A South Brunswick junior
captured two first places in
state 3A track competition
The State Port
U .JM?
VOLUME 64/ NUMBER 39
SOUTHPORT, N.C.
50 CENTS
C-COM often is the lifeline
for Brunswick residents in
need of emergency services
Our Town
Proposed mobile home
park rule changes would
cost the owner, critics say
mm
Preparations for the upcoming holiday weekend were foremost in
everyone’s mind at the beaches this week. Workers were busy even in
Photo hv Jim Harper
last Friday’s gathering storm putting finishing touches on the new St.
James Plantation beach club at Long Beach.
Many costs are fixed
County faces 12-cent
hike to meet expenses
By Terry Pope
County Editor
How did county commissioners
accept news of an impending 12-cent
tax hike for the 1995-96 budget?
"With a deep breath," District 3
commissioner Leslie Collier of Long
Beach said following the meeting.
"I'm a little surprised. I wasn't ex
pecting quite that much, but I hope
we'll be able to do some work to per
haps trim it. I'm sure we're going to
be looking at it with that in mind."
Commissioners were forewarned to
expect a tax hike, but most feared a
six- to eight-cent jump. Interim
county manager Charles McGinnis
gave them a draft Monday that will
raise the property tax rate from 58.5
cents to 70.5 cents per $100 valua
tion.
For the owner of a $50,000 home
the increase will result in a $60 jump
on the tax bill, from $292 to $352.
On a $100,000 home, it will result in
a $120 increase.
"I think we have our work cut out
for us in reviewing that budget," said
|—-—
the community
and the citizens ex
pect up to provide a
service to them, and
it takes dollars. I
don 9t like to pay any
more in taxes than
anyone else.9
Jerry Jones
Commission chairman
board chairman Jerry Jones of Dis
trict 2. "I hope we can find two or
three cents that we can adjust."
Much of the increase is a given,
said Jones. The lawsuit settlement that
will increase funding to the schools
amounts to a five-cent hike. Closing
the county landfill will cost $1.08
million this year, and more to follow,
as the county moves towards an in
cineration contract with Vedco En
ergy Corp.’s plant in Bladen County,
a deal that starts in January.
Five new road deputies to keep the
sheriff’s department open 24 hours,
and seven new shift responders for the
emergency medical services crew, all
add up.
"I don't really know what we can
do, other than to look at the numbers,"
said Jones. "But the community and
the citizens expect up to provide a
service to them, and it takes dollars. I
don't like to pay any more in taxes
than anyone else."
McGinnis accepted more than
$76.6 million in requests from depart
ments that would have been an 86.6
cent tax rate. The budget is based on
a county valuation of $5.75 billion,
or a six-percent increase over last
year. It will net an additional $1.85
million in property taxes.
McGinnis said he took that into
consideration with $5.9 million
See County, page 6
zoning
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Although some residents pre
fer a conservation zone, a plan
to tab the Military Ocean Ter
minal Sunny Point ammuni
tions depot near Southport as a
military installation (M-I) has
avoided fire.
Others want to leave it free
of zoning controls.
"It describes the property for
what it is," said resident Sabrina
Puckett, "but it has no bearing
on the military facility. They're
going to do what they want to
do with that property."
County commissioners Will
decide June S what to do about
the Sunny Point terminal, an
8,500-acre site on the Cape Fear
River currently zoned for heavy
manufacturing. It is operated by
the U. S. Army and serves as the
nation's largest ammunitions
depot.
A zoning proposal that went
to public hearing Monday
See Zoning, page 9
Budget proposal
Long Beach:
same tax rate,
fees expected
By Richard Nuhel
Municipal bditor
The cost of living in Long Beach
apparently will not go up next year.
Town manager Jerry Walters has
submitted a $5.095-million fiscal year
1995-96 budget proposal calling for
no increase in the town's tax rate of
36 cents per $ 100 property valuation,
no increase in water rates and no in
crease in solid waste collection fees.
"The recommended FY 1995-96
budget can be characterized as a con- *
servative budget which still addresses
a variety of community service deliv
ery needs," Walters wrote in his bud
get message to the public. "Overall
funding levels are essentially compa
rable to those of the FY 1994-95 bud
get."
Water cost could only rise if
Brunswick County — the town's sup
plier of treated water — raises its rates.
Historically, the county has notified
its customers of rate increases as late
as September.
