a
ten-year man, and I made it just a
short time."
When he was hired in June, 1993,
See Yelton, page 7
'We need
County manager fired
after proposed shuffle
By Terry Pope
County Editor
A request last week to reshuffle
county employees isn't exactly what
the elected board of commissioners
had in mind.
That was one example on a grow
ing list which led to Wyman Yelton's
firing by a 4-1 vote Monday as county
manager.
County commissioners extended a
trial run for three months, but in the
end the gap between the board and
Yelton had widened too far to mend.
A growing list of department manag
ers had also called for new leadership.
They appear ready for a new budget
and new fiscal year.
"We need leadership here at the
county, and Mr. Yelton went through
we were hoping
that (Yelton) would
be able to come
back and take over
the reins. But that
just didnft prove
true
Bill Sue
District 5 commissioner
a very dramatic experience last year,"
said Bill Sue, District 5 commis
sioner. "And we were hoping that he
would be able to come back and take*
over the reins. But that just didn't
prove true. You've got to have a
leader."
In one week alone, Yelton proposed
to create two deputy county manag
ers on his staff, recommended the
county yank its membership from the
Cape Fear Council of Governments
and asked to impose a hiring freeze
on all positions until July.
Yelton was hired in June, 1993, by
the previous board to replace David
Clegg, who served as manager and as
county attorney. Yelton was critically
injured in a car accident near Durham
on Easter weekend last year, a head
on collision on Interstate 40 that killed
his wife.
After months of rehabilitation
See Shuffle, page 7
north Carolina first lady Carolyn Hunt was the guest or honor at
Friday’s "State of the Child" luncheon hosted by the Brunswick
County Partnership for Children. Mrs. Hunt told the crowd that her
husband’s number-one goal is to improve the lives of children through
out the state. Seated beside her are partnership chairman Lori Bates
and Rep. David Redwine.
Local program gets headstart^
Partnership for kids
looking to the future
~By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
Today in North Carolina there are some things hap
pening to children that shouldn't," declared Walter Shep
herd, executive director of the North Carolina Partner
ship for Children.
Shepherd said three babies will die today in this state,
43 teens will give birth, one baby will be born to a child
under age 14, and thousands of children will be abused
and neglected.
"But," he continued, "the line in the sand is called Smart
Start, and that's where we're at."
Shepherd was among guest speakers at Friday's "State
of the Child" luncheon held at the Gauntlet Restaurant,
kicking off a year-long, fund-raising campaign for the
Brunswick County Partnership for Children.
The county partnership was formed two years ago to
obtain about $1 million per year in state-supplied Smart
Start funding.
The Smart Start program was initiated by Gov. Jim
Hunt to improve the school readiness of children under
age five and thereby prevent future academic failure,
which often leads to other problems.
The county has been turned down twice, however, and
future state funding for the program is questionable.
North Carolina first lady Carolyn Hunt, guest of honor
at the luncheon, assured the crowd of more than 100
people that her husband would continue to support the
Smart Start program until all counties receive binding.
The number-one goal in this administration is to try
to help the children," Mrs. Hunt said. "And you will be a
much better Smart Start county because of all the hard
See Future, page 11
Sewer
tap ban
Moratorium may
be lifted this week
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
No one dared say it as commission
ers met Monday night, but the nine
month moratorium on taps to the
town's wastewater management sys
tem could be over within the week.
"We are awaiting our
hydrogeological study," mayor May
Moore said. "It should be imminent."
The hydrogeological study is a
fancy name to describe an analysis of
how fast treated wastewater is seep
ing through the treatment system's
rapid-infiltration basin. In a nutshell,
it was the failure of treated wastewa
ter to pass quickly enough through the
basin that prompted the state's Divi
sion of Environmental Management
(DEM) last July to order the morato
rium on new taps until the town could
prove the capacity of the system to
handle the flow for which it was de
signed.
Moore said Monday night
hydrogeologist Ed Andrews has sub
stantially completed his analysis of
flow through the basin and may sub
See Sewer, page 6
Sewer responsibility
Long Beach, Caswell Beach
and Southeast Brunswick Sanitary
District are in various stages of
studying or planning for munici
pal wastewater management sys
tems. Yaupon Beach has recently
constructed such a system. Is it
local government's job in
Brunswick County to provide
wastewater collection services?
To vote:
*Yes. dial extension 1001.
*No, dial extension 1002.
You may tell us why you voted
as you did. Leave your name if you
wish.
Last week's results, page 7.
The State Port Pilot
Pilot Line
THE TALKING NEWSPAPER
457-5084 • 253-8427
Forecast
The extended forecast calls for
beautiful weather Thursday through
Saturday with highs in the 70's and
low's in the 40's. Could Spring actu
ally be here?
Tide table
HIGH LOW
THURSDAY, MARCH 16
7:11a.m. 1:07 a.m.
7:38 p.m. 1:27 pm.
FRIDAY, MARCH 17
7:55 ajn. 1:53 a.m.
8:22 pm. 209 pm.
SATURDAY, MARCH 18
8:39 am. 2:39 am.
909p.m. 2:52 pjn.
SUNDAY, MARCH 19
9:25 am. 3:26 am.
9:58 pan. 337 pjn.
MONDAY, MARCH 20
10:15 am. 4:15 am.
10:50pm. 425 pm.
TUESDAY, MARCH 21
11:08am. 508 am.
11:48 pm. 5:18 pjn.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22
-ajn. 606 am.
1208 pm. 6:17 pjn.
The following adjoftmenu ihould be made:
Bald Head bland, high -10, low -7; Caswell
Beach, high -5, low -1; Southport, high 47,
low +lsjLockwood Folly, high -22. low -8.