The budget built
‘upon works in
progress and a phi
losophy aimed at
enhancing the posi
tive quality of life
enjoyed by citizen
and visitor alike.9
Similarly, Brunswick County has
entered into a long-term contract with
VEDCO, a solid-waste-to-encrgy
company, beginning January l.This
could impact the cost of solid waste
disposal in Long Beach if the county
passes its anticipated cost increases
to the town. If those costs rise, cost
to the Long Beach consumer could
Sec Long Beach, page 8
Spent fuel rod
shipment topic
of debate here
By Terry Pope
County Editor
So far, the U. S. Department of
Energy has failed to address pos
sible sinkhole activity on railroads
leading from the Military Ocean
Terminal Sunny Point facility north
of Southport.
Concerns raised by some local
residents Tuesday may change that.
The Army ammunitions depot is
one of ten ports considered for the
acceptance of more than 27,000
spent nuclear fuel rods from over
seas research reactors.
That railroad was used to ship
several containers last fall to a hold
ing facility at Aiken, SC, before a
judge in South Carolina halted the
process. There were no incidents in
SBSD engineer is given
ultimatum
Board frustrated
as deadlines near
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Faced with a July 1 deadline to present engineering
plans to state officials, a frustrated Southeast
Brunswick Sanitary District board last week said it
would give consulting engineer Finley Boney 30 days
to finalize a redesign of a wastewater disposal system
or would terminate his contract.
Commissioners also acknowledged the district will
> miss a June 1 deadline to apply for heeded federal fi
nancing, but hopes to pick up money in mid-August
When unused funds awarded in this financing cycle
‘I’ve been disappointed in
the time frame. It seems
we’ve been sent down a road
that doesn’t take us home.,
Gene Pinkerton
Long Beach Road businessman
and former county commissioner
are returned to the federal agency.
Boney, president of Boney and Associates of Raleigh,
the firm that designed the initial SBSD rapid-infiltra
tion system, will design a spray irrigation disposal sys
tem whereby treated wastewater will be spread on some
150 acres of wooded land south of Georgetown Road.
The redesign for the woodland irrigation will cost
the district nothing beyond Boney's contractually guar
anteed "basic engineering fee", but Boney hedged at
doing the work until he is paid some $20,000 he said
he billed the district after plans to dispose treated ef
fluent in a rapid-infiltration basin were scrapped in
February and the district turned its attention towards
spray disposal on a St James Plantation golf course.
The agreement now calls for Boney to be paid half
that $20,000 fee on June 1 and half on July 1 - if the
new woodland irrigation design is completed. Boney's
standard contract with the district calls for him to be
paid 6.2 percent of 70 percent of die estimated project
cost as a basic engineering fee for the disposal design.
Under terms of the agreement, the district will pro
Sec Engineer, page 6
Brunswick County.
How a proposed Martin Marietta
mine adjacent to Sunny Point could
affect the government railroad was a
main point stressed at a DOE hear
ing in Southport Tuesday. DOE offi
cials say they will study that con
cern.
"I am sure what will happen now
is we will address what the danger is
to the rail line," said Jon Wolfsthal,
foreign affairs specialist for DOE’s
office of arms control and
See Fuel rods, page 8
non
Forecast
The extended forecast calls for a
chance of showers of thunderstorms
for the period of Thursday through
Saturday with highs in the 80's and
lows in the 60's.
Tide table
HIGH
THURSDAY, MAY 25
LOW
FRIDAY, MAY 26
SATURDAY, MAY 27
SUNDAY, MAY 28
MONDAY, MAY 29
TUESDAY, MAY 30
11:57 a.m.
-p.m.
5:57 a.m.
6:24 p.m.
6:44 a.m.
7:08 p.m.
7:28 a.m.
7:50 p.m.
8:10 a.m.
8:29 p.m.
8:49 a.m.
9:06 p.m.
9:27 a.m.
9:42 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 31
10:03 a.m. 4:02 a.m.
10:16 pm. 4:02 p.m.
The following adjustments should be made:
Bald Head Island, high -10, low -7; Caswell
Beach, high -5. low -1; Southpoit. high +7,
low +15; Lockwood Folly, high -22, low -8.
12:37 a.m.
12:42 p.m.
1:22 a.m.
1:24 p.m.
2:04 a.m.
2:05 p.m.
2:45 a.m.
2:45 p.m.
3:24 a.m.
3:24 p.m.